She stopped, pushing Riley behind her.
“Who are ye?” she said, pulling out her dirk.
“Put that away. Yer feeble attempts of protecting yerself arena impressive. Give me the lad,” she heard the man snap. His voice was so cold, it sent shivers up her spine again.
“Nay. Who are ye?” she said just as harshly.
“Give me the lad, or I’ll burn ye like the witch ye are!” he demanded. His voice was deep, self-assured.
“Nay! If ye want the lad, ye’ll have to best me. And harm the lad, and ye shall have me to reckon with, including his father,” she yelled.
The brute swore.
“Doona speak like that in front of the lad,” she snapped, highly offended.
“Papa?” Riley asked, peeking from behind her.
“Riley,” came the response.
“Papa!” Riley said, running from behind Andie.
“Nay, Riley! Ye canna be certain!” Andie said, moving ahead and grabbing Riley’s arm.
The leader brought the torch up to his face and Riley cheered when he recognized his father. Andie, on the other hand, inhaled sharply and took two steps backward, recoiling. From the brief look she got, she saw a deep scar on his chin, and cold, soulless eyes. Pale glowing eyes.
The Dark Wolf.
She shivered, both from the coldness in his pale silver eyes and from fear.
Once Riley ran to his father, Gavin pushed him behind him, holding up his sword to Andie.
“We arena paying the ransom, McBride. Ye’ll pay for taking my son, though. Take her,” Gavin commanded.
Andie didn’t put up a fight when they restrained her. She clutched her doll to her, but let them take away her dirk, and bow and arrows. Her sword hung by her side. Since no one suspected that she, a woman, would be carrying one, the thought never occurred to them to look. When she cooperated, they didn’t mistreat her.
She saw Gavin lift Riley onto his shoulders and Riley squealed in youthful delight. She looked over to her right and saw some cottages smoldering from fire. Odd, she thought, wondering why they had been set on fire. The men surrounded her, leading her within the outer wall, and eventually to the inside of the castle.
With no thought about anything else, Gavin got straight to the point. “Why didna Andrew the traitor come himself to return my son?”
“Doona ye dare speak of my father that way!” she yelled, diving for Gavin. Her anguish over her father’s death made her thoughtless. Men held her back.
“Spirit, eh? That’s uncommon for women, except where bedding and traitoring are concerned.”
They were in a medium sized room. Despite the hearth blazing with fire, the room was dim. The walk towards this room was supplied with meager light. Andie suspected that was done on purpose so that she wouldn’t know the keep’s layout. The insufficient lighting probably prevented them from seeing her now forming bruises.
Andie could barely hold the Dark Wolf’s piercing gaze, which had not lifted off her since they’d stopped walking. His ice-cold silver stare sparked daggers.
Unable to take the watchful glare any longer, she said in outburst, “Oh save it. I’m well aware of yer opinion of women. Believe me, I hold the same sentiment against ye.”
“I think I will ransom ye. Which bratty daughter are ye?”
“Papa?” Riley said, tugging at Gavin’s plaid.
“Nay now, Riley.”
“But father,” Riley kept on, but was ignored.
“Ye canna ransom me, Maitland.”
“Why nay?” He crossed his arms, and his shoulders seemed to increase in breadth by double. His biceps looked like large boulders beneath his skin. And those pale eyes- they glittered with anger.
“Andrew McBride is dead,” she said, her voice empty.
“So why did ye bring my son back?” he asked.
As she stared at him, she felt as if everything- movements, speech, breathing- passed slowly. Blinking rapidly, she decided that it must be the heat getting to her. She raised her hand and it was unusually heavy. She tried to focus on his soulless eyes, but couldn’t.
“Because children have nay place in war,” she whispered, hearing a reverberated version of her voice in her ears.
Then she collapsed on the ground.
Chapter Two
They had placed Andie on a lounger. At seeing her black eyes, bruised cheeks, torn dress, and the other collection of miscellaneous bruises, the men exchanged looks at one another. Blood had caked on her lips from where they’d cracked.
Gavin’s eyes narrowed on her wheat colored hair.
“Papa, she saved me,” Riley said, standing next to Gavin, who was looking down at Andie.
He couldn’t stop staring at her- her hair, her height, and her face. She looked so much like Sarah.
“How so?”
“She went to her room to get her poppet and heard me. I was stuffed in a trunk and she took me out, promising to return me home. She didna have much food or water, but what she did have, she gave to me.”
Gavin looked disturbed as he quickly glanced down at his son for a quick verification of his sincerity. He returned his cold gaze to the woman now regaining consciousness.
Andie was moaning.
“Wake up,” Gavin said impatiently.
She opened her eyes and stared at him. Quickly, she got to her feet, but her head began spinning. She held onto the wall for support.
Her eyes. Something in him tightened. Those were Sarah’s eyes- honey-colored eyes. Coldness rushed through his veins.
Hair of wheat and eyes of honey.
“So yer father is dead?” he asked, almost disinterestedly.
“Aye.”
“Why should I give ye aid, when yer clan has burned some of my clan’s cottages?”
“What?” she asked, massaging her temples.
“Aye. The fires were set by yer clan, as a distraction while they took my son,” he said bitterly.
“I doona know what ye’er talking about. I’ve come to ye seeking aid. My clan has been under attack for several days now. My cousin, Alistair, has been battling for control and he’s winning. By now, he’s probably won. My father was felled on the battlefield and later died,” she said, nearly choking on the emotion. “My cousin wants to be laird. Why he took Riley, I doona know.” She stopped, trying to slow her racing thoughts. Anger welled in her and she said, “My father would never do the hideous things ye now accuse him of!” she hissed, her voice strong and defiant.
His eyes flashed, so briefly, she thought she had imagined it. Andie looked at him closely.
The Dark Wolf was handsome. He had long black hair and pale silver eyes. His face was very pleasing. She wondered how he had gotten the scar on his chin. He was tall with broad shoulders that seemed to never end in breadth. His pale eyes held secrets and reflected his soulless, dark existence. She had heard stories about him from her father, stories about his power, his skill, and his rage. He was the most powerful laird in Scotland, and the most deadly.
“I’ll only speak to the new laird. I’m assuming Andie will be the new laird.”
“Yes. My father has named-”
“I’ll only speak to him. What’s yer name? Which are ye? Ailis? Tanna? Beth? There were so many, I scant remember,” he said dispassionately. His gaze was watchful, predatory. His eyes sparked silver glints.
“With yer attitude, ‘tis surprising ye remember anything a ‘tall,” she hissed.
“I’ll remind ye that ye are in my hands now. Respect may get ye better treatment,” he growled.
“Respect for someone who has none for anyone else?” she asked, her voice raising in pitch.
“Yer name,” he demanded harshly.
“My name is Andie. Andie McBride.”
He laughed, almost sounding as if he were growling. He looked at her, narrowing those pale eyes.
“Impossible. Andie’s a mon’s name, the name of yer brother. What game do ye play?”
“My name is Andie. I am Andrew’s younges
t. I have no brothers.”
“I grow impatient, woman,” he grated out ruthlessly. “It’s a mon’s name. Andrew named his youngest after him.”
“Nay! Well, yes!”
Gavin looked as if he were about to pounce on her, looking at her as if she were losing her mind.
“Well, which is it?”
“He did name his last born after himself, but it wasna a baby boy, but a baby girl. I turned out a girl, another daughter for him.”
“What is yer real name? This is the last time I’ll ask.”
“Andie!” she yelled.
Gavin looked at her pensively for several seconds and decided she was telling the truth.
“Ye have a mon’s name? Ye are Andie?” he asked again, blankly.
“‘Tis spelled with an ‘ie’ nay a ‘y’!” she said, looking at him with her head tipped to the side in attitude.
What she thought was something akin to laughter, escaped from his lips. “I’ll be damned.” She looked at him mesmerized- his eyes sparkled now, instead of throwing icy daggers her way.
“Ye already are,” she hissed.
“Ye’ve got sharp claws for being a woman. But why should I expect anything different from one?”
She ignored the taunt, but sneered all the same as she crossed her arms. “I have been named the next laird. Whether Alistair knows that or nay, I doona care. All I know is that he wants to wed me, to strengthen his hold on the clan,” she said, her voice weak.
“Ye, a woman, the next laird? Andrew must have been ill,” he said, his gaze unnerving. His eyes were cold again.
Her face became red with anger. “Doona speak of my father in that manner!” she yelled, her voice wavering slightly. Tears formed in her eyes and Gavin felt unusually contrite.
“I apologize. Yer father was a good mon,” he said, and she heard the sincerity in his deep voice.
“Yes, he was,” she said, her voice a bare whisper.
He continued to stare at her, realizing she must have been through an ordeal. “What happened to ye?”
She shook her head, looking at Riley.
“Ewan, take Riley to Edie. He needs to be placed in bed,” he said and Riley looked as if he was going to object. His eyes were droopy, so he just took Ewan’s hand. At the door, he turned around and looked at Andie.
“I didna know yer face looked like that, Andie. Will ye be alright sleeping alone- without me to keep ye safe and nay scared?” he asked, innocently.
She walked over to him and squatted down in front of him. She couldn’t hide her grimace of pain. “Well, Riley, ye protected me so well last night and I didna feel scared at all, but I’ll manage tonight. Can I go to ye if I feel scared, though?” she asked, brushing a stray lock of hair off his forehead.
“Aye, ye may come to me. Papa will tell ye which chamber I’m in.”
“Thank ye, Riley. Good night.”
“Good night, Andie.”
A flashback of Sarah ignited Gavin’s anger and it rushed through his body like venom. He clenched his jaw to stay the anger. He opened his glacier eyes and looked at Andie again. After Riley left, Gavin walked over to a table. He got water and brought it to her. She slowly sat back down on the lounger and drank all of the water.
She had let his son drink the water, at her own sacrifice.
“So what happened to ye? Did a pack of wild animals maul ye?”
She had been looking into his soulless pale silver eyes again and looked down. She inhaled a shaky breath. He studied her closely, looking for any signs of dishonesty. She brought her hand up to her temple and rubbed it again. He saw her hand shake.
“He murdered my family. All of them,” she whispered flatly, emotionlessly. She angrily pulled her hair back.
“They’re all dead?” he asked, his voice without inflection.
“Yes! He violated and killed my sisters and mother. I saw them,” her voice broke. Her hand still shook. She wasn’t going to cry, damn it. “I was in a room where my father had asked me to hide when my sisters and mother were taken. I saw from a window,” she said in a strangled whisper, looking into nowhere, a far away look in her amber eyes. “I saw his men drag them out and…” she couldn’t continue. Her voice had been trembling. She struggled to breathe for a couple of seconds, as the panic seized her.
Gavin still stood there in watchful silence. There was more she was not telling him.
“And my father,” she whispered louder. She cleared her throat. “He’s dead. All of them are dead!” she said, bringing her hand to her temples again. “Brutal, brutal murders.”
“How did ye escape death?” he asked, narrowing his brooding, pale gaze.
“I hid in that room. I saw my father fall during the fight. I went down to help. I couldna lose him, too,” she said, but her voice wavered again. She inhaled a gulping breath of air. “I believe that Alistair saw me helping my father off the field. I was in the room with my father, until he ordered me out. He wanted me to go to our allies. I went through a secret passage, a passage only known by the laird of our clan. When I reached the door, a man caught me in the passageway,” she said, her voice rising. “Alistair was there to open the door for the man. My cousin told me that I was meant to die. Now, though, he says that my survival was God’s plan.”
“God’s plan?”
“Aye.”
“For what?”
“To wed him,” she said solemnly. She shuddered with disgust.
He watched her carefully, looking for signs of deceit. “It’s late. Ye look like ye havena slept.”
She gave a small laugh.
“I havena. Riley slept in front of me while I leaned against a tree, and I couldna fall asleep. My family’s images haunted me. Besides, it was too dangerous for me to sleep. It would have made us vulnerable and I needed to look out for Riley. For us,” she said, looking into his empty steel-colored gaze.
He looked into hers, and saw sorrow and sadness.
“Shall we put her below, Gavin?” asked one man to her left.
“Nay. Give her a chamber above stairs. Ask one of the servants to prepare a chamber.”
Andie quietly stood, rubbing her temples. One man got immediately behind her and pulled her arms behind her back. She cried out in pain.
“What are ye doing?” she asked, the pain of the vice grip obvious.
“Let her go. She’s nay a prisoner. She’s an ally,” Gavin said, watchful of her again.
Quietly, she followed one of the men out of the room. She moved her arms slowly, trying to take the sting away. Her back was rigidly straight. He kept an eye on her as she departed.
There was just something about this woman.
Honesty?
Nay, he shook his head. None of them were ever honest.
“Papa?” Riley asked, tugging at the plaid covering his father.
“Papa?” he said again in a louder whisper.
Gavin bolted upright, got out of bed, and grabbed his sword. All this, within the span of seconds.
Riley giggled. “Papa!”
Gavin looked down at his son. “What are ye doing here, Riley?” his voice deep, from sleep.
Riley grew serious. “It’s her, papa. Andie,” he said, his eyes round with fear.
“What’s the matter?” Gavin asked, tensing.
“She’s screaming! I think someone’s in the room with her,” he said, frightened. “I wanted to go in to save her, but I thought to come to ye to get more help.”
Gavin immediately was in stealth mode. It was impossible to penetrate his castle. But still, he had an unnerving thought- what if she had snuck someone in?
Traitor.
“Ye did well, Riley. Stay here. When I come back, ye may leave to yer chamber. Nay until then.”
He hastily wrapped his plaid around his waist. Gavin held his sword in his hand as he angrily exited the room. He walked a couple of doors down to Riley’s room.
Then he heard her.
She was crying out in agony and pain.
Then she was having a conversation. Her voice grew louder again.
“Get off me!” she yelled loudly.
He rushed in the room, only to find it empty. She was in the throes of a nightmare. Gavin walked over to the side of her bed. She was restless, her hands flailing around. The pale moonlight gliding in from the window allowed him to see her sweat-drenched body and flushed face.
“I’ll nay wed ye, Alistair! Never,” she said, and her hands went to her face, clutching her cheek in her sleep.
He saw her poppet and walked over, grabbing it. It was a little girl, an obvious attempt to replicate Andie. She had a rose in one hand and a sword in the other. Odd.
“Andie?”
“No, Alistair. Get off!”
“Andie,” he said more forcefully.
She sat up, gasping loudly. Her chest heaved from her breaths. She grabbed her dirk that had been returned to her and held it in her grasp. Gavin was impressed.
“There`s nay threat, Andie.”
She focused on him, and slowly, her hand dropped onto her lap.
“What are ye doing here?” she asked, breathless, confused.
“Ye scared my son. He thought someone was in the room with ye,” he said with annoyance.
She shook her head. “Nay.” She paused for a second. She still sat upright, when she said, “Goodnight.”
He stared at her a long minute. “What did he do to ye?” he asked, slowly, watching her.
“What are ye talking about, Maitland?” she asked, evasively.
“I think ye know what I’m asking, Andie. Ye didna tell me the full truth.”
“What d’ye want to know?”
He already knew, but he wanted to hear it from her. Yes, Gavin knew he was a bastard.
“Why do ye have so many bruises?”
“They’re pre-marital presents.”
“From who?”
“My betrothed,” she said, laughing emptily.
“What happened?” he asked again, standing there, staring down at her. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
Andie looked at his massive, rippled chest. She didn’t know men had so many muscles, or that they grew this large. She broke free of those thoughts, inhaled, and looked away.
The Highlander Who Loved Me (Heart of a Highlander Collection Book 4) Page 25