Perhaps that meant she was with the Queen, out of harm’s way. And yet, he could not let go of the suspicion that something had happened to her. The thought was a dark torment, eating away at his patience.
You were never meant to be with her,his conscience taunted.
He didn’t want to believe that. For whatever had begun between them had evolved into emotions he’d never before encountered. Taryn had treated him as her equal from the moment they had met. And in his eyes, there was no woman more beautiful.
He fought alongside the MacEgan soldiers and Rory’s men, hacking a path toward the edge of the soldiers. Somehow, in the midst of the fighting, he saw that Devlin Connelly was gone.
So be it. There was naught he could do, and what mattered now was surviving and protecting Taryn.
He slashed his way through the men, fighting alongside the others, until he reached the outer perimeter. And the sight of the woman before him nearly stopped his breath.
Queen Maeve lay unconscious upon the ground, her red hair tangled over her face. And there was no sign of Taryn.
Killian hurried forward, his pulse racing. When he reached her side, he shook her gently. Maeve moaned, and when her eyes opened, he demanded, “Where is your daughter?”
The woman was pale, blinking with confusion. “I don’t know. I fell from my horse, and I have not seen her.”
He helped her rise to her feet and brought her to one of her men, directing him to bring her to safety. In the meantime, he searched the grounds for a sign of Taryn. The Norman army had begun a retreat, and dozens of bodies littered the grass.
An uneasy feeling wrenched within his gut, mingling with guilt. He never should have sent her off alone. Killian hurried through the crowds of soldiers, forcing a path through the fighting. The sound of a woman’s scream cut through the violence, and he saw Taryn standing with a blade in her hand.
Two men were closing in on her, and one held a spear in his hand. The other was trying to come up behind Taryn, and he seized her hair, jerking it backwards.
Killian lifted his own sword, prepared to strike down the man, when suddenly he spied Devlin. The man was watching his daughter, but he did nothing to help her. Damn him for it.
With his sword raised, Killian hurried forward, intending to disarm her attacker. But instead, Taryn lunged with her blade. The knife slashed against the man’s throat, but it wasn’t enoughto bring him down. Instead, he seized her wrist and squeezed hard enough for her to cry out in pain. The knife fell from her grip, leaving her defenseless.
“Let her go,” Killian said, raising his sword toward the man with the spear.
“Put down your weapon,” the assailant answered. “Or I will kill her.”
Killian met Taryn’s gaze, but did not lower the sword. “You are outnumbered by our men.”
“And I have something you want.” He gripped Taryn’s hair roughly, forcing her to her knees. “Give yourself over as my hostage, and I might let her go.”
Killian didn’t move at first. It was entirely possible that the soldier would kill Taryn the moment he dropped his weapons. He shifted his gaze toward Devlin and asked, “Are you planning to abandon your daughter, after all she did for you? Or will you fight and help me save her?”
Taryn was struggling against the man’s grip, but to no avail. And although Killian knew he could win this battle, the risk was grave. He had to move swiftly and shield her from harm.
And still, Devlin refused to defend his daughter. Likely the man had intended to escape in the midst of the battle, while the Normans tried to overthrow the Ard-Righ. Instead, the High King’s men had driven them back.
Killian heard the shouts of the King’s men, and a split second later, an arrow struck the ground beside him. Son of Lugh, but he hadn’t seen the archers. He froze and glanced behind him. Half a dozen of the High King’s men had their bows drawn, aimed at the Norman soldiers surrounding Taryn.
If they loosed an arrow, they might strike her instead. But from the grim look upon the soldiers’ faces, he realized that it didn’t matter to them. They saw Taryn as a traitor and a threat.
“Don’t shoot!” Killian ordered.
But it was too late. He ran to Taryn, intending to shield her from the arrows with his own body...but Devlin reached her first. Time stilled when Killian saw the first arrow pierce her skin. Blood flowed from the wound, and she slumped forward to the ground.
Chapter Fourteen
The hoarse battle cry that ripped from his throat was born of grief and fury. Killian gripped his sword, giving himself over to the madness. Inside, he was hollow, unable to believe what he was seeing. The woman who had given herself freely, breathing life into his frozen heart, was lying on the ground. Her black hair shielded her face, and he knew not if her heart was still beating.
A thousand emotions tore through him—fury that she’d been harmed, guilt that he hadn’t saved her in time...and heart-stopping fear. She had given herself to him, teaching him what it meant to love. He had never known what it was to need someone, to feel as if she made up the other half of his tortured soul. With Taryn, he was a whole man, someone of worth.
And Fate taunted him with the knowledge that he’d been unable to save her.
Sprawled across her was the body of Devlin, covered in arrows. Her father had given himself over to shield her, but Killian could not tell if the man’s sacrifice had held any worth.
