Page 122 of The Dragon Laird’s Obsession

Gordon had told her once that it had been his childhood chamber.

The place where he had slept when his uncle had raised him.

The thought made something inside her ache.

He survived here.

Ailis stepped inside, but before she could take another step, the door clicked shut behind her. A shadow detached itself from the darkness, and Ailis stopped breathing.

Kerr stepped into the faint glow of a low-burning torch. His smile made her stomach turn.

“Forgive me, Miss Ailis,” he said softly, his smile widening with mischief.

Ailis stumbled backward. “What are ye doin’ here?”

“I have waited a very long time for this moment.”

His gaze traveled over her with unsettling satisfaction. “The moment when I finally have ye to meself.”

A chill raced down her spine. “Ye need to let me go, Laird Kerr.”

She turned toward the door, but Kerr moved faster, and his hand caught her arm.

“Daenae struggle.”

Ailis jerked against his grip. “Let me go!”

His expression hardened. “Ye will get hurt, Ma’am, and it isnae me intention to hurt ye. Why would I want to hurt me intended?”

The word intended made bile rise in her throat.

What in the heavens is he plannin’?

He drew a dirk from beneath his coat. The blade caught the torchlight, making her freeze. Kerr lowered the weapon but did not put it away.

“Better.”

Her heart hammered. “Why are ye doin’ this?”

“Because I have been robbed of what was promised to me.”

His voice remained unnervingly calm. “Yer sister was meant to marry me. Then Rowan took her from me. And when that arrangement was broken, I was denied ye as well.”

“That doesnae give ye the right to take me.”

“I ken.” His smile returned. “That is precisely why I have waited.” He opened the door and turned to her again, his grip on her arm tightening. “Ye will come with me on yer own accord.”

Ailis tried to pull away from him. “I willnae.”

“Daenae make me hurt ye,” he warned in a sterner voice, and she swallowed hard again before finally letting him pull her out.

The hallway was empty as they walked. No servants hurried past, and no guards stood alert at the doors.

Ailis still heard the echoes of music from the grand hall, and she held onto the hope that someone would see them. She knew if she screamed, he would stab her before anyone got here.

“The castle is large and under guard. We willnae make it out of here alive,” she told him. “Laird MacLaren will come for me.”

Kerr laughed at that now and shook his head. “Nay one is comin’ for ye, Ma’am. Daenae worry. I have made sure of that.”