To Love A Highlander (Highland Warriors Book 1)

by Donna Fletcher

  He caught Espy unaware as he lunged toward Adara, his dagger drawn, and instinct had her jumping in front of the young woman.

  The pain struck her fast, her eyes turning wide as she realized the dagger had pierced her side. She rushed her hand there and her warm blood spilled through her fingers. She tried to stay on her feet, but her strength was fading. She crumpled to the ground, feeling Adara, trying to ease her fall. She tried to speak, warn her to run when a tremendous roar ripped through the air.

  Only a beast could make such a terrifying sound and as she collapsed to the ground and descended into darkness, her husband’s name spilled in a whisper from her lips, “Craven.”

  Craven and Roark’s warriors were on Penley’s men before they could move and with power born of fury Craven unleashed the beast, flew off his horse, and descended on Penley.

  Shock froze Penley and too late he raised his arm to ward off Craven.

  Craven grabbed it and gave it a quick twist, the bone snapping for all to hear as Penley let out a horrific cry of pain.

  “I am going to tear you apart limb from limb,” Craven threatened.

  Penley was fighting the pain as he cried out, “Aye, tear me apart like the beast you are as your wife lays dying.”

  Craven looked to where Espy lay lifeless. A petite woman knelt beside her, her small hand covered in blood where it lay pressed against Espy’s wound. He let out another roar that rumbled like thunder across the land, then with vicious ease, broke nearly every one of Penley’s limbs, leaving the man useless to defend himself. Craven extended no mercy when Penley begged for it as he lie at Craven’s feet a broken mess. Without a word, Craven viciously snapped Penley’s neck and let his body fall in a heap to the ground, stepping over it as he ran to his wife.

  He yelled for someone to get Cyra, fear gripping him as he looked at Adara’s hand covered in blood as she tried to stop Espy’s blood from flowing out of her.

  Craven refused to wait, refused to let death win. He would fight it as Espy did, fight for her. He lifted her in his arms and rushed through the woods to the MacVarish keep and up the stairs to a bedchamber. He laid her on the bed and hunched down beside it, taking hold of her hand that was covered with blood. More blood spilled out of her side and all he could think about was the day Aubrey had died and the blood that surrounded her.

  “Do not leave me, Espy. I love you. I cannot lose you. Please fight to live, Cyra is coming. She will help you.”

  “No time. Adara will help.”

  He almost did not hear her and he was elated when her eyes drifted open, though she was pale, much too pale.

  “No time,” she struggled to say. “Stop the bleeding now.” She groaned. “Sear the wound.” She groaned again. “Now… or I will die.”

  Adara, had followed behind Craven and heard Espy’s plea. “Hurry,” she urged Craven and began tearing Espy’s blouse away from the wound.

  Craven was quick to hand her his dagger so that she could cut the blouse away, then he took his sword and stuck it into the flames in the fireplace and left it there to return and help Adara.

  “Now, Craven, now,” Espy said her breathing so shallow she could barely be heard.

  Craven grabbed his sword, the blade burning hot and he did not hesitate, he laid it upon the wound and Espy screamed out and descended into darkness once more.

  Espy fought to open her eyes, to escape the heavy fog that seemed to have hold of her. There then was the pain, the endless pain, though it had eased some of late. She finally managed to get one eye opened and when she saw her husband slumped, asleep in a chair beside her bed, her other eye popped open. Everything came rushing back to her.

  “Craven,” she said her hoarse voice barely getting his name out, though it was enough to wake him. The shock on his face brought a smile to hers and with effort she reached her hand out to him.

  Craven took hold of her hand that she struggled to offer him and leaned down and kissed it. “I was so frightened I would lose you.”

  She went to speak and coughed, then groaned from the pain in her side.

  Craven immediately grabbed a tankard from the bedside table and gently lifted her head to bring the tankard to her lips.

  Espy drank gratefully from it.

  “It is a brew your grandmother has been giving you.” He was pleased to see her smile again after she finished drinking.

  “You seared the wound,” Espy managed to say, recalling the last memory she had before darkness claimed her.

  Craven took her hand again in both of his. “I have done many difficult things in my life, but they were nothing compared to placing my scorching blade to your flesh.”

  “You saved my life.”

  “So Cyra and Innis both told me.”

  “Adara, Penley—”

  “Do not worry, Adara is safe and Penley is where he deserves to be… dead.”

  “Has Adara told you all of it?” Espy asked, her eyes growing heavy and fighting to keep them open.

  “We can talk of all that another time. You need to rest, sleep, and heal,” he said, seeing her fight to remain awake. He leaned over and kissed her brow. “I will be here when you wake.”

  His words soothed her as did his tender kiss and she surrendered to sleep, knowing it was best for her.

  Espy woke again to find her husband right where he had said he would be and Cyra sat beside him in another chair.

  Craven’s hand immediately took hold of hers.

  “You do much better, Espy,” her grandmother assured her. “I am proud of you. As soon as I learned that you told Craven to sear the wound, I knew what had happened. You felt the blade slip through you smoothly and realized it had not hit anything vital, so you wisely told your husband to sear the wound closed so you would not bleed to death, the wise healer that you are.”

  Craven cringed at the thought of the blade slipping through her flesh and he wanted to kill Penley all over again.

  Espy nodded, smiled, and squeezed her husband’s hand. “It was the only way, and I knew you would see to tending me after that.”

  “Innis, Tula, and Adara has helped as well,” Cyra said. “All are concerned about you and those at the MacCara keep cannot wait for you to return home.”

  “How long have I been here at the MacVarish keep?”

  “Three days,” Craven said, “and you will be staying here until your grandmother says it is all right for you to return home.”

  “As long as you are with me, husband, it does not matter where I am,” Espy said.

  “I am not going anywhere. You will get sick of me soon enough.”

  “Never,” she said and her stomach gurgled.

  “You are hungry,” Cyra said, a grin spreading across her face. “That is good news.”

  “It is?” Craven asked anxiously.

  Cyra nodded. “Very good news. It means the wound is healing well. I will go get some food for you, Granddaughter.” She stood and leaned over Espy to kiss her brow. “You put a fear in me, but you will do well now.”

  “Aye, I will, Seanmhair,” Espy said, just the touch of her grandmother’s loving hands was all the healing she needed.

  “I believe the woman would have given her life for you if she could have,” Craven said with admiration for Cyra. “I am relieved that she will be here to tend you when you give birth to our many bairns.”

  “Many?” she asked with a soft smile.

  “Aye, many, for I will not be able to keep my hands off you.” He kissed her hand he held. “It is an incentive for you to get well.”

  “I will have a speedy recovery knowing that,” she said with a laugh then winced.

  “I have caused you pain,” he said, guilt stabbing at him.

  “A pleasant pain, and one fair less painful than before,” she assured him.

  Seeing how alert she was, fatigue not haunting her, he asked, “Tell me about Penley. Adara could only say so much. I think she fears me.”

  “She does not trust easily, especially
men and from what Penley told us, no one wanted her after her mum died and she was passed on to whoever would take her.” She squeezed her husband’s hand. “She is part of our family now.”

  “That she is,” Craven confirmed.

  Espy shared with her husband all that Penley had told her.

  “I am sorry that Aubrey did not confide this to me,” Craven said upon, hearing it.

  “I believe she was too frightened at first and then—”

  “Aubrey believed I could keep her safe.”

  “You would have if she had told you about Penley, but fear often causes us to do foolish things. Or perhaps Aubrey felt as if she were protecting you, keeping you safe from her deranged cousin. We will never know, and I believe Aubrey would be pleased that Adara finally found her way home.”

  Craven nodded. “Owen wants me to oversee his clan and land, and turn it all over to Adara when she finds a husband of her choosing.”

  “That will be a long time coming. Adara trusts no man.”

  “Hopefully, time will heal her wounds and until then I will make sure she is kept safe,” Craven said.

  “I told her you would do just that,” Espy said with pride in a man that was no beast but a loving soul.

  “Did Penley say anything about the true physician, Edward MacPeters?” Craven asked.

  “No, but I would assume that Penley hired a few men to attack MacPeters group, kill him and all those with him so no witness was left and instill his cousin in MacPeters place. He had said his cousin fancied himself a physician and with him having mentioned Samuel MacBarnes, I would think that he had had some dealings with physicians. Though, I suspect it was Penley who had given him the pouch with the deadly mix to give to Aubrey. He had mentioned that his plan had changed once she wed you and for the better for him, he had claimed.”

  “I am glad I got to kill him, got to avenge Aubrey’s death, take revenge what he had done to Adara, and what he did to you. I only wish I could have made him suffer more.”

  Espy slipped her hand out of his and rested it against his cheek. “It is done and over with. You know the truth and now Aubrey—”

  Craven kissed the palm of her hand. “Can rest in peace because I can finally let her go.”

  Chapter 33

  Thunder and lightning played in the sky like two irate bairns. Rain would fall soon and soak the land, turning it a deeper green and flowers were already sprinkling it with their vibrant colors. Espy took cautious steps to the keep. It had been several weeks since Penley had run his dagger through her and while she was feeling much better and her wound had healed nicely, she knew it would be wise to be cautious, especially since she realized… she smiled and hugged herself as she walked.

  She was with child and could not be happier, and she was eager to share the thrilling news with Craven.

  All had been quiet since the mystery of Aubrey’s death had finally been laid to rest. Adara was doing well, visiting with Owen and getting to know him. He wanted her to live there with him, at her home, but she was not comfortable with that yet. Craven had settled her in a small cottage near the healing cottage. It was tucked away from the others and she found it quite to her liking. She would help at the healing cottage every now and then, but mostly she kept to herself.

  Craven had also spoken to Roark about Adara and asked to settle any debt she owed so that she would be free of worry from Warrick. Roark had left with his men, Warrick having summoned him home and he had given his word to Craven that he would discuss the matter with Warrick.

  Her smile grew as she thought about her grandmother and Innis. She was thrilled that her grandmother had found love after all these years alone. Cyra laughed at herself, telling Espy that she was like a young besotted woman in love and it was a glorious feeling. Innis treated her wonderfully and the two could not be happier.

  “That is a beautiful smile, wife. What makes you so happy?” Craven asked as he approached her, spreading his arms wide.

  “You,” she said and hurried into his welcoming arms.

  “I am glad to hear that or I would have been jealous elsewise.” He kissed her gently. “I came to fetch you before the storm strikes.” He glanced up at the angry sky as lightning flashed. “Come, we need to get inside.” The first splatter of rain hit Espy’s cheek and Craven scooped her up and hurried to the keep.

  Once inside, Espy whispered, “I think I need a nap… will you join me?”

  Craven’s response was to rush up the stairs and to their bedchamber.

  They made love slow and lazy as the thunderstorm pounded outside and when they rested in each other’s arms, Espy took her husband’s hand and laid it on her stomach.

  “He will be big and strong like his da.” She was surprised when she got silence from him, then suddenly he sat up, scooped her up in his arms, and placed her on his lap.

  “You carry our bairn?” he asked as if he could not quite believe it.

  “Aye, I do,” she said with a smile.

  His hand went to rest on her scar the searing had left. “He was not hurt?”

  Espy shook her head. “No, the injury was nowhere near where he is tucked safely away.” She kissed his lips gently. “The beast battled death for me and our bairn and won. I love you more than words can say. My heart is yours and always will be.”

  A low growl rumbled in Craven’s chest as he whispered, “Aye, your heart is mine, you are mine, and I will love you even when there is no breath left in me and far beyond that. You are my life, Espy. We will share laughter, tears, love, and sorrow together… always together.”

  As he pressed his lips to hers, Espy heard her grandmother’s words whisper in her head.

  Go home to where your heart is.

  She was home… she was finally home.

  Coming Soon

  Embraced by a Highlander (Slain’s story)

  Book 2 Highland Warriors Trilogy

  &

  Highlander The Demon Lord (Warrick’s story)

  Book 3 Highland Warriors Trilogy

  Coming in 2018

  Subscribe to Donna’s Book Alerts so you never miss a new book release! You’ll also get to read excerpts of future books and take a chance on special giveaways.

  Also by Donna Fletcher

  The Pict King Series

  The King’s Executioner

  The King’s Warrior

  The King and His Queen

  Machines Sisters Trilogy

  Highlander’s Stolen Heart

  Highlander’s Rebellious Love

  Highlander: The Dark Dragon

  Cree & Dawn Series

  Highlander Unchained/Forbidden Highlander

  Highlander’s Captive

  Cree & Dawn Short Stories

  Highlander’s True Love

  Highlander’s Promise

  Highlander’s Winter Tale/Highlander’s Rescue

  For a complete list of Donna’s titles, visit her website.

  About the Author

  It was her love of reading and daydreaming that started USA Today bestselling author Donna Fletcher’s writing career. Besides gobbling up books, her mom generously bought for her, she spent a good portion of her time lost in daydreams that took her on grand adventures. She met heroes, villains, and heroines that, while usually in danger, always found the strength and courage to prevail. She traveled all over the world and through time in her dreams. Some places and times fascinated her more than others and she would rush to the library (no Internet at that time) and read all she could about that particular period and place. After a while, she simply could not ignore all the adventures swirling around in her head. She had no choice but to bring them more vividly to life, and so she started writing.

  Donna enjoys living on the beautiful Jersey Shore surrounded by family and friends and a cat who thinks she’s a princess, but what cat doesn’t, and a dog who bows to the princess’s demands.

  For More Information:

  @dfletcherauthor

  donna.fletcher.a
uthor

  www.donnafletcher.com