body, alarm ripped through her body. She froze and pulled back slowly.
Adlin’s face rolled to the side, deep in what appeared slumber.
“Adlin?” she whispered, uncertain.
“Unlikely he’ll answer, lass. After all, he’s good and dead.”
Mildred felt her heart stop when she turned eyes on Bruce and ten heavily armed Highland warriors.
Chapter Twelve
Hooded cloak obscuring half his face, Bruce grinned.
“You Didnae think any man could defeat yer wizard, aye?” The MacLeod laird spit on the ground and walked over, his heavy brown boots crunching on the rock. When he peered down, she swore his eyes glowed black. “You were never more wrong.”
Mildred tried to protect Adlin’s body but Bruce grabbed her wrist and yanked her away. With a loose nod at his men he pulled her aside while they grabbed Adlin and tossed him into the turbulent water below. Though she tried to scream her sounds were muffled by the MacLeod’s meaty hand.
When she tried to arch away, Bruce lifted and flung her over his shoulder. “The best thing about this is that the agreement is bound by magi. Everything he agreed to cannae be undone.”
Though she tried to scream nothing came out.
Bruce chuckled. “Binding spell, lass. Dinnae bother.”
It was hard not to stare in horror at Adlin’s body as the waves washed it out then slammed it back on the unrelenting cave rock. Pain shot through her chest and tears fell down her cheeks. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way something like this had happened so easily to Adlin? Wasn’t he immortal?
Or had she always assumed such.
Maybe magic alone had kept him so young.
When Bruce turned the corner and the cave was left behind, she started to flail.
“No,” Bruce grunted.
All went dark.
The next thing she knew dim light lit the pre-dawn sky and a MacLeod clansman crouched in front of her. With a creepy, half grin he nodded and yelled over his shoulder. “She’s awake. Just like he said she would be.”
“No,” she croaked and tried to blink the tiredness from her eyes. “Save him.”
The man cocked his head. “Save who?”
“Adlin,” she whispered. When she closed her eyes she could still see his lifeless body slamming against the rock wall.
“Adlin?” He frowned confused, before he understood. “Ah, you mean the other laird.”
With a hearty burst of laughter, he stood and called out. “She’s wondering about the MacLomain.”
Before she knew it three MacLeod’s stood over her. A different man looked down and said, “Three days out, lassie.” He spread his arms in the air and grinned. “They’ve been burning the burial torches over the whole of Scotland to mourn the passing of the great MacLomain chieftain.” With a wink he said, “Guess yer no bride of his now, aye?”
Extreme heat then nausea rolled through her but Mildred tempered it and stared right back. “Then I’m afraid very bad things are ahead for you.”
One man arched a brow. Another shrugged. The third said, “I think the worst is behind.” His lusty eyes traveled over her. “But is it for you?”
Instead of feeding into the fear she eyed her surroundings. “Where is Bruce?”
“Laird Bruce, to you,” one shot.
Mildred nodded, “Sorry, yes, laird Bruce.”
“Not here,” a clansman nearby offered.
“Nay,” the clansman who’d been there when she awoke agreed. “But he’s waiting for ye.”
“Where?” She frowned, pretending to look confused.
In reality, Mildred had a very good idea where she was.
But did they?
Even if the situation felt surreal, she’d never felt more alive. With a nod, she got to her feet. Unsteady, she stumbled a few steps. The men chuckled. After she looked left then right, she asked, “Which way?”
“To the MacLeod keep, lass, where you’ll spend your days being second best.”
Again they chuckled.
Mildred nodded and fell into to rank. A few led, a few were behind. That didn’t matter. What did matter was that they walked along a craggy cliff with the ocean on their right. If they were heading for Bruce’s castle the ocean would be on their left.
How did these men not realize they were traveling north and not south?
A small smile buried deep down inside, Mildred knew. She’d known the minute she’d looked around. They were walking along the very cliff she’d dreamt about for so long…which meant that Adlin was coming.
He wasn’t dead at all.
Not yet anyways.
As they trudged along she thought about the conversation they’d had just a few days past. How he’d wondered how well she truly understood the outcome of her dream. Elation started to blossom inside her as the winds gusted over the cliff wall. How