Highlander's Captive (Highlander Trilogy)

by Donna Fletcher

  Cree remembered that day all too well. He had been hunting and upon his return home he had come upon a scene that had struck him with gut-wrenching fear. He had spotted a man dragging Wintra away by the arm. She was trying desperately to free herself, but she was no match for his size. Cree had taken off in a run, though did not scream at the man to stop, fearful that he would run off with Wintra into the woods and be lost to him. He had watched as the man knocked her to the ground and was about to rape her. He had never run so fast in his life.

  He had thrown his body full force at the man, knocking him off Wintra, then he and the man had fought. Cree had been so furious that he snapped the man’s neck. Wintra had run to him afterward and had flung her scrawny little arms around his neck and wouldn’t let go of him. Her body had trembled against his as he held her tight, and he had wanted to kill her attacker all over again. She had been his shadow for days on end after that, and he realized then that he had to teach her how to protect herself against someone bigger and stronger, and he had done just that. He also had never left her alone again, and it had been another reason why he had placed her in the abbey.

  Wintra shook her head. “I had locked that memory away, not wanting to remember it. But I instinctively remembered what you taught me and I did not hesitate to attack him. But then—” She shook her head again. “I wanted answers. I am so tired of not having answers. I yanked him by the hair and demanded to know who sent him and when he did not respond, I stomped repeatedly on his ankle. He fell over and I kicked him in the ribs and was about to do more. Then Torr was there and I almost punched him, though he was quick to stop me.” She shook her head again. “I do not know what happened to me.”

  “You are angry and rightfully so, and I am so proud to see what a strong and brave woman you have become,” Cree said.

  Her heart swelled with joy that her brother would speak with such pride of her, but then he had helped make her strong. And she was just beginning to realize that.

  “We need to talk with the man who attacked, Wintra,” Cree said to Torr.

  Torr pressed his finger to Wintra’s lips before she could open them. “This will not be pleasant to see. Rest assured, I will tell you everything upon my return. I am sure Dawn would not mind staying with you while you wait.” He turned pleading eyes on Dawn.

  Dawn nodded and smiled, agreeing.

  Torr leaned close to Wintra, pressing his cheek to hers and whispered, “You are not going to win this one, Princess. You are staying put. Besides, I have a promise to keep to you tonight.”

  Passion rushed in to nip at every bit of her flesh before settling in the most intimate places. She kissed his cheek and smiled sweetly. “Do not be long.”

  As soon as the door closed on Torr and Cree, Dawn begged Wintra to tell her about Cree and their life on the farm. Wintra, not having had anyone to relive memories with, was only too eager to oblige her.

  ~~~

  “His name is George and he is more than willing to talk,” Sloan said when Cree and Torr entered the shack that Wintra’s attacker had been taken to.

  Cree stepped forward and George, more skin and bones than muscle, cringed and shuffled back on his butt where he sat on the cold ground, wincing as he did.

  “I will tell you whatever you want to know,” George pleaded.

  “I have no doubt of that,” Cree said, towering over the frightened man. “Who sent you?”

  “Owen McBride of the clan McBride.”

  Cree didn’t have to ask another question. George kept right on talking.

  “He ordered me to get Wintra and bring her to him and to do whatever was necessary to see it done. I do not take to hurting women and had no intentions of hitting her. I never expected her to attack me the way she did. She was ruthless, but then she is your sister.”

  Cree scowled, though inwardly he swelled with pride that Wintra had become such a courageous woman.

  George apologized quickly. “I do not mean that in a bad way. I just mean that you are both skilled fighters. And from what I am hearing around camp from the warriors that have been here, is that you are more of a fair man than Owen would have us believe. I do not trust Owen McBride. He is a cruel man. It was a sad day when he married our chieftain’s daughter and even sadder day when she died, though talk was that he had her murdered, the poor soul. He treated her so badly, but there was nothing we could do to stop him. His small contingent of men was enough to keep everyone in line. He has brought nothing but grief and poverty to our clan.” George bowed his head. “I ask for mercy, my lord. I have a wife and daughter and another child on the way. They will starve, not that we aren’t already, but they will not last long if I do not return home to them. Besides, wives who no longer have husbands are used by Owen’s men, and I do not want that for my Patricia.”

  “You have no idea why Owen wants my sister?”

  “Everyone knows he wanted her for himself, and we thought it was over once it was learned that your sister was wed. But it is as if he hasn’t changed his plans. And then there is his connection to the Earl of Kellmara. For some reason the man seems to support Owen’s madness in acquiring your sister as his wife. Kellmara troops are expected any day now.” George shivered. “It is whispered that Kellmara is almost as powerful as the King.”

  “And I am more ruthless than both,” Cree said.

  George paled and his eyes turned wide.

  Cree turned to Sloan. “Take him to Elsa and have her see to his care and see that he stays there the night. Two guards at his door.”

  “I do not want to go back to Owen McBride. I will pledge my fealty to you and serve you well. I just want to return home and get my wife and daughter and bring them here. We both will serve you well. I am only a farmer, but I know the land and can make anything grow.”

  “We will see,” Cree said and turned walking out the door, Torr following.

  The two men went only a few steps when Cree stopped. “What do you think?” he said.

  “He speaks the truth,” Torr said and told him the same tale he had told Wintra.

  Cree scowled. “Why is it that I have not come across this man?”

  “He preys on the small, weak and isolated clans, so he will not be noticed.”

  “Then why would he go after Wintra?”

  “Perhaps he now has bigger aspirations.”

  “George is a farmer,” Cree said. “Why would Owen send a farmer instead of one of his warriors to abduct Wintra?”

  “Good question. Why would he?” Torr said.

  “And why does the Earl of Kellmara support this devil’s madness? And why does he send troops to help Owen?” Cree asked more to himself than Torr.

  Torr responded anyway. “I care not how strong Kellmara is. Wintra belongs to me and I am not giving her up. She is mine and will remain so forever.”

  “You love her that much?” Cree asked happy to hear it.

  “Even more than that.”

  “That is good to know,” Cree said as they continued walking. “Now options and plans must be discussed, though not tonight. Tomorrow is soon enough.”

  “What happened to Wintra that day on the farm when a man grabbed her?” Torr asked. He had thought about asking Wintra, but he did not want her to have to relive such a painful event in her life. However, he had to know.

  Cree detailed the whole incident and Torr was delighted to learn that Cree had done what he would have, snapped the man’s neck.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Wintra stood by the hearth, staring into the flames and heard the door latch shut. Cree and Dawn were gone. She and Torr were finally alone. While she had enjoyed talking with Dawn, she had not been able to keep thoughts of Torr and her naked in bed doing unimaginable, though acceptable, things out of her head. After all she and Torr were wed and their vows consummated. Why then did she feel her thoughts so sinful?

  Torr walked over to stand behind her, his arms going around her waist and easing her back against him. “As I promised, I will
tell you everything Cree and I learned from your attacker.”

  She shook her head. “I do not want to discuss that now.”

  He went to turn her around, but she stopped him with a firm hand to his arm that sat snug at her waist. She needed to speak with him of intimate things, and she did not know if she could face him directly while doing so. Even though they had made love, she still felt vulnerable and unknowledgeable when it came to intimacy.

  “What do you want to discuss?” he asked.

  She shut her eyes tight and plunged ahead. “Intimacy.” Her eyes shot open when he spun her around to face him.

  “You have not been shy to speak what is on your mind, another trait I favor in you. And I have told you time and again that you could speak to me about anything, so why does intimacy prove difficult for you to discuss with me?”

  “The nuns warned me against talking to my husband about the subject. They insisted it was his domain, and I was to do my duty without question or protest.”

  Torr could not help but smile. “That would be impossible for you to do. You are much too inquisitive, another part of your nature that I love.”

  She rested a gentle hand to his cheek. “I am lucky to have you as my husband, for there is surely not another man around who would be so tolerable of my persistent curiosity.”

  “I am glad that you finally realize my worth,” he said, his smile growing. “Now what questions fill your mind?”

  She slipped out of his arms and walked nearer to the curtain that separated the two rooms before turning back to face him, his heartening words having given her that last bit of courage she needed. “I thought to wait naked in our bed for you. Is that a proper thing for a wife to do?”

  Not only her words, but the image of what she suggested, and that she even thought of doing such a thing, turned him hard. He approached her slowly, though kept a small distance between them. “It is more than proper for a wife to show how much she desires her husband.”

  Words rushed from her mouth as if she could not stop them or as if she must say them before she lost the mettle to do so. “I desire you so very much that at times I feel as if I will go mad with the want of you.”

  Torr went to step forward, his hand reaching out for her.

  Wintra quickly stepped back, her hand held out to stop his approach. “Please. I have thought of this all night. And I would like to greet you naked in our bed before I lose the courage to do so.”

  Torr took a step back, more than willing to let her have her way. “Call to me when you are ready.”

  She nodded and disappeared behind the curtain. Her hands shook as she slipped out of her garments. From what the nuns had told her, she had not been looking forward to performing her wifely duties when she wed, but Torr had changed all that from the very first time he had touched her. And after last night, she knew that she had much to learn or perhaps unlearn as to what was proper and what was not. The only way for her to do that was to embrace her passion for her husband and not be afraid to talk with him about intimacy and learn all she could.

  She stood naked. All she had to do was get in bed and call out to him, but she hesitated. She stared at the bed. Could she do this?

  Her worries faded and she smiled, for she realized what was most important—Torr loved her and she loved him. She climbed into bed and was about to slip her legs beneath the blanket and pull it up to her waist, but stopped. She wanted nothing separating them this night. Tonight she wanted anything that stood between them stripped away.

  Wintra sat with her legs to the side and slightly bent. Her one hand rested on the bed while the other lay against her flat stomach. Her shoulders were drawn back, her chin raised just a notch, and her green eyes bright with anticipation and desire.

  “Torr,” she called out.

  Torr shut his eyes briefly, hearing husky passion in her voice and his groin tightened, not just with need, but with hunger to make love to his wife. He stepped into the other room and his breath caught in his throat.

  Wintra was a beautiful woman, but seeing her completely naked in their bed, waiting for him, wanting him, made him see her true beauty and it was not on her face, but in her heart..

  He shed his garments as he approached her, wanting nothing to stand between them this night or any nights to come.

  Wintra drank in his handsome features from the top of his head to his toes. His body was all hard muscle and form, and she could not stop her eyes from drifting again and again to the spot that proved just how much he desired her. She tingled and quivered at the thought.

  He placed one knee on the bed and reached out to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand.

  “Your beauty goes far deeper than anyone can see,” he said and cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips to meet hers.

  Wintra closed her eyes amazed at how gently he kissed her, as if he paid reverence to her. God, but she loved this man.

  Torr felt a bolt of passion shoot through him when she placed her hand on his arm. It was such a simple touch and yet it made him feel as if she claimed him. That he belonged to her and no one else.

  He ran his lips over hers and whispered, “I do love you, Princess.”

  Wintra felt tears choke her and though they were happy tears now was not the time for her to cry, so she fought them back and smiled. “Not as much as I love you.”

  “I don’t think so, and I will prove it,” he said teasingly, and then he kissed her with the passion he had held in check.

  They slipped down along the bed together and while he continued kissing her senseless, his hands roamed along her body, reveling in the feel of her soft skin and gentle curves.

  Eager to taste more of her, he moved to her one breast and, after raining kisses over it, took her nipple in his mouth, rolling his tongue across it.

  Wintra moaned with pleasure. She had never thought making love would be so wonderful, or that it got better each time. Another quiver ran through her when Torr moved to her other breast, and she eagerly ran her hands over his back, indulging in the strength that rippled through his taut muscles.

  She sighed with frustration when his mouth left her breast, though when he kissed down along her stomach and moved even lower, she thought she would die from the pleasure that shot threw her. The thought struck her then and she knew she had to do it. It would help erase a bad memory and besides, she truly wanted to taste him and see for herself how it felt.

  She tugged on him and when he looked up, she said, “I wish to taste you this time.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked never having expected to hear that from her.

  She nodded and eagerly pushed him back on the bed.

  He watched as she took him, without hesitation, into her mouth and dropped his head back when after a few moments her sweet, innocent licks turned hungry. As much as he would have loved her to go on and on, he knew he would never last and he wanted to be inside her when he came.

  He quickly reached down, grabbed her and turned her flat on her back, and then he moved over her, spreading her legs with his knee and bracing his hands on either side of her head.

  She grabbed hold of his arms, the muscles tense, and she whispered, “I need you so badly.”

  That was all Torr needed to hear, he entered her fast and hard, and he didn’t hold back.

  She cried out in sheer pleasure and matched his thrusts. They were soon lost in the passion that consumed their souls.

  “Torr,” she said on a long sigh.

  “Surrender to me,” he urged.

  And she did, crying out his name the intense sensation penetrated and consumed every inch of her. After the initial burst, the sensation rippled through her, fading as it went, and she squeezed every part of her body trying to hold on the very last vestige of it.

  Torr’s climax hit new heights when he felt Wintra squeeze him tight. It was almost as if she had locked him inside her, and damn if it didn’t feel great.

  Wintra felt a sense of loss when he slipped o
ut of her, though she was grateful that as he rolled off her, he hooked his hand on her shoulder and took her with him to rest against his side.

  “I do not like being apart from you,” he said, his breath still a bit labored. “I like you close—very close.” He hugged her tighter against his side as if proving he could not get her close enough.

  “I like the feel of you inside me,” she said.

  He grinned. “Then I will be inside you often.”

  The flames in the hearth crackled and flickered high for a moment highlighting Torr’s scar making it appear so much worse than it actually was. Wintra could not help but wonder how he had gotten it. He must have suffered terrible pain and her heart ached for what he must have gone through. Without thinking, she raised her hand to gently run her finger along the scar he would carry for the remainder of his days.

  He stiffened, but it did not stop her. She wanted him to know that it did not bother her and never would, though she was curious as to how he got it, and of course the question fell from her lips as soon as she thought of it. “How did this happen?”

  Torr hesitated. Many were curious about the scar, but few dared to ask. It was as if the offending mark warned of his status as a fierce fighter. If he could survive such an ordeal, then he was a man to avoid. Dawn, though, had been different. She hadn’t avoided him and she had suggested that he speak with Elsa the healer that perhaps she could help him. He had done that already, at Dawn’s request, and Elsa had given him a salve to apply to the scar, not that it would erase the scar, but it would ease the appearance over time.

  “Your scar does not offend me. It is part of who you are,” she said when he did not answer. “Please tell me, I want to know.”

  “We have just made love. Now is not the time to discuss such a matter.”

  “You told me that there isn’t anything I cannot discuss with you,” she said and waited, hoping he would tell her.