The Highlander's Stolen heart (Macinnes Sisters Trilogy) (5 page)

Morning had dawned cloudy and Emma prayed that it would not rain. Tracks would be that much harder or impossible to follow since the previous rainstorm had already done a fine job of making tracking difficult. Add to that possibility, her sleepless night and troubling thoughts and the day was proving more than challenging, and it was only mid-morning.

Emma had done her best to avoid Rogan, spending more time with Liam. He was an exceptional tracker and Patience would have been impressed by his knowledge and want to learn more from him. But they had to find her first and find Heather. Emma would not return without her sisters. She would search no matter how long it took, though she prayed endlessly that they would come upon them soon and all would be well.

The attack came without warning. Warriors rushed from the woods and dropped out of trees so fast that Rogan’s men barely had time to react, leaving quite a few injured before swords were drawn.

Emma watched the melee in stunned silence. Not once did an attacking warrior approach her. It was almost as if she was invisible or she was ignored on purpose. Rogan and his men fought valiantly and impressively, yet the attacking warriors outfought them at every turn. It was as if they could not be touched, as if the warriors were ghosts.

The attack ended almost as quickly as it had begun, the enemy warriors disappearing as fast as they had appeared. Several of Rogan’s men lay wounded on the ground, though none had lost their lives. And not a single one of the foe lay dead or wounded badly enough to have been left behind.

Rogan was the first to move, his men looking around as if in shock, as if not comprehending what had just happened. Emma followed his lead, dismounting and hurrying to tend the wounded.

“You know what to do,” Rogan shouted and his men startled and hurried to obey.

Warriors formed a circle around the area, swords in hand, in case the ghost warriors returned. Others warriors went to help the injured, though when they realized that Emma knew much more than they did, they followed her command.

Rogan went to Liam. “You saw no signs of this?” He did not accuse. He was more shocked, Liam never having failed to alert him to anyone in the area when they traveled.

“Not a single sign,” Liam said upset. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “I cannot believe I missed this.”

“What you and I cannot believe—do not want to believe—is that we were attacked by ghost warriors, which means that the Dark Dragon is involved in this.”

“They barely left a footprint,” Liam said, as if not believing his own words. “They struck with such precision, and then vanished. Look around. They have wounded half of our men.”

Rogan did not have to look. “I have already realized that. They weakened my troop.” He knew what that meant and he knew what would be his wisest move.

Liam voiced Rogan’s thoughts. “They will attack again and keep attacking until you have no warriors left and have no choice but to retreat. You need to return home and gather a larger contingency of men.”

“I do that and I take a greater risk of not finding Heather.”

“They will not stop. This is only the beginning of their assaults. And since we cannot see them, we will not know when they will strike again, leaving us vulnerable.” Liam voiced what Rogan already knew, but then they thought much alike.

Emma approached the two men. “Injures are either leg or arm wounds, leaving them unable to fight. It would be best to send them home, since I do not have everything I need here to tend them, and they will require rest to heal.”

“Then you will go with them,” Rogan said, seeing a problem that had plagued him since last night, now solved.

“I will not,” Emma said most empathically.

“You will,” Rogan ordered just as strongly.

“Have you learned nothing?” Emma said her finger rushing forward to jab him in the chest.

Rogan’s hand grabbed her wrist just before her finger could hit him, his large hand circling her delicate bones with ease. One good squeeze would see it crushed, so he was careful as to how hard he gripped her. “I have no time for your nonsense. You will do as I say and that is final.” He let go of her wrist with a toss and turned and walked away.

“The best way to help your sister is to do what Rogan says,” Liam advised.

“You have eyes for tracks, yet you see nothing else?”

Liam scrunched his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Did you not see that I was completely ignored during battle? It was as if they could not see me or purposely avoided me. For some reason they have kept their distance from me, which means I am safer than anyone else here. I do not care if I am the last one left, I will continue to search for my sister or perhaps they will take pity on me and bring me to her. But either way, I will not be leaving.”

Liam watched her turn and walk away, going once again to tend the wounded. He turned and hurried to Rogan and related what Emma had said.

“I saw that myself when I made ready to go and protect her. She was removed from the battle, not a single warrior charging her. I thought it odd, though I had no time to reflect on it. Now, however, it seems so very strange.”

“This whole abduction is strange,” Liam said. “You should return home and—”

“I cannot. I must continue my search for Heather.”

Liam gave a nod toward Emma. “She will not be left behind.”

“She has no choice.”

“If you force her to go, she will leave the troop and follow us or, Lord forbid, go on her own.”

Rogan shook his head. He had foolishly thought his problem had been solved. The idea that she would try searching for her sister on her own angered him and made his stomach clench, as if a hand had gripped it and twisted tight.

“As Emma said, she is in less danger than any of us,” Liam said.

“But for how long? How long before her persistence grows unwelcome? Then what?” Another twist to his gut had him spewing several oaths.

“She twists you in knots,” Liam said with a grin. “I have never known a woman who could do that to you.”

“Mind your mouth that it speaks such foolishness.”

“Too bad you are already spoken for,” Liam said, his grin growing. “Emma might just be the one who could challenge and win against a pig-headed bastard like you.”

“You are lucky that I call you friend.”

“And you are lucky I call you friend, since there is no one else who would speak so truthfully to you,” Liam said, “which is why I say turn around now and go home.”

“You know I cannot do that.”

“Duty,” Liam said sadly. “It forever haunts you and you are forever beholden to it.”

~~~

When Emma finished seeing to the injured men, she approached Rogan. She was not sure what she would say. She only knew that she could not be sent home, especially his home. She had to keep on her sister’s trail. She had to find her before it was too late.

“You cannot send me away,” she blurted out when she was but a few steps away from him.

He saw the desperation in her eyes, the rise of her chest as her breathing labored and how her hands trembled even though they were locked together. She had been unsure about approaching him and yet she had done so anyway. She had not let her fear stop her and for that he admired her.

He could try and send her away, but knew it would be a worthless attempt. She would find her way back again and possibly create more turmoil than already existed. He would, however, not let her know that.

“I know not how to make you understand why I must remain with you.”

“I am listening,” he offered, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his expression stern.

“Truly?” she asked with a shake of her head.

“You question my word?” he asked surprised by her audacity, even though her hands still quivered.

“How can I not when you stand there, sounding as if you could care less with what I have to say?” She shocked herself and him when she stepped forward and placed her hand on his crossed arms. “I need you.”

Damn if his loins did not harden in an instant, and it was not only her gentle touch, but her innocent words that ignited his lust. The question was why did this wide-eyed, plain-featured woman affect him so?

“I am not foolish enough to believe I can find my sister on my own and even if I could, what then? Patience speeds ahead of us and is expecting me to bring more warriors. Heather knows we will not rest until we find her. I must be there for them both—they are expecting me.”

He could make this easy on himself and send her home with his men. It would be the sensible thing to do. And even though her impassioned words were spoken from the heart, he knew it took the wisdom of a seasoned warrior to make difficult decisions, but nonetheless necessary ones.

So why then did he say, “Obey me and you may come with me.” He did not have time to ponder the notion since he saw how she bit at her lower lip, no doubt trying to keep a sharp retort from spewing out. Her bold tongue would condemn her and send her home.

“As you say,” she said with a slow bob of her head, so that he could not see the fury in her blazing green eyes. She answered to no man, since no man wanted her, and she wanted no man. She reminded herself that this was for the good of her sister. Besides, their time together would be limited, which was for the best after what she had experienced last night when she had briefly spoken with him.

Rogan did not, for once, believe that she acquiesced so easily. “You tell me you will obey, give me no trouble, follow my dictate. I have your word on this?”

She raised her head, looked him straight in the eyes and spoke the only way she could—with honesty. “No, I cannot give you my word.”

Her green eyes glowed with an angry passion and he was suddenly struck with an image of her naked beneath him, her green eyes glowing with heated lust as he plunged into her repeatedly. The image dissipated, but not so the arousal that had grown along with it.

There it was again that look in his eyes and this time her body flushed with heat and once again her skin felt as if it came alive. She fought the urge to move her hand off his arm, to slip it beneath his chest and feel, oh God, how she wanted to press her hand against his naked chest and feel him, truly feel him.

Wisely, she stepped away from him, turning for a moment to catch the breath that had lodged in her throat before turning back to face him with as much control as she could muster. “I cannot lie to you. With my sister in such dire straits, I can give you no such promise, for my tongue will surely be more bold than usual.”

Damn, now he wondered exactly how bold her tongue could be. He shook away his unseemly thoughts, though they refused to entirely leave him, clinging to the nether regions of his mind, not to mention his groin.

It took him a moment to gather coherent thought and when he did, he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as if just realizing something, and said, “Your tongue is bold and—honest.”

“Sometimes my honesty is worse than my boldness,” she said with a faint smile.

“Then give me your word that you will be honest with me in all things, and you can continue on the search for your sister,” he said.

“That I have no problem doing. You have my word that I will be honest with you in all things.” A shiver ran through her and she was struck with the sudden thought that she had just sealed her fate.

Rogan sat his stallion, his eyes alert and his thoughts concerned. It had been three days since they had been attacked and while they continued to follow the trail, he had begun to believe they were deliberately being led off course. When Liam rode up alongside him, Rogan voiced his thoughts.

Liam nodded. “I recently thought the same myself. We are being led instead of following a trail, but where to—on a wild goose chase or into a trap?”

“Do you have any idea where we went wrong?”

“That is the problem. The tracks have not changed. We follow Patience’s troop.”

“Then she was led falsely as well,” Rogan said.

“I do not believe that,” Emma said, coming up from behind them on her mare to keep pace alongside Rogan. “Patience cannot be easily fooled. She trusts nothing and questions everything.”

“So you believe we are on the right trail?” Liam asked.

“I cannot say it is the right trail, but it is the trail Patience chose to follow, and I trust her decision.”

“Then we remain on the trail and see where it takes us,” Rogan said.

Liam gave a nod and rode off to see what more the tracks could tell him.

Emma turned to Rogan. “You believe differently, yet you follow my word?”

“You spoke honestly as you promised you would and you know your sister, I do not. Therefore it was not a difficult decision to make.”

“But this trail concerns you.”

“Not a question, more perception?” Rogan asked.

“Your eyes betray your thoughts.”

“How so?” he asked concerned that she would be able to see that she spiked his passion far too often.

“You scrunch them when concerned, which you must do frequently since the lines between your eyes are deep.”

“And what else do my eyes tell you?”

“That while you dictate, you also care. You are not heartless as I first thought,” she said, as her green eyes brightened and a faint smile emerged.

How could a plain-featured woman appear beautiful? He had no answer and yet there was a beauty to her face that could not be denied. He addressed her response with a smile. “You will keep my secret then?” Her soft laughter rippled over him, turning his groin hard, and he silently cursed his reaction.

“I am glad to know you have a caring soul, for you will make a fine husband for my sister.”

He did not need to be reminded of that at the moment, not when he found himself growing aroused for the wrong sister. “Tell me of Heather.” Hearing her fine qualities would surely help divert his inappropriate thoughts away from Emma.

“Many speak of her beauty, but her beauty comes from her generous and loving heart. She forever has a good word or warm welcome for all those she speaks to and meets. And she has this way about her that makes all who meet her feel loved and cherished. My father calls her his angel and some believe she is one. While she is my sister, she is also like a mother to me, though there is only four years between us. She looked after me and Patience, after our mother died, as only a mother could. She was always there, drying our tears, mending our scrapes, listening to our complaints, and she took over the running of the keep for Da when she was barely eight years.”

“Heather appears a kind and dependable woman.”

“She is that and much more.”

“And she has never loved a man?” Rogan asked curious.

Emma’s eyes darkened. “You would have to ask Heather about that.”

“I am asking you,” Rogan said all the more curious that she had avoided answering.

“Rogan!”

At the shout of his name, he turned to Liam and saw that he was waving him over.

Rogan had not finished with Emma. He wanted an answer from her concerning Heather, and he would eventually get it.

He rode over to Liam. “Something wrong?”

“I cannot be sure, perhaps it is simply instinct, but I do not think we are alone.”

Rogan did not hesitate. He shouted to his men and they hurried to dismount, but too late. Warriors began dropping from trees and some looked as if they stepped out of the base of the trees. The brief warning, at least, gave Rogan’s men time to react, though the troop suffered injures almost immediately. This time, however, the attacking warriors descended on Emma, to her surprise.

Rogan cut his way through the melee, striking at anyone who got in his way. He reached Emma in no time, battling those around her. He swung his sword with such potent force that the muscles in his arms strained against his shirt to the point she thought the linen would tear apart. A feral snarl rumbled from his chest and tore loose in a savage roar that had his foe stumbling and dispersing swiftly. His stallion pawed the ground and snorted at being kept with a firm hand so that he would not give chase. The two mighty males stood guard in front of her, daring anyone to cross paths with them.

Once again, the attacking warriors vanished as fast as they had appeared, leaving many of Rogan’s warriors injured, though not a one of their own. Once again Emma went to see to the wounded, but this time Rogan stopped her.

“Stay where you are,” he ordered as she went to direct her horse around him.

His abrupt edict had her halting quickly.

“Until I can ascertain that you are safe, you stay where you are—behind me.”

Emma thought to protest, but when Rogan turned his head and looked at her, the forceful glow in his dark eyes that had the tiny golden specks burning bright had her holding her tongue.

After several minutes, though it seemed like hours to Emma, he allowed her to go tend the wounded. He followed along after her, but she knew it was to see for himself the damage done. And it was substantial. More men than before had suffered wounds that left them unable to fight. An arm sliced enough so that the warrior would not be able to use it for weeks, a cut to the hand that would not allow a sword to be drawn, a leg that left a limp until it could heal, or a broken limb. It was almost as if every wound had been inflicted on purpose rather than randomly. But how could that be possible?

“I will say it again, though I doubt you will heed my advice,” Liam said when he and Rogan walked off where they could not be heard. “You should return home and regroup. You need more men and you need more knowledge about the Dark Dragon if you hope to defeat him.”

“And if it was not for Heather, I would. But the longer I delay, the more I risk not finding her, and the more her fate is sealed,” Rogan argued. “I am her intended. It is my duty to rescue her.”

“And what of Emma? It seems that our foe have changed their minds and have now targeted her, but to what end? Do they wish to kill her or take her captive? And look how little men you have left.”

“Which makes your task even harder, for you will leave with the injured, though set your own fast pace, and return home to gather a large contingency of warriors. Macinnes warriors must have shown up by now and are either on the trail or at the keep. Do not let them ride alone. Make certain our men and theirs ride together. The larger the troop, the safer you all are. Return as fast as you can.”

“And you?”

“I continue on.”

“Emma?”

“If they plan on abducting her then she is safer with me than anyplace else.”

“I will help gather the injured and get them on the road, then I will set my own pace for home.” Liam placed a firm hand on Rogan’s shoulder. “I will return with haste.”

It took time to get the injured settled. Walking sticks had to be made for a few, a carrier, to be hauled behind a horse, needed to be assembled for another, before all was settled and the group took their leave.

“I expected you to turn around and return home,” Emma said, standing beside him and watching the men disappear down the road. “I am relieved that you continue to search for my sister.”

“Heather is my intended. I will not desert her.”

“I am most grateful you are such an honorable man.”

He almost laughed.
Honorable
. Not with the impure thoughts that plagued him every time he looked at Emma—his future sister-in-law—not his intended. And how many times must he remind himself of that? And need he remind himself that their lives were presently in danger and distraction could be costly for all concerned?

“Why did you not send me home?”

He kept his eyes on the road as he said, “You are safer with me.”

Remembering how fiercely he fought to protect her, she definitely agreed. She was safer with him. She posed a question that had been troubling her. “Why did the ghost warriors come after me now and not before? It is as if someone issues orders, and then changes his mind.”

“Or it is someone who knows exactly what he is doing?”

Emma shivered. “I have only heard tales of the Dark Dragon, but they were enough to frighten me senseless.”

“Most tales have a basis in fact, so while some may be nothing more than fables, others hold a ring of truth to them.”

“It is said that he has never been defeated, that his enemies never see him or his men coming until it is too late. And that has proven true. It would be unlikely for us to defeat him in battle. So what then do we do?”

“Find his weak spot,” Rogan said. “Everyone has one.”

Emma had to ask, “And yours is?”

You.
Damn. What the bloody hell was he thinking? He wasn’t. His groin was thinking for him. He had to stop this ridiculous nonsense. Emma was not the type of woman he wanted and that was the end of it.

“Family,” he answered, “I would do anything for family.”

“A weak spot we share.”

“Damn it,” Rogan said, a fierce scowl spreading across his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.

“He knew I would go to protect you—future family—leaving my men more vulnerable. He planned it. He showed no interest in you, leading me to believe that you were safe from him, so that I would not assign warriors to protect you. Then when he struck next, he had his warriors go after you, knowing I would not hesitate to protect you, thus giving him a better chance to dispose of more of my men.”

“But to what end and why do it in increments? Why this cat and mouse game? Why not simply attack once and be done with it? And what of his plans for Heather? Why in heavens name did the Dark Dragon abduct her?” she asked frustrated for herself and fearful for her sister.

“His cat and mouse game is obvious. He weakens my troop with each attack, and he delays my chance of finding Heather, though his reason for taking her escapes me. The answer, however, could prove beneficial to our search.”

Emma shivered again. “I know what you imply. The reason he abducted her could determine where he has taken her. If he plans to sell her for a good profit, then we must go where such transactions take place. If it is money he demands from my family, then he will hide her somewhere until he receives it, and if,” —she did not want to think it let alone voice it— “he took her for himself, then we will never find her, for no one knows where the Dark Dragon resides.” She turned her head away, fearful that she could not stop the tears that threatened to fall. She was frightened, so very frightened that she would never see Heather again.

Her head whipped around when she felt him grip her shoulder. She looked down at his hand resting there, felt its warmth spread through her and wished, oh how she wished, she could rest her cheek upon it.

His hand had moved instinctively, offering her comfort, though he would have much preferred to reach across and yank her off her horse onto his. Then he could wrap her in his arms, press her to his chest, wipe away the tears that were about to spill, and kiss those plump lips that forever begged to be kissed.

“If I must go to the Dark Dragon’s lair to rescue Heather I will,” he said with a reassuring squeeze to her shoulder before dropping his hand away.

She missed his touch already. She had never known a man’s comforting touch and, therefore, had not known how good it would feel. There was strength to it and it was so different from her sister’s comforting touch or her father’s, when he would attempt to hug away her tears. It lingered with her, almost as if he had left an imprint of himself on her, and she did not want it to ever go away.

“We will find Patience as well.”

“Patience,” Emma said on a long sigh. “I think more of Heather than Patience when she could be captured by now herself.” She almost laughed at the thought.

“Your eyes worry, yet you grin.”

“If by chance Patience has been taken, they will return her fast enough.”

Rogan grinned along with her. “She does not epitomize her namesake?”

She laughed lightly. “Heather and I agree that Mum must have instinctively given her that name, aware that it was a trait she would be in dire need of learning.”

“And she has not been successful thus far?”

Emma laughed again. “Not even close. Father swears there is not a man alive strong enough or foolish enough to wed her. And any man that has shown interest usually loses it as soon as she begins to best him in almost everything.”

“It sounds as though there is no need to worry about her,” he said, hoping to quell her fears about one sister at least.

“That is true. She is probably more concerned as to how I am faring than her own fate.”

“Patience must have had confidence in you since she sent you off on your own to get me.”

Emma scrunched her brow. “Patience did not quite send me.”

“What does that mean? She either did or did not. Was someone else supposed to come for me? Bloody hell, did you usurp your sister’s orders?”

“I had no choice and since I was the only one left with authority, I did what needed to be done.”

“Make a foolish decision,” he argued.

She jabbed, in the air, at him. “Foolish or not. It was mine and mine alone to make. It got us what we needed—help.”

“It could have cost you your life.”

“But it didn’t.”

“You will listen and follow my orders or else,” he snapped.

“Or else what?” she challenged with a smile rather than anger.

He had not expected a smile, a teasingly challenging one at that. And he bloody well had not expected his body to react to it. It was like a punch in the gut, stealing his breath, robbing him of words and of all things, arousing him. Then suddenly, without thought, words shot from his mouth like an arrow from a bow, and once released could not be drawn back. “I will show you just how dishonorable I can be.”