Highland Brawn (The Band of Cousins Book 8)

by Keira Montclair

  They headed in that direction, circling around the building. When they stepped inside, Connor said, “Just a moment.” He headed to what was usually the busy part of an inn—the alehouse.

  It was empty.

  “There’s no one here.”

  “Good. There rarely is during the day, and my guess is there won’t be anyone here this eve, either. The Channel controlled it.”

  She led him up the stairs to her chamber, closing the door behind them. Once it was shut, she pulled him to her, turning him so his back was to the door, and kissed him.

  She stopped long enough to say, “Make love to me, Connor.”

  Between her kiss and the thrill of victory, he didn’t need to be asked again. The blood still roared through him from battle, from knowing they’d won the day, and he didn’t need to be asked again. He wanted this woman more than he wanted air.

  “I can’t believe I’m free,” she whispered, tugging her wet clothes off and tossing them on the floor. She reached for his tunic, pulling it from him and throwing it against a wall. “My thanks to you and yours.”

  He assisted her with her clothing as best he could, but her hands were everywhere on him, distracting him terribly.

  “Now, now, now…” she whispered, her teeth nipping at his ear and his neck. “I want you, Connor Grant. I need you. I need to feel free…to do what I want…and I want you.”

  Connor growled and doffed his plaid, standing in front of her in just his boots, but he picked her up with a roar and his lips traveled all over her skin. He wanted to be rough, to take her hard, but he forced himself to slow down. He set her feet back on the ground and kissed her deeply, tasting her with a voraciousness he’d only felt for her.

  Her pull on him was something he could not fight. He dipped his head to take her breast in his mouth, running his tongue all over the full mound before suckling on her nipple. He ran his teeth over the taut peak until she moaned, a sound that drove him to do the same to the other breast.

  Her hands locked behind his neck and her small sounds ate away at his control, his need for her, to finish, just insatiable. Picking her up, he settled her against the wall and whispered, “Guide me, Sela. Show me you want me,” his voice so deep he wondered if she’d even heard him. He knew from the glazed look in her eyes that she was lost in the depth of her own need.

  She reached for him and, after a tease or two, guided him to her entrance.

  “Connor, look at me,” she whispered, holding him at just the right spot. “Please, I need to see ’tis you.”

  He locked gazes with her. “Guide me. I need you, Sela. Now.”

  She spread her legs, allowing him to feel her slickness, and wrapped her legs around his waist. He thrust into her with a growl, pushing in to make sure he was fully seated. He stared into her eyes, and her one word undid him.

  “More,” she said, her hands now gripping his upper arms.

  He picked up his rhythm, banging her against the wall, until he found just the right tempo and placement. She arched against him, trying to take him in deeper, her voice now coming in the lightest of gasps.

  “Am I hurting you?” he managed to ask, fearing he was plunging into her too hard.

  “Nay, faster, harder…”

  He did as she asked, his hands now underneath her bottom, and he was able to hit her just the way he wanted. It must have suited her because she clamped against him with a gasp, climaxing with just a few more thrusts. The sounds she made drove him over the edge and he buried his face in her neck, taking in her scent and everything about her.

  Hellfire, he’d never had it like this.

  ***

  Sela clung to him, not wanting to let go. She loved the sensation of his skin against hers. He set her feet down, but just as her heart started to sink—was he leaving?—he reached out and cradled her cheeks.

  “That was amazing,” he said through his panting.

  She tried to calm her breathing, but every time she looked at him, her need seemed to come back. Reaching up to touch his hair, something she had long wished to do, she ran her fingers through the dark locks wet with sweat. “Your hair is curling.”

  He grinned. “It does that when I cannot handle the heat. Seems you do that to me.” He kissed her neck, her ear, and then her lips. “You enjoyed it?”

  Enjoyed wasn’t the word that came to mind. She loved it, but she wasn’t ready to share that thought yet. Uncertain of what to say, she simply told him, “I didn’t know it could be like that.”

  He picked her up and carried her to the bed, setting her down and lying next to her, his arm around her waist. “I don’t imagine...never mind. I would prefer to talk about just us.”

  She had to agree. Her first experiences had been awful, not something she wished to think about now. “Then I’ll say that was a fabulous experience, unlike anything I’ve done before.”

  He kissed her cheek. “I have to agree.”

  They stayed like that for a few minutes, each listening to the other’s breathing. Sela was still shocked that the building and all of Berwick was so quiet.

  “I’m free,” she whispered, tears in her eyes.

  “You are. Free to do as you wish. Dee and Guy will never control you again.” He leaned on his elbow and ran his finger down her jawline.

  “What should we do now?”

  “We meet with the Grant warriors, hear the story of the battle, and then we head back to Ramsay land. Your daughter is there with my mother. From there, you can decide where you would like to settle.”

  She took his hand and stared up at the ceiling, hoping it would stop the tears.

  “Have you no family at all?” Connor pressed.

  She shook her head, still not looking at him. “I’m alone. Just Claray and me. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it. You’ll never be alone.”

  She cupped his cheek, not knowing what to say.

  It was probably too soon to tell him how much she was falling for him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Connor and Sela made it back to the warriors’ camp. As soon as they neared the battlefield, Connor whispered to her, “Don’t look. ’Tis not a pretty sight.”

  Even he hadn’t seen anything like it in his lifetime. Peering at the sea of dead bodies, of chainmail and blood, of horses wandering and searching for their fallen masters, he understood a little more about his sire’s experiences.

  Alex and his brothers, Uncle Brady and Uncle Robbie, had taken part in the Battle of Largs, a battle fought—and won—for the return of the Western Isles to the King of Scotland. Connor had grown up on tales of the bloody battle. His older cousins had also fought many battles against Glenn of Buchan and his men.

  The gore before him was unlike anything he’d ever seen.

  His next thought gripped him tight and wouldn’t let go. Had anyone from his clan been hurt? A group of Grant and Ramsay plaids were clustered at the far end of the field, plus a few dressed in black. He tugged on the reins to get Midnight Moon to move quicker.

  He had to know.

  “Connor, you are all right? Did you see someone you know hurt?” Sela whispered to him.

  “Nay, I’m just concerned. My father, Uncle Logan, Uncle Micheil…they’re no longer young. I wish to see them with my own eyes.”

  When they approached the group, his gut clenched a bit more until he was close enough to hear them speaking. They were cracking light-hearted jokes. Surprised to see his cousin Loki there, he approached the group without hesitation. After helping Sela down, he took her hand and rushed over to the group.

  Something inside him loosened when he saw his sire standing at the back of the group. “Papa, you are alive.”

  “Aye, while my bones will be yelling at me on the morrow, I made it through much better than the wimpy English did. Chainmail and all, they barely made for a battle. ’Tis the good news. The only bad news is over there.” He pointed to a group gathered around someone seated on a
log. Maggie appeared to be giving medical treatment to someone who was seemingly a poor patient.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Loki spun around, clasped his shoulder, and said, “Pleased to see you hale, cousin, but our uncle didn’t make it through quite so well.” He had the look of laughter all over his face, but he kept it inside.

  “Maggie, make it quick, will you not?” The grumbling voice of Uncle Logan carried over to him.

  “Logan, don’t make her job any more difficult,” Aunt Gwyneth scolded from the cluster of people surrounding the patient.

  Connor said, “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you what happened,” Uncle Logan barked, only to cut himself off with a bellow when Maggie’s needle pierced his skin.

  Loki said, “Rat bastard who got him waited until Uncle Logan charged after a different fool. The man caught his outer thigh as he was going down.”

  “Right before I cut the bastard down again for daring to touch me… Ow, Maggie!”

  Aunt Gwyneth turned around. “I’m walking away before I twist his neck. Poor Maggie.”

  “No sympathy from my wife, Gwynie?”

  “Not when you’re acting like a fool,” she hollered over her shoulder.

  Connor turned because he heard a group approaching. The rest of his cousins joined them.

  “Sela, ’twas a fine job you did encouraging those lasses to jump into the sea rather than stay on the boat.” Gregor nodded to her, and Gavin joined him. “If you’d waited any longer, they’d be halfway to France by now.”

  Sela blushed. “I think it was more of a shove than an encouragement, but I couldn’t allow them to be become Hord’s victims. Were you able to find the other group? Know you where to return the lasses? They were from an abbey, I believe.”

  “Aye, Maggie found out that many of them were stolen from an English abbey,” Daniel said. “They were hosting a retreat for lasses interested in becoming nuns. The poor girls are likely to never step foot in an abbey again, but they’ve been sent home. When they discovered the truth of the situation, they were grateful for your assistance.”

  The man she’d once manipulated into fighting in one of her halls in Inverness pulled her into a hug. His acceptance of her was shocking—and liberating. Roddy said, “The other group was found and sent back. The sick lad and lasses Linet tended have also been taken home. Maggie and Will are awaiting the third group. They also wished to stay back to see if Hord attempts to return to Berwick.”

  David said, “I think we are due a true celebration, and we will do so as soon as we make it to Ramsay land. Papa says we must escort Uncle Logan home so he doesn’t kill Aunt Gwyneth.”

  Connor glanced over at Sela, and he didn’t need to ask to know what she was thinking. “Papa, was Mama to stay at Ramsay land? Sela misses her daughter.”

  Connor’s father strode toward him. “Aye, she planned to stay on Ramsay land until this was done. I’ll travel with you.”

  “Aye,” Braden said. “As will I. Though I’ll not stay long. I wish to be home in time for Yule. One night of celebration, then Roddy and I will return home to Castle Muir. I promised Cairstine and Steenie I’d do my best to be back by the holiday.”

  “We’ll be joining Braden for his first Yule,” Roddy said. “Is that not your plan, Daniel? I’m sure Constance will wish to come along.”

  Connor had told her that Roddy and Daniel and their wives lived together in a castle in a remote part of the Western Highlands.

  Daniel said, “Aye, we’ll share Yule with you all at Braden’s.”

  Connor said, “’Tis hard to believe, but I think our work in the Band of Cousins may finally be done.”

  “The only piece still unaccounted for is that bastard Hord, but we’ll find that bastard and make him pay. I’ll await confirmation from Maggie, but I believe the Channel has been closed down,” Daniel said with a grin. “She promises to have a big celebration once she’s certain.”

  Connor said, “I look forward to it.”

  His sire traveled a path around the group, although Connor could see his movements had slowed. “Aye, I’m ready to return to Ramsay land. I promised your mother we’d be home in time for Yule.”

  “We’ll come with you, Papa.” He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out some meat pies, a thought occurring to him. “Where is Thorn?”

  A speeding vision headed straight for him. “Do I smell meat pies?”

  “Aye, you do. I have enough for all, though we may have to split a couple of them.” He handed one to Thorn, and another to Nari who hurried up behind him. “How was the battle, lads?”

  “The best ever!” Thorn said. “You should see how the Grant warriors cut those bas…ahhh…men down. They were so powerful. I’ve never seen anything like it. Is that not so, Nari?”

  “We met Loki,” Nari said, “and he told us we could come live with him. He has a lad Kenzie and he’s nice and he has another son and a daughter, and can we live with them?”

  Connor said, “’Tis up to you, lads. You’ll be welcome on Grant land or Ramsay land, either. I hope you’ll stay close.”

  “Nari and I wish to stay together. Mayhap after all the celebrations, we’ll go stay with Loki for a wee bit. May we?”

  “If you’re both sure. You must decide for yourselves.”

  “I’m not sure yet,” Nari said.

  Thorn grinned. “But we’ll tell you after another meat pie.”

  ***

  Sela didn’t quite know how to feel. They had almost reached Ramsay land, a good number of them traveling together, something she loved. Connor’s sire; his uncles, Logan and Micheil; and his cousins David, Daniel, Gavin, Gregor, Roddy, and Braden. Maggie and Will had decided to stay in Berwick for a while to make sure the Channel was indeed done. She prayed they would find Hord and bring him to justice. A part of her would never relax until he was caught.

  Traveling with this group brought her hope for a new life. How she prayed she and Claray would be welcomed into either Clan Ramsay or Clan Grant. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be so accepted, so respected, and so loved. The cousins’ back and forth banter warmed her insides, although it also made her feel like she was on the outside looking in. Her parents had been loving and kind, yet it had only been the three of them. She’d never had a family like this, but it was something she wanted for Claray.

  Claray. Her gut did somersaults at the thought of seeing her daughter. Had Maddie taken good care of her lass? She suspected she had, and indeed, a more persistent fear was that Claray would love Maddie so much she would not want to return to her mother. The poor lass had spent her entire life under the control of the Channel. She’d not had friends, clanmates, or good food. Ramsay Castle must seem like a wonderland in comparison, and Maddie was the one who’d taken her there.

  Connor whispered in her ear and said, “I know what you are thinking, and you need not concern yourself.”

  She glanced back over her shoulder at him. How did he always know her thoughts? “If you know so much, you can answer my questions without hearing them spoken aloud.”

  He was a wise man, but was he as wise as he thought?

  “My experience has shown me that bairns are resilient, and they love unconditionally. Claray will still love you more than my mother, and she’ll be thrilled to see you.”

  Hellfire if he wasn’t right. She simply nodded and changed the subject. “The Highlands are much more beautiful than the last time I traveled through these parts.”

  “This is West Lothian, barely into the Highlands. Grant Castle will be much different.”

  “I wonder what Linet will have to say to me. Do you think she’ll hate me?” She leaned back against him just a bit, both for warmth and just because.

  “Nay, I think she’ll be grateful. You saved her from a much more difficult life. That’s my understanding. You protected her, did you not?” He nuzzled her neck.

  “I tried, though I didn’t do well in Berwick.”

>   “She understands why. Merewen talked about how you protected her. Linet trusted you—’twas the only reason she was willing to stay within the Channel.”

  She took in his profile. The man was devastatingly handsome. Long dark locks, eyes that seemed to turn color from gray to blue. He looked very much like his sire, though Connor was taller and had broader shoulders. Still, she could see Maddie Grant in him, too. He had her strong, high cheekbones. More importantly, he was thoughtful and caring—attributes she hadn’t seen in many men since Guy and Dee had abducted her from her home—and she knew Alex and Maddie had raised him well.

  He smiled at her, that wide grin she loved so.

  Loved so. Did she love him? After everything she’d been through, everything she’d done, she hadn’t thought she was capable of loving anyone other than Claray.

  “What are you thinking? You are deep in thought,” he said.

  “About your parents. How kind they both are, and how well they raised you. ’Tis not an easy thing to do, raising a child properly. They did a fine job.”

  He laughed, rubbing her arm. “See if you say the same about my siblings.”

  “How many are there again?”

  “Jake and Jamie, the twins, are the eldest and share the lairdship of our clan. Kyla is my sister, and probably the one I’m closest to. She also looks much like me. Elizabeth, who is the image of my mother, was the youngest for a long while, and might I add that my father lets her do things we were never allowed to do.”

  She had to chuckle at that thought. “The baby is his dearest?”

  He nodded. “Then we adopted Maeve, and she also has a piece of my sire’s heart. Her favorite place to sit is in his lap. You’ll meet them soon.”

  They came up over another hill and entered a huge meadow with a large castle at the end of it. “Is this it?”

  “Aye, this is Ramsay land. I suspect the bairns will be outside soon. They’ll be watching for our group to return. My cousin Lily is the one with the twins, Lise and Liliana. I expect Claray has become friends with both of them. They’re busy wee lassies, but sweet as can be.”