Page 27 of The Devil in Plaid
Chapter Twelve
Jamie’s heart ached with grief. Grant and Niall had been two of his finest captains, not to mention his kinsmen. Ranulf MacKenzie had already stolen so much from his clan, and now Jamie had to return home and tell poor Katie, Niall’s young wife, that he would not be home to welcome their first child into the world. Grant had yet to marry, but his mum and da would be devastated to learn of their son’s death.
He gripped his head in his hands. How had it happened?
He had been so careful.
It was not happenstance that put the MacKenzie warriors in their path. It had been an ambush. This he did not doubt. Somehow, the enemy had known their course.
Could the MacDonnell have betrayed him? But Jamie shook his head. He did not doubt Gordon MacDonnell’s affection for his daughter. Mayhap, Fiona had earned the malice of some of her kin. A selfish lady was bound to have enemies. Still, he remembered the devoted farewells called out by her people as she left Castle Creagan.
In that moment, his mind turned to Seumas and the bulk of the MacDonnell party. He prayed, then, that they would not fall victim to a MacKenzie attack, and, if they did, that they had enough warriors in their number to be victorious.
Having surveyed their surroundings, he wiped away any tracks left behind from their hasty climb up the peak. He returned to the cave, and as he entered, he took a deep breath. Inside was his bride, a woman who despised him. He could not see into the depths where he’d left her, but a muffled noise reached his ears. He paused and heard her quiet sobs. In that moment, his heart softened. Fiona MacDonnell had withstood numerous hardships that day. Not just the grueling trek, but she would have been huddled in the thicket, no doubt watching the bloodshed and fearing for her life.
He quietly moved into the darkness, resolved to give her what comfort he may. He knelt beside her, feeling for her back to soothe.
“Don’t touch me,” she cried out. He could not see her but heard the malice in her tone.“Don’t ever touch me!”
Her harsh words once again hardened his heart. For a moment, she had been a lass, scared and alone. But he had forgotten she was a viper with a sharp tongue and poisonous fangs. And to think, he was going to try to comfort her. If the prospect of his touch was so repugnant, then she could console herself.
“I suggest ye get some sleep,” he said coldly. “We have a hard road tomorrow.”
Then he lay down and unfolded the top of his plaid, wrapping his shoulders against the chill of the cave. After a while, her soft sobs renewed, and he could hear her teeth chattering.
“Damnation,” he cursed. “MacDonnell, come here…now!”
~ * ~
Fiona froze, choking back her tears. He demanded she go to him, but why? Was he going to ravish her or beat her for crying?
“I will stop,” she said, her voice trembling. She ground her teeth to keep them steady.
“I told ye to come here,” he barked. “You will obey me.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. Dare she make a run for it?
“Do not make me come over there,” he snarled.
She gasped and scrambled toward him.
“Lay down beside me,” he ordered.
Her heart quaked. “But we are not yet wed.”
“Ye’re my betrothed, which in the eyes of God and everyone else means we are as good as married. But I’ve no intention of bedding ye this night, nor am I overly eager to touch ye at all. I will do my duty, and when ye give me a son, I’ll not touch ye again. But for now, I am ordering ye to lay down. The chattering of yer teeth is keeping me awake, and I’ve no wish to be accused of murder if ye were to freeze to death. Now, lay down!”
Trembling, she did as he bade, lying down on her side near him but not touching. Then she felt his large hand spread across her stomach. He dragged her against him. His whole body curled around hers, and he wrapped the top of his plaid about her shoulders. Within his strong embrace her body grew warm, but her heart ached. His strength surrounded her like a steel cage, hard and unfeeling. The devil was now her master, and she was powerless to refuse him.
