As he felt her body stiffen and convulse around him, he slowed, holding her tightly to him until his own imminent release forced him to plunge one last time into the welcoming paradise that was Cate, his body throbbing, pulsing, leaving him exhausted and weak.
Until he looked into the eyes of the woman who lay under his body. They shone with a satisfaction he knew he had put there.
He rolled to his back, pulling her with him. She snuggled into him, her soft, aromatic hair under his chin, her warm, slick body molded to his.
At that moment, he wanted to roar as he would on the field of battle. His woman was well impressed and he felt victorious.
CHAPTER 26
Cate lay in his arms marveling at the man. When Connor promised better, he certainly delivered.
Deciding to go for the joy in life had been the best choice she’d ever made. She’d had no idea she could feel like this. Even if he could never bring himself to truly love her, she thought, she just might be able to live with this. It might not be love, but it was very, very good.
Lifting her head from his chest, she looked up at his face and grinned when she saw his eyebrow arch, that slow smile forming on his lips again.
“Do you think you might be up to haeing me impress you again then?” His hands under her arms, he slowly slid her body up his until their mouths were almost in contact.
“Well, I can certainly feel that you’re up for it again.” She giggled until he pulled her down, filling her senses with another of his mind-numbing kisses.
“Wow,” she whispered when he let her go.
“I take it that’s good?” He had the look of a man who knew the excellence of his own performance.
“Good enough that I’m willing to give you another shot at it.”
She grinned at him again, moving her hand down his body until her fingers wrapped around what she sought.
He sucked in his breath, his eyes darkening.
“Aye, wee Caty, I’m fair ready to impress you again. Now. I canna wait.”
In one powerful move, he flipped her to her back, sliding his knee between her legs to push them open as he covered her mouth with his own.
This was heaven.
She’d just wrapped her leg around his back when the pounding started.
“Get the bloody hell away from my door.” He moved away from her face only long enough to yell, smiling as he returned to plunder her mouth.
“Connor, you must come.” It was Margaret outside the door, sounding frantic. “You must hurry. It’s Lyall at the gate, and Niall says he’s hurt.”
“Och, Christ,” he moaned as he pulled away from her, resting his forehead on hers for a moment before rising and grabbing his plaid. “Dinna you move from that spot.” His eyes had that dangerous glint as he headed out the door.
The instant he was gone, Cate jumped from the bed and retrieved her own clothing, shoving her arms into the little jacket. As she ran out the door, she nearly fell over Beast, who stood panting on the stair landing. “Okay, boy, come with me if you want, but for crying out loud, stay out from under my feet.” Horses, even in dog form, seemed to plague her here.
* * *
The courtyard was a bustle of activity, the dark pierced only in spots by light from the torches at the bottom and top of the stairs and the one Niall held. Robert pulled Lyall down from his horse. The young man appeared exhausted, nearly falling from his mount into Robert’s arms. He grabbed for Connor, pleading frantically for help.
Racing down the stairs, Cate was knocked aside as Beast bolted past her, snarling and growling. She grabbed the railing to stop herself from falling.
“Beast!” Connor yelled, not taking his eyes from Lyall. “Ewan. Take Beast to the cellar and leave him there. He must hae got the scent of whoever was following Lyall. I canna deal with him now.”
As Cate approached more closely, she saw blood trickling from the corner of Lyall’s mouth, and cuts above his eye.
“Calm yerself, Lyall. Slow down and take a deep breath.” Connor was supporting his cousin’s weight, moving him toward the stairs to take him inside. “What are you trying to tell me about Mairi?”
“He has her. Even now he rides, most likely to the MacPherson. I could no stop him. I tried. We hae to go now if we’re to save her.” His head sagged against Connor, and Robert slipped under his other arm, helping to support his weight.
“Duncan. Go to Mairi’s rooms. See that she’s there.” Connor continued toward the stairs. He scowled at Cate when he noticed her.
“Did I no tell you to stay where you were, woman?”
A small smile played about his lips, even as he struggled with the weight of his cousin, when she snorted and raised an eyebrow in imitation of an expression he used often.
“Verra weel. Make yerself useful then. Find Rosalyn to help the lad.”
She took off running up the stairs, meeting Rosalyn just inside the door. The woman was dressed only in her nightgown, looking very distressed, clutching her healing basket tightly to her. That alone frightened Cate more than anything else tonight. Rosalyn was never afraid.
They followed as the men lifted Lyall onto a chair in the great hall. Margaret appeared with a bucket of warm water.
Rosalyn’s hand shook as she dabbed at Lyall’s forehead. “I’ve a bad feeling, Connor. Something’s verra wrong. I dinna ken what it is, but I’ve no felt this for many, many years.”
Tension sparked in the look that passed between Connor and his aunt. He placed a hand on her shoulder and would have spoken, but Duncan burst into the hall yelling.
“She’s gone. I searched the whole of the tower. Her bed’s no been touched.”
Lyall lifted his head. “Aye, I tried to tell you.” He groaned and Rosalyn put a cup of whisky to his lips.
“What’s happened to Mairi? Who has my sister?” Connor’s eyes blazed with fury.
“It’s Blane. He sent Florie with a message earlier, as if it were from me, telling her to meet me, that I needed her to come right away. That I was in trouble and needed her help. I found Florie weeping in the stables, and she told me the whole story. She dinna want to do it, but she was afraid of what would happen to her if she dinna obey.”
Connor stepped back and exchanged a hard look with Duncan, who left the hall at a run.
“Where are they now?”
“I’m no positive, but I’m thinking he heads to the MacPherson.” He shook his head. “I found them on the road and I tried to stop him. You must believe me. His men jumped me and left me there. When I came to my senses, I rode here as fast as I could.”
“How many men does he travel with?” Robert had the look of a man already planning strategy.
“Six, maybe eight. I dinna think there’s more, but I’m no sure. We hae to hurry.” He attempted to stand, but fell back to the chair.
“Easy, Lyall. Just give yerself a wee bit to gain yer strength.” Rosalyn brushed back his hair, frowning down at him, confusion evident in her expression.
“Yer going nowhere but to bed. Niall, you and Ewan see that he gets some rest.” Connor restrained his cousin with a hand to his shoulder. “Yer no good to us this way, lad. We’ll find her and bring her home. Robert’s a fine tracker. Duncan’s getting the horses even now.”
He was off and running up the stairs toward their chamber before Cate could even rise from her seat.
She found him there, putting on his shirt and boots, gathering his sword and knives.
“What are you going to do?” She asked it quietly.
“I’m going to bring my sister home.”
“You do realize it was probably Blane behind all those things that happened to me before the wedding, don’t you? The fall, the arrows, all that?”
“Aye. I suspected him and his father of that. And more. It’s why I brought you here.” His eyes were filled with pain when he looked at her. “Here I could keep you safe, all of you. But only so long as you stayed within the walls. I dinna ken why she would go out withou
t speaking to me first.”
Cate went to him, putting her arms around his waist and clutching him close to her. The pain caused by fear for his sister was as tangible to her as her own fear for his safety.
“He’s dangerous, Connor. Promise me you’ll be careful. I couldn’t bear it if anything were to happen to you.”
His arms went around her then. Hugging her tightly to him, he kissed the top of her head.
“Dinna fash yerself, wee Caty. He’s no so dangerous as I am.”
He smiled at her, running his fingers down the side of her face before he put her away from him and went to the door.
“I dinna want to hae to think over yer safety as well when I’m gone. Promise me you’ll no leave the castle, that you’ll no even go out on the grounds until I return.”
“I promise. Don’t worry about me. Just concentrate on what you have to do. Get Mairi and come back to me. Safely.” She smiled up at him bravely.
“Aye, I will.” His eyes gleamed for a moment. “And when I do, we’ll finish what we started. That’s my promise to you.” He turned and ran down the stairs.
She stood at the window, watching as he mounted and rode away, until she could see him no longer. After tossing off her jacket and climbing into bed, Cate pulled his pillow close, breathing in his scent. It would be a long time before she would be able to sleep. For years she had watched as her father and brothers had boarded planes headed off to danger, and yet it had never frightened her as Connor’s leaving did. Just another downside to this whole true love thing she was going to have to learn to deal with.
* * *
The sky was just coloring with first light when Cate finally dozed off. She slept fitfully, her dreams filled with horrible visions of men fighting with swords, of them attacking Connor, of his body limp on the ground.
When the pounding first woke her, she wasn’t sure where she was. Groggily she crawled from the bed and crossed to the door.
“What is it?”
“You must hurry, Cate. It’s Connor. He’s been hurt.”
Throwing open the door, she pushed Lyall aside and started to run down the stairs, only to be stopped as his arm snaked around her, pulling her up short. She grabbed at his hand, but quickly let go when she felt the blade at her throat. She was wide awake now.
He pulled her close, chuckling into her ear.
“My mistake. I meant to say that he will be hurt when he returns, no that he already is.” His breath against the side of her face sent chills of fear through her. “Walk quietly down the stairs for me now, like a good lass.”
“I don’t understand. What are you doing?”
“Of course you dinna understand. Yer but a woman and a foreign one at that.” He pulled her to a stop at the foot of the stairs. “I hae to admit, however, seeing you dressed as you are, I’m beginning to think Blane may not hae been so far off the mark in wanting you for himself. I may need to rethink that portion of my plan.”
He laughed and yelled for Niall.
The older man came running, skidding to a stop as he rounded the corner into the hall and saw the knife at Cate’s throat.
“Aye, Niall. I see you recognize the lady’s predicament. Very wise of you to stop there. You’ll go out to the gates and raise them now. My men are awaiting entry even as we speak. Oh, and should you think to do anything less than what I ask, you’d best ken that young Ewan lies on the floor of my room, trussed up like a bird for the table.” He smiled, his eyes glittering wildly. “No to mention how messy this lady’s future would be.”
When Niall continued to stand, his eyes wide with fear, Lyall screamed “Go,” and the man ran.
“What do you hope to accomplish with this?” Keep him talking. Her father had always told the boys to keep their enemies talking.
“It’s all part of the plan. Dinna fear, Cate, you’ll be right at the front to see it all. Yer a verra important part of it now, though yer arrival did vex me at the start. I’ve overcome that and realize this will be even better. Just as soon as everyone is in their proper place, we can begin. Ah.” He looked up as the main doors opened. “Here are some of my men now.”
Four large men entered the hall, two of them dragging Blane between them. He had obviously been beaten and was barely conscious.
Cate gasped at the sight of him and started forward only to feel the knife pressed to her throat.
“No, no, no. You must be still and behave yerself. We hae much for you to do yet.” He spoke quietly into her ear, chuckling as he did so. Then he turned and yelled orders to the men. “The entrance to the old dungeon is in the cellar below this hall. Throw him there. And the old man who opened the gates as weel. You’ll find a woman and lass in the kitchens. Bring them out to the courtyard. Oh, and, Malcolm, take another man with you up to the chamber in that tower to the left. Bring my aunt down to join us in the courtyard.”
Lyall pushed Cate toward the doors. As they passed Blane, he lifted his head and smiled sadly. “I never wanted any harm to come to you. I thought I could save you from this, but I failed. I’m sorry.”
“You could no even save yerself, Brother. Always the weak link. Always the one to feel sorry for anyone who might get hurt. Many’s the time I told Father we’d hae to watch out for yer cowardice. And now look at you. You wouldn’t have been half the laird I’ll be. You were never worthy of being the first son. It always should have been me. Get him out of here.” Lyall pushed her forward.
When the men dragging Blane opened the door to the cellars below, Beast burst out, snarling, heading straight for Lyall. One of the men grabbed a chair and smashed it over the dog’s head, and he dropped to the floor, motionless.
“Beast!” Cate gasped.
He lay so still. She wanted to reach out, to check him, but didn’t dare. Now she realized it was Lyall he’d been going for earlier. They should have trusted the poor dog.
“I hate that disgusting creature.” Lyall stopped to prod at the body with his foot. “He almost took my arm off that day in the forest. If not for my archer, I’d hae worse than the scars I do.” He grinned, looking pleased with himself. “Throw the body in the dungeon with Blane. It should make his stay more interesting.”
Again he pushed Cate toward the door.
“Where are you taking me?”
“We hae to get to the tower wall. Yer loving husband will be returning shortly. When he disna find a trail to follow, he’ll grow suspicious. But it will be too late.” He sang softly in her ear, “Too late, too late.”
“Blane didn’t have Mairi at all, did he? Where is she? What have you done with her?”
“No, Blane had nothing to do with Mairi’s disappearance, though he made an excellent decoy, dinna you think? And he did provide me with my disguise when he attacked me after he discovered what I was doing.” He laughed grimly. “Though I had not planned on quite that much realism, I suppose it did make me all the more convincing when I arrived. Even you seemed distressed by my act.” With the arm that held her, he gave a little squeeze. “I expect Mairi’s at Dun Ard by now, safely locked in her room, waiting for her groom to come claim her.”
“But you care for Mairi. You’ve always been good to her. How could you even think of letting that horrible old man have her?”
This couldn’t be happening. Her head was spinning.
“I hae been good to her, hae I no? Mairi’s great fun. A good diversion from the daily cares. She’s amused me for years. Best of all, she’s provided me with an easy way to keep track of Connor’s activities. Ah weel, now she’ll amuse the MacPherson. That horrible old man as you call him will make a powerful ally when I’m laird of the MacKiernan.”
“When you’re laird? That’s what this is all about? You’re doing this simply to be laird?”
“There’s nothing simple about what I do, my dear. I’m second son of the MacKiernan. There would be nothing for me but what crumbs Blane might choose to toss my way. Think you I’d be satisfied with a warrior’s life like Connor? I din
na think so. No, I’ll remove all the obstacles and take my rightful place at the head of the clan, where I belong.”
He began humming in her ear.
They reached the tower wall and stood near the edge of the walk. Cate’s stomach felt sick as she saw the horses approaching. She could think of nothing to do, no way to warn Connor. She knew the instant he spotted her there, when he drew his sword.
“Good,” Lyall yelled down to him. “I’ll need you all to follow my cousin’s lead. Draw yer weapons. Oh, and you can toss them to the ground as weel. Then I’ll let you enter.”
“And why would I choose to throw away my weapons, Lyall?” Connor had laid the sword across his lap.
“Perhaps you dinna see the dirk I hold to this lovely wee neck. I’ll hae no choice but to slice it open and let her bleed over the side of yer wall if you dinna do as I say.”
He giggled and Cate feared for an instant that he planned to do exactly that as she felt the sting of the blade pressed tightly against her skin.
Connor cursed and threw his sword to the ground. Duncan and Robert did the same.
“And yer small weapons, Cousin. Every single one of them. Then climb down off yer horses and we’ll let you inside.”
He removed the knife, rubbing at the spot where it had been with his thumb. From the burn, Cate knew he had drawn blood that last time.
She could hear the gates being opened as Lyall slowly walked her back down the stairs, his thumb and fingers tight about her throat, the knife in his other hand at her side. He was humming again.
When they emerged into the courtyard, she saw Connor, Robert and Duncan on their knees, arms pulled behind them, tied with rope. Lyall’s men were looping the rope from their hands up around their necks, rendering them virtually unable to move.
Rosalyn, still in her nightgown, stood only a few feet away, the man named Malcolm holding tightly to her arm.
“Lyall.”
She called to him sharply and he turned to look at her, not releasing his hold on Cate’s throat.
“Yer man is hurting my arm. It’s yer duty to see to my protection, is it no?”
Thirty Nights With a Highland Husband Page 25
