Page 27 of The Best of Brenna Grant

She threw her arms around her husband-to-be. “Nay.” She paused to give him a thoughtful look, taking in the kindness and love she saw in his gaze. “I do not think I could ever get angry with you.”

Loki added, “I heard my sister say that, cousin.” He winked at him. “See if she says the same after you’ve been married for a few moons.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Heather is kidnapped.

Torrian slowed his horse as Loki drew up beside him, and Jake fell in directly behind them.

“You know where they are headed?” Loki asked.

“Not for certes, but there is a deserted hut not far from here. My guess is that’s where he’s taking her. He has four guards with him.”

Jake said, “He’ll post the four guards outside while he takes her inside.”

Torrian’s jaw clenched. He did not want to think about that, but Jake’s assessment made sense.

“Who is it?” asked Kenzie. “Who stole her? Ranulf, the whoreson?”

Torrian replied, “‘Tis not Ranulf. I saw him fighting at the rear of his warriors.” He wasn’t ready to reveal the name of Nellie’s sire and his suspicions just yet.

Loki snorted. “Somehow, ‘tis not a surprise that he hides in the back.”

“How should we handle this?” Torrian asked. Loki was well-known for his scheming and trickery while Jake had the most experience in battle since his sire was the infamous Alexander Grant. They would surely know better than he did.

“Your lead. ‘Tis your wife,” Loki said. “Trust me, when you see her in his hands, your fury will take over. I know.”

Torrian recognized the truth in his statement. “We’ll take the four guards out first. What’s your choice of weapons?”

“Put Kenzie and me in the trees,” Loki said. “We’ll play with them a bit first. They won’t even know what hit them before ‘tis too late.”

Kenzie giggled. “Aye, my sire taught me how to be really good with my sling, just like he was.” He patted Loki’s arm.

Jake nodded. “You hide in the trees, and Torrian and I will wait in the bushes until you get rid of two of them. Then we can take out the other two.”

A slow smile crept across Loki’s face. “Then whoever has your wife is all yours, cousin.”

“Just do not be too slow with this. I do not want him touching her.”

“Haste will get a knife in your belly, cousin. Be wise,” Jake added.

When they got close, they tied up their horses and crept toward the hut. The four guards were outside just as they expected. Jake found a spot to hide and pointed to a place where Torrian could take cover closer to the hut. Loki lifted Kenzie into a tree the perfect distance to shoot from, then found his own tree to climb.

He winked at Torrian just before he climbed his tree. “Do not worry, cuz. We’ll get her back.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Loki and Kenzie at their best.

Torrian watched as Loki wove his own special brand of magic, but this time with a co-conspirator, Kenzie. He heard voices from inside the cottage, but no words were audible. Oh, how he longed to see her.

The door opened and Dugald stepped out, addressing one of his guards before heading back inside. He dropped the bar in place loud enough to echo across the area.

Torrian ran his hand down his face. Somehow, seeing Dugald in front of him made it worse. He’d kill the whoreson with his bare hands. The only thing that kept him from running inside that very moment was the knowledge that Heather was in that bastard’s hands. He could do nothing that would endanger her.

“Ow!” Torrian heard the guard on the opposite side of the field slap his face. “Ian, what the hell did you throw at me? That hurt.”

The guard closest to Torrian turned to face the fool. “I did not throw aught. Stop your crying and pay attention.”