My Hunted Highlander

by Badger, Nancy Lee

  “Our immediate course is to head for the mainland, and put distance between us and Raven Snoddy,” she said.

  “Aye. I would drink to that, but I doubt we have any ale.”

  “Sorry. No ale aboard this ship, but I did grab a couple of water-skins. Hope they last until we get to land.”

  “We shall drink only enough to quench our thirst.”

  “They’re under the canvas, with Keegan.”

  Niall cupped her chin, and pressed his lips to hers. “Yer kisses will do, for now.”

  “Balfour, we shouldn’t.”

  Her whispered words made him crawl toward the canvas in the bow. Underneath it, Keegan slept peacefully. After returning to her side, he stroked her collarbone. “Yer son is deep in slumber, and lies on the skins. I can wait. Ye must know I would never embarrass ye in his presence, but I must taste ye, and more.”

  “More?”

  Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and the moon’s light winked out.

  Niall smiled.

  ***

  Blair caught the smile on Balfour’s lips, until clouds turned the night to pitch. She wasn’t looking at the sky. There wouldn’t be anything to see, in the dark. The sea rolled, and the wind snapped the sail taut. As long as they weren’t taking on water, she’d concentrate on the man sitting so close she felt his heat, and smelled the manly musk she’d come to know as Balfour Green.

  When his mouth covered hers, she jumped, and leaned back.

  “Pardon, lass. I need to taste ye. ‘Tis a chance to learn all there be to know about one another. Open yerself, and enjoy.”

  Enjoy? No problem!

  Her body was already halfway to ecstasy. Blair raised her hands, finding his cheeks. She pulled his face, until their lips connected again. He tasted delicious, and she opened to his tongue’s prodding. They suckled and tasted each other, until she pulled away to catch her breath. His hands found her neck, and she stilled. Had he planned to kill her all along?

  “Balfour?”

  “Easy, lass. I canno’ see ye, so I must use my fingers. I wish to touch ye until ye moan.”

  Blair’s thighs opened, and her womb tightened. When his mouth peppered gentle kisses along her neck and collarbone, she sighed.

  “Try to keep yer moans…quieted.”

  No longer cold, she reveled in his body’s warmth, and when his hand slid lower, and cupped a breast, she bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to wake Keegan, but the throbbing between her legs was increasing.

  “I’m wearing too many clothes.”

  “Aye, lass, but I doono’ wish ye more chilled than ye are. If we were in yer cabin on The Black Thistle, I would unlace yer gown, and shove it to the floor. I would suckle ye like a newborn.”

  His words warmed her, and dampened her inner thighs. When his hand trailed over her dress, over her belly, then encountered her tucked-in skirts, he growled.

  “Wait a minute.” Blair untied the sash that held up her skirts.

  “I want ye, love.”

  She coughed. “Me, too, but this isn’t exactly my cabin.”

  The wind brushed her hair into her eyes, but it didn’t matter. The darkness surrounding them was complete. The lyrics of a song popped into her head. “Feel your way.”

  Balfour turned her into his chest, and pulled her onto his lap. As he pulled her dress higher, his fingers brushed against her sex. Throbs ignited into sparks, and she tunneled her fingers through his hair. His sash was gone, but she took care not to dislodge his eye patch.

  “Will ye no’ come for me, love?”

  “Yes. But, I want all of you. Please…”

  He chuckled. When the fingers that had tangled in her curls disappeared, and he wrestled blindly with his breeches, she whimpered.

  “Rise up on yer knees, love.”

  Blair complied, but the wind slapped her, forcing her to shiver violently, and the rough wooden bench hurt her knees. Moments later, his hands guided her downward, and she hovered over his thick erection. As he slid inside, his warm arms circled her. They nestled together, locked in place, and she wanted nothing more than to stay like this, forever.

  His cock was long, hot, and throbbing. When her inner muscles clenched around his hardened flesh, he groaned into her neck.

  “Ride me,” he whispered.

  Stirred by the emotion in those two little words, she moved. Where their bodies had joined, she was wet, slick, hot, and too sensitive to last. His grunts, muffled against her neck, warned her that he was close, as well. When his hands swept down, from her waist to her buttocks, she arched her back. When the darkness opened her other senses, and filled with the fragrance of sex and salt, she surrendered to the agony of her release. Moments later, he cupped the back of her head, forcing her mouth to search the dark for his lips.

  His lips parted with a growl, and his tongue swept inside her mouth. Murmuring her pleasure, she settled her shaking hands on his bristly cheeks, careful of his bruises. When she pulled back, releasing his mouth, and peppered his scar with gentle kisses, he gasped. With one forceful thrust, he joined her in paradise.

  CHAPTER 18

  Dawn broke, and the waves lessened. The wind blew southward, filling their small sail, which hastened them toward the mainland. For a brief moment, Niall prayed they would continue their voyage into another night. The yearning to couple with Blair was strong. For the last few nights, young Keegan was awake and fitful. Blair must be worried he had taken sick, while his concern was that they would never find another moment alone. Guilt made him soften his voice. “Do ye know where we are, lass?”

  “Of course. We’re several miles north of where we fished you out of the sea. I mean, a few nautical miles. The wind from the north is strong. The Black Thistle battled against it all the way to New Lincoln.”

  “Then I know of a village, north of yer hidden cave. People there might assist us. Keegan needs food and fresh water, as do ye.” They had shared some bread and cheese, but Keegan was feverish.

  “It’s strange not to be sailing with my crew. I grew to love some of them, after I was forced…”

  When she did not continue, he clasped one of her hands in his.

  “Will ye share with me how ye came to be a pirate?”

  She sighed, and their joined hands stirred his loins. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms, lay her on the deck, and lose himself inside her heat. The fact that they were running from a band of pirates, and her bairn slept not ten feet away, was enough to banish such a notion.

  “We really aren’t pirates. We barter with villagers up and down the coast, and the only plunder we took was from unguarded ships, or the one or two English merchant ships that had the misfortune to cross our path.” She chuckled.

  “Sounds like what a pirate would do.”

  “After I was named captain, we didn’t kill anyone, or scuttle their ships, but this wasn’t the life I’d chosen. I was happy, once. Independently wealthy, obnoxious, and stupid. One night, I drank too much at a bar, and a handsome man swept me off my feet. Literally. I think he drugged my drink, because the next thing I knew, I was standing before a priest with a knife at my back, and whispered threats in my ear.”

  “Threats? What kind?” he asked, though a knife at her back was a threat no one could escape.

  “Carlton knew things about my co-workers. He threatened to murder them, so I had little choice. I suppose I thought of them as friends, but I doubt anyone misses me. I had no idea I was in Scotland, let alone in 1598 Scotland.”

  “1598? Ye have lived as a pirate for five years?”

  Her laughter echoed off the surface of the dark green water. “Not exactly what I meant. I was surprised I had fallen through time.”

  “What do ye mean?”

  “Never mind. Sounds crazy, I know.”

  The breeze kept the sail filled, while seabirds dipped and cried. Land was near, but he did not wish to turn away to look. Her face was expressionless, as if she was reliving a simple day, not her wed
ding day. Her words made little sense.

  “I was suddenly married, and Carlton brutalized me. Not the sort of wedding night a woman dreams of.” She gazed into his eyes, and smiled. “It was nothing like the pleasure you gave me beneath the falls, and on my ship.”

  Niall’s entire body tightened, even his damaged eye throbbed, but he waited to see what more she would share, so he nodded.

  “Forced along on his raids, raids I stopped as soon as he died, I listened and learned all I could, and planned my escape. Then the English came. Someone leaked our village’s location. Before he died, Carlton was convinced I was the traitor.”

  “Ye would never betray people like Aimee, Brenda, or Bill.”

  “Of course not. I wanted Carlton gone, but I would never submit those villagers to the English. I knew their history, so I helped most of the villagers escape, and founded New Lincoln.”

  “Ye were verra’ brave, lass. ‘Tis few men of my acquaintance, who could accomplish what ye did.” Cupping her chin, he stroked her soft cheek with his calloused thumb. “Do ye realize most folks assume Blair MacIan be a man?”

  Her eyes widened. “Really? Interesting. Guess I’d better change my last name.”

  “Ye can take my name.” The words were out of his mouth, before he realized what he had said.

  “Blair Green? Would that complicate things?”

  “No’ while traveling. Once we reach a village where I be known, we shall discuss what to call ye. I doono’ plan to converse with many strangers on our trek. We must stay hidden, in case Raven seeks ye out.”

  “He won’t. He has my ship. He’s probably already proclaimed himself captain.”

  “Raven Snoddy is no’ my captain!” Keegan crawled from beneath the canvas, rubbing his eyes. When he sneezed, Blair cuddled the lad to her chest.

  “He will never find ye, this I swear.” Niall slapped the lad on the back and gave up his seat, so he could sit beside his mother, instead of in her lap. The lad’s mossy green eyes were red-rimmed, but the green color reminded him of his own eyes, as seen in his reflection in the pool, and his were the same as his sire’s. The sandy hair, the square chin, and even the slope of his small nose made Niall worry he had begat a child, but not on Blair. Had his sire? Bill claimed the lad was eight years of age, but Blair married MacIan only five years earlier. Had she wed another, before MacIan kidnapped her? His questions would have to wait, because he would not discuss Keegan’s heritage in the lad’s presence.

  Once they headed more westerly, and land appeared on their starboard side, he scouted the coast. When he recognized a small cove, he decided to beach the craft. “I am heading in. Pull in the sail. Keegan, gather our belongings.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Blair agreed, probably because she was also dead-tired.

  Lana’s cottage was south, possibly a day’s walk. “We shall rest, once we are far enough inland.”

  “Are you worried Raven might find our boat?”

  “Aye.”

  ***

  Stepping onto wet sand, Blair helped Balfour draw the craft higher. Together, they beached it above the tide line. Moving sluggishly, Keegan tossed the sacks out, and the three headed into the trees. The weather had turned colder, and the taste of winter snow hung in the air. Her throat was parched, so finding fresh water was a priority. She prayed Balfour knew the way.

  They entered a clearing, where a small stream gurgled over moss-covered rocks. The color reminded her of Balfour’s eyes, gazing up at her from between her thighs. At the memory of their lovemaking in her cabin, heat swept over her.

  “Drink yer fill, then fill the wineskins. We must carry water with us.”

  Keegan was on his knees, lapping up the water like a puppy. Blair latched onto his collar to keep him from falling in. The boy could swim like a fish, but she hadn’t grabbed a change of clothes, only heavy cloaks and extra stockings. His forehead was still warm.

  “Aye, Balfour, ‘tis delicious!”

  “Lad, we must keep quiet as we travel, and I ask ye no’ to call me by name. Doono’ call yer mother captain, either. People might share what they hear with Raven, who might follow us. Understand?”

  Keegan nodded. “What shall I call ye?”

  “How about Niall. ‘Tis my middle name.”

  Blair nodded her approval. The name fit him more than Balfour. She was also very proud of her boy. He was the only thing she had of value, plus the gold coins she had secreted away. “The more distance we put between us, and the pirates, the better.”

  “I agree, lass.”

  She prayed Balfour--Niall--was taking them to a castle with stone walls strong enough to keep fiends such as Raven Snoddy far away.

  “We must hurry, lass. I see a mast above the trees.”

  His statement shocked her to her core, and a cry escaped from her lips, as she looked to the east. “Holy Moses! Is that my ship, The Black Thistle?”

  Niall threw a sack over his shoulder, and held his dagger high. Whimpering, Keegan scrambled to Blair’s side. Murmuring words of comfort, she clasped his hand. They ran southward, heading who-knows-where. With Raven at their heels, she put all her trust in the man who led them along the creek, toward safety.

  ***

  The blackguard was too close. He would spot their beached craft, then come ashore with his sword raised. Raven wanted Blair, and his rage at her desertion, and the loss of his prisoner, must be the basis of his need to capture them. All Niall could do was hurry his little band of renegades toward friendly faces. If he found help, in a village or at Castle Ruadh, they would make good use of it. Unfortunately, three men suddenly impeded their path.

  One was Barnacle Bill.

  Blair slid on wet leaves beside Niall. “Bill? How...?”

  Keegan sobbed, with good reason. Bill was not smiling, and the men behind him refused to look Niall in the eye.

  “I understand why this cur would steal a boat and escape, but why have ye run, Capt’n?” Bill delivered his question with sincerity. How would she answer?

  “Raven was bent on murder, and I decided I was done with killing.”

  “He wished to murder ye? I thought his plans for ye were…” Bill’s cheeks reddened. Niall figured Bill knew what Raven wanted with Blair.

  “He wanted to kill Balfour, against my orders. When I confronted him, his blatant insubordination made my choice easy. He is your captain, now. I will raise my son elsewhere. Let us pass.”

  “Nay, Bill. They shall no’ pass.” Raven stepped from the woods, and Keegan’s sobs grew louder.

  Niall, with his dagger raised, had only moments to determine their next course. When six more men, all armed, surrounded them, he dropped his sack and weapon to the leaf-strewn earth, in defeat.

  Stepping closer, Raven pulled back a fist, and struck him in the jaw. Niall’s head snapped back, but he stood his ground. He had suffered Raven’s wrath before. The man was a bully, but he must stay strong for Blair, and Keegan.

  Blair stepped between the men. “Raven, I left The Black Thistle and the crew in your care. That must be what you wanted, since you disregarded my orders. You got your mutiny, so why are you here?”

  “Ye know the location of my village.”

  “Which we have no plans to reveal to anyone. Why would we? I don’t want any of the villagers harmed.”

  “Remember the traitor?”

  “I am surprised you didn’t discover the traitor’s identity, after the English attacked. It wasn’t me. Where was your need for revenge then? Come to think of it, where were you, when the English attacked? Or, are you angry because I kicked you out of my bed?”

  A few of the men chuckled, making Raven’s mouth twist with rage When he raised his arm to strike Blair, Niall slammed headfirst into his stomach. They landed in a heap, and Niall struck several blows, before men dragged him away.

  “Bind him like the animal he is.” Raven spit blood onto the ground, grabbed Blair by the arm, and headed toward the beach.

  Throw
n to his knees, Niall struggled, but the ropes bit into his wrists. The odor of a wood fire filled his nose, and several men noticed it, too.

  “There be food cookin’, Raven. I meant to say, Capt’n.” Bill bowed slightly in Raven’s direction. “I believe the cottage of the witch, Lana Sinclair, be nearby.”

  Niall’s blood chilled. If they appeared at Lana’s cottage, would she recognize him in his bedraggled state? Would she spill his identity, or send for help?

  “Dispatch this cur, first. Bury him deep, then we shall visit yer wench. I have need of food and drink.”

  “No!” Blair wrenched away from Raven, and flung her arms around Niall. Keegan wrapped his arms around Niall’s leg.

  “Come with us, ye two. He is nothing, and I shall sleep better with him dead.”

  Niall shrugged, loosening their grip. “If ye kill me, ye shall no’ sleep at all. I am valuable, and if I die by yer hands, yer life shall end swift, and in pain.”

  Raven stomped closer, then slid his fingers around Niall’s neck. When he squeezed, Niall willed his body to keep still. He could not show fear in front of the Raven, or his men.

  “And why do ye think ye have value? Yer ugly. I doono’ know why Blair has followed ye to the mainland, Balfour Green, but yer death will end all my problems.”

  “Do not touch him, Raven!”

  “My name is no’ Balfour Green.”

  Blair gazed at him with a question in her wide-open eyes.

  Raven sneered. “I knew ye be a liar.”

  “I had a reason. I am no’ a simple farmer, though I am considered the best in the Highlands with the longbow.”

  “I doono’ care what ye call yerself. Kill him,” Raven said, pulling Blair to her feet. Before Niall could react, two of the crew grabbed him under the arms.

  “Hear me now, Raven Snoddy. I be Niall Sinclair, eldest son of Laird Angus Sinclair.”

  CHAPTER 19

  When the man standing before her stated that he was not Balfour Green, a hunter and farmer, but actually Niall Sinclair, Blair couldn’t breathe. He claimed he was the son of one of the cruelest men in the Scottish Highlands. A Highland laird was the same as royalty, in 1603 Scotland. The babbling creek, and songbirds flitting high above their heads, were the only sounds, until Niall groaned.