Before Feann could speak, Alarr added, ‘But I will find her and protect her from all harm. And I will do everything I can to be the man she needs.’ The loss of her was an emptiness he needed to fill. And if she would have him, this time he would not let her go.
Feann studied him for a time, as if discerning the truth. Then he shrugged. ‘That remains to be seen.’
Alarr wasn’t surprised at the man’s reluctance and he turned the conversation to their plans. ‘What do you want to do when we arrive?’
‘I don’t want Treasa to know you are here,’ the king answered. ‘It’s better if you remain hidden. Then if there is trouble, you can get Breanne out.’
Alarr understood that they needed an alternative plan, in case there was an unforeseen danger. And yet, he wasn’t about to let Feann go in alone. ‘I will disguise myself among your men, if that is what you want. But I won’t remain outside the fortress.’
Feann met his gaze steadily. ‘Do not let her see you.’
Alarr privately agreed with the king. He was there to ensure Breanne’s safety, and he did not want to alert Treasa’s suspicions. He would support Feann’s quest to bring her to safety, but he would not reveal his presence unless it was necessary.
It was early morning, and Breanne jerked to a seated position when she heard footsteps approaching. She had spent the night locked inside one of the dwellings, hardly able to sleep at all. Her mother had left her alone after she’d refused to speak with Oisin.
When they started to lift the bar that held the door shut, she stood, searching for some sort of weapon—but there was nothing. Instead, she stared at the door, squaring her shoulders in preparation for the fight to come.
Her mother entered first and smiled at her. Oisin followed behind her, and the knowing look on his face made her stomach clench. Fury blazed through her that her mother would dare to invite Oisin into their ringfort. He was an enemy whom she had barely escaped the last time.
‘Why would you bring him here?’ Breanne demanded.
Though his injuries were somewhat healed, she noticed that his shoulder was still bandaged. Even so, she could feel the threat of his presence.
He was standing tall, his expression filled with gloating. ‘I came for you, Breanne,’ he answered. ‘Your mother was kind enough to make the wedding arrangements.’ He turned to Treasa and added, ‘Go now, and leave me with my bride.’
Her mother only nodded and closed the door behind her.
‘I will never wed you,’ she told Oisin. But worse than this situation was the clarity of her mother’s betrayal. Though she had known Treasa wanted Clonagh, she had never imagined the woman would stoop to such depths for her own ambitions. Her own daughter was nothing but a pawn, just as Breanne had feared.
She had no intention of obeying Treasa’s wishes. She would fight back against a forced marriage, even if there was no one to come to her aid now. The bleak feeling of isolation threatened to drown her, but she tried to steel her courage. If no one could save her, then she would have to save herself.
Oisin drew closer, and she took a step back, trying to keep distance between them. He smiled at her. ‘King Cerball ordered that you should wed a man loyal to him. Who better than his own bastard son?’
‘The only loyalty you hold is fealty to yourself,’ she countered. ‘You do not want to wed me.’ Oisin only wanted to control her, to mould her into his imagined wife.
‘You’re wrong,’ he answered. ‘I wouldn’t care if you had the face and temperament of a shrew. Marriage to you will bring Clonagh under my dominion.’ He took another step, and when Breanne tried to move away, he seized her arm and pressed her against the wall. ‘But as it is, I do desire you, Breanne.’ He leaned in, and his hot breath fanned her cheek. She was repulsed by him, for he appeared to delight in her inability to fight him. When she tried to shove him back, he pinned her with one arm.
‘I am going to enjoy claiming you with my body,’ he said. ‘I’ll enjoy it more if you fight me.’ To underscore his words, he pinched her nipple roughly.
This time, she used all her strength to push against Oisin, but he only laughed. Panic flooded through her at the realisation that he could easily subdue her, and she could do nothing to stop him. She struggled against him, fighting to break free, but it was like trying to push back a stone wall.
‘Do you see how weak you are? You cannot fight me.’ Oisin reached for the hem of her gown and lifted it while he continued to hold her against the wall with his arm and shoulder. He started to reach between her legs, and fear shot through her. He intended to claim her now, to assert his body over hers.
She had to fight back, to protect herself somehow. But there was nothing she could use as a weapon, and she lacked the strength. Breanne screamed as loudly as she could, but he seemed to delight in her terror.
‘I’m going to enjoy taming you,’ he said. To emphasise his words, he kissed her roughly, biting her lower lip until he drew blood.
Her heart pounded, and she realised she was in a state of shock. Her mind went blank, her limbs frozen as she trembled.
Don’t surrender, she warned herself. You have to fight. There is always a way.
Her gaze fixed upon his bandaged shoulder, and when he tried to touch her intimately,
