The Highlander’s Hellion

by Eliza Knight

  “I willna go anywhere with ye.” Ina barreled forward, her head coming at Greer like a battering ram.

  However, as proven already, Greer was a might faster, and she simply sidestepped. With all the power behind her rush, Ina fell to the ground in a heap of curses, a thin line of blood seeping from a cut on her forehead.

  For a brief moment, Greer actually felt sorry for the woman. But then she remembered all the pain she’d caused people over the years. The only thing she should feel now was satisfaction in having caught her, and pity that Ina Ross had spent so many years of her life tormenting others. With a cluck of her tongue, Greer moved forward, yanking Ina up.

  If she were to believe in the adage that everything happened for a reason, which she didn’t typically, she would say perhaps her boat had capsized because she was meant to catch Ina, something that men had been seeking to do for years without success.

  “Time to face your crimes.” Greer flashed her prisoner a brilliant smile.

  * * *

  Roderick, Magnus, and a few of their men rode around the perimeter of the village in different directions, but not once did they run across anyone who was not supposed to be there. By the middle of the night, the men decided to call it quits and return to the tavern, fully expecting everyone to have gone to bed, save for those on watch.

  What they found was quite the opposite. The windows glowed from the light of the candles, and when Roderick entered the tavern, he was greeted by a woman tied to a chair, and Greer standing before her with arms crossed over her chest and a satisfied grin on her face.

  Beside her, Liam and Angus stood, their shocked expressions as stunned as Roderick’s. What the bloody hell had happened while they were gone?

  “Good God,” Magnus breathed out beside him. “’Tis Ina Ross.”

  Roderick’s eyes widened. “With Greer.”

  “Tied to a chair.”

  “Holy hell.”

  “Hell has frozen over, lad.”

  The men approached cautiously, coming to stand beside Liam and Angus respectively.

  “What is going on?” Magnus asked.

  Ina shot him a look that said she very much wanted to murder him, and she murmured what sounded like a string of obscenities, but it was all muffled by the gag in her mouth. Roderick had rarely seen so much venom in his life.

  “If ye’re quite done with that part, I’ll let ye speak.” Greer reached forward and plucked the gag from Ina’s mouth.

  “Ye’ve created a devil,” Ina ground out, spitting on the floor at Magnus’s feet.

  “A devil? Nay, Ross, but an angel, if ye’re referring to my daughter.” There was such pride in Magnus’s voice that Roderick felt his own chest swell.

  Had Greer captured this woman herself?

  “Devil bitch is what she is.” Ina spit on the wooden planked floor near Greer’s feet next.

  But surprisingly, the lass’s smile didn’t budge, not at the insult or the spittle sprayed on her boots.

  “She came to abduct me.” Greer beamed, unable to contain her pride. Then shoved the gag back in Ina’s mouth. “A mistake, of course. I leave her with ye all.” She gave an exaggerated yawn, tapping her palm to her lips. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll turn in.”

  Roderick couldn’t help but smile, and he was further taken aback when she winked at him and sauntered off up the stairs.

  Magnus glanced at Liam. “Were there others?”

  “Nay, Da, she came alone. We didn’t even hear her come in, but there was a great ruckus about back when the tavern owner’s wife was found. Seems she was attacked when she went to fetch wood. We were all outside dealing with that while Ina and Greer were upstairs fighting.”

  “I canna believe she came alone.” Roderick shook his head as he stared into the dark, beady eyes of Ina Ross. “Seems rather foolish.”

  She glowered at him. He was certain if she had not been gagged, she would try to spit at his feet, too.

  “What happened to ye?” Magnus asked Ina with a pitying shake of his head. “Ye must have lost your sense. Ye couldna have thought to win alone.”

  She spouted something, but they couldn’t discern her meaning, so they removed the gag.

  “Ye only think I’m alone. Tell me, where were ye when I was here? Out on a fruitless hunt, no doubt.”

  The men grunted, but Magnus replied, “Ye’ve taken too much of a risk this time.”

  “Maybe I let her catch me.”

  “I doubt that, Ross.” Magnus laughed. “Anyone who crosses my daughters ought to be wary, and Greer is no exception.”

  Roderick glanced back toward the staircase in awe, hoping to catch a glimpse of Greer’s retreating figure, but she was already gone. “Well done on raising such a hellion, my laird.”

  Magnus chuckled. “She is certainly full of surprises.”

  “Aye.” Roderick swallowed. Damn, would the pain of not having her in his life ever dim?

  “Och, please, ye sorry horse’s arse. Untie me, and I’ll issue ye a swift death instead of one where I get to pull your guts out through your ballocks.”

  Roderick had no doubt that Ina Ross would make good on such a threat, but given she was tied to a chair and surrounded by enemies, he chose to ignore her.

  “Will ye go and watch after her?” Magnus nudged him.

  “Pardon?” Roderick tore his gaze from the staircase to examine Magnus. Had he gone mad, too?

  “In case Ina has sent reinforcements, keep watch on my daughter.”

  Roderick glanced toward her brother Liam who suddenly made himself very busy. What was going on? “Will her betrothed not be disturbed by such?”

  Magnus frowned. “Her betrothed?”

  “Aye, the man ye said she was to marry?”

  “There is no man yet. There will be soon. But who he is has yet to be determined.”

  Roderick let those words sink in. Not betrothed. The truth of it hit him like a boulder to the solar plexus. There was no one else.

  Greer could still be his.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Climbing the stairs of the tavern seemed to take forever. Greer put one foot in front of the other, coaxing herself to hold on tightly to the rail and pull herself up. She finally made it to the landing and lurched down the hall toward her chamber. She burst into the room, slammed the door shut behind her, and leaned heavily on the wood.

  The bravado she’d shown in both the tavern below and when she’d discovered Ina Ross barreling into her bedchamber had completely depleted whatever energy she might have had. She felt like an empty husk staring into a precipice.

  Of course, it wasn’t truly that bad. She was just in need of a good night’s sleep, a good meal, and the good comforts of home.

  Since Roderick had found her washed up on his shore on the brink of death, she’d put forth a brave face and tried as hard as she could to show everyone that she was fine. That a little drowning wasn’t going to slow her down. That being chased by madmen and then attacked by a madwoman was no big deal.

  Greer was a Sutherland, after all. She was the daughter of one of the most powerful men in Scotland and one of the strongest women she’d ever had the privilege of knowing. She’d made a name for herself as a hellion and fully lived up to that moniker.

  Up until about sixty seconds ago, she’d felt very much like that was exactly who she was, but as soon as she caught sight of the bed and felt her body dropping onto it, the decision to succumb to exhaustion was made.

  Greer batted away the dust clouds that floated around her face. The straw mattress sagged beneath her, and she could feel the weaving of hemp that made up the brace of the bed beneath the mattress. But she did not care. She would have gladly slept on the ground one more night if only she could close her eyes.

  All she wanted to do was sleep.

  And cry.

  She didn’t know why she wanted to cry, only that she did. She could cry over missing Jewel, over nearly dying, or maybe even over a kiss. Probably her overtiredness
. Normally, such things didn’t bother her so much. She was a doer. Not a philosopher.

  Greer let out a sigh and rubbed at her eyes, feeling the ache of tiredness deep in their sockets. She should sleep. But for some reason, despite the exhaustion, her brain did not want to shut off.

  Ina was contained below. Since the Ross warriors were without their leader and probably didn’t know her whereabouts, they should be safe for the night, unless the Ross clan accidentally stumbled on this village. The chances of that were slim, though not completely out of the realm of possibility. However, if they were to cross over to Sutherland lands, there would be hell to pay, and Greer was confident they would not want to get into such hell without the approval of their leader.

  Both Roderick and her father were back under the roof of the tavern, so she didn’t have to worry about never seeing either one of them again, as had been her concern before. They were no doubt downstairs making a ruckus with the rest of the men. And they deserved it. They’d all cheated death, and a great enemy had been caught.

  Goodness. Ina… That had been a surprise. Even more of a surprise had been the swift way she’d been able to react. Greer wasn’t a fighter. Aye, she’d practiced, but it had always seemed like her older sister had more desire to leap into brawls. Bella had even met her first husband as a child when she’d punched him square in the eye and challenged him during a tournament. Her older sister was tough. Greer could be tough, too, but her idea of raising hell had always been causing trouble, not shooting arrows. Of course, after knowing she’d thrown a spear through Roderick’s leg, no one would believe that. But that had been an accident, and if she could go back and do things over again, she would.

  Pinning down the woman had been a test of her instincts, and so had tying her up. She supposed she should be proud that her instincts had allowed her to do as much. Well, she was proud. And she didn’t expect any sort of praise or reward for it. Greer was simply doing her duty, and she could now bask in the glory of knowing she’d detained one of the Highlands’ worst criminals.

  The only thing that would make this particular moment perfect was if she were at home in her own bed. Soft linen sheets, thick down pillows, furs upon soft woolen blankets, and warmed stones at the foot of the bed to keep her toes from becoming icicles.

  At Dunrobin, she’d shared a room and bed with Bella until her sister had gotten married. Now the chamber and bed were hers alone. When Bella had wed and moved away, their youngest sister, Blair, hadn’t even asked to come in and share with Greer. Of course, most of the time, she was glad to have a space all to herself. When they’d been growing up, five children running about the castle had been wonderful and chaotic. But now that her older siblings were mostly gone—moved away or out on campaign—the castle was rather quiet. Blair was the calmest of all the Sutherland children, never wanting to join in any of the schemes Greer cooked up. She was usually satisfied to sit quietly. Greer had hedged bets with her siblings that one day Blair was going to break free from that calm exterior and they would all be surprised.

  In any case, Greer had thought she’d be excited about the relative calm of the castle. But in the stillest quiet of her room, she often missed the chaos. Sometimes she thought about asking her youngest sister to share a room, because there was something to be said about sharing warmth, and for loneliness, too.

  Maybe, she’d ask when she got home. After all, it wouldn’t be long until the both of them, and Liam, too, were also married and gone away from Dunrobin. The thought of home left her with a dull ache in her chest. She didn’t want to leave. Family meant everything to her, as much as she gave them a hard time. The idea of leaving made her heart physically ache.

  And yet there was nothing she could do about it. She had to get married. Being married meant she would have to leave home. Go wherever her husband was. But what if whomever she married lived in the very north, or the very south—or the middle of nowhere, like the Isle of Mull? Oh, that would be a heinous torture. Even now, she could picture herself walking across the lonely gray battlements, staring out into the vast void of isle water, dreaming of climbing into a birlinn and sailing home, only to be dragged back into the endless hollow that was her new life.

  Greer closed her eyes, breathing in slowly and deeply. But what if it were Roderick? Instantly, and image of his lip twitching into a smile flashed in her mind. The teasing way he grinned at her, the way he winked as though they shared a secret. His castle wasn’t far from her home, either. Just across the firth. And she really liked him…more than liked him. She might even… Nay, she couldn’t think it. They’d only kissed. Kissing him had been incredible. She wouldn’t mind at all having to kiss him every day for the rest of her life. It wouldn’t be a hardship; in fact, it was something she’d gladly volunteer to do.

  Wasn’t that what she wanted? To want her husband? Not only to desire him, but to enjoy his company? To laugh, to play?

  Greer sunk further into the bed, letting her arms flop outward and take up all the space. The room was quiet, and the roar of the voices from below had melded to become a buzz of noise that faded soothingly into the background.

  It was then she realized that this was the still and quiet that both Roderick and her father talked about. The time she could think about herself and what she wanted out of life.

  What did she want?

  Before she’d gone off on this journey, she’d thought she’d known exactly what that was. She wanted to sail, to be free to do whatever she liked. To put off marriage for as long as possible. In fact, during the first hour or two on the currach before the storm, she’d been coming up with a plan to thwart any of her would-be suitors. Her plans had included such things as putting herbs that induced stomach upset into their supper, letting Jewel loose in their chambers, setting their horses free, and sewing all the cuffs and neck holes closed in their shirts. She still kind of wanted to try these things on someone. It would be fun…

  A realization thrummed in her mind. She’d known all about the still and quiet for a long time. She experienced it when she was out to sea in the silence, with the waves gently rocking her boat, the squalls of seagulls, her oars dipping into the water, wind rushing past. Those were soothing sounds that lulled her into moments of deep thought.

  She knew exactly who she was and what she wanted. What she needed to do was stop listening to what everyone else wanted her to be. She needed to trust in herself, in her convictions and desires.

  Sailing meant everything to her. Quitting wasn’t an option, even if the idea of being in the water terrified her right now. That would fade. It had to. One little accident that almost resulted in her death shouldn’t hold such power over her. It was like riding a horse. When one got tossed, they didn’t simply give up, even if they broke their leg. Roderick was a perfect example of that. He still fished even though he’d gotten a spear through the leg for it.

  The only thing Greer thought she would not try again was cooking. That was hazardous to her health and the health of others. Best leave that particular passion to those who actually had a talent for it.

  She chuckled at the thought and curled onto her side, tugging at the threadbare blanket to keep warm, what little good that did.

  When she returned to Dunrobin, she needed to implement a plan of getting back on the water. This time, she wouldn’t do it alone. Well, maybe not always alone. There would still be times that she would need to be alone to think, but maybe those could be done on shore—or at least close enough to shore that she could swim the distance if necessary.

  Saints, but she prayed her parents wouldn’t completely forbid her from ever sailing again. They couldn’t, could they? She wouldn’t let them. Roderick wouldn’t… The man was always invading her thoughts. And with good reason. Because of what she wanted most. But her heart’s desire would be harder to attain.

  Roderick.

  She wanted him body, heart, and soul. The very thought of him sent shivers racing along her limbs and caused her belly to do an ex
cited flip. Aye, she wanted him.

  A loud thump against her door pulled Greer from her thoughts, jolting her from the stillness. Her heart leapt, and she had a sudden fear that someone was going to be bursting through the door again—Ina specifically. And she had no weapon ready. After a frantic search of the room, she was able to pinpoint a fire poker, a candlestick, and her tiny eating knife.

  But if someone were going to burst through her door, she’d have heard a warning of some sort. After the Ina incident, her father had tripled the men on watch. Greer sank back down onto the bed with relief. But still, whoever was out there knocked persistently.

  She didn’t have the energy to get up and see who it was, so instead, she called out, “Who is it?”

  “’Tis Grim.”

  Grim. Just hearing his voice sent a smile to her face. A glance at the door showed she’d forgotten to lock it, quite an oversight given what had just happened. “Come in,” she said.

  She probably should have gotten up. Might have actually done so if it were any other man knocking, but Grim had seen her at her very worst—more than once. They were at a point that if she were to suddenly act as though propriety were important, she’d feel foolish, and likely he would, too. And who was she kidding? She would have turned away any other man, but she’d not the power to send her Grim off.

  She wanted to spend the rest of her days with him just walking in, taking the knocking out altogether. Hadn’t she just been thinking that? Was this a sign?

  The door handle lifted, and he slowly pushed the door open, revealing the breadth of his massive frame as he ducked beneath the doorframe to lean against the jam. He crossed an ankle over the other, arms over his chest, stretching the linen of his shirt. His dark hair hung wet and loose around his face, and his beard was freshly trimmed. Even in the dim light, she could see the blue in his eyes. Lord, he’s striking.

  The shift in the air from him opening the door brought her the crisp, clean scent of him. A deep inhale was extremely satisfying. She could breathe him in all day. She just lay there basking in all things Roderick.