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“Yes, me laird,” a member of the council replied, “since we were able to get through the castle, we have gained ample resources.”
“That is good. Ye all ken we only raided the Gilmor clan in a way of defense; they attacked us first. I hope our motives are known to our people,” Christian reiterated, not wanting anyone to think that he was a cruel laird who was looting other clans and killing innocent people just for the sake of some money.
Eric had tried attacking the MacPherson clan once, and even though they had stopped the attack, he and his army had managed to escape, but forgiveness was something not in Christian’s nature. He knew he would never be able to let go of this until he extracted revenge from Eric for even thinking about attacking his clan, and now Christian had finally done it.
“The people ken, me laird. They all ken ye are both just and kind and would never do such a thing for any other reason but defense,” the council member replied.
“The people of our clan think so, but my reputation in the rest of Scotland is still…abysmal,” he replied, not sure if he wished to change it. Up until today, he hadn’t given a second thought to what people thought or believed about him, but today, he had been forced to think. When he had seen fear flash in Keira’s eyes at the mention of his name, he could not help but wonder if he was truly an awful person who deserved to be feared. The people of his clan respected him, for they knew him, but everyone else simply looked at him as fierce and lethal.
“Does it even matter to ye what other clans and people think?” Josh asked, knowing perfectly well that Christian did not care about other people’s opinions.
“It does nae,” he finally replied. “Now, what is the matter that concerns ye all?”
“Ye ken very well what the matter is, Christian,” Josh said, stepping forward. If there was someone in the whole world who could talk to him this freely and without fear, it was Josh alone. No one else had this privilege.
“I do nae,” he feigned ignorance, even though he knew perfectly well what they meant.
“Ye have kidnapped Eric’s betrothed, and ye and I both ken very well what that means,” Josh answered, saying it out loud. Right now, he was simply trying to ignore it until he absolutely did not have to.
“What does it mean, Josh?” he asked nonchalantly.
“It means war, Christian. Ye have kidnapped his woman, the lass he was going to marry. That is a direct attack on his honor and the honor of his clan.”
“I do nae care,” Christian replied, standing up and pacing the length of the hallway. Josh was right, and what he had done was terribly wrong. That had not been their motive, but he couldn’t have left her there to die, and he certainly did not regret his decision even for a second. Eric did not deserve her. A man like him did not deserve anyone.
“Ye will have to care, me laird,” a council member said. “This means we are all in danger.”
Christian turned to look at the man with an amused smile on his face. “Do ye truly think that our clan cannot fight the Gilmor army?”
“That is nae what I meant, me laird. I only meant that our clan and soldiers will be forced to go through another battle for nae reason at all,” the council member replied hesitantly as his gaze landed on Christian’s thunderous expression.
“I did nae come here to ask ye all what do ye think about me bringing home a woman who was clearly abused by Eric in his castle. I think ye all are forgetting that she is the daughter of a laird and was clearly being held against her will in that castle. I have merely rescued her. If ye do nae understand that, that is yer problem nae mine. Keira is nae going anywhere,” he replied angrily, making sure everyone knew he meant every word of it. She was truly not going anywhere.
“She is still his betrothed, Christian,” Josh reasoned, and Christian took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew they were all thinking about the benefit of the clan, but he could not care less. But he could not return Keira to Eric. He would die before doing that.
“She is under my protection now, and I do nae care if she is his betrothed or nae. All I care about is that the young lass was clearly in a lot of pain with nay one to help her, and she has finally found an escape from that hell. I will not return her to him,” Christian replied with finality ringing in his voice.
“Eric will think we are holding her for ransom when that is clearly nae the case. We do nae need his money,” Josh added, still trying to reason with Christian.
“I do nae give a shite about what Eric thinks,” Christian shouted, no longer trying to control his anger. “Keira needed me help.”
“Perhaps we should return her to the Laird O’Donelly,” a council member added. Of course, they were going to suggest that. Although, he could not even let her return to her father without knowing if he was good to her or not. He would need Keira to open up and tell him the truth before he made any decisions about her fate, and until then, she would remain with him.
“I will need to ask her about that. Before that, she stays here,” he replied, finally calming down. “I do nae want anyone suggesting to me that we should return her to Eric or even so much as thinking about such a thing. I will not see it happen before my eyes.”
“But Christian, that would be the best course of action,” Josh added, and Christian finally lost all his temper.
“She is mine! Do ye understand, Josh? And everyone else? She is mine, and she is nae going anywhere, anywhere at all. If someone even touches her or invites Eric to take her back, or behaves rudely toward her, I will deal with the matter myself. She. Is. Mine.”
Christian turned to look at the astonished faces all around him and realized what he had just shouted in his fury without realizing what he was even saying. He had confessed in front of everyone that Keira was his. He himself was confused for several seconds, simply trying to grasp what he had just said. He simply wished to protect her from everyone. Even the clan, and perhaps this was the best way to do it. To make sure everyone knew she was staying here as per his wishes.
They all backed away and nodded, shock evident in their expressions. It was the first time they had seen him so worked up over a woman, but he was not going to remedy it. He turned around and walked out of the hallway, a sense of belonging filling his heart.
Keira was his—even if he didn’t know what that meant or how it had come to this.
CHAPTER5
It had beena week since Keira had arrived at the MacPherson castle with Christian, and she still hadn’t stepped foot outside of her bedchamber. The only person she had met was Christian, who had been here when she had first woken up. She had often seen him just outside her door whenever Harriet came in or went out, but he had only come to sit by her or meet her a couple times.
