Page 31 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

Finally, after one last stone from the trap tumbled down the stairs, his grip on her loosened slightly, slowly. She missed the pressure of his body as he took a step back, the desire to take a step toward him so overwhelming she almost could not resist. And when his hand finally fell to his side, she felt the loss as if it were her own arm being taken away.

“What is this place?” she managed to ask when she found her voice a few seconds later. “I… I have never seen anythin’ like it. I’ve only ever read about them in tales.”

He considered her for a moment, his gaze sharp and assessing. If she were not so afraid of accidentally activating another trap, she might have stepped away or fidgeted under his scrutiny. Fear and the oppressive air that filled the passage held her firmly in place.

“These passages were built centuries ago,” Hendry said, his low voice echoing through the tunnels that stretched further than Aurora could see. The sheer size of the space threatened to crush her. “They are secret escape routes kent only to Anderson Lairds.”

Aurora’s breath caught, all at once feeling just how ancient this place was. The dust that swam through the torchlight likely had not been disturbed since the trap had been set. This was not a place that she was meant to be, hostile to her very existence.

“And… the…” She looked at the pile of debris, then back at him. “Are ye…”

“The traps remain active because nay one has used them for generations,” he said. Hendry took another step away from her, putting as much distance as he could between the two of them in the tiny corridor. “I willnae be deactivatin’ them. And ye willnae be enterin’ this place nor tellin’ anyone about it. Do ye understand?”

“Aye,” Aurora said, realizing that she was playing with her life now. It did not matter how curious she was about what lay further down this path. She needed to stay alive for Adair: defiance now was not worth it. “I willnae come back here, ye have me word.”

For a long moment, Hendry was quiet. He stared down at her, looking as if he could not quite believe that she had not argued. It looked as if he were contemplating questioning her further. Then, he grunted, offering her his elbow.

“Then I will help ye back to the library,” he said, the sharp edge of his anger dulled by her acquiescence. “I daenae want ye to come across any other traps.”

“Aye,” she said, holding onto him tighter when he urged her forward.

They did not share another word as he led her up the stairs. He carefully lifted her over the fallen stones, his strong hands steady. When they reached the top of the stairs, he expertly found the switch, and she realized that she would very likely have been stuck here if he had not found her when she did. As the wall slid out of the way, his gaze burned into her.

“I’m walkin’ ye back to yer quarters,” he said, his eyes flashing with something she could not quite read.

He doesnae trust me to actually return to me room. Does he truly think I will follow him again after that?

She could not help but wonder what exactly he was hiding. It was so fiercely protected that her curiosity gnawed at the edges of her better judgement. She knew that he would not just tell her if he asked. Going looking on her own, though… That could prove fatal.

Perhaps it must remain a mystery.

* * *

As soon as the door to Aurora’s chambers closed behind her, Hendry had begun walking down the corridor. He did not have a particular destination in mind, but he could not stay near her any longer. It seemed that now it only took a few minutes in her presence to completely scramble his mind.

He had regained control of himself, though. At least, that is what he told himself. And if he was not completely reigned in just yet, he was well on his way.

“Ach, what are ye doin’ to me, lass?” he whispered, turning down another dark, empty hallway.

Hendry had faced down disease, the potential annihilation of his clan, but nothing had thrown him off balance more than Aurora.

If she had been defiant, he wondered if his mind would feel as if it were being tugged in so many different directions. That much he was sure of. It was the fact that she had listened, that she had not put up the fight he had been expecting that had unsettled him. She was not as predictable as he had come to believe she was.

That made her dangerous. He could not plan for her responses. He had to run off of instinct and the quickness of his mind. He was not confident that his restraint would last, that he would not give in to the urges that made him feel completely out of control.

“I cannae stay here. If I stay here…” The words died in a growl that seemed to echo through the entire castle. He did not dare finish the sentence, could not stomach what speaking his desires aloud might mean. “I cannae.”

Rather than dwelling on the thought and letting his mind run wild with every terrible thing he wanted to do, Hendry left the winding hallways without looking back. The first slice of cool wind against his skin brought a new sense of awareness. He felt the way it clawed at his chest and bit at his ankles. His mind snapped to it, focusing on the way the cold played on his nerves, the icy sensations.

It was not nearly enough to quiet the noise in his head.

Every time he blinked, he saw her pale face staring back at him, the acceptance when he had ordered her back to her quarters. Each time his foot hit the ground, he imagined Aurora’s falling alongside his.

Chapter Fifteen

“Ican hear ye pacin’ around in there. I’ve brought ye a wee bit of tea.”

Hilda’s voice carried through the closed door, bringing Aurora to an abrupt stop. It was soft and tentative, as if the maid was prepared for Aurora to send her away. Aurora had not realized that anyone else in the castle was awake at this hour. If she had, she might have been more careful about concealing the sound of her footsteps.