“Blast, where did she go?” he muttered, slamming the door closed and continuing up the passageway.
Letting out her breath, Katie ventured out from her hiding place and peeped out the door. Draco no longer prowled the lower halls. She could hear his footfalls in the distance. Was this Rannoch’s doing? She had little doubt.
The time was ripe to see her captive. If Rannoch had Draco following her, she must see Ian now. Slipping into the hallway, she retrieved her torch and made her way towards the dungeon.
Ian had eaten the dried meat and bread she left him and the water was gone. His stomach rumbled and his mouth grew dry. How long had he been in this wretched cell? The lantern flickered out long ago and Katie took the torch with her when she left him. No window lit the space. He had no idea of time, only blackness interrupted by the nimble sounds of rats getting closer. His captor should have come to feed him by now. What he hungered for most was her presence. For years many a lass had tried to catch his eye. Save for considering the possibility of a life with Skye MacLean, none of them enchanted him the way Katie Blackburn did. This wisp of a woman who used deceit to trap him and chain him took hold of his imagination in a way no other had before.
Ian heard a noise in one of the hallways. A light in the distance came closer until her shining face appeared through the barred door to his cell. He rose to greet her. She dressed in white linen, a simple shift that enhanced her striking coloring. It made her look pure as fresh-fallen snow. “I brought you some food and water,” she said.
“I thank you for your kindness,” he rasped. His hoarse voice rattled her composure.
Her hand shook as she placed the key in the lock and threw open the door. “I am sorry it took me so long.” Going to the table, she set down her lantern, water bucket, and the sack she carried. “I have some candles for your lantern as well.” She put a fresh candle in his lantern and lit it. Filling a cup, she came over beside him and handed it to him.
Ian downed the liquid and walked over to the table to get more. Katie stepped back allowing him to pass. He sat on one of the stools at the table. She watched him with those sea-green eyes. Again, he drank, but took it in measured sips until the cup was empty. “Thank you, Katie.” This time his voice sounded normal.
She came closer and began taking food out of the sack. Katie prepared a trencher with roast pork, cabbage, fresh bread, a selection of cheeses, and cooked apples. She set it in front of Ian.
“You serve me a feast, Milady.”
“Aye, Milord. I told you before I meant no harm.”
He rattled his chains at her. “No harm?”
Ignoring the remark, Katie continued. “There is a skin of wine for later. I added some smoked meat and another loaf of bread as well.” Smiling, she dragged the other stool from the table and pulled it just out of reach of his chains. Katie sat and watched him eat. “I see I should have come sooner,” she commented. “You eat like a starving man.”
“I have been here for some time. I appreciate the light. Down here I have no sense of night or day.”
“’Tis evening of the second day of your imprisonment,” she stated. “I suppose it has been a full day since you last ate. I’m sorry. ‘Tis not my intent to hurt you in any way…. I… I had things to attend to that kept me from bringing food earlier. If I am delayed again in my visit, you have more candles for the lantern.”
Ian finished eating and leaned back against the stone wall. He studied her in the flickering light. She was young, but old enough. God, how he knew that. Her features were fine and her skin creamy white. Red-gold hair cascaded to her waist. Her eyes grew stormy when he baited her the day before. Every mood change reflected in their color. He could tell how he affected her by their hue. Katie Blackburn captured him with a grip stronger than his chains.
At the inn, he watched her eyes glaze in desire with each stroke of his hand. Deep inside she wanted to join with him. She had never been touched that way by another. He needed to have her willing beneath him, to be the only man she knew in this way. This became his punishment for every maid whose heart he had broken. He had a mad attraction for the woman who held him prisoner in this dank and dirty cell.
“How did you ken I would be at the inn?” he asked.
“My father received an invitation to Laird Jared’s gathering. We thought you might attend.” She shrugged. “The Stagg Inn is the only place with amenities along the trail. I took a chance you would stop there on your return trip.”
“I stayed there on the way as well.”
“Less people looking for you on the return trip,” she said.
“Your father didna attend.”
“His choice.”
“I am surprised you bring me food yourself.” Her eyes flickered briefly at his remark. He continued. “Why not send Keith or one of your father’s men? Why does the daughter of the laird attend me herself? I canna imagine your father approving of such a thing.”
“’Tis my duty,” she said a little bit too quickly.
“Why? Did your own plan cast me in this dinghy hole?” Leaning forward he pressed his point. “Your father doesna ken, does he, virgin Katie?”
“’Tis not your concern.”
“Ah, so I’m right. You cooked this up yourself.”
She straightened and stared into his eyes. “What if I did?”
“You play with fire, sweet Katie. You dinna ken the consequences of your actions.”
“Why? Because I am a woman and dinna go into the field of battle.” She made a show of examining her hands. “There is no blood on these hands, but I see how the ongoing clash of our clans hurts my people. I would see this ended, even if I have to ransom you to make it happen.”
He smiled into her innocent face. “Your father starts much of the recent conflict by stealing our livestock and attacking our villages.”
She rose from her seat and came toward him. “That is a lie! Your clan does what you accuse mine of doing. I wilna believe any of your rotten lies.”
“Pray tell, fair Katie, who told you ‘twas my clan who started this mess?”
“My ward….” As the words fell from her mouth, she realized her mistake. Ian Innes baited her and she revealed more about her situation than she ever intended.
Her captive studied her. His intense blue eyes scoured every secret from her one blunder. “What is wrong with your father that you are now in the care of a ward?”
She must cover this somehow. “He is ill and Rowan Rannoch has been appointed to direct the clan during his infirmity.”
“Rowan Rannoch? It seems an odd choice. Why not someone who is a blood-relation to the clan?”
“’Twas my father’s decision.”
“Did you witness him granting this privilege to Rannoch?”
“Nay, Milord. I wasna present when it occurred. I was told after.”
“By whom? Rannoch?”
Katie felt the blood drain from her face. She had not questioned Rannoch’s authority over them. Rannoch said her father did not wish to show favor by selecting one clansman over the other, and so he gave Rannoch the honor. Was she truly as dumb as Ian now implied? “Aye, so,” she whispered.
“Rannoch has much to gain by taking over during your father’s illness. He controls the clan and all they do. I assure you, fair Katie, ‘tis your own clan who has begun these skirmishes of late.” He paused to let it sink in. There was no need. It fell hard upon her.
She worried so over her father she blindly accepted all Rannoch said as true. Did Ian speak the truth about the root of the trouble?
He let out a shallow laugh. “And now you poke my father by ransoming me. What did he say to your demands? I wouldna be surprised if he just storms the castle rather than comply.”
“I—I havena contacted him yet.”
Ian grinned. “So ‘tis truly just you and Keith who know of your folly.”
“I didna think ‘twas folly. I sought to end the conflict.” His eyes moved over her with interest. She felt n
aked under his intense gaze. Katie turned from him to try and break the spell. Quivering, she presented her back to him while she fought for composure.
Ian drew a ragged breath as he watched her. All he wanted to do was shed his chains and pull her into his arms. He could comfort her now that she began to see the truth. “Katie, you are young and didna see Rannoch’s plot. Still you tried to fix the mess with your courageous plan. Free me now and I wilna tell my father where I have been.”
She whirled to face him her eyes blazing. “Who is trying to trick me now? ‘Tis you—you liar. Rannoch serves at my father’s pleasure,” she said stepping closer.
He rose, grabbed her, and pulled her into his arms pressing her against his hard body so she could feel every solid muscle. Taking hold of her hair, he forced her to look into his face. “I dinna lie, Katie. Rannoch is the deceiver.”
“I dinna believe you.” Her breath came in short, frantic gasps. “‘Tis you who have much to gain. You only wish to trick me into releasing you.”
She trembled as she attacked him and God help him, he found it bewitching. Lowering his head, he found her lips with his. She gasped and struggled, but he did not stop. The taste of her drove him mad with desire for so much more.
Katie’s heart pounded in her chest. What was he doing to her? The fire his touch ignited when they first met burned again, sweeping over her body until she shook. His lips were hot and insistent as he eased his tongue inside her mouth. He devoured her, sweeping into her over and over. It felt like an act which should only occur in the marriage bed except he used tongue instead of his tarse. He did nothing but kiss her and a deep yearning began in her loins. She felt offended and eager for more all at the same time.
Finally, his lips freed hers and traveled down her neck with a string of wet kisses. Katie gasped and tried to catch her breath. His every touch became magic. At last, he inhaled sharply and stared into her eyes. She saw the flush on his face. Did her passion show on her face as well?
“God’s teeth, you invite me with your sweetness,” he muttered. “Your response is like an invitation for me to take more. Would you let me take your virginity in this dank dungeon where you have put me? Or does your sweet acceptance indicate an experience you claim not to have?”
Enraged by his suggestion, she struggled against him. It was a mistake. She could feel a hardness growing in his loins. “I am innocent of men,” she rasped, less able to talk than she anticipated.
“One would not know from the way you let me kiss you.”
Could she have stopped his tongue’s entrance into the warm well of her mouth? In truth, she did not try. The whole action was so foreign to her, so wonderful because of the way it made her feel alive. He made every nerve ending tingle in response until her whole body sang with delight. “My innocence left me unprepared for the pleasure of a carnal kiss,” she said shakily. “I have never known a man.”
Ian inhaled sharply. “If I have my way, virgin Katie, I will be the first and only man who kens the delight of spreading your thighs and teaching you the joys of a good union.”
Katie knew he would take her to the heights of pleasure if that ever came to pass. She had to change the subject and steer his mind in another direction. Katie tried to regain control even though he knew exactly how much she enjoyed his fiery kiss. “I canna speak of such things now, Milord. I must think over what you have told me. In truth, I dinna ken who to believe.”
Ian sighed, brushed her lips with another brief kiss, and then released her so she could flee from him. Her legs shook as she once again sat on the stool just beyond his grasp. She should have just left, but she fought to stop quivering so she could walk out of the dungeon. What an effect this man had on her. Katie thought of Rannoch’s brief touch. Robert the Bruce must not approve Rannoch’s petition. When and if she did marry, she wanted a man who inflamed her in the way Ian Innes did.
Ian smiled. “You stay a bit longer.” His gaze flew over her. “Not so affronted by the impudent liberties I took.”
“I already told you innocence left me ill-prepared for such an assault.”
“’Twas a kiss, fair Katie, not an assault.”
She studied him in the light of the lantern. His golden hair fell to his shoulders. His angular face and powerful build could make any maiden swoon. This man had known many a lass in his day and deflowered a few she’d wager. She could not let herself be one of them. At this point, she could see why they would eagerly spread their legs for him. “I dinna ken what to do with a man like you,” she admitted. “My mother died when she gave birth to Tessa. At nine years old, I became mother to my sisters and brother.” The look of compassion he gave her brought tears to her eyes.
“’Tis not an easy thing to lose a mother and be forced to take on such burdens at such a young age,” Ian said.
Ian Innes was an unusual man. Even though he burned to possess her, he seemed interested in more than having his way with her. Perchance her innocence gave her a false impression of him. His claim of interest in her plight could be a ploy that would lead to her undoing. “I did what needed to be done,” she said, wondering if her shaky legs had recovered enough for her to take her leave without showing him exactly how much he rattled her. He knew. What did it matter? It mattered to her pride. She would not have him see what he had done to her, so she sat a bit more.
“Tell me what malady affects your father. My sister, Asilinn, is a healer of great skill. It could be she can find a cure.”
Ian changed the subject to yet another that made her cringe. Drawing herself up tall in her seat, she addressed him. “Aye, I have heard of your sister. The Enchantress of Dunbocan I believe they call her.”
He grinned. “Some do. Asilinn is a skilled healer. There is no enchantment or magic involved.”
“Rumors would say otherwise.”
“I’m sure,” he said with a laugh. “But you didna answer me. What is the nature of your father’s ailment?”
Should she tell him? “He canna move,” she said. “He lies abed and canna move or speak. I look into his eyes and see the root of him is still there, but he is helpless as a babe.”
Ian furrowed his brow. “Did this come on suddenly?”
“’Twas a slow progression and then he became motionless and unable to speak.” Katie could not keep tears from flooding down her cheeks.
“Please come to me,” Ian whispered.
“What?”
“Come to me,” he said again, holding his arms open. “Let me comfort you.”
Katie choked back a gasp. Her body seemed to move on its own. She rose. In moments, she fell into his arms. He kissed away her tears and held her. Grateful, she snuggled to his chest as he stroked her hair.
“Ah, sweet Katie, why couldn’t you have come into my life in a more normal way,” he said soft against her hair. “Please let me help you. I dinna ken what ails your father. It could be born of deceit.”
Pushing away from the comfort his arms, she stared up at him. “What do you mean?”
“Sounds like a slow poisoning to me. My sister could get to the bottom of it. Free me and let me try to help your father.”
Shakily she stepped out of his reach. “Poisoning by whom?”
“Well, the clear choice would be your ward. Your father chose him to lead the clan over others of your own blood.”
“Rannoch sent for the Irish healer, Sorcha Blaine, to attend our clan. It canna be him.”
“Did Sorcha arrive before or after your father fell ill? Perchance she is involved.”
“You try to turn me against my people.”
“I try to save your father’s life. I wouldna be surprised if Rannoch used this as an excuse to petition our king for your hand. Then he could see your brother met with some unfortunate accident and Rannoch would become laird of Duntaigh Castle.”
A ragged scream tore from Katie’s throat. “Liar! You attack my innocence to try to turn me against those who have taken over during this tragedy.” Backing tow
ards the door to the cell, she pointed an accusing finger at Ian. “’Tis you I should fear, you and your magic kiss that inflames my body. I wilna listen to these lies.” She whirled around and barreled through the door, slammed it closed, and secured it with the key.
He gave her a lazy grin. “I am glad to know my kiss inflames you, virgin Katie. I shall look forward to your next visit.”
Shaking, Katie ran up the passage in an effort to get as far as possible from Ian Innes. Somewhere in the dark corners of her mind, her inner voice spoke to her. Did Rannoch do this? Was this why she did not trust Rannoch with the knowledge of her prisoner and her plan to achieve peace?
Chapter 6
Katie could not get Ian’s words out of her head. She couldn’t forget his feverish kiss or the desire that snaked through her as he held her. Katie touched her lips and ran her tongue around her mouth. My God, what power he had over her. One kiss and her whole body tingled with feeling. She needed to focus on the other matter. Was he right about Rannoch?
She racked her brain to think of the exact time Sorcha Blaine had shown up at their door. Rannoch said they needed a healer and he sent for Sorcha to fill this need. At first Sorcha seemed to help with the ailments of the clan. Then dark stories began to surface. Tales of Sorcha brewing cures with strange consequences. Around that time, her father began to fail. He had trouble recollecting conversations and took to resting rather than his usual schedule. Later he became truly infirmed.
Rannoch had just told her he petitioned Robert the Bruce for her hand. Her ward admitted wanting Katie for his wife and that he didn’t care how she felt about it. What other reason than to steal the Blackburn lands? Hundreds of years earlier, Rannoch’s family built Duntaigh Castle, but they lost it over the years. They fell out of favor and had it taken from them for fighting against the Scottish crown. How could she find out if Ian was right?
Highland Legends 04 - Captive Highlander Page 4