The Highlander’s Witch

by Jennifer France

  Aiden looked up at his brother-by-marriage and shook his head. “Tis no good, Collin. The lass wishes to go home.”

  “What makes this request so disturbin, Aiden? She has wanted that from the beginnin.”

  “She was very adamant this time.”

  Collin watched as Aiden brooded for a bit before he smiled and sat in a chair.

  “Ye be thinkin once again the lass be a spy.”

  “What else can it be?”

  “Then give her what she wants an put an end to yer worries.”

  “What be ye suggestin?” Aiden asked as he watched the man’s roguish smile.

  “Return her to the glen, if she be a spy ye will ken then. If she isna, then it will put yer worries to rest.”

  “An set meself up fer an ambush, man?”

  “Nay, brother, ye take yer time gettin there. Stay the night at the old shepherds place. I will take some men an pass ye. We will get to the place before ye, check it out an stay hidin til ye call us. If she wishes fer ye to leave then so be it.” Collin shrugged. “Ye can double back an join us as we wait to see what the lass does.”

  Aiden looked at his friend with mild amusement. “Why be it that I dinna think of this?”

  “Because ye be smitten with the lass an yer heart be overridin yer brain too much to be thinkin clear.”

  That caught Aiden in the chest. Were his feelings that strong in such a short time?

  He quickly brushed it aside, knowing his desire was to take Skye to his bed, nothing more.

  Smiling, he nodded his agreement. “I will speak with the council today an plan on leavin on the morrow. Gather three good men, more will just attract attention—if there be attention to be attracted.”

  Collin nodded before leaving the room.

  Skye left the study with her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

  When she looked at Keir’s unyielding face, she knew he had heard.

  Placing her hands on her hips and refusing to let the tears fall, she frowned at her guard.

  “We all have secrets we can’t tell. But mine won’t destroy any one other than myself.” She huffed. “All I want is to go home, to be surrounded by those who trust and love me. Who wouldn’t want that?”

  Not seeing Collin standing off to the side, she turned on her heel and stomped away, not caring who followed.

  Frustrated and unsure what to do next, she wandered aimlessly until she noticed a light coming from under Anna’s door. Tapping lightly, she slowly entered when Anna answered and noticed the girl’s pale face.

  She walked up to the bed smiling though her concern. “How are you, hun?”

  Anna reached out and clutched Skye’s hand. “I no be doin too good, truth be told.”

  Skye swallowed back her uncertainties. “Tell me what you are feeling, Anna.” She encouraged as she fought these new fears.

  “Tis the bairn.” Tears formed and fell freely from her face as she gripped Skye’s hand harder. “I doona ken why I canna carry a babe.”

  “Did you call for the midwife?”

  Anna shook her head vehemently. “I doona want her, she does nothin for me or the bairn. Keep her away from me, please!”

  When Anna’s voice caught and sweat broke out, Skye forgot everything and clutched the girl’s hand.

  Leaning forward, she whispered. “I can help you, Anna. Let me help you.”

  Anna’s body stiffened in pain.

  “Please help the bairn.” She gritted through clenched teeth.

  “I will, I promise.” She said as she forced her hand from Anna’s and lifted the covers, barely covering a gasp at the blood starting to spread across the sheets.

  Warmth suffused her body as her powers quickly gathered, removing the chills the sight of blood had caused as she lifted the bloodstained gown and touched the swollen belly.

  Not removing her gaze from the first hand, she lifted the other to touch Anna’s forehead and sent calming thoughts as she focused her energy.

  The room became hazy, her eyes narrowed, faced flushed, and Skye felt like she was floating as she followed the controlled energy into the womb. Her powers fanned out, stopping the bleeding and doing a general healing. All the while soothing Anna, telling her all would be well, feeling the girl’s body slowly relax as the pain eased and surprise and hope took over.

  The bleeding stopped and Skye focused on the baby.

  Smiling down at the perfect little boy, she wrapped him in gentle warmth and love before searching for the cause of Anna’s continuous miscarriages.

  Muffled noises distracted Skye and she frowned, trying to concentrate on the colors her healing powers used to show her where she needed to be.

  She was following the womb when she suddenly felt herself falling.

  Dizziness distorted the sounds around her and as she felt her body smack against the floor and wall, her stomach reacting violently to the sudden movement and disconnection from her healing.

  She grabbed her head with one hand as she struggled to her knees, the skirt making it difficult.

  “Get her out of here!”

  “Nay!”

  Unceremoniously hauled to her feet, Skye felt herself pushed into unyielding arms.

  Fighting the urge to throw up as her equilibrium was thrown off balance from being jerked in too many directions.

  Unable to speak or resist as someone pulled from the room and down the stairs, she barely felt the shoves as people passed her to rush up the stairs and into the room, Anna’s cries echoing in the distance.

  Thrust onto a bench, she would have fallen over if rough hands hadn’t heaved Skye back up.

  Head spinning and stomach ready to rid itself of everything in it, she squinted her eyes and found herself next to a table and carefully laid her head down as her body began to tremble from the effects of her transition and handling.

  When things stopped spiraling and bile wasn’t fighting its way past her throat, she eased up and looked around, surprised that Keir or someone else wasn’t at her side.

  Still wobbly, she stumbled to her feet and made her way to the opening of the room, wiping Anna’s blood from her shaky hand on her skirt.

  Hearing the commotion upstairs as people rushed around, it suddenly occurred to Skye that she was alone, and no one was paying attention to her.

  Gritting her teeth and stiffening her spine, she turned for the front door knowing Anna would be fine for now.

  Grabbing a cloak from a peg, Skye covered herself and eased out the door, promising her body rest as soon as she was free.

  Surprised how easy it was to go through the village, she concentrated on figuring out how to get through the gates when she saw a caravan being ushered through.

  Skye quickly became a part of the procession, holding on to a wagon to steady her shaky legs and keeping her head down, she forced her breathing to stay controlled.

  Not breathing a sigh of relief until they had a good hour between them and the gates, Skye detached herself from the caravan and made her way towards the forest only knowing she needed to keep the sun at her back as it sunk closer to the distant hills.

  Nausea and vertigo gone, she still urged her weak body on, knowing it wasn’t wise to be out in the open.

  * * *

  “What do you mean she be gone?” Aiden stormed.

  Keir stood his ground, deserving his liege’s fury and more for leaving his charge.

  “Tis no his fault.”

  Aiden whirled around face red with rage. “Explain.”

  Collin stepped forward. “Ye need to be askin Riona why she had one of her guards replace Keir in his duties.”

  Thunder crashed and lightening flashed causing his anger to grow as he paced while waiting for Riona to be found, unsure whom he was angrier at, himself for assuming everything with Skye was taken care of, or the sight of the blood on his sister’s body and bed.

  It didn’t take long to find Riona and Aiden glared at the girl before him, waiting for an answer to his demand of wh
y Keir had been removed from the care of Skye.

  “We n-needed help, an my man had no clue where to go to get what was n-needed, an Keir d-did.”

  Aiden frowned at the girl quivering in front of him as her tears streamed down her face in fear.

  “So ye thought twas best to exchange them?”

  “A-aye.”

  Shaking his head in amazement, he looked at his man. “An ye did it?”

  “I t-told him ye told me to do it.”

  “Ye what?”

  Riona’s face paled and her hand came up to fan herself. “Och, I think I am gonna faint.”

  Aiden turned away from her in disgust, waving his unconcern as he stormed out, calling for Collin and Keir to follow him.

  “Ye have yer men picked?” He asked Collin.

  “Aye, Keir an two others.”

  “Nay, ye stay here with Anna. Pick another in yer stead.”

  Collin grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away. “I be goin if for no other reason than to stop ye from killin the lass.”

  “Ye still ken her innocent?” He asked incredulously.

  Collin stood firm. “Aye, Anna wouldna be askin for her if she wasna.”

  “The girl was covered in me sister’s blood when she was caught by Riona an the midwife. God kens how me sister in her pain could have deduced right from wrong. She was so upset she had to be givin a dram to get her to sleep.”

  They glared at each other, neither giving ground before Keir cleared his throat. “We be wastin time, m’Laird.”

  “I know!”

  Collin arched an eyebrow, waiting for his brother-in-law to make a decision.

  Aiden turned to Keir. “Have some men look around the grounds, just in case she didna make it out the gates an we missed her, then meet me—” He glared at Collin. “Meet us at the stables.”

  * * *

  Skye fell under the onslaught of the storm, causing her to stumble until she fell against a tree. Darkness had fallen, quickly obscuring the fast approaching storm.

  Even though the increasing winds had warned her to start looking for shelter, her fear of capture and death had kept her going until it was too dark to see.

  Soaked to the skin, her body stiff and shivering from the ice-cold rain, she knew her mind had ceased to make sense of anything.

  It became impossible to try to gain distance between her and Aiden or to find the forest because she no longer knew which way she headed.

  None of the trees, bushes, or rocks had provided shelter from the rainstorm and now she leaned heavily against the trunk and cowered as her mind kept urging her to keep moving so she could get home.

  As her gown grew heavy in its sodden state and Skye’s legs grew too tired to hold her up, her knees gave out, her whimpers unheard as she slipped to the muddy earth.

  Teeth chattering, arms trapped in the saturated cloak, legs in the cumbersome skirt, she gave up trying to crawl to the other side of the tree to keep some of the force of the storm from her and just collapsed as the howling wind and beating rain pressing her exhausted body against the base.

  That was where Sileas found her, alternating from licking her face to wake her, to barking for his master to find him.

  Heart pounding, Aiden jumped from his horse and rushed to Skye. He removed the wet hood from her head and ran his hands over her face.

  “Skye, wake up. Ye need to wake up.” He patted her cheeks, ran his hands up and down her arms. “Come on, wake up.”

  “Home.” Came her weak reply.

  Collin took her as Aiden climbed his stallion, lifting her into his arms before he turned his horse sharply and headed off as fast as he could push the animal.

  In mere moments, he was at the shed where Collin had forced him to wait out the storm, insisting they would do Skye no good if they went in the wrong direction. Keir had stayed behind when the storm showed the first indication of easing up and Aiden had brushed past Collin to resume his search, angry at staying in the confined space for even a couple hours.

  Keir was holding the door open as he slipped from his saddle with Skye and rushed inside only stopping when he was in front of the fire, Sileas slipping past to lie at the side of the hearth, out of the way.

  “She was so close to here.” He muttered to Collin as his friend crouched beside them. “If it hadna been for the storm she’da been safe inside. She was so close.”

  Collin said nothing knowing she would never have needed the shed if it had not been for the storm. Placing a hand on Aiden’s shoulder, he squeezed.

  “The storm be passin. Ye need to get her out of those clothes an dry. I will take the men, scout the area, an meet ye where we agreed on.”

  Aiden nodded.

  The men filed out. Collin stood at the doorway and looked at his friend. “She felt like she be feverish so I will wait a couple of days, if I doona see ye . . .”

  Letting the sentence die out, Collin watched his friend’s distress and sighed before continuing. “Are ye gonna be—?”

  Aiden nodded.

  When Collin made his way to the door, Aiden called him, his eyes never leaving Skye’s face as he admitted to what he felt in his heart.

  “I was wrong.”

  Collin waited.

  “It doesna make sense, what was explained. Somehow, some way, she thought she could help.” He looked up. “Me mother told me Skye said she could help the other day an me mother believed her. She has always believed her but she was too aggrieved to be thinkin proper. Maybe Skye has knowledge in the healing arts.”

  Nodding, Collin agreed. “Maybe she does.”

  Aiden shook his head in disgust. “Me mother believes her. Why did I no?”

  When Aiden looked back down and brushed his hand across her face, Collin nodded and left, knowing everything was going to be fine if she could pull through this.

  As soon as the door closed, Aiden cleared his mind and went to work.

  Taking the bedding from two of the bunks, he placed them before the fire then gently peeled the gown from Skye’s shivering body. Clenching his teeth at the blue tint of her normally light golden flesh, he covered her in layers of fur before placing her gown out to dry.

  He had just positioned his own wet clothes beside hers when he heard a moan.

  Rushing to her side, he eased her into his arms as he sat beside her.

  “C-c-cold.” She muttered through chattering teeth, barely conscience.

  Pulling the skins tighter around her, he tried to return the warmth to her chilled skin but her body continued to rattle in his arms.

  Making a quick decision, Aiden slid under the skins then gathered her into his embrace, using his body heat.

  The torture of holding her naked in his arms was far worse than when he held her after removing her from the dudgeon.

  So was the fear.

  He spent the next two hours skin to skin, even using his breath to warm her as he whispered words of assurances whenever she made a noise or frowned.

  It wasn’t until her fever lessened that he was able to breathe evenly and when her shivering diminished, he waited a bit more before easing away to add wood to the fire, thankful that Keir had taken the time to gather lumber from the attached lean-to and pile it beside the hearth.

  He checked the clothes and readjusted them to help them dry before sitting on a chair to keep an eye on her, not daring to tempt his demanding cock any more than necessary and angry with himself for even wanting to take her as she lay ill.

  Running a hand over his face, he tried to sort through his thoughts.

  What was it about the lass that made him concerned that she may be a spy and yet constantly fighting his desire to bed her?

  Was she a spy? If so, how could Skye have gotten word to anyone when his best men had been watching her?

  Even though she was from the same country as his mother, her accent was unknown to either of them. If she was innocent, why could she not tell him who she was or what she was doing here? If she were guilty, why
would she try to save his sister?

  The excuses the midwife and Riona had made of trying to kill Anna had not made sense.

  There was no weapon.

  Her hands had not been around Anna’s throat. Keir said one had been on her forehead the other on her stomach.

  Was she trying to find out what was wrong so she could help?

  The midwife had laid hands on the belly to feel around during his sister’s last two pregnancies as well as this one, and no one had questioned that.

  Maybe she was forced to spy.

  Perhaps a member of her family was being held hostage until she returned with information.

  His head was spinning with too many questions and not enough answers.

  “I either lost my mind or I am dreaming.”

  He swung his gaze to Skye’s and froze as she moved beneath the furs.

  She closed her eyes and sighed. “I didn’t make it and all I can think about is how handsome you are.”

  When she opened her eyes, he watched as she took in his naked form, causing his shaft to rise up in pride.

  “Am I stupid or what?”

  Ignoring the blood pooling downwards and seemingly uncaring of his nakedness, he smiled. “Ye need to sleep, lass.”

  She watched him watching her, failing to ignore his unabashed nakedness. “I was trying to help Anna and her baby.”

  “Aye, lass, I ken this.”

  “You believe me? Thank God.” A tear fell.

  She smiled as her hand quickly wiped it away.

  His heart squeezed in his chest.

  “How long have I been here?”

  “No long.”

  She sighed at his evasiveness. “I suppose you’ll be taking me back.”

  “Nay.”

  She frowned and lifted her head. “No?”

  “Nay.”

  He almost came to her assistance when she struggled to sit up but the way the skins rolled away exposing her firm breasts with large pink areolas to his gaze had him gritting his teeth and staying put, even as his cock twitched its own demands.

  Snatching up the furs, she ignored the blush that stole over her face and sat up, forcing her eyes to remain on his face and not lower.