Chapter 30 #2
Duncan’s familiar voice drifted nearer. “—tellin’ ye, Ewan, there’s a weakness there, space enough fer a man tae get underneath the gratin’. It only takes one tae get inside...”
“Aye, I ken. I’ll get the masons on tae it as soon as we get back. They can fill it in and redirect the drainage elsewhere within the lower levels for now.”
The footsteps slowed. Catriona’s pulse thundered in her ears. She dared not breathe, and she could feel Malcolm holding his breath too. For one terrifying moment she thought Duncan might turn the corner and find them tangled together in the shadows like guilty lovers.
Instead the footsteps continued past. Only once the voices had faded entirely did they both dare to exhale. His forehead dropped briefly against the cold stone above her shoulder.
“Jaysus, we havetae stop daein’ this,” he muttered under his breath.
But Catriona could scarcely think clearly enough to respond.
She was too burningly conscious of their bodies still pressed close together, his as hard as the wall itself, hers soft and yielding.
The realization that one of his thighs was resting between hers sent another pulse of heat through her entire body.
Slowly Malcolm lifted his head from the wall. The hungry look in his eyes when he met hers nearly undid her altogether, for it was a hunger restrained only narrowly, by his sheer force of will.
“Come with me,” he whispered roughly.
Without waiting for an answer, he took her hand and guided her swiftly out of the alcove, up a flight of steps, then through an iron-studded door, shutting it firmly behind them.
“This is the oldest part of the keep,” he explained softly, his voice echoing faintly off the stone as he lead her through a confusing maze of ever-narrowing corridors.
Arrow slits set high in the rough-hewn walls let in the only light from outside.
“’Tis mostly used fer storage these days, so few venture down here. ”
“I can see why,” she observed, grimacing at the cobwebs festooning the junction of wall and ceiling overhead as they passed.
At last Malcolm stopped beside what appeared to be an ordinary section of wall. “Watch closely and remember,” he instructed. She did as he said, taking careful note when he applied firm pressure with his palm against one particular stone.
A soft grinding sound followed. Then, part of the wall shifted inward. Her eyes widened as she looked from him to the recess that had been revealed.
“’Tis just like the hidden entrance tae the tunnels when I escaped from the priory,” she said, marveling at the cleverness of the hidden mechanism.
“Aye, ’tis a secret passage,” he said quietly. “One of several built intae the old keep generations ago. Come on, ’tis quite safe.” He guided her inside and pressed the same stone. The false wall swung closed behind them. Light entered from a single grating set high on the wall
The hidden chamber beyond was small and shadowed, barely large enough for two or three people. Dust lingered thickly in the corners, though the passage itself remained clear enough to walk through.
“There’s an exit leading beyond the outer walls,” Malcolm explained. “Most clansfolk alive today dinnae even ken this place exists.”
Catriona stared around in astonishment.
“When I was a lad, me braithers and I used tae hide here tae avoid lessons,” he admitted with the ghost of a smile. “Maither could never understand where we vanished tae.”
The tenderness in his expression faded quickly though. His voice lowered. “If anythin’ happens durin’ an attack, this is where ye’ll come.”
Immediately she stiffened. “But Malcolm?—”
“Follow the passage and ye’ll come out near the loch. Hide there. I’ll come tae find ye?—”
She shook her head vehemently. “Nay. I willnae flee and hide while ye remain behind in danger.”
His jaw tightened. “Cat, this isnae negotiable.”
“It is tae me.” She stepped closer to him, determined now. “Malcolm, I spent five years hidden away while others risked themselves tae keep me safe. I’ll nae run again while the people I love stand and fight tae defend me.”
Her declaration hung in the air like the tolling of a bell. Malcolm stared down at her with raw intensity. Then, very gently, he reached down and brushed a strand of hair back from her face.
“I should ken what a brave, stubborn lass ye are,” he murmured softly, his gaze caressing every curve of her face.
“But like before, if I’m tae protect ye, ye must dae as I say.
Imagine if one of us gets hurt protectin’ ye and ye get taken anyway?
I ken these are harsh words, but ye need tae protect yerself fer ye tae be able tae help us.
We cannae be worryin’ about ye in battle. ”
Emotion tightened painfully in Cat’s throat, her fear for his safety growing apace. But how could she refuse? To do so would be putting him in more danger.
“Aye, I will, I promise.”
“We’ll pray it daesnae come tae that.”
Silence settled over them as they stood close, Malcolm looming over her small frame, his dark gaze locked with hers.
Her eyes roved over his hard, chiseled features, tracing the outline of his lips.
Her breathing quickened, she felt the warmth of his body burning through the front of her gown.
Beneath her shift, her nipples rose to hard points.
The next moment, she was reaching up to hug his neck, her lips opening willingly to the savage slant of his mouth on hers. He let out a low growl as he kissed her hungrily, one large hand twined in her hair, cradling her head, the other locked about her waist, pressing her to his hardness.