Highland Vengeance (22 page)

“
Ah my little temptress, you
are starting to wake,” Malcolm whispered close to her
ear.

Her eyes flew open and the reality of
what was truly happening rocked Olivia to her core. It was Malcolm
she clung to and not Camden. It was the devious bastard that
murdered the Sinclairs and tried to take all which Camden had, who
had carried her away. A million thoughts ran through her mind and
Olivia tried hard to remember what happened before she had passed
out. The ache in her side was a painful distraction and she knew
the wound had to be the cause of the fever that was now raging
through her body.

Malcolm pulled back from the beautiful
woman and he could see her eyes glazed over and the sweat forming
around her hair. He felt her face and Malcolm knew she was burning
with fever which explained why she blacked out. He soon noticed the
side of her gown that was soaked with blood and he was furious that
the woman was wounded. Malcolm tore away at her dress and found the
source of her illness. The evil man realized it was an old gash and
it was sorely infected.

“
Damn it,” he
swore.

“
My laird, why are you
angry?” Olivia asked the man who had stolen her into the
night.

The man was selfish and his reasons for
being upset at her injury were purely for wicked. Malcolm wanted
the feisty English woman that made his erection hard and ready. She
would be no challenge if the wench lay dying from a bloody wound.
The MacKay laird’s temper flared as he realized he had given up
everything to have this woman and Malcolm no longer desired her as
he had before. He would still bed her of course, but it would not
be as he once pictured.

Olivia was fading in and out of
consciousness and she had a difficult time deciding what was really
happening and what she was dreaming. The countess saw her brother
Garrison, the Duke of Lansington and his wife Ella as they prepared
for their new baby. In the next moment, she came too, smelling the
foul odor from Malcolm’s breath close to her face. Olivia found it
was much more pleasant when her eyes were shut, so the countess
kept them closed and dreamed of Camden with his body close to
hers.

Malcolm felt he was far enough away
from his former holding to rest for the night. The MacKay laird
knew Camden would continue searching for his wife and by tomorrow,
Malcolm figured the woman would be dead from the fever. It would
make his escape much easier though without the burden of carrying
the English woman with him. For now, Malcolm stared at the fevered
woman and tried to picture her as she was earlier, sassy, vibrant
and spirited. He started to feel his erection rise for the woman
named Olivia, that had come from England and the vile man decided
to take his time enjoying every inch of the woman.

When Laird Sinclair and his guards
found the tunnel entrance to the holding, the men easily
slaughtered the posted soldiers. The MacKay men never expected
anyone to find the cavern and they certainly were not prepared for
the giant brutes that came towards them. Camden found his way into
the holding moments before Broderick and the other clans began
attacking the castle. The laird and his warriors outsized the
MacKay men and they found it almost effortless to slay the men that
cowered to them.

As they made their way up the
deteriorating stone steps, Camden was unsure of which way the
chamber was where Olivia was being held. He sent Liam and Keith to
his right and took Stephan and Calum with him to the left. The men
battled soldiers at every corner and the noise of the blades
hitting one another was almost deafening. Camden searched each room
they came to and each time the door opened, the laird became
frustrated when Olivia was not there.

Liam and Keith made their way through
the turret and out to the wall walks. The warriors dodged arrows
and blades as they killed then men running towards them. Soon they
could see Broderick’s men coming over the castle walls and they
knew the cavalry had arrived. The two warriors watched as a few
MacKay men ducked into what looked to be a secret passage in the
wall. Liam and Keith followed several Sutherland soldiers deep into
the tunnels and began searching for Lady Sinclair.

Camden finally reached the room where
he knew his wife had been held captive. The Highland laird could
feel her presence and her scent lingered in the room. He roared in
anger at the thought of Malcolm escaping with Olivia and Camden
only blamed himself for the failure. Graphic images flew through
Laird Sinclair’s mind of the horrific things he wanted to do to
Malcolm MacKay. Camden prayed that he would be the one to find the
bastard and finish him off.

Stephan and Calum continued to clash
blades with the MacKay soldiers as Camden came charging down the
hall. They heard their laird yelling and the two men quickly
followed. The men entered the courtyard of the holding and Camden
was humbled by the amount of warrior battling in his and Olivia’s
behalf. These men had courage and honor for sure and Camden knew
these clans would be bonded for years to come.

Broderick called to Laird Sinclair and
the two men converged to update one another on the ongoing fight
between good and evil.

“
Have you found her yet?”
Broderick asked frantically.

“
She is gone, Malcolm has
taken her somewhere. I am taking my men back out through the
tunnels to search for her. Once you are done here, have your men
scatter out in the hills. They could not have gotten too far,”
Camden insisted.

“
Of course,” Broderick
replied.

It was not long before Camden, Stephan
and Calum had made their way through the tunnels before they found
Liam and Keith. The two warriors were helping a Sutherland boy that
was regaining consciousness after a blow to the head.

“
He says he saw Lady
Sinclair,” Liam blurted out to his laird.

“
Where is she damn it? Where
is my wife?” Camden panicked.

The Sutherland soldier tried to focus
as his head pounded in pain. “Laird MacKay had her.”

“
Where did they go
boy?”

“
He was carrying her over
his shoulder and I saw her just before I was hit. She was white
m’laird, she was out cold,” the young warrior replied.

“
Did you see which way they
went?” Liam asked.

“
Nay m’laird, I am afraid I
do not know.”

Camden’s anger raged through his body
and the laird became crazed at the thought of Olivia being hurt.
The only bit of solace he had through out this search was the fact
that she could fend for herself. Camden knew of her strength and
determination and he was sure that Olivia would fight to protect
herself from harm. He had seen his wife battle before and the laird
knew how quickly she could maneuver, so he wondered how the hell
she had gotten knocked out.

He yelled to his men to retrieve their
stallions, for they could track Malcolm much faster on horse than
on foot. Camden and his four guards searched in the dark for any
sign of Malcolm’s tracks. Fresh snow was beginning to fall around
the Sinclair soldiers and the laird knew he needed to find Malcolm
fast before his footpath was covered. Laird Sinclair could hear the
horses coming behind him and he knew Broderick was bringing an army
of men to help search for his wife.

“
Here m’laird, there are
tracks here,” Liam called out.

Camden guided his horse first to follow
the footprints in the dirty snow before him. Several of Broderick’s
men had shown up and brought lit torches for Camden and his men.
The wind began to blow and then Camden watched as the tracks
started to fade. He was desperate to find her and the laird let his
heart listen for hers, hoping she was close by.

Malcolm had been gazing at the English
beauty while moving his hand to his erection and preparing for the
ultimate prize. The wind howled around him and he could see his
enchanting beauty by the faint moonlight in the sky. The snowflakes
softly fell on her and they melted as they touched Olivia’s fevered
face. Malcolm thought she glistened in the light and wished he
could look into her eyes while he sought ecstasy with her body. He
moved closer to her and began grasping at her breasts. Malcolm
almost lost control as he heard a moan escape from her lips,
knowing that she too enjoyed his touch.

Most men would have had their way with
her and be gone by now but Malcolm was different and he wanted this
moment to linger. He would be careful to tease himself just enough
and then pull back to make sure it would last a while. The evil man
moved his hard erection against her legs while he slowly let his
tongue taste the skin on her neck. Olivia was intoxicating to him
and could not wait to experience more of her flavor. Before Malcolm
could get his hand up her dress, he heard the high-pitched sound of
horses cry out in the night.

“
Damn it!” Malcolm
cursed.

They were close and Laird MacKay knew
he would have to leave his treasure behind. Malcolm bolted into the
dark hills surrounding his land. He would be able to escape far
enough to hide from the men for now but Malcolm knew he would need
a horse to get further away. This was his land and he knew it well.
Malcolm followed a frozen river deep into brush and disappeared
into a dark cave. He would be safe there and the new snow would
cover any tracks he had already made. The MacKay man would vanish
and be gone like a thief in the night.

The men covered the forest looking for
Camden’s wife knowing she had to be close by. The new fallen snow
had covered Malcolm tracks on the ground but Laird Sinclair looked
for other signs that showed which way the man went. He could see
that some of the small branches on the trees were bent back and he
knew someone had to do that. Liam circled left, Broderick to the
right and Camden moved forward slowly, each anticipating to catch
their prey. As Liam called out to alert Laird Sinclair, Camden had
a flood of emotions race through his body. He hoped Olivia had been
found but he feared the condition they would find her
in.

“
M’laird, she is here,” Liam
continued to yell.

Dozens of warriors raced to where Liam
was and Camden was the first to see his wife’s pale body on the
ground. Rage filled him as he flew from his horse and screamed out
into the night. When Laird Sinclair touched Olivia’s fiery hot
skin, he knew she was still alive. Broderick knelt next to Camden
and he instantly realized his biggest fear had come true. The
bloody mess at her side was proof that Olivia had not healed from
her earlier injury and he was sure it was bursting with
infection.

“
Damn her,” Broderick
swore.

“
What Broderick? Tell me,”
Camden snapped.

“
She said she was fine but
look,” Broderick pointed to her bloody gash, “her wound has not
healed. It must be infected, that is why she burning
up.”

Camden pulled the torn dress that stuck
to the bleeding wound and he was furious that his wife was gravely
injured.

“
When the hell did this
happen?”

“
It has been almost four
days. She was stabbed just before we left the Kincaid land,”
Broderick said sadly.

“
Who did this?” Camden
growled.

“
I did not know about it
m’laird,” Liam muttered.

“
I am sorry, I did not know
either,” Calum answered.

Stephan and Keith both nodded their
heads to agree that they didn’t know about Olivia’s
wound.

“
I am afraid only I knew
Camden, it was Ian. When he attacked Lady Sinclair, Ian got his
blade into her side. She stitched it herself before leaving for
your land. She told me it was only a flesh wound. I did not know it
was this bad, honest. Your wife has not complained one time,”
Broderick explained.

“
We have to get her out of
here and clean this injury or she will not survive.”

Laird Sinclair cradled his wife’s head
and softly kissed her lips. If her skin had not been burning hot,
Camden would have sworn she was dead. My God, he thought to
himself, she has to live. He let Broderick pick Olivia up and the
warrior handed her to Camden who was already mounted on his horse.
Never had the men held something so delicate and fragile. Camden
kept her tucked in his plaid against his chest and guided his beast
back to the Sinclair holding.

They would have to ride through the
night but the laird was determined to bring Olivia to where she was
safe and could be treated. Camden’s guards followed silently behind
their laird and each one of the men said his own prayer silently to
God for the healing of Lady Sinclair. The warriors cared greatly
for this woman, for she was truly one of them. Olivia was part of
Camden’s elite guard with a bond unlike any other and for a time,
she was their laird.

Broderick took his clan and the others
back to the MacKay holding to make sure the situation had been
handled properly. For the rest of the night, the warriors that
fought for Camden and Olivia got rid of the dead MacKay soldiers.
Only a few men from each of the other clans had been killed or
wounded. Broderick was sad to see that Laird Macleod did not live
through his injuries. The bodies of these brave men were loaded
onto wagons to be brought back to their homes.