Page 23 of The Cruel Highlander (From Enemies to Marriage #3)

CHAPTER 22

Aiden let loose a relieved sigh when he caught sight of Valorie running out of the abandoned cabin. She was heading towards him and Willow.

She’s okay; thank God she’s okay, Aiden repeated in his mind.

Aiden scanned every inch of her, searching for signs of injury. She had bruises forming on her arms, and there were red and angry burns on her wrists and ankles. Her wrists particularly looked rubbed raw. Aiden recognized those injuries as being from a rope. He was all too familiar with the wounds caused from captivity.

Aiden locked in on those injuries and the few scrapes on Valorie’s knees, seething. The only thing that calmed him slightly was the pride he felt at seeing her here. Somehow, she had managed to escape the ropes she was tied with. Valorie was fierce, and Aiden knew he would never meet another woman quite like her.

A drop of blood welled on Valorie’s wrist, and Aiden was back to anger. He breathed out heavily through his teeth, trying to control the rage he felt towards Tavish. Tavish had done this. He had taken Valorie from Aiden’s castle, and now Aiden found her, bruised and bleeding.

Caught up in his anger and at finally seeing Valorie whole, Aiden was distracted. It was the moment Tavish needed to turn the tables on them. In that small space of time, Tavish let the priest go and launched towards Aiden, still wielding his knife.

“Go!” Valorie yelled to the priest who stood off to the side still, shocked. “Go run and get help!” Valorie didn’t even watch to see if the man followed her orders but instead leaped onto Tavish’s back to slow his attack. There was Aiden’s lass again, showing her strength.

Tavish twisted wildly, trying to shake Valorie off him — before he remembered the weapon he wielded. Aiden watched in horror as Tavish turned his body and cut into Valorie’s arm with his knife.

It was a small cut and not that deep, but Aiden watched the blood well up on her arm, and he lost all sense of himself.

That is me bride! Aiden wanted to shout. Seeing her passive injuries was one thing, but watching it happen live sent Aiden over the edge into his fury.

He had been willing to be reasonable with this man until that moment, until Tavish made that particular choice. There would be no peaceful resolution now that Aiden had watched Tavish mutilate his woman in front of him.

Valorie was Aiden’s. Not in the sick ownership way that Tavish wanted her but, in the way, where Aiden devoted himself to her service. Valorie was Aiden’s to protect and to cherish and to care for, and Aiden was not one to let violence against those in his care go unanswered. Tavish had made Valorie bleed twice now — her wrists from his ropes, and now, he had stabbed her!

The moment the knife had come into play again, Valorie jumped off Tavish’s back and scurried a few feet away from them.

That’s me girl, Aiden thought. Valorie’s instincts were spot on. Tavish mistakenly kept his eyes trained on Valorie. For once Tavish’s sick obsession with Valorie was working in their favor. His singular focus on Valorie caused Tavish to forget about the active threat against him, Aiden. Because while Tavish watched his woman, Aiden stalked towards his prey.

Aiden reached out and grabbed Tavish’s knife-wielding wrist harshly, applying pressure and bending it out of place. Tavish cried out in pain, and the maneuver had its desired effect. The knife fell from Tavish’s grip, clanging loudly against some rocks on the forest floor.

Tavish struggled wildly, trying to find some way to bend down or use his other hand to pick up his lost knife, but Aiden held firm on to Tavish’s one arm. It wasn’t enough to soothe Aiden’s rage; he kicked Tavish right in the kneecaps and watched as his legs crumpled beneath him. Aiden used that moment to release Tavish’s wrist and push him away.

Tavish’s body hit the ground heavily, and he lay there unmoving for a few beats of Aiden’s heart. Staring at the man prone on the ground, Aiden took his first deep breath in hours.

With Tavish momentarily subdued, Aiden picked up the lost knife and turned his gaze to Valorie. She was already watching him. Willow stood protectively in front of her, and Valorie held a small piece of her dress to her arm to stop the bleeding.

Aiden’s eyes zeroed in on that arm, the one that this man had cut into. Aiden was tempted to turn back around and really make Tavish regret ever touching his woman.

Sensing Aiden’s attention on her wound, Valorie removed the piece of fabric from her arm, and when no new blood welled up, she looked at him as if to say ‘see, I’m fine.’ Aiden wasn’t convinced. He continued checking her injuries; her wrists were no longer bleeding either and she was still standing. When they got back to their castle, Aiden could fix her right up.

“Aiden, look out!” Valorie called to him suddenly. Aiden spun back around to find this foolish man slowly making his way back towards Aiden. He had a crude rock in his hand but was otherwise unarmed.

“Tavish, ye don’t want to do this,” Aiden said, warning the other man to stay put and let this end here.

“She is mine!” Tavish roared as he attempted to tackle Aiden to the ground. Aiden held firm against the attack. Tavish was strong, but Aiden had far more to fight for. Tavish was injured and crazed as well — two things that did not serve one well in a fight.

Tavish kept trying to get his arms around Aiden, or bludgeon him with the rock, but Aiden broke each hold and blocked all of Tavish’s attacks. After Aiden pushed off the latest attack, he once again stood a few inches from Tavish.

“Tavish, I’m tellin’ ye, ye need to stop this,” Aiden said, offering the man one last out of this situation. He did not take it. Instead of answering, Tavish took one last lunge towards Aiden, but Aiden still held onto the knife, and with Tavish’s final attack, Aiden ran the knife right through Tavish’s chest.

Tavish groaned, looking down at his chest in shock. He quickly fell to the ground again, clutching at the large wound, but Aiden knew nothing would stop that wound from being fatal. He watched as Tavish’s hand fell away, and the man groaned one last time before his breath stopped altogether.

Aiden looked down at Tavish’s body, wishing it had not come to this. Tavish deserved some punishment, but Aiden rarely looked forward to killing someone. In the end though, Aiden would always protect Valorie, and Tavish made it clear that he would not stop until Valorie was his. So, Aiden was forced to stop him.

“Oof,” Aiden let out a light groan as Valorie jumped up on him, wrapping her legs around him and kissing all over his face. He was a little sore from the fight, but Valorie’s kisses were a balm to all maladies, and Aiden already felt lighter.

“Thank God ye came,” Valorie said, between kisses.

“I’ll always come for ye Val,” Aiden said earnestly, holding her up against him. Aiden’s hands rested on the back of her thighs, and he squeezed her tightly to him. She was back where she belonged, wrapped up in Aiden’s arms.

Aiden let himself sink into the embrace, resting his head against Valorie. Several deep breaths later, she let her legs fall and slid down the front of Aiden’s body.

“And ye too, Willow!” Valorie said, bending down and giving the puppy just as many kisses. Willow wagged her tail and accepted her praise. The little puppy looked immensely proud, and Aiden felt the same way towards her. Without Willow’s keen sense of smell, they may never have found Valorie. Willow had truly saved the day, and Aiden would be forever grateful to the puppy.

“Aye, ye were a very good girl, Willow,” Aiden said, joining in to give Willow plenty of affection.

Valorie turned her head and saw Tavish’s body lying there. Aiden lamented that she had to see all of that, he should have shielded her from the violence, but his strong woman just shook her head sadly and said, “Please take me out of here, Aiden.”

* * *

The moment the fight was over, Valorie’s last burst of energy faded from her body. Aiden nearly carried her back to the spot where he’d left his horse.

“Oh, Bluebell!” Valorie exclaimed making sure to give the horse just as much attention. “Thank ye for saving me too, buddy!” Valorie said to her horse.

Aiden chuckled, “Aye, he got me here fast as possible; ye’ve got some loyal animals, lass.”

Valore smiled brightly. “We do.” Aiden’s answering smile was beautiful.

“Take me home, Aiden,” Valorie said. All she wanted was a hot bath and a chance to finally get some sleep. She still couldn’t believe that Tavish had been behind her kidnapping, and now he was dead. Valorie mourned any loss of life, but she was not particularly sad that man was no longer walking the Earth.

When Valorie realized Aiden had made no move to get on the horse or leave, she looked over at him. He was staring at her with a mix of sadness and resignation.

“Ye want to go home?” Aiden asked.

“Aye, I want to go home; take me back to yer castle.” Instantly, Aiden brightened again, and Valorie hid a small smile and chuckle. Perhaps he thought she wanted to go back to her father’s — did that mean he was pleased to have her with him?

“Wait!” Valorie exclaimed. “My faither! Is he all right?”

“He will be, lass. He was alive and taken care of when I left him. Yer father is a strong man,” Aiden paused. “But Tavish was there. They fought, and Tavish stabbed yer faither. That’s how he got the carriage and yer maither’s letter.”

Valorie’s mouth was open in horror. Her father was stabbed?! And her mother was threatened?

“When I left, yer faither was awake again. Kenneth had managed to stop the bleeding, and yer faither seemed to be doing much better,” Aiden said, continuing with this horrible tale.

“Kenneth was there?” Valorie asked because it seemed like the least devastating detail. She knew from Tavish that Kenneth had been somehow involved, not in her kidnapping, but he at least knew about it.

“Aye, he came to warn ye and yer parents, but he didn’t know ye were at my castle. He was a little too late to stop Tavish, but he probably saved yer faither, and he told me where I needed to go to find ye when I arrived.”

There were so many things Valorie needed to process from this day.

“Why were ye at me parent’s castle?” Valorie asked — it was that last little detail she didn’t understand.

“After ye left in the carriage, I paced around yer rooms worrying about ye. But I wanted to be with ye, so I got on Bluebell and raced over there. I was hoping to catch ye on the way, but instead, I found yer faither’s castle in chaos,” Aiden explained.

“Thank ye, thank ye Aiden for chasing me then and coming for me now. Thank ye,” Valorie said sincerely. Without Aiden, she feared to think of what might have happened. She got out of the ropes, but would she have been able to escape? Valorie would never know, but thankfully, she didn’t need to.

“Oh! The carriage!” Valorie exclaimed. Her father probably wanted that back and her things!

“It’s all right. Val, I’ll have someone come and get it tomorrow; let’s just get ye home,” Aiden said.

“But all the things ye packed for me!” Valorie was starting to tear up again. She had barely cried while Tavish held her captive, but everything was bubbling over now that she was safe. Aiden’s sweet gesture, the fear for her father, and then for herself, the exhaustion, and the aches in her body, the relief at being found and being back with Aiden, all of it was falling out from her eyes now.

Aiden didn’t say a word, just bundled her up in a massive hug, stroking her back and hair tenderly while he made soothing sounds. Willow, too, came in for the cuddle, rubbing up against Valorie’s legs. Even Bluebell stuck his muzzle into the group, and it was enough to have Valorie release a small laugh. She was safe. And she was with her family.

“Someone will get all the things tomorrow,” Aiden promised Valorie.

“Aye, thank ye for all of it, Aiden, truly.” Valorie would have to come up with a way to show him how much all of his actions today had meant to her.

The grand rescue, of course, but all the little things too. The care package when he thought she was heading home to her sick father, his level of care and concern, and just the general comfort he provided to her meant more to Valorie than she thought she’d ever be able to express. But she would certainly try. In whatever time they had left, Valorie would show Aiden how much she appreciated him.

“Aye, yer welcome, Val; let’s get ye home.”