Five
Cameron felt his eyes widen and his lips part. Either the lass was the most accomplished liar he had ever met or she truly had lost her memory. His gut told him she was not lying, but he realized his gut might be misleading him, with such strong lust coursing through him.
“I met ye only once, Serene, and that was the night of the St. John’s Eve festival eight years ago, as I already said. Ye were dressed as a lad, and ye won the competition with cunning. If I wanted to strike at the king, which I dunnae,” he said, vehemently, “I would nae kill a helpless woman to do so. So, nay, I did nae conspire with ye. But it seems, upon thinking about it now, that ye have a history of lying.”
Such hurt flashed across her face that the wish to be able to take back his words filled him. She opened her mouth to say something, but a blur in the sky alarmed him, and he shoved her behind him as an arrow came flying from the woods and blew by them so near that it whistled in his ear. Furious, he glanced toward the overhanging rock ledge that would provide protection for Serene while he chased down the intruder. He lunged for his sword and dagger, both of which he thankfully had laid close to his plaid. But neither would protect them from arrows. He had to get Serene to shelter.
“Come,” he hissed. He grabbed her by the hand, and taking care to keep his body in front of hers, he fairly dragged her over the rocky embankment as she struggled to keep pace.
Another arrow flew toward them, and he almost failed to get them both out of the way in time.
As the rain poured from the sky, partially blinding him, he raced toward the rocks while looking up high past the woods to the watchtower where Roland, the loch guard, was set up to spot and warn them of any attacks. But the man was too far away, and the noise from the rain too great to try to call to him and alert him to sound the horn telling the others that there was an intruder on Dunvegan’s grounds.
“Watch out!” Serene screamed, snapping Cameron’s attention back in the direction of the woods. He saw the arrow too late to move out of the path, so he threw up his arm to deflect it. The arrowhead skidded the length of his forearm, slicing the skin with stinging precision but mercifully not causing grave harm.
Finally, they reached the rock ledge, and he shoved Serene into the shelter. “Stay here!” he commanded.
“Nay!” she retorted. “I’ll nae sit here like a helpless bairn while ye chase after the attacker.”
“Unless yer aim is to get me killed by distracting me with yer presence, dunnae move. Do ye ken me?”
“I ken ye,” she grumbled, her eyes flashing her ire. “I dunnae wish to get ye killed presently, but that may change, given how churlish ye are.”
Laughter bubbled in his chest, despite the dire circumstances. He held his dagger out to her. “If the enemy should reach ye…” He didn’t finish because she was already nodding, indicating that she understood.
He turned away and dashed out of the cave, glancing back only once to ensure she was following his orders. She glared back. Many a lass would be crying, distraught, after being shot at, especially when still facing mortal danger, but not Serene. Admiration filled him as he moved along the rock, staying as flat as he could make himself against it. Shortly, the overhanging ledge would end. He’d no longer be sheltered from view, but it wouldn’t matter. The thick woods met the shore where the ledge ended, and there, he’d be able to move through the cover of trees to move up to where the arrows had been shot from. Then, if the intruder was still there, he would capture the attacker.
He quickly reached the end of the overhang, and he shoved his way past gnarled branches and sticker bushes to climb the steep hill that led to the ledge overhanging the shore below.
Through the gray haze of the storm, he saw a lone figure standing with a flapping cloak on, arm drawn back, and arrow nocked. The rain had lessened as Cameron climbed and now drizzled into nothingness. The man moved suddenly, swiveling his body toward the right, and Cameron was filled with the certainty and the fear that Serene had come out of the cave. He flew across the distance separating him from the attacker and launched himself at the hooded man with a roar, crashing into him as the stranger let loose his arrow. Cameron swung his arm out and knocked the man to the ground before stealing a glance down to the shore. A shadow raced across the rocky ground toward him, skirts flying and hair flapping. God’s teeth! She was damned lucky she’d not been—
The hit atop his head sent him to his knees and made his teeth jar together. Pain exploded in his head, but he rolled forward, coming up on his right knee and swinging his sword in front of him to defend himself. His blade sliced across the attacker’s cloak, and with a gasp, the man stumbled backward.
“Cameron!” Serene screamed from the rocks below. Cameron did not have time to spare a glance. He scrambled to his feet, but the ground immediately swayed underneath him and he stumbled forward onto his knees once more as he watched the attacker turn to flee.
“Devil take ye!” he roared, shoving up to his feet and swiping at the blood dripping from a fresh cut above his right eye.
His thoughts were muddled, and his feet moved slower than he wanted as he started to pursue the attacker. Still, he pressed on through the gathering shadows in search of the man who had tried to kill him. No, that wasn’t right. The intruder had been here to kill Serene, which likely meant whoever it was thought she knew something about Katherine’s murder.
He shoved through the thick brush, ignoring the cuts to his feet and hacking at the branches with his sword as he went. His speed gained as his balance did, but he had lost precious time. If the attacker was smart, he would head deep into the woods where trees, plants, and caves provided numerous places to hide. There, if he was not discovered, he could wait, biding his time for the next opportunity to attack Serene. A chill shot up Cameron’s spine at the thought, and he pushed on, up hills, over rocks, through streams, but the forest was vast and he needed aid.
Cursing, he turned and raced back the way he had come, and as the shadows turned to darkness, he moved by moonlight and memory.
“Cameron!” shouted Serene’s voice again, followed by a bellow that sounded like Angus, close and to the left.
Cameron opened his mouth to give an answering call, but suddenly Angus and Serene crested a hill. Serene raced past Angus, dagger in hand, and over to Cameron, panting as she placed her free hand on his chest. “Are ye injured?”
The genuine concern in her voice struck him like an arrow to the heart. He liked the concern. He wanted it, even. He gritted his teeth against the emotions for her, but the need to keep her from harm rushed through him, thicker than blood. He moved closer to her and pulled her to his side, telling himself it was for her protection, only for her protection.
“I told ye nae to leave the cave,” he yelled, his fear for her making his words harsh. She tensed and tilted her chin up in defiance. “Come,” he ordered, slinging his arm over her shoulder to keep her close.
Angus fell in step with him on Serene’s other side. Cameron didn’t think she realized they had formed a human shield to protect her.
As they strode through the woods toward the shore, he growled, “Ye did nae heed my orders.”
She huffed. “I could nae verra well sit helpless and let ye possibly be killed.”
He looked at her, awed. Risking her safety for him had not given her pause. These were not the actions of a woman with evil intent. He stored the knowledge away to consider later, when all was safe.
Glancing past her to Angus, he said, “How did ye come to be out here?”
“I led the lass to ye earlier,” Angus said. “I stayed near in case she proved treacherous.” He shrugged, almost apologetically, and looked toward Serene. “I heard her scream, and I came running. I misjudged ye, lass,” Angus admitted, remorse in his tone.
A short laugh escaped Serene. “I kinnae rightly be cross given how I came to ye. I forgive ye,” she said simply.
Cameron was struck with how gracious and brave she seemed to be, and his mind swirled with it as they returned to the castle.
The thoughts were still in his head when they entered the great hall, all three of them sopping wet. The hall hummed with the normal sounds of supper, the inhabitants of his clan oblivious to the danger in the woods. Cameron strode up to the dais, his hand firmly grasping Serene’s, where Iain sat with Marion, Lachlan, Bridgette, and Lena, among others. Iain stopped talking to gape at him, and Lachlan spit out a mouthful of wine as they approached.
“Sound the alarm,” Cameron said without preamble. “An enemy is lurking.”
Serene felt very out of place with Cameron’s entire family staring at her from the dais, especially when his sister, Lena, turned an icy stare on Serene at the word enemy. She tried to disentangle her hand from Cameron’s and move to a corner out of view, but he curled his fingers tightly around hers, his hold like a vise. He pressed her closer to him.
At first, she thought he might be questioning her, too, but when he moved slightly in front of her as if to guard her from his sister’s anger, she realized he was trying to defend her. Shock caused her to inhale sharply, and when Cameron’s gaze landed on her briefly and she saw the concern in his eyes, her knees suddenly felt weak. The sense of being an unwelcome intruder lessened instantly.
It struck her as rather odd—and a bit frightening—that a man she hardly knew seemed to have such sway over her emotions. Surely, it was because currently he was all she knew, even if it was precious little. Before she could ponder it, a flurry of activity commenced. Supper abruptly stopped, the castle horns announcing an enemy sounded, and the men left the hall with such speed that Serene would have believed none had ever been there if it was not for Cameron, who lingered for a moment, along with Marion and Lena. The other women, Bridgette, and Marsaili, left the great hall as the men did.
Cameron’s hand came to the small of Serene’s back, warm and reassuring, as he guided her to Marion and Lena. “Watch out for her,” he said to them both.
Marion nodded and smiled, but Lena scowled.
“I’ll watch her,” she growled. “Already she brings trouble to our door, and—”
Before Lena could finish her sentence, Cameron took her by the arm and dragged her across the room. Serene shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortably aware that Cameron’s problem with his sister was because of her.
Marion patted Serene’s shoulder. “She doesn’t hate you truly.”
Serene snorted. “It certainly seems that way.”
Marion nibbled on her lip with her head cocked for a moment, as if trying to decide something. Finally, she whispered, “I cannot explain it all now, but Lena was taken from here as a young child, which meant she was denied the opportunity to be a doting sister to her brothers as they grew from boys to men. And as Cameron was the youngest, she would have had the role of protecting him as his older sister, and that was also taken from her.” She gave Serene a tight, sad smile. “She only recently returned, and all the brothers except for Cameron now have wives to care for them. I do believe she is trying to be the older sister that she was not able to be earlier in life. Unfortunately, I also think it may seem to her that none of her brothers need her.”
Serene thought about what Marion had just revealed as she watched the exchange between Cameron and Lena. He was speaking and waving his hands in the air, but when Lena’s shoulders sagged and she bit her lip, Cameron suddenly stopped talking and pulled his sister into a hug. Serene’s chest tightened at the display of brotherly love, and Marion sighed.
When Serene looked at Marion, she was smiling. “Cameron is especially sensitive to Lena’s feelings,” Marion explained. “Likely because most of her attention is focused on him. He watches over her, as well, but in a more reasonable manner.”
When Serene looked back toward Cameron, he was leaving the room with Lena. He turned at the last moment, and his gaze found Serene’s. He stared at her for the space of a breath, making her heartbeat quicken before he departed.
“Well,” Marion replied, linking an arm with Serene’s as she stared toward where Cameron had disappeared. “It seems you have made quite the mark on Cameron’s mind.”
He’d made quite the one on hers, too—years before, earlier, just now—but she intended to keep that to herself until she could figure it all out.