Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Come on, ye’ll nae set one foot past me,” Theo growled.
He swung his blade, checking the grip of his fingers around the hilt.
The sword felt like an extension of his arm. He wielded it as if it had sprouted from his very bones.
Calming his heart and steadying his breathing, he waited for the bandits to make their move. The hiss of a blade being unsheathed tickled his ears. He spun.
Steel clashed against steel as his sword hit the first bandit’s blade.
The force of the blow sent sparks flying, and the momentum drove the bandit backward. Holding his ground, Theo twisted, purposefully throwing his cloak up as a distraction as he drove his blade into the second attacker.
The man crumbled at his feet, giving him the perfect line between him and his foes.
“I would have let ye go with yer lives, but now, ye’ll end up just like him,” Theo growled as another bandit rushed in from the side.
This was the very reason Theo had trained since he was a boy. The nightmarish foes tormenting his dreams were real. And here they were, ready for him to knock them into the grave for the final time.
“Cocky, but ye’ll find me blade to be the one to cut ye,” a rough, whizzing voice proclaimed as pain lanced through his side.
Stumbling, Theo regained his footing quickly to find yet another bandit, taller than the others, staggering closer to him. The dagger in the man’s hand gleamed red with Theo’s blood.
“What’s one more scar?” Theo hissed before charging at him.
The bandit didn’t have a clue about the rage he had unleashed.
Theo struck hard.
Four men lay at his feet, clutching at the final moments of their horrid lives. He glared at them with contempt before turning his attention to the horizon and dropping his bloodied blade.
“Nay.” He gulped as he spotted Stephen’s horse darting toward the copse of trees with no rider.
Fury, rage, and ire all rolled into one massive emotion that sent him charging for the stables.
“Oi, ye cannae take me horse,” a thin man complained the second Theo grabbed the reins of his horse.
“I’ll bring it back,” Theo huffed as he pushed the lad to the side and mounted.
There was no time to waste. Lavina, Amber, and Maisie—their lives rested in his hands. He just prayed he wasn’t too late.
Kicking his heels into the horse’s flanks, he steered the beast out of the stables as if it were a hound of hell. His side throbbed as he rode like a storm rushing over the moors. The mere thought of losing Amber and Lavina nearly drove him to the point of madness.
The fog hung thick over the moorland, curling low around the hills like smoke from some ghostly fire. The sun was little more than a pale smear behind the lazily drifting clouds, but Theo didn’t slow down.
The horse thundered beneath him as its hooves pounded the sodden earth. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, clearly signaling for him to stop.
Years of experience would have told him he was riding into a trap, but with Lavina’s life on the line, he’d risk riding through the gates of hell to bring her back.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark figure on horseback. But then that dark figure turned into two.
“Lavina!” His voice cracked like thunder, sending the nesting birds to the sky.
Lavina glanced over her shoulder, and he saw the fear in her eyes.
“Ye bastard!”
It was one thing for the bandits to take his woman, but another to tie a rag around her face, silencing her. It stoked a fire within him that roared like a banshee.
Fury shot through his chest, spurring him faster.
“Ye’ll die for this,” he growled under his breath, lowering his body to the horse’s neck.
He would reach them. He had to reach them.
Pushing the horse as hard as he could, he closed the distance.
The bandit turned, his eyes wide with fright. It was clear he hadn’t thought anyone would give chase or catch up, yet there Theo was, drawing his sword and delivering a fatal blow.
It was quick. Far too quick for his liking. He watched as the man swayed to the side. Grabbing the reins of the wild horse, he stopped them both.
Without a word, he slipped from his saddle and grabbed Lavina.
“Sick bastard,” he grumbled when he noticed that her wrists were tied to the bandit as insurance.
If the man went down, he was hoping to take her with him.
Steeling his nerves, Theo dared a look at her as he pulled the rag out of her mouth.
“Theo, they took her. Ye cannae waste time with me,” Lavina pleaded, tears streaming down her face. “Please, ye cannae let him have her.”
Theo glanced around. He couldn’t leave her alone in the middle of the moors. Not after everything she had just endured. But if he wasted too much time, he’d lose his chance of getting Maisie back.
“Me Laird, ye made me a promise. Ye swore ye’d keep us safe. Ye cannae call yerself a man if ye dinnae do this.”
Her words were harsh but truthful. How could he call himself a man if he didn’t try to bring her sister back?
“I’m nae leavin’ ye here alone. Get on the horse. We’ll ride until we catch Stephen.”
“It was an ambush,” Lavina started to explain. “I dinnae ken where they came from. We thought we had gotten away, and then three riders surrounded us. It was as if they kenned exactly what ye would do.”
Theo’s chest tightened as he climbed behind her and cut the rope binding Lavina before grabbing the reins. He couldn’t think about the feel of her warm body pressing against his or the fact that she was safe now, not when there were far more pressing matters at hand.
“Do ye ken what happened to Stephen?” he asked. “To Amber?”
“I dinnae ken, I’m sorry. All I ken is that they took Maisie—tore her from me arms,” Lavina said over her shoulder, her voice barely carrying over the wind as they rode for the keep.
It wasn’t long before Theo caught sight of someone trekking through the heather. When Stephen’s face came into view, hope sprang up inside him.
“Stephen?” he called and rode up to him.
“Me Laird, forgive me.”
“Now is nae the time.” Theo circled him and finally came to a stop. He patted Lavina on the shoulder. “Lavina, love, ye’re goin’ to have to go with Stephen. I’ll go after Maisie, but ye must get back to the keep. Do ye hear?”
“Aye,” Lavina said, slipping from the saddle.
“Where’s Amber?” Theo asked before he spotted his daughter peeking from under the thick heather. “Clever. Ye keep out of sight, ye hear? And get yerselves back to the keep. All of ye. I’ll be back as soon as I get Maisie back.”
“Be careful,” Lavina whispered, opening her arms to Amber.
Theo nodded.
“They are ridin’ west. Ye should cross through Noll lands. Ye can follow the river and cut them off,” Stephen suggested.
“Aye,” Theo said.
He hated that he had to leave Lavina once again. But she had reminded him of his promise. He had sworn to protect Maisie as well as her, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
Lavina paced up and down the stable aisle. The scent of hay and leather pressed thick around her and mingled with the stench of manure.
But her mind wasn’t on the fact that the stalls needed mucking out. No, her thoughts were focused on Maisie.
She wanted to kick herself in the foot for thinking her uncle wouldn’t find them. If only she had listened to her instinct and refused to go out. Then, her sister would still be with her, and she wouldn’t need new shoes for stepping in the muck.
“It’s been too long. Theo should have caught them by now. Something has happened, I can feel it,” Lavina said to Stephen as he saddled another horse.
“Ye need to calm down. Theo has dealt with more dire situations,” he answered, tying his sword to the saddle. “He can handle himself now, too. He’s nae a child ye need to coddle, and neither is yer sister. She has spirit.”
“Aye, and it’s that spirit me uncle wants to break,” Lavina muttered.
Her body trembled the second she allowed herself to think of her uncle. The fact that he wanted to marry Maisie off to someone so old made her stomach twist. Theo just had to get her back.
Every breath she took scraped across her dry throat. Violent, wild images flashed through her mind, each one more horrifying than the last.
Micah was a twisted man who found pleasure in the torment of others. No doubt, he’d want to watch his niece be defiled by a horrid man.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Stephen promised before mounting the horse and steering it toward the open doors.
“Nay,” Amber whimpered.
Before Lavina could stop her, the child had bolted out of the stables and disappeared around the corner.
Where Amber was going was anyone’s guess. But Lavina’s heart clenched. She wanted to be there for the girl, to reassure her that all would be well.
Yet, how could she say such things when she wasn’t sure they were true? Not to mention that it was Maisie who Theo went to bring back. How could she not be there for her family?
“Let the lass go,” Stephen urged. “She’s got a spot she’ll go to, and I promise, that’s where ye’ll find her.”
“Right,” Lavina sighed. “I’m to stay and make sure that nay one touches the second horse.”
“That’s right. If something has happened to the Laird, I’m goin’ to need a fresh horse, ye understand?” Stephen asked.
Lavina bobbed her head. “Let’s hope ye dinnae need it.”
Stephen pressed his lips into a tight line. The smile he flashed was forced, but to her surprise, it offered comfort. She followed behind him as he trotted out of the stables and stopped outside the doors as he took off.
“Please bring them back to me,” she whispered, watching as he turned into nothing but a brown blob as he rode south. “Bring him back to me.”
Her chest tightened as she fought back the intrusive thoughts determined to steal her hope. The what-ifs and uncertainties raked across her mind like the blades that had marred Theo’s flesh. It was torment, having to wait with such clouds hanging over her head.
“What if he comes back without her? Dear Lord, please, nay.”
Lavina stared off into the distance as the mist thickened. It hung low over the earth and swallowed the path. She chewed on her nails as every sound caused her ears to perk up.
Craning her neck to spy over the ridge, her heart sank when she saw no sign of them. Even Stephen had disappeared. She strained her ears, hoping to hear something or feel the pounding of hooves on the ground as they rushed back to her.
But there was nothing. Only empty space with nothing but worry to fill it.
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her middle as if they were enough to keep her from falling to pieces.
“Ye shouldnae worry,” a husky voice said, startling her.
She turned her head, half expecting to find her uncle standing behind her.
“I promise ye, when ye feel like there’s nothing left for ye to do, ye should pray.”
“I am,” Lavina confessed, watching the old man grab the rake and start mucking out the nearby stall.
“Aye, that’s a good lass,” he mumbled. “But I think it’s best if ye stay in the keep. The weather looks like it’s goin’ to turn.”
“I’ll stay here, if it’s all right with ye,” Lavina answered.
She tried to ignore the prickling sensation at the back of her neck. The man irked her far more than he should. The guilt of being so short with him grated on her.
“Ye’re Lady McGowan; ye do as ye please. I’m just the stable master. Pay nay mind to me.”
“Ye’re the one they call Marcus, are ye nae?” she asked.
Marcus bobbed his head. “Aye. Heard of me, have ye nae?” he huffed as he moved between the stalls, dragging the rake behind him.
“Well, nae really, but I heard Theo use yer name in passin’,” she admitted.
Marcus flashed her a gentle, wrinkled smile that reminded her of her grandparents.
“Isnae that nice?” he said. “I’ve kenned Theo since he was a babe. He’s been tough since I can remember. There’s nay way he’ll let anyone best him. He just doesnae have it in him.”
There was some comfort in his words, but Lavina wanted more than that.
She wanted Theo’s arms wrapped around her body, pulling her to him as he whispered that all was well. She wanted to feel safe and secure with her sister and Amber. Yet everything hung on a breath, on a hope that he would return victorious.
Saying a silent prayer, she turned around. Her ears perked up at the sound of hooves thundering across the field.
Her breath caught. Every nerve in her body tingled as she peered through the veil of fog.
Through the shadows and mist, Theo emerged against the setting sun. Even at a distance, he looked wild and half mad. But the grin and pride that radiated off him gave her all the confidence she needed.
He had indeed returned victorious.
She craned her neck to spy around his mighty frame.
As if her sister had heard her unspoken wish, Maisie leaned around Theo with wide eyes, just as anxious to see the keep as Lavina was to see them.
“Maisie.” Lavina choked on the name.
She bolted away from the stables, rushing toward them with arms wide open. Her skirts flapped about her ankles. She ran as if her heart had left her chest entirely.
“Theo!” she cried, her voice cracking. “Maisie!”
Theo pulled the reins, causing the horse to snort and stomp as it slowed down. Lavina’s gaze locked on him as she closed the distance between them, and though he still looked like a man made for war, the fierceness in his expression softened as he came to a stop beside her.
Theo helped Maisie down from the saddle and stepped back to give her access to Lavina’s waiting arms. Lavina’s heart soared the second her arms wound around her sister.
“I’m all right,” Maisie whimpered into her hair. “I’m all right.”
“Oh, let me have a look at ye,” Lavina said, not entirely sure she wanted to pull away.
She’d just gotten her sister back and was still not sure whether she was dreaming or not.
“She’s a brave lass,” Theo praised as he strolled over to her.
When he had dismounted his horse, she didn’t know. But she was grateful.
In a burst of passion and gratitude, Lavina released Maisie and threw herself at Theo.
“Calm yerself now,” Theo cooed, his hand cradling her head to his chest.
The thumping of his heart vibrated through her body. He had kept his word. He saved Maisie.
As she pulled away, Lavina realized he was a good, honest, decent man.
“The weather is about to turn,” he said, his voice husky but laced with warning.
“Marcus said that.”
“Ye saw Marcus, didnae ye?”
“Aye, and Stephen went out after ye nae too long ago. Did ye nae meet up with him?” Lavina asked, glancing at Maisie before looking beyond to the horizon.
“He’s returnin’ a horse; he’ll be back in a few days. Until then, I think it’ll be best we stay near the keep,” Theo advised.
Lavina took Maisie by the arm and pulled her close.
“Aye,” she agreed. “I’d say that would be best.”