Highlander's Lionheart (Beasts 0f The Highlands Book 1)

by Alisa Adams

  “Och, no, we are fine. But we have a bigger problem, Gordon. The tides coming in,” Godet said anxiously pointing to the floor where his torch was lighting up the water on the sandy floor.

  “Aye, we noticed,” Gordon replied curtly. “Is there any other way out of here?” he asked her, watching as his torch lit up the rising water at their feet.

  Godet went to the edge of the opening and took the torch from Gordon, peering into the small cave. Waves lapped over the edge onto her feet and the bottom of her skirt. “We may be able to swim through this. The tide’s not fully in yet. These aren’t storm waves,” she explained thoughtfully.

  Loughlin made a rough sound and looked at Flori. “Can ye swim lass?”

  “Aye,” she said in the barest of whispers. Not sounding very sure of herself and obviously very frightened.

  Godet looked back at Flori. “Ye are stronger than ye know, Flori.” Then Godet turned to Gordon and Loughlin. “Are ye two good swimmers? The current may be formidable. I can help Flori get through, but I cannae be worrying about ye two, dae ye ken?”

  Loughlin just grunted again at her in surprise. Gordon took the torch from her and placed it up high on a ledge. The firelight shone into the little cave, giving them some light to see.

  “We cannae wait! We must try now before the tides fully in or we’ll surely drown. Come, Flori, hold me hand!”

  Loughlin surged forward, shaking his head. “I will take her,” he said curtly in a low voice.

  Gordon grabbed Godet’s hand and waded into the water beyond the ledge. He helped Godet into the water, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her with him so as not to let the waves pull her away from him. He clung to the cave wall with one hand, watching as Loughlin did the same with Flori.

  “Follow the cave wall!” shouted Godet over the thunder of the waves in the dimly lit cave. The torch was flickering over the water and on the cave wall, not giving off much light. Godet realized it was dark outside the cave as well, making it even harder for them to see where they were going.

  Gordon took a tight hold of Godet and watched as the next wave came in, pummeling them against the wall. As it started to recede, he lunged a few feet down the wall of the cave, clinging to the next jutting ledge that he could grab a hold of. Loughlin repeated what Gordon had done. They could hear a slight whimper from Flori as she clung tightly to Loughlin.

  The next wave was higher, stronger, and it ripped Godet out of Gordon’s hold. She went spinning in the water away from him. She was pulled with it, but she quickly put her feet out in front of her knowing that she was going to hit the back wall. When she did, she pushed off as firmly as she could, being swept back with the wave as it started to wash back out. But another wave came quickly on top of it, smashing into it with a violent white froth.

  She could hear Gordon shouting as she fought the water. She swallowed a great gulp of sea water as another wave smacked into her face, shoving her head down once again as the next wave hit her. She reached a hand out toward where she had heard Gordon’s voice, she felt an arm and then a hand. She clung to it and was pulled toward him. As she came to the surface, she heard more yelling and realized Flori too had been pulled away from Loughlin into the waves that were crashing into the cave. She looked around furtively, remembering which direction the waves had pulled and pushed her.

  “There she is!” she screamed, pointing toward the white frothing and hissing foam as another wave crested through the cave. She lunged away from Gordon’s hold and grabbed Flori, holding her up and pushing her to the surface toward the men. Flori gasped and started swimming, her strokes strong and desperate as she struggled against the waves toward Loughlin. He pushed off the wall and plunged into the water just as the next wave took Flori with it again, hurtling her against the back wall so that any advance she had made was lost. Loughlin grabbed her in just a few sure strokes and cradled her to his chest as he fought his way along the wall again. Godet was right behind him. Gordon had plunged in after her and was pushing her along. They made it to the opening. Clinging to the cave ledge above them.

  Godet pushed her hair out of her face. She pointed to the opening to the cave. “Ye must time it when the waves are receding or ye’ll never get through the cave entrance. ‘Tis most violent just there. ‘Tis evening now so ‘tis dark outside the cave. Once ye are out, swim for all ye are worth to the left of the cave toward the cliffs,” she commanded loudly to them. “I dinnae know how high this tide is crashing up the cliff wall but the beach is under water. Ye must swim toward the cliff face and the paths! Get to the paths. Dinnae let go! Get up to the cliff path!”

  Gordon nodded his head grimly at her as did Loughlin. Flori was shivering, but she managed a nod as well. Her arm was around Loughlin’s neck and his arm was wrapped tightly around Flori. His muscles bulging from the effort of holding her there. Godet nodded her head at Loughlin. Please take care of my sister, her eyes pleaded. He nodded his head, once and increased his grip around Flori’s waist.

  Gordon looked at Godet. “Are yee ready, mo ghraidh?” he said over the noise of the crashing violent surf.

  She nodded her head at him. He’d called her ‘my love’ again. She smiled slightly and wiped her face as another wave hit them. The water was rising quickly now and Gordon had to reach a higher ledge to keep their heads above the water.

  Godet looked back at Godet and before she could say anything, Gordon had plunged through the cave opening with such strength it caught her unawares. She clung to him and kicked with him as they fought through the next wave before it could sweep them back into the cave. He immediately pulled them to the left of the opening, outside the cave into the dark sea. With huge kicks of his muscular legs, he was propelling them through the water toward the cliff face that was lit up by the moon. Waves came crashing at them from all directions as the waves went crashing into the cliff face and came crashing back toward the open sea while another wave immediately swept them up and carried them right back toward the cliff wall.

  Godet was pulled away from Gordon when one huge wave crashed down upon them. She managed to fight her way up and forward. Gordon grabbed at her, but she was ripped away from him again. She fought to the surface and spotted him looking frantically for her.

  “The wall!” she screamed at him, pointing ahead as she began kicking and pulling herself through the water.

  Gordon looked over and saw the hint of the cliff path. He kicked mightily toward it, right behind Godet. She reached it first as a wave carried her up in a giant surge. She grabbed at the wall, and found a toe hold in the water and quickly pushed up out of the water, just enough to get two hands on the rocks. She clung to them and looked back for Gordon and the others.

  Gordon saw Godet reach up and wrap her arms around some rocks jutting off the cliff face just below the path. He kicked toward it, not fighting the next wave, and grabbed a hold. He reached for Godet and pushed her up to the next rock, following after her quickly before another wave could pull him back down. They kneeled on the path looking down into the frothing waves.

  “There!” screamed Godet. She saw Flori swimming valiantly toward them. Godet reached down and held her hand out to her. “Here, Flori, swim this way!” she screamed over the thundering of the surf.

  Gordon was beside Godet too, holding his hand down to Flori and ready to jump back into the dark violent water if need be. Gordon was able to grab Flori just as another wave was about to crash upon Flori’s back. He lifted her up onto the path in one mighty pull. She lay there, curled up on the path, gasping for breath and shivering, her teeth chattering.

  Gordon was at the edge of the path peering down into the surf. “Loughlin!” he called out.

  Flori crawled to his side, peering out into the water, looking into the roiling, foaming, angry waves. “Where is he?” she screamed.

  “I dinnae see him,” he called back to her, worry evident in his voice. “Godet! Take yer sister and go, get back to the camp!”

  “No!” scre
amed Flori, “I’ll not leave him!”

  Godet came and kneeled beside Flori, her eyes straining out into the water. “He’s a strong man, Flori, he’ll make it!”

  “He held me and pulled me along. He made sure I got out of the cave and through the waves then suddenly, he was ripped away from me and he was just... just gone,” she said on a sob as she wrapped her arms around her waist, searching frantically out into the water.

  “He’ll make it,” Gordon said firmly, searching the waves. “He and his brother Liam have made it through things that no man should have,” he told her.

  “Loughlin!” Flori suddenly screamed. “There! There he is!” She reached out as far as she could toward the waves. Godet grabbed at her before she could fall back in.

  Loughlin came surging toward them on a roiling, frothing wave. His arm shot out of the water and Gordon grabbed him before he could be pulled back away from them. Flori lunged over and held him by his shirt with both arms. Sobs were pouring out of her. Godet grabbed him as well and it took the three of them to pull him up out of the dark, angry water and away from the breaking waves onto the cliff path.

  He lay there on his back, his chest heaving with the effort of fighting the sea. Flori collapsed in sobs on top of his chest and he held her, just held her quietly until she quieted and moved off of him to kneel by his side. Gordon and Godet kneeled on the path, water running off of them as they regathered their strength.

  “We need to move on and get back to camp,” Gordon said in deep, gulping breaths. Godet and Flori looked at him, their teeth chattering as they shivered in their soaked dresses.

  Loughlin sat up. “Aye, let’s get away from this cursed sea,” he grumbled and slowly stood up, shaking himself like a dog. Water flew in all directions from his long mane of blond hair.

  Gordon did the same, shaking his dark hair out and wringing the water from his kilt. He took off his shirt and twisted the water out of that as well before putting it back on. He missed Godet’s eyes following his every move.

  “We’ve lost our boots I’m afraid, mo ghraidh,” he said wryly to Godet.

  She didn’t respond. Her tongue was caught in her mouth as she studied his bare, moonlit chest. Flori stood up beside Loughlin. Her arms still wrapped tightly around her waist. Godet looked guiltily away from Gordon and joined Flori, her hands flying up to her wet hair to wring it out and braid it over her shoulder.

  “Let’s go,” Godet said, trying to still her teeth from chattering as she quickly wrung the water out of her skirt. She started up the cliff path, taking rapid steps away from the sea and the feelings that seeing Gordon’s naked chest roused within her.

  18

  By the time they had made it back to their camp deep in the woods in the secluded rock glen, Flori was shivering violently. Godet’s teeth were still chattering, but Flori was shaking all over. Ceena and Ina were there and quickly surrounded Flori, pulling her aside to get her wet clothes off and put a warm dry dress on her. They bundled her in a thick tartan and sat her by the fire.

  Loughlin quickly wrapped Flori’s shaking hands around a hot mug of tea. He sat down beside her and added his plaid to the one over her shoulders. She mumbled her thanks through her stiff lips.

  Gordon caught Godet’s arm as she started to walk past him to help Flori. “Ye need to get out of yer wet clothes as well, lassie. I could hear yer teeth chattering the whole way here. I’m hoping they couldnae hear it in the castle,” he said and winked at her.

  Godet nodded her head at him and hurried behind some rocks to peel her wet blouse and skirt off of her numb skin. She groaned at the feel of the dry blouse and warm, thick skirt she pulled on. Ceena handed her some thick hose and a pair of booties. Godet came out from behind the rocks and sat at the fire. She unbraided her hair and began to run her fingers through the tangled mess. Letting the warmth from the fire dry her hair into tight black curls.

  Gordon watched her, mesmerized at the sight of her with her legs under her skirts and sitting by the fire. Her fingers stroked through her hair over and over again. Long elegant fingers, through all those masses of hair. She was such a petite bundle of womanhood with that tiny waist and her hair that hung wildly down to her hips. Her silver eyes caught the fire’s glow and as she stared sleepily into it. He noticed her shiver once, twice, before he got up and added his plaid around her shoulders. He sat down beside her and handed her a mug of tea. He took another one for himself when Ina handed it to him.

  Gordon looked over at Tristan when he came to join them at the fire. Liam came and sat down as well. “What did ye find out?” Gordon asked them.

  Tristan stared hard at him and then glanced at the women.

  “Go ahead, they need to know as well,” Gordon said in a curt voice.

  “Some of the Mackenzie’s are here,” Tristan told them in a low voice.

  Godet looked up sharply at Tristan. “What?” She looked from Tristan to Liam and then to Ceena and Ina. “Ye saw them?”

  “Aye,” Ceena said. “We did. I dinnae understand it.”

  Loughlin’s brother, Liam, spoke up from where he was sitting behind Ina. He was frowning furiously. Robbie was right next to him, frowning just as fiercely. Ina was ignoring them both. “Fionnaghall’s crofter’s huts are full of MacKenzie men,” Liam explained in his deep voice.

  “They are forming an alliance with the Munroes,” Gordon said. “MacKenzie will have control of the Highland ports if they succeed and all of the firth that Fionnaghall watches over.”

  Silence met his statement.

  “There’s more...” Godet looked at Gordon. “Isn’t there?”

  Gordon’s jaw was tight, he glared into the fire. “Aye, ‘twas the Munroes that murdered my parents, as I told ye,” he said, his voice low, harsh, guttural. “’Twas Munroe and MacKenzie that murdered yours,” Gordon looked at her then. Hating the pain that he saw there. “I am sorry, lass, to be telling ye this,” he said quietly.

  “I dinnae understand,” Godet replied in a strained voice.

  Flori looked up from her mug of tea. “We heard them, Loughlin and I,” she began, her eyes tired, her voice emotionless. “Some of Mungan’s men were bragging about how well their plan with the MacKenzies was working. That they had succeeded in getting rid of the Ross Laird and his wife…” She paused and looked up at Godet. “Mungan killed them, he and MacKenzie.”

  Godet looked down, hiding her eyes. How much more of this could she take? This world was not a woman’s place. How easy it had been for Mungan to kill in order to step into their father’s position as Laird—the very man he had murdered. And then demand that Godet, or now maybe Flori, marry him to secure his place as Laird. He didn’t care about who his wife was, just the power it brought him. To be sure, any wife of his would be dead within six months. It was known that he had killed his past two wives because they displeased him, for whatever reason, no one knew. How was she going to keep her sisters safe knowing this?

  “Brigda,” Ceena said into the silence. Gordon looked over at her, a questioning look in his eyes.

  “Does she know?” Ceena asked with steel in her voice.

  “Ceena!” Godet admonished her.

  “I dinnae know,” Gordon said firmly. “I dae know that we have a bigger problem on our hands than I thought, however.” Gordon looked over at the women. Flori was trying not to fall asleep where she sat in front of the fire. She kept tilting toward Loughlin. If her head touched his shoulder she would pull back and move away from him. He kept moving closer to her, even though she frowned each time he did.

  “We need to get some rest,” Godet said softly. “It has been a long, hard day. We can discuss this further in the morning.”

  “But Godet—” Ceena started to say.

  “Ceena, no, Flori and I had to fight the sea tonight. I cannae take on any more... dae ye ken?” she added in her husky voice.

  Ceena stopped talking and nodded her head. She went and gathered her plaid and set it before the fire next to Ina and
Godet. “Flori, come spread yer plaid near us,” Ceena said to her as she and Ina laid out their plaids.

  “She stays near me,” Loughlin grunted.

  “I’ll sleep near me sisters,” Flori said.

  “I told ye I am keeping ye. Ye sleep near me,” Loughlin replied.

  Flori looked up at him then. “And I told ye, ye cannae keep me! Ye dinnae keep people!”

  Loughlin just smiled at her and shrugged. “I’ll guard ye. Ye need to sleep.”

  Flori let out a grunt and laid down where she was. “I cannae move anyway. I am far too puggled to argue with ye, Loughlin. The sea sapped all me strength. Ye should rest too, we thought ye drowned,” she complained and closed her eyes with a deep sigh. Flori missed Liam look sharply to his brother.

  Loughlin shrugged back at his brother Liam and he remained next to Flori. He leaned against the rock behind him and watched her until her breathing evened out in sleep.

  Tristan looked over at Gordon with a raised eyebrow. “Went for a swim did ye?” Tristan drawled.

  “Aye, the tide was in by the time we were leaving the sea tunnels. We had a little trouble and started back out later than I had wanted.” Gordon filled in his brother with what had happened that day. Their voices were low so as not to wake the sisters.

  “Ye all were very lucky,” Tristan said with respect.

  “We couldn’t have gotten out of there without Godet telling us how to get through it. She’s the canniest lass I have ever met,” he recalled slowly and with pride in his voice.

  “Ye are in love with her, arnae ye?” Tristan asked quietly.

  Gordon nodded his head. Looking over at the sleeping woman. “I have never been so terrified as when they took her and I couldnae get to her...” Gordon looked at his brother with stark eyes. “I have never felt this before.”

  Tristan nodded his head as he looked down into the fire. “Have ye told her then?”

  “Och no, she doesnae want to hear it. Brigda’s shadow is between us.”