Page 43 of The Laird's Dark Obsession

The words sliced through Hunter more than any blade ever had. Kira’s arms wrapped around him, making him wonder if he looked as unsteady as he felt.

“Rory called him a traitor, and he confessed to it… But it was something about his maither. He fought until the very end, trying to keep me safe, Hunter.”

Hunter wasn’t sure how to feel or what to think. For a moment, he was numb. Some part of him had wanted to hear those words from Calum’s mouth himself and to give him a chance to explain, even if he couldn’t accept any apology that might have followed. To hear his mother was somehow involved made the betrayal make a little more sense, but… His mind reeled and he hugged Kira to himself. “Whatever he might have done today or in the past… I cannae make sense of. But I can still be grateful that he managed to keep ye safe. It’s over now, mo graidh.” His voice was gravelly with emotion.

Bitter laughter filled the air and Hunter turned to see Laird Fairbairn making his way toward them, holding his stomach as he laughed.

“Ye truly believe this is over?” he cackled. “It will never be over. Nae until Galbraith falls under my boot.” He stepped closer and Hunter’s arms tightened around Kira. She was shaking like a leaf at the sight of her father. “Yer faither should have kept his eyes on his future instead of on my land and perhaps none of this would have happened.”

“It is ye who owns the blame and has all this blood on yer hands,” Hunter bit. “Ye and yer greed for power and wealth.”

“My daughter belongs to me. And yer lands will bemine,” Fairbairn seethed.

“I dinnae!” Kira shouted. “I dinnae belong to ye. I was yer pawn long enough. And ye’ve never been a faither to me. I wantnothingto do with ye.”

Fairbairn’s laughter raised in pitch and his eyes were fixed on his daughter, wicked and cruel. “Ye’ve always been daft, Kira. Ye ken nae the world of politics and men’s business. Ye are too valuable to lose and any alliance that comes from yer marriage will be mine. One day, all the Highlands will bemineor my heirs’. The Fairbairn name will ring through the land, and praised by all. Ye are a Fairbairn, Kira—ye belong to me. Ye are my daughter, dammit! Or perhaps I’ll be back when she finally makes good on what women do and gives me a boy. An heir to both Fairbairn and Galbraith all for me.”

Hunter’s mind was drenched in red. No longer was he threatening Hunter’s present, but his future.His children.Hunter raised his sword high above his head and lunged forward.

Fairbairn had underestimated him. He knew he was hurt, he knew he was scared of losing his clan and Kira. But Hunter would never again see Kira as a weakness. Would never see the love of his people as a weakness. Like all the forces of naturegathered in this sword, Hunter brought it down at Fairbairn’s shoulder.

The man howled and sank to his knees, his eyes wide in shock. Hunter heard Kira’s gasp as he plunged his sword into the center of Fairbairn’s chest and pushed until it was driven straight through him. The vile man who had always hung over their heads like a puppetmaster fell onto the ground heavy and dead.

Hunter stared down as the man gargled on blood and let out his final breath of life, those light eyes that had never looked less like Kira’s going completely blank as they fixed on the sky.

At last, he had done it.

He had taken Fairbairn’s last breath, just like he said he would.

He hadn’t even realized his own breathing was ragged until Kira placed a hand on his chest. Slowly, he looked down at her, and all the rage and war drained from his spirit. There were only her tranquil blue eyes and her sweet scent that pierced through the metallic stench of blood that hung in the air.

“It’s finally over,” she whispered.

“Nae yet,” he murmured. Cradling her face, he brushed his nose against hers and continued to breathe in the smell of her until it filled him completely, soothing all the aches and pains of battle. “I should have said it back at the loch. Maybe I should have saidit when I first approached ye at the edge of Clan Barclay. Because I’ve always known it, even if I hated myself for it.”

His eyes locked with hers, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “I love ye, Kira. I’ve loved ye from the beginning. And I’m ready to leave the past behind and start our forever.”

Tears, finally ones of joy instead of sorrow or fear, filled her beautiful eyes. “I love ye too, Hunter. I love ye always and forever.”

The two kissed and embraced at the fall of the Fairbairn legacy and the shackles of despair that had always crushed them. Their mouths moved together and they clung to one another, fully embracing the moment. No matter how bloody it was, it was the start of their forever. A path would be forged with love and forgiveness instead of wrath and fear. He would be sure of it. For her.

Epilogue

Days later, the Keep was returned to normal and funerals were held the day before for all those who had fallen. Except for Kira’s father, who was laid to rest in an unmarked grave so that descendants couldn’t find him and unknowingly mourn a man who had brought such torment to the lives around him.

They sat in the Grand Hall for the first time since their wedding, and this time it was to celebrate the end of the feuds that had long since plagued the Galbraith Clan. MacDougal and Galbraith banners hung all around as decoration, MacDougal and his men present to celebrate together and to fortify their renewed bond in front of their people.

Kira and Hunter sat in the middle of the far wall, the same place they had overseen the feast for their union. Only this time, their chairs were pressed together from how close they were. Kira kept a hand on Hunter’s knee, not wanting him to go a second forgetting that she was there to support him. They had lost two dozen men in the battle, and each weighed heavily on Hunter’s heart. It would take time, and she would be there to help him through each moment.

A clanging of a goblet caught everyone’s attention and Kira’s eyes fell to the man. It was the new captain, appointed directly following the funerals the day before. Niall, a good man and skilled warrior from what Kira had heard.

“I ken this is a celebration, but I think it would weigh too greatly on my mind if I dinnae give my thanks to Calum.”

The mention of the name sucked the air from her lungs momentarily. So much had come to lie in the days following the fall of Fairbairn. They received word that Calum’s mother had been located in the dungeon of Fairbairn Keep. She had been there all that time, since before the attack on Galbraith years ago. She had been the leverage Fairbairn used to manipulate Calum to do his bidding.

“He was a good captain. He never missed training and was always a source of strength and motivation for us all,” Niall continued. “He died a hero. A man devoted to this clan more than any of us. Sworn to protect this Keep and our Laird. He defended our Lady and kept her safe until his last breath. And so, I wish to toast to Calum and to our new Lady Galbraith. May we all serve ye just as Calum had.”

“Here, here!” the room cheered.