This time, she let him caress her cheek. “We are here.” He raised his arms, as if offering her the Highlands. “Not there.”
She had always considered him a devil in a tartan. Dark and frightening—exotic and untouchable. But he’d touched her, and she let him, over and over again, until she screamed his name. If that dinna give him a right to her…
“Is it true?”
“What?”
“That ye clothe yer women in drab colors, masking their faces so no one can see them?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Veils are used to cover their faces.”
“So, it is true!”
He nodded. “In traditional households.”
“What do ye mean?”
“Constantinople is a crossroad to many cultures and civilizations. Not everyone lives the same.”
“Did ye come from a traditional household?”
“Aye.”
Silence fell between them.
“I couldna, wouldna ever agree to hide myself, to cover my face and hair.”
“Nay.” His hand slipped from her face to the length of her hair. “If ever I try and make you cover this crown of golden glory, strike me dead with your dirk.”
“My dirk?”
He glanced down at her feet. “The one strapped around your leg.”
“You know?”
“Aye.”
She let out a little sigh. “Nothing escapes ye.”
“Especially not you.” He tugged her into his arms and slanted his mouth across hers, kissing her hungrily. “Have we achieved peace yet?”
She rolled her eyes. “Ye think a few words and a kiss will chase my fears away?”
“I think it will help.” And he kissed her again.
Chapter Sixteen
They reached the next village—Cacalay—two days later, a snowstorm in their wake. Kai made sure the tents were secure and ordered his men to cover the horses with blankets and hobble them close together. After he inspected everything, he took Colin with him to find the leaders. But the people who inhabited the place were not welcoming, and all but shunned Kai.
“I doona like the feeling I get here,” Colin cautioned.
Kai agreed and patted the hilt of his sword, his weapon belt crowded with an array of weapons. “If anyone challenges us, I am ready.”
The village contained at least twenty cottages, a smithy, and a lodging house. As they walked by the lodge, men could be heard laughing and singing inside. Kai thought it the right place to find the elders he sought.
“Do ye wish me to wait here or to go with ye?”
“Come with me, but let me speak first.”
“Aye.”
Kai stepped inside, the smell of spirits and male sweat invading his senses. Sparsely furnished, there were three tables and several crudely made stools in the dim room. A dozen men and several women, dressed in little more than their shifts, gawked as soon as they saw him.
“A mhic Ifrinn,” a man said. O son of hell.
“I smell the blood of a heathen,” another scoffed, raising his drinking vessel to his mouth and swallowing whatever foul liquid they served there.
“What do ye want, stranger?” A bearded man pushed a woman off his lap and stood. “We doona like yer kind here.”
“My kind?’ Kai repeated.
“Aye. Ye wear the MacKay tartan but ye arena one. Unless the devil himself fooked yer mam and she spit ye out nine months later.”
Kai’s flesh prickled with hatred, for no one insulted his mother and stayed on his feet. Without thinking, he rushed the man, landing a brutal punch to his jaw. The man staggered and his eyes rolled back in his head as he fell hard to the earthen floor.
“Captain!” Colin yelled, pointing.
With little time to spare, Kai sidestepped just as a stool came crashing down. It shattered when it hit the floor.
Colin joined the fray, punching another challenger.
“Enough!” A voice boomed, and the men froze.
Colin straightened his shoulders, his sword in hand. “Tell me what to do.”
“Be ready,” Kai said.
“Ye’ve disrupted our celebration,” the obvious leader of the pack of worthless dogs said. “What purpose do ye have here?”
“I seek the company of the elders of this village,” Kai said. “I am Captain Kai MacKay, on official business for Laird Jamie MacKay.”
Laughter rose in the back of the room. “He’s no’ a laird, still in swaddling.”
“If you have anything to say, come forward and speak,” Kai challenged.
“There will be none of that. I am Igor, and these are my men, and this is my village. What do ye want?”
The idea of recruiting anyone from this throng of bastards made Kai’s stomach churn. None of them were worth the air they breathed. Nay, he would not extend a hand of peace in this place. “The storm forced us off course. We are camped a mile outside of the village. I need fresh bread.”
Igor stroked his beard. “What are MacKays doing so close to Sutherland land? Though I am not a vassal of the earl, I know he wouldna appreciate ye being here.”
“His daughter is my mistress.”
The man’s eyes rounded. “Tis that Jamie ye refer to, then.”
“The very one,” Kai said proudly.
“Are ye going to see the earl?”
“Nay.”
“Then what…”
“We tracked thieves this far.”
“Thieves?” Igor turned to his men. “Are there any outlaws among us?”
“Aye,” they said in unison, raising their cups.
Igor faced Kai again. “Take yer pick of thieves. We are outcasts, all.”
“Bread,” Kai said. “Tis all I seek.”
“It will cost ye.”
“I will pay.”
Igor directed one of the women to take Kai and Colin to one of the cottages where the women made bread every morning and night. But before Kai left the lodge, Igor grabbed his arm.
“Get the bread and leave. And if I find ye still encamped by tomorrow afternoon, I canna guarantee the safety of yer people.”
Kai nodded. He’d not start unnecessary trouble, eyeing the man he’d knocked out who was still sprawled on the ground.
“Doona worry about Hamish, he deserved what he got.”
The woman escorted them to the dwelling, and Kai bought ten loaves of bread and wrapped them in his tartan.
“Ye heard, Igor,” the woman said, shivering. “Better go, now.”
“You are cold. Where is your cloak? Your shoes?” Kai asked, assessing her, sickened that any man would send a helpless woman out in the middle of winter wearing rags.
“Doona pretend to care about me.”
Kai touched her arm. “What is this place?”
She shook her head, looking around nervously. “Please, go.”
Kai reached inside his cloak and produced a coin bag. He opened it and pulled out two silver coins. “Here.” He placed them in her hand. “Buy what you need to stay warm.”
She stared at him in astonishment. “Why would ye help me?”
“Kindness exists in this world.”
Tears wet her eyes then. “This is the end of the bloody world.”
“Who has done this to you?” Kai pressed her.
“Igor is a pirate, and he captured this village two years ago, killing most of the men and enslaving the women and children. I am the daughter of the woman he wants to marry, but my mam refuses. So, he punishes me. Forces me to serve his men.”
Kai growled. “You are a whore?”
“Captain,” Colin interrupted. “She is no’ a whore, but a victim.”
“Thank ye.” She smiled sadly at Colin. “If my mother doesna change her mind soon and accept Igor’s offer of marriage, he has threatened to sell my maidenhood to the highest bidder.”
“Why have the Sutherlands done nothing to right this wrong?” Kai asked.
“Ye can no’ put faith in Sutherlan
ds,” she said.
“What is yer name, lass?” Colin asked gently.
If Kai didn’t know better… Was Colin smitten by the girl?
“My name is Tiva. Please…” She offered the coins to Kai. “Take this back, for if I am caught with coin or new clothes, Igor will whip me.”
“What sort of man tortures women and children?” Kai asked, thinking of his own father. “Is there a way for you to escape?”
“W-what?”
“Can ye sneak away, lass?” Colin asked.
“I canna leave my mam.”
“You have no choice. If Igor loves her as you say, he will not hurt her. Our camp is a mile south from here. Try to get there after everyone goes to sleep. I will take you to safety, give you a home at Sands Airgid.”
“Tiva!” Igor yelled from the doorway of the lodge.
“I-I must go.”
Colin took her hand. “I will come for ye, lass. I’ll wait behind the last cottage.”
She nodded and ran away.
“Igor deserves to die.” Colin stared in the direction of the lodge, watching as the girl disappeared inside.
“Tis not the right time.” Kai understood his rage, for he felt the same. If he could, he would slaughter all of the men inside that structure and set the women and children free. They were outnumbered. Still, if they could save one innocent soul, so be it. “She will come with us, I promise.”
Chapter Seventeen
“The poor creature!” Miran couldna believe the condition of the woman Kai had just described. “They keep her in a state of undress to maintain control over her?”
“Aye.” He refilled her cup with wine. They were eating together in her tent, her maids just outside. “And if her mother doesn’t marry the man called Igor, I fear she will be raped and killed.”
The bite of bread she’d just swallowed stuck in her throat. It felt as if she’d swallowed a stone. How could anyone be so cruel? So coldhearted? “These men are soulless.”
“Tis why I offered her a place with us.”
“If ye hadn’t,” she said, “I would have insisted on it.”
“Another reason we belong together,” Kai said as his mouth narrowed with a grimace. “We often think alike.”
Perhaps, but he wouldna appreciate what she was about to say. “I would like to accompany Colin tonight.”
Kai shot up from his stool and started pacing. “Nay.”
“Can ye no’ make an exception this one time?”
His brows furrowed. “Tis not the time to challenge me, Miran.”
She sighed and set her trencher aside. “I am no’ helpless.”
His mirthless chuckle discomfited her. “I never believed you to be. But I am expected to keep you safe—even from yourself if necessary.”
She crossed her arms. “She will need comforting.”
“Aye. And when she’s safely in our custody, you are welcome to see to her needs.”
Why did he always underestimate her skills? Or think she dinna have the sense to take care of herself? She stared at him and frowned.
Kai ran a hand through his hair. “I value your opinion, Miran, and appreciate your need to help rescue her.”
“Ye do?”
“Aye.”
“Thank ye.” At least he understood her need to help. “When will Colin leave?”
“After everyone is asleep. He does not need to draw attention to himself, not in camp or in the village. It could take hours, for the girl did not tell us whether she could escape or not.”
Still, Miran wished to be there, to provide open arms and encouragement for the lass. Though she’d never been abused or denied the basic comforts in life, she’d experienced the bite of fear and loneliness. And leaving her mam… Miran would never do it. She’d suffer through anything to have her mother again. Maybe the lass wouldna show up as Kai seemed to think she would.
“Can ye rescue her mother?”
Kai raised his arms. “I do not know.”
He’d always had answers for her. The situation must be grimmer than he’d described. “Have ye told me everything?”
He shook his head. “I told you everything you need to know.”
She’d leave it at that, for she could see how deeply the conditions at the village affected him. The fact there weren’t enough warriors to overrun the village, kill the offenders, and set the women and children free, would no’ sit well with Kai. A man of decisive action, driven by bravery and honor, she knew he’d find a way to return with a full regiment in the near future. Jamie would probably join him. Pirates couldna be permitted to live freely in the Highlands.
“Let me get ye more fish or bread,” she offered, walking to his side. “Ye hardly touched yer food.”
“I am not hungry.”
“Ye must eat to keep yer strength up.”
He ran his fingers along her jawline. “Knowing you belong to me helps me find strength.”
In a rare display of affection, she took his hand in hers, turned it palm up, and kissed his fingers. He sighed, and she kissed him again. “Ye canna blame yerself.”
“Is that what you think?”
“I see it in yer eyes.”
“You are a wise woman, Miran.”
They spent the next hour quietly, then her maids came back inside the tent.
“Is it so late already?”
“Aye, Lady Miran,” Dedra said. “Ye wanted to get an early start back to Sands Airgid tomorrow. As I am sure all of us do.”
Miran nodded. “Then let us prepare for sleep.” She turned to Kai. “Thank ye, Captain.”
He bowed over her hand. “Guards will be posted outside the tent if ye need anything.”
She watched him stalk out, wishing she could stay with him.
“Are ye going to marry the captain?” Dedra whispered as she unbraided Miran’s hair.
“Why would ye ask such a question?”
“I-I am sorry, milady,” Dedra tried to hide her smile behind a trembling hand. “If ye wish to know, the captain hasna kept his feelings for ye a secret.”
“Nay?” Miran gazed at her, very interested in what she had to say.
“And the men…”
“Aye?”
“I overheard two making a wager.”
“What sort of wager?” Soldiers often did such things to keep themselves entertained.
“I have spoken out of place, forgive me.”
“Nay—I am curious now.”
“Everyone knows Laird Jamie gave the captain his blessing to woo ye.”
Except for Miran! For if she had known her cousin had done such a thing, she would have refused to go on this trip. Furthermore, she would have pursued finding Kai the kind of wife who could make him happy, a submissive, quiet lass. Not her!
“I think ye are mistaken.”
“Nay, milady, for one of the soldiers was in the great hall with the laird and captain the day we left Sands Airgid. He overheard the conversation, I swear it.”
She took the bone comb out of her maid’s hand and continued to brush out her own hair. She wouldna disrespect Kai in front of her maids. But once they were asleep, she intended to visit him in his tent to get the truth from him. Was she nothing more than a reward for Kai’s loyal service? Or was he the only man willing to take her as a wife because she had a reputation for being disobedient? Twould explain why men admired her from afar. The thought made her angry, for she wasna a piece of property to be given away at Jamie’s whim.
“Lady Miran?”
“Aye?”
“Ye are tearing yer hair out! Please, give me the comb.”
Miran looked down, indeed, there was a clump of blond hair in the teeth. She hadna even felt it rip out of her scalp. “I am verra tired, Dedra. Let us go to sleep.”
All of the women settled in their beds, the last of the lanterns put out by Dedra before she laid down. “Good night, milady.”
“Good night,” Miran said, anxious for the moment she’d be able to leave the
tent unnoticed.
*
“Doona place yourself in unnecessary danger,” Kai instructed Colin. “Do what you said, wait behind the last cottage. If Tiva doesn’t arrive within several hours, return to camp. Here.” He offered Colin a woman’s wool cloak. “From Lady Miran.”
Colin accepted it. “Thank ye. I feel responsible for the lass. There’s something about her, the way she carries herself, even though I know her spirit has been broken.”
“A pretty face helps,” Kai said.
Colin looked away. “Even if she was a toothless hag, I’d want to do this.”
Kai rested his hand on Colin’s shoulder. “I do not doubt your high qualities as a man. But an attractive woman will make you take risks you normally wouldn’t take.”
“I’d be a liar if I denied it, sir. But I could never hope she’d want me, not after what she’s been through.”
Kai thought of the months he’d spent trying to get close to Miran, to prove himself to her. Aye, he’d been impatient and confrontational at times, unwilling to let her get away with insulting him publicly, but he now regretted some of his choices, like dropping her into the loch… If he could change some of their past together, he would.
“Give her time.”
Colin nodded. “The men have been assigned their guard duties. If there is nothing more to discuss, I’d like to prepare.”
“Go with God.”
Once Colin left his tent, Kai stretched out on his bedroll. Though the journey had been shorter than he expected, he was returning to Sands Airgid with two dozen men and several capable maids. In spring, he’d plan a second trip for recruitment purposes. Until then, there was plenty to do—like planning a wedding and training the soldiers.
He crossed his ankles and folded his hands under his head. If he could, he’d set plans with Jamie to come back to this forsaken village and avenge the loss of the men, women, and children Igor had murdered and enslaved. He would encourage Jamie to send a missive to Earl Sutherland to inform him of the dire circumstances so close to his border. It could not be allowed to continue.
Kai yawned, not knowing how long he’d been lying there before his eyes started to droop. Rarely did he feel so exhausted. But he supposed after weeks of riding and trying to win Miran, he was due a night of rest. He patted the hilt of his sword, still sheathed at his hip. Often times he slept in his clothes, including his weapon belt, a bad habit he’d picked up as a younger man, fighting wars for his father.
Highlands Forever (Books 1–3) Page 47
