Page 82 of The Laird who Craved her

She shook her head weakly, swallowing hard as she tried to force her frantic, shallow breathing to slow down into a steady rhythm.

"I daenae think so, me Laird," Molly whimpered, wrapping her arms tightly around her own shivering torso.

Finn rested one warm, calloused hand lightly against her trembling shoulder, anchoring her to the present moment while Douglas stood guard over them both.

"What happened here, Molly? Tell me exactly what ye saw," Finn requested softly.

She drew a ragged, shuddering breath, her fingernails digging painfully into her own arms as she forced herself to recount the nightmare.

"How many of them were there?" Douglas pressed gently, knowing Finn was entirely too furious to ask the vital tactical questions.

Molly wiped her nose with the back of her bloody sleeve, her eyes darting nervously toward the dark, looming trees as though the attackers might suddenly reappear.

"Eight... maybe nine heavily armed riders," she answered shakily, her voice barely audible over the relentless drumming of the rain. "They attacked so quickly. The guards never had a chance."

Finn lowered his dark head, the crushing weight of his monumental failure pressing down upon his broad shoulders like a physical, suffocating burden.

I failed her. I sent her right into their bloody trap.

"And Claire? Did they hurt her?" Finn demanded, his voice dropping into a lethal, terrifying growl.

Molly looked up at the fierce Laird, and for the very first time since they had found her hiding in the ditch, a fierce, protective pride bloomed brightly in her eyes.

"Me lady fought them like a wildcat," Molly declared proudly, lifting her bruised chin.

Finn blinked in genuine surprise, his dark eyebrows drawing together in complete confusion as he tried to picture his delicate Claire physically battling armored mercenaries.

"What do ye mean, she fought them?" Finn asked, entirely desperate for every single detail of her bravery.

Molly's voice grew remarkably steadier as she fully embraced the empowering memory, completely forgetting her own pain to properly honor Claire's fierce, unyielding resistance against the massive men.

"She struck one of them hard with the heavy brass lantern, she elbowed another right in the ribs, and she viciously bit the man holding her!" Molly recounted fiercely.

Despite the absolute, devastating tragedy completely surrounding them, the very corner of Douglas's rugged mouth twitched upward in a fleeting, immensely proud smile.

"She told me to run and save myself, but I wouldnae leave her," Molly continued, fresh tears finally spilling freely down her face once again. "They had to drag her away."

Finn gently pulled the sobbing woman into a brief, comforting embrace, his own heart shattering completely at the vivid, agonizing description of Claire's terrifying ordeal.

My brave, wild lass. Just hold on.

"Which way did they take her, Molly?" Finn demanded softly, his entire body going terrifyingly still as he fully embraced the cold, lethal mindset of a predator.

Molly suddenly grabbed his wet sleeve with surprising, desperate strength, pointing a trembling finger toward a narrow break in the dense, towering pines.

"They went exactly that way! They took her straight into the deep woods!" Molly shouted over the falling rain.

He crossed the distance to his waiting warhorse in three long, impossibly fast strides, pulling his massive frame effortlessly up into the leather saddle with fluid grace.

"Finn," Douglas said simply, stepping forward to catch the wet leather reins for only a brief moment.

The two lifelong friends locked eyes through the freezing downpour, a silent, profound understanding passing perfectly between the two hardened Highland warriors.

"Go now. I will secure the wounded, gather the men, and follow yer trail. Bring her home," Douglas ordered his Laird fiercely.

Finn ruthlessly dug his sharp heels into the powerful horse's sides, completely ignoring the muddy chunks of earth tearing away beneath the heavy hooves.

"Hold on, Claire, I am coming for ye," Finn whispered fiercely into the howling wind.