Heart of the Highlands: The Beast (Protectors of the Crown Book 1) (3 page)

“Everything in these bags belongs to a woman!” Daven continued.

Ian glanced back at the carriage door. Why would a woman be traveling unprotected to Chisholm’s Castle? Whatever the reason, Ian would make certain she did not reach her destination.

Chapter 3

Keira felt as if she was venturing to a new world; a new life. It was both exciting and frightening. Since they’d left Inverness her stomach felt cramped and twisted like a wet rag being wrung out to dry. Was this how all brides felt before they pledged their life to another?

As the horses began to move, the potholes and bumps in the road jostled Keira from inside the small carriage. For most of the trip, Keira found herself glancing out the small window, the landscape flying past in a blur as she was swept away with daydreams.

She did not know what to expect when they reached Erchless Castle. Rumored to be a majestic fortress, it was inhabited by the entire clan. With no nearby villages, the Chisholm Clan was a mysterious bunch who did not take well to outsiders. She figured that was the reason she was not allowed to bring her own personal attendant.

Keira’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the carriage began to slow. They could not have arrived already. The distance between Inverness and Laird Chisholm’s Castle was at least a good three hour ride and they could have only ridden half of that journey.

Just as Keira was about to scoot over to the window, her bottom slightly lifted from the seat. Jostled around, she hit her shoulder and the side of her head against the carriage wall.

Her hand flew to her forehead to where a slight headache was beginning to form.
What the bloody hell was that
? She wondered as she felt the carriage slowing to a halt. The only logical explanation she could think of was that they had either broken a wheel or a wheel was stuck in a pothole.

Keira heard men speaking but the voices were not those of her two escorts. The voices she heard were deep and angry. They were thick with a Highland brogue and resonated with authority. Though she could not make out their words from inside the carriage, their tone did not sound friendly. Something did not feel right. Too much time had passed and neither escort had come to check on her or summon her. Were they being attacked?

No matter how hard she tried, Keira could not calm her labored breaths. From the small window slit, she could see two men standing to the side of the carriage. But they did not look like ordinary men. They were broadly built, like oxen, and as tall as trees. Hearing the different voices speaking back and forth, her imagination ran rampant. There could easily be ten of them out there, but what if there were more? Why would anyone want to attack her carriage? She was of no consequence, nor did she travel with any coin. Her scattered thoughts overlapped one another as scenarios came to mind.

Were they thieves, highwaymen,
the English
? Keira’s stomach churned. She took a chance and peeked out a small covered window at the back of the carriage. The two men she saw looked ragged. Their clothes were dirty, torn, and plain in color. Further, they bore no clan colors or insignia. Her mind settled on outlaws. Though she believed they would be quite disappointed when they found out that they’d attacked a mere woman of no consequence or coin.

Their features were hidden behind a thick layer of dirt, thick grown-out beards, and long tangled hair. They were taller than normal men, with muscles that looked as if they could break the trunk of a small tree with their bare hands. Men like these, she imagined, pillaged villages, raped women, and killed unarmed men for pure pleasure; and now, she feared she would be their next victim!

Pressing her body tight against the inside wall of the carriage, she inched as far away from the door as possible. If the outlaws had not surrounded the carriage, she could have made an attempt to escape, but even if she slipped from the confines of the carriage the thick, heavy skirt of her dress would not allow her the freedom to run.

“Hail Mary, full of grace,” she whispered, clutching the small silver cross hanging from her neck; though praying now seemed as useless as a blind dog.

As she heard heavy footsteps near the door, Keira grasped the bench tightly. She would not leave this carriage without a fight. Her eyes locked on the handle as it jiggled. The clatter of metal on wood only added to her consternation. Her hands and knees began to shake violently as her breaths became increasingly unsteady. What ever could they possible want?  

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our-er, my death
. She finished the prayer in a rasping whimper as the rattling of the handle suddenly stopped and the door flew open.

In a flash, Keira stared into the dark blue eyes of an emotionless face. His sandy blonde, unkempt hair and thick beard gave him the appearance of a large bear, a
beast
if she had ever seen one. He wore a brown leather vest that lay over a saffron shirt with a braided leather belt tied around his waist. A rabbit fur lined sporran dangled to one side and the brown of his trews matched the color of hewn red oak.

He was a beast in every regard! His body alone was a weapon in its own right. Large, rounded muscles filled the sleeves of his tunic and the vein along the side of his thick neck was pulsating. The girth of his broad shoulders and chest seemed twice as wide as one could wrap their arms around and his height seemed at least a foot over her head. Even his features seemed sharp and dominating, right down to the slight crook in his nose, which appeared to have been broken at least once.

The look in his eyes and twitch of his lips made him hard to read. She could not determine if he meant to harm her or not, but either way, he scared the hell out of her. Biting her bottom lip, she met his gaze and quietly waited for his next move.

~*~

The moment Ian swung open the door; the lass who occupied the close quarters looked as if she had seen a ghost. Her face drained of color and she was heaving loudly with each breath as if she was lost in a state of panic.

Ian had certainly not expected to find a lass in the carriage; let alone one so young and without the company of at least a handmaiden. The lassie couldn’t have been more than eighteen summers. What kind of a man would allow a woman such as her to travel without real protection? A bloody senseless man, that’s who!

Her thin arms and narrow waistline were so small it gave her an unhealthy appearance, as if she had never had a full meal a day in her life. Assessing her looks further, her copper-colored hair was up in curls and braids and her royally inspired gold and red dress was far fancier than was appropriate for a trip such as this.

Ian spat on the ground. She was far too lovely for a Chisholm lass but coming upon her was good fortune. She would be his means to lure Laird Chisholm out from hiding.

“My lady,” he said as he reached his hand inside the small carriage to grab her.

As if she had the instincts of a woodland animal, the lass raised her leg to block him and kicked him with the heel of her slipper square on the jaw. Ian stumbled back a step as pain radiated along his check down to his neck.
Jesus and all the saints!

Ian twitched. He had not expected her to get the best of him. The lass had the kick of a horse, he thought, as he rubbed his hand over his jaw. He would have to keep a watchful eye on her going forward.

The wide, frightened eyes of a startled doe stared back at him. Ian understood the fear she felt. He understood a lot more than he ever let on. He had seen that terror before in the eyes of condemned men. Her eyes glistened as if she fought back tears and Ian took notice of her trembling bottom lip. Instinctively, he wanted to offer her comfort, but decided to stand his ground. After all, he should care naught for a Chisholm lass.

“Tis only a lass,” Ian said to his men.

After much effort and a tremendous struggle, he managed to yank the young thing out of the safety of her carriage. He then tossed her into Alec’s arms, with a command to hold the lass still. Once the young lass stood in the golden rays of the afternoon sun, her copper-colored hair gleamed like dewdrops on a peach-colored rose and her sun-kissed complexion seemed flawless. She did not possess awe-inspiring beauty, but her simple, even features still made her quite bonny.    

“What do ye want of me? I demand ye release me!” she cried.

Brave little warrior!
Ian ignored her request but was not ignorant of her fear, made plain by the pitch vibrato of her voice. Ian turned his attention back to Rylan and the two young escorts.

“Be gone wit’ ye and tell yer Laird he can no’ hide from us much longer!” Rylan instructed.

The two men looked at each other, quickly stood, and scurried off toward the trees.

“Please, dinna leave me!” the lass pleaded, before the two men were swallowed up by the darkness of the forest.

Ian held no fear of the two men telling Chisholm what had taken place. In fact, he was counting on it. Knowing he now held a Chisholm lass captive, there was no doubt Chisholm would retaliate. It was as if fate had brought the lass to him.

~*~

Anger and betrayal replaced Keira’s fear the moment she saw her two escorts vanish behind the cluster of trees.
Foolish cowards!
How could they leave me here alone with these men? Keira looked back at the group of Highlanders salvaging what goods and supplies they could find in the carriage.
Thieves!
She couldn’t help but wonder why they had chosen not to kill the two young men. The outlaws were well-armed and the two young lads were no match, against even one of them. A tinge of hope that perhaps these men took pity on the weak and vulnerable calmed her rampant thoughts.

There were five of them in all. The first man she referred to as the
Beast
and assumed was their leader, a man with long, dark brown-colored hair who stood across the road, a blonde haired man who looked very much like the
Beast
but not as tall and muscular, a redhead, and the younger brown-haired one, who, reeking of whiskey and sweat, held her tightly, preventing her from running away.

Three of the men wore similar clan colors, and the others wore different plaids. None of them looked familiar, but then again, Keira had never traveled away from home as her father had forbidden it.
Home
. How she wished she was there now. She had not even had the chance to give a proper goodbye to her clansmen, or her sisters, as her father rushed her off to Inverness to meet her betrothed. Thanks be to God that Alys was not here with her now.    

“Take only what is valuable and leave the rest. We must return to the camp,” the beastly man who’d pulled her out of the carriage, ordered.

Keira’s eyes followed him as he went to speak to the dark-haired man across the road. Straining to listen, she heard nothing as they spoke in hushed tones, but she knew with certainty
she
was their topic of discussion as they kept glancing her way.

“What shall we do wit’ the lass?” the man holding her called over to the other two.

“We’ll take her wit’ us,” the Beast replied.

“Nay! Please! Please have mercy!” Keira cried out, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Keira’s body shook as violent as if the earth quaked. Where did they wish to take her, and what did they plan to do with her once they got there?

Keira tried to fight the man’s hold but he held a firm grip on her arms. She pulled and pulled until the muscles in her arms hurt, but no matter how hard she tried to get away from him, he didn’t budge. It was like being tethered to one of the giant standing stones that littered the landscape. It was impossible. Her hands turned clammy and her muscles stiffened. She felt her stomach burning as fear flared inside her, its flames licking their way to her heart.

“Easy lass! Ye keep on struggling like tha’, an’ my grip on ye will only get tighter. I do no’ wish to hurt ye,” the man holding her said.

“Then let me go ye bastard!” Keira shouted as she stepped hard on the man’s foot, digging her heel into his toes.

For a moment, the man released her as he winced in pain. Keira should have done
that
in the first place! Taking advantage of her freedom, she sprinted off toward the woods.

~*~

“Oh, bloody hell!” Ian said, shaking his head at the foolish lass. “Where do ye think ye are going?” he called out to her as Leland ran after her.

“Perhaps we should just let her go. We dinna need the trouble nor the distraction. Women cause nothing but problems,” Rylan suggested.

“We verra well cannae leave her out here in the woods. Besides, if she has any importance to Chisholm, she might be just what we need to find him,” Ian reminded him.

“Well, she will no’ be my problem! Dinna say I dinna warn ye,” Rylan replied as he turned to walk away, spitting on the ground.

Ian knew that taking the lass was a risk. But she would be safer with them than out here in the woods alone, and far safer than within the walls of Erchless Castle.

Leland returned shortly with the lass struggling and scratching at him like a feral cat.

“If ye would just stop yer thrashin’ like a wild boar Lassie, ye would know we mean ye no’ harm. We only wish to question ye,” Leland said, trying to reason with her.

“Aye,” Ian agreed. “But no’ here!” Ian stood in front of the unpredictable lass and asked, “Ye will no’ cause any more trouble fer me and my men if ye knows what’s good fer ye. Aye lassie?”