Box Set - Knights of Passion (7 Novels)
Page 49
“Good, Dempster,” he said to his captain of the guard. “I see you’ve got the wench ready to go. Now take her to the Glasgow fair immediately, and don’t let her out of your sight.”
“Lord Ralston,” complained the guard. “I thought we could have a little fun with her first.”
The man named Lord Ralston reached out and grabbed Effie by the chin. His grip was tight and she could feel the pressure biting into her flesh.
“I’ll be the first one to have her once she’s delivered to us the information we need. Now, Scotsman,” he said, looking toward Tasgall, “where did you say you heard talk of the Stone of Destiny?”
“I heard the Highlanders talkin’ aboot it in the pub when they were well in their cups,” Tasgall told him. “I think they have the real stone, and the one King Edward stole is only a fake.”
“Just as I thought,” said Lord Ralston, nodding his head. “For years I’ve believed the English had a fake stone but couldn’t prove it. But now, with any luck we’ll not only have proof, but the stone itself.”
“Shall I send word to King Edward that we’ve found information that the English have been tricked years ago?” asked the guard.
“Nay, not yet. Not until the girl gets us the information of its whereabouts,” said Lord Ralston, releasing his hand from her chin and running his fingers through her hair. “With her looks, any Scot will tell her whatever she wants to know. And with that MacDuff brooch she’s wearing, all of the Scots will trust her.”
Now Effie knew why they hadn’t taken her brooch. It was the symbol of a brave Scottish woman that all the Scots revered. They were going to use such an iconic symbol against her. It turned her stomach to even think of it.
She pulled away from Lord Ralston, and held up a hand to block him from touching her again. That’s when his fist shot through the air, and though she moved aside, he still clipped her on the jaw for her actions. She fell to the ground, hearing her sister screaming from up in the cage.
“You stupid wench,” he growled. “Don’t you see if you don’t do as I command, you’ll pay for it dearly?”
“Do whate’er ye want te me,” she said. “I willna betray Scotland by givin’ ye any information. It is me homeland and I will be as loyal to it as me grandmathair was.”
“Can we take her now?” asked Dempster.
“I said no,” he spat. “You will get the information I request,” he warned Effie. “Because if not . . .” his eyes roamed upward and stopped as his gaze landed on her sister. “If not, then your sister will pay for your incompetence. First with her body . . . and then with her life.”
Effie looked upward to see her sister was not sleeping after all. Instead, she was holding onto the bars of her prison, peering at Effie with all the hope in the world in her eyes. She was frightened, but also trying to be strong. She shook her head, tears flowing from her eyes.
Effie had been more like a mother to Coira than a sister, after the death of their mother. She would protect her with her life, and never allow harm to come to her. Coira was her only family now. Her only reason to live. And though it pained her to do anything against Scotland, she would do whatever it took to save her sister’s life.
“I’ll do it,” she said, trying to ignore her sister’s wailing from behind her. “Tell me what information ye need, and I will get it fer ye. Just dinna do anythin’ te harm me sister.”
AIDAN
CHAPTER THREE
Aidan stepped out of the Horn and Hoof pub in Glasgow, followed by Onyx and Ian. He had his squirrel on his shoulder, and held up a crumb, feeding it as he walked.
“God’s eyes, Aidan,” said Ian, following him out into the midst of the fair. “Are ye goin’ te be sore at us fore’er jest fer teasin’ ye aboot yer dream?”
“Aye,” said Onyx. “We’ve already been here fer two days now and ye’re still actin’ like a bairn aboot the whole blame thing.”
“I jest wish ye two would take me dreams seriously,” said Aidan.
“We do,” answered Onyx.
“Howe’er, it is a wee bit tryin’ when ye tell us such a . . . tail,” said Ian. Ian looked at Onyx and they both burst out laughing.
Onyx slapped Ian on the back. “Let’s get another dram o’ auld Callum’s mountain magic.”
“Guid idea,” said Ian. “Aidan, are ye goin’ te join us?”
“Nay. I’m goin’ te take Reid to the forest te root around. I’ll meet ye back at the pub in a wee bit.”
He headed off toward the edge of the forest, in no mood to drink with his friends. It wasn’t usually like him to stay sore at them for so long, but something about the dream had him feeling very unsettled inside. Although he couldn’t really remember the face of his angel anymore, one thing about the dream did not fade from his mind. The English soldiers in his cottage. He wondered if it was some sort of warning.
“Go on, Reid, and root around but hurry back.” He put his squirrel on the ground, and the animal took off to the treetops. He sat down at the base of the tree and had only closed his eyes for a few moments when the squirrel started screeching, telling him that something was wrong.
Aidan opened his eyes and looked around, then heard a noise coming from deeper in the forest. It sounded like the voice of a woman, and it sounded as if she were in trouble. Grabbing his sword from his side, he jumped up and rushed through the forest.
“Let go o’ me ye brute,” Effie said to the English guard, Dempster, who was trying hard to accost her. He was supposed to just bring her to the fair so she could find out information, but unfortunately, she could see that he had other plans. Especially when his friend appeared to help.
“I’ll hold her for you, and you hold her for me,” said the second guard, approaching quickly. Dempster threw her to the ground and his friend straddled her, pulling up the end of his tunic as he did so, untying his hose.
“Get off o’ me, ye bastards!” She bit Dempster in the hand, and the second guard reached out to hit her, but was stopped by the strong fist of a Scottish Highlander as he shot out from the forest and twisted the man’s wrist. Her attacker cried out in pain and she heard the bones in his hand snap.
“Get away from the lassie afore I kill ye,” the Scotsman warned.
Dempster released her quickly, unsheathing his sword at his side. The Scotsman met him with his own sword, and when the second guard stood to join him, the Highlander kicked him, sending him sprawling across the ground.
Effie jumped up and backed away from the fight, seeing the second guard pulling his sword and rushing toward the Scot.
“Behind ye,” she cried out, and with one motion the Scot disarmed Dempster and had the point of his sword under the chin of the Englishman’s friend.
“Did they harm ye in any way, lassie?” asked the Scot. “Becooz if they did, jest tell me and I’ll run me blade through both o’ them right now.”
“Nay,” she said, not wanting the guards killed, knowing that if that happened, Lord Ralston would probably take it out on her sister. “They didna harm me, now please jest let them go.”
“Are ye sure?” he asked over his shoulder, but not taking his eyes from the men.
“I’m sure.”
“Then I want the two of ye te leave quickly and no’ come back te the fair. If I ever see ye again, I swear it’ll be the last time we e’er meet, and it’s no’ me own deith I’m talkin’ aboot.”
The guards looked at her, and since she knew the Scot couldn’t see her, she just nodded her head, signaling to them that she’d try to get information out of the Highlander.
“Fine,” said Dempster. “Just let us go.”
The Scot moved his blade from the soldier’s neck and they both scurried away quickly out of sight.
“Thank ye,” said Effie, when the man turned to look at her.
“What are ye doin’ alone in the woods te begin with?” He replaced his sword in the scabbard at his waist.
“I . . . was using a bush,” she said for lack of any
thing else coming to mind.
“Then ye better go on back te yer clan afore those English curs cause ye any more trouble.”
“I dinna think they will.”
He looked surprised by her comment as he walked up to her. “Why would ye think a thing like thet?”
“Because . . . ye scared them away. And I ken I’m safe now thet I’m with ye.”
He seemed to like that answer, as the corners of his mouth turned upward into a smile of satisfaction. She knew that Highlanders thought highly of themselves, and a few compliments would get her far.
“Me name is Aidan. Aidan MacKeefe,” he said. His tawny brown eyes studied her, and she saw a kindness within them. His blond hair hung down to his shoulders, lifting in the slight summer breeze, making him look like some sort of pagan god. Stubble shadowed his face in a slight mustache and beard, adding to the ruggedness of his composure. He wore a white leine, long tunic down to his knees, with the lacings untied, showing his sturdy chest. His plaid was wrapped around him and thrown over one shoulder. He seemed to have large muscles, and looked to be very strong. She liked that. She hadn’t been so close to a handsome man . . . ever.
“Are ye a Highlander?” she asked, surveying his rugged looks. She was from the Lowlands, and knew that Highlanders were said to be barbaric and mad.
“I am,” he said, and before she could say anything more, a squirrel dropped down from the tree above and landed on his shoulder. She screamed and jumped back, but he didn’t even flinch. He reached out for the animal, and it scurried from one of his arms to the other before settling on his back, peering over the top with wide eyes.
“There’s – a squirrel on yer back,” she said, just in case he hadn’t noticed.
“I ken,” he said, his eyes never leaving her for a moment. “Thet’s me pet, Reid.”
Now she knew he was one of those crazy Highlanders she’d heard about. This point proved it. “How nice,” she said and forced a smile.
“So are ye goin’ te tell me yer name, me bonnie cailin?”
“I’m Effie,” she said, finding herself getting lost within the swirling depths of his eyes. His perusal of her drew her in, making her feel excited. He was not only ruggedly handsome, but he was also looking at her as if her presence excited him as well. She’d never felt anything like this in her life.
Tasgall stepped through the trees making his presence known just then, and ruining her magical moment. “She is Effie MacDuff and she is here with me,” he said, and shot her a sickening smirk.
“Ye are a MacDuff?” Aidan asked in surprise.
“Aye, I am Effie MacDuff,” she admitted, and smiled, hoping the MacKeefes and the MacDuffs weren’t in the midst of some kind of feud.
“And who are you?” he asked, surveying Tasgall from head to toe.
“I’m Tasgall. I am a gypsy,” he said. “Effie and I are the last ones left o’ our little family, as the English have attacked and killed off the rest jest the other day.”
“A gypsy?” He looked confused. “But I thought the lassie was a MacDuff.” His hand went to the hilt of his sword, and Effie knew he didn’t trust them.
“It’s true,” she said, stepping in between them. “Me mathair was once a MacDuff but broke away from the clan. I was raised as a gypsy, a traveler, jest wandering the land.”
“I dinna understand,” he said, still eyeing up Tasgall cautiously. Effie could see she would never get any information out of any Scot if Tasgall decided to tag along. He had a face that could not be trusted, and his eyes were shifty. He also wore raggedy clothes. No one trusted a gypsy in the first place, and it was going to be hard enough to gather information now that the Highlander knew she was a gypsy as well. The idiot, Tasgall, may have very well just ruined her chance to save her sister.
“Me throat is parched,” she said, clearing her throat. “Aidan MacKeefe, would ye mind takin’ me somewhere so I can get somethin’ te drink?”
“I kennawhat ye like te drink, but Callum MacKeefe is the owner o’ the Horn and Hoof pub and he brews a mean mountain magic,” Aidan told her.
She had no idea what he was talking about, but he was offering to take her to a pub, and she was sure there’d be lots of loose tongues in there. Hopefully she could gather the information she needed to help save her sister.
“Thet sounds good te me,” said Tasgall.
Effie just scowled at him. “Dinna ye need te go fetch our supplies so we have somethin’ te eat tonight?”
When Aidan turned to look at the man, Effie motioned with her head for him to leave them alone.
“I’ll meet ye at the pub in a wee bit then,” Tasgall said, nodding and hurrying away.
“Well then,” she said, releasing a deep breath and brushing the leaves and dirt from her clothes, “shall we go and get us some o’ thet mountain magic?” She grabbed onto Aidan’s arm, and almost laughed when he jolted in surprise.
“All right,” he said. “Let us go get te ken each other better.”
He led her to the pub, and once inside, she saw a bunch of rowdy Scots gathered around a table hooting and hollering as two of the men arm-wrestled. Coins hit the table as people placed their bets, and the roar in the room grew.
“What’s goin’ on?” she asked.
“Oh, thet’s jest me friends foolin’ around, havin’ had too much te drink as usual.”
She watched a dark-haired man with two different colored eyes collecting the bets as a big, ugly old Scot with rotten teeth arm-wrestled another very handsome Scot with dark hair and bulging muscles. The latter won the competition and jumped up and shook a fist in the air in triumph. Then the pubkeeper passed out drinks for everyone. Aidan grabbed one and downed it in one move, then took another off the server’s tray and handed it to her.
“Try it,” he said. “It’s mountain magic. But until ye’re used te it, ye’d –”
She downed it the way he had, and plunked the drinking vessel back down atop the server’s tray. Then she felt it - fire raging like a hot poker in her throat, blazing a trail down her chest all the way to her stomach.
“- better jest take a sip,” he added, a little too late.
She clutched her throat and gasped for breath, bending over, feeling like she was going to die.
“Are ye all right, lassie?” he asked, patting her on the back. His squirrel scampered off his shoulder and down her arm to the drink board, scaring her out of her wits. She jerked upward quickly and ended up falling into his arms.
The heat of his embrace engulfed her as his arms wrapped around her in a protective manner. His strength was evident, and she felt more protected than she’d ever felt in her entire life. She was short, and he was tall, and her head rested against the bare skin of his chest peeking out from his untied leine.
“I tried te warn ye,” he told her with a smile.
“I’m fine,” she gasped out in a breathy voice. “Jest fine.” Her head dizzied and she held onto him as her body swayed.
“Aidan, ye take on Ian now, as he’s been undefeated all night,” shouted out the man with two different colored eyes.
Aidan was going to object to the challenge, until Effie urged him on.
“Come on, do it,” she said.
He looked down to her, and noticed the dazed look in her eyes from the potent whisky.
“I dinna think so,” he said, which only earned him shouts from the drunken crowd.
“What’s the matter, afeard te let me see those big, bad muscles?” Effie snaked her hand under his leine and squeezed the top of his arm. “I like the feel of it,” she said with a big smile. Aidan knew it was the whisky talking, but he never turned down a chance to impress a bonnie lassie. If he played his cards right, he may just have this one in his bed by tonight.
“All right,” he said, sitting down and facing Ian.
“Who’s the lassie ye picked up?” asked Ian, clasping hands with him as Onyx started counting down for them to start.
“Her name is Effie.”
Effie leaned up against the back of him, and he could tell that she was having a hard time standing.
“She’s no’ a hoor,” he said, hoping he was right, because he rather liked her, and she was very pretty. He also didn’t want to share her – especially with Ian who had a charming way with women that he knew he could never match.
“Three . . . two . . . one . . . go!” shouted Onyx, letting loose of their hands.
It was an even challenge, neither of them being able to move the other’s hand, and then Ian looked up and winked at Effie.
“Stop thet,” warned Aidan.
“Greetin’s, lassie,” Ian said to her. “Me name is Ian, and me friend here is Dagger,” he said nodding toward Onyx. “Will ye come and hang on me next the way ye’re clingin’ te Aidan?”
“I’ve had enough.” Aidan slammed Ian’s hand to the table in anger, and Onyx declared him the winner.
“Quit bein’ so sore,” said Ian, laughing. “I was only tryin’ te see if the lassie would consider a threesome with us later.”
That did it. Aidan lunged over the table, taking his friend to the ground. They rolled around on the floor until Ian got Aidan in one of his headlocks once again.
“What did ye do thet fer?” asked Ian.
“I dinna like what ye said aboot the lassie.”
“Och, I thought ye liked threesomes,” Ian said in his defense.
“No’ with another man,” growled Aidan. “And no one is havin’ a threesome with Effie.”
“What’s the matter with ye, Aidan?” Onyx walked up to them.
“I willna let Ian steal this one,” said Aidan. “She’s mine, I tell ye, so back off.”
He didn’t normally act so possessive over a girl he’d just met, and normally didn’t mind sharing. However, something about this one touched a place in his heart. He felt like he knew her from somewhere, as she seemed familiar, but he just couldn’t place her. He also felt as if he needed to protect her. Not understanding why he was feeling this way, the only thing that was clear was that he didn’t want Ian anywhere near her.