Highlander Unmasked

by Monica McCarty

  His question seemed to snap her back to the present. Her face lit with joy. She lifted her hand to cradle one side of his face, rubbing her palm across his stubbled jaw. “Alex, you’re alive…I was so scared.”

  He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose and smiled, his eyes growing suspiciously damp. Emotion locked in his throat. Everything was going to be all right. “Aye, lass, I was scared, too.” More scared than I’ve ever been in my life.

  Her adorable little nose wrinkled. “All I remember is running and the dirk…” She looked down at her side and blanched. “Oh.”

  “Why did you do it, love? God, Meg, you could have been killed.” The full force of what might have happened hit him hard again.

  “I didn’t stop to think, I just reacted.” She gave him an adorable little shy smile. “I love you, Alex. I couldn’t let him kill you because of me.” The smile broadened as she remembered something else. “And you love me.”

  “Aye, you heard that, did you?”

  She nodded.

  “More than my life.”

  She squeezed his hand, tears glistening in her eyes. “Say it. Please.”

  Alex looked deep into her eyes. “I love you, Margaret Mackinnon. With all my heart.”

  He pressed his mouth gently against hers, needing to taste her, even if briefly. He felt her immediate response as she opened her mouth for him, melting against him in sweet surrender.

  Hearing Ruaidri approach with Robbie, Alex broke the kiss. How the lad had managed to find him so fast, Alex didn’t know, but he was grateful. He moved aside to allow the older man to examine Meg, though he held her hand the entire time. Needing the connection. He couldn’t stop touching her, assuring himself that she was going to be all right. That she wasn’t going to die.

  After a few minutes, Ruaidri stood up. “It will need to be stitched, and I suspect she’ll be weak for a few days, but with a proper poultice the lass will be fine.”

  Alex sighed with relief. It was the first relaxed breath he’d taken since Dougal had appeared with Meg.

  When he thought of what she’d done, risking her life for his, he was moved beyond words. Humbled, awed, and now that he knew she would be all right, not a little bit angered. But that discussion, he would save for later. Now, he just wanted to carry her away from here.

  Meg was floating on a wave of pure euphoria, feeling nothing but the strength of Alex’s love. The searing pain in her side seemed strangely detached, almost not her own. Everything was going to be all right. Alex was safe. Dougal was dead, and she…well, she had everything she ever wanted. The perfect man for her and her clan.

  Alex slid his arm under her back and started to lift her. She winced at the sharp reminder of her injury.

  “I’m sorry, love. This might hurt, but I need to lift you up to get you on my horse, all right?” When she nodded, he added, “Put pressure on it like this.” He moved her hand over the pad he’d fashioned as a bandage. “It has stopped bleeding for now, but tell me immediately if it starts bleeding again.”

  “I think I can stand,” she offered.

  “No.”

  He looked so charmingly worried, she decided not to argue. It was too wonderful being cared for so lovingly. Gently, Alex lifted her and bundled her in his arms. She pressed her cheek against his thick quilted cotun, the tiny plates of metal cool against her cheek. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. And she could when…

  All of a sudden it hit her.

  “Alex! The battle. Is it over?”

  He shook his head. “’Tis just begun, love.”

  Her stomach lurched. Her own need to have him near her, holding her, warred with the knowledge of what she had to do. She knew how important this was to him. Knew precisely what was at stake. Knew the men who were relying on him. It wasn’t over. No matter how tight she wanted to hold on to him, no matter how much she needed him, he wasn’t hers—yet. Her chest squeezed as she forced the words from her mouth, releasing him. “You must go to them. Your men need you. Jamie can take me to the village.”

  “My men are well trained. I’ll not leave you. Not until I see you to safety.”

  “But it might be too late—”

  His expression turned obstinate and forbidding. “Don’t argue with me, Meg. Not about this. You could have died.”

  Something in his eyes stopped her. The raw emotion. The hint of lingering fear.

  “But I didn’t,” she said softly. “Promise me you’ll go—”

  “I will. As soon as I am assured of your safety.” They’d reached the area where his horse was tethered. Meg listened proudly as Alex gave orders to his men. His quick decisiveness and utter command never ceased to impress her. Most of the men he sent to help those battling the castle guards. A few of her father’s men who’d accompanied her on the birlinn were to keep watch over the MacDonalds, and Robbie would ride to Neil and explain what had happened.

  “Is there anything I can do?” Jamie asked.

  Alex nodded. “Ride ahead. Find a healer and have her come at once to the inn.”

  Carefully, he handed her to Robbie while he mounted his horse. She felt a fresh stab of pain at her side but smothered her cry, not wanting to alarm Alex. Soon, she was settled before him, happily ensconced against the protective wall of his chest.

  The ride to the village did not take long, but Meg wasn’t feeling so well. She felt queasy and unbearably weak. But she forced herself to be strong and fought the nausea rising in her throat. She realized that her wound had opened and blood was seeping from her side, thankfully well hidden under her arisaidh.

  It was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open. She was so tired, so horribly tired. Her eyelids felt so heavy. Her dreams beckoned, tempted. No, there was something she had to do. One more thing before she slept.

  She felt a prickle of alarm, knowing she was losing too much blood. But she dared not say anything to Alex. If she did, he would never leave her. And he needed to do this. Needed to help his kin, or the past would always haunt him.

  “How are you feeling, my love?”

  Awful. “Fine. I’m sure it looks worse than it is,” she said, nearly exhausting what little strength she had left to make her voice sound normal.

  “We’re almost there.”

  A few minutes later, they found the inn and an available room. Alex had just finished laying her down on the bed when Jamie followed with the healer, a short, roundish woman of indiscriminate age with graying hair and a pleasant face. Meg relaxed immediately. The woman gave off an indisputable air of capability.

  Alex relayed what had happened, and the woman, Mairi, bent over Meg to begin her examination. Meg was starting to panic, which the woman obviously mistook for embarrassment, and she quickly shooed the men out of the room.

  Meg flinched as she started to peel back the sticky layers of clothing, using a knife where necessary to cut the seams.

  Mairi gave her a hard look. “Why did you say nothing? You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

  “Please,” Meg begged. “You must do something for me.” She knew she sounded desperate, bordering on hysterical. “You must tell him that everything looks fine. He’ll never leave…please.”

  The woman frowned disapprovingly and shook her head. “If you are sure that is what you want?”

  Meg nodded furiously. “Yes. Please. It is very important.”

  “Very well.” The healer opened the door, and Alex immediately entered the room.

  “I will stitch the wound to stop the bleeding. All she needs is rest,” Mairi assured him.

  “See?” Meg said brightly. The relief in his eyes gave her a burst of strength, and she managed a smile. “I’ll be fine. Go now.”

  He bent over her and kissed her hard. Meg drank in the taste of him, wanting to grab on to him and never let him go. Did he sense her desperation in the fervor of her response?

  “You’re sure?” he asked, looking uncertain.

  “Of course I’m sure. I’ll be here when you retu
rn.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He looked to Jamie. “Send for me if anything changes.”

  His lips pressed against her forehead, his arms squeezed her tight, she heard him whisper something, and then he was gone.

  Through sheer force of will, Meg refused to give in to the dizziness and the weight that hovered over her. Not yet…the door slammed. A horse galloped away. A few more minutes…

  Only then, when she was assured that he was truly gone, did the blackness envelop her.

  Chapter 26

  Stornoway Castle fell, but not without a struggle. It was two days before Alex walked through the castle gates with Neil and savored the victory that had taken two long days of constant fighting, and four years of preparation, to achieve.

  He was filthy, sore, and exhausted, with a dozen new cuts and bruises peppered across his scar-ridden body, but he was happier than he’d felt in years. To Alex, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off him.

  It was done.

  The Fife Adventurers had been sent scurrying back to Edinburgh. His kin once again held Lewis, and justice had prevailed. At last the ghosts had quieted. The deaths of his cousins had been avenged.

  He couldn’t wait to get back to Meg. To the woman he loved. And to his future. There would be problems—not least his precarious position with the king—but he was confident they would find a solution. Together.

  The smell of blood permeated the morning air, drawing his attention back to the present. He gazed around the courtyard, at the slew of bodies littering the dirt, and shook his head with disgust at the prodigious waste of life.

  After leaving Meg at the inn, Alex had arrived just in time to help his men defeat the last of the castle guards.

  Using the defeated guardsmen’s boats, he and his men had joined Patrick in the battle at sea. Unable to land, and under constant attack, the ship had retreated, leaving the castle severely underdefended. Despite their assured defeat, those who remained in the castle had refused to surrender, necessitating the further loss of life.

  He had just set about seeing to the removal of bodies when a rider stormed into the courtyard under the portcullis. Alex’s mood changed in an instant when he recognized the man. It was the messenger from the village who’d brought news of Meg from Jamie. And he was obviously in a hurry.

  “For you, my laird,” the man said, handing Alex a missive.

  Alex scanned the letter, and his stomach crashed to his feet. No.

  Meg begged me not to write you, but I’ve waited as long as I dare. Come quick. Fever has set in. I fear…do not delay.

  J.

  Neil must have read something in his expression. “What’s the matter?”

  Alex had already started to run for his horse. “I have to go.”

  Meg woke with a strange heaviness crushing her skull. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again. Bright sunlight filtered through a small window, flooding the room with light and splitting her head in two. Wincing against the offending sun, she made a sound of pain.

  Her hand was immediately enfolded in a strong grasp, and she felt the warm, calming presence of someone at her side. The same strong presence she’d felt in her dreams. The same strong presence that had called her back while she floated on the calming sea.

  “Thank God you’re awake.”

  Alex, she realized. Why did his voice sound so strange? Raw, almost desperate. She frowned. What was he doing here? He’d promised to go to Neil. Jamie had sworn not to send for him.

  More cautiously this time, she opened her eyes. It wasn’t a dream. He was there, at her side, so golden, so radiantly handsome that it was almost difficult to look at him. She blinked and looked again. Actually, he looked as though he’d gone through hell and back. His eyes were bloodshot, he looked exhausted beyond measure, and his face was strained and bruised with barely healed cuts—

  Her eyes snapped open.

  “Oh God, Alex, you’re hurt!” she exclaimed. She tried to sit up, only to slump back down on the bed when her head exploded in pain. She fought the swift kick of nausea.

  “Shhh,” he said gently, pressing a damp cloth on her forehead. “I’m fine. A few cuts and bruises, nothing more. Don’t try to sit up.”

  “But why are you here? Why aren’t you with your men? What’s happened?”

  He smoothed her hair over the top of her head and rubbed tiny circles at her temples, immediately soothing the pressure in her head.

  “It’s all over.”

  “What!” She shot up, only to crumple back onto her pillow again. Perhaps he was right. Lying down seemed a good idea. “But when? How?”

  “Stornoway Castle is ours. The battle went much as planned. Without reinforcements, the castle fell within two days.”

  She scanned his face, taking in every inch of him, noticing every cut on his beloved face. Aside from needing sleep and a shave, he looked well enough. “And you are not hurt? Truly?”

  “Barely a scratch,” he assured her, stroking her cheek with the back of his finger.

  Meg sank back into the pillow, relaxed. “I’m so proud of you. I know how much this means to you.”

  “Aye, but it’s nothing compared to what you mean to me.”

  Meg tried to smile, but a sudden burst of pain caused her to grimace. “I’m sorry, I seem to have a horrible headache.”

  He pressed a soft, soothing kiss on her temple. “I’m not surprised. You’ve been ill.” His voice dropped. “Very ill.”

  “I don’t feel ill. Except for the headache.” She wrinkled her nose. “And perhaps a little hungry.”

  “The fever only broke last night. You’ve been unconscious for four days.”

  “Four days!” That took her aback; she must have been worse than she realized. She glanced over at the plaid strewn across the bench before the fire. And this was obviously where he’d spent every minute of those four days. No wonder he looked so tired.

  He bowed his head on her hand. “Oh God, Meg. I didn’t think…” He lifted his head and looked at her fiercely. “I thought I was going to lose you. Twice.” There was an undertone in his voice that hinted at something far more serious that she’d realized. “Don’t you ever do that to me again. You should have told me you were bleeding. How could you not let them send for me?” His voice thickened. “I was so damn scared. You’d lost so much blood, and when the wound festered you didn’t have the strength to fight the fever.”

  Seeing how distraught he was, Meg felt a strong pang of guilt for what she’d put him through. She’d known she was ill, but not deathly so. His hair had slid forward across his eyes, shielding his gaze from her view. She reached out and tucked it behind his ear. The look in his eyes humbled her. Never would she doubt this man’s love for her. She fit her hand around the curve of his whiskered jaw. “I’m sorry. But I knew you would not leave otherwise—”

  “Damn right I would not have left,” he said gruffly. “Don’t you understand what you mean to me? You are everything. Never doubt that. My place is with you, only you.”

  The emotion in his voice tugged at her heart. She understood exactly what he meant, because she felt the same. Contrite, she slid her arms around the back of his neck. “And you are everything to me.”

  He sank into her, his mouth covering hers with a groan. He kissed her with such hunger that she soon forgot all about the pain in her head. Her body softened, warming under his solid masculine strength. She opened her mouth and his tongue found hers, deepening the kiss. She felt the force of his fear for her in the raw desperation of his kiss. A kiss she returned with all the emotion she’d been holding inside while he battled for his clan. She grabbed his shoulders. He was so strong and hard, and she loved him desperately. The power of their passion swept over her, sending a shudder of desire rippling through her.

  He tore away with a curse. “God, I want you.”

  She gave him a suggestive look, sliding her hand slowly down the taut bands of his stomach.

 
He clasped her wrist before she could circle him in her hand. “Not now, you jade. You need to get back your strength. There will be plenty of time for that.”

  She smiled. “How much time?”

  He took her face in his hand, rubbing his thumb over her chin. The look in his eyes made her heart catch. “Forever,” he promised huskily.

  She was so deliriously happy, it almost didn’t seem real. “’Tis really over? The Fife Adventurers are gone?”

  “Aye, it will be some time before the king dares try that again.”

  Meg sighed. “But he will try again.”

  Alex nodded. “It seems inevitable. He’ll not give up on the promise of riches to be found in the Isles.” Alex, too, it seemed, had recognized that change was coming. But she knew that he would never stand by and allow injustice. Alex was a Highlander, a warrior. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. He was the perfect man to help lead her clan into the future. Her brother’s position would be safe.

  She frowned, realizing not everything was behind them. “But what will happen now? The king will be furious with you.” Panic bubbled in her chest as the reality of the situation intruded. “You’ll be imprisoned.” The words wouldn’t come to her mouth. “Or worse.”

  “Nothing is going to happen,” he said soothingly, stroking her hair. His mouth curved into a wry grin. “I suppose we have Jamie to thank for that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Through Jamie, Argyll and my brother have brokered an alliance. Argyll has agreed to intervene with the king. It seems I am to be forgiven. I’m a free man.”

  She couldn’t help it. She popped up and threw her arms around him again, burying her face in the warmth of his neck and hair. Her heart swelled, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s really over.”

  He laughed, a low sound that warmed her to her bones. “Aye, love, it’s really over. There is only the future to look forward to.”

  Meg felt as if the last vestiges of the past had dissipated from her consciousness. They were free. “Our future,” she said. “Together.”