CHAPTER 24
They had spent the rest of the day in bed together. It was a luxury Chloe had never afforded herself—to spend a day in bed with a sexy Highlander seemed indulgent. One she would have never allowed her past, career-driven self.
A sensual, tender indulgence. As she lay in his arms, remembering everything they did with each other, her cheeks warmed. And yet, she found she was unable to sate her desire for him.
She decided she was under a spell from the keystone and that was the reason for her wanton actions, even though she knew, deep down, the truth was she had allowed herself to fall in love with Malcolm.
Night had fallen. It pressed against the window, plunging the bedchamber in flickering shadows from the candles he had lit and the fire he stoked.
The yellow-orange glow gave the room a warm, quixotic radiance.
For a moment, she allowed herself to believe they were the only two people in the entire keep.
No one and nothing else mattered. There were no prophesies or destinies or black-hearted men out there wanting to steal the keystone away from her—or worse.
It was just her and Malcolm. He dozed next to her.
She listened to his rhythmic deep breathing, memorizing everything about him, loving everything there was about him.
A knock sounded on the door. It startled her out of her dreamy trance, making her heart thunder in her chest. She sat up, clutching the blankets to her chest, wondering if she’d imagined it.
But no. The knock sounded again. This time louder. She nudged him since he seemed not to have heard.
“Malcolm, there’s someone at the door.”
As another, more urgent knock landed on the door, he grumbled under his breath as he pushed from the bed. He grabbed his tartan to wrap around his waist as he padded across the room to answer it.
Chloe shrank back into the shadowy alcove of the bed, clutching the blanket in her fists, and holding her breath. She was unable to see who was on the other side, but it was a low man’s voice. Callum, perhaps. They exchanged quiet words.
Malcolm cast a worried glance back to her, which made her heart thunder louder. Something was wrong. It sent icy pinpricks through her as she waited.
“A moment,” Malcolm said.
“We dinnae have a moment.”
“I need a moment, brother.”
He slammed the door without waiting for a reply and turned to her. There was a fierce look on his face. One that was a mixture of terror and worry. She didn’t like it one bit.
“What’s happened?” A knot of fear coiled in her chest.
“Evie had a vision.”
By the sound of that, it wasn’t good. “A vision of the present?”
He nodded, his face solemn, but he didn’t answer.
Chloe scooted to the edge of the bed, the blankets bunching up around her waist as her legs dangled off the edge. “Tell me.”
“Yer sister saw Rory MacDonald using the power of the great axe to come here. To invade. She thinks ye are both in danger.”
A coldness settled over her as pinpricks of fear trickled up her spine. “How does he know how to use it?”
“I dinnae ken.”
It was a question to which Chloe thought she might have the answer, one she needn’t have asked aloud.
Maybe when Bruce arrived, he had brought with him some ancient knowledge about the history of his clan.
Maybe he had shared that knowledge with Rory and now they were on the move.
She had no proof of this, of course, but she remembered with clarity the look of stern determination in Bruce’s eyes when he’d promised things were not over between them.
“Callum wants ye both to get to safety.” He paused then, swiping his hand across his stubbled chin. “I want that, too.”
“What does that mean—get us to safety?” A sudden quake overtook her as she feared his answer.
“There’s a secret way out that—”
“No,” she said at once.
Instantly, she thought of Evie’s story when Callum had tried to send her away before the battle. The battle that would have taken his life if she had not stayed and used the power of the keystone.
Malcolm crossed the room in two long strides.
He reached for her, releasing the material of his tartan.
It pooled around his feet and he stood before her in all his glorious flesh.
His hands landed on her shoulders as he gripped her tight, so tight.
She saw the apprehension and the trepidation deep in his eyes.
“Ye must go with yer sister. Both of ye with yer keystones.”
“That’s why he’s coming, isn’t it? He wants us and the stones.”
“It seems the only explanation for his arrival under the cover of darkness.”
“But Evie is pregnant.”
“Aye. All the more reason to send her away. To protect both her and the bairn.” He paused then, reaching up to trace the edge of her jaw with the pad of his thumb. “And ye. I cannae allow anything to happen to ye, either. Understand?”
It was such an affectionate touch, it nearly made her unravel at the seams.
“And here.” He bent to reach for his sporran. Reaching inside, he brought out the piece of her keystone, then pressed it into her scarred hand. “Take this. Keep it with ye. Keep it safe.”
“I will, but, Malcolm—”
Before she finished her sentence, a low rumble rocked the walls of the castle. The sound lingered far too long for it to be anything but what they feared. She stared at him as it sounded again.
“What was that?”
Malcom’s face turned grim. “He’s here.”
***
Malcolm dressed, gave her a passionate kiss, and then left as Evie arrived. There was fear shining in her eyes as she urged her to hurry. Chloe knew Callum must have sent her.
“We have to go now,” Evie said.
Thankfully, Chloe had managed to pull on her shift before her sister arrived.
But as she reached for her overdress, dizziness swept through her, making her head throb.
She paused to put a hand up to rub her temple and steady herself.
She chalked it up to remnants of her visions and too many hours in bed.
But then, she had enjoyed every hour she was under the sheets with Malcolm.
“Chloe!”
“Stop shouting,” she grumbled.
She pulled the dress on over her head, then stuck the piece of her keystone in her pocket. Evie buzzed around the room gathering the rest of her clothes.
“Shoes. Cloak. Now.”
The urgency in her sister’s voice made her head snap up and focus on her. Her face was lined with worry as she stood by the bed trying to hand her the cloak.
Evie pressed on. “The castle is about to be under siege. We’re going to the Sinclair stronghold, but we have to go now.”
Chloe stuck her feet in her shoes and snatched the cloak from Evie, who was already wearing hers. She hurried toward the door.
“Malcolm said there was a secret gate. Is that how we get out?”
“Yes.”
She pulled open the door and peered into the hallway. When it was clear, she ran out, her feet silent on the stone flooring. Chloe followed, pulling the cloak tight around her thin frame. Down the stone steps, Evie crossed the great hall and headed for the kitchen.
With her body sore and craving rest, Chloe had no choice but to follow.
“Dougal and Jamie are waiting at the edge of the loch with horses,” Evie said over her shoulder as they entered the kitchen.
It was deserted and utterly devoid of activity. It was an eerie sight.
“Where are the other women?”
“In hiding.” Evie burst out the back door and into the gardens. “They’ll be safe.”
Her sister stopped and spun toward her, as if remembering some crucial bit of information.
“Your piece of the stone. Do you have it?”
She stuck her hand into the pocket of her dress to make sure it was still there. “Yes.”
“Good.”
They exited the gardens and hurried across the lawn toward the back of the castle where the gate loomed in the stone curtain wall.
It stood open, as if someone had already left through it.
Beyond the gate was the rocky landscape, the light of the pale moon glimmering along the water, making it shimmer.
Once they were on the rocky shoreline, they picked their way down the edge of the loch, the water lapping against the rocks.
Chloe peered ahead, her heart a rapid beat in her chest as she followed her sure-footed sister.
Ahead was nothing but trees standing as dark sentries against the gloom of the night.
The surface of the glistening loch broke, and the figure of a man emerged, walking up the shoreline as if he were merely taking an early morning dip. At first, Chloe was confused by this, and her foggy mind did not understand. Until she saw another man. And another.
“Evie!”
Her sister halted her steps and turned around to quiet her when she saw the men approaching. Evie sucked in a sharp breath, her gaze flickering to her full of panic and fear.
“Run,” she said, low and urgent through her teeth.
Without waiting for a reply, Evie ran toward the copse of trees, holding her gown up off the ground and hopping over large rocks as she went.
Chloe ran after her as worry gnawed at her.
There were so many things wrong here. Her pregnant sister fleeing the castle, men darting out of the dark waters of the loch, and now two men on horses bursting out of the trees riding at breakneck speed toward them brandishing their swords.
Her heart climbed to her throat as she watched, horrorstruck, hoping they didn’t trample right over her sister.
But they didn’t. Evie seemed unconcerned with their approach and never slowed her run. The men rode past her. Chloe realized with some relief it was Dougal, though she had not been properly introduced, and the younger brother, Jamie.
When he was past Evie, Jamie leapt off the horse and took on the men who had come from the loch.
Dougal rode through them, cutting down man after man.
It seemed they continued to materialize from the water.
Swords clashed between them. The smell of blood filled the air.
Evie turned to her, waving her to hurry but then her eyes went wide and round and a strangled sob escaped her.
Strong arms wrapped around her upper torso, keeping her from moving. Hot, rancid breath grazed her ear and she realized she was in the arms of the enemy.
“Get the other one!” the man holding her shouted.
“Run, Evie!”
He tightened his grip on her. “Another outburst and ye will regret that.”
The point of something sharp pricked her kidneys.
Evie tried to run while Dougal and Jamie fought.
Dougal was knocked off his horse, scrambling for his sword.
Jamie was there in an instant, but then the opponent slashed him on the upper arm.
Blood spread on his tunic. Despite that, he continued to fight.
He cut down the man he fought but another took his place.
Dougal managed to recover his sword and continued the fight.
Meanwhile, Evie was captured by one of the others who managed to slip by Jamie. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder as if she were nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
The man holding her shoved her at one of his henchmen, who snatched her by the arm and dragged her in the same direction as the man carrying Evie.
A man stood at the edge of the trees. A man with familiar steel-blue eyes. A man she thought she once loved.
Bruce.