Dark Side of the Laird (Highland Bound) by Eliza Knight Page A

corner.
    She nodded. “After that we’ll hang the herbs and garlic.”
    Damn.
    A loud thud, followed by the sound of several men cursing, had me whirling to see what they were about. Three men chased a rolling barrel that they must have lost hold of on their way down the stairs.
    Cook ran after them, shouting and I stayed back in the shadows, wishing I could melt away. They cleaned up their mess and left the cellar and for the first time I was alone.
    I swiped at the hair falling around my face from the bun I’d put it in, sweat soaking it an d making loose tendrils stick to my temples. Sitting down on one of the barrels, I rubbed the back of my neck, stretched out my feet. I glanced around at the flickering torches. Only three had been lit, but it was enough to light the shelves we’d been filling, leaving the back of the cellar in shadows. I took several deep breaths, putting myself in that thinking place. The place where I liked to go when I had to figure out some of life’s great mysteries.
    Before I could reach it, there was a sound from the darkened part of the cellar. A scuffling sound. My gaze shot to the spot, and I squinted, trying to make out what it was. I could only see shadows. Dark and short, wide and thin. The shelves, various boxes and barrels, but my mind made the noise into every imaginable demon.
    Another scuffle.
    “Hello?”
    There was no answer.
    Of course.
    T hen I was reminded of the time I’d snuck down into the darkened secret room fifty feet below the castle. How when I’d reached the bottom, my candles had been blown out. I’d had to crawl in the dark, fear eating me from the inside out until I reached the stairs, and climbed. And climbed. And climbed. And then I’d fallen. Thought I was going over the edge of a cliff, but in reality I’d only tripped and tumbled to the floor.
    There had been a ghost or demon or something there with me. Something evil that took away the light. Something dark that wanted me to stay buried.
    Was it back?
    Goosebumps prickled my skin and I rubbed my arms, standing and backing toward the stairs, suddenly sure that I wasn’t alone. I kept my eyes on the darkened shadows, half-expecting a demon to lunge from the dark corners and grab me by the throat.
    My foot caught on something and I flailed backward. Strong arms wrapped around my middle and I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Like I’d been paralyzed and my voice stolen from me.
    “Shh…” someone whispered by my ear and a shiver stole over me.
    T hen a hard, warm body crashed against my back and I sank against it, instantly aware of Logan. A sigh of relief escaped me, and I leaned my head back against his shoulder, his masculine scent surrounding and intoxicating me.
    “I am leaving at first light,” he said, his voice harsher than his touch.
    “To go where?” Panic made my voice sound shrill, and I worked to calm myself.
    “I must seek out the king. This is what we both want, is it not?” he asked.
    “Yes,” I nodded, relieved that he was going to speak with the king so soon , but wondering at his sudden urgency.
    “The thing is… I canna take Lady Isabella with me.” He frowned and looked off into the shadows, dark thoughts swirling in his eyes. “If I were to bring her, it only gives the king the upper hand to force me into marriage on the spot.”
    “Then you must leave her here.”
    Logan’s scowl was black and bitter. The interview with her must not have gone well at all. “I dinna want to do that either.”
    “Do you have another choice?”
    His jaw tightened, ticking in a rhythmic pattern. I wanted to reach out, to stroke that erratic muscle and tell him that all would be well, that the king would see the error of his ways, but I had no way of knowing myself, and so the words, so confident in my own ears, couldn’t find their way to my lips.
    “I will leave my men with strict instructions that t he castle is to be on lockdown,” he said firmly.
    I nodded.