Chapter Thirty
“Get the hell away from him, Mairi,” Calum growled. “Now.”
Infuriated, he stalked forward, his purpose to kill the bastard who dared touch his sister, but Mairi darted around the fiend, stepping between him and his prey. She threw her hands up to halt him, nearly clouting him in the chin, and he jerked his head back to avoid the hit.
In truth, he was unsure who the telling action astonished more—him or the gaping fool behind her.
Weapons drawn, Liam, Patrick, and Fraser rushed inside the chamber, filling the cramped confines. Before Calum reacted, the arse grabbed Mairi and shoved her behind him once more.
“Mairi,” he bellowed. “Move away. Now.”
The man spread his arms wider, as if to shield Mairi from a threat.
“You think I would harm my sister?” Calum spat as he took a step forward. “’Tis your head I’m after.”
Mairi slapped away the man’s arm and shot around him to plant herself in Calum’s path again. She pressed her fists into the sides of her waist and glared at him. “Calum, please. Hear Aaron out first.”
He gaped at her. Christ, had she taken a knock to the head and lost her senses?
“Are you mad?”
“’Tis the least you can do,” she insisted.
“The least I could do?”
The ridiculous statement infuriated him more. He grabbed her forearm and snatched her away, pushing her into Liam’s waiting arms. Lifting his sword, he pointed the tip at the base of Aaron’s neck.
“Where the hell is my wife?”
Calm and subdued, Aaron nodded toward the broken door. “In the chamber Longford placed her, at the other end of the landing. Unless Connor has already made it to her, in which case she’ll be at the beach.”
Calum thrust his sword a fraction, scoring Aaron’s bare skin. Blood trickled from the small cut.
Mairi sprang forward and wrapped her hands around his arm, attempting to pull his blade away. “Stop, Calum.”
He cast her a quick scowl. “Stay back.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she hung on to his arm. “Please, do not hurt him. He only took us to save his brother.”
This was the damned whoreson who’d stolen his family away? And his sister thought to defend the arse? Fury, swift and searing, swelled inside him. He shook off Mairi’s hold.
“Hold her,” he shouted at Liam.
Calum directed the force of his glare at Aaron. The man had not moved an inch, nor did he cower from the tip of Calum’s blade. He met the warrior’s gaze with equal measure, anticipating the sword thrust that would end his life.
“No,” Mairi sobbed and grabbed on to him again, practically hanging from his arm with her full weight. “Please, no. I beg you. You would’ve done the same for me.”
“Damn it, Liam.” Glancing over his shoulder, he shot an annoyed scowl at his cousin, who shrugged in response.
Growling out a curse, he lowered his blade but warned Aaron with a long, hard stare. The man wisely chose to ease back until his shoulders rested against the chamber’s stone wall. Then he shifted his attention to Mairi.
Calum grabbed her shoulder and shook. “By the Saints, what the devil is the matter with you?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks and she hiccupped to catch her breath. Her distraught features tugged at his heart.
“He was setting us free, Calum.” Sniffling, she swiped at her eyes. “I’ve never asked you for a thing, except this. Just listen to him.”
Nay, she’d not asked him for anything. Hell, there’d been no need. He’d given her anything he could to reconcile the loss of their mother and father. How could she not understand his need to punish Aaron for his foul deeds? His desire to exact revenge on a man who thought to rip their family apart?
Internally screaming, he raked a hand down his face in exasperation. Lord above, the females in his life would be the death of him!
He glared Aaron. “Christ, just speak and be done with it.”
On command, the man opened his mouth and words poured out of him. His solemn gaze remained locked on the floor as he spoke of Longford killing his father and imprisoning his younger brother. At the end, Calum merely stared at him, while Liam muttered a curse.
Damn it, he did not wish to pity the man, but he did. In some perverse way, he understood Aaron’s actions. Though, Calum would never admit such.
He shook his head and relented. “Take me to my wife, and I’ll spare you and your kin.”
Aaron bowed his head. “Thank you, Laird MacGregor.”
“Know this, though. I never want to cross paths with you as long as I draw breath.”
Mairi huffed. “But Calum—”
He motioned to Patrick. “Get her out of here.”
Despite her protests, Patrick removed her from the chamber. Calum ground his teeth at the parting glance she aimed at Aaron. He stepped in the other man’s line of sight. “Now take me to my wife.”
Nodding, Aaron stepped around him and strode outside the chamber without a backward glance. Calum trailed close on his heels with Liam and Fraser behind him. Crossing the landing, he followed Aaron down the passageway, turning right at the end. Aaron slowed his step as they passed an opened chamber. He glanced inside, but carried on until he came to an abrupt halt in front of a second opened chamber.
Calum nearly slammed into the man. “What is it?”
Aaron ignored the question and dashed inside the bedchamber. The next instant, he stood at the threshold, gripping the doorframe for support. His wide gaze met Calum’s.
“We have to hurry.” Aaron’s voice faltered. “Lady MacGregor’s in danger.”
*
“Not much further, my lady. We’re almost there.”
Connor attempted to reassure her, but fear gripped Arabella’s chest in a tight squeeze. Darkness devoured them in the narrowed tunnel. Several times, she’d tread on the back of Connor’s heels, pressing him to walk faster. As soon as light broke through the consuming blackness, she breathed a sigh a relief. The low, amplified hum of the sea carried on the breeze as the passageway widened into a cavern. Soon, the dim light of an overcast day filled the rock chamber.
Arabella measured each step on the slick, rock bottom as she held on to the back of Connor’s shirt in a death grip. He led her to the mouth of the cave, and she almost slid off in her haste to step away from the ledge of the cliff face. A long drop below, the angry sea churned in discord.
“Saints, you could’ve warned me.” She yanked at his shirt.
His low chuckle filled the cavern.
Wary, she peeked over the edge. Several jagged rock formations, resembling sharp talons, jutted up from the water, as if waiting to snatch their prey from the heavens. White-capped waves rolled and crashed over the sea’s rock garden of death.
She shuddered. “How are we to get down?”
He leaned closer and pointed to their left. “There’s a narrow path that leads to the beach. ’Tis treacherous, but there’s no other way down unless we jump.”
Arabella glanced at him in alarm.
Connor laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Concern shone in his deep, brown eyes. “Trust me. I’ll be in front of you the entire way. I shall not let you fall, my lady.”
His gentle, caring nature warmed Arabella’s heart. Unable to resist, she wrapped her uninjured arm around his middle, hugging him close. “You’ll make a fine man someday soon, Connor MacRae.”
Crimson bloomed on his cheeks and he stood immobile for a moment, as if he had no notion how to respond to her praise.
“How touching.”
That voice, she knew all too well.
She and Connor sprang apart and spun to face the darkened cavern. Flanked by two men, Longford stood several feet away. His face split with a faint smile and his gaze narrowed a fraction.
“Do you fear me, Arabella?” Longford’s smooth voice sent chills down her spine.
“Aye,” she confessed. The pulse in her neck sprinted as dread settled in a tight knot in her chest, pressing the air from her body.
Longford nodded as he paced a step closer. “You should.”
In a flurry of movement that surprised her, Connor launched himself forward, head first into Longford’s middle, catching the three men unaware. Connor shouted at her to run and she snapped into action.
She spun on her heel and ran for the narrow path alongside the cave’s mouth leading to the beach below. Her feet slipped on the craggy surface, but she righted her step before she fell off the cliff. Heedless of her injured wrist, she dug her fingers into the side of the wall for purchase. She cast a hurried glance over her shoulder just as one of the men tossed Connor against the cave wall. His head smacked against the rock with a sickening thud and he collapsed on the cave floor in a heap.
Gripped by terror, Arabella inched along the slick, narrow pathway, struggling to keep her balance. She managed a few feet when a hand wrapped around the base of her neck and hauled her backward into the mouth of the cavern. She landed on her hands and knees. The sharp rock dug into her flesh and she cried out in pain.
“You foolish bitch,” Longford spat at her.
Cringing at the harsh words, she sought out Connor’s still form across the cave and her heart plummeted. Blood ran from a wound on his temple to pool beneath his head.
Rough fingers gripped her hair, tugging her to her feet. Tears flooded her eyes as Longford grasped her neck, crushing her windpipe. His cruel, golden features filled her blurry gaze.
“Over and over, you’ve caused me naught but trouble.”
He tightened his grip, and she clawed at his hand, thrashing for air. Spots swam before vision. She raked the tips of her feet over the rock floor, scrambling for solid ground.
“Drop her. Now.”
Calum’s enraged voice boomed throughout the cavern, filling her ringing ears.
At once, Longford’s hand fell away. She dropped on the bottoms of her feet and sucked in a lungful of precious, fresh air. Staggering a step, she coughed and sputtered. The next instant, Longford wrenched her in front of him as he swung to face her husband with the sharpened tip of a dagger pressed against her neck.
Strong, proud, and furious, Calum stood a short distance away, his hands clenched around the hilt of his sword. Flanking him, her uncle and Liam held battle stances, feet braced apart and weapons drawn. At their feet lay the prone bodies of Longford’s two soldiers. Paces away, Aaron knelt beside his brother, cradling the young man’s head in his lap and tending to Connor’s wound.
Despite everything—the blade against her skin, the constant crash of waves, Longford’s heavy breath in her ear—she focused on her husband. The harsh set of his countenance, the rigid set of his shoulders, the sturdy flex of his arms conveyed a depth of power and strength.
A low growl slid from Calum’s throat. “Release her.”
The old wounds on his face and neck paled against the deep flush of his cheeks.
Longford tightened his arm around her ribs. “Do you think I would just hand her over?”
Calum took a menacing step forward, and Longford inched closer to the edge of the cliff.
“Know this.” Calum narrowed his gaze. “You shall meet your death on this day.”
Longford bit out a harsh laugh. “Not before she meets hers.”
He wrenched Arabella aside and shoved her backward. The ground beneath her feet fell away. Calum’s ear-splitting bellow followed her over the edge as she plummeted toward the churning sea.