The Highlander Who Saved Me (Heart of a Highlander Collection Book 2)

by Allie Palomino

  He approached her slowly. She was trembling violently again. Her clothes were tightly sticking to her body.

  “Andie?” he asked, slowly.

  “Leave me,” she whispered.

  He sat next to her, undaunted. “Nay, I willna. Ye’ve come to me for help, and ‘tis what I’ll give. Yer father was an ally, and he would have never left any of mine in need.”

  “Nay, my father wouldna have,” she said solemnly.

  He stared out at the loch, too. The rain slowly simmered into a light drizzle. The fat pelts of droplets were now a fine mist.

  “‘Tis too cold here for ye,” he said. Looking sideways at her, he wasn’t sure whether the droplets on her face were because of the rain or her tears.

  “I wasna crying.”

  He looked at her just like he did when Althor ‘read his mind.’

  “Are ye a seer like Althor proclaims to be?” he said in a humorless laugh.

  “Nay,” she said simply.

  “We should travel back towards my castle now,” he said, and something tugged at him. His instincts prickled him. He immediately got up and swung around, sword unsheathed and in his hand. It was all done in one graceful movement. She inhaled sharply, taken aback at his power and speed.

  “What is it?”

  He gave her a look that told her to be quiet. His pale eyes were even paler now. She saw the lethal power within their depths. His muscles rippled under his bronzed skin. His stance was solid, legs braced apart. She was certain that his body increased its bulk. His shoulders were wide. His chest was expansive. His face had a murderous calm about it, waiting for the enemy to come to him rather than he go to the enemy. Aye, this was the legendary Dark Wolf.

  Andie shuddered. He was a very formidable opponent, one she was glad to call an ally.

  Leaves rustled, but the noise came from behind him.

  Andie had her sword unsheathed and was approaching him. He tensed, thinking it was a trap.

  From her.

  His eyes grew doubtful and deadly.

  “Maitland, ye really need to learn how to trust more,” she said, exasperated. She walked to his side and waited.

  A tall red haired man appeared. Gavin kept his strong stance, while Andie sheathed her sword and walked to the stranger. Gavin grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

  “Where are ye going?” he asked, not knowing whether Andie was friend or foe. Was she ensnaring him in a trap?

  “This is Charlie, Gavin. Charlie, this is-”

  “The Dark Wolf,” Charlie finished, nodding towards Gavin.

  “What are ye doing here?” Andie asked, looking at him fretfully. She moved away from Gavin. “I thought ye were going to stay until I gathered more aid from the allies.”

  “Our ranks have weakened, Andie,” Charlie said, still eyeing Gavin.

  “How many remain,” she asked, anxiously.

  “Just who ye see here, Andie,” he said pointing behind him.

  It took her no longer than a few seconds to do a quick estimate.

  “Fifty men remaining? No, Charlie, that’s impossible! We had over two hundred men! What happened?” Andie said, her voice fraught.

  “We’re forty strong, now, Andie,” Charlie corrected.

  Gavin still stood with his legs braced apart staring at Charlie, but sheathed his massive sword.

  “How many soldiers did Alistair have when he began the rebellion?” Gavin asked.

  “About fifty,” Andie said, unconcernedly, staring at Charlie.

  Gavin thought about that for a minute. Only fifty men were able to overpower two hundred McBrides?

  “Charlie, we’ve lost all those men? What about the women?”

  Charlie looked away a second and turned his green eyes back to her.

  “Some have been killed, Andie. His men violated some of them, beat others.”

  “No! Charlie, no!” she said breathless, her hand covering her mouth. He had killed women! Rape was certain where her cousin was concerned, but murder?

  “How did ye know to find her here?” Gavin asked, his eyes studying Charlie.

  “I didna. I first thought ye dead,” Charlie said, looking at her, and continued saying, “but then I heard Alistair rambling about ye and knew ye had escaped. I saw Bryce before he left to find ye, and was relieved he was alive. He told me that ye were going to the McKendricks. I went there and the McKendrick told me he hadna seen ye.”

  “He didna tell ye about Bryce being there before?” Andie asked.

  Charlie shook his head no, his green eyes looking down for a moment, and then he looked back up at Andie. “Nay, he didna. But were I him, I wouldna have either.”

  “Why do ye say that?”

  “He knew ye were McBride’s daughter. He may have been suspicious having so many ask about ye. He knew Bryce but I’m nay sure we’d ever met. After seeing him, I went back to see how the men fared. I gathered them, and here I am now.”

  Andie shivered, still drenched. She was thinking about everything, sadness in her eyes.

  “Andie, we need to get back,” Gavin said, moving towards the horses. He untied Andie’s horse and did the same to his warhorse. He mounted his steed in one fluid motion and waited for Andie to do the same. It was a little difficult for her because she was soaked from the rain. Once Andie was mounted on her horse, she looked at Charlie curiously.

  “Why did ye nay get horses, Charlie?”

  Another in the crowd of men replied. “‘Twas a bloodbath, Andie. We needed to leave there while we still had this many men in our ranks.”

  Andie nodded, sadly. “Thank ye, Peter.”

  Gavin looked at the man closely, then he looked to all of them, and lastly to Charlie. He would have to make accommodations for them, for the time being.

  “Let’s go,” Gavin said, moving ahead and all followed.

  As Gavin rode, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on than what was at the surface. Andie would probably criticize him for being untrusting. He had trusted the wrong person before and that mistake had nearly cost him everything- his son.

  He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.