by Alisa Adams
Darling pulled back. “No, I cannot go! I must wait here. I thought you understood that I must stay and wait for my father! He must not find the cave and your people,” she said loudly through the rain. “Besides, Tommy is not here! I cannot go without her.”
Lawrence looked around them. “Where would she have gone?” he asked her as he stood up to see better.
Darling stood up as well, and Lawrence quickly wrapped the extra tartan around her. “I do not know,” she said as she clutched his tartan to her. “I was on her, heading away from the beach looking for a better shelter when a rock hit her. There was lightning all around us. Perhaps the lightning hit the rocks near us, and a piece broke off and struck her, I am not sure. She startled, and I must have come off. I do not know what happened, but I was on the ground, it was raining hard, and she was nowhere to be found.” Darling wrapped her arms around herself.
“Are ye hurt?” he all but hollered at hearing this.
“No.” She waved a hand dismissively at him and bit her lip to stop herself from crying again. “I cannot lose her too,” she said firmly as her teeth started to chatter again, and her body shivered through her soaked clothes. “She will find her way back to me in the daylight. She always does. So you see, that is another reason I cannot leave the beach! You must go back. I will be fine!”
Lawrence shook his head. “Ye will be dead by morning from this weather. I wilnae leave ye!” He grabbed her hand and started to pull her along with him, but she pulled back, refusing to take a step.
“I cannot go to the caves! I have to be here when he comes!” she shouted through the rain. “He will see the wreck off the shore here. It is here that he will search first!”
Lawrence scowled down at her. He spit the rain off his lips as he shook his head angrily to the side, shaking the water from his hair. “I wilnae leave ye here!” he said slowly in a clipped voice. “I am the captain speaking now, and ye must nae disobey me. Ye will come with me. Now!”
She raised her chin. “Do not take that tone with me, MacLeod!”
“Lion, ye are coming whether ye want tae or nae!” he shouted down at her. He reached down without warning and scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring her high-pitched ranting. Immediately, he started taking large strides down the beach.
“MacLeod, you will put me down!” she railed at him as she beat her fists on his back.
He ignored her demands and her fists. “I wilnae put ye down. Ye are going with me.” He gave her a quick swat to her buttocks, which caused another screech from her. “Noo then, cease yer screaming, Lion!”
“How dare you! You horrid pirate!”
“I am nae a pirate, Lion!” he shouted.
She stilled suddenly as he carried her over his shoulder.
“What are you if not a pirate?” she asked curiously in a curt voice as she bounced along, trying to raise her head to look at him.
Lawrence grimaced as he trod through the rain. He sighed loudly. “A privateer,” he grumbled.
“Ha!” she said loudly as she hit his back with her fists again. “That is the same thing! Now put me down, pirate! I must find Tommy!”
“I will come back and find him for ye!” he shouted angrily.
They argued back and forth the whole way until finally, Lawrence had rounded the rocks that jutted out from the steep cliff face to separate the other beach where the caves nestled at the far end, hidden within another cliff face.
When he entered the cavern with her over his shoulder, Sandolf and War met him.
They crossed their arms as they stared at him.
“I see she came most willingly,” War said quietly as he tried to contain his grin.
“Ooooo!” railed Darling.
“What took ye so lang, Brother?” Sandolf asked, not bothering to hide his grin.
Darling lifted her head to look with narrowed eyes at the two captains grinning at her and Lawrence.
She smiled tightly and said through clenched teeth, “We had some tea, and then took a pleasant stroll along the beach.”
Lawrence smacked her bottom. She instantly hit him with her fist and then smacked his own buttocks.
“Och, aye,” he said with a grin. “A vera pleasant stroll is what we had!” Then his smile widened as he carefully put her down on the ground.
Darling instantly went to swing at him when her feet touched the ground, but Lawrence caught her wrist. “Nay, Lion. We can discuss this later. I must go find yer Tommy.” Law looked at his friends. “Will ye keep my lady safe fer me until I return?”
Sandolf grinned with an arched brow while Warwick’s eyes widened, just a bit, but Law caught it.
“Yer lady, is she?” Sandolf asked softly.
“There will be trouble, Law,” War said quietly. “Are ye sure of this? Ye have never chosen—”
“I am sure,” Lawrence said firmly to his friends. “Take care of her. She is cold, wet, and hungry, too, I should think. And she took a fall off of her horse. She may have hit her head, for she is nae in her usual agreeable mood.”
“Ye mean she is angry, Brother,” Sandolf said as he watched Darling stare at Lawrence. Her face was warring between anger and worry for him. Sandolf was fascinated. This woman wore her heart on her face, it seemed.
Lawrence turned and walked to the front of the cave, ready to go back out into the storm, but Darling hurried forward and grabbed one of his hands in both of hers. He stopped and looked down at her hands holding his, and then to her face.
“Capitan Lawrence...” She started to say more but stopped and swallowed at his arched look. “MacLeod?” she tried with her own arched look back at him, but he only shook his head at her. She sighed dramatically and tried again. “Law?”
He smiled softly down at her. “Aye,” he said with a nod.
She stroked his arm as she looked up at him. She suddenly found she did not know what to say. She only knew she could not let him go back out there to look for her horse without her saying something, anything. What she really wanted to do was throw herself into this big Highlander’s arms and stare up into his stern, handsome face. Their kiss was still alive and fresh and foremost in her mind. She could still taste him. She sighed again, louder this time.
“What is it?” He watched the emotions flit across her face as she stared up into his eyes. He turned his hand in hers so that he clasped her hand. He felt her gently caressing his arm. She likes to touch me, he thought. He could not help but to stare at her glorious lips and remember the heady kisses they had shared. His eyes glanced up quickly to the others in the cave. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her thoroughly, until the fear he read in her eyes was gone.
She smiled tenderly up at him; she could not help herself. His gaze was like a caress as he stared down at her. She whispered softly, “Please be careful...” When he grinned crookedly at her, she added, “My Capitan pirate.”
“I will, my Lion.” His lips tilted up into a grin as he stared with rapt attention into her eyes. He glanced at his friends, who quickly turned their faces away from watching him and Darling. Lawrence gazed back into Darling’s concerned face. She was worried about him. This was new to him; to have someone who feared for his safety.
Right now, however, he was concerned about her. “Stay near Sandolf and War.” He stepped closer and leaned down with his lips near her ear. “I would kiss ye, Lion, but there are aboot a hundred eyes watching us.” He pulled away, but not before he let his cheek graze hers.
They stared into one another's eyes—wordlessly—yet saying so much.
8
Darling sat uncomfortably between the two captains, leaning against the wall of the cave. She tried to sleep, but if she moved away from one captain, then she was too close to the other. She was edgy with how they seemed to be sitting too close in their protection of her. She gave up trying to sleep and found herself watching the front of the cave, constantly. Where is he?
She sighed and leaned back, trying once again to edge aw
ay from the very large man named for war, Captain Warwick Ross, but that only brought her closer to the wickedly handsome Captain Sandolf MacKay; the wolf, as she thought of him.
She pictured her captain. Lawrence MacLeod’s face was etched in her mind now, causing her to smile sweetly. It was his voice that first drew her to him. He cared for his men, that was obvious. He protected any and all within his charge. Always calm, stern, strong, composed. But clearly, he was a passionate and compassionate man. He had come for her. Somehow, she knew he would. She had wanted him to. Needed him to. There had been a flash of fire, always, between the two of them. And it had ignited instantly into a hot fire when their lips had met for the first time.
She looked back at the entrance. If her father had sailed after the San Gabriel and its treasure, he would be arriving on these shores any day. Law was out there alone, trying to find her horse. She trembled, trying to contain her tears. Where was he? Where was Tommy? Her father may not recognize Lawrence, but he would surely recognize Tommy!
“He will be fine,” Sandolf’s deep voice rumbled in the dark cave, for most of the fires had burned down low as the night waned into the morning twilight. Rain still fell outside, though the thunder and lightning had finally subsided.
Darling looked at him. His chin was on his chest, his eyes closed as if he was sleeping, but he knew she was agitated without even looking at her.
“Gae ahead and say it,” came War’s sleepy voice.
“He will be fine,” Sandolf repeated. “’Tis the wolf’s troth.”
Darling could only nod her head. She was beside herself with worry and could not stop fidgeting as she watched the cave entrance.
Darling still had her eyes on the cave entrance when the dim, foggy shadows of early morning twilight finally gave way to morning. It was still raining. How much rain does this country get?
She looked around the cave and was surprised to see that Cristianna and Serena had come to sleep near them. Darling was surprised and grateful, noticing the looks of hostility as some of the others woke up and stared at her.
Warwick stood up and stretched. He threw his great tartan over his shoulder as he walked outside the cave and out of sight. He came walking back in shortly after and squatted before their fire to bring it back to life.
“Leave it,” Darling said to him as she moved forward to the fire. “I can do that.”
“Miss Lion,” Warwick said in a low voice, “I can do it. Ye dinnae sleep at all. Rest.”
Darling smiled weakly at him. “The only way you would know that is if you did not sleep either.”
“Ye are worried,” he stated unnecessarily.
“I am,” she whispered. “Are you not worried? What if my father has come? He should be here any day now. What if Law is out there alone facing him as we speak?”
Sandolf’s voice came from behind her. “Yer father, lass?”
Darling turned around to see Sandolf still resting casually against the wall. His eyes, however, were not sleepy. They were fully alert as he stared at her.
Darling swallowed as she looked back and forth between the two powerful captains. “Si, I know mi padre is a pirate,” she said in a hushed voice.
“And he is due tae arrive any day?” War said.
Darling shrugged her shoulders. “I am only guessing, but before the ship left, after mi madre was killed, I sent my groom back to tell mi padre what had happened and that I was getting on the San Gabriel to go after the man that killed my mother. A man that spoke both Castilian and Scottish—” Darling did not finish.
Sandolf surged to his feet as he let out a stream of words, some that Darling had heard Lawrence say. She knew he was swearing. He looked around and swept up a tartan and his swords. He threw on a long coat and put his tartan over it. He made a gesture to Warwick, but he need not have done so as Warwick was already outfitted. Both men had long coats, and a tartan belted over the coat with swords in the baldrics at their backs.
“You are going out to look for him?” Darling asked, hopeful.
“Aye,” Sandolf said in a clipped voice.
Sandolf glanced over at Cristianna. Serena was also awake. They were watching, listening. He nodded to them and then jerked his chin towards Darling. They understood his meaning and nodded back.
Sandolf glanced over to see War waiting. His jaw was clenched tight.
Sandolf tightened his belt as he turned to look at Darling with a grim expression. “Stay close tae Cristianna and Serena.”
With that, the two men walked out of the cave. Cristianna and Serena came to stand on either side of her, watching the men leave. As Darling watched, all she could see was the back of their wide shoulders draped in muted tartan and their swords across their backs as they disappeared into the thick fog and rain of the morning.
Cristianna touched her arm and led her to sit between Serena and herself at the fire.
“Come,” Serena said in a calming voice. She had water starting to boil over the fire. “There will be tea soon.”
Charlotte Lynn walked hesitantly over with Mery and Jamys. “May we join ye?” she asked with a tired, haggard look on her face.
“Haunting visions in your sleep?” Serena asked her as she watched the tall girl sit down by the fire with exhaustion.
Charlotte Lynn looked at her in surprise.
“I have them every time I close my eyes,” Serena said, looking at the young woman calmly. “I think I am back there, in the dungeon.”
“Aye,” Charlotte Lynn said as she shifted uncomfortably.
Mery looked at the tea that Serena was preparing. “Is that all ye have?” she asked as she fiddled with a long gold chain that disappeared into the bodice of her gown. “There is plenty of porridge with kale and bannocks over at the other fire. I think there is also dried beef and fish, oatcakes, eggs, sausages, and cheeses.”
Darling watched her closely. She recognized that chain.
Jamys stared longingly over at the other fire as she inhaled the smell of the delicious food being prepared by the ship's very round cook.
Charlotte Lynn looked over and sniffed at the wonderful aroma of food cooking over the other fire. “Why dinnae we go over and bring our food back here? We will bring ye something tae eat while ye sit and rest,” she said with a pleasant smile at Darling.
Cristianna and Serena looked at Darling with a question on their faces.
Darling looked back at them, “Go ahead. The tea is all I want.”
“Are ye sure?” Cristianna asked.
“Si, go get your food,” Darling said as she watched them rise, particularly Mery. As she stood up, Darling stifled a gasp.
Mery is wearing mi madre’s locket!
Darling watched them go. She turned back to the fire, deep in thought.
Suddenly, from directly behind Darling, a man hissed into her ear in a nasty, belligerent voice, “Dinnae make any noise. Git yerself up! I need ye tae come with me. Quietly!”
Darling turned just enough to see his face. She got a quick glimpse of rotted teeth and the smell of fetid breath, along with a filthy, heavily burned, scarred face and revolting, long, greasy, dark hair. Her breath caught at the twisted look of anger on his face, but it was the hatred directed at Darling shining out of his dark eyes that alerted her to the very real danger from this man.
Before she could react, he reached down and viciously yanked Darling up by her arm. She opened her mouth to call out, but he quickly put his arm around her neck and his hand over her mouth as he started hauling her back away from the fire.
“This pirate’s daughter owes me, mightily,” he hissed into her ear. “Tae lang I spent in that dungeon! I’ll have a taste o’ what I was missing!” He started dragging Darling off into a side passage of the cave.
Darling was grabbing at the arm he had wrapped tightly around her neck. She was struggling to breathe. He had wound the fist of the arm around her neck in her hair and was pulling her painfully backward down the passage by her hair and neck, keeping
his other free hand over her mouth. Darling realized there would be no help coming once they were deep in that cave passage. The man had managed to get her away before any of the other people in the cavern had even fully woken up from their night’s rest, or were too busy at the cook’s fire like the women.
Her only hope was if Cristianna and Serena noticed she was gone before it was too late, for her vision was blurring as she struggled to get a breath.
She shoved her elbow as hard as she could into the ribs of the man who held her. He let out an “Oomph!” but continued to drag her deeper into the tunnel.
She tried to twist her body and kick at him, but he had her too tightly. Suddenly, he threw her to the floor and was instantly on top of her, reaching for the bottom of her skirts with his free hand as he tried to wrench them up her legs. She quelled her panic as she felt his hand on her knees. She kicked and twisted her legs and head with all her might as he loosened his hand over her mouth. She finally was able to catch a breath. Instantly, she yelled in furious Castilian, but he quickly clamped his filthy hand over her mouth again.
She kicked and thrashed and tried to pull her head away from his hand. She slapped him and punched him and even clawed at his face while his free hand was busy with her tangled skirts.
She saw movement out of the corner of her eyes to see that Cristianna and Serena were running towards her. They began pounding and pulling on his back as they yelled and shouted.
The man was able to quickly throw them off. They did not give up and hastily lunged back at him again, shouting furiously at the man.
Serena took a fistful of hair, and Cristianna grabbed hold of his ear. They both continued hollering and pulling at him while Darling started yelling in Castilian while his hands were too busy trying to get rid of the two women to cover Darling’s mouth.
She punched at his face, then smashed her head as hard as she could into his nose and again into his lips as he tore at the bodice of her dress with his rancid breath heaving in her face. She brought her knee up between his legs and then smashed her forehead again, as hard as she could into his nose. She heard it crunch and saw blood.
