Page 52 of Enchantment of a Highlander

He stared up at the sky where the bird had flown off. “Ye escaped me this time with yer tricks, witch, but it willna happen again.” His gray eyes went wide. “I will find ye and I will kill ye.”

He dug his heels into his horse’s sides and a command erupted from his lips. The steed propelled forward, leaving Celia curled up on the dirt in silence.

Ruadh pressed his moist nose to the back of her hand where she’d wrapped her arms protectively around herself, but she did not move.

She lay there, trembling, panting, remembering too much of what she had wanted so badly to forget.

Those six months of her youth had been the longest of her life.

That red ring.

Those gray eyes.

He was the man who had locked her up as a child.

Her and Fiona.

A hard sob choked from somewhere deep, deep inside.

Ruadh lay his pointed nose near her cheek and huffed a breath of warm air onto her skin.

The man who’d killed Fiona would track down Celia as well.

The man was as tenacious as he was crazed.

If not in an hour, then a day, a week, a fortnight, a month perhaps. But he would be back and he would find her.

• • •

The swirling gray clouds overhead mingled with the onset of dusk and spit flecks of rain at Alec as he strode across the castle’s courtyard.

Another day without success.

Another day his people went unprotected.

Why the hell was he biding his time to avoid marrying Saraid when Celia had made it clear she did not want him?

But he knew the truth. He couldn’t bear to marry one woman while he thought incessantly of another.

Instead he’d focused his efforts on finding his father’s men.

He’d put out word that his father’s former men were needed. He’d even offered coin, yet every villager he asked averted their eyes and pursed their lips.

This could not go on much longer.

A tall, thin guard ran up to him when he reached the castle keep. “Laird, I must speak with ye.”

Alec’s stomach slid lower, but he nodded for Donnell to continue.

“Laird MacDougall came by looking for ye.”

Shite.

Alec kept his face impassive. “Did he leave a message?”

The man wrinkled his nose. “He wasna happy and when I told him ye werena here, he said he needs to see ye and wants ye at Aros posthaste.”

Alec had taken too long to consider the marriage proposal. He knew that. And now it appeared a visit to Aros was imminent.