Page 22 of Taken By the Savage Highlander

“I think that if I were allowed, I might enjoy doing nothing but napping all day,” Margo mused, laughing at the way the two that weren’t being fed were apparently squabbling over which of them would be fed next. “Their blanket is incredibly soft, and they get to sleep right next to the hearth. I do not think I can blame him for lying around.”

Tilly laughed quietly, and the room fell silent as they fed the kittens. Once all five of them had eaten, the women supervised them until they slowly began falling asleep. Eleanor was the first to begin scooping them up and tucking them in their blanket. Then, she looked at Margo, her eyes narrowing.

“You do look tired, Margo,” she said after a beat. “Tilly is right. You should get some rest.”

“I will as soon as you leave me be,” Margo teased, laughing when Eleanor stuck her tongue out in protest.

“We will get out of yer space,” Tilly said, placing her hand on Eleanor’s shoulder and gently leading her toward the door. “If ye need anythin’ at all, just call for me.”

“Of course,” Margo said, staying on the ground until they had left the room.

Instead of going to her bed, she crawled over to where the kittens were asleep. Resting her head on the blanket, she stared up at the ceiling. She was beginning to drift off when she heard movement in the adjoining room.

Almost immediately, her eyes shot open. She wondered if she should go to him and demand he explain what happened. The only thing stopping her was her own confusion, her own frustration at the tangled web of emotions in her mind.

What just happened to me?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cameron could not stop himself from thinking about Margo’s lips. Even now, as he lay in bed, the memory of the warmth, the plushness, how easily she responded to him, haunted him like an ancient spirit. Even the wind howling outside seemed to mirror the storm inside his chest.

If I hadnae stopped when I did, I would have ruined her.

As he rolled over, ready to attempt to rest once more, thunder cracked, and the sky seemed to open up. Then, from down the corridor, there was commotion. Before Cameron had a chance to leave his bed, someone screamed.

His mind snapped to the worst-case scenario. He was on his feet in a second, throwing on trews as he grabbed his weapons. When he darted out to the hallway, Margo was already standing there.

“The storm,” she said, her eyes wide, focused on something at the end of the corridor. “It’s… It’s as if the Land is angry.”

“Get back in yer chambers,” he barked, cursing when he followed her gaze.

A wooden shutter had been blown off of its hinges, the oak splintered from the force of the storm winds outside. Water was being blown in, a small puddle already forming. Judging by the sound of the commotion at the rest of the castle, this wasn’t the only damage the building had sustained.

“Me Laird,” Gavin said breathlessly from behind him. Another crack of thunder rattled the entire structure, and the doors seemed to shake on their hinges. “A tree has fallen on the kitchen storage area.”

“A tree?” Cameron asked, stepping past Margo, who was still standing in the corridor, her head swiveling between the two men. “From the wind?”

“Aye, I havenae seen a storm as strong as this in years,” Gavin said. The entire corridor lit up with the bright lightning raging outside. “The Land’s been angry this season.”

“It seems so,” Cameron said, running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face. “Someone must ride to the village. If the castle is takin’ this kind of hit, then they must be sufferin’ even worse. We must prioritize the fishin’ stores.”

“I will gather a crew of men,” Gavin said before turning on his heel and rushing away.

“I will help fortify the castle,” Margo said, not backing away from Cameron when he turned his attention to her.

“Nay, ye willnae,” he practically growled. Thunder cracked again as if to punctuate his point. “Ye will stay in yer chambers where it is safe. Watch over yer kittens. Bring Eleanor into yer room. The storm is dangerous.”

He did not give her a chance to respond, already heading toward the kitchen stores. The situation there needed to be assessed, and the food moved to a dry part of the castle. He was already trying to put a plan together. The roof would need to be secured, and the debris cleared.

Ach, it will be a long night.

When he walked into the kitchen, the staff was already working dutifully. Maids and kitchen assistants were carrying dry goods into the Great Hall. The cook and several of the guards were already clearing away the broken stone and slate. He approached the group and began working with them, seeing that they had already triaged the situation.

“Report,” Cameron said as he assisted them to pick up a heavy piece of the roof.

Water lashed down on them, the sky twinkling with constant lightning strikes. The wind coming into the castle was icy, though the ambient air was warm and thick like bathwater. The several seconds that he and the cook were outside were enough to soak them through.

“The tree came down about five minutes ago,” the cook said, nodding at the thick trunk that had crushed the corner of the room. “It missed most of our dry goods, but the rain may have ruined some of our stock. I have the staff movin’ all of it to somewhere more sheltered. I will see if I cannae use what has been rained on in our next meals when we get this sorted.”