Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Laird MacFarlane,
We will not insult either of us by mincing our words. The betrothed of your son has been missing for days. You've heard no word from the Camerons. Your nephew lies dead. All of these things are warnings of the danger we bring if we're left unchecked.
But you can prevent the oncoming reckoning. You can keep your clan safe and see the woman returned safely by simply returning to us what is ours.
We will take back the MacKenzie Keep and the clan lands. We will bring peace back to the people who were once our clansmen. We will receive our pardons and our freedom, and we will be unbothered by the members of our former alliance.
In return, we will deliver Briana Cameron safely to your home, unharmed and unspoiled. We will—
Keir paused, his quill pen going still, casting a feathered shadow on the wall from the flickering candlelight. He glanced up at Theon, who was standing over him and carefully watching every word he wrote, and Theon saw a flicker of uncertainty in his younger brother's eyes.
"Are ye sure about this, Theon?" Keir asked.
"I thought ye wanted rid of her," Theon replied. "Ye've the best penmanship of the four of us, but I'll take over if ye prefer."
The younger man shook his head, seeming troubled. "It's nae about her. It's about us. If we send these letters, signed by the Broken Blades and demandin' the MacKenzie lands back—"
"Our family's land," Theon reminded him sharply. "Our land, Keir."
"I ken that. Do ye think I dinnae ken that?" Keir snapped. "I may just be a bastard, but he was me father just as much as he was yers. Dinnae for a moment assume that I dinnae want this as much as ye do."
Theon clenched his fist. "That isnae fair. How could ye accuse me of treatin' ye differently because of our mothers? When have I ever made ye feel less?"
Keir huffed, but he followed it with a conciliatory nod.
"Forgive me. It wasnae fair. But, Theon, I—I'm worried.
The last time we made ourselves vulnerable tae MacFarlane and Cameron, our father died.
Me mother too, and almost everyone we kent and cared about.
If we send these letters, we could be exposed after all these years of hidin'.
It could put us all in danger. The risk… "
But Theon was already shaking his head. "The risk, any risk, is worth it.
We've wandered like ghosts for ten years.
We've done nothin', our every minor victory is just a desperate struggle for survival, makin' nae difference tae the state of the people who were exiled from our clanlands.
Scotland struggles under tyranny while we wait.
But now, brother, now we have a chance. I ken it's dangerous.
I ken it's questionable." His eyes shone with reverence.
"But we will do it because we must. This is our first chance tae push back. We must take it."
With a grim nod, Keir folded and sealed the hostage letter.
With a new resolution in his voice, he said, "We must hire a messenger.
We cannae risk one of us four approachin' anyone while holdin' it.
And nae from the nearby village, either.
Someone far enough away that it cannae be traced back tae us.
This is a good camp. I dinnae want tae leave it yet. "
Theon smiled faintly, though his heart clenched. He felt responsible for Keir, he had since they were left alone together, and though the younger man hid it behind anger, Theon knew he longed for a home.
"We'll leave soon enough—when we take our home back. I swear it."
The troubled mood still hung over Theon as he left the cabin and headed toward the center of the camp to see if there was any soup left over from the night's dinner.
His stomach grumbled; it had been a filling enough meal, but the problem with Briana cooking was that he often found himself wanting seconds just for the decent taste.
He froze in place, though, as he saw two figures by the fire, so close together that their shadows had become one.
Briana stood there with a dagger in her hand, and Noah was behind her with his arms around her, his hands gently guiding her grip.
Her features shone in the firelight and under the whispering light of the stars, and when she laughed at something Noah said, the sound echoed across the clearing and cut into Theon's chest like cold steel.
Sudden burning fury overwhelmed Theon at the sight, burning his skin and boiling his blood, so overwhelming that it was surprising the ground below didn't burst into flame.
A furious roar caught in his throat and he barely managed to prevent its escape, and his hands shook with rage as he clenched them into fists and stormed over.
He couldn't stop to think or consider or even breathe.
"Noah!" he snarled, the name coming out with a hostility that made both the others freeze. "Why does she have a weapon? Who gave ye permission?"
Noah blinked, obviously taken aback by Theon's anger, and the innocence in his expression only fueled the monster inside Theon more. Noah raised his eyebrows and stepped back from Briana. "I wasnae aware I needed permission," he said mildly. "We are a band of equals, are we nae?"
Something like shame nudged at Theon's heart, but the fury was too bright and it burned anything else away in an instant.
He glared harshly at Noah then turned his back on him, staring intensely at Briana.
She was flushed, her cheeks pink and her eyes wide as she stared at him half in annoyance and half in awe.
She was wearing her pretty dress again at last, and the way it silhouetted her figure against the fire made her look as inviting as it did deadly, emphasized by the dagger glinting in her hand. Everything about her was dangerous.
"Put that thing down," he growled at her. "We're goin'."
"Goin' where?" Noah demanded. "It's late, and—"
"Now!" Theon snapped.
Briana glared at him, but she handed the dagger over to Noah before folding her arms. She lifted her chin with pride. "Why should I go anywhere with ye?"
He stepped closer, and something crackled menacingly between them.
He wanted to grab her, to stop that smart mouth with his own, to exercise his frustration with her gasping his name.
The image made his whole body pulse, and in turn it only magnified his fury, the traitorous, ruinous thoughts threatening everything he was building.
"Remember what ye said in the forest," he warned her, allowing the slight threat to leak into his tone.
She instantly wilted, releasing a deep sigh and nodding.
Noah stepped forward. "Theon, what—"
"It's all right," Briana whispered. She looked up at Theon, something resentful in her gaze now. "Lead on, then."
She had been cowed, but the monster was not sated.
It paced restlessly in Theon's chest, furious and dissatisfied.
He should walk away, but that furious beast inside urged him on.
He jutted his jaw and gritted his teeth.
He knew he'd never be fully rid of it and the discomfort it brought until he was rid of this girl once and for all.
Briana followed Theon to the makeshift stable, trying to ignore the way her heart was hammering against her ribcage and the way the air around her felt alight from his proximity moments before.
He had been terrifying as he approached a moment before, the rage bursting from him so palpable that she had felt it heating her own skin.
And yet—and yet, when he'd reminded her of that moment in the forest where he'd claimed her as his prisoner, she'd felt a pull toward him, a deep, dark longing to close the gap and seek out a physical connection much different from the brotherly feeling of Noah guiding her hands.
She scowled at the thoughts, irritation prickling at her for even considering such things about such a demanding, angry man as this.
Theon selected a horse and Briana moved to check the tack on another, but stopped when she heard him laugh incredulously behind her.
"What?" she demanded, whirling around to face him. "What's funny?"
"Ye are," he replied, though his smile was cold. "As if I'd let ye ride alone."
She stiffened, folding her arms again, her eyes on the strong, tall horse he'd selected. It was a sturdy mount, one more than capable of carrying them both, but she would not simply agree with him. "Whyever nae? I ken how tae ride. I've kent since I was a bairn."
Theon snorted. "As if I'd give ye the chance tae escape."
Bristling, she said, "Ye cannae trust me?"
He stepped closer, the heat growing between them again even as fear trickled through her body. Looming over her, he raised one eyebrow. "Ye've fled me once. Ye'll nae get the opportunity again. Understood?"
For a wild moment, she considered talking back, but at last she broke eye contact. She saw his lips twitch into that half-smile of his, then gasped as his hands were suddenly on her waist, lifting her onto the horse like she weighed no more than a bag of flour.
"Can I nae even do this by meself?" Briana muttered with a growl in her voice.
Theon didn't answer, simply hoisting himself onto the horse behind her. His arms slid around her waist to take the reins, caging her in, solid and immovable. Her breath caught, and she sat up straight, as rigid as she possibly could, refusing to lean back against him.
Theon let out a small sound that was almost a laugh, then they began to ride.
The next half hour passed in excruciating torture.
The unnatural way in which Briana held herself made her entire body jerk painfully every time the horse traveled over a piece of uneven ground or turned a corner.
She slipped a few times but always pulled herself forward.
She would not touch him. She would not give in to him, not now.
But when they crested a steep hill and started down the other side, she let out a whimper of pain as the movement made her bones shudder.
"Have mercy on yerself, lass," Theon said, sounding annoyingly amused. "Ye'll snap yerself in two if ye keep up like that."
She scowled and kept her head to the front, biting back the acerbic response that sprung to her tongue. She would not give him the dignity of even that response. She glared ahead, her eyes fixed on the horse's mane and the road ahead, her body stiff with the effort of ignoring him.
They reached the bottom of the hill, and Theon's hands on the reins made a sudden but light movement that she caught from the corner of her eye. He lightly pulled, making the horse rear ever so slightly and startling Briana from her spot.
She gasped and fell backward, unable to hold her position, her back collapsing against his chest. He grunted slightly at the impact, and the heat of his body pressed against hers consumed her instantly, enough that she was too surprised to pull away.
"There, is that nae more comfortable?" Theon teased, and one of his hands released the reins to wrap his arm securely around her waist. "Stop bein' so daft."
She could hear the smile in his voice now—a real one, not a smirk—and despite her annoyance, it made her own lips twitch too.
When she caught her own smile growing, though, she quickly caught it and turned it back into a scowl, though she didn't pull away.
She tried not to notice how comfortable she was against him or how well they seemed to fit together and instead focused on her annoyance that he'd dragged her here at all.
Soon, they arrived at the edge of a small village, and Theon helped Briana down from the horse.
She allowed his help without protest, but she refused to meet his eyes or acknowledge him in any other way.
Theon winked at her and she quickly looked away, which only made him laugh.
He held out his arm, and, after considering her options, she took it.
"This is ridiculous," she told him, her hand resting very lightly on his muscular arm, making as little contact with his bare skin there as she could. "Why are we here? We should go back. Ye were out of line with Noah. I—"
"Hush," Theon told her.
The tone was pleasant, but there was an undercurrent to it that made her mouth snap closed.
Briana knew a warning when she heard it.
She remained silent as Theon used his other hand to lead the horse toward a hitching post. He paid one of the local stableboys to feed, water, and brush the animal, then led Briana deeper into the village.
As they walked, Briana's blood turned cold.
The symbol of the MacFarlane Clan hung from banners all around them and shone emblazoned on crests and kilts, even carved into posts.
The symbol of the man who was still, technically, her betrothed.
The symbol that would have been hers had she been successful in the marriage that would have let her leave the Cameron name behind.
Her emotions flared and combined in a tight, confusing ball, clustering in her stomach as a heavy weight.
"What are we doin' here?" she asked again after they'd wandered deeper into the village. They stopped beside an abandoned market stall. She pulled her arm away, and he did not stop her. "What—"
Instead of answering her question, he gave another order in a low, firm tone. "Ye neednae hold me arm if it bothers ye so much, but ye will stay close and stay alert. While we are here, for all intents and purposes, we are newlyweds. Ye are me blushing, happy bride."
The tangled feelings reared up inside her more aggressively than the horse had, almost violent in their reaction to the words. "I would never be yer bride," she hissed. "And ye have nae power over me. I—"
In one quick motion, his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.
She let out a yelp which was stolen away by the wind as he crushed her against his side.
Leaning down to whisper, looking to all the world like an affectionate husband, he spoke to her in a deep, warning tone.
"Remember where we are. Remember who we are. "
Briana swallowed and nodded. Theon gazed down at her with a burning intensity for a moment before he at last relaxed his grip, though he did not release her. In front of her, a MacFarlane banner fluttered in the wind.
"Where shall we go, husband?" she asked in a strained voice.
Theon smiled coldly. Briana pressed her lips together in an attempt at a smile, though the weight on her stomach grew even heavier. Theon knew it as well as she did—that she had no choice but to obey.