Chapter 5
Lily could no longer bear the sensations kissing her nerves. She needed to be far away from this man, and the urge grew stronger while she stared at his back, unable to fall asleep.
He was dangerous, but not in a way that would hurt her. When he had opened the vial for her and stood close enough that she could almost feel his lips on her skin, she had felt a connection. It had been more like a reassurance that he would not hurt her.
Lily did not want to feel that warmth for her captor. So, she had to run. Now.
Yet, once again, he stopped her before she got the chance to flee. She drove her knee into his stomach, but he did not release her even as he groaned loudly from the shock and pain.
“Will ye stop fightin’ me every chance ye get?” he asked as he finally managed to pin her to the wall, his voice dangerously low.
“Will you let me go without a fight?” she responded in the same irritated tone he had used.
His body was warm against hers. It was bare skin to clothes, but she could still feel his heat. It burned… made her quiver slightly and lick her lips.
“I dinnae want to hurt ye,” he said. “Trust me. But if ye keep fightin’ me, I will have nay choice.”
“You already hurt me when you took me from my home. You want to hurt the people I love, so that means hurting me.”
His gaze feasted on hers, then her lips. He shook his head. “There’s a storm. Out there isnae safe, and I ken you ken that even though ye’re too stubborn to admit it. It is safer with me right now.”
Lily was not backing down easily. She struggled against him again, but this time, he twisted her body around so her back was pressed against his chest. Rumbling thunder slashed against the thatched roof of the inn they were in, and she shuddered because of it.
Lily had always hated storms. Her parents had died because of one, and she had harbored that secret fear of them ever since. Even though she was nestled inside the safety of the inn, her nerves would not rest.
This man made it worse. Her chest heaved as her body pressed against his. Her eyes widened when she felt the hard bulge beneath his undergarments press into her back. She froze, and she felt the feather-like brush of desire course through her, too.
Throat too tight to speak, and limbs suddenly too heavy to put up any kind of fight, she stayed still as his harsh, hot breath fell against the side of her neck.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she licked her lower lip nervously. She would never have imagined a man would make her nervous, but his nearness wrecked her.
His hands slowly released hers after a long time, and he stepped away from her, putting enough distance between them so she could stand alone. Lily’s head swooned, but she held herself up, determined not to let him see the effect he had on her.
Perhaps it is time to give up?
He was right, anyway. She was safer here during this storm. She could try again when it cleared out. That way, she would be certain she wouldn’t end up dead after fleeing from him.
When she turned to Killian, he was getting dressed. He picked his sword sheath up from the ground next to the bed and walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Lily instantly asked before he could open it. “I thought you said it was not safe outside in the storm? Are you going to leave me here by myself?”
“It isnae safe for ye,” he said without sparing her a glance. “And that is because ye’re my prisoner. I will be outside. If ye need anythin’, I shall come.”
“You will stay under the storm?”
“Aye…”
“Are you insane?” Lily asked and rushed towards him. “People die in storms, and you are just going to walk into one?” Her eyes widened, and she felt a lump in her throat. “Storms are dangerous,” she added in a slight stutter. “And you will be alone and…”
A small smile quirked up his lips, silencing her before she could say more. “It almost sounds as if ye care if I get hurt. Are ye startin’ to fear for my safety?”
His statement made her realize she was not supposed to.
Lily pressed her lips shut, then backed away from him. “I do not care. I only want the satisfaction of killing you myself when the chance arises.”
He smiled wider this time, and the flash of a dimple in his left cheek made her almost sigh with relief. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, and even though it was a short-lived one, the heart-warming effect already crushed her heart.
“Dinnae worry, ye will get yer chance soon enough.”
He left the chamber without another word.
Lily heard the door lock click, then she sighed, turned to the bed, and dumped her full weight on it. The wood creaked and gave way once she landed on the mattress. The crashing sound echoed through her while she groaned from the instant shooting pain in her back.
“Are ye all right?” Killian asked as he came rushing back into the chamber and straight towards her.
His hands were steady as they pulled her from the wreck that was once a bed, and she groaned again because her back really hurt this time. His hands moved to her back and began a gentle massage before she could stop him.
Lily could not hold back the light moan that tore from her lips because his touch felt too good, too relieving. She closed her eyes and sank into him a little, flushing furiously because of what her senses were doing to her as his fingers massaged her back in slow, circular motions.
“Does that feel better?” he asked. His voice had thickened, and when she turned her head and stared into his eyes, his cheeks had a flush that she was certain matched hers. “Does it still hurt?”
His words were a whisper of fire. She did not know how to respond to it because her insides sizzled from his touch.
What am I doing? Why do I feel this way? This man is my captor. Why am I thinking about him this way?
Her gaze dropped to his lips and then shot back up. His eyes searched hers, and he blew out a long breath that fell on her face and tickled her nostrils. He had stopped his massage now, and his hand slowly glided up to the back of her neck.
Her pulse went wild when he lowered his head to her neck, inhaled deeply, and then groaned in a trembling, deep baritone that washed over her and tantalized her ears.
Lily felt the thick cloud of desire that surrounded them, but she fought against it, holding onto another emotion, far more familiar to her—anger.
He kidnapped me, took me away from my home, hurt me…
She kept repeating his transgressions in her mind, hoping it would calm the raging war he sparked inside her. It should work, right? She only thought the truth about him, and it should help quench this hunger… this heat.
Whoever he is, he is a vile man.
Lily was still battling with her growing desire when he took her wrists and gently untied the ropes holding them together.
“Stay quiet and dinnae move,” he said in a low voice even when she did not speak. “I will be outside the door. Make one move, and I will knock ye out instead of tyin’ ye up. Do ye understand?”
His words were clear. His warning tone vibrated through her. Lily was too stunned to speak. She could only nod her response and avert her eyes. She feared one more look into his eyes would make her lose her mind.
When he finally left the chamber, she managed to get to the wooden chair cramped into a tiny corner and sat down. She swallowed, rubbed the back of her neck which tingled, and closed her eyes.
To calm her nerves, she thought of Amelia and her children, Rose and Phillip. Lily knew Duncan would have Arran and his men searching for her, and they would not rest until she was found.
What bothered her was this laird who took her, thinking she was Yvaine. If he had made a mistake, then it meant Yvaine was still in trouble, and she had to warn Duncan about it.
Lily’s mind raced with thoughts of what she could do next. Then, there were the tingles that raced through her skin each time the man was near. It was enraging to even allow herself to respond to his nearness.
But how do I stop it?
The only way she could think of was to escape him and run as far as she could back to her home in McLennan.
Lily didn’t want to feel them, but somehow, she didn’t think she could get rid of them anyway. There was something about the way he looked at her… The deep, intense effect his eyes had on her was more than just shivers. It was like a magnetic pull that made her want to keep staring into his eyes.
He looked like a gentleman, yes, but she could not let his charming looks and spellbinding eyes trick her into thinking he was a decent one. He was dangerous. And far more dangerous when he made her forget to breathe.
Lily managed to doze off on the chair while she sat alone in the chamber. By the time she awoke again, the storm had subsided, and the skies were clearer. But it was mid-day. She walked to the window, ignoring him as he kept cleaning his sword’s blade while humming a tune to himself.
Lily spotted three men dismounting horses in front of the inn, and her pulse instantly jumped when she noticed the colors of their kilts.
Pied yellow and a streaked gray. Duncan’s men have come for me.
Her heart raced. She had to act now and make sure they realized where she was. Hope bubbled inside her chest, and she quickly turned away from the window, hiding her smile as she faced the laird. She suppressed an excited shiver.
“The storm has subsided. We should head on to wherever it is you are taking me.”
If I can just convince him to get on the move, once we step outside the inn, Duncan’s men will see me. “Now ye are eager to continue our travels?” he questioned, looking up at her with penetrating green eyes that could cut into one’s soul.
“What other choice do I have? The sooner we arrive, the better. That way, I shall be locked away as your prisoner, and I will not have to keep looking at your smug face.”
He smirked at her insult. “Ye flatter me, me lady,” he said and rose to his feet. “But since ye’re so eager, then we shall continue our travels. We still have to cover ground, anyway. Remember the rules… Not a sound from ye while we ride, else I will gag ye again to keep ye quiet. Understood?”
Lily nodded obediently.
“Good,” he said.
Perfect.
She suppressed a triumphant grin as he sheathed his sword by his side and led the way.
Once they made it out of the chamber, she spotted the two McLennan men and instantly shouted at the top of her lungs. “Help me! He won’t let me go!”
Lily bolted after she screamed, leaving her captor to fight with the men who lurched towards him with their swords drawn. She didn’t look back as she dashed down the tiny hallway, ran around so she got back to the stairs again, and then headed down.
When she stepped out of the inn, she heard the heavy thud of footsteps surrounding her, and she looked around to see there were more men than just the two she had glimpsed from the window.
Relief flooded Lily as she broke out into a deep sigh. “Quickly… My captor is still in there, and he will kill those men. Go, go fight him.”
None of the men responded to her as she gave the order. Instead, they circled her, closing in so she had no chance to escape.
“What are you doing? Do you not hear me? He will kill your men!”
Her stomach began to churn as if it were filled with ice, and fear suddenly skittered up her spine as she counted over twenty men surrounding her with menacing glares.
Lily suddenly realized what was happening as the soldiers began to draw their swords and aim at her one after the other. This was not the rescue she had hoped it was. Her heart sank in her chest, and the heaviness that set in snagged her breath.
These men were not here to save her or take her home. They were here to kill her.