Highland Hellcat Page 6

  Relief flooded her. She found herself leaning against the rocks while the tension between her shoulders eased. She was suddenly caught up in the urge to weep. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall.

  There was no time for crying. She needed to think.

  What it was time for was escape, and the clouds above her would help her achieve her goal.

  ***

  “Now that was a right interesting bit of work to watch.” Shawe spoke softly, but there was no missing the question in the man’s tone. “Are ye looking to get locked in the stocks, then? The church does nae like anyone trifling with its nuns, especially when they come with a good dowry and are the daughters of powerful lairds.”

  Connor nodded because he didn’t trust his voice. The church would indeed have him bent over in the stocks and possibly whipped if they caught him near Brina Chattan without an agreement from her father that one of her sisters would be taking her place at the abbey. She was not just another bride intended for Christ and lifelong servitude to the church. She was the daughter of a laird, and that meant the church could expect her father to send her with a sizable dowry, as well as look to the Chattan for protection should invaders come by sea to pillage the gold-laden abbey where young Brina was expected to make her home.

  He smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching upward, because he just couldn’t help but be amused by her temper. The lass had spirit, and that was something that he was drawn to. The aunt who had taken over raising his sister when their father was killed had always berated his sister for having any spark of defiance in her. Connor felt his amusement vanish, because thinking of Vanora always did that.

  Vanora was held by the Douglas, and the clan made sure that she remained inside one of their strongholds. She was younger than he and had been born after his parents had married. The Douglas had tried to take the Lindsey land through her, claiming that his parentage was in question, even though his father had sworn on the church steps that Connor was his son. With a child on the throne, there was no one to force them to release Vanora, and he did not have the men to challenge the Douglas clan. His own arrangement with Deirdre Chattan was a move to reinforce his borders against another attempt by the Douglas to kill him and claim the Lindsey land.

  He’d sworn that he would not see that happen.

  But taking Deirdre to wife wasn’t a wise move. Not now that she had been exposed as Melor’s mistress. Any son she gave him would always be under suspicion. The gossips would cheerfully point out that if she loved the man enough to defy her father and the church to go to him, being married wouldn’t stop her from falling from grace again. The older women would point at Connor’s children with Deirdre and compare their features against his and Melor’s.

  Connor drew in a stiff breath and looked toward the direction Brina had gone. The wind went still long enough to hear a distant crunch from dried fallen leaves, but there wasn’t a second. He pushed his feet into the rocky soil to give chase, because along with not raising his daughter to obey men, Robert Chattan had also taught her how to move silently through the night.

  Connor would admire it, just as soon as he caught her.

  ***

  “Ye didna listen to my instructions, lass.”

  Connor spoke from the shadows, too close for her to do anything but recognize that her escape had been foiled.

  “Why would you expect that I would? You are nae my laird, nor the man my father has promised me to.”

  Brina tried to force her voice to be firm, but it quivered a tiny amount, betraying her unease. She found herself unsure how to deal with anyone who didn’t give her plain robe deference. Connor Lindsey emerged from the shadows and looked straight at her. She was keenly aware of the fact that he was intent on treating her like a woman who might be spoken to, flirted with, or even touched. That fact was as tantalizing as it was forbidden. The clouds broke, allowing the moonlight through, and it washed over Connor Lindsey. Her entire body responded to his nearness in ways that she had never realized were possible. Little prickles of sensation ran along her arms and down her body. Her breathing was no longer even, and her heart rate accelerated too. She shook her head, but her body refused to behave normally.

  Connor frowned.

  “Yer father promised me one of his daughters for my wife, Brina Chattan, and I plan to hold him to his word. Ye heard me say that plain enough.”

  He reached out, and she gave a soft cry, but that did not stop him from latching onto her forearm. “Just as ye understood that I didna want ye moving beyond the privacy of those rocks.”

  Brina drew in a stiff breath and opened the front of her cloak so that the undyed wool of her robes was illuminated by the moonlight. She turned a ghostly gray due to the moonlight, the same as the rocks that lay scattered on the landscape.

  “Look at me, Connor Lindsey. I was promised to the church on the day of my birth. I am sorry about my sister’s lack of respect for her impending union with ye, but I cannae refuse to honor a promise made to God. Look at my robes. I belong at the abbey; I always have.”

  He did as she said, his gaze traveling down her body, all the way to where her new boots peeked out at the hem and then back up, until he was looking at her face once more.

  What she witnessed in his eyes made her shiver. Determination shone there so intensely, she felt the heat of it crossing the distance between them. Such a thing was impossible, and yet she would have sworn that it was true.

  “Many called me bastard because my mother refused to wed my father for two years after I was born. Even when she did marry him, there were plenty who claimed she had refused him because of her shame in knowing that I was nae his son.” He raked her with his eyes once more. “Look at me, Brina, and see a man who is laird against all the rumors and swearing of many men. I will have the Chattan wife I spent so much effort negotiating for. One who is honorable and still pure, so that my own son will nae have to hear whispers about his blood.”

  For a brief moment she felt compassion for his plight. She shook her head to dispel the feeling.

  “I must honor my father’s word to the church. If I fail to do that, how could anyone have any faith in me? Any daughter who doesn’t obey her father is one who will fail to honor a husband.” It was a solid fact that had been drilled into her since she was a baby. Honor was not something that could be sidestepped upon occasion.

  “I cannae fall from grace, even if yer cause is a just one, Laird Lindsey. My place is waiting for me at the abbey.”

  “Ye have honor, Brina Chattan. I don’t doubt it.” There was a rich timbre in his voice that sounded like approval. Compliments were another thing that she had not had many of, for she was expected to be humble when it came to pleasing those on earth.

  “But that is only another reason why I will nae change me mind. The church can make do with yer sister.”

  He spoke with a solid authority that reminded her of the way her father set down his orders to his men. Connor Lindsey truly was a laird and was used to being in command of all those around him. Her pride refused to relent. He was not her laird.

  “I will nae wed ye, and that’s my final word on it, Laird Lindsey.”

  Her emotions spun out of control in an instant. She lifted her arm and flung off his distracted hold. Her action gained immediate response. He lunged at her, flinging her back against him and clamping his arms all the way around her body. Her arms became trapped against her sides, and he lifted her right off her feet with his greater strength.

  “Now, lass, ye have nae given me a chance to prove how much ye might enjoy being my wife.”

  “I have no intentions of allowing ye to touch me. Unhand me this instant!”

  He chuckled, his chest vibrating against her back. She felt his breath brush the side of her neck, and sensation rippled across the skin. She shivered, but it had nothing to do with the temperatur
e.

  “We do nae seem to making much progress with words, lass. Maybe we should try a bit of action.”

  A kiss landed on her neck, his lips pressing gently against the same spot that had registered his warm breath. She jerked, straining away from him.

  “Ah… ye are nae so unaffected, now are ye, Brina? There is naught but a cold bed waiting for ye at the abbey.” His lips returned to her nape, this time lingering longer on the spot. He trailed several more kisses down the length of her throat, until he reached the neckline of her gown.

  “In my bed, there will nae be any clothing to interfere with my kissing yer sweet flesh…”

  Her imagination exploded with images of him stripping away her gowns and continuing to press hot kisses against her body. All the way down until he reached her breasts. Heat coursed through her, threatening to drown her in sensation that she could not deny that she found pleasurable.

  But it was the same thing that had seen Deirdre fall to ruin.

  She kicked and twisted, trying to regain some distance so that she might think.

  “Ye cannae do this! Ye would shame me the same way that Melor did to my sister.”

  The arms around her suddenly tightened. She could feel the change, and she heard the stiff intake of breath that revealed his displeasure.

  “Do nae compare me to a Douglas, Brina. Those bastards have raided Lindsey land and stolen my sister.”

  “But ye are stealing me. If ye detest them so much for doing that, ye must set me free.”

  “What I need to do is take ye to Birch Stone, where I can experiment with just where ye enjoy being kissed without worrying that yer father is going to ride upon us at any moment.”

  She tried to shove her elbow back into his belly. “I will nae go with ye!” He avoided her blow, but she swung her balled fist down into his groin and felt her hand connect with his soft flesh.

  “Christ Almighty, ye’re nae suited to the life of a nun at all.” His arms opened for a moment as he bent over. Brina made it one long step before a hand hooked into her loose overgown and yanked her back. She stumbled and lost her balance, falling backward.

  Connor rolled onto his back, taking her along with him, and then up rolled up and over her so that her back was against the ground. He lowered enough of his weight to pin her and still her struggles completely. In one short moment, he made her his captive with his greater strength. It was horrifying and terrorizing, because never before had she ever felt so helpless.

  Except for today, when he took her away from her father.

  “Please…”

  “That will nae work tonight, lass, but I am sorry to hear the fear in yer voice. I swear I will keep my word about treating ye gently. I will nae force myself on ye, but I will take ye to my land, where I’ll have the time to court ye.”

  He’d lowered his voice and muttered his promise against her ear. She shivered, but Brina wasn’t sure if it was the words or the deep timbre of his voice that made her do so. The scent from his skin surrounded her, filling her senses every time she inhaled, and she realized she liked it.

  How could she?

  She muttered a soft cry and renewed her struggles. There wasn’t much she might do, because she was pinned beneath his greater weight, so she sent her hands toward his face, her fingers curled like talons. She felt her nails sink into his skin. He snarled and arched his neck to escape her attack.

  “I already thought ye had the makings of a hellcat; now I know for sure.”

  Connor pushed up and away from her, but he flipped her over onto her belly and leaned against her back to control her once again. Brina strained against him, welcoming the bite of his harder grip because it drove her enjoyment of his body away.

  “I am nae a… a…” She was gasping for breath, the effort of trying to shove him away from her making her pant.

  “Not a hellcat?” She felt his chest vibrate with his amusement. “Well, ye scratch and hit like one, and that’s a fact.”

  Brina strained again. “Ye’re horrible to call me such a name simply because I will nae crumple at yer feet and weep with defeat.” Her hands were pressed to the ground, and she felt a sizable rock beneath her palm. It sent pain through her hand, but she grasped it and pushed back against Connor with all her might. Her effort gained her a few inches because he wasn’t expecting it. She lifted the rock, then brought it smashing down onto his shin. The soft leather of his knee-high boots did little to shield him from her attack, and he jumped with a low growl.

  “Give me that rope, Shawe.” Connor looped a hard arm across her waist and sent her onto her back once more.

  “I was nae going to tie ye up, Brina, but ye are too much of a hellcat to leave with yer hands free to inflict pain on me.”

  “I’m trying to escape, ye daft man! It is the only decent thing to do. That does nae make me a hellcat.”

  “I can understand how ye think that, lass, but it only makes me surer that what I’m doing is the right course of action to follow. I’ve no taste for a timid woman, and ye have nae the amount of meekness a nun will need to last a lifetime serving the church.”

  “That is my father’s choice, nae yers, Connor Lindsey!”

  She still held the rock, and she sent it toward one of the hands that held her down. He yelped and grabbed her wrist, his strength drawing a startled gasp from her lips, because he had obviously tempered it until now. The rock dropped from her fingers as pain bit into her. The moment she released her weapon, the torment ended, and he leaned down over her until she felt his breath against her lips. She turned her face away, but that allowed him to press a light kiss against the side of her neck. Sensation rippled down her body from that touch, surprising her with how much pleasure her skin might feel.

  “Nay, lass, it is my choice now, because I’ve caught ye, and Highlanders keep the women they manage to steal.”

  She snarled and heard a soft sound that was far too close to a chuckle come from one of his men. Obviously they had company now, and her face flamed to think that her shame was being witnessed. She heard the rope hit the ground near her head before Connor released one of her arms to reach for it. She swung her closed fist toward his head and hissed when it connected. Pain snaked down her arm and into her shoulder, but the grunt she heard from him was worth it.

  “Get yer hands off of me, Connor Lindsey!”

  He threw his leg over her instead and clamped her body between his thighs. She growled as he grabbed one of her wrists, and she felt the rope looping around it. She gritted her teeth, waiting for pain to bite into her when he tightened that binding.

  It never came. Connor controlled the knot in spite of her struggles, securing both her wrists together in front of her before he released his legs, and she rolled over in a huffing tangle of cloak and robes.

  “Ye have too much spirit to make a good nun, Brina, but I would nae expect ye to know that.”

  “That is an unholy thing to say!”

  He reached down and lifted her to her feet with an ease that humiliated her. It shouldn’t have been right for him to be able to capture her so simply.

  “No, it isn’t. The church will no’ be pleased, I understand that well enough, but yer father made an agreement with me, and I plan to keep it. Yer father will be the one making peace with the church.”

  He leaned over, and a moment later she was hanging over his shoulder like a fallen deer. He clamped a hand over the backs of her thighs, sending heat into her face because she was suddenly acutely aware of how close his hand was to her bottom.

  “I will nae go with ye.”

  She straightened up but shrieked when he landed a hard slap directly on one side of her rear end, and collapsed back over his shoulder.

  “Ye’re going, one way or another, lass.” He kept his hand on her bottom, his fingers gently rubbing the spot he’d spanked.

  “Move
yer hand away…”

  She was reduced to pleading once again, because her body was quivering in response to his touch. It made no sense, but she could not seem to control her responses, and she was more aware of her sex than she ever had been.

  “Only if ye behave, lass.”

  His hand moved, and she shuddered. Relief crossed her mind, but it did not banish the odd awareness completely. She couldn’t hear his feet hitting the ground, but he was moving through the trees, taking her away just as he had said he would.

  It was madness. The sort that would see them both condemned by the church. But he kept walking, and she heard the soft sound of horses. Connor set her down on her feet, and she drew in a soothing breath as her belly complained about being forced to lie over his hard shoulder. There seemed to be nothing soft about the man at all.

  Especially when it came to what he decided was the right course of action.

  Connor gained the back of his stallion without any further hesitation. His men were all mounting their horses, none of them looking as if they might have misgivings about what their laird was doing.

  She wasn’t the first woman who had been taken to satisfy honor…

  That thought sent a chill down her back, for it promised her a future that included being nothing more than a possession to a man who had reason to seek vengeance against her.

  He’d promised not to force himself on her, but there would be no one to stop him should he change his mind.

  She trembled and fought against the rope binding her.

  “I’ll give ye a toss-up, lass.”

  One of Connor’s burly retainers grasped her waist and lifted her up behind his laird.

  “Lift yer arms, Brina, and loop them over my head.”

  Now she understood why he had tied her wrists in front of her body. There was even a small amount of rope between her hands so that he could keep her wrapped around his body while they rode.