He was a good four inches taller than she and his long, pale brown hair forever appeared unkempt, though his face bore no signs of dirt. His brown eyes lit with love every time he looked upon Piper, as hers did when she looked upon him.
Watching them made Ronan fear all the more for Carissa’s safety though he knew she was far more capable of taking care of herself than his mother. Not that his mother wouldn’t try, it was just that Carissa had more experience in so many ways.
She would certainly show her abductors not an ounce of fear, and she would do whatever it took to escape. He knew without a shred of doubt that she would protect his mother, even with her life, and that frightened him. Not that he wished to trade his mother’s life for Carissa’s. He wanted them both alive. It was just that Carissa took chances others would not and, if she did, she might forfeit her life in an attempt to free them.
“They found the trail, though it won’t be an easy one to follow,” Dykar advised, riding up beside him. “It seems that someone is good at covering their tracks.”
“But we will be able to follow it?” Ronan asked concerned.
“It’s a challenge that Piper doesn’t intend to lose,” Dykar said, shaking his head. “That woman knows the woods as if they birthed her.”
“Thank the lord for that,” Ronan said.
“I know you’re worried about Rissa, but she can take care of herself.”
“That’s what worries me,” Ronan admitted.
“Don’t let it,” Dykar said. “I have seen her extract herself from situations I thought impossible.”
“There’s always that one time…”
Dykar nodded. “That one time was you. No matter how hard she tried to free you, you kept coming back. And I believed that she hoped you would.”
“I don’t give up easily.”
“For her, I’m glad you didn’t,” Dykar said. “Rissa needs and deserves someone to truly love her, someone to finally free her of Mordrac.”
“I would have thought her freed once her father died, but now, knowing how he treated her, I understand what you mean.”
Septimus joined them. “We have a good trail, and Piper and Evan move ahead to keep us on the right one.”
“Then let’s not waste another moment,” Ronan said, and followed the two men.
Carissa knew that the farther away from her men and Sinclare land they traveled, the more difficult a rescue would be. She did believe that Cregan wouldn’t harm Addie. It made no sense for him to do that; after all, she was leverage in his game.
“Do you really think he’ll come for you?” Cregan asked, pulling his horse up alongside her. “Or will he come for his mother and surrender you for her?”
Addie laughed. “You don’t know my son. He will see us both released, or you will die.”
“Shut up, old woman,” he snapped.
Addie ignored him. “Then there’s Hagen to deal with. He’ll rip you limb from limb for taking me.”
It was Carissa’s turn to laugh. “She’s right about that. I’ve seen what happens when he’s enraged, which isn’t often, but when it does.” She shook her head. “Not a pretty sight.”
“A worthy opponent, since my rage is much like your father’s, Carissa,” Cregan said. “And I’m sure you recall his.”
How could she forget it? Mordrac had been an uncontrollable madman when enraged. No one could speak to him, let alone speak reason to him. One warrior who’d tried lost his life quickly enough. After that, no one spoke when Mordrac flew into a rage, and all scattered, none wanting to become a target of his fury.
She had learned to avoid him at those times, and if she couldn’t, she had learned how to agree with him unless it meant someone’s life, then she spoke up—often suffering the consequences.
“Your silence and obvious deep thought tells me you recall,” Cregan said.
“A madman is often hard to forget,” Carissa said.
“Your father was no madman,” Cregan said. “He was a brave and powerful warrior.”
“He was a fool,” Carissa argued, “as are you for taking on the Sinclares.”
“She’s right about that,” Addie agreed.
“I have no intentions of taking on the Sinclares,” Cregan said. “You were promised to me, documents were signed, and I have the right to take you.”
“I have given myself to another,” Carissa said, hoping once he heard that he would not want her any longer, but he simply smiled.
“It matters not,” he said with a shrug. “What I want is children born of you and me, children of Mordrac’s bloodline. And I will have it.” He rode off.
Once he rode away, Addie whispered, “Do you think he would let you go if he discovered you weren’t Mordrac’s daughter?”
Ronan was hunched on the ground, studying the tracks and shaking his head. “How many men and horses do you think were here?”
“Several horses and three more men,” Piper said.
“I don’t know how we failed to detect their presence,” Dykar said, to show his annoyance.
“You couldn’t have,” Piper said. “We had to have seen them but for some reason thought them no threat, and—” She paused and turned to glare wide-eyed at Evan.
“Monks,” he said before she could. “We spotted three monks, and they seemed no threat.” He looked to Dykar. “I told you about them.”
Dykar chastised himself. “I am a fool.”
“It matters not,” Ronan said. “What concerns me more is that Cregan may very well have split his men up purposely.”
“Which means they’ll all come together, and we do not know how many we will face,” Dykar said.
“Leave a man here,” Ronan ordered, “and make certain he advises Cavan of this matter. We continue on.”
“That’s a good idea,” Carissa whispered. “If I can get Cregan to believe I am not truly Mordrac’s daughter, he would not want me any longer. But it would have to be a believable tale.”
“Why don’t you tell him that your father captured your mother in a raid on a village?” Addie asked.
“It has been whispered that is what happened though my father saw it differently. Strange as it may seem, I think that my father believed my mother loved him. But somewhere he must have realized the truth, for he often commented that hate endured while love never lasted.”
“Love endures,” Addie said softly. “I can attest to that, as I am sure you can.”
“I have loved Ronan from the moment I laid eyes on him, and never has my love for him weakened or faded throughout this whole ordeal.”
“Such an enduring love usually brings suffering and a good touch to add to the story. Convince Cregan that your mother had such a love for your true father,” Addie said.
“I have often wondered if my mother loved my father.”
“According to the story, she loved your true father beyond all reason, as you do Ronan,” Addie said, adding to the tale. “She and your father knew each other since they were young and were inseparable. Where you found one, you would find another, and it seemed only natural that the two would be together forever.”
“What a lovely story,” Carissa said. “And it truly sounds believable.”
“That it does,” Addie said, “but I must finish it. You must use names to make it more convincing. Cormack, your father, and Shona, your mother, wed, and they were happy. She got with child after a short time and they both looked forward to the birth and hoped for many more.”
“Now comes the suffering,” Carissa said sadly.
“Yes, it does,” Addie agreed. “Their village was ravaged by barbarians.”
“My father,” Carissa whispered.
“No, my dear, remember that your father is Cormack. Mordrac is nothing more than the barbarian who brought suffering upon your family. He killed your true father and took your mother for his own.”
“And she never let Mordrac know she was with child,” Carissa said, adding her own touch to the tale.
“Th
at’s right,” Addie said. “She wanted to secure her unborn child’s future, and by making the mighty Mordrac believe the child his, she had that chance.”
“But she couldn’t live without my true father’s love, and she perished from a broken heart,” Carissa said, ending the sad tale.
“Would you not do the same?” Addie asked.
Carissa thought on it, knowing that her situation mimicked that of the tale. Only she knew the circumstances of the child left behind, for she had lived through them. And she could very well find herself in the same situation. Soon she would know if she carried Ronan’s child and that, if no escape was made or rescue accomplished, then she would live the tale herself.
“While my love for Ronan is beyond measure,” Carissa said, “I could not nor would I leave my child with Cregan, for that would be a fate more cruel than its death.”
“Perhaps, then,” Addie said softly, “you are stronger than your mother.”
“Circumstances made me strong.”
“Then, in a sad way, your mother gave you the strength to survive,” Addie said.
“I would have preferred that my mother remained with me.”
“Loving someone from the time you were very young and having him die in your arms is a tragedy that not only breaks the heart but tortures the soul.”
Carissa closed her eyes for a moment, imagining how she would feel if Ronan lay in her arms dying, but then he would have died if she had not struggled to keep him alive and safe from her father. She could not imagine the excruciating pain and helplessness she would suffer if Ronan lay dying in her arms with nothing she could do to save him.
“I am glad this is just a tale, for it is a very sad one,” Carissa said. “But it is one I am sure I can make Cregan believe.”
Chapter 36
Night fell, and they had to make camp. Ronan sat staring at the campfire flames. He felt helpless, and he didn’t like it. He had felt helpless far too much in the last couple of years. The only thing steadfast in his life had been his love for Carissa.
A smile teased the corners of his mouth.
Carissa, not Hope.
When had he fully merged the two? He couldn’t say. He only knew that he no longer thought of them as two separate women. While he had once believed there were distinct differences between the two, he had come to learn that there were distinct reasons for those differences. Once he understood them, he was finally able to see the whole woman that Carissa truly was, and he loved her all the more for it.
“She will survive,” Dykar said, joining him by the fire.
Ronan nodded. “I have no doubt of that. From what I have learned, she has survived far worse. But there is a big difference now.”
“A difference?”
“Yes, a very big difference,” Ronan said. “Carissa now has me to love and protect her. And I intend to make Cregan pay for taking what is mine.”
Dykar smiled. “It is good to hear that you will fight for her.”
“I would die for her.”
“Do not do that,” Dykar warned. “While Carissa has survived much, I do not believe she would survive your death. She would want to join you. And I selfishly do not wish to lose my best friend.”
“Worry not,” Ronan advised. “I have waited too long to find the woman I love, and I intend for us to enjoy many, many, many long years together.”
Carissa sat by the fire with Cregan. Addie lay curled up in a blanket sound asleep not far from them. His men patrolled the area, and sentinels were posted for the night. Cregan was diligent about keeping anyone from finding them.
But Carissa knew that Piper and Evan would be tracking them, with Dykar right beside them. And she also knew that Ronan would come for her, she had not a doubt that he would.
Hate and love were close companions. It was hatred that had driven Ronan to find Carissa, and it would be love that drove him to rescue her. The thought filled her with soothing warmth that rippled over her entire body and filled her with a sense of peace.
She loved and was loved in return.
“I’m not Mordrac’s daughter,” Carissa said bluntly.
Cregan simply laughed. “Who are you then?”
Carissa conveyed the tale that Addie had concocted with such belief that, with every word she spoke, the lines between Cregan’s eyes and around his mouth grew deeper, until he was left with a heavy frown.
“When did you learn of this?” he demanded.
“When I was young.”
“Who told you—certainly not your father?” Cregan challenged. “He believed you his.”
“As my mother intended.” She and Addie had considered everything Cregan might question, so she would be prepared to answer, and she did. “It was a slave who told me the truth about my heritage, told to her by my mother.”
“Mordrac would have heard such stirrings of untruth.”
Carissa scoffed and shook her head. “Who would have dared to say such to Mordrac? He would have had him killed for such lies.”
Cregan rubbed his chin, and she could see that he agreed, though didn’t like it.
Suddenly his frown turned to a smile. “It matters not.”
While his abrupt change concerned her, she did not show it. “Why is that?”
“If it is true, and I’m not saying it is,” he emphasized, “then Mordrac did a good job in making you his daughter in every sense.”
Carissa was glad Addie had thought of everything, and she was prepared with a more-than-adequate response. “That he did, but what of the children I would bear? From what I know, my father was a kindly man; therefore, any of my children could be like him.”
“I would beat the kindness out of him,” Cregan said, shaking a fist at her.
He was just like Mordrac, for that is what her father tried to do to her, and she would not have it done to a child of hers.
“I would not allow it,” she snapped angrily.
“You have no say in it.”
“You’re a fool if you believe that.”
“I will be your husband and you will obey me,” he said, his face growing red with anger.
She laughed, which only made his face burn red all the more. “You will not be my husband, and I will certainly not now or ever obey you. And whether you believe me Mordrac’s daughter or that he raised me to be such, you know I speak the truth.”
“You will learn,” he said, his anger ebbing.
“You truly are a fool.”
“A tongueless wife would suit me just as well,” he threatened.
Carissa’s smile turned carnal. “How then would I please you?”
She didn’t get the response she expected; he laughed.
“You will be a worthy wife and a worthy opponent.”
“I will be neither.”
“Do you not wish to grant your father his last wish, that you and I form a strong alliance and breed a family of true warriors?”
“My father is dead, and I finally have my freedom. Why would I want to relinquish that?
“To honor your father’s name,” Cregan said.
“There is no honor to my father’s name,” she said with a shake of her head. “He was a cruel, horrible man who deserved to die.”
“Mind your tongue, woman or—”
“You’ll cut it out,” she scoffed. “I’ve been threatened with far worse, and I doubt any man would want a tongueless wife.”
“At least a man would not have to put up with a woman’s harping.”
“But he would lose far more when it came to pleasure,” she reminded. “So which do you choose?”
“You bait me.”
“Most men are easy to bait since they put their concerns above those of others, especially women. It takes a fearless warrior to love a woman, faults and all,” she said.
Cregan laughed. “Any man who doesn’t fear a woman is a fool. They are cunning creatures who can never be trusted.”
“And a man can be trusted?”
“We have our
honor.”
“Which few of you live up to,” she said.
“Your barbs leave scars that do not always heal.”
“I do not care if my words offend you,” she said. “I speak my mind, and I tell you clearly that I will not wed you.”
“It is what your father wanted.”
“Mordrac was not my father, and I will no longer follow his dictates,” she said firmly.
“You have no choice.”
She grinned. “You truly believe that?”
Her confidence unsettled him, and he shifted where he sat. “I’ve had enough. I could take you here and now and settle this matter once and for all.”
“Then you will never know if I carry your child or another’s.”
Cregan shrugged. “Then I will wait and see if you are with child.” He grinned. “What do you think your father would have done in this situation?”
Her stomach turned, for she knew full well what her father would have done. He would have waited for the child to be born and killed him. She silently chastised herself for her own stupidity, though it gave her more of an impetus to escape. If she did carry Ronan’s babe, she would not see anything happen to him.
She found the courage to respond. “The same cruel thing you would do. The only difference is that I’m not a weak sniveling woman who would sit by and allow that to happen. I would see you dead first.”
Cregan laughed and rubbed his hands together in front of the flames. “We will make a good pair, you and I.”
“We need to slow them down,” Carissa whispered to Addie the next morning, as they rode at a good pace.
“How?” Addie murmured.
“An attempted escape.”
“We’ve tried that once already. I don’t think it will work again.”
“Not with the both of us,” Carissa said. “While the one leads them on a chase, the other can make a mad dash into the woods and hide there. Cregan will not linger long to look for her. He will want to put as much distance between him and his enemies as quickly as possible.”
“You’re talking about me,” Addie murmured.
“He will search forever for me. You are no longer useful, other than leverage when your sons arrive. He will not waste time on retrieving you. And you can alert Ronan and the others to what they face.”
The Highlander's Forbidden Bride Page 24