The Highland Rogue

by Amy Jarecki

  In Vane’s cabin on the Silver Mermaid, Divana spread the charts across the writing table. “This is the map of Jackson’s Hell and the Strand of Pearls. See?” She pointed. “He named the two isles at the bottom Hell and Pur-ga-tor-y.”

  “Have a look at that.” Kennan leaned over her, the comfort of his body soothing against her back. “I cannot believe how well you’ve taken to your lessons.” He caressed her neck with a feathery kiss, then gaped at the chart. “Good heavens, the others are named Hades, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzebub. The varlet must have a preoccupation with the devil.”

  “He is a devil.” Sighing, she leaned against him and unrolled the next chart. “This is the one with the treasure.” They’d already found the barrels of tobacco and rum in the hold of the Silver Mermaid, but Divana had kept mum about the rest until she and Kennan were behind closed doors.

  “He’s been hoarding his riches. He gives his men and those who support him in Jackson’s Hell only enough to keep them happy—but never enough to make them rich. And he has jewels and coin hidden all along the Strand of Pearls.”

  More of Kennan’s kisses caressed her neck. “And I’ll reckon you can tell us where to find it.”

  She beamed, pulling a slip of parchment from beneath her bodice. “I copied his chart, but now we’re aboard Vane’s ship, I don’t reckon we need me scratchings.” She moved to the chest filled with treasure. “And have a wee peek in here.”

  “My God, gold ingots, doubloons, reales.” Kennan scooped a handful of plunder. “There’s enough here for him to start his own country.”

  Divana took a coin and let it drop, clinking atop the others. “If he hadn’t made enemies of all the nations in Christendom.”

  “This is stupendous. Every single man in the crew will be wealthy beyond their wildest imaginings.”

  Divana’s shoulders tensed. She’d been captured and nearly sold into slavery…and before that she’d suffered on Hyskeir. Bless it, ’twas time to stand up for herself. Besides, everyone knew her secret now. Moreover, Ethan had been assigned to the Silver Mermaid, and if that man caught wind of the size of Vane’s plunder, he might attempt mutiny and keep it all for himself.

  “There’s something of grave import I must tell ye straightaway.” She twirled out from Kennan’s embrace and faced him. “One of the men threatened me when we were sailing from Scotland.”

  “One of my men?”

  “Aye, hired by Lachie Mor in Glasgow.”

  Kennan’s jaw took on a hard line. “Which one?”

  “Ethan. He said he kent me secret and he’d tell all the crew if I did not give him me share of the plunder.”

  Rage flashed through the braw Highlander’s eyes. “He threatened this and yet you said nothing to me?”

  “If I had, he would have told everyone I was really a lass—a-and when I asked him what he’d do if there was no prize, he said he’d incite a mutiny.”

  “The bloody scoundrel. And I discovered everyone kent your true identity all along. The only person we fooled was me.” Kennan adjusted his sword belt and headed for the door. “I’ll rearrange his priorities.”

  “Wait!” Divana dashed ahead and blocked his path. “Ethan said he has allies who support him—what if they band together? Are ye certain ye want to face him this night?”

  Kennan groaned, scratching the stubble on his chin. “Mayhap it would be best to wait until we drop anchor off Hades. I can think of no better place for the swindler to spend a year or two pondering his lot.”

  Her hips swayed as she stepped into him and cupped his face in the palm of her hand. “Ye are a wise man, Sir Kennan.”

  “All wise men are inspired by wiser women,” he whispered as he moved his lips closer to her ear.

  Divana closed her eyes, releasing an enormous sigh as he slid his fingers around her waist. “Och, I feared I’d never see ye again.”

  His arms felt like heaven, even if they were sailing through the isles of Hell. “If I had to spend the rest of my life searching, I wouldn’t have given up. God, you are my world.”

  Her heart swelled so much it nearly burst. “I ken ye cannot marry me, but I love ye with my heart and soul. It drives me to the brink of madness to think that one day ye’ll belong to another.”

  “No.” He grasped her shoulders firmly and focused his gaze on her eyes. “I will marry you this night. The Highland way, if you’ll have me.”

  “But what about your da—your clan and kin?”

  “If they do not love you as I do, then they can all join Vane in hell.” He dropped to his knee and took her hand gently between his large palms. “Divana Campbell, I ken in my heart there will never be another woman as caring, smart, brave, or as bonny as you. I beg you as a man to accept me with all my imperfections. Please, please, please, will you be my wife?”

  Good glory, perhaps this was all a dream. Perhaps she’d died and gone to heaven. She might believe it if his hands weren’t quite so warm. A tear spilled from her eye. “Ye—ye want to marry me?” she whispered. “Are ye certain? But what about your da?”

  “I’ve never been surer about anything in all my days, and no one’s opinion matters except yours.” He squeezed her hand. “Say yes. I’ll give you my solemn oath as our forefathers did, and once we reach Scotland, we’ll have the grandest wedding you’ve ever dreamed of.”

  “Aye. I will marry ye, and none other—but I need no grand wedding, I only need your love.”

  “And you have it.” In one powerful motion, Kennan rose and swept Divana in his arms. “This day when we join as one, I will be claiming you as my wife in the eyes of God.”

  “And ye will be mine for all of eternity?” she asked, her head swimming as he rested her on the bed.

  She lay very still and watched her brawny Highlander remove his belt, shoes, stockings, and shirt, and at long last, away fell his kilt. Never in her life would she grow tired of gazing upon his naked form. He was hard and sleek and desirable beyond anything she’d ever imagined.

  Nestling into the crisp linen pillows on the pirate bed, Divana raised her arms to him. It didn’t matter where they were, only that they were together, pledging their love for the rest of their days. “This time I want your seed to spill inside me.”

  As he kneeled over her, a low chuckle rumbled from his throat. “’Tis the only way to seal the bond.” He urged her to roll to her side. “But first we need to rid you of this hideous gown.”

  “’Tis nicer than the rags I wore on Hyskeir.”

  Unraveling the laces, he nibbled her neck, making gooseflesh rise across her skin. “I’ll buy you gowns of silk in every color you desire.”

  He pulled the bodice away and tsked his tongue. “Stays as well?” he asked, sounding disappointed.

  “What did ye expect? Aren’t all lassies supposed to wear stays? That’s what Mistress Barton says.”

  “Does she now?” Deftly, he unlaced and cast them to the floor. “Not to worry, mo leannan. Taking a wife should never be done in haste.”

  By the time he’d finished removing every last stitch of clothing, pausing between each garment to kiss and caress the multitude of sensitive places on Divana’s body, her flesh was steaming and tingling with want. Eager to have him beside her, she patted the mattress. “Are ye certain ye do not want to be just a wee bit hasty?”

  Kennan joined her and smoothed his fingertips around her nipple. “Och aye, I want you to soar among the stars.” He slid the pad of his thumb down the center of her body, stopping when he reached the patch of red curls. “Shall I go further?”

  Her tongue tapped her top lip as Divana nodded. “Ye ken I want ye to.”

  His eyes grew dark as his finger skimmed the sensitive button and swirled into her moisture. It took but a few strokes to make her breathing ragged. Down and up, down and up, he teased with each stroke of his finger.

  “Open,” he growled, encircling the tiny nub that always drove her mad.

  She thrust her body toward him, her need already rav
enous. “But—”

  He pushed inside her, making slow, leisurely, torturous circles. “Wheesht.”

  Needing more, Divana moved in tandem with his devilish strokes. “I need ye now.”

  “Soon.”

  His thumb brushed her while his finger continued to work inside, each swirl making the pleasure coil inside her, tighter and tighter. Her heart raced as her desire ratcheted higher.

  Grasping his muscular shoulders, she bore down and tugged him over her. “Och, I said now, Kennan!”

  “Now?” he asked, laughter shining in his eyes.

  “Aye. If ye want to be me husband, ye’ll take me now, ye brawny fiend!”

  A low growl rumbled through his throat as he licked her breast. “Fiend?”

  “Ye ken what I mean, ye’re torturing me.”

  He rose slightly and slid his member along her channel. “Is this what you’ve been asking for?”

  With a saucy grin of her own, she reached between them and grasped him, guiding his hard shaft to her entrance. “The question is, are ye ready for me? ’Cause I’m feeling like a wildcat.”

  “I like that—you wild island sprite.” He kissed her lips, her jaw, her neck. “Have I wooed you enough, mo leannan? Have I proved my worth?”

  She writhed beneath him. “Any more wooing and I’ll go mad.”

  Kennan’s entire body shuddered as he slipped inside, his eyes growing glassy. “Dear God,” he gasped. “There is no closer place to heaven than when I’m inside you.”

  Divana sank her fingers into his bum and tugged until he was buried to the hilt. “Lord have mercy, it feels like home.”

  He grinned, moving slowly, just as his finger had done. “Aye.” His voice strained. “Wherever we may be in this world, we’re always home in each other’s arms.”

  She drew in a stuttered breath, tears stinging the back of her eyes. No more words came between them while Divana stared into the gaze of the only man she had ever loved—the man who had enchanted her from the day he came ashore and burst into her wee bothy. He was braw and rugged, and he was hers for the rest of their days.

  And as they focused upon each other, the mounting pleasure he’d begun with his fingers inched higher with her every breath. Squeezing him tightly, she dictated the tempo, her breath coming in short gasps. “Faster,” she whispered.

  Kennan bared his teeth as he growled, his eyes growing more intense. “Be my bride! Say it.”

  The power of their love surged between them, forming a bond that would bind them for eternity. “I will be your wife forever and ever.”

  He dropped forward onto his elbows, thrusting into her deeper and faster than ever before. “Then I am your husband. We are man and wife, and no one but God can separate us.”

  With his words, his seed pulsed into her, the intensity of his love taking her over the edge of oblivion. Thrusting her head from side to side, Divana soared to new heights far above the crow’s nest on the Lady Heather. She shattered, sailing through puffy white clouds, clinging to her man.

  After their breathing ebbed, Kennan cupped her face, his eyes glistening with happiness. “I love you more than anything in this world.”

  She slid her fingers up his back, the ridges of his scars reminding her of how much they had endured to make their fairy tale come true. “And I love ye—but then ye ken how much I do.”

  “But I’ll never tire of hearing it, m’lady.”

  “Lady?” A tear of joy slipped from the corner of her eye. “I like the sound of that.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Captain!” shouted Runner as he pounded on the timbers. “I’ve spotted the Highland Reel.”

  “I’ll meet you on deck, forthwith,” Kennan replied before he kissed his wife. “We’ve arrived sooner than I thought.”

  Stretching, Divana beamed at him, looking more radiant than sunshine. “Must ye go?”

  He retrieved his shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head. “I’d prefer to stay.”

  “I ken it is an important day—not only because we are wed…” The bedclothes dropped as she slid up against the headboard. “But ye must reclaim your ship.”

  “Our ship.”

  “I love the way ‘our’ rolls off your tongue.”

  Kennan kissed her again. “I’d prefer it if you stayed abed. There could be fighting.”

  “And miss all the excitement?”

  “If you join me at the helm, I need your word you’ll duck inside at the first sign of danger.”

  She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “If that is what ye wish.”

  After he’d dressed, Kennan found Cuthbert at the helm, manning the wheel. “You’ve come along well these past years. I must commend your courage in capturing Jackson’s Hell. I was proud to have you fighting beside me.”

  “Thank ye, sir.”

  Runner joined them. “I hope ye don’t mind, but I signaled the Lady Heather to flank her on portside whilst we take the starboard.”

  Kennan patted the boy’s shoulder. “Good man.” Then he returned his attention to Cuthbert. “How would you like to take command of the Silver Mermaid on the journey home?”

  The young seaman beamed. “’Twould be a dream come true, sir.”

  “May I act as quartermaster?” asked Runner.

  “I can think of no one better, but first we need to take back my ship.” Kennan drew his spyglass from his belt. “Hold your course, men.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” bellowed the sailors on deck. The air was charged with the excitement from not only the plunder in the hold, but the anticipation of riches yet to come.

  Kennan swept his gaze across the faces of his crew. All but one was smiling. All but one man was giving his best. He should have pegged Ethan for a scoundrel sooner. The laggard had never pulled his own weight, and even Kennan had caught wind of an offhanded comment or two.

  But he’d deal with the mutineer later. There were bigger fish to catch at the moment. He raised the spyglass to his eye, gazing upon the detail of his beloved ship for the first time since he leaped to the sea months ago.

  Aft, he spotted Jackson Vane and two other men cranking the anchor’s winch.

  Only three?

  Kennan made a complete sweep of the deck and saw not a single other man. An abandoned skiff bobbed in the water not far from the ship. He turned the barrel for a better look. Aye, ’twas the same wherry he’d seen when they landed on Jackson’s Hell.

  Damnation, if it is the last thing I do, I’ll chart these isles and rename them.

  Within the next half hour, both the Lady Heather and the Silver Mermaid had tied up either side of the Highland Reel.

  Vane had moved to the quarterdeck with his men and wielded a pair of flintlocks. “Cast off now, else you’ll be the first to die, Cameron.”

  Thank God that Kennan had convinced Divana to hide in the great cabin.

  And because of his wife, he wasn’t daft enough to run over and challenge the lout to a duel, no matter how much he wanted to be the one to put a musket ball between Jackson Vane’s eyes. He stood proud on the main deck while his men held their posts on either side of the Highland Reel. “Throw down, ye bastard. I’ve a dozen muskets aimed at your heart.”

  One of the pirates lost his nerve, looking from side to side, the flintlock in his hand trembling. “They’ll send us to Hades.”

  Kennan laughed aloud. “You’re already there, ye flea-bitten swine.”

  The man took aim and fired, the bullet hitting the bulwark above Kennan’s head.

  With the blast, the men opened fire. Clutching his shoulder, Vane dove behind a barrel as the flash from the muzzle of each pistol ignited.

  “Take back the Reel!” Kennan shouted, leading the charge across the wooden plank.

  The Gaelic cry of the Camerons swelled through the air. “Aonaibh Re Cheile!” They shouted to unite, not to divide, not to conquer, but to defend their honor. Those three words meant more to Cameron men than any others.

 
Kennan raced up the stairs to the quarterdeck, where he’d spent many a day commanding the seas. The two pirates had met their end, but Vane crouched on his knees, clutching a bloody shoulder.

  “Lock him in the jail.”

  “Kill me!” Vane shouted, while droplets of spittle dribbled on his black beard.

  So now the tides had turned. Vane was alone, wild-eyed and feral. “Och,” said Kennan. “Death would be too good for you.”

  The pirate captain turned toward the rail, only to be met with the point of Cuthbert’s sword. “Then toss me over the side. I’ll take my chances.”

  “Nay. I’m carting you home. If you survive the journey, you’ll stand trial on British soil.”

  “No. Please,” Vane begged. “I cannot go back to England.”

  “England?” Kennan chuckled. “I’ll be dumping your bones at Fort William in my beloved Scotland. From there the colonel will most likely grant you a public hanging. You’ve a month or more to ponder how you’ll shite yourself on the gallows whilst Her Majesty’s dragoons heckle from the crowd.”

  When the men led Vane away, Divana approached them midship, a loaded slingshot swinging from her grip. She wore the skirt from the burgundy gown but not the garish bodice. Rather, she’d donned a linen shirt and a leather belt, the ensemble reminiscent of a pirate queen. The wind caught her red tresses and they whipped around her like fire, rendering her a fearsome woman to behold.

  Kennan’s jaw twitched. Would she cast her stone and end the pirate’s life? He wouldn’t blame her if she did, even though the man was already condemned.

  As Vane passed with guards on either side, she raised her chin and slapped the rock in her palm. “Ye chose the wrong path and soon ye’ll meet your end.”

  Filled with pride, Kennan joined her. “Unfortunate he’s injured, else he might sell well on the auction block.”

  She flicked the slingshot around, catching it in her palm again. “I’d never sell any man into bondage, especially that one.”

  “Oh?”

  “He’s a liar, he’s crafty and smart, and I’ve heard tell he’d kill his own mother if it would make him a farthing. Nay, the only place for Jackson Vane is Fort William’s gallows—just as ye said.”