Page 17 of Highlander’s Vengeful Seduction

Donal had to admit that he was worried, too, although he could hide it better than Vanora. Perhaps mere concealment was not the right word for his actions and thoughts. He was suppressing his worry, his fear that he would soon be facing the gallows because facing the truth was more than he could handle.

It wasn’t death that he feared so much—although he did have a healthy fear for it, just like any other young, healthy man. He was mainly worried about his parents, who would have to bury another son and their only remaining heir.

His mother would be especially devastated, even more so than she was now. Losing one son had torn her apart, but at least she still had Donal to care for, even though he was a grown man by then. Losing him, too, would kill her; that much Donal knew.

Then again, the laird couldn’t simply kill him, not without a trial, and certainly not without the Cameron clan hearing about all the events that had happened at Castle Sween. His clansmen were bound to come rushing to the castle once word would reach them that he was imprisoned by Laird MacMillan.

He was the future laird of the Cameron clan. His imprisonment and potential death would not go unnoticed.

Donal was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard heavy footsteps slowly approaching them. Vanora quickly let go of his hands and schooled her expression to one of hatred, eyes narrowed and throwing daggers at him.

It was a guard, and they both knew it.

The man soon appeared by Vanora’s side, looking at the two of them suspiciously. It wasn’t one of the guards who had dragged him down there, but Donal recognized him, though he could not remember the man’s name.

Suddenly, Vanora spit in his face. Donal was left with one eye closed, trying to keep the spit out before he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

“Ye are a despicable, hateful, wretched man!” Vanora shouted before she stormed off. Donal watched as she disappeared in the shadows, trying to suppress the fond smile that was threatening to spread over his face.

He had fallen in love with a clever woman. If they had any future together, it was going to be a difficult one for him, though still preferable over the gallows.

The guard began to walk away without a word, his suspicion gone. He didn’t leave the basement, staying by the door, instead, but that didn’t bother Donal. As long as he had some peace and quiet—and he knew that he was going to get plenty of that in that cell, what with being plunged in darkness and having no people around him—he could try to come up with a plan to escape.

He couldn’t wait for his clansmen to come and rescue him, especially if they were planning to do so with diplomacy. No, he had to get out of there as soon as he could, as the longer he stayed in that cell, the more intricate the web of lies that Vika had been spinning would become. He couldn’t let her portray him as a rapist and a killer, and he certainly couldn’t let her simply get away with the death of his brother.

He was going to escape, and he was going to bring the truth to light.

Chapter Nine

Vika smiled to herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair, arranging her blonde locks in an intricate updo. She knew that she would be seeing Angus and wanted to look her best. Donal’s arrest had put her in high spirits, and she could finally begin to focus her attention and efforts on Angus instead.

She had known what Donal’s intentions the moment he set foot in Castle Sween. Vika was one of the few people, it seemed to her, that knew the real cause of Ronald’s death. The only reason she knew was that she had received a letter from him as a response to her rejection, telling her that he would take his life, and that she shouldn’t try to stop him. He had made up his mind, Ronald had written, and if she didn’t want him, then there was no reason to keep on living.

Vika didn’t try to stop him. She didn’t see a reason for it.

Ronald’s death was all she needed to be freed of him. Their romance had been good while it had lasted. Vika thought that she could have a real future with him—at least until Angus began to show interest in her.

Perhaps Angus was not as handsome as Ronald. Where Ronald had fiery hair, like his brother, eyes that reminded Vika of the calm ocean, a strong jawline and a charming smile, Angus had a mop of unruly black hair; pale, distant blue eyes, and baby fat still clinging to his cheeks.

He was not as handsome as Ronald. He was more powerful, though, and he would soon become the laird of the MacMillan clan. Vika would be damned if she was going to let such an opportunity go wasted.

The moment that news of Ronald’s death reached Castle Sween, Vika used it as an opportunity to get closer to Angus. One night, when it was late, and the hallways of the castle were empty, illuminated only by the fire from the torches, she ran to his chambers, claiming that she needed a shoulder to cry on. She told him how devastated she was by the news, and how good friends they were. She was not surprised in the slightest when Angus believed every word that came out of her mouth.

They were coated in honey, and Angus was like a fly, trapped in them.

That was the very night when their affair started, though Vika could hardly call it that. The most she had given Angus was a peck on the lips, sweet and shy like she was supposed to be. It was plenty for Angus, though. Vika knew that she had him hooked, a prisoner to her charm and beauty.

She was going to be the laird’s wife.

At least, that was until Donal arrived at the castle. Even though Vika knew that his sudden arrival must have had something to do with the death of his brother, she also knew that Donal was nothing but a man—a man who, just like every other man, cared little about anything else but women.

Marrying a laird had always been Vika’s goal, ever since she was a small bairn, and that was why she had chosen Angus. With Donal there, right within her grasp, she didn’t see a reason why she should settle for Angus. The MacMillan clan was powerful, but not nearly as powerful as the Cameron clan.

Besides, Donal’s looks reminder Vika of Ronald, and she had to admit that she had always been quite fond of the brothers’ features.

When Donal began to ask questions about his late brother, Vika knew that he was suspecting someone of foul play. There was nothing more logical to her than to blame her own sister, who had already broken the hearts of several men, even though she didn’t know it. Men had always loved Vanora in a way that they had never loved Vika, and if she could get rid of her sister and marry Donal at the same time, then she would be killing two birds with one stone.

The only problem was that Donal did not seem to be interested in her, and that infuriated Vika more than anything. She, too, was beautiful and clever, and yet Vanora was getting all his attention and affection, leaving none for her. She had never understood why she could not compete with her sister. The moment Donal rejected her, she decided that she would ruin his life, too.