Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
K athleen’s shriek pierced the morning air like a bell announcing war.
In an instant, the three men had gathered around her, surrounding her from all sides. Two of them jumped off the horses as the last one reached for her, pushing her off her saddle just before she had the chance to escape.
Had she managed to stay on her horse, perhaps she could have fled. Now, though, she had no chance of escape.
All the men were dressed in the blue and green shades of Clan Campbell—colors familiar to her and anyone in those parts, as there was no greater enemy to the Mackintosh Clan .
Her parents had been right. The danger was more real, more palpable than she could have ever imagined. And now that she had fled the castle without anyone knowing, there was no one there to save her.
Even as Kathleen was being dragged by the arm, she didn’t stop putting up a fight. When her captor tried to hold her still, she kicked at him and thrashed in his grip, wild and furious. Maybe if there had only been one man, she would have managed to escape him all on her own with how willing she was to fight, her desire to flee stronger than any lack of strength or skill. But with three men against her, there was nothing she could do other than scream and kick uselessly at them, only prolonging the inevitable.
Frustrated as he was from her fighting, one of the men who were trying to control her punched Kathleen straight across the cheek, so hard that her head whipped to the side with frightening speed. Pain exploded all over the side of her face—a blinding pain that made her ears ring and her head spin, her vision turning to black for a few moments.
And that was why the strange voice was a surprise as it echoed behind her, announcing the arrival of another man.
“Ye wish tae fight?” he called just as he jumped off his horse and balled up his fists, stomping over to the three men. “Then leave the lass an’ fight me. ”
The man holding her didn’t move, but the other two were quick to go to him, meeting him halfway. With her vision restored, Kathleen watched in horror as a fight erupted among them, the pain that still lingered disorienting her and making it difficult to keep track of the men.
The first blow came from the larger of the two, a young man with pale eyes and a red face, his mouth twisted with effort. The strange man avoided his fist, lunging to the side, and swiftly delivered a blow of his own, one that caught the man in the stomach.
Just as Kathleen thought it was going to be a fist fight, though, the other man pulled out a small blade and immediately, his fellow soldier did the same. Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, the stranger took a few steps back from them to do the same, grabbing his dirk from where it was strapped around his waist, fingers wrapping tightly around the hilt.
The more the pain subsided and clarity returned, the more Kathleen’s desire to fight back grew. Soon, she was thrashing in her captor’s grip once more, kicking and twisting as she tried to escape his grasp.
She didn’t rest for a moment, at least not until she heard a loud thud and saw that the stranger had rendered one of the Campbell men unconscious, a small cloud of dust rising around his body as he hit the ground .
Stunned, Kathleen watched as he did quick work of the second man, rendering him unconscious with a single punch across the face. And then, once he too was laying on the ground next to his friend, he turned his sights to the man holding her.
Slowly, he let go of her, raising up his hands as if in surrender. Now that she was free, Kathleen wasted no time before she ran as far from them as she could—but not far enough to escape entirely.
For a moment, the two of them simply stared at each other. The stranger narrowed his eyes at the Campbell soldier, as if suspicious of his intentions. In the end, his suspicion was justified, as the man rushed towards him, fists balled up and ready for a fight.
With a feint to the left, the stranger let him run right past him before he spun around and kicked him. The force of his kick was strong enough to throw the man off-balance, making him fall to the ground, and the stranger wasted no time before he hit him on the back of the head as well, making sure he wouldn’t move before he pushed himself back up to his feet.
Standing above them, the stranger’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. With the men unmoving on the ground, he turned his sights on Kathleen .
I should have fled.
What if he, too, wanted something from her? What if he had only saved her from those men to have his way with her or because he wanted to rob her?
He was… handsome. Very handsome. She wanted to keep her mind on alert but he was proving to be distracting.
It took her a few moments to realize the wheezing sound filling her ears was coming from her own chest as she tried—and failed—to breathe. She slid down to the ground, curling up on a patch of green grass as she tried to catch her breath, but no matter what she did, she did not seem able to draw in enough air.
When the stranger approached her, her fear bubbled over.
“It’s alright,” he promised. “I willnae hurt ye. I promise.”
“Who are ye?” she demanded.
“Me name’s Blaine,” he said. “I was headin’ down tae the valley an’ saw ye get attacked, so I thought I’d help ye.”
“Why? ”
Blaine frowned, as if he didn’t understand the question. “Well… because ye were in danger. I wished tae help.”
Kathleen observed him with narrowed eyes, taking in every detail of his face—the deep green eyes that seemed to draw one’s attention immediately, the sharp lines of his jaw and his nose, the dark strands of hair that now fell over his forehead, tousled after the fight.
He was the most handsome man Kathleen had ever seen, and warmth spread over her body at the sight of him. Her cheeks heated and she couldn’t help but drop her gaze, her embarrassment getting the better of her.
It wasn’t often that she was embarrassed, but she wasn’t knowledgeable in the ways of men and women.
Blaine had saved her life.
He is not only handsome, but also me savior.
However, she was still a little apprehensive; how could she not be? He was a complete stranger to her. But when he offered his hand to her to help her up, she accepted it, standing to her feet .
“Thank ye,” she said, her voice thin but unwavering as the first wave of shock began to subside. Absentmindedly, she began to dust herself, trying to get all the dirt off her thick cloak in vain, just to distract herself from the terror of her recent experience.
“Come,” Blaine said gently, nodding towards his horse, which had obediently stayed nearby, munching on a bit of grass. “I have some ointment fer that cut on yer cheek.”
“Ach! Is it very bad?”
“The cut?” Blaine asked with a frown. Hesitantly, he reached for her and Kathleen swiftly pulled back at first, frightened. Then, she froze, her eyes staring up at him, her rosy lips parted ever so slightly as he pushed a strand of her hair back to reveal her cheek. “It isnae very bad. It will heal in nay time.”
For a moment, she said nothing. She only stared at him in silence, breath catching in her throat.
No one had ever touched her like that before. No man had ever gone so close, and to have a stranger displaying such intimate tenderness towards her now brought her mind to a complete halt .
When Blaine spoke again, it took Kathleen a few seconds to understand what he was saying.
“What’s a lass like ye daein’ alone in the woods?” Blaine asked.
“I’m… travelin’,” she said, a little hesitantly. She didn’t know just how much she should tell this man when she knew nothing about him at all. “I’m goin’ tae a weddin’.”
“A weddin’, is it?” Blaine asked. “Alone?”
Kathleen looked around her as if searching for someone else.
“Are me guards nae here?”
It seemed to take Blaine a few moments to realize she was joking, but once he did, he chuckled softly. Before they could say anything else, though, a grunt came from the ground near them and one of the men began to stir. There was no time for talking. They had to get out of there as soon as possible.
“We must go,” he said. “Can ye get on yer horse or dae ye need help? ”
Kathleen’s only answer was an amused smirk as she ran to her horse and jumped on with ease and the kind of grace that came from a lifetime of practice. Behind her, Blaine chuckled again, shaking his head as he headed to his own horse, the two of them rushing down the path.
After a few minutes of riding, she called out over the wind, “Kathleen.”
“What?” Blaine called back.
“Me name,” she said, “is Kathleen.”
Blaine smiled. “Pleased tae make yer acquaintance, Kathleen.”