Highlander's Fierce Wolf (Beasts 0f The Highlands Book 4)

by Alisa Adams

  Wolf swallowed tightly, holding his horse back, for the big stallion wanted to go after the beautiful mare. Just as he did. “I know Hell, I know…” he said as he patted his horse’s neck.

  Wolf caught up to her when she brought her horse back down to the working trot, though for Peigi, it was still a highly elevated, dramatic trot. Swan is indeed a skilled rider and trainer of the horse, Wolf thought. Then Wolf realized she had called his horse Hell, as had he. So be it, he thought. His horse’s name was Hell. And he was in hell himself. Riding beside this amazing, beautiful woman.

  Later, when Peigi was tired enough to do a sedate walk, Kaithria and the little boys on Dummy caught up to them. The boys had eyes only for Wolf. Whenever Wolf changed position in the saddle, they copied him. If he growled something to his stallion, they would attempt a growl at Dummy. If Wolf needed to stretch, he threw one leg over the saddle, with his knee bent over the pommel. The little boys attempted this as well and Kaithria had to catch Albie, while Swan reached out to push Bhric and Charlie back onto Dummy’s back.

  Swan was grinning, knowing what they were doing, but Wolf was oblivious.

  Swan looked over at him.

  “I am still wondering why ye would turn around from the direction ye were originally headed to escort us, as ye said,” Swan said curiously.

  “Ye need escort, particularly with these children,” Wolf said sternly.

  Swan noted that he was not meeting her eyes. She slowed Peigi further, nodding to Kaithria to go ahead. Beak was right behind Kaithria and the boys, following closely on his Eckle.

  Wolf slowed his horse to remain by Swan’s side once more. He nodded to Beak as the old man rode past, his pipe still stuck firmly in the corner of his lips. Keir was right behind Beak. Keir looked at Wolf and arched an eyebrow, giving Wolf a questioning look.

  Wolf nodded his head once to Keir, motioning towards the front of the horses. Nodding to him to scout ahead. He watched as Keir rode ahead of Beak, Kaithria, and the little boys.

  “What are ye not telling me?” Swan asked softly. She had watched the interplay between Wolf and Keir. He wanted Keir to range ahead. “I noted how long ye and Beak spoke, and Beak is staying close to the children, something he typically does not do, unless it involves golf,” she said wryly. “And I saw ye motion to Keir to take the lead and see what is down the road from us. Is there danger ahead?"

  Wolf stared straight ahead. "They are looking for a young boy," he said quietly, with a frown.

  "What?” Swan asked, surprised. “They?" Swan asked. "Who is they?"

  "Very likely those who attacked Brough."

  Swan noted his rigid jaw.

  "What boy? Why?" she demanded emphatically. “I know ye are in Caithness for a reason. This boy ye speak of must be the reason. Ye will tell me what ye are aboot. Now.”

  Wolf looked over at her with his jaw working. He ran his fingers over the dark stubble of his chin and jaw. He saw Swan’s eyes following his fingers, watched as her eyes dilated a bit, her lips parted, and her nostrils flared.

  She was not unaware of him.

  His eyes narrowed as he forcefully tucked that thought away.

  He must do his King’s bidding.

  He must find this boy and return him to the King.

  “The boy was caught up in the Clearances. He was in a priory that was cleared. I know not his name, and only a guess at his age. But he could be any of the three boys that came to Brough. He is the illegitimate offspring of a vera important man.”

  “Charlie, Bhric, or Albie?” Swan said.

  “Who is Charlie, Bhric, or Albie?” Wolf growled.

  Swan frowned at him. “The children, of course.”

  “I see. I did not know their names,” he said with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.

  Swan told him which child was which, but when she asked him to repeat their names to see if he remembered which boy was which he had no interest in knowing them. “They all look the same to me,” Wolf had said.

  “That is ridiculous. All children do not look alike,” she said indignantly.

  “They do,” Wolf said curtly. “They are all small. I have no interest in children. My only interest is finding this boy, before others do, and returning him to his father.”

  “Then I dinnae suppose ye’ll be telling me who the vera important father is?” Swan asked.

  “My word—” Wolf did not get to finish his sentence.

  “Is truth, yes, I know,” Swan said. “So he is so important that his name cannot be told. Even to someone that is from the most northern part of Scotland and knows no name of any importance save the King,” she said in a huff as she glared at him.

  When she saw his lips thin and his jaw go rigid she gasped.

  “Tis the King’s illegitimate son ye have been sent to retrieve!” she declared.

  He would not look at her. He stared straight ahead as he rode, but his cheeks turned red.

  “Why does he want this boy back? He and Queen Charlotte are very devoted to each other. I cannae think he would have been disloyal to her with another woman. And she would be vera hurt over this matter.” Swan spoke aloud as she was thinking.

  “The boy could be used against the King,” he ground out.

  Swan thought for a moment. “Aye, the Clearances have angered many Scots, as has the Disarmament Act. And I suppose there are still those that favor Bonnie Prince Charlie as the true king of Scotland,” she mused.

  Wolf growled softly, but would not look at her.

  “Surely he would not bring him into his household?” Swan asked.

  “That is not my place to ask. I do as my King bids me,” he said firmly as he rode.

  “And your word is truth and so ye shall deliver this poor young boy into who knows what kind of situation,” she said heatedly.

  At that Wolf did look at her. “Tis not my place, nor yours, to question the King,” he said roughly.

  “No. He loves his Charlotte. He would not dally with another, much less bring forth an illegitimate son into her midst. What if he wishes to kill the boy, to make sure his dalliance is not discovered? Or what if he sends him away to the colonies, all by himself? Or what if he—”

  “Enough!” snarled Wolf. “That is not your concern!”

  “But they are just young boys! All of them, and Albie is not even five years!” Swan said fearfully. “What will ye do? Bring them all to him? Ye dinnae even know which of the boys is his. No, that is wrong, ye dinnae even know if one of them is his,” she declared mulishly.

  “The King will know,” Wolf said with a stern, unmoving face.

  Swan gasped. “It could be any orphan boy in Caithness! Ye cannae take these boys!”

  Wolf turned to her with a fierce expression. “I will not be swayed.” He started to push his horse more forward, away from her, but she grabbed his reins, slowing his horse so that he stayed by her side. Her hands were closed over his on the reins.

  She pushed her horse closer to Wolf’s and glared up into his face. “Ye willnae take the boys, they are my family,” she said fervently.

  Wolf looked down at her hands on his. Then he looked at her; his eyes raking over her face, over her elegant nose, her high cheekbones, her pert chin, those deep blue eyes, and those perfect lips. She was fierce in her loyalty and protection of her people. She was the most unusual female he had ever met—he had never met one that put others before herself.

  He exhaled harshly, resisting her pull.

  But then finally, he made the charge and grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her face towards his.

  He took her mouth in a deep, lush kiss.

  Kissing her with a greediness he did not know was within him.

  The feel and taste of her lips eagerly yet so innocently returning his kiss made him senseless.

  He pulled back, stunned.

  “I will not be swayed,” he said low and fervently in a harsh voice. “No matter your pull, I will not be convinced away from my King’s bi
dding. My word is my truth,” he grated out as he glared into her surprised eyes.

  He was about to say something more when Keir came riding back at a full gallop.

  His horse slid to a stop and spun around beside Wolf.

  Wolf called to Kaithria and Beak to halt as he saw the expression on Keir’s face.

  “Up ahead?” Wolf asked Keir.

  “Aye, I saw warriors coming this way. A small group.” Keir smiled in anticipation.

  Wolf looked behind Swan to see Neely and the little girls looking nervously at them. “Stay here,” he commanded them.

  Wolf spurred his horse ahead to get in front of Kaithria and Beak and send them back to Swan. Keir stayed with Wolf, watching the road ahead.

  It wasn’t long before six warriors came around the bend of the road on their horses.

  Swan halted her horse, signaling for Neely and the girls to stay behind her. Beak stopped beside Swan while Kaithria and the little boys went behind Swan. They halted beside Neely and the girls.

  Swan studied the men. They were big Highlanders, but not as big or intimidating as Wolf or Keir. Their horses were small, and they looked tired and worn from carrying the weight of the big men.

  The warriors halted in front of Wolf and Keir. They said nothing. They just stared, summing each other up. Particularly Wolf.

  “Ye wear the King’s crest on yer kilt,” one of them said to Wolf.

  “Aye,” boomed Wolf in his deep voice.

  “Ye are the King’s men,” he sneered and looked back at the other warriors with him.

  “Aye,” Wolf growled. “And ye are Jacobites,” he snarled back, looking at their kilts.

  “We want no trouble with ye, we are only interested in the boys,” he stated.

  “What is yer business with them?” Wolf snarled.

  “We are looking for Bonnie Prince Charlie’s son,” the warrior said as he tried to peer behind Wolf, but the two huge Highlanders were blocking their view of the children. “He travels with a nun. We dinnae want the boy falling into the wrong hands.”

  Wolf’s face remained stoic and fierce.

  Swan managed to hold her gasp in. She resisted the urge to look at Kaithria.

  “We have no nun with us. Nor do we have the Young Pretender’s son,” Wolf said.

  The warriors stared at each other. “We will take the boys,” the warrior declared. “And perhaps the nun as well.” He grinned menacingly as he leaned to the side to see the women. “And lest ye dinnae know, behind us there are many more coming. Caithness is rotten with men looking for the child and the nun. And we will be the ones to take em!”

  Wolf’s eyes narrowed into steely slits. “Ye can try, but ye willnae succeed,” he said low and deep.

  Wolf did not wait for an answer.

  He and Keir charged their heavily muscled and much larger horses into the warriors, knocking four men to the ground immediately. They jumped off their horses and fought the men on the ground.

  Peigi danced and spun in place at the noisy chaos in front of her and at the feel of Swan’s tense body on her back.

  “Ye must relax lass, young Peigi knows ye are upset, as does the hound,” Beak said urgently in a quiet voice as he kept his eyes on the fight further ahead of them on the road. “Easy Beans me boyo,” Beak said calmly.

  Beans stayed close to Swan and the children.

  “We must do something!” she whispered urgently to Beak.

  “Those warriors have no pistols, they are Jacobites. Ye heard them,” Beak said. “Laird McKay and Keir will make short work of them, you’ll see. They willnae even bring their pistols out,” he added almost gleefully as he watched the fight avidly.

  Swan frowned at Beak. “Pistols? Not in front of the children! Boys, do ye have those bags of stones ye were using to practice hitting with yer clubs?”

  They nodded. Swan looked meaningfully at Beak. They slowly got off their horses.

  The boys handed down the bags of stones to Swan and she hurriedly poured some of them out on the road in a line.

  Kaithria quickly and quietly helped the boys down from Dummy and handed Dummy’s reins to Neely to hold.

  “We must not hit Lord McKay or Keir!” Swan said urgently to the little boys. “Best ye just stand back and keep laying out stones for us.”

  The little boys nodded with great seriousness.

  “Beans!” Swan called softly to the hound. She pointed at the children. “Guard!” she said firmly.

  Beak lined the boys up with their bags of stones behind him, next to Beans. Beak drew back and whacked a stone with his club. One of the boys quickly threw down a new one. Beak drew back and hit this one as well.

  Swan and Kaithria joined in, hastily letting fly a stone with a sharp crack as their tosgs hit the stones.

  Neely came over and smiled sheepishly at Swan.

  “I want to help too,” Neely said. When Swan and Kaithria looked at her in surprise she added, “Please forgive me for not believing in ye Lady Swan. I have been a wretch, I know I have. I couldnae face that me da ran out on me, on all of us. I can hit the rocks too, I have one of Beak’s clubs,” she said as she held the club up to show them. She watched, breath held, as Swan and Kaithria looked at each other. They smiled.

  Over and over the three women hit the stones, sending them flying into the fighting men. Some hit Wolf and Keir, but Beak’s aim was very good and his stones hit the other warriors over and over.

  Two of the warriors realized where the stones were coming from and had had enough. They broke from the fight and rushed towards Swan and the others.

  “Will ye stop hitting us with those stones!” one of the warriors yelled as he ran at them.

  Swan wasted no time and let fly a stone right into his temple.

  “Well shot Lady Swan!” Neely called out.

  At a whoop from Beak, Swan heard another stone whack the other warrior in his nose. The warrior reeled back, holding his nose to still the blood running from it.

  The warrior who had been hit in the temple was not daunted. He scowled at Swan and started to rush towards her again before she could hit another stone, but his attention was caught by the black cloaked and hooded figure of Kaithria as she started to draw her tosg back, ready to hit a stone at him.

  He pointed at her. “A nun!” he called out. “Take her!”

  The warriors stopped.

  Keir and Wolf spun to look at Kaithria.

  Kaithria raised her head and slowly drew back her hood. She pulled the cloak off of her shoulders and stood up straight, looking fearlessly into the warrior’s eyes.

  “I am no nun!” she said loudly, then drew her arm back and hit the stone right at the warrior’s eye who had pointed her out.

  Swan and Neely looked at each other in shock. Then they started hitting stones as fast as they could.

  Wolf let out a battle cry and ran back towards the women. He skidded to Swan’s side and spun to face the oncoming warriors.

  Keir stood still as the warriors passed him. He was staring at Kaithria. She had midnight black hair and tawny, almost gold eyes. Her skin was creamy against the muted red dress she wore.

  She is no nun, he thought to himself.

  “Keir!” Wolf yelled.

  Keir looked over to see Wolf and Swan fighting back to back. Swan was swinging and twirling her peat cutter, slicing at the warriors. Kaithria and Neely were fighting back to back as well. Neely was stark white with fear, and not doing well. She was trying to hit the warriors over the head with her stick and not succeeding.

  Keir saw the giant wolfhound beside the children, snarling and snapping at anyone that came too near.

  Keir thought he heard singing and shook his head. One of those rocks must have hit me in the head, he thought as he ran forward into the fray and to Kaithria’s side where she was now swinging her peat cutter at the oncoming warriors.

  Swan swung with all her might, twirling and whirling and spinning her tosg at the oncoming warriors. She was terrified, bu
t they had rushed at Kaithria and she had to do something. Swan began singing, quietly at first, and then stronger as she spun her tosg at the oncoming warriors.

  * * *

  “Fain wad I, Lovingly wad I hae the bloody wars to cease,

  An' the nations restored again to unity an' peace.

  Then mony a bonnie laddie, that's now far owre the sea,

  Wad return to his lassie, an' his ain countrie.

  * * *

  Aye I hope the time is near, when sweet peace her olive wand,

  To lay the fiend of war shall soon stretch o'er every land.

  When swords turn'd into ploughshares and pruning-hooks shall be,

  An' the nations a' live happy in their ain countrie.”

  * * *

  She felt Wolf at her back as she sang and twirled and jabbed her tosg. The warriors began looking at her oddly.

  “Stop that singing!” a warrior paused to screech at her. Wolf knocked a fist into his face and he went backwards and down to the ground. He lay there, still as a log.

  “Aye, stop that! Tis a sad song that one!” another warrior snarled.

  “Sards, why is she singing?” one warrior hollered to the others.

  “Perhaps she is crazed,” the warrior in front of Swan called back to the others.

  A stone flew past her, plunking hard into the warrior’s head. He let out a loud howl of pain as he too sank to the ground.

  Swan ducked to the side as an onslaught of stones began pelting at the warriors. She grabbed Wolf’s arm and pulled him along with her to the side and back towards Beak and the boys, who had all lined up with him. Each were hitting stones as fast as they could at the warriors who were trying to dodge them.