The Imposter (33 page)

I awoke to a harsh
kick in my ribs accompanied by a gruff; “Get up,” from Collin.  I threw back
the horse blanket, surprised that I had actually gone to sleep and I stood up
to stretch, all the while thinking hateful thoughts towards Collin.  I wanted
to kill him.

After a meager
breakfast, our rudimentary camp was loaded up and we were back on the horses. 
The weather was turning much colder now.  I noticed that autumn had slyly
turned into winter.  The air had the crisp feeling of imminent snow.  I pulled
my cloak closer around me to shelter myself from the cold, but it did nothing
to keep my blistered lips and wind burnt face from further exposure to the
elements.  I longed to feel Devon’s warm arms surrounding me again.

We traveled all
day, stopping only once so that we could relieve ourselves and have some food. 
The second night on the road was much worse.  The weather had turned colder and
I was unable to find solace in sleep due to the uncontrollable shivering of my
body.  I tried to get as close to the fire as possible, but I was unable to
quell the shaking of my body or force warmth back into my limbs.  It was a
miserable, sleepless night.

***

Midway through the
third day of travel, I heard horse hooves thudding against the ground behind
us, and my heart skipped a beat.

He came for
me!  He’s found me!

 I knew it was him
before I even turned around.  I held tight to the pommel of the saddle and
turned around to look at him, heart soaring as I saw that it was indeed my
husband behind us.  He must have ridden day and night to get here.  Then I
realized that he was outnumbered three to one, and my heart sank. 

“I knew you would
come,” I whispered, wondering guiltily how much of the truth he had discovered.

I could tell that
he was exhausted.  His face was unshaven and concern weighed heavily on his
face.  His eyes met with mine for a fleeting second before looking away.  They
were cold and expressionless.  He was angry with me and his jaw was clenched
tightly.  I wanted to throw myself towards him and hug him.  I was so happy to
see him.

Devon dismounted
his horse, dropping his sword and walking towards his brother with arms
outstretched, making it clear to Collin that he did not wish to fight.

“Give her tae me,
brother.  She’s done nothing wrong,” he coaxed, hoping in vain to end this
without a fight.

“Done nothing
wrong, ye say?  She’s a murderer, likely working for the Cameron bastards,
murdering innocents and playing to role of imposter, a spy, weaseling her way
into our clan.  Ye make quite the pair, Devon.”

“I’ve done nae
wrong to ye, brother.  Followed yer orders and been a loyal servant.  I’ve done
ye nae wrong,” Devon spoke calmly and coolly, seeking to diffuse his brother’s
anger. 

He still refused
to look at me and focused intently on his brother.

Just knowing that Devon
had found me caused a small fire of hope kindle within me.  He had promised to
protect me and I was emboldened because I believed his vow.  I knew that he
would protect me with his life, I just hoped that he didn’t have to make good
on that promise.

“Done me nae
wrong?  Ye’ve been a thorn in my side since birth!  Always father’s favorite. 
Ready and waiting to take my place if given half a chance.”  Collin’s rage was
palpable as he confronted his brother.  “Secure him!” he barked the order at
his guards, who dismounted their horses and walked to Devon’s side.  Each man
grabbed one of Devon’s arms, and he made no attempt to resist their restraint.

“I’ve a mind to
make ye pay for this, for all of this, brother,” Collin shouted, as his hand
clasped around my wrist. He slid smoothly off of his horse and then jerked me
down from my horse to join him on the ground.     

Devon jerked
noticeable as his brother touched me so roughly.  He was fighting for control
to remain passive. 

“Doona touch her,”
he threatened, the words spilling forth as a growl.  “This is between you and
me.  Leave the lass out of it,” the tone of Devon’s voice heavy with warning,
the hatred for his brother palpable in the air.

“You’re right.  This
is between you and I, and that is precisely why I will involve the lass in it. 
When I forced ye tae wed her, I’d not intended for ye tae take tae her sae
quickly.  I’d hoped at the worst that she would be a burden tae ye, but it
worked out better than I had imagined.  Now, I intend to use her tae my
advantage.  It will be her life or yours.  I’m hoping that at the end of this,
ye will be begging me tae kill ye.  I intend tae put an end tae my problems
with ye once and for all.”  Collin’s eyes were crazy, glossed over with the
clouds of madness as he taunted Devon.  Years of pent up rage and jealousy
spilled forth, his hatred culminating for his younger half-brother in this
moment.

“Kill me, then. 
End it now,” Devon leaned forward against the restraint of his captors,
exposing the flesh of his neck.  “One quick slice, and it will be over.  Do it,
Collin!” he demanded, eyes intense with invitation as he challenged his
brother.

“No!” I screamed, terror
resonating in my voice.  I couldn’t let Devon go through with this.  Collin
jerked my wrist forcefully, causing pain to reverberate through my arm.  His
grip on my wrist was excruciating.  “He won’t let me go, even if he kills you, Devon! 
Fight him!” I screamed.

Both men ignored
my feeble protests, so intent they were upon each other.

“Not sae easy,
brother,” Collin said as he turned his attention back to me.  “I’ve a mind to
draw this out, as I’ve been dreaming about just how I would kill ye for years. 
I’m planning tae enjoy this.  Planning tae enjoy this very much,” he crooned as
he slid a finger beneath the neckline of my dress, caressing the smooth skin of
my breasts.  “As I said, I never thought that ye would take to marriage sae
quickly.  I see the way that ye look at her, even now.  I see that she means
much more tae ye than ye let on.  I’ll not be fooled, Devon.”

“Yer wrong,
brother.”  Devon laughed.  “I was angry when ye forced me to wed her, still am
in fact.  I partook gladly in the joys of her flesh, but care for her?  No. 
She’s just another woman, I’ve had plenty,” Devon challenged his brother.

 I knew that these
were lies, but his statements rocked me all the same.  Hot tears began
streaming down my cheeks.

“Well, alright
then.  Ye won’t mind if I sample her wares while I try to get some information
out of her,” Collin looked directly at his brother as he pulled the rope that
had tied my horse to his free and slipped it over my neck.

I felt my eyes
bulge with fear as the scratchy rope settled against my sensitive skin. 
Catching me off guard, Collin tugged ruthlessly at the rope that was around my
neck, choking me. I panicked, clawing desperately at the rope and wheezed,
gasping for air.  He let up on the rope and I sucked in air greedily, feeding
my stinging lungs. 

“By now, I suppose
ye’ve heard of the letter from Berkshire?  Ye ken that the she is a fraud?” 
Collin chided as he again pulled the rope tight and yelled, just inches from my
face as I struggled for oxygen.

“Who are ye, I ask?”
he screamed, holding the rope taught as I struggled against him.  He let go of
the rope, and I doubled over, gasping for air.  My head was spinning from the
lack of oxygen.  “Do ye work for the Camerons?” Collin screamed directly into
my face, his spittle spraying all over me. 

I clutched at the
rope around my neck, clawing at it with my now bloodied fingers, wheezing
hungrily at the air that I knew he would soon take from me again.  I had no
response to his questions.  What could I possibly tell him?  I looked directly
into his eyes, challenging him, refusing to let him break me.  Again, Collin
yanked the rope tight around my neck in answer to the silence that I had given
him.  

Out of the corner
of my eye, I saw that Devon was losing his composure.  His captors had to work
harder to restrain him as he watched Collin abuse me. 

Collin released
the rope again and oxygen flooded my lungs.  My neck burned from the rope, my
fingers quickly tried to grasp the rope, to find a meager defense against his
choking off my air supply.

 “Ready tae talk?”
Collin probed, fingers tightening on the rope again.

I returned to my
full height and starting directly at Collin, I spat in his face.

“Bitch!” he yelled
as he slapped me across my face. 

I thought that I
saw Devon smile out of the corner of my eye.  He had always appreciated my
feisty side.

Collin threw me
down on the ground and struggled to get my skirt up and out of his way.  He
fell to his knees and fumbled with his kilt as he held me down.  If he meant to
rape me, I wasn’t planning to make this easy for him.  He knelt on my chest,
making my already burning lungs struggle for air.  “Turn him, Matthew.  I want
him tae watch this.  I want him tae watch me take his wife right in front of
him.  We’ll see how much he doesna care about her!”

I turned my head,
feeling that I was outside of my body.  I focused on Devon, looked deep into
his eyes and stopped struggling against Collin.  I wondered if this was how it
would end for us. 

Devon held my gaze
and mouthed “Fight.” This one word brought me back to reality. 

Collin was still
struggling to get both his kilt and my voluminous skirts out of the way while
using his other hand to encourage his manhood to rise to the occasion of raping
me. 

I looked at Collin
and laughed in his face.  At the same time, I swiftly drew up my knee and
settled a glancing blow right to his crotch.  It would be a few minutes before
he would be up to trying to rape me again.

Collin doubled
over in pain and a groan escaped his lips as he held his wounded manhood cupped
in his hands.  He leapt on me again, hands around my neck, choking the life out
of me.  I began to see stars, which were soon overtaken by blackness as I lost
consciousness.

I came back to
consciousness as Collin slapped my face.  “Wake up, bitch, and fight me.  It
will make this more fun,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder at his
brother. 

Devon was seething
with anger.  Every muscle in his body was tense as he fought the grasp of his
captors.

 “This is why I
haven’t yet bred a son my own wife lies there just like this, stiff as a board
when I take her.  Fight me!” he roared, eyes bloodshot and raging.

I slipped into the
comfort of darkness again, my mind unwilling to deal with Collin’s torment.

My eyes fluttered
and I noticed that Collin’s weight was no longer atop me.  He must have decided
that it wouldn’t be much fun to rape an unconscious victim.  I took new stock
of our situation.  Collin had moved on to inflicting pain upon his restrained
brother.  My eyes struggled to focus, and I watched helplessly as Collin dealt Devon
a glancing blow to the jaw.

“Kill me, Collin. 
I’m the cause of yer problems.  Leave the lass be,” Devon said, blood dripping
onto his linen shirt from the split in his lower lip. 

Devon’s eyes glanced
in my direction, quickly, so as not to draw attention to the fact that I was
again conscious.  I followed the motion of his eyes, darting quickly back to
Collin.  Devon was urging me to take action.  Cause a scene, a distraction so
that at least he could have a chance to defend me.  A chance to save us both.

I remembered the
dagger that he had given me, felt its solid weight in my stocking.  Ever so
slowly, I inched my hand down towards it, settling my hand around it, its blade
hidden in the folds of my dress.  Acting upon impulse, I sprung to my feet,
dagger in hand.  In one stealthy movement, I took my rage out on Collin, whose
back was turned to me. 

I jumped on his
back, swinging my arm and the dagger around his neck, and sliced as hard as I
could.  I intended to kill him.  Blood poured from his neck soaking my hand,
slippery and smelling of copper.  I knew that I had hit my mark of the carotid
artery, as Collin fell to his knees, holding his neck as blood profusely poured
forth.

My attack had
allowed Devon the element of surprise.  His captors had turned their back to
Collin yet were still restraining Devon, allowing him the illusion of
confronting his brother and raping his sister-in-law in privacy.  Devon took
advantage of the split second in which his captors let up their grasp on his
arms, breaking free, and elbowing Matthew in the Adam’s apple.  He grabbed
Matthew’s fallen sword and spun in one fluid movement, the sword embedded
halfway through Derrick’s neck.  He spun again and slit Matthew’s throat.

Dropping the
sword, he ran to me.  I stood paralyzed with shock, staring at Collin’s body. 
His eyes were now glossed over as the blood slowly drained from his body.  I
was frozen, still holding the bloody dagger in my right hand.

“Nicely done, lass,”
Devon said as he gathered me in his arms and crushed me against him.  He
wrenched the bloody dagger from my hand and cast it on the ground.  He pulled
me away from the warmth of his chest and held me at arms length, taking stock
of my injuries.  He tilted my chin from side to side, and examined the rope
burn on my neck. 

My face was
bloodied and bruised from Collin’s attack, and my hair fell in tangled masses
about my shoulders.  Without speaking, Devon again crushed me to his chest and
I felt him place a kiss atop my head.  I was consumed with shock, and couldn’t
find the words to speak. 

The contrast between
being Collin’s prisoner and now being safe in Devon’s arms was vast.  A sob
escaped from my throat.   I didn’t recognize the sound as my own.  The safety
of Devon’s arms brought the situation crashing down on me and I promptly lost
my composure and allowed myself to fall apart.  I had killed a man.  Not just
any man.  I had killed my husband’s brother, the Laird of Clan McClain.