Page 20 of Taken by the Ruthless Highlander (Taken by Highland Devils #6)

20

“R yder, this is…” Morgana’s breath caught as she took in the beauty around her.

Never in a million years would she have thought there was a place like this. Water poured from the base of the boulders into the pond below. The sun beat down on the water, causing it to shimmer as if it were made of diamonds and precious stones.

“Do ye like it?” Ryder asked as he pulled the reins, bringing his horse to a stop. He slid off the saddle and guided the horse to the water’s edge.

“It’s lovely.”

“There was a time when I would dive into the water from the rocks, thinkin’ a portal would open for me and carry me far away from this place,” Ryder confessed.

The sadness in his voice struck a chord within her. She wished she could wrap him up in a blanket of comfort and security. It was no wonder the man had been so closed off for most of his life. Morgana was certain she would be too if she had to endure the same hardships.

“Were any of yer wishes granted?” Morgana asked as he held his arms up to her.

She slipped effortlessly off the horse’s back and right into Ryder’s welcoming arms. He smiled as he lowered to her feet.

“Nay,” he answered with a shake of his head. “But I suppose if any of them were, things wouldnae have worked out the way they did. I suppose that’s why wishes arenae granted. Gettin’ the things ye want may nae be a good thing for ye in the end.”

“I suppose. But what if ye jump in the water now and make a wish? What do ye suppose ye’d want if ye could have anythin’ in the world?” Morgana asked.

Ryder shook his head and stepped back, giving her room to move. “That’s a very childish thing to say,” he huffed.

“And who’s around to see it but ye? Maybe that’s the reason yer wishes never came true—ye never really believed they would,” she challenged.

Ryder arched an eyebrow, and his lips drew into a tight, stern line. “I suppose there’s a truth to that,” he relented, after a pause.

For a moment, Morgana felt as if the air had been pulled out of the space around her. As if her lungs had cut off the flow of air and the world was growing dimmer. When he finally spoke, she started.

“Deep down, I kenned it wasnae real. But I hoped so badly that just one day, I wouldnae come back home to find new bruises on my maither.”

“From yer faither?” Morgana asked.

There was far more than pity lacing her words. She felt utterly helpless. How could anyone be so cruel was beyond her. It wasn’t like the world didn’t already do everything to break a person down. But it seemed particularly cruel to Ryder.

He nodded his head as he let out a heavy, sorrowful sigh. “I was nine when I came back from a swim. The castle was in an uproar. Cohen held me at the steps as I listened to my maither wailin’. I shrugged him off and charged for her chambers, but I wasnae fast enough.”

Morgana’s heart shattered as she put her hand on his arm. There were no words that could erase the pain of something so gruesome. She knew the world was cruel, but it was moments like this that reminded her just how vile it could be.

“She was already on the floor by the time I got inside the room. My faither towered over her as he rammed his boot into her belly. At that moment, I vowed to take revenge, and as my maither died in my arms, I swore his bloodline would end with me.”

“I dinnae ken what to say,” Morgana whispered so low that she doubted he heard her at all. “Other than thank ye.”

Ryder’s eyebrow rose with curiosity and suspicion. “I tell ye my maither was killed right in front of me, and ye thank me?”

Morgana kept her eyes fixed on the shimmering water of the pond. She dared not even steal a glance at him as she spoke, in fear of losing her nerve.

“Ye’ve been so closed off, and I cannae blame ye. This relationship wasnae exactly conventional by any standards. After all, who marries their faither’s bride? Ye didnae have to, but ye did. And hearing all of this helps me understand ye a bit better. It’s a privilege to ken a person, nae a right or an obligation. So, aye, I thank ye for sharin’ somethin’ so personal with me. Ye trust me with such secrets, and I’m honored.”

Ryder let out a harsh sigh, drawing her attention. She had vowed not to look over at him in fear of what he would think. But the truth of the matter was, she didn’t care what he thought of her. They were already married, and it wasn’t like she’d be safe anywhere else other than with him.

“Ye never fail to amaze me,” Ryder said as he turned to her.

Morgana flinched, expecting his eyes to flash with ire. Instead, she was surprised to find kindness and compassion… and a hint of adoration.

“How do ye always ken exactly what to tell me? For I thought ye were takin’ pleasure in my tails of woe.”

“Anyone who gets a thrill from other people’s pain is a very sick person, indeed,” Morgana stated. “Especially if ye do that to the ones ye care about.”

“Are ye sayin’ ye care for me, then?” Ryder asked, his eyes twinkling.

“Maybe a little,” she answered, flashing him a smirk. “I like ye as much as I like meat pies.”

“Is that so? Meat pies? Well, I hope it’s the lamb pies and nae the pork pies,” Ryder drawled.

Morgana’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, and her mouth dropped open. “Ye werenae in the kitchen when we made those—how do ye ken that lamb pies are my favorite?” she asked.

Ryder shrugged as he moved around her to the bank of the pond. “A little birdie told me.”

“And there are a lot of these wee birdies in the castle, eh?” Morgana asked, her boots crunching against the loose pebbles of the pond as she followed him.

“A laird must ken what is goin’ on in his castle at all times,” Ryder said, as if he were being graded on recital.

“That sounds like somethin’ yer faither would say,” Morgana snorted as she bent down to pick up a stone.

She swung her arm back and let the pebble fly over the placid water until it was caught by the rough current of the waterfall.

“My maither, actually,” Ryder admitted. “She was smart. If it werenae for her spies, she never would have survived for as long as she did.”

“So is that why everyone is scared of ye? Because they saw how yer faither behaved and feared ye’d turn out the same?” Morgana asked.

“Nay,” Ryder answered, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I started learnin’ to carry a blade when I was a wee lad. I thought I was good by the time I was thirteen and a master by eighteen. It was then I thought I could…” He paused.

Morgana felt the rapid beat of her heart drumming in her ears. She stared at him, clinging to his every word. “What?”

“Do what ye have been charged with doin’,” Ryder finished.

Morgana’s heart stopped. It felt as if the moisture had dried up, leaving her tongue scraping the roof of her mouth.

“I had it all planned. And I swear it would have worked if Cohen hadnae ruined everything. Do ye ken where my faither’s body is now?”

The rage in his gaze unnerved her. She knew it wasn’t directed at her, but seeing it there scared her. There was clearly a side to Ryder that she wasn’t sure she wanted to see.

She shook her head as she held her breath. She did not doubt that what was about to come out of his mouth wasn’t going to be pleasant.

“Next to my maither. The very woman he killed. They are together, side by side, as if they were when they were alive. And can ye guess who came up with that brilliant idea?”

Morgana didn’t need to guess. The name hung on the tip of her tongue as Ryder picked up a pebble and chucked it over the water. It skipped violently across the surface and crashed into the rocks beyond.

“I understand,” she murmured.

It finally dawned on her why he resented Cohen.

“Now ye see why I dinnae trust that man around ye. I dinnae care that he was my faither’s man-at-arms and was doin’ what he thought was the right thing to do. It wasnae for the clan or my maither, or me. He stood there and watched…” Ryder dropped his head into his hands as his tears spilled over.

Morgana wrapped her arms around him. Although she couldn’t reach all around him, she pressed her body to his, wishing she could somehow seep into him and soak up all the hurt.

“Ye are nothin’ like yer faither. I met the man and was even married to him for a brief seven hours. But I promise, ye are nothin’ like him. As for Cohen, he has only ever shown me kindness. Maybe somethin’ snapped inside him after the death of yer maither. Maybe he has changed.”

“He hasnae, and to think he has would be naive and foolish,” Ryder bit out. “Who do ye think convinced my faither to banish me?”

There was no hiding her shock. It hadn’t clicked for her how Ryder was still alive if he had planned out his father’s murder. And as he wiped his face and schooled his features back to calm, all the pieces fell into place.

“Yer faither banished ye?” Morgana whispered.

“Aye. He called it an act of mercy, when I ken very well that it was a punishment. He wanted me to live with failure. I suppose he was hopin’ ye’d give him a son before he left this life. Someone to assume the lairdship, ye ken. I didnae think for a minute he thought I’d be here.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Morgana offered, her heart aching.

“Well, it was Cohen who wanted to see me dead. Thought it would be only right to mete out such a punishment. My faither thought humiliation would be a far better teacher than death. It was a compromise. And so they kicked me out. To be honest, I’m surprised I was informed of my faither’s passing. I think I could’ve gone my whole life without kennin’ that.”

“Someone would have said somethin’ to ye, eventually,” Morgana said. “Sent a letter or even a messenger.”

“Well, we’ll never ken now, will we? It’s nae like we can change the past.”

“All we can do is learn from it and hope we do better.”

Suddenly, thunder cracked overhead, stealing the warmth from her blood. She glanced over her shoulder down the path they had come from.

“We need to go,” Ryder said urgently. Morgana nodded her head as they turned back for the horse. “And pray the bridge is still dry. We willnae be able to leave if it’s wet. I’ll nae risk our necks gettin’ across.”