endured eight days of captivity, all for rescuing his daughter, Anna had heard enough. “You are sorry?” she spat as she sprang to her feet. “For what? The death of my family, the loss of my home, or for wrongfully imprisoning an ally for a sennight?”
An unlooked-for blow sent her flying from her chair. The angry scrape of chairs, the furious voices as Duncan and his father shouted at the guard who attacked her, were all a muddle of nonsense as lights danced around her, her head throbbing. She tasted the metallic flavor of blood and felt the warmth of it on her face. A red haze fogged her vision.
Stumbling to her feet, she launched at her attacker. Using every bit of strength she could muster, Anna planted a kick between his legs, gratified to hear his grunt of pain. Grabbing his hair with both hands, she rammed her knee into his face. The satisfying crunch sent a spray of blood across her tunic. She twisted her body and uncoiled, throwing her weight behind an elbow strike, hitting the hinge of his jaw, just below the ear.
As he fell to the floor in a heap, she drew his dagger to finish the job.
“Lady Anna!” Duncan’s voice broke the haze of her fury. “Dinnae kill him. I wouldnae wish to see ye hanged for murder.”
Glaring at Duncan, Anna grabbed her fallen guard by the scalp and carved a four-inch long gash on his cheek as a reminder. The pain seemed to awaken him and he moaned. Dropping him to the floor, she stalked toward the entry.
“Lady Anna, please stay. We will see to yer wounds. Sit with us, finish yer meal. We wish to speak with ye.” The laird gestured toward the table and her empty chair.
Still in a rage, she managed to answer, “Thank you, my laird, but I seem to have lost my appetite. If you will excuse me, I will withdraw to the accommodations you have so graciously provided.” She took two steps toward the door when Duncan spoke again.
“Anna, I am sorry, he shouldnae have struck ye. He will be punished.”
Realizing she still had his dagger in her hand, she spotted a target board for darts on the wall. She hurled the dagger, hitting near the center.
“Tell your men not to touch me again. The next barbarian who does will die, consequences be damned!”
Slamming the door behind her, she staggered into the main hall. She ignored the stares and the thrum of voices, only making it a few feet before her faltering steps forced her to stop. She leaned against the wall, struggling to clear her head and right her balance. The laird’s words about her family, about her home, echoed in her mind. Angry tears burned their way down her cheeks. She wanted to lash out at someone, to scream.
A wave of dizziness swamped her. She gripped the wall. The buzz of conversation filled the hall, though she could not make out the words. As the dizziness eased, she assessed her injuries. A tender knot on the back of her head throbbed, but she detected no broken bones. She wiped the blood from her nose and mouth on her sleeve.
Her left eye began to swell, likely to be closed before morning. Her skin remained hot where his hand had landed, the sting still pulsing. The hammering in the back of her head felt as though a smith had set up shop. Controlling her breathing, Anna focused on letting the dizziness pass. Instead, it folded back, doubling in intensity. She took a ragged breath and slipped to the floor.
Duncan exploded with rage. The urge to protect Anna roared to the fore, stronger than ever. Only his father’s intervention kept him from killing Alain with his bare hands. Deaf to reason and dimly aware of Kenneth’s shouts, he fought his father’s grip as Alain stumbled through the door. The guard gone, Kenneth bade Duncan follow Anna to make sure she wasn’t seriously injured, ordering her moved upstairs for Nessa and Isla to tend.
Duncan charged into the main hall to find her and spotted a crowd surrounding something on the floor. Panic bolted through him, and he strode quickly to the crowd, pushing aside those in his way. His gaze fell on the woman kneeling at Anna’s side.
“She has fainted, sir.”
Duncan nodded his thanks and reached to smooth Anna’s hair from her face. He scooped her into his arms, drawing her to his chest, and carried her