Page 62 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

“Ach, but wouldnae ye seem uncomfortable rather than giddy,” Sebastian said, clearly making an attempt to get a rise out of Hendry.

He supposed that he should be thankful that the other man was able to make jokes. It added to the level of normalcy that they were attempting to project. The room was filled with every great family in the Highlands. The sunlight streamed in through the tall windows, dust motes swimming in the golden rays.

There could not have been a more perfect day for a union, yet there was an unease in Hendry’s gut that he could not ignore. It was almost as if he was bracing for something unknown. He blamed it entirely on the report from Willy.

I amnae bracin’ for nothin’. Air this still only precludes violence.

“Ye are eager,” Fergus said with a laugh, looking out over the congregation. “I ken ye well enough to recognize it.”

A ripple of laughter made its way through the men. Hendry grabbed onto it, appreciating the moment of levity. He was aware that it could very well be the last moment before all hell broke loose.

The bells stopped tolling then, the sound echoing in the lofty ceilings above. When the last of the echoes stopped, the silence was almost deafening. The conversations stopped, and anticipation seemed to linger in the air. All of the eyes in the room shifted toward the closed doors, waiting for Aurora’s entrance.

Several minutes passed, everyone seeming to hold their breath as they waited. Hendry counted the seconds, each one that passed making his body coil even tighter with the terrible weight of the stillness. Then, the chapel doors slammed open, revealing Mrs. Duncan standing there.

Her face was pale, and there was a sense of wrongness that seemed to weigh her shoulders down. Before she could even step fully over the threshold, Hendry was moving. He did not need to hear the news that she had brought; he already knew what she would say.

“Lady Aurora is gone,” she said, her voice nearly a whisper, though with how quiet the room was, she might as well have yelled the proclamation.

Every single instinct in Hendry’s body sharpened at the confirmation. The world seemed to tilt, but he stood tall and steady. This was no time for his mind to be clouded, not when Aurora’s life was on the line.

“All the men in this room,” Hendry said, grabbing onto Mrs. Duncan’s elbows to keep her standing upright. “Ye will search the castle immediately. Yer goal is to find and secure Lady Aurora and to restrain any enemy actors.”

Hendry shifted Mrs. Duncan away from the doorway, keeping her from being knocked over by the rush of men filing out of the chapel with their weapons drawn. Each of them gave the directive their complete focus as if they were fighting for their own clan. They were good allies, all these relationships that Hendry had managed to forge despite his solitary nature.

“We must get ye somewhere safe,” he told the woman, continuing to shield her from the movement. “Ye will go with Bella. Ye look as if ye may faint. We cannae have that.”

Mrs. Duncan nodded, and Hendry looked back into the chapel. He spotted Bella, and with a jerk of his head, he beckoned her forward. She slipped through the crowd, maintaining a healer’s calmness as she approached them, though Hendry could see the slight tremor in her movements.

“Take Mrs. Duncan to me cabin,” Hendry instructed, transferring the woman into Bella’s grip. “Keep the door locked. Only allow those that are injured inside. I am trustin’ ye to handle this.”

“Aye, me Laird,” she said, standing tall as though she were one of the soldiers. “I will do me best, and I willnae allow anyone to die.”

“Good,” Hendry said before he turned away from the two of them. He spotted Willy approaching, his hand on his blade, his gaze sweeping the distance as he confirmed that there was no one fleeing. “They are in the tunnel.”

“Ye are sure, me Laird?” Willy asked. There was no doubt in his voice, only the solemn patience of a man waiting for confirmation of his next orders.

“Aye,” Hendry confirmed, his palm resting on the hilt of the sword that was attached to his hip. His eyes found Adair, who was standing next to his seat, his eyes wide. The boy seemed to settle when Hendry gave him a nod of acknowledgment. “When I sent the letter to O’Kingsley, I anticipated it bein’ intercepted. Instead of fightin’ the fact that someone was goin’ to have our information, I controlled what they had.”

“Ye forced them into the tunnels,” Willy said, a wicked smile finding its way onto his lips. “Smart.”

“Nae only that,” Hendry said, keeping his voice low so that the guests still in the chapel would not overhear him. “I have been strategic with the traps inside. I have restored each one as me ancestors designed them. One path alone remains open, and that path leads nay where. MacGonagal likely thinks he has us trapped, but we have trapped him.

“He is playin’ directly into our plan,” Hendry said, waving O’Kingsley, Fergus, Alasdair, and Sebastian over. When they arrived, he said, “Willy, ye will take Laird O’Kingsley, Laird MacKenzie, and Laird MacRaeh. Find every single MacGonagal guard, disguised or nae.” His eyes found Sebastian’s then. “I am entrustin’ Adair’s safety to ye. Ye are the only one I trust with him.”

“I willnae let ye down, me Laird,” Sebastian said, his stance becoming even sharper, his understanding of his role transforming him into Hendry’s sword.

“I ken ye willnae. I ken that nae of ye will let me down,” Hendry said. He shifted his gaze over the other men, all of them waiting for his word.

He held up a hand, signaling for them to stay where they were standing. With purpose, he walked over to Adair. Slowly, he crouched in front of the boy, noting the way he was breathing as if he were forcing himself to remain calm.

“Ye will stay with Sebastian,” Hendry said, enunciating each word slowly. Despite the fact that they were on borrowed time, he knew that Adaiir needed to be addressed. “Ye are strong, but I daenae wish to see ye in a fight, aye? Ye will leave that to Laird McGregor and me. Aurora will be incredibly disappointed if she gets back and finds that ye have injured yerself while tryin’ to protect her.”

“I ken,” Adair said, his voice surprisingly steady.

“Ye will behave as the soldier that I ken ye are,” Hendry informed him as he stood once more. “So ye will follow the orders of yer commander. Stay at Sebastian’s side and avoid conflict if ye can.”

Adair held his gaze, giving him a serious nod. Then, unexpectedly, he shot forward, wrapping his arms around Hendry. For a moment, Hendry stayed completely still, unsure of how to respond to the unexpected physical contact. He pushed through the discomfort, the unknown, and returned the embrace.