Lady Stewart laughed in our faces. "Let you return? I haven't any intention of doing such a stupid thing. You have done me much grief, Abigail, I would have you both confined so as not to convince the others to not join in my plan to poison the lairds," she informed us.
Elisa's eyes widened. "Poison?"
Lady Stewart sneered at her. "You pathetic little girl. You know nothing, but you have a great fondness for this devil-" she nodded at me, "-and so I will not spare you."
"And afterward? What will happen to us?" I questioned her.
A sly smile slipped onto her lips. "I may release you, but by then I am sure you will have died of starvation."
Elisa let out a cry of horror and pressed her shivering body against my bosom. I glared at the sick woman who stood before us.
"Your plan will find no victory. They will follow our scent to this spot," I pointed out.
She clasped her hands behind her back and chuckled. "Oh, you poor little humans. Did you not know I have hidden your scents with my own by dragging my cloak along the path. That is why I insisted on following behind you."
Elisa clung to me and stared with wide eyes at Lady Stewart. "But surely you cannot wish for our deaths! We have done nothing to you!"
"You might have but for my husband's ingenious plan to lure your mates away," she argued. She stepped towards us and bared her elongated fingers that ended in claws. "Now into the mausoleum!"
It wan then that a cry howl rose up not far off.
CHAPTER 51
"What the bloody hell?" she snapped as she spun around.
I saw my chance and lunged forward with my hands outstretched. I pushed her off the path and onto the snow where she thrashed in the deep whiteness. Elisa watched in numb horror, but I grabbed her hand and tugged her back down the path.
"Run!" I yelled.
"Get back here!" Lady Stewart sputtered.
We rushed past her just as she rolled out of the snow. She transformed herself into a she-demon with fangs and sharpened claws, and raced after us. We were only five yards down the path when she sailed over our heads and landed neatly in front of us. Her yellow eyes glistened with murderous intent and her fangs pinched her lips so badly she drew her own blood.
"I will kill you now and be done with it," she growled.
I saw movement on my right as something flew from the trees and grabbed Lady Stewart. My heart gave a leap of joy when I saw it was McKenna. He and Lady Stewart grappled, but she was no match for his superior strength and soon he had her in his grasp.
She thrashed and pulled, but could not break free. "Release me! Release me at once! I am a lady!" she demanded.
"You are not my lady," he retorted.
He tilted back his head and let loose another of his loud, ringing howls. Another answered, and then another, and another, until the air was full of howls. I glimpsed movement through the trees and saw the pack of men race towards us. They broke through the trees and stopped behind McKenna. My mate was in the lead with Robert beside him and Cael not far behind. Lord Stewart stood among the group. Many were quite winded.
The men gazed on the scene in perplexity. Ken surveyed the scene and his questioning eyes fell on McKenna.
"What has happened here?" he asked his servant.
Lord Stewart noticed his wife caught in the grasp of McKenna. His eyebrows crashed down and he stalked over to them. "Unhand her, you brute!" he insisted.
McKenna swung Lady Stewart into the arms of her husband. "The lady intended to do harm to the other two ladies."
"I did no such thing!" Lady Stewart protested.
"But you did!" Elisa argued. She half-turned and pointed at the mausoleum. "She intended to keep us in there until we died!"
"Preposterous! I merely led you here to enjoy the. . .the view of the Hunt!" Lady Stewart insisted.
"She did intend to murder us, and she followed behind us to hide our scents so none would find us," I spoke up.
"If you insist on these lies I will have to demand you leave!" Lord Stewart interjected.
Cael moved past Ken and the Stewarts, and onto the path. He lifted his nose and smelled the air. "Lady Moray speaks the truth. I do not smell their scent along the path."
"W-we did not go along that path! We went along another!" Lady Stewart defended herself.
"You did not," a voice spoke up. Father Carmichael appeared behind a tree. I had forgotten about him, and his being human that meant he hadn't gone on the Hunt. "I witnessed the ladies break from the others, and followed them. I heard every word Lady Stewart spoke. She did intend to murder them."
"It is a conspiracy! These gentlemen are in league to ruin us!" Lord Stewart protested.
"I will not believe my lady would blemish her reputation and lie," Robert spoke up as he stepped from the group.
"Nor I," another man agreed.
"Nor I," spoke another.
Lord Stewart glared at the company. "If you are all against us then I demand you leave."
"There is more, my lairds," Ken called above the angry murmuring of the men. "Our hosts intended to have us murdered, and our lands taken from us."
"What proof do you have of these dangerous accusations?" one of the older men asked him.
Ken pointed at Lord Robertson who stood in the company. "He will be my witness, as he is privy to their doings."
All eyes turned on the man. Robertson was a bully, and bullies are generally cowards, so when the attention came upon him he tried to flee. He hardly made two steps before the men grabbed him and held him.
"Let me go!" he yelped. "Have mercy and I shall tell all!"
"Traitor!" Lady Stewart growled.
"Then you admit to a conspiracy against us?" Ken accused her.
"I admit to nothing!" she snapped.
"Then we will set you before the Council and see that justice is done," Ken promised her. "Until then we will hold you in your chambers."
Lady Stewart let out a terrible screech and lunged at me. Ken intercepted her and in one blow knocked her unconscious face-first into the snow. He turned to the other lords with a frown.
"Carry her back if you must, but be wary of her," he advised them.
Lord Stewart cooperated better, and one of the stronger men carried Lady Stewart back to the house. The silent, shocked company marched behind them and left Robert, Elisa, Cael, McKenna, Dal, Ken and myself to ourselves.
Robert rushed forward and wrapped Elisa in a tight hug. "My love, are you unharmed?" he whispered.
"Aye, and so glad to see you," she replied.
Ken turned to me and smiled. "I leave you but for a few minutes and find you in harm's way."
I crossed my arms over my chest and grinned. "Was I ever in harm's way?"
"Possibly not. I thought perhaps you might get into trouble, and so ordered Dal to watch you and McKenna to abandon the Hunt quickly to return to the house," he explained.
"I wouldn't have dared let you out of sight for fear what Moray would have done to me," Dal spoke up.
Ken wrapped his arms around me and pressed me against his chest. "I told you I would always protect you," he reminded me.
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a light kiss on his lips. "Yes, but about that changing me so that I might protect myself."
He chuckled. "But then I might be out of a purpose."
A sly smile slipped onto my lips. "I'm sure I will think of another purpose for you."
And thus ended our long and harrowing adventure. Lord and Lady Stewart, along with Lord Robertson, were sentenced to death, and their lands given to neighboring lords. Ken took nothing for himself. We returned to Castle Moray and were glad for the peace and quiet of home.
And that is the end of my tale.
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Mac Flynn, Scent of Scotland
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