Relief flooded Gabriella’s features.“Thank God. When I saw all that blood…”
“I ken.”His arms tightened around her. “But she’s tough, me maither. It takes more than a coward with a branch to keep her down for long.”
Gabriella managed a weak laugh.“She’ll want to see us both, won’t she? Make sure we’re all right with her own eyes.”
“Aye.And she’ll probably have words with me about lettin’ this happen in the first place.”
“Then we better get back.”Gabriella pulled back and stood up, immediately making him feel bereft. But he quickly followed her. “She shouldnae be alone any longer than necessary.”
Hector nodded,but his gaze lingered on Lewis’s corpse. The man who’d terrorized the woman he loved, who’d stolen precious hours of their life together, who’d dared to threaten what was his.
Never again.Whatever it takes, whoever I have to become—nothin’ like this will ever happen again.
He’d build higherwalls around his castle, post more guards, and hire every warrior in Scotland if he had to. Gabriella would never again know a moment’s fear because of his failures.
“Hector?”Gabriella’s voice was gentle, understanding. “He’s dead. He cannae hurt anyone anymore.”
“I ken.”
But knowingand feeling were two different things. The rage was still there, banked but burning, demanding retribution that could never fully be satisfied.
She stepped closer,her hand finding his. “Can we go home now?”
Such simple words,but they reached something deep in his soul. Home wasn’t his castle or his lands; it was wherever she was. And right now, that meant getting them both back to safety, to family, to the life they were building together.
One that nobastard like Lewis would ever threaten again.
“Aye,”he said, lacing his fingers through hers. “Let’s go home.”
Hector keptone arm around Gabriella’s waist as they walked, Noah trailing at a respectful distance. The path down from the clearing was treacherous, with loose stones and hidden roots, but his attention was entirely focused on the woman beside him.
Gabriella’s breathing had steadied,and some of the tension had left her shoulders.
“Hector?”Her voice was stronger now. “What happens next?”
“What do ye mean?”
“With us. With… everythin’.”She gestured vaguely at the forest around them. “This changes things, does it nae?”
He considered her question carefully.Lewis’s attack had stripped away any illusions about the safety of their current arrangement. The wedding was tomorrow, but that felt like a lifetime away.
“What do ye want to happen?”he asked instead.
“I want…”She paused, seeming to gather her courage. “I want to marry ye, as planned. I want to wake up as yer wife and never have to wonder if someone might try to take me away again.”
The fierce certaintyin her voice made something warm unfurl in his chest. “And after that?”
“After that,I want to learn how to protect meself, so ye dinnae have to worry every time I’m out of yer sight.”
Hector stopped walking entirely,turning to face her. “Gabriella?—”
“I’m serious.”She lifted her chin with that stubborn determination he’d come to love. “Today, me life was saved because ye came in time. Next time?—”
“There willnae be a next time.”
“How can ye be so sure?”
The question hung between them,heavy with implication.
