“Glenna, speculating about this will not do ye any good.”
“Oh, God,” I gasped. “You do think that he was paid to kill me, don’t you?”
“I admit that’s how it looks,” he said with a nod, then hastened to add, “but it makes no sense, lass. Who here would have any cause to dislike ye, let alone hate ye so much that they would do something so evil? It’s much more likely that he stole the money and the drink rotted his brain.”
Even as I nodded at his explanation, my mind continued to race. There was one person who could hate me that much. After what Allina had witnessed in the library, would she actually go so far? But Alastair had said himself that the girl believed herself to be in love with him. And what was love if not the ultimate form of madness? How far would a madwoman go to remove what she believed to be the obstacle that stood between her and the man she loved? I shivered at the thought.
“Are ye cold?” Alastair asked me.
“Yes, so very cold.” I pulled my hand from his and slid over in the large bed. “Will you hold me for a little while?”
He hesitated for only a moment before joining me, and I snuggled in to his side with his large arms wrapped around me.
Sitting up slightly, I pressed a kiss to his lips. “You saved my life today, and I never thanked you.”
“Oh, God, Glenna.” He crushed me to him and captured my mouth with his, pouring his frustration into the embrace. “When I heard ye scream I thought my heart had been torn in two. And seeing ye there, with that wolf upon ye, I had never been so afraid in my whole life.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him as hard as I could, pulling him down on top of me as his hands grabbed at my sides, cupping my breasts and caressing my waist.
“I thought I was going to lose ye,” he panted into my ear. “I thought I was going to be too late and that I would lose ye.”
“When I saw you fighting that other wolf I was so scared that I was going to lose you too that I had to do something,” I told him, remembering my fear when the other wolf had bitten Alastair’s leg.
Alastair propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at me with wonder in his eyes.
“Ye were so brave, and ye looked so fierce. I was so mad at ye for putting yourself in danger like that by stabbing him, but so proud of ye as well. My little warrior.”
I kissed him gently and looked into his eyes. “I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“You’re safe now, and neither of us will be going anywhere for a long while,” he told me.
I sighed contentedly as his hands slowly continued their previous exploration of my body. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of his touch. He pulled my shift from my shoulders, lowered it and exposed my breasts to his touch. I gasped when his fingers grazed over the tip of one of my sensitive nipples, then pinched it gently.
His head dipped lower and his warm mouth replaced his fingers, his clever tongue flicking back and forth across the peak.
“My God,” I gasped.
He chuckled and continued for a few moments more before kissing his way across to my other breast, ready to give it the same treatment.
Sitting up, he knelt with a knee on either side of my hips, then he grabbed me and roughly flipped me over onto my stomach before coming down on top of me again. This time he kissed a hot trail across my shoulders, pulling my shift lower as he went so that he could continue down my spine.
Even as the direction of his kisses along my back lowered I could feel his hand running higher up my thigh as he tugged the bottom of my shift higher.
With one hand beneath me grasping my breast, he yanked me into a kneeling position, my now bare back flush with his chest, and my shift gathered around my waist like a belt.
I closed my eyes and let my head fall back onto his shoulder as his hand caressed my stomach, slowly inching its way lower until his fingers dipped into the soft curls of my sex.
“Spread your legs for me, Glenna, love,” he whispered in my ear.
I felt myself flush at his request but did as he asked, eager for more.
His fingers slid gently along my folds, finding the dampness there, and I squirmed beneath the new sensation. He continued to kiss my neck and shoulders as his fingers found the sensitive bud and began to stroke it rhythmically. I moaned and tilted my hips into his touch as the burning built inside me.
I cried out when his two of his fingers dipped lower and entered me. He slid them in and out of me in the same slow rhythm he had been using and I spread my legs wider to give him better access. My hand dropped down to cover his and keep it in place as he continued to plunge into me and my hips moved involuntarily in time with the pace he set.
“Let go for me, love,” he growled in my ear. “Take your pleasure.”
“I don’t… I can’t think,” I said, breathless.
His hand began to move faster and with more force inside of me and I clutched at him as my body began to shake.
“Alastair?” I cried out in confusion.
“I know, love, I know. Let go.”
“Alastair!” I screamed as the pleasure tore through me, shaking my world apart.
I felt him bite down hard on my shoulder as I rode the wave of my pleasure before collapsing against him, spent.
He cradled me gently and lay us down with his body curled tightly around mine from behind.
“Sleep now, lass,” he said, pressing a kiss to my hair.
Sighing contentedly, I closed my eyes and curled in to him, falling sleep almost instantly.
CHAPTER 11
I lay on the couch in the library reading with my feet tucked up beneath me. The last three days had passed in a blissful haze. Even though Alastair had requested I stay inside the castle for the time being, a request that betrayed his belief that my attack was a random one, I did not feel the slightest bit cooped up.
I had spent my days immersed in the great stories the library held and my nights wrapped in Alastair’s arms. It was enough to ruin me completely if anyone were to find out, even though I was still technically a maid, but I could not find it within me to care. I loved him.
The door to the library opened and Alastair walked in. A piece of paper was clenched tightly in his fist and worry creased his brow.
“Alastair?” I asked, worried. I sat up and closed the book, then set it beside me. “What is it?”
“I just received your father’s reply. I came as quickly as I could.”
“Why do you look so troubled?”
“Because, Glenna… your father has declared war on clan MacGregor.”
I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth. “No, no, this cannot be. It must be some mistake.”
“It’s no mistake. He is gathering his men to march on us. They are most likely already on their way.”
“But why? Why would he do this when he knows I’m unharmed?”
“I suppose he did not believe my letter.”
“But war? Why go to such an extreme when he could simply send someone here, or come himself to see it with his own eyes? No, I cannot believe my father would do such a thing.”
“Well, he has, and now I have no choice but to meet him in battle,” he said angrily.
“No!” I cried, leaping to my feet. “No, Alastair, you cannot.”
“I must, Glenna. Word of your father’s action has most likely already started to spread through the highlands. Soon the other clans will start to believe that the MacGregors can be challenged. I must put a stop to this.”
“Of course, because God forgive anyone who dares challenge the clan MacGregor,” I snapped at him.
“Ye of all people know why that must not happen, Glenna. Or have you forgotten so soon?”
“Yes, yes, I know why. But you cannot expect me to stand by while you march out to kill my people. They are my people, Alastair!”
“I have no other choice, Glenna!” he shouted at me.
“Yes, you do!” I shouted back. “You could say no! You could f
ind another way! But instead you would rather stain the highlands with the blood of the people I love. You are a stupid, pigheaded fool, Alastair MacGregor, but I’m an even greater fool for letting myself fall in love with you!”
“Glenna…” he whispered, reaching out to take hold of my arm. I wrenched it from his grasp and shook my head, then fled the room.
I rushed out of the castle, eager to put as much distance between us as possible. There had to be another way, some way to bring this all to a peaceful resolution. I had to get word to my father.
My mind was lost in thought when a large hand came around from behind me and covered my mouth.
“Hello again, sweet niece,” came my uncle’s voice in my ear.
I struggled against his grip and he shoved me to the ground. I opened my mouth to call for help, but as I took a breath something hard hit me on the back of my head and my eyes fell closed as I slid into blackness.
***
I awoke in a rundown wood hut. From what I could see, the entire building was made up of one small room, not even the size of my bedchamber back at the castle.
“Oh, good,” said a female voice. “You’re awake, then.”
I tried to sit up from where I lay on the hard floor of the room but found my hands bound.
The owner of the voice knelt down in front of me and I looked up into Allina’s sweet face.
“I wanted to dump a bucket of water on ye but your stubborn uncle said no,” she pouted.
I shuffled myself into a seated position. The room tilted and I closed my eyes for a moment until I was sure that everything had stopped spinning. The back of my head throbbed where I had been struck but I had to ignore the pain for the time being.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked her. “What do you want from me?”
She lashed out and slapped me across the face with such force that my head snapped to the side.
“Like ye don’t know?” she hissed. “I saw ye! Ye know I saw ye. Seducing the man I love in the library, ye little slut. Did ye really think I would just let ye show up and ruin everything that I’ve worked so hard for? That I would let ye replace me?”
My face burned where she had struck me and I looked at her in anger.
“I did not replace you, Allina. He was never yours,” I said angrily.
“Ye lying bitch. He loves me, I know he does. The MacGregor’s just confused right now, that’s all. You’ve done something to bewitch him. I tried to free him from ye. But you’re cunning. Much more cunning than I gave ye credit for. I can see that now. That’s the only way ye could have survived. Ye should have died. He promised me he would be able to do it.”
So she really had paid that man to kill me. I wasn’t sure if I felt better or worse now that I knew it to be fact. But at the very least I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of my life in doubt, unsure if someone would make another attempt on my life when I least expected it.
The door opened and my uncle walked in. I sneered at him and looked away. Would I never be free of the man? Was he determined to destroy every chance of happiness that I could find?
“And you, Uncle?” I asked him. “What is your part in this? I would have thought you considered yourself well rid of me?”
“And free of ye I was, until this lass here came to our door not long ago. She sought me out, for which I’m grateful. Otherwise Cameron would have discovered my hand in your disappearance.”
“The letter that was sent?” I asked.
“Received by me. The one my brother has is a forgery.”
“A forgery with enough lies in it to incite a war,” I spat. “Why, Uncle? Are you so much of a coward that you would rather send hundreds of our men to their deaths than face the consequences for your underhanded deeds?”
“What I did, I did for our people!” he yelled. “I did what your father could not. If I had been born the elder I would have had the strength to do what needed to be done without the necessity to sneak around like a thief in the night. If you had had the grace to do your duty, to meet your fate with dignity, then none of this would be happening now. None of it. The deaths of those men will be on your head, girl, not mine.” Dougal pounded his chest with his fist once for emphasis.
In that moment I wished for nothing more than to be the witch Allina had accused me of being, for if I had had the ability within me to set my uncle aflame with only the strength of my will I would have done it in that instant. He was maddening, and it took all of my strength to hold my tongue. I wanted to curse him to damnation, but it would do me no good.
“So now what, Uncle? What are your plans for me?” I asked instead.
“Kill you, of course,” Allina said with glee.
My eyes went wide at that and I looked at my uncle with disbelief. Even after everything he had done, I had to believe that he would draw the line at murdering his own kin.
“You would kill me?” I asked him, disdain dripping from every word.
He looked away from me, refusing to meet my eye. I had never felt overly affectionate toward my uncle. His coolness toward me had never allowed for it. I had always known he considered me to be overindulged and spoiled, but I had never disliked him until he stole me away from my home. My hatred of him had started to subside as I was filled with my happiness with Alastair. But that hatred raged back to life within me now.
“You are pathetic, Uncle,” I hissed, “and less than a man. You will meet justice for this, one way or another. I swear it to you.”
In a fury, Dougal grabbed his sword and stormed toward me. I held my breath and raised my chin, ready to meet my death, but instead he raised his hand back and brought the hilt down hard against the side of my head, knocking me unconscious.
***
I groaned, my head throbbing, but the noise was muffled and sounded very far away.
“And here I was hoping you’d do me a favor and die in your sleep,” said Allina. “Of course, if you did that I would have been cheated out of the pleasure of killing you myself.”
The light in the room was dim but still hurt my sensitive eyes. I blinked a few times while they adjusted themselves.
“Ye were out for two days, you know. We weren’t sure if you would ever wake. Your uncle saw it as a sign that we weren’t meant to kill ye.” She laughed humorlessly and smiled at me. “Your uncle is a fool if he thinks he can deny me this pleasure.”
“Where is he?”
“Out taking a piss, most likely. What do I care?” Shrugging, she brought her hands out from behind her back and I saw that she held a wicked-looking knife.
“Please, you don’t have to do this.”
“Yes I do!” she snapped. “I will be with him. I have a plan, ye see. I’m going to become a wolf. I’m going to get myself bit. Then we can get married and I can have his bairns. I’ll love him better than ye ever could, and he’ll be able to see that just as soon as you’re gone and I’m like him.”
“I don’t understand…” My head was still groggy from being out for so long.
“Did ye really think he would marry you, you fool? He will never truly love ye. He can never marry any woman who doesn’t have the wolf in her. The clan would never allow it, and he knows that. You are nothing more than a pretty distraction to him. I may have no wolf but that doesn’t matter to me, because I can change that. And I will, just as soon as I get rid of ye.”
She came at me with the knife held high just as the door opened and my uncle walked in.
“Allina, no!” he shouted, diving at her.
He tackled her to the ground and she slashed out widely with the knife. He grabbed her wrist and slammed her hand repeatedly against the floor until her grip loosened and the knife fell from her hand.
“I’ll have the eyes from your head!” she screamed at him. They rolled over as they struggled, Allina’s hands curling like claws as she tried to scratch his face.
My uncle closed his hands around her throat and turned his head away to try to protect his face while she scratched
at him, tightening his grip and choking the life from her.
I watched in horror as she began clutching and clawing at his hands as she gasped for air, her legs kicking wildly. But he did not release her. He squeezed as tightly as he could, his face bright red as he choked the life from her until, finally, her body went limp.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, sliding up the wall and inching away.
Dougal looked up from Allina’s slack face and stood up slowly.
“Uncle, no.” I continued to move slowly away from him.
“I’ve killed her, Glenna. I can have no witnesses. Ye would tell your father everything. You’re determined to destroy me.”
I dodged to get around him but he moved quickly into my path. I tried the other way but he cut me off again. Looking down, I saw the knife that Allina had dropped. It had been pushed wide as she struggled for her life. I dove for it and my uncle lunged at me.
He grabbed me by my ankle and pulled me back but my fingers curled around the hilt of the knife and I kicked back at him as he climbed up my body. I kicked again and he lost his grip on me. I scrambled forward as quickly as I could and got to my feet. Dougal jumped up and came toward me.
“No!” I screamed and stabbed out, burying the knife into his stomach as far as it would go.
His eyes went wide with shock and he looked down at my hand. I let go of the knife and backed away shaking as he fell to his knees. He stared at me, a look of confusion in his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe I had actually done it.
I watched as he fell over to the side, his hands wrapped around the knife. Then, as his eyes closed, I turned and fled to the door.
CHAPTER 12
I burst out of the cabin into the early morning sunlight. The hut was surrounded by a low stone wall, and the horses were tied to a post in the yard. I attached the bridle to one, then saddled the other as quickly as possible and swung up into the saddle. Gathering up both sets of reins I scanned the horizon for something, anything, that looked familiar until I spotted the mountain range that pointed the direction to the MacGregor lands.
Claimed by the Highland Wolf Page 7
