Page 31 of Intrigued By A Highlander (Highland Revenge Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER 31

T he Great Hall of Clan MacFadin was quiet, too quiet. The kind of silence that hummed with barely leashed fury. Torches lined the walls, and the hearth roared with flames, but the fire’s glow did little to chase away the cold knot forming in Dru’s stomach.

She stood at Knox’s side, his hand resting at the small of her back. His touch grounded her, but it couldn’t shield her from the storm brewing at the dais.

Lord Torrance paced before the high-backed chair behind the long table there, his hands clasped behind is back and his boots striking the wood floor with measured menace. His anger had mounted when he learned how many warriors he had lost, how many were left wounded, including Brack, though he would survive. He glared and snapped at servants who moved too slowly or too close and the servants did their best to avoid him.

“He’s going to separate us,” Dru whispered, barely loud enough for Knox to hear.

Knox’s jaw clenched. He hadn’t let go of her since they entered the hall. “He’d have to kill me first.”

But even that didn’t ease the dread curling in her chest. Torrance hadn’t acknowledged their marriage. Hadn’t asked how she fared. He’d looked right through them, as if they meant nothing to him, only what benefit they might bring him.

She could feel Knox’s tension just as strongly as her own—his frustration simmering under the surface, his instinct to fight only barely contained. They had survived ambushes, betrayal, and bloodshed. But this… this waiting in the hands of a man who ruled with his temper and without an ounce of kindness… felt unbearable.

Quint leaned against a far wall, arms folded, gaze sharp. He hadn’t spoken either, but his eyes missed nothing.

A goblet clattered to the floor, the sound ringing through the Great Hall.

Torrance didn’t flinch, but he stopped pacing to lash out. “If another sound disturbs me, I will see the fool put in the stocks.”

The room went still. Only the crackling fire failed to obey him.

Torrance turned, his scowl falling on Dru. “So, you’re my half-sister. You’re nothing like I expected. Barely pretty. Far too skinny and petite?—”

Dru refused to let him speak to her as if she was worthless, her rapid-fire words striking him like well-aimed arrows. “Yet I managed to avoid you long enough.”

“And a sharp tongue that needs taming,” Torrance concluded, lunging forward and pointing his finger at her when she went to speak. “Not another word from you.” He turned to Knox, pinning him in place with a glare, his voice low and laced with fire. “The mission was simple, bring my half-sister to me. And what do you do, you unleashed a hornet’s nest.”

Dru wasn’t about to see Knox blamed for what wasn’t his fault. She ignored Torrance’s order and spoke. “He didn’t create the hornet’s nest, but he was brave enough to rescue me from it.”

Torrance pounded the table with his fist. “Hold your tongue, woman, or suffer for it.” He glared at Knox. “You had no right to wed her!”

Knox wasn’t about to argue with him or explain anything to him, none of that mattered. He met his glare with one of his own. “It is done. We are wed, and I will not be parted from her.”

“Bold,” Torrance said with a sneer. “Some would call it arrogance. Or idiocy.”

His eyes swept to Dru, lingering, daring her to speak but she held her tongue—barely.

Silence settled over the room once again until Torrance broke it.

“You are of my blood,” he said. “And your father was far fonder of your mother rather than my own, but who could blame him, she was a spineless woman.” His voice trailed off, brow furrowing. Then he dropped heavily into the great chair, its frame groaning beneath him. “My father’s last wish surprised me. It was that you wed a good man. A strong one. One who would keep you safe.”

Dru’s breath caught.

Torrance let the silence stretch.

“You killed Callan without hesitation. You’ve fought bravely alongside my warriors,” Torrance said, continuing to glare at Knox. “It would be foolish of me to lose such an exceptional warrior.”

Dru and Knox held their breaths not sure what they were about to hear.

“I won’t undo my father’s wish or what fate has already blessed. No matter how much it vexes me. My father’s wish will stand. You are wed and shall remain so.”

Dru let out a shaky breath and turned to Knox, tears gathering behind her eyes. He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers, his relief as profound as hers.

Torrance grunted. “You will get no land. You may have completed the mission, but not in the intended way.”

“It matters not to me,” Knox said, hugging Dru close to his side. “All that matters is that Dru and I are together.”

“It matters to me,” Torrance snapped sharply. “Your marriage secured me a skilled warrior who will serve me when commanded to do so. And your first duty is to rule as chieftain of Clan MacFadin until I direct otherwise.”

Shock had Knox saying, “I know nothing of ru?—”

“Learn,” Torrance ordered. “And see that you secure enough warriors to keep this area safe and ready to fight for me.” He stood abruptly. “We will speak in the morning before I leave for home. Though why I return to a useless wife is beyond me.” He summoned a servant with a snap of his hand. “Bring food and drink to my bedchamber.” With that said, he strode to the door but stopped and called out without turning, “Harm my sister and I will kill you myself.”

Torrance left then… to everyone’s relief.

Knox lifted his wife and planted a happy kiss on her lips, her arms going around his neck to hold him close.

“Congratulations,” Quint said, interrupting the pair. “You’re lucky with Lord Torrance’s decision. I never knew him to be so generous. Not many who stand before him to meet their fate walk away without punishment. I am pleased for you both.”

Dru and Knox shared food and drink with Quint, Dru eager to learn if her friends had made it to Clan MacLeish. She was pleased to hear that Busby was healing nicely, thanks to Shade’s healing skills. She was happy to hear that Wilbur and Rona were becoming more than friends and that Owen asked to train with the warriors and was doing well. But the best news…

“I am going to be a father,” Quint announced.

Dru jumped off the bench and hugged him, to his surprise. It was something she had not been prone to do, but now she couldn’t resist, she was so happy for him and Shade.

A servant approached to let Dru know that a bath had been made ready for her.

“Go,” Knox said, seeing the eagerness in his wife’s green eyes. “I will be there shortly.”

Dru kissed his cheek and hurried off, calling out, “Do not dare leave, Quint, without saying goodbye.”

“You are going to have your hands full,” Quint said with a laugh.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Knox said with a smile that soon faded. “You know why I stayed to speak with you.”

“Aye,” Quint said. “You worry that word has yet to spread that there is no longer a bounty on Autumn or that your mission is done. I will spread the word on my travels home. Tell the traveling merchants who stop here as well.”

“I’ve already started spreading the word.”

Both men jumped in their seats, hearing the woman’s voice so close and not seeing her.

Mave stepped out of the shadows. “Some warriors you are not even hearing an old woman creep up on them. One of you fill a tankard of ale for me. My old bones need a lift.”

Knox filled a tankard as she parked herself beside him on the bench.

“How could you spread what you didn’t know?” Quint asked.

Mave looked at Knox. “Are all you men stupid?”

Quint’s eyes narrowed, annoyed.

She took a good swallow, then looked at Quint and said with deliberate slowness, “Healer and seer.”

“Is she always this pleasant?” Quint asked.

“Only when I want to be.” Mave took another swallow of ale and then yawned. “I need sleep.” She leaned on Knox’s shoulder to help her stand, then turned to take her leave when she stopped and looked at Quint. “You worry for naught. Shade will struggle some, but it’s to be expected since she will deliver not one but two bairns, a lad and a lass.”

Quint stared at her, speechless.

“And worry not about Dru,” she said, her glance going to Knox. “She will deliver your son with ease and many more bairns to come. You will have an army of sons to protect your only daughter and believe me you’re going to need it. Oh, and send a cart to get Albert. I let him know Dru has a place for him in her new home. Now, no more questions, I’m off to bed.”

Both men stared after her.

Mave chuckled softly to herself. “Such joy leaving men speechless.”

Night had settled soft and thick around them, the hush of the Highlands broken only by the quiet crackle of the hearth and the wind sighing against the stone walls. The world outside could wait.

Inside, the bedchamber was dim, lit only by the firelight that danced across the two naked lovers resting in each other’s arms.

Dru lay nestled against Knox, her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. He held her close, his arm wrapped firmly around her, anchoring her to him like he never meant to let go again.

She traced a finger along his chest slightly damp from their powerful lovemaking. “I knew you weren’t dead. I knew Callan lied. I knew you would keep your word and find me.”

“Always,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her brow. “I would face it all again, every bit of it, to see you safe. To keep us together.”

Dru tilted her head to look at him, and in his eyes, she saw not the fierce warrior who had fought for her, but the man who would fight for her heart every day forward. Her protector. Her husband. Her love.

“I never imagined peace could feel like this,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“It’s not peace,” he said, brushing his lips across hers. “It’s our love that brings such peace.”

She smiled, slow and true, and burrowed deeper into his warmth. Wrapped in his arms, wrapped in the knowledge they had survived every storm, she let herself finally rest.

Tomorrow, they would rise together. But tonight belonged to stillness, to quiet breath and tangled limbs, to love hard-won and deeply kept.

And in that silence, beneath the weight of his arms and the steadiness of his love, Dru knew she was finally home.

THE END

Highlander Lord of Vengeance

Book 3 Highland Revenge Trilogy.

Torrance and Esme’s story