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Ainsly screamed as she threw herself across the room, charging with all her might. It had been terrible to sit upon her throne, and she felt helpless as she heard the doors to the keep being hacked away. She never wanted to feel helpless again. As she sat on her throne plotting her next move, she had decided that the only way to make things better for everyone in the keep was to show some resistance. She may well be defeated, but she wanted to send a message that the McLallen clan would not go down without a fight.

It had been easier once Ian had come in and declared that this clan was his by right. Too often, she had heard men speaking of strength as though it was only determined by the size of muscles or the length of a sword, but there were other kinds of strength, and she wanted to prove that she had those in abundance. Still, she couldn’t deny that she was intimidated by the man. He was half a foot taller than her and broader, too, his body defined by hard muscles. It was a shame; he would have been handsome had he not been so cruel.

Ainsly whirled her sword around and brought it crashing down, hoping to take him by surprise. He was quicker than she expected for a man of his size and reacted by blocking her strike. When her sword crashed against his, her entire body shook with the reverberating tremors. She felt her teeth chatter, which only incensed her more. She growled like a wild animal and struck again. Her blade flashed as she flicked her wrists with great speed, moving so fast that her blade became a blur, but still, he was equal to it. What was worse was that he wore a smirk, as though he was putting little effort in.

Anger swelled inside and burst out, flowing like lava. Ainsly embraced every furious part of her and whirled around Ian. She thought back to every lesson she had ever learned and then feigned a blow towards his leg. Ian moved to block it, but he was arrogant, and this made him slow. She quickly darted and twisted her wrists before slashing his arm. He howled in pain, and she smiled as she drew blood. It was just a drop, but it went a long way to proving that she was not going to give up easily.

Whatever amusement had been provided by her challenge was now gone. Ian’s smirk turned into a snarl. He wiped the blood away and inspected it on his finger. Ainsly got the impression that not too many people made him bleed. This time he didn’t wait for her to attack him; he brought his greatsword down in a crushing blow. It was so powerful that she almost dropped her sword, and was surprised that her weapon had not been shattered in two. Before she had a chance to steady herself, another blow came crashing down. He moved as fast as the wind. It was impossible, and if she hadn’t been fighting for her life, she would have been in awe. Sparks flew as their blades met; the hall was alive with the sounds of clashing steel. Being this close to him, she could smell the musky, masculine heat. He simmered with an aura of strength and power. It was almost intoxicating.

She fought back as best she could, but there was only so much she could do against a warrior of this prowess and ferocity. As much as she hated to admit it, she could feel her strength waning. With one roar, Ian slashed through the air and hit her blade one final time, sending it flying from her trembling hands. He then wrapped his arm around her in one smooth motion and pulled her close to him, pressing her lithe body against his hard muscles. She could feel the heat and anger throbbing through him. She was so close that she could feel his heartbeat. Their eyes met, and his were wild, filled with the kind of fierceness that was meant for beasts rather than men.

“I am the leader now,” he growled.

The battle had been humbling. Her clan had been defeated without much resistance, and she had been unable to fight back the invading brute in a duel. She staggered as he released her. The feeling of his arm around her waist lingered. Her head dipped, and her hands still ached. Everything ached. Her eyes were sunken, and she could almost not bring herself to look at the rest of her clan, for she had failed them. But she did look, because being a laird meant that she had to live for her clan, not for herself. In their eyes, she saw shame and pity, anger and resentment. She saw all the feelings that were swirling within her own heart and wished she could do more to make them feel better. The clan was in a shambles, and it was all her fault.

She scowled as Ian’s men poured into the hall. They cheered as he won the duel and jeered at the defeated army. Ian sauntered to the throne and made a show of sitting in it, draping his legs over the arms. She had to admit that he filled it better than she ever had. Her ancestor who had built it had been a big man, and she had always felt uncomfortable in it, as though she was being swallowed up by the throne rather than making it her own. Perhaps this had all been a mistake, and she had never been meant to lead the clan. Perhaps this was just the gods righting the path of destiny.

Ian clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “It seems we hae a lot tae discuss. I want ye all tae know that I am a fair ruler and I wilnae punish ye tae much for resisting. I understand that ye were just fighting for yer home, and that’s something I can respect. But I want ye all tae know that I wilnae tolerate any resistance. If ye want tae fight back, then I will give ye a fight, and ye can be sure that I will nae gae easy on ye. There is plenty of room for pikes out there, and I will nae hae any hesitation in sticking yer heads on them,” Ian jabbed his finger towards the remnants of Ainsly’s clan. Her stomach churned as she listened to him speak. What a brute! She hated him with all her heart, and if she could have, she would have killed him right then and there.

But she was still the leader of her clan, and they still needed her protection.

“I will be watching ye carefully over the next few days tae make sure naebody haes any strange ideas. There are more of us than there are of ye, and ye would be wise tae listen tae my words. I will decide which of ye can stay and which will gae. I want this clan tae be as strong as it can be! I wilnae tolerate weakness, and sae I only want strong people here.”

Panic flared in Ainsly’s mind. She had been warned about men like Ian from a young age. He only valued one type of strength, but there were others. There was the strength of spirit, the strength of forgiveness, and the knowledge and wisdom of the land. There was no doubt in her mind that he would turn away so many people who had made the keep their home. During her time as laird, Ainsly had made the keep a refuge for people who couldn’t fit in anywhere else. There were women and children who had nowhere else to turn that depended on the keep for shelter, and it seemed evident that Ian would see these as weak. Breath caught in her throat as she thought of them being turned away. She could not let that happen.

“There is more space than ye think,” Ainsly said. A hushed gasp filled the hall. Ian turned to her and arched an eyebrow. He glared at her and leaned forward.

“I dinnae appreciate being interrupted, lass,” his voice was cold, and it simmered with the undercurrent of a threat.

“I…I’m sorry, Laird,” Ainsly forced out. The words were a bitter poison on her tongue. She had been so used to doing things her own way that it would take some adjustment to seek permission and respect his authority. Frankly, she wondered if she would ever be able to do so, but she knew she had to as her life may depend on it. “It’s just that if ye are worried about giving shelter tae all yer men, ye need nae worry. The keep is built intae the hills; it’s bigger than it looks. There’s space for all of us.”

“It is nae space that concerns me,” Ian said. “I hae seen how easily a weak clan can fold, and I dinnae want tae see the same thing happen again. I only want people who can contribute tae the strength of the clan.”

Ainsly pressed her lips together and quelled the anger that was building inside her. She clasped her hands together and pressed her fingers into her palm, trying to burn away everything with pain. “There are women and children here. They hae nowhere else tae gae. If ye turn them away, ye’ll be killing them!”

“If they die, they die. If they are nae strong enough tae live in this world, then they dinnae deserve tae live. Life is something that must be fought for and won.” He clenched his fist as he spoke. Ainsly was horrified by his words. The thought of all those helpless people forced to march out into the highlands that were filled with bandits and brutes and beasts…it was almost too much to take!

“There haes tae be something I can dae, some way tae convince ye tae let them stay?” she asked desperately. It wasn’t just them either; it was all the men who had been defeated during this day—people like Calum, who had been so much like a father to her after her da’s death, and people like Seamus if he was even still alive. She hadn’t seen him among all the despairing faces that had returned to the keep. There would be time later to make an account of all the friends she had to mourn, but for now, she had to keep fighting to protect as many of them as she could.

Ian’s eyes flickered with intrigue, and a smile played upon his lips. He drummed his fingers against the arm of the throne as his smile widened. Dread crawled through Ainsly’s heart as she had a feeling she was not going to like what he was going to suggest.

“There is one way…yes…one way that I think will prove satisfactory tae all concerned. Ye can wed me, willingly, and I will let ye clan stay here. Ye can rule alongside me. If ye refuse, then I will banish ye and all yer clan tae the wildlands.”

Ainsly’s heart sank, but she knew she had no choice. She could not lead her clan away from their home, for so many of them would not survive if she was banished. She closed her eyes and clenched her hands into fists to try and stop herself from trembling with anger. She knew what she had to do to keep her clan safe, although it was not easy surrendering herself to the man who had invaded her home.

“I accept yer terms,” she said, although there was darkness in her words. Ian declared that there would be a feast and the rest of his clan cheered with delight, but their reaction was in stark contrast to her own men. They looked aghast that she would be wed to this brute, and indeed she wondered what fate she had condemned herself to. But she wasn’t the only one who should be afraid. Ian had turned to his men and was too busy celebrating to look at her, but she was staring at him, and if her eyes had been daggers, he would have been stabbed a thousand times over. She swore revenge and made a vow that he would rue the day he ever decided he would marry her.