Chapter 20 #2
"If she's dead, I might get the inheritance!" he screamed, his voice raw and crazed.
He lunged at Bella.
She tried to dodge, but her bound wrists threw off her balance. She stumbled backward, her feet catching on a tree root, and went down hard. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs.
Bryce loomed over her, raising the knife high above his head with both hands, his face twisted with insanity.
"Die, sister!"
Bella tried to roll away, but her movements were impeded by the ropes binding her wrists. She could see the blade descending toward her heart in horrifying slow motion. Death was coming for her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Then a roar split the air.
"NO!"
Boyd crashed into Bryce like a battering ram, sending them both sprawling. The knife flew from Bryce's hand, spinning away into the grass.
What happened next was brutal and terrifying.
Boyd grabbed Bryce by the front of his shirt with one hand, hauling him upright with savage strength. His fist connected with Bryce's jaw with a sickening crack. Once. Twice. Blood sprayed from Bryce's already broken nose, his head snapping to the side with each blow.
Then Boyd's fist slammed into Bryce's ribs. Once. Twice. The sound of impact echoed through the clearing.
"Ye tried to kill her!" Boyd roared, his fist driving into Bryce's gut. "Ye tried to take her from me!"
Bryce wheezed, winded he was struggling for breath, his face already swelling. But Boyd did not stop. He hit Bryce's stomach again. Bryce's legs gave out, but Boyd held him up with one hand, continuing the assault.
"Laird!" Thamas called out, his voice urgent as he moved toward them. "Laird, ye need to stop!"
But Boyd did not hear. His fist drove into Bryce's gut again, harder. Bryce was gasping, his face a mask of pain.
Thamas reached them quickly, pulling his knife to cut through the ropes binding Bella's wrists. He pulled the gag from her mouth, his eyes darting between her and Boyd's.
"Mistress," Thamas said urgently, helping her to her feet. "Ye need to stop him. The king will not like it. Bryce is still a nobleman."
Boyd's fist slammed into Bryce's gut once more. Bryce was groaning and hanging limply in Boyd's grip.
"Boyd!" Bella cried out, stumbling forward. "Boyd, stop!"
He did not hear her. His entire world had narrowed to the man who'd betrayed them years ago and then tried to kill his wife. His fist rose again.
Bella rushed to him, grabbing his raised arm with both hands. "Boyd, please! Stop!"
Her voice finally penetrated the red haze of his fury. Boyd's fist froze mid-swing. He turned to look at Bella, his chest heaving, his knuckles bloody, his eyes wild with terror and rage like a berserker.
"He tried to murder ye," Boyd said, his voice breaking with raw emotion. "I saw the blade coming down. I thought... Bella, I thought I'd lost ye."
"But ye did not," Bella replied, her voice steady despite her trembling. She cupped his face with both hands, forcing him to focus on her, to see her alive and whole before him. "I'm here. I'm safe. Because of ye."
Boyd stared at her for a long moment, his breathing ragged. Then he released Bryce, letting him crumple to the ground in a heap. Boyd stood on trembling legs and pulled Bella into his arms, crushing her against his chest.
"Bella," he whispered against her hair, his entire body trembling. "My Bella."
"Shh," Bella soothed, wrapping her arms around him despite the blood on his hands. "I'm here, Boyd. I'm here."
Behind them, Thamas let out a breath of relief then asked, "What do ye want us to do with them?"
Before Boyd could respond, Bella replied, "Get my brother to the healer. Keep him alive but place guards on him at all times. When it looks like he’ll survive, throw his useless arse into the dungeon!"
Thamas glanced at Boyd and Boyd nodded in agreement. Thamas’s mouth twitched with amusement. "Aye, mistress. What about his men?"
The other guards kept Bryce's men subdued, their weapons still trained on them.
Boyd kept one arm wrapped protectively around Bella and said, "Lock them away. I’ll send word to the king that Bryce and his men tried to murder my wife."
Thamas and the guards nodded then dragged Bryce and his men away. When they were gone, Boyd turned back to Bella, his hands framing her face as he checked her for injuries.
"Did he hurt ye? Are ye injured anywhere?"
"I'm well," Bella assured him. Bruised, but well."
Boyd pulled her close once more, burying his face in her hair. "I thought I'd lost ye," he whispered. "When the maid told me she'd seen men dragging ye away, I've never felt so much fear in my life. And then when I saw that blade coming down..."
His voice broke entirely.
"All is well, husband," Bella murmured, holding him tight. "I am hale and we are both together."
Boyd pulled back slightly, his hand going to the pendants around their necks. Two halves of the sun, catching the afternoon light.
"Two halves," he murmured.
"Made whole," Bella finished.
They stood there, holding each other, taking a moment to just breathe and remember that they were alive, they were together, and nothing would ever tear them apart again.
***