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It had been the perfect night. The pleasure had lingered in Lyndsay’s body, and the warm feeling of joy buoyed her. Yes, it was sometimes difficult to separate her love for Douglas from the crimes he had committed, but if she was the one to make him see the world differently, then wasn’t that something good? It was his uncle who had ordered him to come and ravage the Highlands anyway, and as far as she had seen, it had mostly been Douglas’s men who had done the killing.

Lyndsay wasn’t blind to the fact that these were all excuses, and they were in her mind to try and make her feel less guilty for falling in love with the man who had killed her friends and her father and who had burned her home. There were moments when it seemed so strange to fall in love with him, but then she looked at him again, for she nestled even closer into his arms. He may have declared war on the English, but the only thing he had ever declared for her was his love.

Lyndsay had always thought of love as an invisible thing, as a silent force that bound the world together in inextricable ways. However, she was not reconsidering her position. Love was the way Douglas held her. It was the way in which he kissed her with so much passion it made her toes curl. It was in the pleasure that careened through her body, and it was in his promise to protect her. It was in his eyes, those deep, mysterious eyes that held a world of a man inside them. It was a world she wanted to be a part of, and she couldn’t help herself from allowing the feelings to blossom within. He may not have been the man she would have chosen for herself if she had indeed been given a choice, but he was the man who had come into her life and turned her heart upside down. He had protected her and rescued her and taught her so much in the space of a short time. He had shared his innermost thoughts and his secrets, and she had been drawn to him because of this.

She had every right to hate the man as much as he hated the English, but she couldn’t. She loved him, and she was proud to be his wife.

She had no idea what the future held for either of them, but she hoped it would be a glorious future. Frankly, she wasn’t enthused about returning to his Highland clan, for she knew she would be unwelcome, and while she believed Douglas when he said that he would protect her, she wasn’t sure how well that was going to work if he was being forced to go against the people that had raised him. However, she knew they would be unable to stay in England as well because Douglas would be in danger. She wasn’t so naïve to think that she could go and protest Douglas’s innocence to the English authorities. They would likely kill him on sight. It was as though they were being torn from either direction with danger on both sides, and they had to tread carefully if they were to emerge in each other’s arms.

But at least they had the night together, that one special night that was filled with so much wonder and joy. The pleasure had been a blitz through her body and left her reeling. Douglas had been so passionate and so tender. The world had spun, and she had been left breathless. It was another aspect of love that had been a mystery to her before then, but with him, she felt as though she knew herself more than before.

That night led to morning, and in the pale dawn, she awoke to a sound. At first, she thought it was Douglas, but then she opened her eyes and saw the baleful, hungry eyes of Fergus. His sword was drawn and pointed directly at them.

“Looks like ye two haed fun,” he said, expressing a dark chuckle.

It was then that Lyndsay screamed.

Fergus reached down and grabbed her arm, dragging her away from Douglas. Lyndsay screamed again, and Douglas awoke. Lyndsay tried to hide all the exposed parts of her body, but Fergus didn’t give her a chance. Douglas immediately saw what was happening and glared at Fergus.

“Get yer hands off her,” he growled.

Lyndsay whimpered desperately, hating that they had been so confident as to lose themselves in each other’s arms when there had been danger lurking about. She tried to fight against Fergus and break free of his grip, but it was as hopeless as when she had attempted to free herself from Douglas’s grip. Fergus held her in one hand while his sword was pointed directly at Douglas, warning her husband not to move while he fashioned some rope and tied her to a tree. Lyndsay felt the cord biting into her naked flesh, and she had never been so humiliated.

“Let me deal with Douglas first, and then I’ll get tae ye,” Fergus said, the desire and dread dripping on his lips.

Lyndsay’s skin crawled as she imagined how what had been so beautiful with Douglas would be so ugly with him, but no matter how much she struggled, the rope was taut against her body. All she could do was watch as Fergus walked up to Douglas, who was still naked as well.

“I hae tae admit I never expected tae find ye in this state. What a way for the mighty Douglas Galbrith tae meet his end. Yer father, Laird Ruari Calbraith and yer Uncle, Laird Wallace would be ashamed of ye, but I suppose yer family does hae a habit of being slain in the forest,” he said.

Douglas snarled and rose to his feet, watching the point of the blade carefully.

“It takes a brave man tae speak like that when he’s the only one holding a sword,” Douglas shot back.

“I dinnae care about being brave,” Fergus said. “I thought ye would hae learned that by now.”

“Oh, I’ve learned a lot, Fergus. I’ve known for a long time that ye would try and stab me in the back.”

“I’ll stab ye wherever I like, as long as it ends with yer blood trickling out. I dinnae much care,” Fergus said.

“But I think ye should care,” Douglas said. “What kind of man will ye be if ye kill me while I’m naked and unarmed? Dae ye think people will be proud of ye? Dae ye think people will honor ye?”

Fergus laughed and shook his head. “They’ll believe whatever I tell them tae believe. I can spin a story that will hae all of them thinking that I’m the greatest warrior in the land.”

“Aye, perhaps, perhaps… But ye will know the truth, and it’ll gnaw at ye all yer life. Even when ye are old and grey and surrounded by yer wee ones, ye will look back and know that ye never bested me in a fair fight. There will always be that nagging doubt, for ye will never know if ye were truly better than me.”

Lyndsay watched as the expression on Fergus’s face changed.

“It doesnae matter. I will hae everything. The clan, the Highlands. I will be king, and ye will be a forgotten memory.”

“Except ye will never forget, Fergus; we both know it. I’ll be with ye all yer life, sae if ye want tae make the lasting memory a good one, then I’d suggest that ye let me fetch my sword, and we’ll end this honorably. We’ll end this like men, and if ye dae become king, then ye will know that ye hae earned it by besting the most powerful enemy ye will ever hae. The glory will be all for ye,” Douglas said.

Lyndsay stood there with bated breath, hating that Douglas was goading Fergus into fighting, knowing that it was the only hope they had of emerging from this with any kind of safety. Douglas picked up his sword and stretched out his powerful muscles. He was still naked, looking vulnerable. Lyndsay knew how strong he was, but in a duel, anything might happen, and Fergus was certainly no weakling.

“I’ve waited a long time for this, Douglas. Perhaps it’s better this way. I’ll be able tae enjoy watching ye squirm,” Fergus said, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

Douglas said nothing in reply, merely lunged forward and slashed his sword through the air. Steel clashed, and the forest was suddenly alive with the song of death. Lyndsay twisted her head away, although she couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes. She gasped with every blow of the sword. One moment Fergus looked as though he was going to break through Douglas’s defenses, but then Douglas would twist around and deflect the blow at the last moment. Then he would thrust back with his own, trying to run Fergus through, but Fergus would twist out of the way. It was as though the men were dancing in the most violent, savage dance Lyndsay had ever seen. Worry flooded her heart with every hit that Douglas endured. Scarlet dripped out of every cut against his arms and legs, and Fergus mocked Douglas.

“If I hae tae dae a thousand of these cuts, then I will. I’ll see ye drenched, Douglas. Ye are nothing without yer armor. Ye should never hae let this lass make ye weak,” Fergus said.

Douglas growled again and launched a flurry of strikes against Fergus, which he barely managed to defend. Fergus was forced back, having to use both hands to hold his sword against the heavy blows of Douglas. While her husband seemed to have the upper hand, Lyndsay tried her best to break through the rope, testing it for any weakness, but she was bound to the tree, and only the victor would be able to free her.

It looked as though it was going to be Douglas. Lyndsay’s eyes lit up, and a small cheer erupted from her ruby lips, but then she realized she had uttered it too soon. Douglas put all his strength into a blow that would have carved Fergus in two had it landed, but Fergus twisted around, and Douglas’s sword crashed against the ground, sending up a burst of dirt.

Fergus spun around and slapped Douglas’s back with the flat of his sword, leaving a deep red mark against his flesh. The sound of the impact was loud, and Lyndsay could imagine the pain. But it also left Douglas vulnerable. Lyndsay willed him to get up as Fergus strode around him. It didn’t make sense that it should end like this. After all the sorrow she had endured, after all the lives that had been lost, she should at least have the chance to be happy at the end of it. But with every blow that hit him and with every moment that passed, Lyndsay could only think of every touch that she wouldn’t get to enjoy, of every kiss that would not be shared. That once again, she would be a prisoner, and the only choice she had ever made in her entire life would be taken away from her.

“Don’t die, Douglas,” she whispered. “Please. You are my husband. I love you. I want a life with you.”

The words were weak, and her voice was frail. Everything felt as though it was slipping away, and the pleasure that had been so prevalent through the night was not just a fading echo. The man she loved was being battered, and there was nothing she could do to help him. Once again, she was helpless to protect those that were special to her.

Fergus cast a glance at her.

“It’ll be over soon, lass, and then ye will see what a real man can dae with ye.”

The promise was filled with terror, and Lyndsay shuddered.