“We? You brought Lucia with you?” Rose asked, knowing full well that wherever one twin went, the other went. They were co-captains of the smuggling sloop, The Seren Mor.
“Aye. She has the Seren Mor anchored in the loch not far from here.”
“But what are you doing with MacDougal? The man is blood hungry.” That was an understatement, but now wasn’t the time to give Lucian a list of all the lunatic had said and done.
Lucian shrugged carelessly. “When we did not find you immediately, Lucia figured it was a good time for one of us to make some business connections in Scotland, those that aren’t already allied with the Scots, the Devils of the Deep. She remained with the crew and I ducked into the first inn I could find. The men there were discussing MacDougal and how he was looking for a specialist, and I knew I had found something to keep me entertained.”
Rose snorted, which made MacDougal turn his attention back to her.
“What do ye find so humorous, wench?” he inquired, his voice deadly calm.
Damn.
“Worry not, Cousin. I have a plan,” Lucian said aloud, still in Welsh, his voice carrying to Thorn whose eyes widened in understanding.
Good. Lucian had a plan. Now, to survive whatever plan that was so she could tell Thorn she loved him.
In English, Lucian announced, “The wench was begging for her life. I merely offered her a chance to save it by sucking me dry.”
Rose snorted again, rolling her eyes. She would definitely make the bastard pay for such disgusting effrontery.
Thorn narrowed his eyes at Lucian but MacDougal cackled.
“Ye’ve the bollocks of a giant, Rees,” he said, which only made Lucian chuckle into Rose’s back. The arse was enjoying this far too much.
“What is this plan of yours?” she asked, her words a sharp hiss.
Lucian’s hand moved toward her back where she felt a tugging on her waistband, then he slid his hand around her middle once more. “I have just slipped my favorite stiletto into your skirts, Cousin. Do not lose it. When it happens, it will happen fast, so be ready.”
Beneath her breath, she asked, “When what happens?”
She asked too late. Four men she recognized as part of Lucian’s crew slid up alongside the guards flanking the dais. There were seven guards in total, which were good odds, really. They’d had worse.
“My Lord MacDougal,” Lucian began, speaking loud enough for all the gawkers to hear. “I believe there has been a misunderstanding.”
MacDougal’s face hardened, his thick brows flattening.
“How so, Rees?” He turned away from Thorn and the men holding him.
Rose watched as Lucian gave the men on the right a slight nod, which was a signal easy enough for any Rees to read. Those men edged around the room, through the crowd, until they were within striking distance of the men with their God damn hands on her man.
“When you secured my services, you said I would be torturing a man guilty of a heinous crime against your family.”
MacDougal spat. “He is!”
Lucian shook his head. “That is not what I gathered from his rather persuasive speech. Control the river, indeed.” He snickered.
“What are ye about, Rees?” MacDougal snapped, moving toward Lucian who stiffened against Rose’s back. He dropped his arms from around her and stepped up beside her.
“I may be a smuggler, MacDougal, but I am not a monster. I will not hurt an innocent man, and I certainly will not hurt a woman—innocent or not.” He winked down at Rose who screwed up her face in a scowl.
Growling like a rabid animal, MacDougal raised his fist into the air. “If ye willnae help me find justice, I will do it myself!” He snapped his head around and yelled, “Take them all!”
With another quick nod, Lucian kicked into action, leaping over the table on the dais to land on the other side. Lord, she’d forgotten how agile the man was. Once on the other side, Lucian pulled his sword from his scabbard, placing the point directly against MacDougal’s Adam’s apple.
It had happened so quickly, Rose hadn’t had time to even realize what was going on, and it hadn’t helped that, once Lucian jumped the table, her focus had turned back to Thorn. He was struggling against the hold of the men around him, but even that didn’t last long.
The Seren Mor crew moved in, their sword points at the throats of the guards handling Thorn.
The guards dropped their hands from him as if he were on fire.
In a blink, Thorn was across the room, standing before her, his dark eyes roving over her. Before she could say anything, his mouth descended on hers, taking her lips with a hunger that matched hers. His hands cupping her face, he deepened the kiss, nipping then licking, tasting then groaning. It wasn’t until someone in the room coughed that Rose remembered where they were and what was happening.
She pulled back, her breath catching on a shudder.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice husky.
“Lucian would not hurt me,” she replied. “I am his favorite cousin.”
“Cousin!” MacDougal bellowed, obviously having heard what she’d said.
Lucian chuckled, nodding. “Aye. Here I thought you had met my darling Rose.”
Snorting, MacDougal shook his head. “She isnae a Rees, she’s a MacDeargh.”
“Aye, I am that, too,” she admitted, smiling. She couldn’t believe how good it felt to finally admit that, and it didn’t bother her in the least that, in admitting who she really was, she was also admitting to being Thorn’s betrothed. Because that’s what she wanted to be, more than anything.
Around them, the room filled with murmurs, hushed voices rising and falling as the reality of what was going on began to dawn on the onlookers.
Thorn gazed out among those gathered and sighed. Rose could see a flash of sadness in his eyes before it was pushed aside by a determination she had grown fond of.
“Malcolm MacDougal, what you have done here today is so far beyond criminal that you must be held accountable. You have conspired, manipulated, lied, and threatened to kill those I love.”
Love? That one word stuck out over all the others. Was he speaking about her? Searching his face, she saw it—the blaze of hot, deep, breathtaking emotion. For her.
“As the MacPherson, I cannot let this stand. In deciding to kill innocent people, you have given your people over to be murderers. You would have them slit the throats of those they sit with in church and make merry with in the market. You have pitted family against family, friend against friend, and you have shown no signs of remorse for what you have done, nor shame for what you planned to do.”
Unable to speak with the sharp point of Lucian’s blade at his throat, MacDougal only growled, his eyes glittering with hatred. His nostrils flapped like the ears of a ewe, and the whole of his rotund body shook.
But then, his wrathful glare turned upward, into a sickening smile as the sounds of running, booted feet rose over the din. Moments later, two lines of armed men stormed into the room—twenty in total.
Thorn cursed beneath his breath, and Rose snatched the stiletto from her skirts, holding it before her in preparation for battle. But Lucian heaved a dramatic sigh.
“Release him!” the largest of the men demanded.
As Rose studied the newcomer, something tickled the back of her mind. It took several moments for that tickling to turn into solid thought.
The man looked far too much like that madman MacDougal.
Chapter Nineteen
Thorn sucked in a breath, forcing his chest to move normally despite the way his heart was banging against his ribs in a frantic need to get Rose to safety.
She can take care of herself, which she has proven over and over. And her cousin was there as well. Hell, Thorn never considered that he would meet another Rees, especially under the present circumstances.
“I said, release him, MacPherson!” Barton bellowed, his face contorted into a look too much like his father’s.
“Nay. You are a fool to follow him, Barton, knowing full well the evil he had perpetrated on me and my people. People who have only ever shown hospitality and good to you and yours,” Thorn remarked, his brows furrowed in a disappointed grimace.
Lucian Rees dropped his sword from MacDougal’s neck but only so he could move behind MacDougal and slip an arm around his throat. It was a submission hold if Thorn ever saw one. It allowed Lucian to hold on to the man without putting his back to the room, and it allowed him use of his sword, if need be.
Without Lucian’s sword at his throat, MacDougal opened his mouth, and hate came out.
“Damn ye, MacPherson! Ye think tae turn my son against me? Ye dare tae try and take another son from me?”
“I did not take your first son from you, MacDougal, and this anger and venom must end here, for the sake of your family and mine.”
MacDougal spat, Barton flinching at his father’s action.
“Kill them all! Kill them! Kill! Kill!” MacDougal’s voice rose until it was shrill enough to grate against the heart beating in Thorn’s chest.
Turning to stare at Barton, Thorn watched as several emotions passed over his face. The final expression offered Thorn hope.
Regret.
“Father, time has come tae put the tragedy o’ the past behind us,” Barton implored, sheathing his sword. His men followed suit, until the only ones brandishing weapons were him, Lucian, and Lucian’s men. Aye, Rose was also armed, but there was a queer expression on her face that made Thorn wonder at what she was thinking. The stiletto in her hand trembled. “Thorn MacPherson had nae part in Bruce’s death, aye, the lad who did is also dead. Hurtin’ innocent people willnae bring Bruce back tae ye.”
“I willnae let this die, no until every last MacPherson has paid for Bruce’s death!” MacDougal continued, this time struggling against Lucian’s hold.
Finally, Lucian leaned in, kissing MacDougal on the cheek. Startled, MacDougal’s mouth slammed shut.
“There now, why not keep your mouth that way, lest I cut your tongue from your mouth. Better yet, I will cut your belly open and watch you try to collect your guts.”
Horrified gasps filled the air.
“Ye wouldnae,” MacDougal dared.
“Oh, I would. I said I would not kill the innocent. You are far from that my mad, bloodthirsty friend.”
Thorn grunted at the term “friend” but held his tongue.
His focus pinned to the man whose face had turned vermillion with unuttered rage, Thorn allowed the slow burning sense of relief to settle on him. Could it be that this was very nearly over? Could he walk out of Kinlochbern with his head and his woman? Was the bloody, one-sided feud finally at an end?
“What have you, Barton MacDougal? Your father is not fit to remain as head of the MacDougal clan—you know it, they all know it…” He raised his arms, spreading them out to indicate those of the gawking audience who had stayed throughout the horrendous confrontation. “You are a man of loyalty, and you were once a man of honor—”
“I still am, MacPherson. Never doubt that,” Barton proclaimed, throwing his shoulders back to push out his chest. “And…I will take care o’ my da.”
MacDougal opened his mouth to speak but Lucian tightened his hold around the man’s neck.
“I will see that he never threatens ye again. Ye have my word on it.”
At those words, and the look of utter sincerity on Barton’s face, Thorn nearly toppled where he stood, the weight of all he had endured lifting from his body. Rose turned to him, then, her eyes bright with unshed tears, and his heart soared. Were those tears for him?
Throwing his arms around her, he pulled her into his chest, kissing every inch of her beautiful face before finally settling where he wanted to be the most. He took her mouth, savoring her cry of joy. Unfortunately, there was neither the time nor place to truly express what he felt for the woman in his embrace. He broke off their kiss, peering down into her upturned face. He groaned at the haziness in her eyes and the swollen pink of her lips.
“We will continue this conversation once we have returned home,” he drawled, his voice deep, raspy.
She blinked, her eyes focusing. “Home,” she repeated before a slow, glorious smile broke over her face. “Aye, home.”
Lucian relinquished the detainment of MacDougal to two of Barton’s men, and as they dragged him, screaming and spitting, from the great hall, Barton’s face fell, his shoulders drooping.
“I knew this was comin’, I could see the madness in his eyes, but I wanted tae believe he wouldnae go this far.” Barton turned to Thorn, offering Thorn his hand. Thorn took it, holding it tightly. “I am truly sorry for all my da has done in his misplaced quest for revenge. I shouldnae let it get this far. I shouldnae followed orders blindly…”
“We are all guilty of allowing love to blind us, Barton. I wanted to believe that my brother was an innocent, that he did not mean to end the life of two lads. But…I realize now, he took his own life because he knew what he had done. He knew that his decisions cost lives.” Thorn dropped Barton’s hand, his lips lifting into a sad half smile. “At least you were able to stop your da before he acted on his decisions.”
They parted ways then, Thorn’s group leaving Kinlochbern and her horrified people behind as they traveled the fifteen miles back to Gleneden. Lucian Rees embraced Rose, promising her he would come to see her the next day, once he and his men had drunk their fill at the inn.
Once in Thorn’s study, where Thorn had hoped to kiss Rose until she was panting for him to take her to bed, Rose began to pace instead.
“I will find her, and I will shave her head,” Rose grumbled, her temper smoldering over Briar’s betrayal and subsequent escape. She’d slipped from the great hall after Lucian had taken hold of MacDougal, but Thorn wasn’t worried about her.
“I doubt she will ever show her face at Gleneden again, Little Rose, and if she does—”
“If she does, I will shave her head and gouge out her eyes!” Rose ground out, vehemently. Lord, he was glad he was not on the receiving end of Rose’s displeasure.
“If she does,” Thorn tried again, “she will be tried for lying and risking the life of her laird, and her laird’s beloved.”
Rose’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide, as Thorn’s words pushed through the murderous haze.
“That is the second time today you mentioned love,” she intoned, planting her hands on her hips. She’d removed the blood-stained maid’s frock she’d worn at Kinlochbern and was, once again, in a loose linen shirt and her black leather breeches. “What have you to tell me, Dubhach?”
He strode to her, wrapping his arms around her and placing his hands against the small of her back. She fit him perfectly.
“I have to tell you that I love you. I have loved you since I saw you wearing exactly this, standing in my great hall, with five of my beaten men around you. I knew right then that my life would never be the same, and I was lost utterly when I realized you were meant to be mine all along, Rose MacDeargh.”
Rose couldn’t stop smiling even if she sewed her lips together.
The man she loved just told her he loved her too. The day had been long, and some events were still coming into focus in her thoughts, but in that moment, she didn’t care about any of that. She only cared that she and Thorn were alive, they were together, and he loved her.
“Have you anything to tell me, Rose?” Thorn prodded, his eyebrows wiggling.
She giggled then leaned in, winding her arms around his neck to pull his head down.
Their eyes met, his dark eyes fathomless and yet bright.
“Aye, I have something to tell you…” she began, teasing him with a long pause. “I came to Kinloch Rannoch looking for the truth about the family I had lost. I did not know that I would find a new family.”
Rose could feel Thorn’s chest expand just before he held his breath.
“I did not know I would find a man I hoped to be worthy of, a man who wa
s strong, brave, and willing to give up his life for his people—even though the people in question were lying scheming bitches!” Sucking in a breath, she began again. “I did not know I would find something I had always wanted: love.”
Thorn let out his breath slowly, his gaze never leaving hers.
“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice heavy.
“I mean that I love you, Thorny, and I don’t want to be your betrothed all that long because being your wife sounds better.”
With a loud, exuberant whoop, Thorn hauled her into him, picking her up off the ground to swing her around. She laughed heartily, her soul finally alight with true happiness. After a moment, Thorn stopped, setting her on her feet.
“What about Lucian and the other Rees?”
She had been thinking on that for several days now, and she’d come to a decision even before the gorgeous beast before her told her he loved her.
“They will do fine without me. I was only ever the gatherer of information, which is a job any one of them can do.”
“Surely you are not as replaceable as that,” Thorn argued.
She chuckled. “Having experienced the horrors of a shipwreck, I was never one to board a ship without first being disgustingly drunk. What good is a smuggler who can’t sail without more whiskey than blood in their veins?”
It was Thorn’s turn to chuckle. “I see. So…you will not mind being land-locked at Gleneden?”
Rose pressed a soft kiss to his mouth, smiling into him.
“As long as I am with you.”
“You are to be a rebellious Rees, then,” Thorn joked, smirking.
“Nay, I have always been rebellious. ’Tis nothing new.”
“Rebellious Rose Rees, my love,” he murmured into her lips, kissing her as though her breath gave him life.
When they broke their kiss long moments later, Rose finally replied, “Rebellious Rose MacPherson, if you please.”
The Rebellious Red Page 11
