After he’d taken a moment to collect himself, had all of his theories solidify, and processed that he might love the fiery lass too, Darragh folded the note. Holding it tightly in his fist, he walked out of Amelia’s quarters. The door shut behind him with a resounding thud, and the heels of his boots were sharp against the floor as he went directly to the first guard he could find.
“Search every corner of the castle,” Darragh demanded, holding his hand next to his heart. “Ye’re lookin’ for Amelia. Daenae stop until ye find her. And daenae let a single soul leave these walls until she’s found. Aye?”
“Aye, Me Laird,” the guard replied, giving a tight salute before he hurried down the corridor, alert both in his search for Amelia and fellow members of his troop to spread the command.
* * *
When Darragh stormed back into the courtyard, as many guards as he could find on his way alerted to their new directive, the celebrations didn’t stop. Nearly everyone was too absorbed with bragging about their performance. Even Ewan didn’t seem to sense Darragh coming for him with the force of a raging thunderstorm.
Then, one by one, as he walked by, bringing with him the breathtaking low-pressure system, the groups fell silent. By the time he reached Ewan, his man-at-arms had turned around toinvestigate the icy atmosphere. His arms were crossed over his chest. He held his chin high, understanding without words that this was no longer a celebration.
“Amelia is missin’, and she’s in danger,” he said, his voice low and cutting. Though it was meant for Ewan’s ears only, it seemed as if the entire keep heard and held its breath. “It’s Laird Mackenzie.”
Ewan was already acting, the merriment in his features completely gone. His hand found the hilt of his sword. His eyes scanned the crowd, likely in search of the groom who had taken his stead. As he shifted his weight, positioning himself in anticipation of Darragh’s word, he asked, “I saw her before we left. Do ye ken how long she’s been missin’?”
Darragh remembered the softness of the barely dried tear on the letter. His calloused fingertips tingled, the letter crumpled in his palm. “Nae an hour has passed. I’m sure of it.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the courtyard flew into a frenzy. Keep guards rushed to saddle horses, calling for the grooms to return the steeds. Reins were pressed into Darragh’s hands in the middle of the mayhem, the head groom having left to retrieve his mare the moment he’d passed.
Tucking the letter into his inner pocket, Darragh positioned himself to mount. Horns sounded around him, echoing through the hills and valleys, creating a harmony that felt much less jovial now than it did a few short hours ago. He needed theirassistance to search his lands, but his skin itched with the need to dosomething.
His jaw set with a wolfish determination, Darragh turned his horse in a slow circle. The new vantage point allowed him to see what he was working with. Already, he was envisioning where certain men would excel and where others would fail.
For a moment, the preparations paused. The full force of his dedication, his focus, was impressed upon everyone around him. Being stationed above the crowd gave his influential rule an even wider reach.
Their fear, as they understood the gravity of Darragh’s intensity, faded nearly as quickly as it came. Each of them was trained in putting aside discomfort. They had a job to perform. Here and now.
“Spread through the forest,” he commanded, urging his mare toward the gate. As he led the charge, more men mounted, falling in line to follow him beyond the walls. Turning around in his saddle to give the men gathered one last look, he said, “Find her.”
Then, without a thought other than locating Amelia and seeing her safe, he dug his heels into his horse’s sides and bent down low over the saddle. As he rode, his eyes scanned the tree line for any signs of her or Laird Mackenzie. Something murderous took root in his chest, and he knew that the trouble with that man would end tonight.
And Darragh would not lose.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“That’s it.”
Amelia let out steady puffs of air as she pushed herself and her new companion further away from the walls of Fraser Keep. The forest grew thicker around the pair, muffling the sounds of anything beyond nearby wildlife and the dead foliage that crunched beneath their feet. She finally allowed the creature to slow her pace.
“We cannae stop just yet,” she whispered, scanning her surroundings.
Try as she might, Amelia couldn’t see very far past the trees immediately encircling her. It was a good thing, she told herself. If she couldn’t see her father, he couldn’t see her.
The trees changed as she went further, keeping herself low against the mare’s neck. Large-leaved, new-growth trees gave way to needle pines as she pushed deeper. Sunlight barelyreached the ground, and the only witness to her flight was the wind and the occasional bird flitting by.
“We’re doin’ it, ye beautiful beast,” Amelia breathed, pulling the animal to a stop when they came upon a road.
It was overgrown, showing no signs of having been used in years. She was still cautious as she crossed it, though. At this point, she knew better than to trust things to truly be the way they appeared.
Finally, the tension in her shoulders melted away. She let the mare pick her own pace, and she tilted her cheeks to the sky. Even without the sun, she felt an invigorating warmth. She allowed herself to take a slow, deep breath of relief before her attention snapped back to her environment.
As they rode ahead, she heard… something. It was far off, and from a distance, it sounded almost natural. If she weren’t listening so closely, looking for anything that might be human and dangerous, she might have mistaken the rumble for some furry animals scuffling. Still, the underlying thuds told a different story.
Riders. On the path up ahead.
She pulled her mare to a stop, but it seemed that she’d realized she wasn’t alone too late. The hoofbeats grew louder, closing in on her not just from the path but from behind her as well. Her body froze, her mind completely unable to make a decision, to see what would keep her safest.
The mare began moving again, her own self-preservation strong. She trotted toward thicker trees, each step she took sounding quieter than the ones before. Amelia tightened her hands on the reins, trusting the beast’s judgment to lead them as she put together a proper plan.
