"Saints!"
"The marriage is not legal, but I'm certain he won't give up. 'Tis why I'll have to either take the matter before the king or kill Blackburn. In a fair fight, of course."
"Of course." Obviously Neacal had strong feelings for her if he was willing to take such risks to marry her. "You love her," Colin stated.
Neacal lifted a brow. His eyes growing more intense, he glanced away.
"Do you not?" Colin persisted, grinning.
"I'm drawn to her."
That was an understatement. He suspected his friend was mad about Anna.
"You used to be drawn to a lot of women… before." Aye, before the torture, Neacal had been a charming rogue, and all the lassies had been in love with him… the ones who hadn't been in love with Colin. They'd sown plenty of wild oats during their early twenties. "But this is different."
"Anna is different." Neacal's voice was solemn, reverent. "She gives me peace as I've never had."
Despite his friend's earnest mood, Colin couldn't resist teasing him a wee bit. "Are you certain 'tis peace? Or a raging storm of desire?"
"If you must know… both," Neacal admitted reluctantly.
Colin chuckled. "Aha. The storm, then the peace."
Frowning, Neacal stared down into his cup of ale. "She helps me forget the torture."
Colin relented, visualizing for a moment the hell Neacal must have gone through. He couldn't even imagine the severe pain. Neacal's torturers had broken several of his bones, dislocated his joints, and inflicted cuts and stab wounds. Colin didn't know how Neacal had survived it. Anyone would come out the other side of torture a changed man, nearly a completely different person. And it had changed Neacal—gone were the easy smiles and quips. Any joy in life had been destroyed, but he seemed to have discovered an intense drive to be stronger, mentally and physically, than he'd ever been before. If Anna could bring a bit of that joy back to Neacal…
"I'm glad for that, my friend. None of us can truly understand what you suffered at the hands of MacRankin, even if you tell us. 'Tis something only you know the full extent of." He wished he'd known his friend had been captured at the time. He would've charged in and pulled him out of that hell-pit.
"Anna has suffered too—'haps more than I have," Neacal said. "And I mean to protect her from that demon. He not only murdered her husband, he also caused her to have a miscarriage because of his abuse."
"Damnation," Colin muttered. Anna was a sweet, gentle lady. How could any man treat her thus?
"He cut her younger sister's face," Neacal continued.
"Why?"
"He forced Anna to marry him by threatening her sister with a knife. He cut Kristina's face, then had his man to hold a knife at her throat. After that, he shoved her down and her head hit the stone wall. She is blind because of it."
Even though he didn't ken the lass, fury rampaged through Colin at such injustice. Women should be treated with the utmost respect and care. "Hell. I hope he arrives soon. I want to personally run him through."
"Not if I get to him first."
***
After Blackburn MacCromar's small army had traveled for several hours at a moderate but steady pace so as not to tire the horses overmuch, Kristina felt the morning sun's warmth on her back. Indeed, they were heading northwest.
Around midday, the pace slowed and they drew up.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"'Tis a wee village." Ralston helped her dismount. "The chief is approaching."
Not knowing what to expect, she tensed.
"I need to have a word with both of you," Blackburn said.
Hating him more each time she heard his voice, she ground her teeth.
