Chapter 7
“Do ye even ken what ye are doin’?” Killian asked Lily for the third time while she prepared the salve for his wound.
Lily ignored his question, walked over to where he sat and then picked up the dagger he had handed her earlier. When she raised the blade towards him, he gasped and grabbed her hand.
“Are ye tryin’ to kill me?”
“No,” she answered. “Although I will not lie. I think about doing it often. It is all I think about, and trust me, I will do it when I get the chance.”
Killian arched an eyebrow, and she let out a light sigh. “I need to cut a section of your kilt and use it to wrap the wound. Hold still and do not move.”
He snatched the dagger from her, rose to his feet, and cut his kilt himself, handing her the piece. When he lowered himself to the ground again and began unbuttoning his léine to give her access to the wound on his left side, Lily felt her chest grow tight and her pulse accelerate.
Killian had such a broad chest, with hard muscles and warm skin.
She licked her lips and tried not to think of the rush of heat coursing through her. His naked skin glistened under the sunlight, and a lump formed in her throat. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.
There was something about this man that made her want to be near him all the time. She had spent most of her time around soldiers back home in McLennan, and she had never felt this way around them.
He makes me feel different in many ways.
In ways she was not used to.
“How did ye learn to make this?” he asked when she scooped a bit of salve with her finger and began applying it over the gushing wound. It was a deep cut, and she wondered how he had managed to run with her without wincing in pain. “Are ye a healer?”
“No,” she answered while her fingers slid over the cut on his arm.
He is strong.
The rest of his chest and abdomen was rock solid. She wondered what it would feel like to run her hands over his chest and feel the tight muscles there.
Lily moistened her lips again as the thoughts tore through her mind and left her with a trembling blush. Their eyes met, and for a long second, all she could do was stare deep into his eyes.
“Her ladyship, Amelia… I grew up with her in England. She taught me all I know about herbs and plants. It was all we did most of the time back home in England.”
“I see,” he murmured.
Lily withdrew from him when she finished applying the salve and wrapping the wound. She rose to her feet, then applied a little of the salve to the cut on her cheek and her arm.
“It will help with the bleeding and the pain, but you should have a healer treat it when we finally arrive at your castle.”
“I dinnae need the healer to check some little wound. I will be all right.”
Killian got up before she could say anything else and began putting on his léine again. She admired his body briefly, her eyes trailing down to his waistline. He had tufts of hair on his chest, and her fingers itched to touch him.
Lily abruptly turned away from him and cleared her throat. “Where is your clan, anyway? How much longer do we need to travel? We have journeyed for days now, and I am exhausted.”
She heard the thuds of his footsteps as he approached and stood behind her. She gasped because of his nearness, then swallowed hard again.
“By nighttime, tomorrow,” Killian whispered in her ear, his hot breath sweetly falling on her skin, notching the heat higher till she felt warmth pool between her thighs. “We must find ourselves another horse, though, and find our way out of this forest, or else we mightnae make it back.”
His thick, masculine scent enveloped her senses, and her entire body warmed with a flush.
Lily cleared her throat again. “You should be able to find us a horse… Stealing is your specialty, is it not?”
They began walking, and she lifted her heavy foot with each stride while they made their way past the thick clearing of shrubs and trees.
“I am skilled, aye, but I am no thief. I shall buy us a new horse.”
“Ah, so your clan is wealthy.”
“Probably the wealthiest,” he answered. “I have put many years of hard work into making sure it is. My brother and I …” he trailed off, and Lily suspected he had more to say.
“We are wealthy,” he finally said after a pause, then cleared his throat. When Lily lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck, he added, “It is McColl, by the way.”
Lily stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. “You are Laird McColl?”
“Aye,” Killian answered with a nod.
Lily wondered what Laird MacColl would want with Yvaine. He had attempted to kidnap her, so that could only mean he wanted something, or he was simply out to stir trouble.
She had to find out what his plan was.
And his reason for doing this.
They walked for a long time, and soon, her feet began to ache just like the rest of her. She was exhausted and tired of walking, but she was never going to tell him that. Not while he walked with so much energy.
Lily stole a glance at him and watched his strong shoulders as he walked without looking to her side.
What is his name, though?
That was the first thing she should have known about him since he had kidnapped her. Her curiosity doubled with each passing second.
“I should at least know the name of my kidnapper,” Lily said after a long silence passed between them. “I’d like to remember it when I finally kill you.”
A light chuckle escaped him and tickled her senses. “Killian,” he said in a breezy baritone. “Ye should remember it. But ye will never get the chance to kill me, lass,” he added in a mocking tone.
By the time they arrived in a small village, she watched him buy a horse so they could continue their journey.
Their next stop was another inn, and Lily sensed they were drawing closer to his clan because the people here seemed very different to her.
They were still a Highland clan, but unlike the suffering and hardship she had first seen when she had moved to the Highlands with Amelia years back, the people here fared better.
The inn they stayed in resembled a home inside. The wooden floors were squeaky clean, and the bedding was much better than the first one they had to share. The thought of lying in bed with him again made her nervous, but there was no escaping it.
Lily thought of home again and escaping Killian before dawn. Here, no one knew her, and if she was alone, she could make it back home safer than if she were with him.
No one will be able to identify me if I am alone.
But he was a well-known laird, and whoever sent those men probably knew she was with him.
Who would want me dead?
It made more sense that their attackers wanted Killian dead just as much as her. He was of more value.
More important.
She stood by the window and stared outside, contemplating her options. The best chance was to take him out when he least expected it, and it seemed like his guard was down at the moment as he relaxed in the chair on the other end of the chamber.
He had freed her wrists a long time ago and had not spoken of tying her up again.
This is the perfect chance.
Lily’s thoughts were still spiraling when he rose to his feet and said to her, “Dinnae even think about escapin’ tonight. I ken that is what ye are thinkin’ about.”
“How can you tell?” she challenged. “You do not know what thoughts unravel in my head.”
“Aye, but I dinnae trust ye.”
He walked to her till she pressed herself against the wall, expecting it to give way for her.
“Ye should give up,” he thundered while staring down at her.
“Never! Not unless you let me go.”
“I am nae goin’ to do that.” He rubbed his chin and hissed out a deep breath. “I cannae do that.”
“Then I shall keep fighting you,” she snapped, her breaths becoming heavier, her pulse racing.
She was breathless and flushed when he leaned closer to her menacingly.
“Killian…” she murmured, fumbling with the rest of her words when his hot breath caressed her face.
What is he doing?
She froze where she stood and tried to ignore the things his nearness did to her insides.
Does he feel the same way? Does he feel this heat?
“Ye will grow tired of fightin’ soon,” he whispered, inching his face closer to hers. “Trust me.”
Lily usually would have had a reply lined up for him, but she couldn’t think of anything at that moment as his eyes melted into hers and he reached out to brush off some strands of hair away from her face.
She couldn’t think of what to say to him, so she gasped and enjoyed the feel of his fingers gently caressing and gliding over her cheek.
Neither of them moved for a long moment after that, a silent struggle in the air. Lily considered pushing him away, but she was melting inside just from his light touch, and wanting more of it. So, how could she let him go now?
Seconds ticked away as his head drew closer, and soon, his lips brushed against hers once. It was tender, and it almost felt like it didn’t happen, but the rush of desire that clouded her judgment proved that it did.
Lily moaned just before he took her lips again. The onslaught of his kiss came as a shock. His right hand wrapped around her waist, and her ears started ringing loudly. She knew she should fight him, but she couldn’t.
Instead, her lips parted for his, and she gave in to the madness of her raging desire for the one man she shouldn’t want. His tongue glided into her mouth, making her moan louder, and her hands snaked around his neck in response.
She had never kissed a man, and she did not think she ever would, but right there at that moment, her inexperience meant little. Her body felt fuller than ever as his hands moved around her waist, up her back, and cupped her chin.
Killian nibbled on her lower lip, groaned into her mouth, and kissed her again harder this time, as if he wanted to devour her lips.
Lily wanted to devour him too. His light touch on her back was not nearly enough, so she pressed her body against his and instinctively raised herself on tiptoe to deepen the kiss.
His tongue inside her mouth was gentle but demanding. He teased her tongue with his, gripped her hips, and ground her against him, releasing a harsh groan that made her a puddle of liquid lust.
A distant howl of a wild animal in the night jolted Lily out of the madness her mind had escaped to. Stunned and appalled by what she was doing, she tore her lips from Killian’s and shoved him away, hard. He was her captor, for God’s sake!
He is the enemy. Killian is the enemy… He tried to take Yvaine. He kidnapped me… He’s the enemy.
But her chants did nothing to ease the blood rushing to her temples.
“Lily,” Killian murmured, his voice shaky.
“Get away from me!” Her body burned as she let out the harsh words, and she lifted a hand to push him further away, though his chest was hot against her touch, his heartbeat erratic.
“Don’t ever try that again,” she warned, hating how she trembled for him, and how her lips craved more of his kisses.
He met her gaze, and she expected some sort of fight from him, but he simply dropped his hands to his sides and then nodded.
“I apologize,” Killian said in a solemn voice and hung his head. “I shouldnae have done that. It was wrong, and I am sorry.”
Did he just apologize?
Lily was speechless again, but she hid that behind her anger and kept her blazing gaze on his.
“I willnae do it again… Nae unless ye want me to.”
His last statement left her reeling with a renewed need to feel his lips on hers again. The heat spiked through her, teased her senses, and warmed her to the core.
“That is never going to happen!” she countered with vehemence. “You will die waiting.”
Killian turned away from her and walked to the door. “We should head on. I doubt either of us will get any sleep tonight, anyway. I shall be outside the inn.”
Lily cupped her cheeks with both hands once she was alone, and she blew air through her lips, hoping to douse the flame burning in her.
Why did he kiss me?
And most importantly, what sort of madness had made her kiss him back, and enjoy it so much?
In McLennan Castle, chaos raged. Duncan marched out of the dungeons with his men, still livid and boiling with red, hot fury.
“M’laird, we received word,” his general said to him as he rushed towards him and bowed. “Our men found two dead men far off from the castle on a path riding east. They were dressed the same way as the man we captured.”
Duncan simply nodded as they relayed the information to him. He turned to his friend, Arran, who had stood by his side throughout the interrogation. Arran now knew everything Duncan knew as well.
“Have our men bring back their bodies. I know what we must do.”
“Do ye ken who sent them now?” his man-at-arms asked, but Duncan was not ready to answer yet, so he shook his head.
After dismissing him, he strode to his study with Arran. A few moments later, Yvaine and his mother, Elspeth, walked in with Amelia perched on both their arms.
Amelia’s eyes were red and puffy from crying. Seeing his wife in sorrow broke Duncan’s heart. He never wanted to see her that way.
Or see her hurt.
He was dedicated to providing for her in every way.
“Did ye find anythin’?” Yvaine asked in a trembling voice. “Who has Lily?”
“Laird MacColl,” Arran announced as Duncan nursed his anger and made plans in his head. “The man confessed. Laird MacColl did not just send men to invade our castle. He came here himself.”
“He was after ye, Yvaine,” Duncan added as he met his sister’s gaze.
“Me?” Yvaine flushed. “Why? Did they say what he wants?”
Duncan shook his head. “He took Lily by mistake, and he must have realized now that he has the wrong person. He will get desperate soon enough. I shall find them, and I will bring Lily back. Ye have naethin’ to worry about, I promise.”
Duncan did not know this Laird MacColl in person, or what his plans were, but he had never forgiven any crime committed against his family or those he held dear, and this was no different.
I will find the man and put an end to this.
“Laird MacColl,” Amelia murmured in a strained voice as he walked over to hug her. “What did you ever do to him?”