Bound to the Fallen Lion (Hostage Highland Hearts #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

“Idinnae ken why they’re making this fuss for us,” Iain Anderson said.

He was a tall man with traditionally handsome features. His nose was straight and his eyes were blue. He had an easy smile and a sense of mischief that turned into charm. His hair was thick and his body lean.

He was like water, Isla thought, when for a long time she had been surrounded by hard, jagged rocks. The kind that made a person bleed when they got too close.

And she had bled enough.

“Because we are the future. Now we need tae tell them what future we will give them,” Isla said.

Her voice was soft, but her gaze was sharp. She drank everything in, as she had been taught to do from a young age. The crowd in the village was cheering as she and Iain rode in on horseback. Behind them, always in the shadows, was her father, Laird Renard Sinclair, the Highland fox himself.

Flipping away her copper locks braided over her shoulder, she cast a coy look, watching him intently. To other people he might have seemed stoic, but she could see the slight curl at his lips and the smug look in his eyes, knowing that his plan was unfolding by his design.

Little did anyone know that her father had burned his own Keep, sacrificed his own son and wife like pawns, and was now doing the same to his daughter. Nobody here knew that she had been kept in a dark, dank place until her father deemed it was time for her to see the light of day again.

He had made enemies of his children, the surviving ones anyway. But their lives had never mattered. Isla saw that now. It was as though a veil had been lifted and all her childhood had been a lie.

Laird Sinclair, leader of the fox clan, had only ever cared about himself.

Isla was tempted to use this audience to tell the truth, but that would have been obvious.

That would have been emotional. She needed to be more cunning than that.

She had been given a strong education in wily ways and now it was time for her to put them into practice, because as far as she was aware the fate of the Highlands rested upon her shoulders.

She was the last of the Sinclair children who could affect anything. Alastair and Callum were dead. Kai was in the wind, scrambling with the other clans to repair the damage Laird Sinclair had wrought with his spies and their fire.

Or so she hoped…

All of them were too busy recovering to fight against Laird Sinclair’s next move. She was the last piece on the board. Laird Sinclair thought she was his to move about as he pleased, but he didn’t realize that she had a mind of her own.

She and Iain rode to a small stage that had been erected. Iain dismounted first and then helped Isla off her horse. She took his hand. It was strong and wide, his fingers longer than they had been as a boy.

A memory flashed through her; a pair of grey eyes between golden locks of hair. Gnarled, hard fingers interlocking with hers. A promise made. The voice rushed through her head, but she closed her eyes and forced it aside. There was no sense in thinking about such things.

Gavin was finally free. He was probably back in Dunrath Keep now, reunited with his family of lions, at least that’s what she liked to think. The alternative was that her father had finally done away with him, and that was too depressing a thought to bear. She wanted a happy ending for them both.

Once, she thought that they might find that together. But now, she realized that they would have to find their own way. She couldn’t think about anything that had happened between them. Her life was in the here and now, and if she faltered, then the price would be paid in blood.

“Are ye well?” Iain asked in a quiet voice, a look of concern in his eyes.

“Aye,” Isla gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m nae used tae speaking in front of sae many people.”

“Ye were born for it. Yer hazel eyes are shining. Ye are a vision of beauty, Isla. I ken this was arranged by our fathers, but I’m glad ye are tae be my wife,” Iain said bashfully, color rising to his cheeks.

Isla’s smile turned from being reassuring to being sweet.

“I am only sorry that we hae nae spent more time taegether over the past few years. But that will change now. I always considered ye a friend, Iain, and soon ye will be more.”

The words were not a lie. They were not exactly the entire truth either. Isla used to think about Iain in that way when she was a girl, but then she grew up and other people… or more like one other person, had captured her mind. But some things were written in the stars and some things weren’t.

Iain was handsome, pleasant, and straightforward. She could do a lot worse for a husband, and this marriage afforded her a position of influence as well. It was good for her and it was better for the Highlands.

She imagined it’s what her mother would have done.

They walked hand in hand onto the stage and turned to face the crowd. The elders were sitting around them in high-backed chairs. Laird Sinclair joined them in an empty chair.

“My friends, my people,” Iain said, raising a hand.

The crowd quieted at his words. “Today is a grand day for the Anderson Clan, for the Highlands, and for me. This new alliance, which shall be sealed when Isla and I wed, will bring prosperity tae the clan. For a long time we hae lived in the shadows of more powerful and wealthier clans, but that will soon change. Our borders shall widen. More trade shall flow intae our lands, and we shall live in an age of prosperity!”

His words were met with loud cheers and rapturous applause.

“May I say something?” Isla asked.

“Of course. Ye never need tae ask my permission tae speak. After all, ye never hae before. Ye were always the loudest out of the two of us,” he said with a knowing smile.

Isla couldn’t help but smirk. She stepped forward and raised her hand, just as Iain had done. Again, the crowd fell silent, eager to hear what this impressive young woman had to say.

“Over a decade ago, Lairds gathered and taegether they made a Pact. For ten years peace lasted in the Highlands, but at the cost of young lives sent as collateral away from their homes. Some married, some were hunted, and others died. It’s time for a change now.

Everlasting peace is our only goal. I want tae ensure that the roads are safe for merchants and that none of ye hae tae worry about losing yer sons, fathers, brothers, and husbands tae war.

Let us love, let us live, and let us enjoy peace. ”

The crowd cheered again, the words well-received.

Iain tensed beside her. Isla turned her head, noticing the same reticence from the elders.

She didn’t need to look at her father to know that he would have been seething.

Of course he would have hidden it well. He was used to wearing many different masks.

“Now celebrate. Enjoy the market, the food, and the music,” Iain announced, and the gathered crowd was more than happy to do so.

Iain turned to her and smiled. “That went rather well, although are ye certain about what ye said? I’m nae sure we should promise things we cannae guarantee.”

“Dae ye want war?”

“Well… nae, but it is complicated. The other clans?—”

The shadow of Laird Sinclair fell over them. He was not a physically imposing man, but there was an aura about him that commanded attention when he wanted.

“That was a fine speech, Iain. Yer Da would be proud.”

“Thank ye,” Iain said, bowing his head and taking a heavy breath at the mention of his father who had only departed the world recently. “And thank ye for this opportunity. I shall prove myself worthy of yer trust, and I swear that I shall never let any harm come tae Isla.”

“Of course,” Laird Sinclair inclined his head. “It has been my honor tae protect her for her entire life, and soon that honor will fall tae ye.”

Isla clenched her jaw. She remembered the way she had been stolen from her horse, hands bound so tight her wrists ached, mouth gagged so she couldn’t make a sound.

Her father had a strange idea of what counted as protection.

But now was not the time to reveal this to Iain.

She wasn’t even sure there would ever be a time.

It might be a secret that only she and her father shared.

“Might I have a word with her alone?” Laird Sinclair asked with a charming smile.

“Of course.” Iain stepped back and went to speak to his father. Isla had no doubt that he would receive more plaudits for the way he addressed the crowd.

Laird Sinclair led Isla to the edge of the stage. He kept his voice low so that nobody else could overhear them, but his words still burned with anger.

“I believe ye forget yer place, daughter. Ye are nae politician, ye are a wife.”

“Och, did I disappoint ye, Da? I’m sorry,” she said sarcastically.

“That kind of attitude dinnae suit ye, Isla. Ye ken what I am capable of. I hae given ye the chance of a good life with a good man. Ye should be thanking me, nae acting like a child.”

“I am merely addressing my future clansmen. I want tae show them that I will listen tae their concerns, protect them, and always act in their best interests. I shall serve them and naebody else.”

“Dinnae test me, Isla.”

“Or what, ye will throw me back intae that dark room? And what would ye tell Iain? Ye need this alliance, and ye need me tae forget it. Ye cannae control how I act, Da.”

“Ye are too much like yer brother,” Laird Sinclair muttered, and Isla knew exactly which brother he meant. “Behave, otherwise there will be consequences,” he said, and then turned abruptly and stretched out his arms as he approached Iain.

He shook Iain’s hand again and no doubt had complimentary words for him, praising him in front of the elders. They should have been equals as they were both Lairds, but her father had the seniority of experience.

Nobody would think of her father as anything but charming and polite. But Isla knew better. She calmed the shuddering in her heart, reminding herself that she was important for the moment, and she needed to make the most of it.

Isla joined Iain, standing behind him, while her father spoke with the other elders. It had the air of a casual conversation, although it was anything but.

“…and of course we all want peace, but unfortunately it is never easy tae come by. My daughter is still rather naive, ye ken how women can be,” he said.

The elders all chuckled. Isla bit her tongue.

“I tried for peace and it lasted for a decade. It dinnae last, but with yer help I’m sure we can bring the traitors tae heel. They hae already caused enough anguish. They poisoned my son’s mind and I lost my other two sons. Isla is the only one I hae left.”

“And it means sae much tae us that ye are trusting her with Iain,” one of the elders said.

Isla could have choked on her bitterness at Laird Sinclair’s framing of events. She had to simply sit there and listen to it all.

“I cannae understand why they would throw away ten years of peace,” another elder added, shaking their head.

Laird Sinclair sighed as well. “Indeed, and I cannae but feel responsible. Perhaps if I hae done more…”

“They are all wild animals. Ye are the only sensible one. They are digging their own graves and we shall make sure that the Highlands are safe again.”

The elders nodded one by one, and with each nod Isla’s heart sank a little deeper.

“It warms my heart tae hear ye say that. I am glad I can be among friends. Nae too long ago the future seemed bleak, but now there is light on the horizon and we can walk towards it taegether.”

Isla had heard enough.

She couldn’t stop a noise from breaking through her throat, although she suppressed it so it sounded like she was clearing her throat. Laird Sinclair wasn’t going to walk with them. He was going to walk over them.

“Would ye like tae dance?” Iain asked.

Isla readily agreed. They left the stage and stepped into the town square where people were already dancing. Iain and Isla faced each other and started skipping to the beat of the music.

“I can understand that discussions like that bore ye,” Iain said, misinterpreting the nature of her displeasure.

“I find them interesting, occasionally. But all this talk of the traitors… it disturbs me.”

“Aye, it disturbs us all. I could nae believe it when I heard what happened. How can they be so violent? I’m just glad that yer Da managed tae take ye away from Inverdane Hall before the fire.”

“It was a lucky escape,” Isla said dryly, masking her anger and frustration with fear and terror. “And in the haste I was separated from Ma. Da says she is safe somewhere, but it is nae safe tae travel the roads. I hope that I can see her again.”

“I’m sure ye will. I promise that I will dae everything in my power tae bring ye taegether again. She would nae want tae miss the wedding,” he said.

Isla smiled in thanks, although there was a sharp pain in her heart. Someone else had made her that same promise. Emotions threatened to overwhelm her. The music stopped and she noticed that there were a lot of other young ladies waiting to dance with the handsome young Laird.

“I believe I should allow ye tae hae yer fun before we are married,” she said, glancing at the line of pretty women who blushed and smiled and wore beseeching looks.

“I only want tae dance with ye,” Iain said.

“We hae our whole lives tae dance taegether. Gae keep yer clansgirls happy.” She winked and slipped away, leaving Iain to think that she was teasing him.

Perhaps she was, a little. It was never a good idea to give someone all of you at once. But she also needed space to think, to plan for the future.

The promise Iain made her reminded her of Gavin. An uneasy feeling churned in her stomach and she wondered how long the memory would plague her. She tried her best to oust the memory from her mind, but it was?—

Suddenly she felt a hand gripping her arm, pulling her to the side.

It all happened too quickly for her to run, although she tried. She tried so hard that her arm was almost pulled from its socket.

She turned.

The face was covered by a hood. It was as though she was staring into an abyss. Was this her father’s work? It suddenly occurred to her that he might garner sympathy by killing her. Was she merely another sacrifice to his plans?

Isla was about to stomp on the man’s foot when he pulled his hood back, and it left her breathless.

It was him.

A ghost that haunted her.