Page 44 of Hunted By the Cruel Highlander (Lasses of the Highland Hunt #1)

"He was there. I saw him," Izzy muttered to the empty room. Her mind was spinning faster than a seamstress paid on commission. She chewed her lower lip and paced the room trying to calm her frantically beat heart.

"Or was he? It was dark… it was dark then too," Izzy said as she moved from chewing her lower lip to nibbling on her the tips of her nails. Every sound in the room broke the silence and sent a rush of anxiety coursing through her like ice water rippling down the crag of a mountain pass.

"Isabella?" a soft voice drifted through the room like a gently melody playing on the breeze. The gentleness was off putting and alarming. Every nerve in her body fired as she spun around, ready for a fight.

"Aye, and who are ye?" she asked, wondering if the woman before her was really there or something she had concocted in the vastness of her imagination.

"I'm Chloe , the Laird's sister," she said as she bent down, trying to catch Izzy's eye. "I came to see if ye needed anythin'. I was told ye lost yer things on the road comin' here. I'm sorry to hear about it, truly."

Izzy studied Chloe as she moved from the door to the chair and draped a lovely lavender dress over the back of the chair. There was a kindness about her that settled Izzy's nerves.

"I thought maybe ye might want somethin' to drink?" Chloe asked as Izzy turned her attention to the fire.

"That would be nice, but I don't think tea is going to settle my nerves."

"Good to ken seein' as how I wasnae talkin' about a cup of tea. Ye really are English," Chloe said as she rolled her eyes and walked to the table in the corner. A smirk stretched across her thin lips. She flashed Izzy a wink as she stopped and popped the top off the decanter and started pouring.

"Whiskey," Chloe answered Izzy's unspoken question and stopped pouring.

She handed the glass over to Izzy and batted her eyes as if she were the most innocent creature on the planet.

"Trust me when I say that me brother will nae mind one bit.

In fact, I think he might think it better ye to be a drunk than a loon. "

"I'm not crazy," Izzy said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and took the glass of whiskey. Pulling in a deep breath, Izzy tried not to recoil from the sting of the liquor, but the aroma was overwhelming and potent. She glanced up at Chloe and flashed a timid smile.

"Could have fooled me," Chloe chuckled. "By the way ye're holdin' that glass, I'd think ye'd never had whiskey before."

"I have," Izzy said staring at the liquor suspiciously.

"Aye, sure ye have," Chloe snickered as she hoisted her glass up before consuming every last drop, all in one swig. Izzy's eyes widened as her heart fluttered. She'd never tasted anything so foul smelling. It was champaign and wine for her delicate taste buds.

"Take yer time," Chloe teased before she swiped the glass from Izzy's hand and swallowed the liquor in one go. "Or nae."

"I was going to drink that."

"Of course, ye were," Chloe said as she moved to the fireplace and threw another log on. "I'll have the servants come in and see ye have enough wood in here. I daenae think ye're goin' to like the chill."

"Thank you," Izzy said, her voice was laced with gratitude she could never fully express.

"Aye, well," Chloe smiled as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I couldnae just leave ye as ye are. Ye looked far too frazzled when ye came in."

Izzy's heart sank. "I had passed out."

Chloe bobbed her head as she moved over to her and placed a hand on Izzy's shoulder. She tilted her head trying to catch Izzy's eye.

"Aye, and ye called me brother a monster. Now, I get that he can be a brute at times, but a monster? That's a wee bit harsh, daenae ye think?"

Heat rushed through Izzy's cheeks as embarrassment crashed over her. "I didn't see your brother. I saw the darkness."

"The darkness?" Chloe repeated with a hint of sarcasm and confusion lacing her tone.

"Don't think I haven't seen that exact same look on others," Izzy said as she moved to the window. "Go on, judge me. But I know what I saw out there. I've seen it before."

"To be honest, I daenae think ye ken me well enough to ken what goes through my head," Chloe replied as her lips curled at the corners. She had catlike eyes that made her smile enchanting. "But I hope that one day, ye might."

Izzy smiled and let out a heavy sigh. The events of the evening had finally caught up with her, and she was ready to sleep.

"The hour is late."

"Oh, aye, it is. Well, suppose ye'll be wantin' to get some rest. I'll make sure the servants daenae bother ye until tomorrow then. And let me ken if the dress fits. If it does, I've got plenty more ye can borrow until me brother sends for the tailor."

"And do you happen to know when that might be?"

"There's nay tellin' with him. Suppose whenever it suits him. But then again, if ye've nae married yet, then ye'll have to here. So…" Chloe tapped her fingertip on her chin as she looked up. "Ye just might see him in the mornin'. Surely Aaron will want to wed ye as soon as possible."

"The ceremony isn't the part that bothers me. It's what comes after, and if he thinks for one minute that I'm going to cave to what he wants, he'll have a very rude awakening."

"Ye cannae deny the Laird. Ye could be thrown in the stocks for somethin' like that. Or maybe worse, dependin' on his mood. Look, I daenae ken what other people have told ye about me brother —"

"Nothing. I've heard nothing about your brother," Izzy interjected with a harsh lashing of frustration.

She dropped her shoulders and released some of the stress mounting within her chest. Slowly, she turned to the window to look out into the darkness.

There was nothing but darkness for as far as the eye could see.

Izzy glanced over her shoulder, returning her attention to Chloe .

"Did he tell you how he crashed the Baron's birthday party?

And if that wasn't bad enough, he stormed right over to me and stated I was his by royal decree.

Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me?

No ring or courting, not even a stroll around the lake for all to see that I was finally taken.

I got none of it but an announcement that I was to be pawned off to the lowest bidder. "

"That must be difficult, but ye've got to remember that ye're nae the only one affected by this decree.

Ye think Aaron wanted to marry a sassenach?

I can tell ye that was certainly never the case.

But if there is one trait that reigns over all others for him, it's his loyalty.

Ye get on his good side, and he'll never betray ye.

He's an ally ye want on yer side, even if ye daenae ken what side that is at the moment. "

Izzy bobbed her head as the drowsiness took over. She moved from the window to the bed and pulled the covers down. She glanced at Chloe , hoping she'd get the hint. It took a few moments before Chloe 's eyes widened with acknowledgment.

"Right, ye want to go to bed. I'll be goin' then. See ye first thing, bright and early. I'll see that ye get to the grand hall for breakfast. We only serve two meals here. Breakfast at seven, dinner is at six."

"That's easy enough to remember," Izzy mumbled as she sorted the pillows. Just as she was about to slip into the bed, the door flew open. Izzy's eyes widened with the shock of seeing the Laird filling up the space of the doorway.

"What in the world? You can't just come storming into a room. What if I was changing? Or indecent?" Izzy asked as Chloe glanced at her brother a second before giving a shrug.

Aaron's snicker grated on Izzy's nerves as he gave her a once over. "I am bound to see ye naked eventually. We are to be married after all."

"You certainly are presumptuous, aren't you?" Izzy said as Chloe smiled and stepped to the doorway.

"I'm goin' to let ye two sort this out," she mumbled. There was a playful banter to her tone that made Izzy nervous. She didn't want her only buffer to leave the room — then there would be no telling what the Laird would do to her.

"Aye, best ye leave," Aaron said as he eyed Izzy. "We have a few matters to discuss."

Chloe didn't say a word as she turned on her heel, making a beeline for the door. Izzy swallowed hard as her nerves sparked and fired as if she were trying to catch lightning.

"I'm sure this is a matter that is best resolved in the morning," Izzy suggested as she tried not to let her gaze linger on the Laird for too long.

After all, she didn't want to give him any further reason to be lingering in her room.

He was a Scot — who, according to her mother, was one of the foulest creatures to ever walk the earth.

Izzy never really experienced such animosity from them. In fact, she couldn't recall any time a Scot had crossed her path. Living in the ton didn't exactly offer many encounters with them. All she had were stories from her mother to aid her prejudices and flare her imagination.

And as she laid eyes on the man before her, Izzy found herself torn. He was far too handsome to be Scottish. If he didn't say a word, his thick accent wouldn't give him away. As it were, his native tongue was hard, his humor sporting, and Izzy wasn't sure what she was to think of him.

So far, all he had ever done was show her kindness which, by her reckoning, shouldn't have caused her to spew her ire at him. Still there was something about his cockiness that grated on her nerves.

"Aye, but I figured it's best to get these sort of things out in the open, so there's nay question about what needs to happen," he answered as his gaze drifted over her. Heat coursed from the tips of her toes to the top of her head as she studied the Laird.

Despite the scar that made Aaron look like his face was made of glass, he was handsome in a rugged sort of way. He kept his hair neatly trimmed at chin length, and his bangs were enough to shroud the worst of his scars. The longer Izzy studied him, the more questions started popping up in her mind.

What could have happened to him to cause such scars? Was it intentionally done to him? Or was it an accident?

The longer she thought about it, the more she wanted to blurt out her questions. But just as she opened her mouth, he flashed her a warning glare that made her mouth clamp shut.

"And what exactly pray tell are you talking about?" Izzy asked instead as she noticed the Laird hadn't moved. He remained stationed in the doorway, as if he were the guardian, refusing anyone to enter or let them escape. A wicked grin curled at the corners of his lips as he tilted his head.

"The King's decree," he answered. "I doubt ye had any time to read it for yerself and thought ye might want to ken what the terms of our arrangement will be."

He pulled the parchment from his pocket and held it up for her to see. She waited by the bed, too timid to move. Arching an eyebrow, he kept his gaze locked on her as he moved to the small table by the bedside and put the parchment on it.

Her heart fluttered as she watched him. The fact that she had a man in her room that wasn't her husband… sent a chill of disobedience coursing through her. It was as if every sense had been turned on overdrive.

"I will look it over," Izzy said, trying to keep her voice steady despite her frantically beating heart thundering in her ears. Every hair on her body stood up as Aaron's gaze bore into her as if he could undress her with his eyes.

"Ye should do that, and sooner rather than later, I'll add."

"Is there a threat in your tone?" she asked as a flicker of desire shot through his gaze. The corner of his lip twitched.

"Depends," he answered. There was a pinch of playfulness skipping through his gaze.

"On?"

"How ye look at it. Ye see, once we wed, ye're to give me an heir within two years."

Izzy tried to keep her stoic expression as her gaze shot to the parchment. She studied him, wondering if there was any bluff to his word. Arching her eyebrow, she glared at him, trying to probe him for any sign of weakness. His jawline was strong and defined and just as sharp as his gaze.

"You're bluffing."

His dark chuckle shattered her resolve as he moved to the table and picked up the parchment. Izzy found herself trapped in the corner with the Laird coming to her like the predator he was. Using the parchment as a fan, he flashed her a devious smirk.

"Maybe ye should take the time to read it now," he said as he raked the tip of the parchment over Izzy's collarbone. Little bumps rose over her skin as heat flooded through her. She felt his gaze as if it were a feather drifting down the length of her body. "Or I could read it to ye if ye'd like."

"No, thank you," Izzy said, grabbing the parchment as fast as she could. She didn't know whether to slap him or kiss him. "I'm more than capable of reading it myself."

"An educated lass, well that's a surprise. But I'm sure there's a few things I can teach ye," he said as he plucked a strand of her hair. His fingers singed her skin where he brushed over. A gasp escaped her lips as she stared up at him.

"You'd force me for an heir?" she whispered, and the weight of her question settled over the room. Her heart stopped as she noticed Aaron flinch. The playfulness in his face vanished as his demeanor shifted.

"The King has made it clear what must be done; failure to comply will only end in the deaths of our families.

I daenae think it so much to ask if it means we can save them," he explained in such an icy tone, Izzy couldn't help but curl her arms over her shoulders.

"I understand I may nae be yer first choice. "

Aaron paused as his gaze shifted to her. There was more lingering on the tip of his tongue, but Izzy wondered if she would be able to handle his lashing.

"But I will do all I can to prove to ye, I'm nae the monster ye think I am."