Page 33 of Strachan (Hostage Brides #2)

Peyton’s hands fisted as Eaden brought his world crashing down.

‘I have Lowri. She is safe, for now, with my men. But if I don’t return by nightfall, they have orders to slit her throat.’

His head pounded as if it was too full of blood. He could not get enough air in his lungs. Peyton sprang, taking hold of Eaden’s throat. He squeezed hard, driven by an impotent fury.

Eaden tore free his hands. ‘Would you sacrifice your sister for your pride?’ he croaked. ‘Hear my terms.’

‘Whatever the terms, I will kill you for this,’ snarled Peyton.

Eaden pointed to the crowd some distance off. ‘See your clansmen. They do not want you, Peyton. We will fight this day. It will be bloody, and we will put on a good show.’

‘I will beat you to a pulp,’ snarled Peyton.

‘No. At my signal, you will begin to fail. You will weaken, and your knees will buckle. Aye, that would be good. Fall down and do not get up again as I pummel you into the dirt, where you belong. If you do not, Lowri will die horribly.’ Every word Eaden spoke was a nail through the heart. He put a hand on Peyton’s shoulder. ‘I want to crush your pride before you die so that everyone can see I am a better leader of Clan Strachan. Did I not tell you that when I kill you, you will see it coming?’

‘You cannot hurt Lowri.’

‘Trust me. I will.’

‘You will not touch her,’ snarled Peyton.

‘Once you accept your fate and die, I will touch her all I like, wherever I like. If you do not concede, Lowri will die this day, and her blood will be on your hands.’ Eaden slid a finger across his throat, grinning.

‘You cannot do it. You’ve always cared for her. I’ve seen it underneath the lechery.’

‘Tis true, I’ve wanted the lass, but not as much as I want Clan Strachan.’

‘Who set you to this villainy?’

Eaden’s grin broadened. ‘You know who.’

Peyton’s eyes scanned the crowd, the hilltop, and the shoreline, but Elene was not there. Yet he felt her presence like a shadow lying over his soul.

‘I always coveted Elene Strachan – the great beauty,’ said Eaden. ‘She let me have her, you know. But I never let my guard down, for if I’d shared her bed and not pleased her, she might have put a pillow over my face when I slept.’ He gave a bitter laugh. ‘Can’t say as I enjoyed it much. Lying with her was like putting my cock in a vice. I never knew when she was going to snap it off. When I am done with you, she’ll take yours as a trophy.’

‘And she’ll give you nothing but death,’ said Peyton.

‘Elene thinks I am infatuated with her charms, but she is wrong. She says I can have Clan Strachan and Lowri as long as she gets her revenge on you.’

‘None of that is true. She will turn on you, Eaden.’

‘Not if I turn on her first. When Elene is dead, I can take Lowri at my leisure. I’ve yet to meet your little blonde whore, but I will hunt her down, and she will become my little blonde whore.’

Eaden did not have Cecily. That was some comfort.

‘I will be a happy man, indeed,’ gloated Eaden. ‘I will have two bonnie lasses to see to my pleasure. Maybe I’ll have the two of them at once. Picture that as you take your last breath, Peyton.’

‘You are a fool. Elene will kill you if it takes the end of her days. You are nought but her instrument and too arrogant to see it.’

A small cloud of doubt swept across Eaden’s face. ‘No, you’ll not wriggle out of this, Peyton. Let us fight.’

Peyton stared him down. ‘Will she use poison when you least expect it? Will you die coughing your guts up, shitting blood? I hope so.’

‘Shut your mouth.’

‘Perhaps she will be merciful and put a shot in your head, despatching you like a lame horse that is no longer useful. Or maybe you will dance on the end of a rope as she watches and smiles. ‘Look at Black Eaden,’ she will say, ‘he is as simple as an ox. A big, witless grub of a man.’

‘Enough.’ Eaden marched back to the crowd. ‘It is agreed. We will fight to the death,’ he shouted. ‘No quarter will be given.’

Bertha rushed up. ‘Kill him, Peyton. Put him in the ground this day and save the world from his cruelty.’

But he could not. Eaden had Lowri. He must lay down his life in exchange for hers. She was resourceful and strong. She would find a way to survive Eaden and take vengeance.

Peyton grabbed Bertha’s hand. ‘If I die this day, swear you will protect Lowri. Eaden has her. You must get her away from that bastard.’

‘But you can beat him.’

He shook his head. ‘Not this day. I have no time, so you must listen to me. If I fall, go to Jasper Glendenning. Tell him what has happened. He will give you sanctuary and help you recover Lowri and Cecily.’

‘Glendenning? But how can we go to him?’

He took Bertha’s face in his. ‘He owes me a debt. So trust me. Do it,’ he growled.

She nodded, tears in her eyes.

Peyton clung to the small hope that those he loved would survive without his protection. It was all he had to comfort him as he prepared to let Eaden beat him to death before all his clansmen. Peyton crossed himself and prayed to God that he had the courage to let him do it and not fight back.

Eaden tore off his plaid and shirt, revealing a bull-like chest of black hair and rippling muscle. Peyton did the same, and shouting broke out in the crowd, swarming over him like a hive of bees. The chill blowing off the water tightened his skin over his bones, but Peyton’s rage burned it off. It pounded through his veins. He could explode with it.

So, when Eaden turned to him and shouted, ‘Let the fight begin,’ Peyton gave no pause. He launched himself at Eaden, sending a barrage of punches straight to his gut. The frenzy of it took the bastard by surprise, and he staggered back, clutching his stomach. He quickly recovered and managed a blow to Peyton’s jaw. A burst of stars shot before his eyes. The sound of the crowd faded to nothing as he counter-attacked, and the fight wore on.

Peyton was acutely aware of everything – the rotten smell of the mud on the shore, hot blood oozing down his chin, the give in Eaden’s ribs as he kept punching mindlessly at the man’s torso. Eaden stared at him, wide-eyed, panting, and the fear and pain in his eyes spurred Peyton on. If he was to die this day, then we would make damn sure that Eaden was beaten to within an inch of his life before he succumbed. His cousin may be the bigger man, but he did not have Peyton’s animal rage.

Eaden came at him again, and Peyton launched a brutal punch at his cousin, fit to take his head off his shoulders. It caught him on the mouth with a crunch. He staggered away, spitting shards of white onto the ground. He turned and snarled at Peyton, his mouth a bloody gape.

His teeth! He had knocked out Eaden’s front teeth. The bastard may survive the day, but he would forever have the gap-toothed grin of the village fool.

His triumph was short-lived as Eaden ran at him and got him in a bear hug. ‘Now, or my men open her throat,’ he said, sounding Peyton’s death knell.