Blessing The Highlander (28 page)

 
           “Liam!”

 
           “Aye, m’laird.” He pulled his horse alongside Cadence.

 
           “How much further do ye ken?”

 
           Liam looked around himself at the landmarks. “Near five hours at this pace, m’laird. Mayhap six.”

 
           He scowled in frustration. “Angus! Make camp! We will rest a few hours. Robbie!”

 
           He rode up to Garrick. In a lower voice he commanded, “Keep a discreet eye on Malcolm. Do nae let him out of your sight, ye ken?”

 
           “Aye, Garrick.”

 
           Garrick strolled a short distance from camp and called Lokai to him. Seeing him in the trees, he walked over pretending to relieve himself.

“I have reached her! She must be in the auld keep.”

            “She is well?”

 
           “Well enough. I am still too distant from her and I fear that he will reach her first. We must stop for the night. Will ye go ta her and keep watch for him in case he slips away?”

 
           Lokai nodded. “Yes, I can do that much, but only Athor can lower the shields. I might be able to slip in if he appears, though.”

 
           “He will have ta go there if he plans on moving her. Tis me fear.”

 
           “When he sees you fall, that is when he will bring her...to taunt the king.”

 
           “Aye, I ken it.”

 
           “Do not fret, Brother. I will do my very best to protect the princess...and I am very, very good.” Then he was gone.

            She was jolted awake by the sound of a key turning the rusty lock.
Garrick has found me! He is here!
As the door opened, allowing the light of a torch, her smile faded from her lips. It was Malcolm!

 
           “Are you glad to see me princess? You smile and yet it leaves so hastily. Were you foolish enough to believe your husband had come? No matter. Come. I have brought food.” His hand snaked out grasping her arm as he pulled her up the cold stone steps to the hall.

 
           She blinked her eyes rapidly trying to adjust to the brighter lighting. He propelled her toward a table. She stumbled then caught her balance before she could fall.

 
           He examined his handiwork on her face as she sat down on a rickety stool. One eye was almost swollen shut, there was a cut on her brow and her lower lip was split. She cried out in protest as he jerked off the plaid, exposing the many bruises on her body visible through the thin chemise. He nodded in approval.

 
           “You stand a beating well, wench.” He gave her a sardonic grin. “I can see that we will do well together.”

 
           She shuddered but remained mute.

 
           “Eat!”

 
           She looked uncertainly at the food before her. She selected some bread and began nibbling on it. She feared that nothing else would stay down.

 
           She hesitated as he spoke. “Your husband comes. Yes, I thought that would get your attention.” He smirked.

 
           “He will not protect you. Neither will King Alred. They will destroy each other in the morn. If you are pleasant to me I will let you watch. Would you like that?”

 
           Seonaid set the bread down folding her hands in her lap demurely. “You will do as you wish, Malcolm.” Her eyes turned to his scarred face. “But ken this...whether my husband or father save me or nae, I will never be agreeable to you. You are nae as worthy as the dung Garrick scrapes from his boots!”

 
           Crack! Seonaid was knocked to the floor by the force of the blow, fresh blood filling her mouth. She gagged on the metallic taste as she slowly rose from the rushes to her knees.

 
           “I see you still need to learn some manners!” he roared. “You will show me respect!”

 
           She’d had enough! She was tired of cringing in fright. This man had no right to strike Garrick’s wife! She was sickened by her cowardice and she disgraced her husband by tolerating this treatment.
Well…nae more! I am Laird Brodie’s wife and the Countess of Elgin! I will nae take this behavior lying down!
From somewhere unfathomable inside her she drew out a fury that had no reason. She rose from her knees flying at him in a wild frenzy, clawing and scratching at his face.

 
           Malcolm snickered with glee as he trapped her hands behind her hauling her up against his hard body.

 
           “You are a little spitfire, are you not? We will have much pleasure in our bed sport, I think.” He chuckled as he forced her bleeding lips apart with his tongue. She thrashed against him attempting to free herself, but it merely inflamed him more. His shaft engorged rapidly as he deepened the kiss. He forced her down into the stale rushes as he shoved her chemise past her hips.

 
           Malcolm used his knee, forcing her thighs wide, then established himself betwixt them. She screamed in pain as he bit her creamy breast while he pushed his kilt aside. Tears streamed down her face as he raised his hips to plunge inside her. All of a sudden she was free.

 
           She blinked the tears from her eyes to see the wraith standing over Malcolm grasping a small tree limb, smiling triumphantly.

 
           “Who are you? How did you find me?”

 
           Diedre dropped the branch and, picking up the plaid, wrapped it round Seonaid’s trembling shoulders.

 
           “I am your sister, Diedre. Well, actually, I am your half-sister. We share the same father. But we can speak of this later. Come. We must leave here!”

 
           Diedre helped her sister stumble to the door. As she met the same barrier she had run into before Malcolm arrived, she stomped her foot in frustration. “Oh bother!”

 
           “Yes, well, I suppose it is a bother to you...but not to me.” Malcolm glared at her then smirked. “What luck I have! Now I have both of the king’s daughters. He will not be pleased.” He threw back his head, laughing.

 
           “Since you have put me out of the mood for bed sport temporarily, I suppose I will put you up for the night.” He forced them both to the dungeon and locked the door, adding a spell there to keep Diedre contained.

            Lokai had gotten there too late. He spied Diedre attempting to leave with her sister but she was obstructed by the shield. His heart chilled at the sight of her being dragged back inside.

 
          
Diedre! That little fool! Why does she not listen? Now Athor has two swords to hold over the king’s head!
Lokai ground his teeth. It would have done no good to have gotten himself trapped behind the shield along with the princesses. He must bide his time for a better opportunity.

 
           He melted into the shadows as he watched Malcolm exit the keep alone. He was reassured they were still within when he saw him replace the shield as he departed.

 
           Lokai deliberated on what his next actions should be. Informing the king about Diedre would make no difference in the aftermath. The same was true of Garrick. He rubbed his smooth chin. Athor cannot have a shield around them if he removes them from the crumbling building so he would wait for his opportunity to arise. Until then, he would inspect the shield discreetly to see if all angles were covered.

            Candles instantly appeared all about the small cell. “I detest the dark!” Diedre pouted. She lit more candles. “Oooh! This place is filthy!”

 
           She turned to Seonaid huddling in the plaid. Her face was bloodied and bruised. Her hair a fiery tumbled mass, surrounding it. She gasped as she comprehended that her sister had been brutalized by this Fae.

 
           “I could heal some of your injuries if you would like.”

 
           Seonaid shook her head.

 
           “No? Why not? Do you enjoy pain?” She was aghast.

 
           Seonaid raised up her bright green eyes to Diedre’s with scorn. “Do nae be ludicrous! Of course I do nae relish the pain. But Garrick deserves the right to see what this man has done to me and dole out his retribution accordingly! I can tolerate a wee bit of pain to give him the dignity of kenning that he did right by me.”

 
           Diedre chewed her lip. “Did he rape you?”

 
           “Nay...but it was a close thing. If you had nae struck when you did...” She shivered. “Thank you for aiding me.”

 
           “I did not help like I had intended. I thought he would keep the shield down while he was in the keep but he did not. Now we are both imprisoned! Father is going to be very angry with me...again.”

 
           Seonaid gave a half-hearted smile. “You do this often then?”

 
           “I would not say ‘often’… but I do tweak his ire more than I probably should.” She flicked her hand and a table appeared bursting with tasty delicacies. “We may as well be comfortable while we wait for them to rescue us. Come. Sit and eat while we get better acquainted.” Two posh chairs materialized adjacent to the table. She sat… tapping the second one. “When we finish, I will arrange us a place to sleep. This space is a bit crowded.”

 
           Seonaid sat as her stomach growled noisily. The food smelled delicious! She dove in as Diedre told her all about their connection, cleaning the cell with a flick of her hand here and a nod there, until it was totally converted into a cozy little room for two...complete with a fireplace.

 
           “So, Seonaid, how do you like the husband I selected for you?”

 
           Milk sprayed from her mouth as she choked on a shocked gasp.

 
           “What do you mean ‘you selected him’? He found me in the copses.”

 
           “True, true. But I directed him to you subconsciously…well…his horse anyway. Do not misconstrue. I had no control over his affections for you but I was certain you would be a match.”

 
           She looked at her naive sister incredulously. She was so certain that everything she did would work out. What if Garrick had been a cruel man disposed to thrashing women? She shook her head.

 
           “We suit each other.”

 
           She beamed. “I knew it! He is a fine highlander! And you have seized his heart wholly. He wept over you, you know...when he thought you dead.”

 
           Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Truly?”

 
           Diedre grasped her hand giving it a small squeeze. “Truly.” She considered the cell seeing that Seonaid was finished with her repast and removed the table. She relocated two small beds covered in warm furs in the next instant.

 
           “Come and try to sleep. It will be morn before Garrick is close enough to fetch you. We may as well rest 'til then.”

 
           Seonaid yawned then bobbed her head in agreement as she lay in the bed and snuggled beneath the furs. “Diedre.”

 
           “Yes.”

 
           “Thank you for coming. Tis nae so bad with you here beside me.”

 
           She smiled to herself, her blue eyes misting. “You are welcome, sister. I am glad I came, too.”

            Lokai crept down the shadowy stone steps to the dungeon. Athor had not been as thorough as he thought. His magic had covered down beneath the earth on all sides but it did not go beneath the building. Once discovered, Lokai had no trouble entering the keep.

 
           He had overheard the last part of their conversation as he approached the door.
It is good that Diedre is being a comfort to her sister. Her trivial jealousy must end. The king loves both of his daughters equally but they must be handled differently depending on their personalities and circumstance. It is the same in all families.
He grunted to himself.

 
           The chamber was, also, blocked with a shield. But Athor had made the same error here. He would have them free in no time.

 
           Lokai entered the small room silently… expecting to find them huddled in a dark corner trying to stay warm.

 
           “Bloody hell!” His mouth dropped open in astonishment. He could not believe what he had stepped into!