Page 20 of The Laird's Dark Obsession

His eyes were wild and holding too much emotion for Hunter to look at for long. He knew his actions were affecting others, but until all was settled with Kira, he couldn’t waste his time on it. Instead of barking at Calum though, he only shot him a warning glare to not say anything more.

Rory Barclay and his predecessors were known for their wealth, their feasts, and their political games. They would fund battles and wars, change sides, and manipulate trades, but they weren’t exactly fighters. To release Kira back to them, it would makeHunter look like an absolute joke of a Laird, and all of his work would be for naught.

“I have to marry her.”

Calum’s first response was spitting out his freshly poured whisky. His friend stared back at him, gawking at him as if he had sprouted an extra head. A long, tense silence followed until Calum finally muttered, “Ye cannae be serious.”

Hunter sighed and stared down into his own drink before polishing it off. “It’s the only way to legitimize possession of her.”

“We dinnae need to possess her,” Calum retorted.

“We do at this point. We are in too deep. We were the moment I took her from Barclay,” he said plainly.

Hunter was a fool for ever starting this plan of revenge, but he wasn’t about to let it blow up in his face without trying to mitigate it.

“It will strip Fairbairn of their most valuable asset, Kira—the lone heir who was no doubt being married into Barclay for political and monetary gain. And it will force Barclay to retreat because he will have nay more claim on her. Even if he likes Kira, he cannae do anything once she’s a married woman.”

Calum shook his head vehemently. “Ye’re nae thinking clearly, Hunter. I fear that she clouds yer judgment.”

He wasn’t wrong. Hunter wasn’t exactly a fan of the idea himself. While through foolishness or sin, Hunter had often dreamt of marrying Kira, of possessing her completely and her being his and his alone—life wasn’t as simple.

Kira was a weakness for him; he couldn’t keep her locked away in a little cage to do with as he pleased and then tuck away until he wanted to hold her again. She didn’t leave his mind so clearly, she was a pervasive thought that seeped into every corner of his life. He couldn’t even handle her being in his Keep as a prisoner with rationality, let alone as a wife. How on earth was he going to navigate being married to the woman he longed for and despised the most?

“Think about this more, Hunter. I beg of ye,” Calum pleaded. “There is more at stake than ye realize.”

“I ken what’s at stake,” Hunter bit.

A soft knock was on the door and he called for them to enter. If it was a guard with more news, he needed it then so that he and Calum could talk through their options.

Only, it wasn’t a guard.

A slender form with white-blond hair appeared, her eyes hooded and bashful as she took a couple of steps inside. He tried notto take in the shape of her womanly form with the way the bodice hugged her torso and accentuated her narrow waist. He also tried not to notice how well the dark green and blue tartan looked on her.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Kira said, her hands clasping together at her front. “I came to see if we could take a walk together, my Laird. Perhaps we can reach an understanding together if we talked.”

The way his heart stirred unsettled him. She was using the only hour she was given out of her room, and still wasn’t sure when she could have another, to see him. Of course, it was for her benefit but… Still. She could have chosen to wait for him to come see her again or send word that she wanted to speak with him. Instead, she sought him out when she didn’t have to.

“Very well,” Hunter said, standing from his desk. He didn’t bother to look at Calum, knowing all too well the are-you-kidding-meexpression that would be on his face. “We will talk later,” he murmured to his friend as he passed.

Hunter and Kira sauntered into the corridor and almost immediately, her hand was resting on the inside of his elbow as if he were about to escort her on a stroll. He gave her a hard glare and she looked away bashfully, withdrawing her hand.

“Right, sorry. How would ye prefer us to walk? I dinnae wish for this walk to cause ye any problems.”

Immediately, he placed her hand back on his arm and gave a nod to the guards that they were dismissed from tailing her. There wasn’t any good way for them to walk together without people talking about it, but since he was considering taking her as his bride, it seemed negligible.

Deciding to get away from prying eyes and ears, Hunter guided them outside to walk the paths of the garden so they could talk privately. Warmth radiated from her and he had to consciously tell himself to pull her to his side. She cleared her throat and looked up to him as she started talking, though he was already staring down at her.

“I suppose this is a little awkward, isn’t it? To try to have a civil conversation after all this time at one another’s throats,” she said, a little chuckle in her tone. “But I want ye to ken I mean this. I want to have a talk with ye that is real and true. Without guarding ourselves. I think it’s the only way we can reach any sort of arrangement that we can both be happy with.”

He cocked a brow. “Do ye believe yerself to be in a position as such? Ye are nae a guest here, Kira. Ye’re my prisoner.”

“Perhaps right now, but we can work together. I dinnae ken if ye believe me when I say it, but I too wish to see my faither taken down. Surely a common enemy can unite us in some way?”

Her glacial blue eyes were bright right then, not clouded by anger and retribution. And her hand squeezed his arm when she saidunite us. Immediately, Hunter was suspicious that she was trying to manipulate him, but he was far too curious to see justhow much bolder she would get if he played coy for the time being.

“What do ye propose?” he inquired.

“I will write down all that I ken about my faither and his work. I even ken some of his trade agreements with the other large clans in the Highlands. And whilst ye verify the information to be truthful, I have this routine time out of my room. Perhaps a meal here or there with ye or Edine. Then, once it is verified, I can live freely here until yer revenge on him is complete. I will nae run if I have nothing to run from, Hunter.”