Wedded to the Twisted Highlander (Taming the Kilmartins #3)

Chapter 31

31

T homas’s heart pounded like a wild stallion’s hooves against the dry ground as he tore through the misty glen. He rode hard, following the elusive trail he prayed belonged to Astrid.

The heather-strewn hills seemed to mock him as the once-clear signs of her passage grew as faint as whispers that were lost in the Highland breeze. Each breath drew in the damp, earthy scent of the glen that mingled with the wildflowers that bloomed stubbornly among the rocks. Yet, all he could feel was the weight of uncertainty pressing down upon him as he continued on, praying he would find her.

Doubt gnawed at his very soul, as fierce and unrelenting as the legendary Scottish weather.

Had he taken a wrong turn? Was he chasing nothing but shadows and wishful thinking?

The weight of his clan’s expectations and his desperate longing for Astrid threatened to crush his spirit like a cairn of cold, unyielding stone. The thought of losing her filled him with so much dread. Fear gripped his chest with its icy fingers and squeezed.

His breath came in ragged gasps as he pushed onward, the chill of the air biting at his skin. The landscape around him transformed, the vibrant greens of the glen fading into a palette of grays and browns, mirroring his inner turmoil.

Just as despair threatened to overwhelm him, he crested a hill, and his eyes widened at the sight before him. He pulled on the reins, bringing his horse to a halt.

Clawing her way up the next hill was Olivia. She was dirty and sore, but from where Thomas stood, she didn’t appear harmed.

“Olivia?” he called, uncertain what he was seeing.

For a brief moment, he wondered if his eyes were playing a cruel trick on him. Had he lost his wits while hunting the moors for Astrid? It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had ventured into the mist, never to return. Yet, the sight of Olivia gave him hope.

“Thomas!” she cried. There was no mistaking the terror in her voice.

Thomas slipped down from his saddle and rushed to her side. She collapsed in his arms. His mind snapped into focus as he scanned her for any signs of injury.

Other than the fresh scraps she must have gotten while trying to flee Laird Chalium, she was fine.

“How did ye get away? Did he let ye go? Speak, lass. A life depends on it,” Thomas urged, giving Olivia a light shake to keep her from collapsing.

“Astrid,” she whispered.

The name stuck like a nail to the wood. Thomas’s chest tightened. Surely Astrid wasn’t as far away as he thought, not if Olivia was there.

“How long ago? Where did ye come from? Please tell me ye left me a trail,” he pressed as Olivia lifted a weary hand and reached for the canteen at his side. Without hesitation, he handed it to her and let her drink her fill. The color slowly returned to her face as he eased her to her feet. “Talk to me.”

“He bound me to a tree,” Olivia whimpered. “She made me leave.”

“Aye, ye did the right thing. But now I need ye to concentrate. Ye’re the smartest woman I ken—think for a minute. Give me more details. How many paces since ye left her? From which direction did ye come?”

Olivia rubbed her temples as her face contorted with pain. “I cannae remember. I dinnae ken, I’m sorry. I ken I kept the sun to me back, and there was the bog. She’s on the island in the bog. He’s got her there, tied up for the beasts to come.”

“I need ye to be brave for me, can ye do that? I willnae leave Astrid here. Ye need to take the horse and leave me.”

“The bog is a maze, Braither. Ye’ll never make it out alive. Nay one does,” Olivia said as more tears pooled in her eyes.

Thomas flashed her a woeful smile and pressed his forehead to hers. “I will return wit’ Astrid,” he whispered. “Now, get on the horse and ride back to the castle. Keep the sun to yer back, and ye’ll get there in nay time.”

“I dinnae want to leave ye,” Olivia whimpered as he lifted her into the saddle and handed her the reins.

“And I willnae leave Astrid,” he insisted as he drew his sword out of the bag he had tied to the saddle. “Now, go.”

Thomas slapped the horse’s hind and watched as his sister took off across the glen. His heart felt a bit lighter knowing that she was safe, but what was he walking into with Astrid?

He dared not let his thoughts go in that direction, not when she could still be alive.

Thomas glared at the mist that pooled at the edge of the bog. An icy chill raced along his spine. He swallowed the fear as he tested the weight of his sword before strapping it to his back.

Scanning the area, he paid attention to the freshly broken twigs Olivia had snapped without thinking. It was like looking at glaring lights that would surely lead him to Astrid.

Mustering all his courage, Thomas entered the bog. The sounds of the critters fell silent the second he stepped through the shrubs. It was an eerie silence that seeped into his bones and heightened his dread.

He continued onward, refusing to let his fear get the better of him. Until he saw Astrid for himself, he refused to believe that she was gone.

“Ye’re goin’ to pay for that,” Chalium’s voice echoed through the marshland, sending the critters racing for the safety of the open skies.

Thomas whipped his head around, taking note of the direction the birds flew. A wicked grin spread across his lips as he raised his broadsword.

“Every blow ye deliver will be a slash from Thomas’s blade. Ye think that this feud will end if ye kill me? Ye’re about to kill Lady McFair and start a war ye’ll never win. Me husband will see that yer very name is struck from the history books.”

Thomas’s heart leaped in his throat the second he heard Astrid’s voice. The fact that she was alive and spouting threats made his heart swell. She was every bit the warrior he was, and the fact that she understood her place was by his side filled him with courage and strength.

He pushed through the shrubs with his sword raised in the air, ready to bring it down on the first person who crossed his path.

His mouth dropped open the second his gaze fell on Astrid.

Anger turned to rage as he watched Laird Chalium draw his hand back and strike her. Thomas scanned the area for the quickest way to reach them. The small craft looked as if it would sink the second he entered. Had he been a smaller man, it would have been useful. But with the hull of the boat thinned, he’d sink well before he pushed off the shore. , Thomas flexed his jaw in frustration as he tried to find a better way across.

Securing his sword to his back, he inched closer to the water’s edge. The peat moss wobbled and swayed under each step, threatening to give way. Thomas didn’t have time to consider the possibility of being sucked under the bog. He was just going to have to hope that it remained strong enough for him to cross over.

“Ye try to bite it off again, and I’ll run this blade through yer head,” Laird Chalium snarled.

“And bring me teeth clampin’ down. By all means, do it. I dare ye,” Astrid hissed as Thomas waded into the marshy waters.

He moved slowly, ensuring to keep one hand on the debris he could see so as not to get swept up in the current.

“Lick it,” Laird Chalium demanded.

Thomas didn’t need to look to know what the bastard meant. He kept count of each transgression, ensuring that Laird Chalium would pay for everything.

“What’s the matter? It was good enough for yer sister. Why is it nae good enough for ye?” Laird Chalium asked as Thomas climbed up the unstable peat moss.

With his anger at a tipping point, Thomas crawled on his belly to get closer. Peering over a fallen log, he witnessed exactly what he had been dreading.

Astrid was his, and as much as she resisted, Laird Chalium had her at a disadvantage.

Without further hesitation, Thomas jumped to his feet and charged toward Laird Chalium.

“I dinnae think so,” Laird Chalium growled as he spun around and ducked to dodge Thomas’s sword. “It’ll take ye a lot more than that to kill me.”

“Thomas,” Astrid gasped.

The sight of her broke Thomas’s heart. There would be no mercy.

“Ye should have left her be,” Thomas thundered, raising his sword above his head and taking a fighting stance.

“And ye should have never gotten involved wit’ another man’s woman. Astrid has been mine since the day she left her mark on me,” Laird Chalium sneered as he ripped his shirt off his body.

Thomas’s eyes widened at the scar trailing from the man’s collarbone to his navel. How Laird Chalium was still alive after what Astrid had done to him, he couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“She’s mine,” Thomas growled as he lunged for Laird Chalium.

In a flash, Laird Chalium swung his sword over his head, parrying Thomas’s blows. But Thomas was bigger and stronger. He didn’t need to be stealthy or quick. He just needed to tire Laird Chalium as quickly as he could.

Thomas pulled back his sword and swung again and again. Sparks flew from the impact of his blade against Laird Chalium’s. Yet, he refused to relent. He would have the cad bowing to him before the battle was over. That, he was certain of.

“Have ye tasted her?” Laird Chalium taunted. “Do ye ken the sweetness that she possesses? It’s intoxicatin’. She’s a drug ye will never get enough of.”

Thomas said nothing as he focused on the battle. When Laird Chalium jabbed, Thomas shifted despite the ground growing more unstable under his feet. Just one wrong move and he would crash through the peat moss.

The notion was far too dangerous. Even if he managed to bring Laird Chalium down with him, that would leave Astrid alone, still tied to the tree. No, he had to win and free her from her bonds, to claim her as his prize.

“Thomas, look out!” Astrid screamed.

He ducked just as he caught the sight of silver cutting through the air. Wielding his sword back, he rammed the blade through the spongy, mossy ground.

“What are ye doin’? The current will take us all,” Laird Chalium hissed, jumping away as Thomas struck the ground with his sword again. “Are ye mad? Ye’re goin’ to kill us all!”

“So be it,” Thomas hissed as his eyes fell on Astrid.

He was at his wits’ end. Turned out he had underestimated Laird Chalium’s endurance.

No, he needed to end it now, and as wild and crazy as his idea was, he was going to see it through.

“Thomas!” Astrid cried out before the peat moss gave way.

Thomas plunged into the murky depths. The icy water poked and jabbed him like a thousand little needles all vying to draw blood. But the cold wasn’t his main concern. The current had been faster than he had expected, carrying him farther than he could have anticipated.

As his lungs burned for air, he drove his sword upward into the moss and held fast to the hilt. The blade sliced through the moss, and for once he wished he had a blunt blade.

The current thrashed him around as he struggled to get back to the surface. Just a single gulp of air—he didn’t care how stale or sour—was all he wanted. It was the drive that pushed him up, clawing and scraping away at the slug that had yet to solidify.

With each swipe of his hand, the water grew darker. His lungs screamed and begged for relief that would never come. The temptation to give in, to open his mouth and let the murky water fill his lungs, was overwhelming.

“Thomas!” Astrid’s muffled cry caught his attention. Her desperation and terror tugged at his heart.

Astrid.

Thomas felt as if his whole life had culminated in this moment. How long had he gone through life following the current and ended up on his feet? Even now, when his doom was so close, his faith was strong.

I will see ye again. Just hold on, Astrid. Hold on, me love.

Releasing the hilt of his sword, he let the current carry him through the bog. Where he would end up, he didn’t know, but he trusted that where he landed would be exactly where he needed to be.

As his chest heaved and trembled, struggling for air that wouldn’t come, his head grew foggy. The darkness was closing in on him. He could see it shrouding him like a veil. But then the icy pricks returned.

“Chalium!” he shouted as he broke the surface and gulped in all the air his body so desperately needed.

Spinning about, he hunted for his foe, but there was no sign of Laird Chalium or Astrid.

His heart sank. “Astrid?”

What have I done?

“Astrid!” he called as he hunted the boggy water for any signs of his beloved.

“Thomas?” Astrid’s voice was like a trumpet from heaven.

He turned to find her crawling over the roots of the tree, blood dripping from her forehead.

“Ye’re hurt,” he groaned as he pulled himself up to the trunk of a tree, using its roots for support.

“So are ye,” she answered.

“Where’s Chalium?” Thomas asked as he lifted his weary head to look at her.

She shook her head. “He went under and hasnae come up.”

“Stay there, I’m comin’ to get ye.”

“Nae that I have a choice. I’ve been bound to the tree all morning,” Astrid said.

“Well, now, who’s fault is that? From what I recall, nay one told ye to leave the castle. In fact, I’m quite sure I told ye to stay put,” Thomas grumbled as he tried to find a way to use the tree roots to get back to her.

Going through the current would take too long and wear him out faster.

“Olivia,” Astrid blurted out, panic lacing her voice.

“She’s fine. I came across her and gave her me horse to get back to the castle. I’m certain she’ll bring reinforcements soon enough,” Thomas reassured her as he jumped over the trees until he landed on the mossy island. Moving with caution, he tiptoed over to her.

“Well, that’s good news,” Astrid said.

Thomas studied her for a moment. This beautiful, courageous woman had upended his entire world. As he untied her from the tree, his heart swelled.

“I dinnae ken what I would have done had I lost ye,” he whispered, refusing to look her in the eye.

“Aye, ye would have married another because the council would demand an heir,” Astrid said as her arms fell over his shoulders. “But I’m glad that ye came for me.”

“Ye’ll nae do this again, do ye understand? I dinnae want ye to make it into a habit. I hate the bog and the moors.”

“Take it back,” Astrid breathed as he held her.

A wicked grin tugged at his lips as he brushed aside her hair and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

“I take it back. I dinnae hate them. Merely despite, loathe, detest,” Thomas teased as he took her lips in a searing kiss.