When a Laird Loves a Lady (Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts Book 1) by Julie Johnstone Page A
Authors: Julie Johnstone
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motioned to Angus behind him, gesturing
for him to flank Marion’s other side. The Scot gave a nod, but as he moved to
do so, a man came out of the mist with his sword swinging in a high arc.
Instinctively, Iain reached for Marion to shove her behind him, but she hurdled
forward with a shriek. Iain felt his jaw drop as his heart tripped over itself.
He yanked Marion back with a roar as the knight’s sword came within a hairsbreadth
of cutting her.
For a moment, Iain could not move.
Everything around him seemed to fade away as he stared at the material of her
gown. He half expected the material to suddenly gape open and for blood to gush
out. When nothing happened, relief flooded him, even as crazed anger consumed
him. He wasn’t sure if he was more furious at Marion or the fool knight who’d
almost killed her.
He snapped his gaze to the
man—Marion could be dealt with later—and took one step to close the distance
between them. He was young, his face blanched, eyes wide, and hands trembling.
At any other time, Iain may have taken pity on him, but if the fool had possessed
a truer aim, Marion would have been bleeding to death right now.
He deflected the oncoming sword
with his forearm, grabbing the hilt of it as the knight swung low by Iain’s
hand. The man tried to pull back, but Iain easily took possession, swung the
sword swiftly upward, the steel slicing through the air with a hiss, and
pointed the tip at the man’s throat.
“Ye almost killed my wife,” Iain
growled.
“Your wife?” The man glanced at
Marion, who nodded.
His eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“I would never harm Lady Marion,” the knight said and smiled at her in a way
Iain didn’t care for at all. As if there was something special between them.
And he wasn’t the first knight who seemed lovesick when he spoke of Marion. The
knight Andrew had sounded miserable when he’d said he’d failed to protect her
when she went missing, as if her loss was very personal.
Iain scrubbed a hand across his
face as the man met his gaze once more and sneered at him. “I was trying to
kill you .”
“I ken that,” Iain replied with a
nod. “’Tis the only reason I’m going to let ye live. That, and I want ye to
deliver a message to Baron de Lacy from the MacLeod.” When the knight didn’t
readily agree, Iain pressed the tip of the sword against his throat.
“Iain, please!” Marion cried.
“Peter is a good man!”
Iain narrowed his gaze on the
knight as he curled his fist tighter. He didn’t like that Marion was pleading
for the man’s life as if she cared for him, but then again, he didn’t want his
future wife to be uncouth, either. “Marion is mine,” he said, continuing with
his message for de Lacy. “If he’s bold enough to defy his king and come after
her, then tell him he should be ready to die. Ken?”
“I understand,” the man snarled.
“Good.”
With that, Iain hit the man with
the hilt of his sword, causing him to faint. As the man thudded to the ground,
Marion moved to Iain’s side and patted his arm. “Thank you for not killing
him.”
He glanced down at Marion, and his
chest tightened a bit. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, so he shoved the
confusion away. “Quit trying to save me.”
“You needed me,” she retorted, her
expression wounded.
He set his jaw. He didn’t know why
Marion thought she needed to protect him, but now was not the time to argue.
“Come on.”
Within moments, Iain, Marion, and
Angus had scaled the wall and slid down the ditch, plunging into the freezing
water once more. As they swam silently across, Iain could not take his eyes
from Marion to ensure she was safe. When they reached the
other side and he helped her out of the ditch, he felt her
body trembling violently.
“Are ye cold?” he asked, drawing
her to him with one hand and reaching down to help Angus with the other.
She nodded. “Yes, but also worried
about what will happen now.”
He could hear the fear in her
for him to flank Marion’s other side. The Scot gave a nod, but as he moved to
do so, a man came out of the mist with his sword swinging in a high arc.
Instinctively, Iain reached for Marion to shove her behind him, but she hurdled
forward with a shriek. Iain felt his jaw drop as his heart tripped over itself.
He yanked Marion back with a roar as the knight’s sword came within a hairsbreadth
of cutting her.
For a moment, Iain could not move.
Everything around him seemed to fade away as he stared at the material of her
gown. He half expected the material to suddenly gape open and for blood to gush
out. When nothing happened, relief flooded him, even as crazed anger consumed
him. He wasn’t sure if he was more furious at Marion or the fool knight who’d
almost killed her.
He snapped his gaze to the
man—Marion could be dealt with later—and took one step to close the distance
between them. He was young, his face blanched, eyes wide, and hands trembling.
At any other time, Iain may have taken pity on him, but if the fool had possessed
a truer aim, Marion would have been bleeding to death right now.
He deflected the oncoming sword
with his forearm, grabbing the hilt of it as the knight swung low by Iain’s
hand. The man tried to pull back, but Iain easily took possession, swung the
sword swiftly upward, the steel slicing through the air with a hiss, and
pointed the tip at the man’s throat.
“Ye almost killed my wife,” Iain
growled.
“Your wife?” The man glanced at
Marion, who nodded.
His eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“I would never harm Lady Marion,” the knight said and smiled at her in a way
Iain didn’t care for at all. As if there was something special between them.
And he wasn’t the first knight who seemed lovesick when he spoke of Marion. The
knight Andrew had sounded miserable when he’d said he’d failed to protect her
when she went missing, as if her loss was very personal.
Iain scrubbed a hand across his
face as the man met his gaze once more and sneered at him. “I was trying to
kill you .”
“I ken that,” Iain replied with a
nod. “’Tis the only reason I’m going to let ye live. That, and I want ye to
deliver a message to Baron de Lacy from the MacLeod.” When the knight didn’t
readily agree, Iain pressed the tip of the sword against his throat.
“Iain, please!” Marion cried.
“Peter is a good man!”
Iain narrowed his gaze on the
knight as he curled his fist tighter. He didn’t like that Marion was pleading
for the man’s life as if she cared for him, but then again, he didn’t want his
future wife to be uncouth, either. “Marion is mine,” he said, continuing with
his message for de Lacy. “If he’s bold enough to defy his king and come after
her, then tell him he should be ready to die. Ken?”
“I understand,” the man snarled.
“Good.”
With that, Iain hit the man with
the hilt of his sword, causing him to faint. As the man thudded to the ground,
Marion moved to Iain’s side and patted his arm. “Thank you for not killing
him.”
He glanced down at Marion, and his
chest tightened a bit. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, so he shoved the
confusion away. “Quit trying to save me.”
“You needed me,” she retorted, her
expression wounded.
He set his jaw. He didn’t know why
Marion thought she needed to protect him, but now was not the time to argue.
“Come on.”
Within moments, Iain, Marion, and
Angus had scaled the wall and slid down the ditch, plunging into the freezing
water once more. As they swam silently across, Iain could not take his eyes
from Marion to ensure she was safe. When they reached the
other side and he helped her out of the ditch, he felt her
body trembling violently.
“Are ye cold?” he asked, drawing
her to him with one hand and reaching down to help Angus with the other.
She nodded. “Yes, but also worried
about what will happen now.”
He could hear the fear in her
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