nearly as white as Stuart’s.
Ciaran was aware of Marcus and Patrick standing huddled together, just watching, but he could not look away from Red. Red’s lips were pressed tight, and he blinked over and over as if he were in shock. The fear and disappointment were clear. He looked exhausted. Ciaran should try to talk to him, try to explain, but instead he turned toward Stuart, who now looked up at him, and said, “If ye try tae run, I will cut ye in half.”
§ § § §
Ciaran stood in his solar, staring at the fire as the council argued behind him. They’d ridden back to Lochwood Castle in total silence. Now here he stood, with the council yelling at one another. Or maybe they were yelling at him. He didn’t care. He was not changing his mind about Stuart. The man deserved to be in the dungeon. He’d betrayed his clan. The question was, how many other council members were in on it? He turned around and met Patrick’s gaze.
Patrick stood right behind the chair where Stuart sat with his head in his hands. Ciaran had asked Patrick to be here, to guard Stuart and for moral support. Patrick gave Ciaran a nod, letting him know he had his help.
Ciaran wasn’t sure how much help that would be, but he appreciated it all the same. Nodding back, he stepped forward, away from the fire, directing his gaze around the room at the council.
Maggie stood behind Ciaran’s desk like she had every right to be there, with her hands on the hardwood surface, yelling down Frasier, who stood across from her in almost the exact pose.
Sitting on the love seat, Gavin had turned his body sideways to pay attention to the main match in the room—Maggie and Frasier. Owen sat in the chair next to Stuart. When he caught Ciaran looking at him, he too gave a nod, then went back to watching the other inhabitants in the room.
Rubbing his temples, Ciaran said in a normal voice, “Silence.”
Gavin and Owen turned toward him. Stuart looked up from his woe-is-me act, and Maggie gave the desk one last thump and called Frasier a numpty, and yelled, “I’ll gie ye a skelpit lug!”
Despite his mood, Ciaran’s lips twitched. He’d love to see Maggie slap Frasier upside the head. He’d put his money on Maggie in that fight.
Frasier saw his reaction and immediately turned on Ciaran, jabbed a beefy finger in his direction, and said, “This is ye fault! Ye got those men killed. We told ye tae leave the MacLeans be.”
“Stop ye yelling. We can hear ye just fine, Frasier,” Owen said.
Surprisingly, Frasier seemed to relax a little. He still looked like a puffed-up rooster, but when he spoke again, his voice was more at a normal level. “Ye job is tae provide fer this clan, nae start wars.”
“My job is tae make sure the clan is safe, and that is exactly what I’ve been doing.”
“By starting a war with the MacLeans?” Gavin asked with a snort.
Ciaran ignored him. “I dinna start this with the MacLeans. They started it by killing our men. I will finish it.”
Maggie sighed and walked around the desk. She rested her hip on the edge of it and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked as tired and bone-weary as Ciaran felt. “Are we sure the MacLeans are working with this IN? Could they have been acting on their own?”
Ciaran shook his head, but before he could answer, Stuart interrupted. “Aye, they are workin’ together.” He sat up in his chair. He started to stand, but a hand on his shoulder from Patrick made him think better of it. He sat there and looked at each of them. When his gaze got to Ciaran, he lowered his eyes again. “I made a pact with the MacLeans tae keep the clan safe. If I gave them food tae help feed the men at the base, they would make sure that our clan was left alone.”
Ciaran stared at him with incredulity. “And ye believed this? Ye thought the MacLeans could protect us from the IN? Ye’ve seen what their weapons can do. Ye ken how many men we’ve lost tae them. Fer godsakes, this isna even about the MacLeans.” Though he would get revenge on the MacLeans as well.
Stuart looked up and met his gaze finally. “They have nae reason tae hurt us now. They have their land and their base, as ye call it.” The fool actually