Chapter 6
Killian overpowered both men with ease, then he went after Lily. The woman was driving him insane with her constant escape tricks. He ought to just let her go and plot another means for his revenge.
But I have come this far.
Besides, Laird McLennan would have tightened security around his castle after their first break-in. That meant it was practically impossible for him to get into the castle again. Even if he managed to get in, there might be no escape.
I am stuck with her.
Killian hoped Lily’s life was worth enough to the vile Laird McLennan.
When he ran outside the inn and saw the men gathered around her, his instincts kicked in, and he sprung into action.
Killian killed the first two that came at him, and Lily maneuvered her way into grabbing one of their swords so she could forge into battle too. The cuts and sounds of blades clanging against one another filled the air for a long time.
Killian got one cut to his right arm, and he groaned as another blade pierced his side. He killed both of the men that hurt him, saved Lily from having her neck cut, and then took her hand.
“Run,” he ordered as they picked up their pace and ran towards their horse. “We are outnumbered, there’s no winning this fight.”
Lily obeyed him without a fight.
The soldiers followed, but Killian managed to get Lily on the horse and fight them off a little before he climbed in behind her, tightened his grip on the reins, and then galloped away.
They rode for a long time, and he looked back occasionally to see they were being chased. The heavy wind in the air blew Lily’s hair all over his face while she sat in front of him. Killian reveled in the sweet sensation that tunneled through him each time the scent of lilies invaded his nostrils.
The chase didn’t stop, though, and soon they reached a clearing. Their horse got spooked and halted abruptly, tossing them off the saddle. They rolled to the ground together, and while pain sliced through every inch of him, Killian heard Lily’s groan as she tumbled on the ground beside him.
Her body made contact with a tree stump, and she stopped before she cried out in pain. Killian grabbed onto a rock to keep himself from rolling down the steep path, and when he finally managed to raise himself off the ground, he groaned loudly and then looked around for her.
“Lily?” Killian yelled, a sudden fear spiking through his blood when he noticed she lay unmoving on the ground. He ignored his own pain and ran to her. “Lily.”
She still did not move when he got to her, and his panic edged higher till his throat closed down.
He lifted her head off the ground and saw the blood on the side of her lips, and behind her head. She coughed in the next second, and her lids slowly opened.
“My head,” she complained in a wee voice.
Killian burst into a short, relieved chuckle when her brows furrowed and her lips formed a thin line.
“Am I dead?”
Her blue eyes were teary, her voice faint. At that moment, he forgot all about their conflict and focused on helping her to her feet. He hated the tremor in her voice when she spoke to him. It sounded as if she was in pain.
Killian’s heart instantly ached as she murmured, “Did we outrun them?”
“Aye.”
The distant shouts of the men chasing them cut through the air.
“We dinnae have time,” Killian said as he took her hand. He then led her towards the steep cliff. “We need to jump.”
“What? Are you mad? We could die!” Lily yelled as she looked down the cliff. “The water down there isn’t deep enough.”
“Ye didnae seem too scared when ye jumped to get away from me before.”
“That was different… I was desperate.”
“And ye arenae desperate now?” He arched an eyebrow, and she stared at him for a second before pressing her lips together. “These men are tryin’ to kill us. Ye should be desperate.”
“All right… Let us jump before they find us.”
“I’ll count,” Killian said and tightened his hold on her hand. But before he could count to three, she let go of his hand and took a leap down the cliff, shocking him.
Killian scoffed as an amused smile played out on his lips.
She is insane.
He jumped, too, before their attackers caught up to them. He landed in the water, then swam to the shore to meet Lily on the other side.
She was panting when he joined her, her clothes soaked and clinging to her petite body, letting him make out more of her slender figure. He couldn’t stop staring at her as they sat there. Her hair was wet too. Some strands fell to the sides of her face while others were plastered on her forehead.
She drew in a deep breath, then swiped a hand over her face before brushing her hair back with her fingers.
“We lost them,” Lily finally said, then let out a deep breath before bursting into a short laugh.
Her body shook as she laughed, and Killian joined in before he could stop himself.
Wondering why she found their situation amusing, he angled his body to face her and watched her intently. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she laughed, and her cheeks gained a rosy color.
“You just saved my life,” she breathed out after her laughter died down. “You kidnapped me, but you saved my life. It makes me wonder what exactly you want from me.”
“Was I supposed to let ye die?” Killian answered, still watching her.
He enjoyed seeing the light in her eyes. He hadn’t seen anything like it before.
“If you are going to keep me captive, anyway, it is best you kill me now.”
“Ye really are eager to die, are ye nae?” he asked with a short laugh. “It is almost as if ye want me to kill ye, lass.”
“I have nay intentions of hurtin’ ye. Ye arenae the one I am after, and once all of this is over, I will let ye go.” Suddenly, his jaw hardened, and he looked away from her. “Although, I am wonderin’ why men dressed as McLennan guards are tryin’ to kill ye.”
A shadow fell across Lily’s face, and her expression turned serious again. “There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Those men cannot be McLennan men.”
“They just tried to kill ye,” Kilian pointed out as he rose to his feet. “I just saved yer life.”
Is she so blinded by her trust in Laird McLennan that she doesnae realize how vile he is? He probably sent people to kill us both and end this here.
Lily shook her head vehemently. “You are the one who has tried to kill me many times since we met,” she threw at him and rose to her feet too. “Do not act like you are better.”
“And ye too have tried to kill me. In fact, ye killed two of my men. Ye and I arenae different, Lily. We are fighters, and we just fought to save our lives.”
“I am nothing like you.”
Killian loved the passion in the words she spat at him. They made his body burn hotter for her. No matter how much he tried to deny it, she still made him crave her.
How do I survive these feelings?
There was nothing he could do about them. Every second in her presence made them grow.
Killian shoved them down immediately and found his voice again. “Deny it all ye want. Those men tried to kill ye, and they were probably sent by Laird McLennan. I saved yer life, and now ye’re indebted to me. So, for the rest of our journey, ye stay quiet, or else.”
“We should move fast,” Lily said and folded her arms over her chest. “They might still be out there searching for us…”
Killian winced as shooting pain suddenly spiraled through him. He looked down at his stomach and saw that blood had seeped through his léine and formed a wide spot.
Lily gasped loudly, forcing him to look at her again. “Goodness… you are injured… You are bleeding,” she cried out and came to him to check his side.
“Easy,” Killian cautioned when her touch made the ache cut through him again. “I will be all right. I have been cut worse before.”
“You are losing a lot of blood,” she pointed out. “Do we not still have to cover ground? How will you travel if you are weak from blood loss? We have to treat it now. Let me help you.”
She moved away from him and spun around in a circle as if she were searching for something. “I could find the herbs I need and make a slave for the wound. Do you have that tonic for the pain?”
“I gave it to ye at the inn,” Killian said in a low voice as he watched her begin searching around for herbs.
“I’ll make another.”
She began marching away, but Killian strode to her quickly, grabbed her arm, and stopped her. “Dinnae even think of escapin’. If this is another trick of yers, then I will—”
“I will not leave you out here alone while you are injured. Especially now that I know there are men searching for us. Trust me.”
Something about her round blue eyes made him want to trust her, even though he knew it was probably a terrible idea.
Killian released her against his better judgement, and she turned to walk away. He missed her scent the moment she moved away from him. He followed, matching her pace as she began looking around for the herbs she needed.
Lily began humming to herself while he watched. Her voice was soothing, it calmed him, and he started to enjoy watching her from behind.
Why is she helping me?
She could take this chance to run, and probably hurt him some more to keep him from chasing her. So, why was she trying to treat his wounds instead?
Killian did not understand the woman. His temples started to ache, and he realized he did not want to either. He had a feeling Lily was going to cause him more trouble than she already had in the coming days.
That intuition had everything to do with the constant hum in his blood whenever she was near.