Helena sucked in a breath. Was this some sort of cruel trick? He’d told her that he could not go with her, and now he was charging into the hut, telling her that they were going to Craigmoor?

“What is the meaning of this?”

Logan scooped up her discarded shift from the ground. “The others are gathering, so I dinnae have much time to explain,” he said, extending the garment toward her.

She took the shift but didn’t move to put it on. Instead she stared at him, bewildered. When he’d left, his features had been set in stone, his eyes as hard and cold as iron. And now there was a frantic urgency about him, a sudden vitality edged with nervousness. She caught a whiff of whisky on his breath, but he didn’t seem drunk—just intensely determined.

When she still did not move to dress, he knelt beside the cot.

“Helena, I’ve been such a fool,” he said, looking up at her. “When ye told me yer plans to return to Craigmoor, I was so afraid—afraid that I’d lost ye just when I finally found ye.”

“I know there will be danger,” she said. “I know I am risking much, but I have to help—”

“Nay, love,” he said, “it isnae that—or no’ all of it. Aye, I’m terrified at the thought of harm befalling ye, but it’s more than that. I never understood how I was so damned lucky to find ye in that snowstorm. And ever since then, I have hardly believed my fortune. Ye’ve given me hope, and light, and love. I was sure that at any minute they’d be taken away.”

Tears suddenly burned Helena’s eyes, but they weren’t tears of sorrow this time.

“When ye said ye were leaving, I thought that at last my luck had run out. A man like me doesnae hope for fortune’s favors to last. I never dreamed that I’d earn yer love.”

Helena’s throat was too tight to speak, so she shook her head and reached for him, cupping his bristled cheek.

“Because I thought that way, because I didnae think I deserved ye, I was about to do the most foolish thing of all and let ye go,” he went on. “But I cannae. Ye are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Helena. I willnae let ye go alone—for I am going with ye.”

She blinked back the tears, shaking her head again. “But what of Mairin?” she croaked. “As you said, she needs you, and she deserves stability and safety. I won’t be the reason she loses you, and I would never make you choose between us.”

“I dinnae ken what to do yet,” he said, rising to his feet. “But there must be a solution—there must. I willnae abandon her, but nor will I let ye go to Craigmoor alone to face Geoffrey.”

He began pacing the small space like a caged animal. “Mayhap she will wish to stay with Lillian. Or mayhap I have been selfish to keep her away from the clan. Just because I am no’ welcome there doesnae mean that she should be deprived of our people, our family.”

Helena hurriedly donned her shift and rose from the cot. “What did you mean when you said the others are gathering?”

Logan halted and turned to her. “Finn has returned. I told Kirk to have the other men meet in the practice field.”

Even before his next words were out, realization hit Helena. Dread swirled in her stomach as she suddenly understood the entirety of his plan.

“I will be the one to join the Bruce’s army,” he said, confirming her fear.

It made sense. He could see Helena safely to Craigmoor, plus spare one of the others from having to lead the siege.

But what if Helena failed to secure the castle and oust Geoffrey from power? She had no idea how to accomplish such a feat—or if it was even possible. If she couldn’t form a plan, or if the plan went awry, would that mean Logan would be forced to lead the Scottish army against her people? Would he have to attack if Geoffrey refused to stand down?

Cold fear prickled her skin at the thought even as she donned her wool dress. There were so many what-ifs, so many questions, so she picked the first one that came to mind.

“Will the others let you go? Will they accept you as a representative of the Bodyguard Corps?”

“I dinnae ken,” he said, slinging her cloak around her shoulders as she quickly shoved on her boots. He pulled open the hut’s door and motioned her forward. “But we are about to find out.”

 

*   *   *   *

 

As they crunched across the snow toward the practice field, Logan reached for Helena’s hand and threaded their fingers together. His heart hammered wildly in his chest, and yet he’d never been more sure of aught in his life. He loved this woman. Come what may, he was at last ready to devote himself to the cause, and to Helena.

Someone had built up the fire once more, and as they approached, he could make out several silhouetted figures gathering around it.

“What is the meaning of this?” Ansel grumbled as Logan and Helena broke into the circle of light cast by the fire. “Kirk said ye needed all of us here.”

Just then, Kirk stepped forward—with Lillian and Mairin by his side, both bundled in their cloaks. Kirk tilted his head in silent acknowledgement toward Logan, and then waited along with the others for an explanation.

Logan squeezed Helena’s hand and drew in a lungful of frosty air.

“Helena has a claim to Craigmoor Castle. She wishes to oust Lord Geoffrey de Neville, the man holding Craigmoor for the English, then cede the castle to the Scots to avoid a long and costly siege.”

Even as Ansel and a few of the others sucked in hard breaths, Kirk exhaled sharply, his eyes closing in relief for a moment. Finn stared hard at Logan through narrowed eyes, as if sensing there was more.

“What in—” Ansel began, but Logan held up a hand to stay him.

“Before ye ask yer questions, let me continue. I wish to be the one to stand with the Bruce’s army in the Borderlands.”

If his first words had shocked the others, these sent them nigh into an apoplexy.

“Ye cannae be serious,” Ansel sputtered.

On top of him, Will hissed, “Ye arenae one of us.”

“Ye are a mercenary, no’ a member of the Corps,” Finn said lowly.

Angus guffawed, though the sound was part-incredulous, part-pleased. Niall crossed his arms over his chest, trying to match Finn’s glower as he stared at Logan.

Kirk only lifted his brows, for Logan suspected his friend may have anticipated this turn of events.

“Hear me out,” Logan said. “I’ll no’ let Helena face de Neville without me by her side. He is the one who hurt her and sent her fleeing into the Highlands in the first place.”

That silenced the men’s outrage. Using the window of quiet, Logan charged forward.

“And since I will already be going to Craigmoor with her, I should be the one to represent the Corps in the Bruce’s army.”

“Why?” Finn said. “What makes ye think that ye should lead the Bruce’s men alongside Colin and me when ye are hardly even a real Scot?”

Logan squared his shoulders to Finn. He’d anticipated this. Though he might never convince the cantankerous Sutherland—or any of the others, for that matter—he had to try to prove his worth.

“I ken I havenae earned yer trust,” he said, sweeping his gaze over all the men. “And that I have kept myself separate from ye. It wasnae for lack of belief in the cause, but rather lack of belief in myself.”

He squeezed Helena’s hand before releasing it so that he could step forward.

“I have been adrift for so long that I forgot what it meant to be a man devoted to something. And I didnae truly believe that aught I did now would change my fate.”

He glanced back at Helena. Her eyes glowed vibrant green as she gave him a little nod of encouragement.

“I cannae change my past, but I can shape my future,” he said, still staring at her. “And the future I choose is one of honor, of serving justice and seeking freedom for our people. I may have strayed from Scotland, but Highland blood still runs in my veins, and I willingly pledge it to the Corps’ cause.”

Kirk stepped forward then. “I stand with Logan,” he said, casting his gaze over the others. “I am no’ ashamed to admit that the thought of another drawn-out, deadly siege makes me sick to my stomach. Helena might be able to avert it. If no’, I trust Logan to serve the Bruce’s efforts in taking the castle as swiftly and cleanly as possible.”

“If yer woman is able to halt the siege, ye willnae be needed among the Bruce’s men,” Finn said, still eyeing Logan. “But if she isnae, would ye follow the Bruce’s orders to take the castle by any means?”

Behind him, Helena pulled in a breath. Clearly, Finn’s question had occurred to her, too.

Logan gritted his teeth. The thought of his two loyalties pitted against each other made his stomach squeeze into a hard knot. “I pray that it willnae come to that,” he said. “I will do everything in my power to take the castle by Helena’s means, for it will save lives on both sides and accomplish the King’s goal all the quicker. Her success is mine, and the King’s.”

Ansel moved forward, crossing his arms over his chest and considering Logan for a long moment.

“I stand with Logan as well,” he said at last.

Unbidden, Logan’s jaw went slack and his brows shot up. Ansel was one of the last people Logan would have expected to speak for him, yet the surly trainer gave him a serious nod.

“Ye made no secret of the fact that the only reason ye came here was for yer sister,” he said. “Yet ye’ve trained hard alongside the others. Ye’ve proven yerself ten times over to be a skilled warrior, but more than that, ye’ve shown honor in yer deeds. I’d trust ye to watch my back—and I’d trust ye to lead the Bruce’s men.”

Will muttered something about loyalty and spat into the fire. Niall remained cross-armed and narrow-eyed, though he held his tongue.

“And what of me?” Mairin stepped away from Lillian’s side, her features somber in the flickering firelight.

Pain knifed Logan’s heart as he gazed at his sister. “I promised to protect ye, always. I vow I will find a way to do that, even if I am no’ here with ye for a short time.”

“You are welcome to stay with us, Mairin,” Lillian said softly, her brows drawn together in concern.

“Or I can take ye to the Mackenzies. Reid would welcome ye back. I’m sure they have been worried sick for ye,” Logan said.

“I dinnae wish to remain here,” Mairin said, her eyes filling with frustrated tears. “And I dinnae wish to return to the Mackenzies—no’ when they won’t have ye, Logan. I want to go with ye.”

“Mairin, nay.”

To Logan’s shock, it was Niall who spoke the firm refutation. The young man’s arms dropped to his sides and his bright blue eyes had gone round.

“It is too dangerous,” Niall went on, his voice low. “You could be hurt.”

“Aye,” Finn interjected. “A battlefield is no place for women or bairns.” His dark gaze flicked to Helena and then Mairin as he spoke.

Mairin shot Finn a glare before turning back to Logan. “Dinnae leave me here,” she murmured. “I want to be with ye and Helena.”

It was by far the least favorable option. As Helena had said, Mairin did far better with a routine. And Finn was right—a siege was no place to bring innocents.

Yet as Logan looked into Mairin’s desperate, glistening eyes, he knew he could not deny her this. Leaving her here would be another form of abandonment.

“Aye,” he said at last.

Finn grumbled, but Logan paid him no mind. He turned to Ansel.

“We’ll ride to Craigmoor with Finn. Helena’s people inside the castle walls may still be loyal to her. If they are, they could override de Neville’s authority and surrender the castle themselves. Or mayhap the threat of the siege combined with Helena’s arrival will be enough to convince de Neville that he has already lost. Whatever the case, we’ll work first to take the castle peacefully and break the siege.”

“And if that doesnae work?” Ansel asked gravely.

Logan held Ansel’s dark gaze steadily. “Then I will lead the Bruce’s men to reclaim Craigmoor and rid the castle of Geoffrey de Neville.”

A few of the men still scowled, but reluctantly, each one nodded.

“There is just one more thing,” Ansel said. “I would have ye pledge yer loyalty to our King and his cause—and the Corps.”

Logan stilled. A hush fell over the group, broken only by the crackle of the fire.

The time for shortcuts, for cutting and running, was over.

Slowly, Logan lowered himself to one knee in the snow. He made a fist with his right hand and laid it over his heart.

“I vow to be faithful and loyal to Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, and to those men in whom he has entrusted the safety and security of this land. By my honor as a Scot, a Highlander, and a Mackenzie, I will never bear arms for another, nor will I raise arms against him or his cause.”

For more than a decade, Logan had thought he would never make such a promise—that any promise from a man like him would be meaningless. Yet as he spoke the words, his heart sang. The past could not control him any longer. He would mold his own future and become what he was born and raised to be—a leader, a man of honor.

His heart belonged to Helena, and now his sword belonged to Robert the Bruce. Never had anything felt so right.

“Rise,” Ansel said, a slow grin spreading on his face. “Ye arenae a mercenary anymore, Logan Mackenzie. Ye are one of us—a member of the Bodyguard Corps.”

Kirk, Ansel, and Angus all approached for a forearm shake and a pound on the back. Niall and Will hung back, eyeing Logan.

“I’ll help you prepare for your journey,” Lillian said to Helena and Mairin.

“Aye,” Kirk added. “Ye’d best be off as soon as possible.”

As the others dispersed, the women toward Logan’s hut and the men toward the barn to ready the horses, Finn stepped to Logan’s side.

“I’ll be watching ye, Mackenzie.” Finn’s voice was no more than a murmur, yet it held a steely warning.

As Finn moved off toward the barn with the others, Logan’s elation dimmed.

Aye, standing by Helena’s side and pledging himself to the Bruce was the best thing he’d ever done with his life—but what lay ahead would also be the hardest.