Chapter 25 #2
“I thought that ye were smart,” he muttered as he stood from his chair and stretched.
Pacing, he smirked at her. “Ye know, I was surprised to find that ye were a devious whore. When ye first pushed my sister out of her rightful place by Lachlan’s side, I thought ye were just a sweet, little, innocent pawn.
A lovely little maiden who was just doing as she was asked.
I am not easily surprised, but the way ye set up Freya?
Takes a cold heart to be so cruel to someone like Freya. ”
“I didna set her up,” she whimpered. “Blaine, please.”
He continued to pace as if he hadn’t heard. “Then, I wondered what else ye were capable of. What else ye might do. Lachlan thinks that because yer father wants ye dead, he will have yer loyalties again, but we both know better. Ye will destroy him just as ye have destroyed me.”
He was doing this out of fear for Lachlan? “Blaine, I love Lachlan. I would never hurt him!”
Again, it was as if she wasn’t even in the room.
“Ye took my sister’s place by his side. Did ye beg yer daddy to make that deal so ye could be the wife of a laird? Did ye even think of who ye could be hurting?” Blaine hissed as he stared at her. His face was twisted in a raw rage.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to ignore the pain and figure out how to ground him.
She wanted to believe that the man who was Lachlan’s friend was in there somewhere.
If he was doing this to protect him, then she had to make him see that she loved him.
Pushing herself up to her knees, she made herself as open as possible.
“Ye want to punish me for what happened to Freya. I understand. I deserve to be punished. I am being punished. I punish myself every day, but I told my father that I wouldna spy for him anymore. I should have told Lachlan and because I didna, I carry the blame, but I willna make that mistake again. Ye doona have to worry.”
“I want to punish ye for what happened to my sister!” Blaine screamed suddenly. “I want to punish ye because when she found out that Lachlan was marrying another, she threw herself to her death!”
Speechless, Sloane stared at him as her jaw fell open. Dead? His sister killed herself? Tears gathered in her eyes. “I doona understand. That cannae be. Ye told Lachlan that she traveled to another clan to start over.”
“Aye. I willna let people know that my sister took her own life. I will give her that dignity, but that doesna mean that I willna take my retribution. Admit that ye wanted Lachlan. Admit that ye took what ye wanted without any consideration of anyone else!”
Sloane shook her head. “I cannae do that, Blaine. I had never seen Lachlan before the day of his cousin’s funeral. I had never left Fenton lands and if he traveled to my father’s keep, I didna see him. I swear it.”
“Ye are lying! Every word out of yer mouth is a lie!” he hissed and rushed toward her. Immediately, she tried to protect her face as she ducked her head, but the blow never came. He stopped short and grinned down at her. “Ye didna think that it would be that quick, did ye?”
He was a madman. There would be no reasoning with him.
“What are ye going to do?”
Something manic danced in his eyes as he stood.
“Well, now let’s see. There is no one coming for ye.
By leaving when ye did, ye have given Lachlan the perfect reason to finally rid himself of ye.
He will attend his sister’s wedding, and knowing Freya, she will want all the fanfare.
He must stand for her and his clan during the ceremony then there is the celebration afterward.
He will drink with his men and dance with the pretty Brisbane ladies and not think of ye.
Perhaps he will take one of them to his bed. ”
Pain gripped her and she squeezed her eyes shut. He was right. She had let Lachlan go and now, he could find his own happiness.
“That will no doubt give us at least three days before he even begins to search for ye out of duty. Chances are good he won’t look hard enough to even find this place, but he will put in some effort. I will give it another week before I return with news that I couldna find ye.”
She felt light-headed. He was talking days. Days of keeping her here. “Ye want me to suffer.”
“Oh, aye. I want ye to suffer. The mental torture has been fun. Making ye think that yer father had turned away from ye. Making yer husband think that ye will act on yer father’s behalf to save yerself.
I didna take into account that ye might actually love yer Lachlan.
Seeing yer soul die a little bit every day has been marvelous. ”
He must have planned this for weeks. How could no one have seen it? “Ye are an excellent marksman.”
“Death from an arrow is too swift. I wanted yer fear.”
“The snakes could have killed me.”
“A long and torturous death if they were venomous, but they were not. Just another fear tactic. I had a few other surprises in store for ye, but ye decided to run like a spineless coward.” Slowly, he withdrew his blade. “Now then, where would ye like me to start? I am open to suggestions.”
She was sorry that his sister was hurt. She was sorry that he was in pain, but she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cower before him. Lifting her chin, she set her jaw.
“Do yer worst.”