by Reece Butler
What did she want?
Alana made it to the safety of the stables. She tucked her precious package in her saddlebags before collapsing in the straw, arms wrapped around her knees. She could pretend to be ice all she liked, it didn’t work with Cormac. The tingling she’d felt as a girl was back, a hundred times stronger. Even more where he’d touched her.
When Cormac put his hands on her the next time, and there would be a next time, she would melt. That answered the question of who she would marry. Other than Laird Fraser, Cormac and James were the only men she trusted.
That Cormac had requested the kiss she’d once demanded, and done it with a gentle, arousing smile, surely meant he held no grudge. The thought of both brothers insisting on providing kisses made her burn. She pressed her knees together. The seam between her thighs rubbed on something…wonderful. She rocked, gasping as sensations flooded her.
Was this what the maids whispered about, giggling and blushing? Did their men touch their women this way? She pressed her fingers against the bone that joined her thighs. She rubbed. The sensations magnified. She knew what she wanted. Would a pair of MacDougal brothers give her marriage, as well as kisses?
* * * *
Cormac groaned as he watched Alana escape. From the front she resembled a sweet-faced boy. Nothing could disguise the well-curved female arse flexing in her breeks as she ran from him. His cock rose to salute her. Either his memory was faulty or she was even more beautiful than before. The arm he’d grasped had muscle though her face was soft to his knuckle. He’d enjoyed the child and had lust-filled thoughts about the lass. Seeing the woman, even in dim light, sent him into a spin. She’d responded to his touch, her eyes wide and eager, the vein in her throat pounding as fast as his own.
She still cared about him. She wouldn’t have run otherwise.
What had William done to her? The possibilities chilled him, taking care of his erection. He had to know what had happened in the ten years since they’d parted. He turned and pounded up the stone steps she’d just descended. He had to hunch over as the castle was old and he was far taller than the men they’d built it for.
James had often played chess with the laird on the way from Duncladach, but Cormac had avoided him. His fury about the man sending Alana to William, knowing she’d be harmed, increased as he stomped toward Fraser’s office. The door was partly open. He slammed it back as he surged in. The laird stared out the window.
“What did William do to Alana?” he demanded. Fraser slowly turned, still silent. “If ye willna tell me I’ll ask a serving wench. I’m sure all here ken it.” When Fraser didn’t speak Cormac turned to go.
“Hold.”
Cormac waited, muscles tense, facing the doorway.
“Close the door and sit.”
Cormac closed the door but shook his head at the stool. “I’ll have me arse rubbing a saddle for the next few months.”
“You know Alana was sent to Keiss Castle to her father’s widowed sisters. They poisoned her mind as to how a woman should behave. Her father ignored her as usual until she turned on you in public. He was negotiating a marriage alliance for her at the time and was not pleased.”
“She said naught but the truth.” He scratched his arm as if bored. “We are bastards, from a poor clan. We had little but our ragged clothes and a raging hunger when we got to Castle Girnigoe.” He brushed his hands over his plaid, discovering he wore his sword. “Even the steel I wear to protect the lady was gifted by Sinclair.” He cocked an eye at Fraser. He should not be wearing a blade in the presence of a laird, especially without guards present. “Forgot I had it. Do ye wish me to remove it so ye feel safer?”
“If you’d planned on skewering me with it you would have already tried.”
“Nay,” he replied, slowly shaking his head without taking his eyes off the man. Both knew it was a challenge. “MacDougals dinna try. ’Twould have been done.”
“So sure of yourself?”
“’Tis why ye hired me and James to bring Alana safely to her father’s welcoming bosom, aye?” He didn’t wait for an answer they both knew. “And now ye’ll tell me why the lass so fears her cousin.”
Fraser crossed his arms. He tapped his chin, considering. “You want to hear what all say happened, or the truth?”
“Start with the truth.”
“William near beat her to death.”
Cormac had his sword half pulled out before he caught himself. He concentrated on slowing his racing heart. Fraser was not the man who’d harmed the lass he cared for. William of Braal would feel the touch of his blade before he died. Cormac shot the steel back into place and crossed his arms over his heaving chest.
“And how did that come about? He was at the High School in Edinburgh.”
“He was sent home in disgrace for cold-blooded murder.”
“He wasna hanged? Or did he kill a mere servant?”
Fraser lifted an aristocratic eyebrow. “He shot Bailie John Macmoran in the head, with many witnesses. The earl went to King James. Alana’s father is a very powerful man.”
Cormac grunted his agreement. If he’d been caught doing the same his body would have already been moldering for ten long years.
“The earl, furious as usual, sent Alana to his younger brother at Braal Castle. Henry cares for little but drink, his leman, and his horses. Alana and William were left unsupervised. He was under strict orders not to visit a brothel or tavern as more unsavory rumors might ruin his marriage to the third MacLeod daughter, who had a good dowry. Alana was lonely, bored, and naïve. She thought William had changed as he showered her with attention.”
William at his most congenial was a force to be reckoned with. Somehow he knew what his quarry wanted to hear and provided it, until he got what he wanted. Most were too embarrassed to complain and would slink away, allowing him to go after his next victim.
“Alana wanted more than a wee chat from us,” said Cormac. “Her aunts told her to demand kisses. She kenned little of what would come after.”
“You wanted her.”
The word “want” wasn’t strong enough for what they still felt for Alana. “Aye. ’Tis why we left. We kenned what would happen if we touched her. “
“You were smart.”
“I’d spent enough time in the earl’s pit. I didna wish to make it my home, or be cut to ribbands under his whip.”
You could never tell from one hour to the next how the earl would behave. If he got bad news he would take it out on whoever was nearby and could be blamed. The merest infraction could bring the lash while someone who should have been severely punished was treated lightly. It all depended on rank and the earl’s whim. As foster sons they’d each had a taste of his lash. Cormac being who he was, had more than a taste.
“I’ve heard he likes the feel of the whip in his hand,” said Fraser.
“He likes using it on a man’s back even more.”
“He’s whipped a woman or two as well.”
Cormac winced. “Aye. He would have done the same to Alana, but her value as a bride would be less. Instead, he just had her beat. A time or two we took the blame for her.”
Cormac’s shoulders twitched in memory of the earl’s whip. He’d healed well, the faint lines having faded into his skin. He’d forgotten what he’d done to deserve it. The earl ordered twenty lashes, which he would immediately administer. The man tying Cormac to the whipping post reminded him the earl would not stop until he heard a scream. Cormac, determined not to be seen as weak, had clenched his teeth as he counted to twenty-two. When he heard the earl winding up for another and realized the man wouldn’t stop, he had given in.
The earl was gone by the time Cormac was untied. It was common knowledge he went from the whipping post directly to his bedchamber where his leman would be eagerly waiting. It was a game they both enjoyed. He would be in there for some time, making her scream, and would come out in a very good mood. His leman would move stiffly for a day or two while sending lustful looks
at her master.
William was not the only Sinclair who got aroused by inflicting pain. There were two major differences between the Earl of Caithness and his nephew. The earl made sure he had a reason to wield the whip, and his sturdy leman was eager for rough play. William liked it best when the one he beat did not consent.
“As William seemed changed,” continued Fraser, “Alana agreed to play chess in his chamber, where there was a good fire.” He paused. “There was no game board, of course.”
Cormac’s heart and fists clenched. “Did he—”
“Nay. Beating a women makes him rise but ’tisn’t enough. She has to cower, begging and pleading for her life. Alana fought back. William could not perform the act.”
She hadn’t been raped. Cormac blew all the air out of his lungs in one loud exhalation. “Thanks be to God.”
“Would it matter to you if he had completed the act?”
“I would treat her extra gentle.” Cormac eyed the laird’s guarded expression. “If ye’re asking if I would blame a woman fer bein’ attacked, the answer is nay.”
Fraser’s carefully neutral expression showed approval. “You are unusual.”
He shrugged it off. “I’m a MacDougal. What did he do after beating Alana?”
“Afraid he might have ruined his chances at the MacLeod dowry William rode to Girnigoe and told the earl that Alana had flirted with him the way she did with you and your brother. He, of course, resisted,” said Fraser sarcastically. “He said he’d found a naked, eager woman in his bed. He thought she was a housemaid wanting his favor, so he took her. He discovered too late it was Alana, wishing for marriage. He gave his apologies to her father for falling into her trap. The earl was furious she was no longer of use as a bride, so he banished her. We took her in.”
“We kenned naught of this.” Cormac scrubbed his face with his hands. All this time they thought she was married and living the life she’d been destined for. No wonder Alana had run when he’d touched her and asked for a kiss.
“The earl, of course, took his nephew’s word. William ensured whispers spread his version far and wide.”
“I will kill him.”
“Then you will be hanged.”
“Nay, laird.” Cormac shook his head, baring his teeth in a parody of a smile. “Braal Castle has had a few ‘accidents’, aye? This would be another.”
Fraser nodded, slow and sure. “William buried his wives quickly, so their families couldn’t see what he’d done to them.”
“Have any learned the truth since, other than yerself?”
“None but servants saw Alana once she was sent to Braal, and they wouldna speak against their laird. All at Girnigoe had seen her flirting, and many heard her demand kisses from you and James. ’Twas easy to believe William when he suggested you’d kissed her, and more, afore ye left.”
“More?”
“You left early in the morning after Alana insulted you. The whispers said you were furious at her, so took her to your bed that night. Then you ran afore the earl could discover it. ’Tis why she went eagerly to William’s bed, to marry him afore her belly swelled. He told all she was not a virgin when she climbed in his bed.”
“What!” Fury at the insult had him seething. “We’ve never touched her!”
“Not once, in all those years? Could you swear to that, both of you?”
Cormac stomped back and forth, three strides in each direction before turning. He wanted to hit something. Anything!
“We hugged and kissed her cheek but she was a wee lassie at the time.” Fraser had hired them knowing they would be walking into a trap. The earl might even kill them on arrival for the crime of ruining her ten years back. “How did she come here?”
“The earl blamed her mother for her outrageous behavior. As she and my wife fostered together, she must have learned such things from my lady wife.”
“Alana’s mother died birthin’ her. ’Twas his bedamned sisters!”
Fraser shrugged. “You ken the man. Sense is not part of his thinking.”
“Aye.” He rubbed his forehead, trying to think. James should be here. He’d know what to say. All Cormac could think of was Alana. “How was she when ye first saw her?”
Fraser turned his back to look out the window but not before Cormac saw his fury.
“Some of her ribs were cracked. She was lucky he didn’t break every bone in her body. If he hadn’t been so drunk, he might have.” Fraser paused. “Alana thinks she’s never spoken of it, but she had a fever when she arrived. The things she said, and following up on them over the years, have brought me to these conclusions. They may not be correct.”
Cormac gestured for him to continue.
“The earl sent a messenger to Braal Castle with orders to send her here. The man arranged for a ship from Thurso. She was alone with two kittens all the way around Pentland Firth to Beauly Basin. My wife, promising she could keep her kittens, got her off the ship. When we got her home she hid in her room for months. The children eventually coaxed her out. He broke her body and near broke her mind.”
“Och, the poor wee lassie.”
“Do not give Alana pity!” Fraser’s snarled, his face furious. “She is no powerless victim. She is a fighter!”
“Aye, she is that.” Challenge could make Alana strong while pity would tear her down.
Fraser gave an abrupt nod. “There’s more. She canna sleep in a room alone so shares the nursery with the children and her cats. Dinna leave her alone in the dark or where she may feel trapped. We think she was locked alone in the dark, likely punished as a child.”
Cormac shook his head. “She had no such fear. She used to hide in wee dark corners to listen to what she shouldn’t, and when she’d done sommat she kenned was wrong.”
“Then mayhaps William is the cause. I doubt she remembers all he did to her, and for that I am grateful.”
It was little to be grateful for. No doubt the thought of marrying William terrified her. He and James would solve that.
“Ye say William escaped punishment for murdering a bailiff. Under law he can do as he chooses to his wife, short of murder.”
“He’s done that twice, though there isna proof.”
“He may be walking this day, but he is a dead man. ‘Tis just a matter of time.”
“You will have to stand in line.”
A powerful sense of determination filled Cormac. He shook his head, grinning at the older, far more powerful man.
“Nay, Laird Fraser. I will be riding into his land while ye stay here. He’s mine.”
Fraser narrowed his eyes. “You say you will kill for Lady Alana—”
“Aye!”
“—but will you live for her?”
Cormac hesitated, unsure of Fraser’s meaning. “I’m a bastard, a nobody. My death will avenge her.”
“What if she wants her own vengeance, and for you to live?”
Alana, wanting her own vengeance? When someone attacked him he got revenge. Why would Alana be any different just because she was a woman? He would feel better if he killed William, but it wouldn’t help Alana the way attacking him herself might. It could return some of the control William had stolen from her. But he had to be a part of it. He could hold William while Alana kicked and punched him until she was satisfied.
First she had to trust Cormac enough to marry him.
“Alana could barely stand to see my face just now. She yelled at me.”
Fraser studied him. “Alana, yelling?” His expression eased. “She avoids men and is silent if she must be near them. If she raised her voice she must care for you. That is good. If she does not marry before Caithness she will be forced into William’s bed.”
“Nay! Dinna even think o’ that!”
“Get Alana to marry you and bring her to her father. Even better if she’s already with child. Sinclair will be pleased at his daughter carrying the son of a warrior. William has yet to create a babe.”
“What of his lie that we disho
nored Alana afore running to Duncladach? Will the earl kill us on sight?”
“Reality changes what the earl sees as truth. If you are his daughter’s husband and the father of his grandson he will ignore the past.”
“If ye ken that William beat Alana, the earl must as well.”
Fraser, eyes half-lidded like a lion pretending to be sleepy, nodded. “If she does not speak of it her father will pretend it never happened.”
“Yet he’ll force his wee lass to marry the murderous brute!”
“And if she speaks of it the earl will show surprise at the news,” added Fraser. “He will then rage at William to show his own name is clear. He may even reward you for bringing his dear daughter home to him.”
“God, ‘tis enough to make me spew.” He pressed his hand on his gut and grimaced.
“You’ll need an iron belly to live at Castle Girnigoe with Alana. James kens how to think one thing and say another, his face bland. You show all.”
Cormac curled his lip. He was a man of action, not one to play games of strategy. “If Alana allows our marriage I will do what I must to protect her.”
“Good. Then marry the lass soon, and by a priest.”
“If William touches her again he will die. Slowly, and in great pain. With Alana’s help if she wishes.”
Fraser picked up a leather bag on his desk and tossed it. It clanked when Cormac automatically caught it. He weighed it in his hand. All knew Fraser was wealthy, but Cormac would not be bought. Though it pained him to give up gold, he held it out.
“We will protect Alana for our own reasons, not for pay.”
“I expect nothing different.” Fraser shook his head, refusing it. “You will have traveling expenses. That should be enough to get all three of you to Caithness, and back if necessary.”
“Riding across the land doesna take this much gold.”
“If word gets out that the unmarried Lady Alana Sinclair of Caithness is traveling you will have unwelcome attention. You’d have to ride far into MacKenzie land, as well as that of the MacLeods and Mackays, to avoid that claimed by the Sutherlands and Clan Gunn. 'Twill add a fair distance to your journey, and more danger.”
