Page 21 of Her Scot of Bygones (MacLeod Dragons #2)

–Hazel–

MY HEART WAS in my throat as I made my way over the MacLeod’s drawbridge with Lucas and wee Flame because I felt in my heart Willow’s life was in danger, and it seemed I might be right. Several men had just ridden into the courtyard who were not MacLeod’s because their cloaks bore different colors, and they remained on horseback, scowling.

“Where is she, MacLeod?”

the biggest of them growled at Broderick, who stood at the bottom of the front steps with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a grim expression.

“Not here,”

I said firmly, assuming he was looking for Willow. I strode over before Lucas could stop me, determined to make it clear she wasn’t around, but I was, so leave her be. Pushing aside my fear when the man’s stormy grey eyes narrowed on me with a lustful ferociousness that undoubtedly terrified most women, I stopped in front of him, squared my shoulders, and met him dead in the eyes.

“She’s not here, but I am.”

I pushed up my sleeve, revealing my tattoo.

“See? I wear the mark.”

Although Aspen was nowhere to be seen, I heard her curse into my mind that now wasn’t the time because I spoke to none other than Dugal, the Sutherland chieftain, but she was too late because he swung down and approached me.

Or at least he tried to before Lucas stepped between us.

“Take one step closer to my mate and ‘twill be the last step ye take, Sutherland,”

Lucas growled, his dragon eyes flaring.

“And ye,”

Dugal drawled. His dragon eyes sent a chill down my spine.

“It might be too late for ye since ye dared to keep Hazel from us when ye knew she bore the mark that binds her to a Sutherland.”

His dark gaze flickered from Broderick back to Lucas.

“She should have been sent to us straight away, yet instead, ye ran off with her.”

He narrowed his eyes, his words seething.

“If that wasnae damning enough, ye had a traitor among ye, a Sutherland, who’s suffering for it now.”

“Oh God,”

I gasped into Lucas’s mind, terrified in a whole new way. I wasn’t sure why I had feared for Willow when someone else was in more imminent danger.

“It’s Evan.”

“Don’t hurt him,”

I blurted out before I could stop myself, but he was nearly as important to me as my sisters and Lucas, so there was no hope for it.

“I’ll do anything you want.”

“Ye will or all deals are off.”

Dugal’s narrowed eyes focused on Broderick’s mother, Chara, who stood nearby.

“Ye promised my mother ye would send any lass with the mark our way in exchange for us not pursuing the others, yet already ye break yer word and dinnae deny it.”

His damning gaze swung to Broderick.

“As did ye, MacLeod.”

“Nobody broke their word because they didn’t know,”

I said firmly, sounding authentic even to my own ears, finding great courage if it meant protecting the people I cared about, and the MacLeods certainly fell into that category.

“I hid it from them and fled with Lucas because my dragon was drawn to him.”

Unsure what Evan might have said when things went wrong because they clearly had, I shook my head.

“The last thing I expected was for Evan to show up out of nowhere and for things to get complicated.”

Not a lie. They had.

“I dinnae care what happened betwixt the three of ye,”

Dugal spat.

“All I know is ye should have returned with Evan because ye belong to the Sutherlands until the pact says otherwise. Now for his trespasses, Evan can only pray ye’re dragon wears the gem because if she doesnae, ‘twill cost him dearly.”

Another chill raced down my spine at the hateful look in his eyes, making me wonder if there was more to his hatred. If I didn’t know better, I would guess it was personal and had to do with Lilias, because whether Dugal had married her out of love or not, he was clearly a possessive, jealous, insecure man.

“What does he mean by that exactly?”

I asked Lucas telepathically, trying to keep the distress I was almost drowning in off my face because something told me Dugal would enjoy it.

“Please tell me he doesn’t intend to kill Evan.”

“’Tis nothing you need worry about right now,”

Lucas replied, his voice soothing and comforting despite his growing angst.

“We leave now,”

Dugal groused, evidently done with our conversation. He gestured at me.

“Ye will ride with me until ye’re safely on Sutherland land and delivered to our traitor.”

“Nay,”

Lucas denied, blocking my way only for Broderick to step between him and Dugal, clasp Lucas’s shoulder firmly, and lock dragon eyes with him.

“Ye’ll let her pass, and ye’ll do it now, cousin,”

Broderick warned, yet I saw the sympathetic softening in his gaze because he understood what Lucas was going through.

“We will be there for her once things are seen through, just as we were for my mate.”

He squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.

“I promise ye that, Lucas.”

He looked from me back to Lucas.

“I promise ye both.”

“As do I,”

Aspen said, striding down the stairs when I suspect she’d been asked to remain out of sight. I could have told them the chances of her listening were slim, especially when it came to her sisters.

Aspen even went so far as to stop in front of Dugal, plant her hands on her hips, and frown at him.

“She doesn’t need to ride with you.”

She shook her head.

“I didn’t even ride with you when the two of us wore the mark, Dugal.”

“That would be Laird Dugal to ye, lass,”

he ground out, his dragon eyes flaring.

“And she does need to ride with me because she’s proven she cannae be trusted, so hand her over.”

His gaze narrowed on both Aspen and Broderick.

“Or ‘twill mean war betwixt us, much to the king’s displeasure, given ‘twill be ye at fault.”

“It’s okay,”

I said softly, walking around Lucas so I could rest my hand on his chest and meet his eyes.

“I will be okay. I promise.”

Making sure he saw only confidence in my gaze rather than fear, I spoke in a soothing voice, not just to his human half but his inner beast.

“He won’t do anything to me so long as I am valuable to him and his clan.”

I looked over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes at Dugal before focusing on Lucas again.

“And he won’t do anything if I’m not the right sister because then he’ll have to deal with being on the wrong side of the war between our clans. The wrong side of the war when it comes to the king.”

“She’s not wrong,”

Broderick agreed, his narrowed gaze trained on Dugal now.

“Ye do anything Hazel doesnae like or hurt a hair on her head, then King Robert will know about it. Ye have my word.”

“And mine,”

Aspen ground out, her eyes just as narrowed on the Sutherland chieftain.

“Take one step out of line with my sister, including touching her in any way without her consent, and I’ll be heading for the border and telling the king myself.”

“’Tis a lot of threats considering ye MacLeod’s have already broken the rules,”

Dugal said, yet I could tell by the way he eyed Aspen and Broderick before looking at me that his clan’s potential prize was too big to risk, so he nodded once.

“Yet ye’ve my word no harm will come to Hazel.”

Before this back and forth continued because I sensed it would if Lucas had any say, I steered his gaze back to my eyes and made things clear telepathically.

“I love you, Lucas MacLeod, and I’ll see you again soon, so stop worrying about me. I’ve got this.”

I kept my gaze with his, hoping he saw how much I meant it.

“Then we’ve got the rest of our lives and all to follow if you’d like me to stick around in this era for good this time.”

“I love ye, too, lass,”

he replied, his internal brogue thicker than usual due to his inner turmoil.

“Verra much and aye, ye’ll become my wife the moment ye’re back in my arms where ye belong.”

While not much of a proposal, warmth spread through me, and my heart swelled with emotion because it was exactly what I needed to hear right now. It would keep my fear at bay and my courage at the forefront going forward, because I wanted the children we talked about and that fairytale ending.

“I’d like that very much,”

I replied, swallowing hard and nodding once. Then, I forced myself to turn away and let Dugal help me onto his horse before swinging up behind me.

“It looks like someone wants to join ye,”

Chara said, scooping up Flame when the wolf pup trotted over, fully expecting to come along.

“Nay, not again.”

Dugal backed his horse up before Chara and Flame got too close.

“I dinnae trust that thing and want it nowhere near my castle.”

“It’s just a wee harmless pup,”

Chara began, but Dugal shook his head sharply.

“I saw the power ‘tis capable of when last on Sutherland land, so nay, I willnae be so foolish twice.”

And that was it.

He and his men left without a backward glance, and I was thrust headfirst into the terrifying journey ahead. My only consolation as I held Lucas’s gaze as long as I could was that I would soon see Evan. I would be there for him as much as possible, then get him out of there afterwards if we weren’t mates. I had no idea how, only that I wouldn’t abandon him any more than he would me, and I know Lucas felt the same.

So when Dugal Sutherland rode off with me, I had no choice but to face a lot of uncertainty, cut off from everyone I cared about, and pray for a miracle. Little did I know that miracle, however minor it might seem, given what I faced, would come in the form of a certain little wolf pup when I needed him most.