Highlander’s Royal Blood: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance

by Ann Marie Scott

  With Cameron’s help, Katherine rose to a seated position long enough to drink the dram of tea that held the medicine, easing her back onto the pillow. “I will come and check on ye in a little while,” the healer said, patting her hand before exiting the room.

  Cameron shut the door behind her and sighed heavily. “How many did we lose?” Katherine whispered, seeing the heaviness on his shoulders.

  “Ten,” he answered, wiping his hand over his face. “Two warriors and eight members of the clan, not including the attackers.”

  Katherine swallowed. “How many were our own Cameron?”

  He sighed. “Four. Trevor recognized four men. They were pretending tae be warriors, and I never saw it coming. If I had—”

  “’Tis not the point,” she interrupted him. “’Tis done, and we cannae look back at our past failures. We need tae look forward, tae our future.”

  He eyed her, a hint of a smile on his handsome face. “I believe yer medicines are working, Katherine.”

  She wanted to stick out her tongue at him, but instead, she motioned him over with her hand. “Come here, Husband. I want ye tae rest as well.”

  He approached the bed, stripping off his tunic as he did so. “I dinnae want tae hurt ye.”

  Her expression softened. “Like ye could hurt me. Get in bed, Cameron.”

  He did as she asked, and she picked up his hand, resting it on her stomach. Her wounded shoulder prevented her from turning into his arms but having him touch her like this was enough. “Sleep,” she said drowsily.

  Katherine felt the whisper of his lips touch her temple. “I love ye.”

  The smile stayed on her lips as she fell back into the dark abyss.

  The next morning, Katherine woke to an empty bed, wincing as she struggled to get into an upright position. Her head felt better, her shoulder stiff but not hurting as much as she thought it would be.

  The door opened nearly immediately, and Cameron strode in, looking exhausted. “Cameron,” she breathed as he stepped aside, allowing the tub to be brought in behind him.

  “Ye’re awake,” he said softly, crossing the room to the bed. “How do ye feel?”

  “Better,” she admitted, eyeing the water tub. “Is that for me?”

  “Aye,” Cameron replied, closing the door behind the last servant that had dumped the steaming water. “I figured ye would want a bath.”

  A bath did sound nice. “Aye, Husband. I do.”

  He grinned, and together they got her out of the bed, removing the nightgown over her head and helping her into the water. “Careful now,” he stated as she sank into the warmth. “Dinnae get yer bandage wet.”

  She did as he asked, and he picked up the rag, carefully starting to wash her body. “Tell me wot is happening.”

  “We have found four men,” Cameron started as he slid the rag down her arm. “They are in the dungeon and are refusing tae talk.”

  Katherine frowned. “Our men?”

  “Aye.”

  She slumped then, her stomach rolling. Her own men, plotting against her. It sickened her. “Why?”

  “I dinnae know, lass,” Cameron said softly as he washed the back of her neck. “But ’tis nothing ye have done wrong.”

  It felt like it. Why else would they attack her and their own clansmen? “The council,” she said, her heart heavy. “I need tae speak tae the council.”

  Cameron stopped his motions, coming around so she could see his worried gaze. “Ye understand that ye were shot with an arrow, right? Ye are not leaving this chamber until ye are well.”

  “I know ye are worried, but I am the lady of the keep. I cannae hide in mah chamber. Mah people are hurting, and I need tae be seen, tae help.”

  “Ye were injured!” he shouted, startling her. “Do ye not know how worried I was that I was going tae lose ye?”

  His voice cracked, and Katherine realized he had been scared. Her brave warrior had been scared. She scooted closer to him in the tub so she could take his face in her hands, ignoring the pull of her own injury. “Cameron,” she said softly, brushing her thumbs over his cheeks, “I love ye, I really do. And I am not going tae leave ye. I plan tae be by yer side for many years tae come.”

  He swallowed hard. “Ye might not have a choice.”

  She knew that, but while there was breath left in her body, she would always come back to him.

  “I’ve never felt such helplessness before,” he continued. “I cannae help ye. I cannae protect ye.”

  “But ye can love me,” she reminded him.

  He drew in a breath. “Aye, until mah dying breath.”

  Katherine felt his love through his words. She wished that she wasn’t injured so she could show him how much she loved him. “Finish mah bath,” she told him, settling back against the cold tub. “Or I might have tae get ye tae join me.”

  He chuckled as he fished in the water for the rag once more. “Aye, mah lady, as ye wish.”

  It took two days before Katherine could convince Cameron to let her leave their chamber. She descended on the great hall while others were breaking their morning fare and all that she encountered were glad and grateful to see her alive and well. Katherine took her seat at the table, and Cameron strode in, causing Katherine’s heart to thud against her chest. Her handsome husband had spent more time with her over the last two days than he had in all the years they had known each other, and she was grateful for their time together—even if she could not get him to touch her intimately.

  “Wife,” he stated as he took his seat next to her, winking.

  “Husband,” she stated firmly, though her cheeks flushed under his heated gaze. “Good morning.”

  “I’ve been checking up on yer warriors,” he said, helping her place food on her plate.

  “Oh,” she remarked. “And wot do ye think?”

  “I think that I will be spending more time with ye,” he said, handing her the plate.

  Katherine’s breath caught. “I would like that.”

  “Bloody hell,” Trevor stated as he piled his plate high with food. “We are trying tae eat here.”

  Katherine and Cameron shared a secret smile. She was so happy with him and the life they were building together.

  “Wot of the men in the dungeon?” she asked lightly, turning her attention to the strife in her clan. “Have they said anything?”

  Cameron and Trevor shared a look. “Nay,” Cameron finally said. “They have not. I dinnae think we are going tae get our answers from them.”

  Katherine sighed. “Pull the council together. We will need tae decide their fates.” She detested this part of her duty, but as lady, she had to preside over her prisoners and whether they deserved to remain alive for their treachery.

  The council assembled an hour later, and Katherine strode in, Cameron on her heels. The elders struggled to stand in time but she gave them all a nod. “As ye can see, I am alive and well. These traitors wilnae take mah life from me in this manner.”

  “And we are happy that ye are alive,” one of the elders stated as Katherine took her seat. “This is not who this clan is, mah lady, even if these are our clansmen.”

  “I know,” Katherine stated. In her heart, she knew these men did not represent the kind souls she had met in her time here as their lady. “I love this clan. These are mah people, and I wilnae subject them tae a few Scots with a different agenda.” She then glanced at Cameron, who was supporting her silently.

  Oh, how she loved him! She could not have asked for any other to be at her side. Cameron had not pushed her to do or say anything that she did not wish to say, and she loved him even more for it.

  Tearing her gaze from her husband, Katherine gave her attention to her council, to the elders that were to choose what was best for their clan. “I wilnae live in fear. If these Scots dinnae wish tae face me, then I wilnae give up until they are captured. We wilnae allow them tae kill our own. We wilnae allow them tae destroy our futures. I hope that ye will stand with me and turn back tho
se that dinnae wish the same for our clan, for our bairns, for our future.”

  Ian stood, his eyes narrowing as he glared at her. “What do ye propose that we do, mah lady? These ruffians, ye have caught them all. Dinnae ye think that the threat is over with? Do ye wish tae turn this into a witch hunt?”

  “I dinnae believe it. These Scots refuse tae talk, so they are protecting someone. I dinnae wish tae take their lives.”

  Ian glanced at his fellow council members. “I am willing tae interrogate them. Perhaps a member of their own clan will make them comfortable.”

  “I’ve done that already,” Cameron drawled, leaning against the wall in his usual position. “I dinnae think ye will get anything else from them.”

  Ian glared at Cameron but sat back in his seat, his mouth shut.

  “I wish for them tae remain in the dungeon for now,” Katherine continued. “I believe they have been fed lies aboot their clan, aboot what I am going tae do for our people. I want tae give them a chance tae pledge their loyalty. What say ye, council?”

  The ayes were soft, but they were ayes nevertheless.

  Katherine would not be calling for their deaths just yet.

  19

  Cameron rolled over at the sound of the door creaking open, thinking at first that he had dreamed it. The fire had died long ago and the room was drenched in darkness, causing him to lay there and listen for the sound of anything.

  The creaking of the floorboard in front of the door caught Cameron’s ear, and he stilled. Someone was in their chamber—and not to wake them.

  Someone was here to kill them.

  Glancing over at Katherine, he slipped out of bed, glad that he had put her against the wall before falling asleep, his arm around her waist. She wasn’t quite well enough for them to resume their lovemaking, but he had brought some pleasure in other ways, leaving them both sated. Every day he fell further in love with his wife, and now someone was trying to take that away.

  Well, that wasn’t going to happen. Not while he had breath in his lungs.

  Naked, he crouched low, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness, and Cameron pulled the dagger out from under the bed, sliding into the shadows as the intruder finally spied the bed and headed toward his sleeping wife.

  The intruder nearly tripped over the table on his way to the bed, cursing softly under his breath, moving the chair aside as he started back toward the bed.

  He would never get there.

  Cameron’s blood raced in his body as he waited for the right moment, launching his attack at the tall figure and knocking him to the floor, their bodies hitting the floor hard.

  “Cameron!” Katherine called out, the sound rousing her from her sleep as he grappled with the intruder, kicking the dagger out of his hand and landing a punch to his gut. The intruder launched his own tirade in an attempt to escape, and Cameron groaned as a punch was landed to his side. Pain exploded through his body, but he roared and tackled the intruder once more, knocking him flat on his back and landing a punch to his face, feeling the solid crack of a nose in return. The intruder yelped and Cameron used his leverage to pin the intruder against the wall, his dagger at his throat.

  “Katherine,” he said calmly, holding the intruder there and wanting to tear his guts from his stomach with his dagger. “Go get help.”

  She did as he asked, throwing the wrapper on around her naked form and hurrying out of the room.

  Even this close Cameron could not see the intruder’s features to identify him.

  And he was confident it was a him. “Who are ye?” he demanded, pressing the dagger to his throat. “Tell me who dares try tae kill me in mah sleep!”

  The intruder cackled, struggling against Cameron’s hold. “Ye cannae stop the clan! Ye cannae stop us from bringing Scotland back tae its former glory!”

  His words made no sense. “Are ye addled in the head?” Was this a random intruder or part of the attack that they had endured for weeks?

  “Ye cannae see what needs tae happen,” the intruder spouted. “Ye are blind tae the needs of the clan. We need a warrior, not a wench.”

  Cameron jammed his forearm into the man’s throat, silencing him painfully. “That is mah wife ye are referring tae, and she is a warrior.”

  The man wheezed as the door nearly was flung off the hinges, and Trevor stormed in, his sword in his hand, and his breeks barely laced around his waist. “Bloody hell,” he breathed as another brought a lantern up to light the man’s bloody face. “Another one.”

  Cameron did not recognize the Scot, but it was clear that Trevor did. “Dinnae tell me he is a McDougal.”

  “Aye,” Trevor replied, his voice heavy. “He is.”

  Shite.

  Cameron grabbed the man by the shoulder and thrust him at Trevor. “He’s spouting nonsense. Take him tae the great hall. I will deal with him directly.”

  “’Tis not nonsense!” the man screamed as Trevor grabbed him by the arm. “The clan will rise once again! The clan will not fail on their mission!”

  “Get him out of here,” Cameron stated, catching the eye of his wife. She was pale, clutching the front of her wrapper; he wanted her in his arms.

  The room cleared and Cameron crossed the room to do just that, gathering a shaking Katherine in his arms. “Shh lass, ’tis alright.”

  “It’s not alright!” she cried out, clutching at him. “He attacks us while we were sleeping, Cameron! If ye hadnae heard him...”

  “But I did,” he stated, feeling her panic. He, too, had thought about what might have happened if he hadn’t, but he wasn’t going to let her know that. “I will post a guard outside the door from now on.”

  She pulled back, and he saw the tears in her eyes, tearing at his heart that she was frightened by this. He was worried he couldn’t protect her every time and the wound on her shoulder had been one of those times that he had failed her.

  He wouldn’t again.

  “This has tae stop,” she was saying, her words soft to his ears.

  “I know,” he sighed, wiping away the stray tear on her cheek. “I know.” He would hunt them down for what they had tried to do to him and Katherine. This was his family, a life he thought he would never have with Katherine of all people.

  But now that he had her, he would protect her with his life. “Get dressed.”

  She nodded, not asking why, and he donned his clothing, strapping his weapons to his body and his sword at his back. “Cameron?” she asked as she pulled the laces tight on her dress. “Wot are ye doing?”

  “I’m going after them,” he told her, searching for the additional dagger that he kept in the wardrobe. “Ye will stay in this keep until I get back. A warrior will be with ye at all times.”

  “Ye’re leaving?”

  He looked at her. “I have tae, Katherine. I have tae end this.” If he didn’t, they would always be looking over their shoulder, and he could not have her live in that sort of fear. He closed the distance between them and pressed the dagger into her hand. “This is for ye tae protect yerself. Dinnae go anywhere without it. Promise me, love.”

  Katherine swallowed, clutching it tightly in her shaking hands. “I promise.”

  He framed her face with his hands, seeing the panic in her eyes. “I will come back tae ye. I wilnae let this be the last moment between us.”

  “I love ye,” she breathed, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Dinnae die on me. Promise me ye will come back tae me.”

  He grabbed her hands, pressing his lips to the backs of them. He didn’t need her to panic right now but to focus on what they were going to have for the future. Katherine was stronger than he was at times, and he needed for her to be strong now.

  “I promise, Katherine.” He knew he shouldn’t promise something he could not keep but she wasn’t going to let him go unless he did. Leaning forward, he captured her lips with his, tasting her lips for what he hoped would not be the last time. “I love ye,” he stated, pressing his forehead to hers. “Dinnae forget.�
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  “I wilnae.”

  Gripping her hand, he led her out of the chamber, noting that the entire keep was now awake from their intrusion. His warriors lined the great hall as they made their entrance. “This is yer lady,” he told them. “Ye will protect her with yer life.”

  “Aye,” the warriors chorused, pressing their fists to their chests. “Aye.”

  “I’ve chosen the ones tae go with us,” Trevor said as he came to Cameron’s side. “And the rest will stay.”

  Cameron let his eyes drift over the men that were standing before him. They would be charged with keeping their lady—his wife, his love—safe, and as much as he wanted to stay himself, he couldn’t.

  He had to end this. “William,” he called out, spying the young lad from the stable. “Ye are tae never leave yer lady’s side.”

  The young lad looked frightened to death, but he nodded, clenching his jaw. “Aye, mah lord.”

  Cameron turned to his wife, sliding his hand behind her neck and pulling her to him. “Dinnae give William a hard time, Wife.”

  She chuckled as she pressed her forehead to his chest. “I wilnae. Dinnae be gone for long, Husband.”

  He wanted to say more but pressed his lips into her hair before pulling away. “Get the intruder,” he called out. “He will lead us tae the leader.”

  They filed out of the keep, and one of the warriors brought out the babbling intruder, placing him on a horse, his hands tied to the pommel before him. Cameron mounted his horse before approaching him. “Do ye value yer life, Scot?”

  The man glared at him. “Mah life is nothing unless I complete mah mission.”

  Cameron gave him a tight smile. “Yer mission will be tae lead me and mah warriors tae yer leader.”

  “Mah leader?” the man laughed lightly. “I dinnae know who he is.”

  Cameron kept his wits about him. “Then ye will lead us tae yer meeting place.”

  The man continued to laugh. “Why? No one is there.”

  “I dinnae care,” Cameron stated, wheeling his horse around. That would be where they would go.