Chapter 21
Caden drew in a breath and unleashed a battle cry that came from deep within. It echoed across the loch as he charged at Kilmartin. His bare feet pounded against the frozen ground. He paid no mind to the cold; he was only focused on killing his enemy.
Kilmartin ducked at the last moment and slammed his sword against Caden’s with a sharp clang.
Hate flared hot in Caden’s chest. He growled, spun, and charged again. He swung his sword harder and faster than he ever had before.
Once again, Kilmartin ducked, cocky and slippery as an eel. With a flick of his wrist and an amused chortle, he tapped the flat of his blade against Caden’s bottom.
“Come on, lad,” he jeered, stepping back and spreading his arms wide. “Ye can do better than that!” He raised his sword, inviting another blow.
On the loch, Nathan was crying, and the sound grew louder with every strike. Ava crouched over him, the arrow sticking out of her shoulder. She held the little boy tightly, shielding him from the sight. Every scream stabbed at Caden’s heart, threatening to unravel him.
Ye willnae take them from me! Ye willnae!
Steel clashed against steel as the fight continued. Caden attacked, Kilmarten parried. Kilmarten struck, and Caden deflected. Blades slid and locked, sparks flashing as they broke apart again.
The air was thick with tension and sweat. The relentless strikes and counters made time speed past. Neither man would yield.
For what felt like an eternity, Caden struggled to fend Kilmartin off.
Sweat dripped down his brow and stung his eyes. His arms were leaden, his shoulders burning with every swing. Exhaustion weighed down his bones. His muscles screamed with each strike, slowing him, dulling his reflexes.
Kilmartin was his equal in battle, matching him at every turn. He was steady, composed, and skilled.
I willnae lose to this bastard. I cannae lose.
Caden sent up a prayer to God, to snow angels, to the fairies that were watching over the loch. To anyone who might hear him.
Please, save me family. Give me strength. Make this sword his undoing.
Sudden peace filled him, quieting the chaos and quelling the fear. His breathing steadied. Nathan’s screams had quieted into small sobs. The noise of the fight faded, and his focus sharpened.
Caden began to see Kilmartin’s movements as planned and calculated attacks, rather than maneuvers to defend.
A shift of the shoulders. A favored side step. Then, he saw it.
Each time Kilmartin lunged, his right side remained exposed for a second too long. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.
Caden paused and straightened, wiping the sweat from his face. Then, he gave a taunting grin. “Is that it? This is the best ye have?”
Kilmartin screamed in rage and lunged for him, his sword aimed for the kill.
“Caden, look out!” Ava screamed.
Caden’s heart lurched, but his feet remained planted in the ground.
As Kilmartin closed in, Caden twisted around and drove his sword into the man’s side. Kilmartin’s blade paused inches from Caden’s chest.
For one breathless moment, the air went still. Then, Kilmartin gasped, unable to draw breath. He looked down to see Caden’s sword sticking between his ribs. His strength broke; the fight ended. He collapsed, defeated.
Caden fell to his knees, shaking, his chest heaving. He let his sword fall to the ground. His enemy was finally slain.
He turned to see Ava collapse back, Nathan falling with her. The arrow sticking out of her shoulder looked ghastly in such a perfect creature.
“Ava!” He ran faster than he ever had before.
He had to save her. He had to keep them safe.
Nathan was crying. Caden fell to his knees next to them and scooped up the boy into his arms. He rubbed a hand up and down his back, trying to soothe him.
“Ava, please,” he whispered.
Ava looked up at him, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips. But then her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
“Nay!” He pulled her to his chest and tried to shake her awake. “Come back to me!”
“Ma!” Nathan sobbed.
Caden gritted his teeth as he pushed to his feet, all while keeping his balance on the ice. Still holding Nathan close to his chest, he lifted his unconscious bride with his other arm and led them both toward the sleigh.
“Nathan, I need ye to be a brave lad and climb into the sleigh, all right?” Caden lowered the boy to his feet and wrapped his now free arm around Ava.
Bravely, Nathan scrambled into the sleigh and scooted to the far side.
Caden then lowered his unconscious wife onto the bench and sat beside her. “Hold her hand,” he instructed.
The frightened boy tentatively wrapped his little fingers around Ava’s.
“That’s it. That’s a good lad.” Caden tried to remain calm for Nathan, who was now holding Ava’s hand in his lap and stroking it softly.
“It’ll be all right, Ma.” not
Pride and sadness curled in Caden’s stomach, for the boy did not stutter this time.
“Hyah!” Caden whipped the reins and drove the horses as fast as he could through the snow to the castle.
Eventually, he shifted the reins to one hand and wrapped his free arm around Ava, letting her rest against his chest.
“Daenae ye leave me,” he murmured as her head lolled with the rocking of the sleigh.
Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a soft moan.
Please. I cannae lose her, too.
“Stay with me, Ava,” he kept repeating until they arrived at the castle.
The falling snow thickened, and the sky had turned an ominous dark gray. Another storm was approaching.
In the courtyard, next to the yew tree, Finlay was waiting with a piece of paper in his hand. He lifted and waved it in the air.
“Oi! Look! Thalia said she’ll be arriving in a few—what the bloody hell happened?!” he sputtered.
He ran to the sleigh and gasped when he saw the three of them covered in blood.
“Who is hurt?!”
The panic in his voice instantly took Caden back to the night Joanna had died.
“Isnae ours,” Caden assured, lifting Ava out of the sleigh. “I cannae explain now. Take Nathan. He’s a bit shaken. I killed Kilmartin.”
Without another word, he ran into the castle not, trusting his brother to take care of the boy.
Ava’s head lolled against his shoulder, and his chest tightened.
“Ava! Please, hold on…”