Page 18 of Highlander’s Vengeful Seduction

Vanora didn’t deserve him because she lacked ambition. Donal didn’t deserve her, because why should he get to be happy when Vika would not?

At least she still had Angus, who was none the wiser when it came to her scheming. He was a lucky man, too. Vika was dolling herself up for him. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, one of her most prized possessions and something that had not been easy to acquire. Any man would be lucky to have her, she told herself. Any man should want to fight for her, kill for her.

That was precisely what Angus would do—once she had a few words with him.

Vika left her chambers in a hurry. She knew that Angus would be walking by the kitchen soon, on his way to the courtyard. The man was like clockwork, desiring nothing more than a walk around the grounds after a satisfying dinner. Vika had planned to find him there and corner him in the dark corners of a hallway that barely anyone else used.

She was proven right when she got to the hallway and saw Angus already there, making his way to the back, where a small door led to the courtyard. She put on her warmest, most charming smile, and hurried towards him, taking his hands in hers as a greeting.

For his part, Angus seemed ecstatic to see her, a huge, bright smile etched on his face.

“Vika!” he said, his voice hushed and low, as he didn’t want anyone to hear them. They had not officially announced their relationship, after all, and Angus did not want to do anything that could potentially tarnish her reputation. “What are ye doing here?”

“I couldnae wait to see ye, Angus.”

Vika pulled Angus closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tightly, as though she was scared that she would crumble if she let go. She waited until Angus had his own arms around her, hugging her protectively, like he always did, before she pulled back, just enough to look at him in the eyes.

“Ye were not at the supper,” Angus said. “Is everything alright?”

Vika hesitated. Her bottom lip trembled, and she bit down on it as she gazed at Angus. She shook her head softly, hands coming down to clutch onto his shirt with shaking fingers.

It took Angus only a second before he pulled Vika closer again, sheltering her into his chest. He hushed her softly, his lips pressing a gentle kiss on the top of her head, even as her locks tickled him.

“What is it?” he asked.

Vika took a few deep breaths before she finally spoke, but her voice was small and unsure still.

“It’s Donal…I canna keep him off my mind,” she said. “Every time I close my eyes, I see him, looming over me. I canna forget the moment he tried to take me so forcefully, I canna—”

Her sentence was cut short by a sob, and she buried her face in Angus’ chest so that he would not see her cry.

He could still hear her sobs, though. She made sure about that.

Angus hushed her once more. “I dinnae ken what tae tell ye, Vika. I wish I had been there earlier before he could get his filthy hands on ye. I wish I could have done something tae stop him before he could even look at ye. I’m sorry.”

“It isnae yer fault,” Vika assured him. “Ye couldnae have known; none of us could have. Ronald was such a good man, and tae ken that his brother is a…a…a monster! Tis appalling.”

“Aye, Ronald was a good man,” Angus agreed. “I thought that Donal wis the same, but I was wrong…I wis so wrong. I canna believe I thought of him as a brother. After what he did tae ye…what can I do tae make ye feel better, Vika? Anything ye ask of me, I will give it tae ye.”

Since Vika had her face firmly pressed against Angus’ chest, he did not see the gleam in her eyes when he said that, nor the smile on her lips. Vika schooled her face before she pulled back once more to look at him, and she did so with damp, wide eyes.

“Anything?” she asked. “Anything I ask of ye?”

“Anything.”

“I want ye tae kill Donal.”

That was a request that Angus had not been expecting, and Vika could tell by the way his eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he looked at her. Still, it shouldn’t have been that surprising to him, she thought. After all, he was supposed to protect his future wife from any threat, one of his best friends included.

“Are ye certain?” Angus asked. “Ye havnae killed anyone before, Vika. Ye canna ken the mark that leaves on someone’s soul. Even if I am the one tae kill him, it will weigh heavy on ye; ye must ken that.”

Angus had always been too sensitive for anyone’s good, but Vika had several ways of persuading him.

“I ken that,” Vika said. “Trust me, I widnae ask ye this if I didnae ken that tis the only way. I winnae feel safe if he lives, Angus…I will never feel safe, even if he is in the cell or far away from Castle Sween. I cannae live my life in fear.”

“Aye,” Angus said. “But I’ll protect ye, no matter what happens. He willnae come back if I have him imprisoned somewhere far away.”

Vika did the one thing that tended to upset Angus the most; she pushed him back, cowering into herself in the corner and wiping furiously at her tears as they streamed down her cheeks.