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Davina stared at her uncle, her mouth tight with disbelief. “Good to know where your loyalty lies, Uncle.” She turned on her heel and strode from the hall, her head held high.

Broderick didn’t hesitate. He followed in her wake, his eyes never once leaving Forbes.

When he closed the doors behind them, he pointed a warning and rigid finger at Davina, then laid it over his lips, signaling for her to stay silent.

He opened the front door, closed it with a loud thud, feigning his exit, then grabbed his cloak before he crept back to the heavy oaken doors of the Great Hall.

His acute hearing picked up their conversation.

“I told you, Tammus, ‘tis nothing. I had a long journey from Aberdeen and pushed myself harder than I should have. It’s my fault I let her get under my skin.”

“Her behavior was completely unacceptable,” Tammus responded, and Broderick heard the scraping of chairs as they must have scooted back to the table. “I know she’s been difficult—”

“Nonsense. She’s a beautiful and delightful woman.”

Broderick sneered at Forbes’s smooth-talking skills. That man had a silver tongue, that was certain.

“I completely understand her rebellious streak. She doesn’t want to have to answer to anyone after such a long period of unruly independence. Just needs a little discipline. A gentle but firm hand. Nothing I can’t manage.”

Broderick’s fingers curled into fists.

“I admit,” Tammus replied, “she is a bit headstrong.”

“Bah!” Forbes laughed. “She’s a woman. How headstrong can she be?”

“Well—”

“Listen, my friend,” Forbes interrupted. “I like her spirit. And she’s obviously smart. She’s just eager to show her new master that she’s a capable wife. I can respect that. Does she run a tight household?”

“Of course. You can see here, nary a speck of dust anywhere. The servants are well in hand. The meals, fit for royalty.”

“Aye, I see that. But, uh…” Forbes sipped his wine rather loudly. “What of MacDougal? Is he going to be a problem?”

“Nay. He told me himself, he’s no interest in my niece, even when I offered up her lands and the wool business.”

“He turned it all down?” Forbes scoffed. “He’s a fool.”

Aye, perhaps I am , Broderick thought as he peered at Davina from the corner of his eye. The crease in her freckled brow as she tried to listen beside him made him want to kiss the furrows away.

“The lad is just a bit overzealous in protecting her to give her a peace of mind during all this meeting of strange men. Ian was very heavy-handed, Arthur. But no. MacDougal is just a friend.”

“Good,” Forbes said. “I commend him. Couldn’t we all use someone as faithful as a devoted hound?”

The men shared a laugh, and Broderick’s shoulders bounced with a huff.

“Once we’re wed, though, she’ll have no need for him. I’d be honored to be Davina’s husband and protector, and I won’t let anyone lay an unnecessary hand on her again.”

“So, you’ll marry her?” The relief in Tammus’s voice was palpable. “That’s wonderful, Arthur. I knew I could count on you.”

“You’re the one doing me the favor, lad!” They clinked their goblets.

And Broderick seethed.

That word unnecessary is what sealed Forbes’s fate.

Broderick grabbed Davina’s hand and, with stealth, checked around the foyer and in the study.

No one was about, so he led her up the stairs.

Her eyes widened and she resisted, but he put his finger over his mouth again, motioning to her it was all right and urged her up to her chamber.

He locked the door behind them and faced her.

Davina folded her arms tightly as Broderick shut the door behind them. The lock clicked into place—loud in the hush—and the sound made her stomach twist.

She whispered, not wanting anyone to hear that Broderick was in her bedchamber. “What did you hear? What were they saying?”

Broderick didn’t move .

He stood with his back to her, one hand braced flat against the door above his head, the other clenched tight around the knob.

His forehead rested against the wood, shoulders rigid, breath measured like a man trying to cage something feral.

Every line of him was tension barely restrained—and he said nothing.

“Broderick,” she demanded in a harsh whisper. “Tell me.”

He pushed off the door and crossed the room in three swift strides, the heat of him crashing into her space before she had time to think.

“Tell ye?” he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “Ye want me tae tell ye what that brute said, after ye deliberately goaded him in front of yer uncle?”

She recoiled slightly, blinking. “I was proving a point—”

“Ye nearly got yerself struck!” he cut in, barely a breath above a growl. “And I warned ye—more than once.”

Her temper flared to life, matching his. “And I’m supposed to just let him spew filth and act the part of a decent man? Let my uncle hand me over like a gift and smile sweetly through it?”

His eyes burned into hers. “I could’ve managed it without ye gettin’ hurt.”

“I didn’t get hurt.”

“Because I stopped him!” His hand sliced through the air, then fisted at his side, and he lowered his voice, glancing at the door. “Ye think I dinnae want tae snap his bloody neck? I could’ve killed him, Davina. Right there. For you .”

She swallowed hard, the fury between them thick and choking. “Then why are you angry with me and not with him?”

“I am angry with him!” he hissed, stepping in close again, their chests nearly brushing. “But I cannae touch him without settin’ every eye on me. Ye know that. Ye knew what ye were doin’. And dammit, lass, if he’d hit ye…” His voice broke, ragged .

She was breathing hard, and so was he. Too close, too charged.

“What did he say?” she asked again, quieter this time. “After I left.”

Broderick stared at her for a long beat, then exhaled through his nose, dragging a hand down his face. “He’s agreed tae marry ye.”

Davina’s hand flew to her throat, horror spreading through her like ice. “Even after all that?”

Broderick nodded and paced.

Her knees buckled, and she grabbed the bed post to steady her legs. “Nay,” she whispered. “He didn’t… He can’t—”

“He did.” Broderick’s voice came out flat now, too calm to be safe. Arms crossed, he fumed dangerously.

Davina dropped her gaze to the floor, arms wrapped around herself, cold creeping into her bones. “And Tammus?”

“He poured the bloody wine and clinked glasses.”

Silence stretched between them again.

Then, slowly, Broderick crossed the room and closed his hands around hers, squeezing them, giving her his strength. “Ye’ll not marry him,” he said. “No’ while I draw breath.”

She looked at him, startled. “You can’t stop—”

“I will stop it.” His eyes locked with hers, no warmth in them now—only resolve. “Even if I have to drag ye out of this castle an’ burn th’ contract myself. But dinnae make me watch ye risk yerself like that again. I nearly lost it down there.”

Her anger, her panic, all of it collapsed in on itself, crumpling beneath the weight of his fury and her own heartache.

“I’m tired of being a pawn,” she said softly.

“Then let’s change the game,” he replied.

His words hung between them, simple but fierce—an oath sealed in the hush. The silence that followed wasn’t empty. It pulsed, charged, intimate.

He brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek. A gentle caress as his emerald eyes softened, his lids lowering as his pupils flared wide.

She felt it then—a gentle pressure blooming in her mind, a subtle influence brushing against her inner defenses.

It wasn’t forceful, but a quiet, insistent wave of peace and calm.

Was this Broderick? Did his abilities reach beyond reading minds and emotions?

The times she’d felt those inexplicable waves under his touch now seemed like more than coincidence.

She resisted at first, pride flaring in her chest, but the fight drained from her body with each passing heartbeat.

Her shoulders sagged, her breathing slowed, and she leaned into him, her cheek resting against his chest. Broderick’s arms enclosed her in a melting embrace.

“There now,” he said, his voice poured over her like dark silk. “That’s better.”

Davina sighed and sank into the comfort he offered.

After several moments, he scooped her up effortlessly, cradling her against him as though she weighed nothing.

She didn’t protest as he carried her to the bed and laid her down gently, the mattress dipping beneath her.

He pulled up a chair to her bedside, taking her hand in his, his thumb brushing slow, soothing circles over her knuckles.

Her vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes.

She blinked them away, focusing on his face—his strong jawline, the slight crook of his nose, the fierce protectiveness in his gaze.

For once, Davina wanted to stop fighting.

To stop putting her own feelings aside for the sake of everyone else.

Broderick seemed to give her the freedom to let go, to hand the reins over to someone else for a change .

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “For being such a trustworthy friend.”

He arched a brow and tilted his head, his tone dripping with playful sarcasm. “Friend, is it? Just tae be clear, Davina, everythin’ I’m doin’ is purely for me own benefit.”

Her brows knit together. “Your benefit?”

“Aye.” He unfurled a wolfish grin, his eyes glinting. “If I dinnae scare these suitors away, I dinnae get paid. And I mean tae have ye in me bed.”

She blinked, a small smile creeping onto her lips despite herself. She knew he was teasing—mostly. “You’re not fooling me, Broderick MacDougal,” she said quietly. “You’re not the rogue you pretend to be.”

His smirk faltered for a moment, something softer flickering in his expression before the wolfish grin returned.

Before she could press him further, a faint whimper echoed from the nursery.