Chapter 25 #3
MacInnes stumbled and for the first time uncertainty flashed across his face.
Evan drove the warlord backward step by step, each strike fueled by the fury he had held back for years, fury at the world for forcing him into a life he never chose, fury at MacInnes for not letting him leave it, fury at himself for not realizing he could.
MacInnes tried to recover but Evan was faster now. Stronger. His blade knocked MacInnes’ sword aside then his foot swept the warlord’s legs out from under him.
MacInnes crashed onto his back. He fumbled for the pistol at his side, pointed it at Evan, but Evan kicked it out of his hands and brought his blade down, the tip resting against MacInnes’ throat. The world seemed to go silent.
Evan’s chest heaved. The fury inside him surged. It would be so easy. One quick thrust and he would end it.
MacInnes sneered up at him. “Go on, boy,” he spat. “Ye know ye want to.”
Evan tightened his grip on the hilt. Then he began to apply pressure. A line of red began to trickle down MacInnes’ throat.
Then he heard Ruby’s voice, sharp with urgency. “Evan! Don’t!”
He looked up and spotted her standing several yards away, her face pale but determined.
“Don’t become him,” she cried. “This isn’t who you are!”
The fury inside Evan wavered. Slowly his breathing steadied. He lowered the blade and stepped back, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Bryce knelt, wrenched the warlord’s arms behind his back whilst Niall bound them with a length of rope.
“Ye and yer conspiracy are finished,” Bryce hissed.
Evan turned, and suddenly Ruby was running toward him, throwing herself into his arms. He held her, burying his face in her hair as the noise faded around them.
“You’re safe,” she whispered.
He tightened his arms around her. “So are ye. And that’s all that matters.”
RUBY HELD ON TO EVAN as though if she let go he might disappear.
The woods still echoed faintly around them—men shouting orders, the clatter of weapons being gathered, horses stamping nervously—but it all felt distant and unreal.
Evan’s arms were wrapped tightly around her, one hand pressed protectively against the back of her head.
He was warm. Solid. Real. For a long moment she simply breathed him in—the scent of smoke and leather and the familiar warmth of him—and let the terrible knot of fear that had been lodged inside her chest slowly unwind.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured.
“So are you,” she replied.
He gave a soft huff of laughter. She looked up at him. There was a cut along his brow and blood on his sleeve, but his eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that made her breath catch.
“I thought I’d lost you,” she said quietly.
Evan shook his head. “Never. I promised I’d come back to ye. I always will.”
For a moment neither of them spoke. Then he lifted a hand and gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
“Ruby,” he said carefully, “after everything that’s happened... after everything ...” His voice faltered slightly. “I wouldnae blame ye if ye wanted to walk away.”
“Walk away? Are you crazy? Why would I do that?”
“The things I’ve done—”
“Are what you had to do. I see the man underneath it all, Evan. That’s the man I fell in love with. That’s the man I want.”
Something in his expression shifted. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly, though his gaze remained searching, as though he were still trying to convince himself she meant it.
He reached into the neck of his tunic and took out a small pouch on a string. “Then there’s something I want to give ye.”
He upended it and tipped a small, bright object onto his palm.
A ring.
It was simple but beautiful—gold, set with a small dark red stone that caught the light.
Evan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “It belonged to my grandmother,” he explained. “My brother gave it to me a few days ago.”
Ruby felt her heart skip. “Evan—”
“It doesnae mean marriage,” he said quickly. “I would never pressure ye into that. Not after what ye went through with that bastard Daniel. What this means is a promise.”
“What promise?”
“A promise that we belong to each other. Always. I want ye to stay. With me. Please.”
Ruby stared at him. We belong to each other. The thought made her chest ache.
“Oh, Evan Campbell,” she breathed. “Of course I’m staying.”
The relief that flooded his face was so immediate it made her heart twist. “Ye are?”
“There’s nowhere else I want to be.”
He looked down at the ring. “Then... may I?”
Ruby held out her hand. “You may.”
Evan took her hand carefully, his fingers warm and slightly rough against her skin and slid the ring onto the middle finger of her left hand. Not her wedding finger. Not yet.
He smiled faintly. “One day,” he said quietly, “I hope to put it on the right finger.” His gaze lifted to hers. “But that decision will always be yers.”
She loved him more than ever right then. She curled her fingers, feeling the weight of the ring. It felt right. Not like something forced upon her, but like a future she had chosen.
“Do ye like it?” he asked.
Ruby reached up, caught his collar in her hand, and pulled him down to kiss her. It was fierce and certain and full of everything she had almost lost.
Evan’s arms went around her, lifting her slightly off the ground. When they finally broke apart, Ruby smiled up at him.
“Does that answer your question?”
Evan grinned, that charming, roguish grin she’d first encountered in that island inn what felt like a lifetime ago. “Hmm. Not sure. Perhaps ye’ll have to tell me again.”
Ruby was only too happy to oblige.