Chapter 8
Laird MacColl was home.
Killian rode into his castle grounds, with Lily still sitting in front of him, the strained silence between them stretching out even more now that they had arrived.
Each time he glanced at her, there was no stopping his heart from thundering in his chest. The effect left him breathless. He had to remind himself to breathe.
During the rest of their journey, she had not tried to escape him. She had been quiet and compliant to the point where Killian had worried she had gotten hurt. He had said nothing to her, though. He couldn’t trust himself to speak without probably saying the wrong thing.
Kissing her was not part of the deal.
But he had done it, anyway. And now, he couldn’t get the feel of her lips out of his mind. Or her taste when he had slipped his tongue into her mouth and caressed hers and suckled.
Why did she kiss me back?
He had enjoyed every second of it. Having her arms around his neck, feeling her warm, lush body press against his.
Lily was tiny, but that made her fit just right. Killian could not think of any reason why he should take her out of his mind. He loved thinking about her. He especially loved it when she was silent.
She tasted better than any wine or whiskey he had ever drunk. Warmer than a hot summer night. These sensations combined sent a chill up his spine, rendering him useless. All she had to do was murmur his name in that trembling voice, and he knew he would kiss her again.
Frustrated with his line of thought, Killian pulled the horse to a halt in front of his castle, dismounted with one jump, and turned to Lily.
She jumped off before he could offer her his hand. The stubborn jut of her chin stayed the same, and her blue eyes were cold again.
“Welcome to MacColl Castle,” he said to her while smoothing a hand over the horse’s mane and smiled.
Seeing the corners of his eyes light up drew a smile from her too. She liked what she saw.
“I am still your prisoner. Do you welcome all your prisoners to their place of captivity?”
Her words were sharp, and even though his heart fluttered a little, he kept his expression stern.
“Nay,” Killian answered simply. “But I give ye much more credit than my regular prisoners, so I shallnae treat ye that way. Ye have tried to kill me more than once, but ye have also saved my life. There is nay reason we cannae call a truce.”
“Truce?” Lily scoffed. She barked out a short laugh and shook her head. “You and I cannot have a truce. You kidnapped me!”
“And I saved yer life,” he answered almost immediately.
Her expression softened a little at his words, but it did not change the stiff glare in her eyes. “I do not think I shall ever like it here.”
Her eyes swept over the magnificent building behind them, and Killian followed her line of sight to see his sister and man-at-arms approach from the draw bridge.
A smile instantly lit up his face when his sister, Niamh, ran the rest of the distance and threw herself into his arms.
“Killian,” she greeted in her usual cheery tone.
Killian groaned as she pressed herself against him a little too hard, causing his wound to ache a little.
“I am so sorry,” she said, laughing when she pulled back. “Are ye hurt? I havenae seen ye in days. Where have ye been? Are ye all right?”
Niamh’s bright green eyes clung to his as she questioned him, and Killian was certain she had not seen Lily yet.
“I am all right, sister,” Killian said to console her. “I should have sent word before leavin’. I didnae mean to make ye worry.”
Niamh was the only family Killian had left after his brother’s death. He was responsible for her now, and also for the clan, even though he hadn’t wanted the latter responsibility at first.
His brother, Peter, had made a fine laird for their people. Even though their clan had suffered at the hands of the neighboring clans at first, Peter had tried his best to be a firm and just ruler to the people, protecting them while Killian helped to provide for them with his business.
Thinking of Peter filled Killian with an onslaught of emotions he did not want to deal with at the moment. He hated his brother’s death, he regretted leaving, and most importantly, he wanted revenge.
Fletcher Gillies, his man-at-arms, stood a little distance from them, and as Killian hugged his sister again, he caught his questioning gaze.
“Ye have brought a guest?” Niamh asked a moment later and moved from Killian to Lily. “Welcome,” she squealed as she flung her arms around her for a hug. “Ye shall enjoy yer stay here in MacColl Keep. I shall make certain of it.”
Lily did not return Niamh’s dazzling smile.
Niamh had always had a bright spirit, and she was able to make Killian smile every time she was around. But, apparently, that didn’t work with Lily. Her expression stayed stony the entire time Niamh beamed at her.
Killian walked to his sister and took her hand. “Niamh, this is Lily,” he began. “Lily, this is my sister, Niamh. She shall keep ye company in my keep and help ye with anythin’ ye want.”
“It is a pleasure to meet ye, Lily,” Niamh said again with much enthusiasm and tried to take Lily’s hand, but Lily snatched her hand back and maintained her cold exterior.
Niamh did not seem offended by this, she simply smiled again and faced Killian. “I shall take her to the guest chambers and have the servants prepare her a bath, fresh clothes and some soup to keep her warm.”
“Good,” Killian said. “Thank ye, sister. I have matters to attend to, so I shall speak with ye later.” He leaned forward and kissed his sister’s forehead, then spared Lily one more glance and found her staring at him hard. “Go with my sister and try nae to kill anyone in the meantime.”
“I can make no promises,” Lily bit back, just as he was expecting her to.
He was getting used to her disagreeable personality, and he liked how she stood up to him at every chance. He loved it, actually.
Nodding, Killian suppressed a smile at her reply, then walked away from them while motioning for Fletcher to follow him.
They made it to the keep and were only a small distance away from Niamh and Lily when Fletcher asked in confusion, “Who is the lady, m’laird? What have ye done?”
Killian opened the door to his study, entered and waited for Fletcher to come in and lock the door.
“M’laird,” Fletcher began again, his tone hushed and his expression scrunched into one of worry. “What have ye done? Who is the lady?”
“She was supposed to be Laird McLennan’s sister,” Killian revealed.
They had discussed his plan before leaving, and Fletcher had advised against kidnapping Laird McLennan’s sister, but Killian hadn’t heeded that advice because he needed this revenge.
I need it so I can let go and move on.
“What did ye do?” Fletcher asked, his face pale, his eyes wide and rounded as if he was about to panic. “What do ye mean ‘supposed to’?’”
“I kidnapped the wrong lady. That lady with Niamh is a maid, and a dangerous one too. She killed the men I went with and nearly took me down twice. She is a warrior, and she has given me hell since the moment we set out for MacColl.”
Killian ran his fingers through his hair with force as he rambled on. “I cannae seem to control her. She doesnae listen to me or take orders or…” He stopped, scoffed, and smoothed a hand over his face when he realized he was grinning.
Fletcher’s silence echoed through the room and made Killian wonder what he would say now.
“M’laird, kidnappin’ the lass was a wrong move. We will only start a war with Clan McLennan. Are ye sure ye’re ready for that?”
“I dinnae care for any of that. I care to see Laird McLennan on his knees. He must pay for what he did to my brother.”
Killian was exhausted from the journey and his injury, but it was not just the journey that had made him tired. Lily had drained most of his energy with her constant antics. There had never been a relaxing moment with her.
As he found himself a quaich and poured his best whiskey to drink, he thought of the kiss again. His mind wandered to how she had moaned into his mouth and trembled in his arms.
She is trouble.
“What do ye intend to do with her now?” Fletcher asked after sighing. He kept his disapproving look as Killian sighed and shook his head.
“I dinnae ken,” Killian answered. “In the meantime, we should make sure she stays in the castle and doesnae try to escape. She has tried more than once already, and I have a feelin’ this isnae the end of it.”
“I shall have guards stationed in front of her chamber at all times. Do ye think it is a good idea to leave her with Niamh? Yer sister is rather delicate, and the lady might be dangerous. Ye shouldnae leave them both together.”
Killian thought of Fletcher’s words, then sighed. “I dinnae think she will hurt Niamh. She has a good heart. She even helped treat my wounds after we were attacked on our way here. She didnae have to, but she did it, and she fought by my side.”
He felt a tingle in his heart as he talked about Lily helping him. He still couldn’t understand why she had done it. He would have expected her to run when she had the chance, but she was still here.
“Ye were attacked? Do ye ken who it was?”
“They were men dressed as McLennan guards, but they didnae just try to kill me… They tried to kill her too.”
“Ye think it was Laird McLennan tryin’ to kill ye both? He has no use for a maid, so why will he try to protect her? It makes sense that it was him.”
“Who else could it be?” Killian asked as he drew in a deep breath.
He had to stay alert now and make sure he kept Lily safe during her stay here. His plan was not to have an innocent lady killed because of another man’s sins. He wanted Laird McLennan to pay, and he knew he would get his wish.
“I think ye should let the lady go,” Fletcher said after some time. “Just let her return to her people or leave.”
“Why?”
“Because she is innocent, m’laird. She will forgive ye if ye let her go now. We can find another way to get back at Laird McLennan for what he did to yer brother.”
Fletcher bowed after giving his advice, then backed up towards the study exit and walked out. Killian did not doubt that his man-at-arms gave him good advice. But he had come this far already, and he had to see this to the end.
He had to think of his next plan. His wounds were treated, and he was no longer bleeding.
It can wait.
Killian did not leave his study after the brief meeting with Fletcher. He dove right into work to keep his mind from wandering to Lily again, but images of her kept creeping into his mind, and he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what it would feel like to have her in his arms one more time.