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“Aye, and ye can never trust a man who would slay his own kin. I knew they had their differences, but I cannae believe Niall would kill him like that, especially when he’s been gone sae long. Why come back all this time just tae kill his brother? It doesnae make any sense tae me.”

Tovie nodded, although she remained quiet. Secretly she was glad that Niall had come back and accomplished this small thing, even if it went against the laws of gods and men. Nobody was challenging to rise up and avenge Fraser’s death, though, and perhaps this was more a testament to his character than anything else.

“Is there anything I can dae, Hamish? Anything at all?”

Hamish shrugged. “I’m sorry, lass, but if this is what the elders hae decided, then that’s that.”

“Nobody told me this would be a possibility when I got married.”

“Even if they had, would ye hae changed yer mind?” he asked.

Tovie thought back, and although she was ashamed of the thought, she knew it was likely that she would have followed the same course of action. At that moment, she had been so caught up with her infatuation that she hadn’t taken the time to think about things properly. It was the only time in her life when she had allowed her emotions to get the better of her, and she had paid for it dearly.

“I suppose nae. I want the clan tae be better, Hamish.”

“Aye, lass, it will be. If Niall is the same as when he left, then he is a man open tae reason and suggestion. He doesnae dae anything by instinct, nae like Fraser. He takes his time, thinks about his next move, sae I can only imagine he haes a firm reason for daeing these things. I’m sure that in time ye will be able to offer yer suggestions, and if he sees merit in them, he will accept them,” Hamish said.

The words did offer some reassurance to Tovie, although they were predicated on Niall being able to see the wisdom in her suggestions as well as him being the same man who had left the clan so many years ago. But a lot could change in that time. If he had been in the wild then it might have caused a shift in his soul. She had heard how men had lost their minds in the depths of the wilderness, how they had to surrender to savagery and give in to their bestial nature. Perhaps that was what had driven Niall back here and given him the inspiration to kill his brother.

If so, it did not bode well for her chances to reason with him.

She stayed with Hamish for a little while longer, shifting the conversation to other matters so she could have a break from thinking about her miserable plight. When fatigue overcame him and he started to drift back into slumber, she mopped his brow again and gave him some more water before she left. She intended to return to the castle and plot more about how she could come up with ways to sabotage Niall. She also wanted to make good on her threat of sleeping with a dagger, for if he was a wild man, then there was no telling what he could do. So far, he seemed rational, though, but just as she was thinking this, she noticed a commotion by the sparring ring, which was one of Fraser’s most popular haunts. A crowd had gathered and were cheering.

Intrigued, Tovie moved closer and pushed her way through the crowd so that she could get a better look at what was happening. In the ring Niall stood, shirtless. His broad, expansive body glistened with sweat. It was covered in shadows of old wounds, and a thick bed of hair sprawled over his taut flesh. He was lean in such a way that his muscles were defined, and his arms were raised in such a way that his biceps swelled. There was a bestial rage in his eyes, and after seeing him like this, she found it easier to believe that he had lost himself to the wild. But there was something else about him as well, something that stirred a hot, pulsing feeling deep within her. Her heart raced, and her skin became flushed as her gaze clung to him, following his every movement as the rest of the world seemed to melt away. There was something so powerful and primal about him that she could not ignore. It was as though the rest of the world bowed to his unearthly presence, and everything about him commanded her attention. He was at least a head taller than any other man around him, and he moved with precision and deliberation. When he moved, she could see his knotted muscles writhing under his flesh. Rather than being unattractive, the scars and old wounds on his body spoke of battles fought and won, of wounds endured and survived, of hardships that belied his status as the son of a laird.

Tovie thought about her own life and how sheltered she had been. She had looked out to the mountains and been told stories about the wild things that lived there. As a child, she had trembled under the sheets of her bed after her father had told her a story, but never had she actually ventured into those untamed lands. She had always had a roof over her head, and the only monster she had encountered had been her late husband. What manner of beast had Niall fought? What kind of life had he led? If she could have taken her eyes off him, she would have looked at her own soft hands, hands that were free of calluses and scars, hands that had never had to pick up a weapon to defend herself from a beast, and she could understand why these people would look upon him as a hero. But she could not take her eyes off him. She could barely move, utterly transfixed by his presence in the world that radiated a need for attention.

And it chilled her.

Breath caught in her throat, and she felt her jaw clenching, her teeth pressing together so hard she thought they might shatter because this was the same feeling she had experienced when she saw Fraser for the first time.

No, she would not make the same mistake again.

No, she would not allow herself to shift her primal attraction from one brother to another.

No, she would not make herself a victim. She would not become prey. She was stronger than that now, better than that. She would not let history repeat itself.

Summoning all the courage she could muster, Tovie tore herself away from the scene, wrenching her attention. Her legs felt leaden; it was such a hard thing to do, it almost seemed as though it went against the plans that fate had woven for her. But even so, she was determined, and she pushed through the crowd, blinking back tears, for it felt as though she was never going to escape the trappings of this clan and this marriage.