Highland Mist (5 page)

Every year she and their mother would venture into the woods and not come out for weeks. Iona’s entire life had been centered around the Druids while his had been on the clan.

His father even advised him to marry a Druid to make his line stronger. All would have gone as their parents planned if Iona hadn’t disappeared, and the very people she sought to follow refused to help him.

The drivel the Druids had told him about her fulfilling her destiny only made him want to gnash his teeth. It went beyond comprehension why the Druids couldn’t just say what they meant. Nay, everything was said in verses that would take the average man years to decipher.

Anger stirred within his heart until they crested a hill and he pulled up on the reins. Home.

The MacInnes castle had been built four hundred years before, and with every laird a new section had been added to the already considerable size. From the original donjon to the two square and four round towers.

He should be finishing the stone walkway his father had wanted from the castle to the loch and finding a wife. Instead, his only thought had been of Iona and the vow to his mother.

From his vantage point atop a hill he had a clear view of the surrounding land and castle. A swift glance told him no enemy was near. Yet.

He raised his hand and motioned for his men to follow as he nudged his horse. The quick step of the horse jarred Glenna awake.

“We’re home, lass.”

Chapter Four

Glenna sucked in her breath at the brief view she had of the castle. It had been built into the cliffs, which aided in its defense as well as the loch that surrounded two sides and gentle, rolling hills on the other two.

Now she knew why the MacNeil wanted it. Not only was it beautiful, it was well defended. No one could attack without being seen by the guards from the castle. When Conall nudged his horse into a walk, she settled herself more comfortably to ease the ache in her legs. The sky had begun to darken. She hadn’t realized she had slept that long.

It wasn’t until the horse veered right that she asked, “The castle is straight. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” was all he said.

So she focused on the spot between the horse’s ears to detach herself from the excruciating agony and told herself it was just a little longer before she would be off the beast.

A droplet of water landed on her hand and brought her out of her daze. Darkness met her gaze and an abyss opened its mouth as they entered.

“It’s just a cave,” Conall said, his voice low and soothing as if he had felt her fear.

Just a cave. Ha
. “I can’t go in there. Don’t take me in there,” she pleaded as she turned around until she almost faced him. She hadn’t even tried to hide the fact she was terrified.

The thought of spiders dangling from the ceiling as they waited to crawl over her stopped any pretense she might have tried to use. She was petrified, and she must make Conall understand that to bring her in the cave would be bringing her into a living nightmare.

His eyes stared hard into hers. “With the threat of your father, I must take precautions. Entering through the caves is one of them. It’s not very far to the other side.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the yawning hole of shadows. “I’m not going in there,” she stated.

“Aye, you will.”

Gone was the soothing tone and in its place a voice hard as steel. There was nothing she could say to this man to change his mind, and she knew attempting to run would be stupid with her legs aching as they did.

Her stomach clenched in apprehension. She shivered at the thought of all the spider legs that would be crawling on her. Fear seized her as its clutches wrapped themselves around her. Her body began to shake as she tried to see into the darkness.

“I give you my word nothing will happen to you.”

Strangely enough she knew he would try to protect her. She let him right her in the saddle and took hold of his hand, determined to act more courageous than she felt.

“I’m going to hold you to that vow, MacInnes,” she said, and hoped she would be able to get his sword unsheathed before the first spider landed on her.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tight against him. Just before they reached the entrance to the cave he whistled, and Angus ran his horse to the front to take the lead.

“If there’s anything in there it will get Angus first,” he whispered as they entered the darkness.

She smiled at his jest while his breath warmed her neck and made her breasts tighten, temporarily setting aside the trembling. His arm, wrapped so snugly around her waist, touched the undersides of her breasts.

Without the glorious Highland landscape to distract her, she grew conscious of every inch of her body that touched his. She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes as each new sensation swept violently through her.

His long legs had rather handsome knees, if one could call knees handsome. Thick, muscular thighs helped to hold her securely onto the horse and molded her against a hardness that had been pressing into her back for some time now. Arms so solid, so strong she was sure they could fell an ancient oak with a simple push held her gently but firmly. Muscles in those mighty arms flexed as he moved the reins.

A soldier behind them slapped at something and muttered about a bug. She tensed, expecting to feel hundreds of hairy legs swarming over her, but there was nothing. Nothing except Conall and his muscles.

She forced herself to lean back against his shoulder before her head began to ache and was surprised to find his hand grazed her throat then moved to her cheek.

“See. I told you there was nothing to fash yourself about,” he murmured into her ear.

She smiled. He was an arrogant laird.

“Ah. A smile. It’s good you trust me.”

“You gave me your word and, despite what I should be feeling, I somehow know you’ll honor that vow.” She turned her head toward his, only to find her lips grazing his jaw sprinkled with a day’s growth of beard.

The spiders were forgotten as she concentrated on the feel of his face against hers. His head moved slightly and she wished for some light, for she was sure it was his lips she felt for an instant against hers.

“You are my prisoner, and while at my home I’ll protect you. I always protect what’s mine.”

An ominous mood overtook her at his words, but she didn’t think more about them as they rode from the cave. Light blinded her as they emerged and she quickly covered her eyes with her hands. Cheers erupted around her at Conall’s safe return until his plaid fell away to expose her MacNeil plaid.

The silence was deafening.

She couldn’t look at the people staring at her with such open hostility so she looked around the bailey. To her left was the massive two-story gatehouse, flanked by two square towers, which projected outside the wall from what she could see. A stairway from the bailey led to the gatehouse. Two posterns, or secondary doorways, were visible in the curtain wall that formed a rectangular bailey.

The curtain wall itself was made up of cut stones that made up the battlements of alternating solid parts and spaces, merlons and crenels they were called, but to her they looked like square teeth.

To her right was the main castle itself, the chapel and the well where many of the occupants gathered. All in all it was a very impressive castle. Not just in its structure, but in its size.

“The MacNeil set a trap,” Conall’s voice called out. “I know now that they’re responsible for Iona’s disappearance. I have MacNeil’s daughter until they return my sister.”

Voices once again rose to praise their laird, but he wasn’t done. With one raised hand he silenced them.

“Whatever we may feel for the MacNeils, I want no harm to befall Glenna. She’s under my protection until I return her.”

Return me?

That hadn’t been her plan, but then again she had put herself in Conall’s hands.

To get to MacNeil, not to return me to him
.

Either she would have to convince Conall of another way to have Iona returned or she would have to escape from him. And she had a dreadful feeling that escaping from Conall wouldn’t be easy.

She looked out over the MacInnes’ people as they stared back at her. Most were curious while others had hatred sparkling in their depths. She couldn’t blame them. If the positions were reversed, she would probably feel the same way.

Coldness surrounded her when Conall dismounted. Without him behind her she felt vulnerable and suddenly very scared. She knew if she attempted to walk she would fall on her face, but she could not, and would not, tell him that as he reached for her. She had already acted the fool about the cave.

She slid into his arms. Instead of being set on her feet, he began to walk to the castle with her in his arms. When she raised her eyes to his, she found him staring straight ahead, his jaw clenched.

“Thank you,” she said, and focused on his plaid instead of the faces that watched her. She would survive this. She had made it through the caves. And who knew how many spiders had lain in wait for her?

Once they entered the castle, she looked around to find it filled with beautiful, ornate tapestries as well as swords, shield, maces and other weapons. She longed to look around and explore everything. It was such a colorful and happy place compared to her home. And clean.

She had grown up thinking a castle was meant to be dirty but had refused to let her own chamber, small as it was, be filthy. Now she knew it was simply her home that was dirty and not something that was commonplace.

Conall’s steps didn’t slow as he turned and mounted the stairs. He stopped at the first landing and carried her down a hallway before entering a chamber.

He walked to the bed and gently set her upon it. “Have a bath drawn immediately,” he said, and a servant Glenna hadn’t seen scurried away to do his bidding.

“A bath?”

“Your muscles are overtaxed. The heat from the water will soothe them.”

Now she couldn’t wait for her aching body to slip into the scalding water. Maybe afterward she would be able to walk again. “Thank you.”

“Why didn’t you want to go into the cave?”

She had thought he had forgotten about her terror, but it seemed she had fooled herself once again. “It was nothing.”

“It was most definitely something. Are you afraid of the dark?”

“Nay,” she said hastily, and realized her mistake. It was better to say she was afraid of the dark instead of spiders.

“Then what?” he prompted.

“Nothing.” She stared at him, daring him to probe further. One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.

He nodded and turned to go but stopped at the chamber door. “I’ll have supper brought to you. I’m sure you’ve no wish to have everyone ogling you on your first night here.”

And before she could express her gratitude, he was gone. She didn’t trust her legs to hold her to inspect the chamber so she waited for the bath, which, thankfully, didn’t take long.

Once the servants departed, she hastily disrobed and threw the MacNeil plaid onto the bed. She had to nearly crawl to the tub, but once she sank into the heated water, her muscles began to relax.

The water and serenity, along with the bottle of wine that had been left beside the tube, put her at peace. She found herself drifting in and out of sleep with passionate silver eyes haunting her.

* * * * *

Conall opened the chamber door and halted in mid-stride. Glenna reclined in the wooden tub before the fire. Steam had drifted around her, moistening her skin, and the flames from the nearby fire set it aglow. Her hair was in a knot atop her head and several strands had escaped and now stuck to her neck and sides of her face.

All he wanted was to get into the tub with her. He closed his eyes and took deep, calming breaths. But it didn’t help. That image was now burned in his memory.

St. Myrtle’s hairy fingers
.

He looked at her again, her face turned toward him as she sighed and opened her eyes. If she was surprised to see him, she didn’t show it.

For long moments they simply stared at each other, and all he could think of was the brief touch of their lips in the cave. It had been an accident, but one that had scalded him to his very soul.

“Laird.”

Her voice, husky from the relaxing water and sleep stirred his body. Then he saw the empty ewer of wine and realized why she wasn’t screaming at him for seeing her in her bath.

He should feel grateful to whatever servant had left the wine, but right now he needed a strong drink himself. Finally he found his voice. “The water is improving your legs?”

“Aye. Although I don’t think I’ll be able to walk for another sennight,” she said, a grin pulling at the corner of her lips.

“Do I need to carry you to bed?” As soon as the words left his mouth he saw himself doing just that, but he didn’t leave her to sleep. He made love to her.

Mine
, a voice said. He shook his head and pushed the voice aside.