Box Set - Knights of Passion (7 Novels)

by Catherine Kean, Anna Markland, Elizabeth Rose, Laurel ODonnell, Barbara Devlin, SueEllen Welfonder, Amy Jarecki

  “Aidan, ye picked yerself a feisty one this time,” said Onyx.

  “What do ye mean?” he said from under Ian’s arm.

  “Dinna look now, but she’s arm-wrestling one o’ the pub’s hoors.”

  “She’s what?” Aidan pushed out from under Ian’s arm, and they both joined Onyx in standing there with their mouths gaping open as Effie sat in the same spot the men just vacated, with her sleeve rolled up, and arm-wrestling one of the pub’s whores.

  Coins flew in all directions, and the men in the pub made a big ruckus, falling over each other as they ran to the table where the women competed.

  “Effie, what’re ye doin’?” asked Aidan, walking up behind her, pushing a few men to the side in the process.

  “I think thet mountain magic has gotten me bluid flowin’,” she said with a flushed face and a very big smile. “I’m feelin’ lucky, I tell ye. I’m goin’ te win.”

  Then in one slam to the table, Effie brought the whore’s arm down, and they declared her the winner. She jumped atop the chair and raised her hands above her head in triumph. Aidan stepped next to her just as she lost her balance and fell. He caught her, and when he did, her arm with the rolled up sleeve was right in front of his face. His eyes opened wide as his gaze settled on a strawberry birthmark on the inside of her forearm. It looked like a skull. Now he knew exactly why he felt as if he knew her. He did.

  “Ye are the lassie from me dream,” he said aloud.

  “What dream?” she asked with a giggle.

  “The dream I had when I slept on the Stone o’ Scone.”

  “The what?” she asked.

  “Ye ken. The Stone o’ Destiny.”

  “The Stone o’ Destiny?” Her eyes widened and she stopped laughing. “Ye ken where it is?”

  “O’ course I do,” said Aidan. “And now I ken why ye seemed so familiar. Ye are the lassie from me dream. Me Scottish angel.”

  AIDAN

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Aidan, ye didna really jest say thet to a stranger?” Ian stood in front of Aidan with his arms crossed.

  “This is Effie,” he said, placing her on her feet. “She is a MacDuff, so we can trust her. After all, the MacDuffs guarded the stone a few years ago, isna thet right?” he asked Effie.

  “Oh. . . . I suppose thet’s right,” she agreed, and giggled.

  “Excuse me, me bonnie cailin, but we need te steal Aidan fer a moment.” Ian dragged Aidan away from her with a grip on his leine, and Onyx followed as they hauled him to a darkened corner.

  “Get yer bluidy hands off me afore I break yer wrist,” Aidan warned him.

  Ian let go and just shook his head. “Ye jest told a perfect stranger aboot the stone. What were ye thinkin’?”

  “Aye,” agreed Aidan, looking in her direction and smiling. “She is perfect, I agree.”

  “We dinna ken her at all,” said Onyx. “Fer all we ken she could be some sort o’ spy and workin’ fer the English.”

  “Och, ye two worry too much.” He looked at them when he spoke now. “She is no’ goin’ te tell anyone.”

  “How can ye be so sure?” asked Onyx.

  Aidan looked over to see the girl now trying to balance a wooden cup on her head and walk a straight line atop the table at the same time. The Scots in the pub were well in their cups and coaxing her forward.

  “Becooz, she is no’ thet kind o’ lassie. I saw her in me dream. I think I am supposed te help keep her safe.”

  “Ye think thet aboot any bonnie cailin,” scowled Onyx.

  “Aye,” agreed Ian. “And dinna ferget ye also saw English soldiers in the dream too.”

  “But I saved her from two English bastards tryin’ te couple with her against her will. I am sure thet’s what the dream meant.”

  “What aboot the tail?” asked Onyx. “Ye, yerself, pointed out the old sayin’ thet our enemies have tails.”

  “Blethers, ye two were the ones who scoffed at me dream in the first place. Ye also reminded me thet the tail was naught but me squirrel sleepin’ on me chest. So dinna fash yerself, I am sure she will keep our secret.”

  “I hope ye’re right,” said Onyx. “Becooz if she runs back and tells anyone, the Chieftain will have our heids. No’ te mention, the MacKeefes will ne’er be trusted again, especially as guardians o’ the stone.”

  “Who is she here with, anyway?” asked Ian.

  “She says she’s a gypsy and the English killed off her traveling companions. She was with only one man, but I dinna ken where he went.”

  “Then ye’d better keep an eye on her and make sure she hauds her wheesht,” said Onyx. “After all, she seems like she could have a loose tongue right now, since she obviously canna hold her whisky.”

  “I’ll make sure she disna leave me side tonight,” Aidan assured them. “After all, I wouldna want te lose me dream angel.”

  “Well, if she starts sproutin’ a tail, be sure te tell us,” said Ian very seriously. Then he looked at Aidan and just smiled.

  Aidan swung at him, but Ian ducked, and Onyx took the brunt of his fist to the face instead. In a matter of seconds, the three of them were in a brawl, and the drunkards in the pub joined in, breaking chairs and pouring drinks over each other’s heads.

  Effie looked up at the sound of the commotion, her quick movement causing the wooden cup to fall from her head to the floor. When she lowered herself from the table to get it, a bottle whizzing through the air just missed her and hit the drink board, smashing into pieces. She stood up straight and almost fell over from still not being stable from the whisky. That’s when Aidan appeared through the crowd and grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door.

  “Stop it, all o’ ye,” called the pubkeeper. “Ye madmen are goin’ te pay fer this, I swear.”

  “Fast, we need te get goin’,” Aidan told her.

  “I just got here,” she said, almost tripping over a broken chair as Aidan pulled her toward the door. “Where are we goin’?”

  “Anywhere away from here,” he said, pulling her out into the sunlight and quickly closing the door. The door to the pub burst open behind them, and she looked over her shoulder to see Ian and Onyx being dragged out by their ears by the feeble old pubkeeper.

  “Are yer friends goin’ te be alright?” she asked.

  “Och, lassie. Me and me friends have been in worse situations than this afore.”

  He pulled her to the stables and into a stall, and started to saddle a horse.

  “Are ye takin’ me somewhere, Aidan?”

  “Aye. I’m takin’ ye somewhere fer the night where ye can sober up before ye do anything doitit.”

  “Me do somethin’ doitit?” she asked, finding humor in the situation. “I am no’ the one who started the brawl in the pub.”

  “Well, it’s no’ the first time me and me friends have been thrown out o’ the Horn and Hoof by old Callum MacKeefe, and it willna be the last time, I promise.”

  “Ye make me smile,” she said, when he turned to help her atop the horse.

  “I’m glad someone finds me amusin’ tonight.” He put his hands on her waist to lift her up, and Effie found herself enjoying the intimacy of it. She could smell the Highland air in his hair and the whisky on his breath. Or mayhap that was her, she wasn’t sure.

  “I ne’er thanked ye fer savin’ me from those English curs,” she said, and before he could respond, she reached over and kissed him on the mouth. He pulled back and looked at her in shock, and then to her surprise, he put his hand at the back of her head and dipped down for another kiss.

  Effie was lost in the sensual act, knowing she’d lost her mind, and no longer caring. She’d never felt this way from a kiss before, but then again, the only kisses she’d ever gotten in her life we from gypsy men, not strong, handsome Highland warriors.

  His lips were soft and pleasurable, as he claimed her in a lover’s embrace. There was nothing shy about his kiss. She could tell by the way his tongue entered her mouth that he was very experien
ced with the lassies.

  Her head dizzied and she didn’t know if it was from the kiss or the whisky. Either way, she liked it, and wrapped her arms around Aidan’s neck, pulling herself closer. When she tried to repeat the action, wanting more, he just lifted her up and hoisted her into the saddle.

  “We need te get movin’,” he told her. “There’ll be time fer thet later.”

  “I’ll be lookin’ forward te it,” she answered boldly.

  He climbed up behind her, reaching around her to grab the reins and direct the horse from the stall, and she felt like a caterpillar in a cocoon, enclosed in his warm embrace. Leaning back against him, she once again felt safe in his arms. She hoped what he said was true, as she really wanted another kiss from the madman sitting behind her.

  Thinking he would head in the opposite direction of the pub where the fighting was still going on, she was surprised when instead he rode right up to the door and hopped off the horse.

  “What are ye doin’?” she asked. “Ye’re mad if ye plan on goin’ back in there right now.”

  “Aye, some people say thet.”

  “Let’s jest keep goin’.”

  “I canna jest leave me friends,” he said, and headed for Ian and Onyx who were standing outside the pub.

  “Dagger,” said Aidan, “I am sorry fer hittin’ ye in the jaw.”

  “Dinna worry aboot it.” Onyx rubbed his face. “But if I dinna go back te me wife in one piece ye may have te worry aboot her comin’ after ye instead. After all, a bairned lassie has many moods thet I’ll ne’er understand.”

  “Why is she on yer horse?” asked Ian, looking over to Effie who was smoothing down her hair, and almost lost her balance and grabbed quickly for the saddle horn.

  “Becooz I canna jest leave her here.”

  “Becooz she’s yer angel?” Ian scowled at her.

  “Nay. Becooz she had one wee dram o’ mountain magic and canna stand straight. No’ te mention, I was thinkin’ o’ what ye two said, and I need te make sure she willna wag her tongue aboot the stone.”

  “I thought ye said ye trusted her,” said Onyx.

  “I do.”

  “So takin’ her with ye is just an excuse te bed her?” asked Ian. “After all, we ken yer ways with the lassies.”

  “Me ways are no different than yers, Ian,” he said with a shake of his head. “But thet’s no’ why.” Aidan looked over to Effie and she smiled and waved slightly. He waggled his fingers in the air and smiled back.

  “Aye, we can see thet.” Onyx rolled his eyes.

  “Nay, really,” said Aidan. “It’s becooz I willna leave her alone after those English bastards tried te defile her earlier.”

  “Well, where’s the gypsy man ye said was with her?” asked Ian. “Surely, he can take care o’ her.”

  “I dinna ken, and I dinna care. He had shifty eyes and I’d rather no’ see him again tonight, nor do I feel he can protect her. Now I’m goin’ inside the pub te find Reid and then I’m headin’ back to camp.”

  “Ye canna go in there right now,” said Ian. “Old Callum is madder than a hornet at all the damage thet’s been done. He’s blamin’ us ye realize.”

  “Thet’s right,” said Onyx. “And ye ken the MacKeefes are all stayin’ at the fair fer at least the rest o’ the week.”

  “I’ll go back and guard the stone and give Renard and Niall a chance te come te the fair, then,” said Aidan.

  “Then we’ll go with ye,” said Onyx, and Ian nodded.

  “Guid, now give me the money ye won from the arm-wrestlin’,” Aidan said, looking at Onyx.

  “I kennawhat ye mean.”

  “Hand it o’er,” said Aidan, holding out his palm.

  “I need the extra coin. After all, I have a bairn comin’ soon.” Onyx did not want to give it up.

  “If we dinna pay fer the damages, ye ken our chieftain will have us shovelin’ jobby from the stables fer the next month.”

  “He’s right,” said Ian. “With Callum bein’ Storm’s granda and all, we willna have a moment’s peace back at camp until we’ve made guid fer the loss.”

  “Fine. Take it,” said Onyx, pulling the pouch of coins from his waist and shoving it into Aidan’s hands.

  “Now, go get yer horses and let’s head out o’ here before any o’ the Scots inside decide they want another match at tryin’ te win back their coins.” Aidan turned on his heel, and headed into the pub.

  Effie waited from atop the horse, watching as a pouch of coins was exchanged and Aidan headed inside the pub. His friends hurried toward the stable.

  “What did ye find out?” came a voice from the ground.

  She looked down to see Tasgall standing there. Not the person she wanted to see right now, or ever.

  “Dinna talk so loud,” she said, looking back toward the pub, hoping no one had heard them. “I lucked out. The Scot thet saved me, kens where the stone is.”

  “Lord Ralston will be happy te hear aboot it,” said Tasgall. “Well, where is it?”

  “I dinna ken yet, but I’m guessin’ it’s back at their camp since he said somethin’ aboot sleepin’ on it. Go report te Lord Ralston and then ask around where te find the MacKeefe camp, and follow with the soldiers.”

  “It’ll take several days te do thet, and I dinna even have a horse.”

  “Then go find the bluidy curs thet tried te accost me and get them te give ye a ride. I’m sure they’re lurkin’ around here somewhere. Now go back and tell that bluidy bastard, Lord Ralston, thet I’ll get him the information he needs, but if he harms me sister in any way, I’ll make sure he ne’er gets his hand on the stone. Do ye understand?”

  “I canna let ye outta me sight. Thet was orders from Lord Ralston himself.”

  “Why no’? Ye ken I willna run. Me sister’s life means more te me than anythin’. I am goin’ te try te get the Scot te show me the stone. Now do as I say and be gone from me sight, as I dinna want such a filthy, traitorous liar in me presence.”

  “Ye are aboot to become no better than me, so I wouldna point fingers if I were ye. All right then, I’ll go. But if ye are tryin’ te trick me, I assure ye yer sister will no’ live te see ye again, so dinna cross us. Do ye understand me?”

  “If I wasna so dizzy from the whisky, I’d jump off this horse and bury yer face in the ground jest fer threatenin’ me. Now go,” she said, seeing Aidan coming out of the pub. “I dinna want him te see us talkin’.”

  Tasgall had no sooner stepped away from the horse than Aidan was mounted behind her with his squirrel on his shoulder.

  “Isna thet the gypsy man ye came with?” he asked.

  Too late. He saw them talking. She just hoped he hadn’t heard their conversation.

  “Aye,” she said.

  “Where is he goin’?”

  “Tasgall has decided te go find a new band o’ gypsies fer us te live with, or mayhap a horse and supplies anyway. He said he’ll catch up te me later.”

  “Was he yer lover?”

  The thought of this almost caused her to retch. “Dinna make me laugh,” she said. “If Tasgall e’er tried te touch me, I’d have severed his head from his body with me dirk.”

  “Really? I find thet interestin’ since ye dinna seem te carry any weapons.”

  “The English guards took them from me,” she said, thinking quickly. “However, I plan on replacin’ me weapons soon.”

  “With what?”

  “What do ye mean?”

  “I dinna see a sporran o’ coins at yer waist, and ye said ye just lost e’erythin’ when the English attacked yer camp. Ye dinna plan te hoor yerself out te get them, do ye?”

  “If thet’s what ye think o’ me, Aidan MacKeefe, than let me off this horse right now, as I’ll no’ be comin’ te yer camp with ye after all.”

  “Who said we were goin’ to me camp?”

  “Well . . . I jest assumed ye would want te get a good rest. That ye’d want te sleep on thet stone thet gives ye guid dreams.”

 
“I ne’er said the dreams were guid.”

  “Nay? I thought ye said I was in yer dream.” She turned to look at him and his lips were so close to hers that she wondered if he was going to kiss her again. She really wanted him to, but to her disappointment, he just turned his head and looked the other way.

  “Ye were in me dream, but if it was guid or no’ is yet te be seen.”

  Effie wasn’t sure what that meant, but liked the fact that she was in his dreams, and also the fact he’d called her his dream angel.

  “So do ye have somewhere te stay, Effie?” he asked her.

  “Nay,” she admitted. “I am homeless and have no friends.”

  “Couldna ye go back te the MacDuffs?”

  “I dinna ken them. I told ye me mathair wasna a part o’ the clan, though she had the bloodright te be there. I dinna think they would want me, tho.”

  “Then ye’ll come with me te the MacKeefe camp until we can find ye a place te stay. I willna leave ye alone, as the English soldiers might come back and try te cause ye trouble again.”

  “I’d like te come with ye,” she said, as they rode up to meet Aidan’s friends. She smiled to herself thinking how easy this was going to be. She’d collect the information of where the stone was, then direct her sister’s captors right to it when they arrived. Aye, before she knew it, Coira would be free and they’d head overseas or somewhere to start a new life – just the two of them together.

  AIDAN

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Making it back to the MacKeefe camp couldn’t be done in a day, so Aidan decided they’d stop and camp for the night at the north edge of Loch Lomond. The sun was just setting. The day had been hot, and they were all weary, and Aidan wanted nothing more than to wash off the dust from his travels, taking a swim in the water.

  After the horses were taken care of, and the supplies unloaded that they’d picked up at the trade fair, Aidan continued to set up camp by tending to a fire.