Page 8 of The Laird's Dark Obsession

Hunter had seen it clear as day on her face—she had wanted him to kiss her. How absolutely selfish of her to be able to betray him and yet still yearn for his affection. As if she deserved it.

Not at all taken by surprise, Hunter glanced up as his sister stormed into the room. She stood on the other side of the table, her hands pressed to its surface as she stared him down.

“Care for breakfast?” he queried nonchalantly.

His sister was the only person who saw the small parts of him that remained inside his hard shell. No matter how hard he tried to disguise himself in his role and duties, Edine brought out a side of him that he no longer recognized. Someone who could joke, albeit dryly, and someone who could feel things other than rage.

When he lifted a fork with a bit of pork speared on the end in her direction, she slapped it to the floor. “I talked to my handmaid after ye exiled me to my chamber,” she began. “She told me that there have been mutterings about ye arriving back to the Keep yesterday with that woman in tow.” Her eyes narrowed further. “What is going on, Hunter?”

He sighed and signaled for a servant to bring him another fork. Once they were alone again, he poked at his food and replied at last. “Just let me work and keep yer distance from her. She cannae be trusted, remember that.”

Edine slammed her hands on the table. “Dammit, Hunter! I thought ye gave up on all that revenge mess. Now ye’re kidnapping people?Her?”

He sighed heavily. “I never gave up on it. I will nae rest until the Fairbairn name is wiped from the Highlands. And Kira is nay exception. Especially when she’s as guilty as her faither.”

Edine shook her head and crossed her arms—a signature pose for his very bold, very stubborn baby sister. “Then what exactly are ye going to do with Kira? Why is she in the Keep instead of at the gallows?”

He answered plainly. “The Fairbairns have allies that would answer any blatant attack with war, without hesitation. Laird Fairbairn must be lured into weakness. Just like he did with our clan.” He pierced another piece of meat and held the fork upside down, letting it dangle and sway side to side. “Kira is the bait.”

Edine moved back from the table, as though he had struck her. She eyed him carefully, as though waiting for him to laugh or say anything else, but he simply let the words hang in the air. Hunter had protected his sister long enough and before long, there wouldn’t be any hiding his plans. She needed to accept the fact that their once beloved Kira was now nothing more than a rabbit in a snare, a worm on a hook.

Edine finally spoke, her voice quieter. “Then what plans do ye have for Kira exactly, then? Once she’s done being bait for her faither, what then? Do ye intend to kill her?” Her eyes narrowed in that annoying way, where she thinks she knows something she couldn’t possibly know. “Or will ye wed her and ensure the bloodline dies with her in old age?”

The Laird had been having a meal of nothing but salty meat and plain bread, but the taste in his mouth was sweet at the thought. Keeping Kira forever for himself, making certain that she remained locked away and all alone but for his company, never giving her an heir of her own…

Could he have such restraint? Would it be too tempting to watch her grow swollen with his bairn?

Hunter didn’t want to admit it, not even to himself, but he wanted her just as much as he despised her. He wanted to hold her, to ravish her, and to destroy her all at once. To keep her light just for himself, all the while longing to snuff it out for all the pain she caused him.

It was torturous to want a person with the same force as to hate them.

Just then a shrill scream filled the air around them, both of their heads whipping in the direction. His blood ran cold and he was on his feet in an instant.

Kira.

Kira couldn’t take another minute in that room.

Hearing the telltale shufflings and mutterings of guards outside, making a run for it wasn’t on the table. She went to the window and unfastened the latch. Peering out, she noticed a narrow—avery narrow—ledge that led to the tower. And on the tower, there was ivy she could climb down.

When she looked straight down, however, her stomach flipped. She was on the third floor and a fall from that height wouldn’t be pretty.

Kira shook away the thought. That didn’t matter. If she got hurt, at least it was in the name of freedom. As long as she could escape the lands of Galbraith, she would be okay. She could send word to Rory and he would come for her.

Her heart pounded. If she could be brave and make this attempt, she could be back to the comfort and ease of the Barclay Keep. Rory would protect her and one day soon, her stay there at Galbraith Keep will seem like a bad dream.

Hoisting herself up onto the window sill, she grabbed hold of the frame and lowered herself out onto the stone ledge. It was so narrow that her feet had to be turned sideways to manage, but it was fine. It would just take one careful step after another—

The moment she let go of the window frame, she lost her balance. A scream, sharp and shrill, escaped her from the fright.

Kira just barely managed to hold onto the ledge to keep herself from falling to her death. With her heart pounding in her ears, she scrambled to try to reach the window sill again, but she wasn’t strong enough to pull herself up to it.

Her fingers were numb already and she didn’t have to look down below to know that the fall from that height wouldn’t be pretty. Dammit all!

Would rosemary be the last thing she smelled as she fell to her death?

What would Hunter think when he found her body? Would he weep for her and the love they once had, or would he leap for joy that the wicked woman of his past was finally dead? More likely still was that he would curse her in death, hating her all the more for ruining his plans.

And even in knowing that, something in her heart cried out for him. Kira wanted to see him one last time, to try to convey with words or a look how remorseful she was for it all and how her love had always been true.