Lena grinned. “Let us rescue my brother and his men, and ride to gain the support of the lairds,” she said in answer.
They moved past the guards and rushed down the narrow, winding passage to the dungeon door. Alex threw it open, and as they entered the room, Lachlan, who was tied with his arms above him to a hook in the ceiling, jerked his head up and gaped at his sister. He turned a furious gaze upon Alex. “Why do ye allow my sister to be here? Ye risk her life!”
Lena strode up to her brother as Alex and his men, who had come up behind him, watched. She lifted up her skirts and surprised Alex by producing a dagger, which she deftly used to cut her brother down from his holds. Lachlan towered over her, but Lena tilted her head back and looked up at her brother. “Ye’re welcome,” she said, the smirk Alex could not see evident in her tone. “And just so ye ken, I am strong, and I will fight by my husband’s side always, nae cower hidden away in some castle.”
When Lachlan looked toward Alex, Alex nodded. “Yer sister is much like yer wife now.”
“God help us both,” Lachlan muttered with a laugh.
“God already helped ye,” Lena countered. “God blessed ye both with strong women. Now let us rescue the rest of the MacLeods.”
It required both land and a new title to convince Laird Grant to break with the Steward and rejoin the king. It also entailed a promise from Alex and Lachlan that they would ensure the king would nae take back the land once more, and if he did, they would offer land of their own to replace what the king took. The negotiations were not complete until dawn, so as the sun rose, Lena found herself riding hard by her husband’s and her brother’s sides toward the castle of the Fraser hold, which rose in the distance.
As they neared a narrow bridge that was the only passage to the castle, Alex halted them abruptly. Lena did not need to ask why. In the middle of the bridge stood a lone man, his feet spread apart and a sword in hand.
Lena’s chest filled with fear as she recognized Thomas. “What is he doing here? Do ye think he came to warn his father of our arrival?”
Alex shook his head. “I think he found the guards and Lachlan gone, and deducing what I might be doing, came here for me.”
Lena frowned. “For ye? But why?”
“Retribution. He blames me,” Alex replied as he dismounted.
“What are ye doing?” she demanded as she scrambled off the horse after her husband.
“I must face him, Lena.”
“Alex, nay! He could kill ye!”
He shook his head. “Nay. Trust in me, as I trusted in ye,” he replied, withdrawing his sword. He looked past her to his men and said, “It dunnae matter what occurs, ye kinnae interfere.”
Lena gasped. She grabbed his arm as he started away. “Alex!” When he turned to her, she kissed him hard. His free hand slipped to her neck. “I love ye, Alex.”
“And I love ye, lass. Dunnae fash yerself. All will be well.”
Tears blurred her vision as she watched her husband stride away and meet Thomas in the middle of the bridge. They spoke for a moment, and then both men raised their swords and, in a blur, a battle began. Each strike of steel against steel made Lena jerk and shot fear through her. Alex struck a blow to Thomas’s back, but Thomas countered with one to Alex’s injured arm.
Grunts of effort, clashing metal, and Lena’s ragged breathing filled the silence. Her brother, his men, and all Alex’s men had dismounted, and they stood around her. Her fists were curled tight in fear for Alex’s life, and her nails cut into her skin. The men battled dangerously close to the edge, and when Alex fell backward, half on the bridge but with his back and arms dangling over it, Lena screamed and started toward him, only to have her brother grip her arm.
“Nay, Lena,” Lachlan said.
“Release me!” she wailed. “Thomas will kill him!”
“Nay,” Donald said. “See there!”
Alex drove his fist upward into Thomas’s mouth, eliciting a howl of rage from the man. In a blur, Alex rolled to his side to come up over Thomas, who he knocked backward. Thomas was now the one on his back dangling off the bridge. He brought his sword up to strike at Alex’s head, but Alex blocked him and the sword slipped from Thomas’s hand, falling through the air into the water below.
Alex panted as he stared at Thomas, both of them heaving with effort. Sweat dripped from Alex’s forehead, and his injured arm burned from holding Thomas down.
“Kill me!” Thomas demanded, spitting blood.
Alex had thought he wanted to after what Thomas had attempted to do to Lena, but he saw such familiar pain in Thomas’s face that all the rage left him.
“Thomas,” Alex said, his voice ragged. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I did nae return in time to save ye. I’m sorry I failed to defend ye.”
“I kinnae live like this any longer,” Thomas said, misery lacing his words. “Please end my pain. I’ve done things—” he shuddered “—horrid, awful things. I’m nae the boy ye once called yer friend.”
Alex gripped Thomas’s forearm. “Neither am I, Thomas. Gillis killed those boys. Ye can change. Ye can be happy.”
