Highland Knight (5 page)

When Avery rose and went into the tent, he picked up the wineskin she had left behind and took a long drink. It was tempting to drink himself senseless. Not only would it kill his aching need for Avery, if only for a little while, but it would silence that nagging whisper of guilt. Unfortunately, yet another long day of travel faced him, and only a fool would try to face it suffering from the ill effects of a night of drinking.

Finally, when he felt Avery had been allowed enough privacy, he rose and entered his tent. The sight of her lying in his rough bed knotted his stomach with unquenched desire. He wanted to tear his clothes off, climb into that bed, and bury himself deep inside
her. He wanted to touch and taste every slim inch of her golden body. He wanted to hear her cry out his name as her body trembled with release.

Not surprised to feel his heart pounding and his hands sweating, Cameron cursed and stripped down to his loincloth. He briefly washed up, crawled in beside her, and tied her wrist to his with a length of soft linen. Even in the darkness he could feel her glaring at him.

“Ye didnae really think ye could escape today, did ye?” he asked, shifting closer to her so that their sides were lightly touching. When he felt her tremble, he smiled grimly. He had no intention of suffering this torment alone.

“One must grab opportunity when it presents itself,” she replied, cursing silently when she realized there was no room to move, that she had to endure the heady feel of his warm, strong body touching hers.

“Without food, water, blankets, or a horse?”

“Aye. We could have found most of what we needed as we traveled.”

He ignored that boast. “And in a land filled with an old, powerful enemy?”

“It appears Scotland isnae exactly brimming o’er with friends and allies, either.”

He rolled, pinning her beneath him. “I am not your enemy, Avery.”

“Och, nay, of course not. How foolish of me. ’Tis friendship that has ye planning to shame me and use that against my clan.”

“And if someone hurt one of your family, ye would forgive all and do naught but say a few prayers for his soul, would ye?”

“I wouldnae use the innocent to try and punish the guilty. Not that my brother is guilty.”

Cameron sighed and kissed her. The way she so quickly and fiercely responded to him made him shake with need. Her nipples hardened, pressing against his chest and begging to be tasted. She arched against him, her whole lithe body revealing that she shared his passion. He was not surprised to find himself panting like a hard-run horse when he ended the kiss and raised himself up enough to stare down at her. There was some satisfaction in seeing that she was breathing just as hard. He knew he could take her now, that her own desire would betray her in his arms. It was madness to keep denying himself but he would do so. He wanted her to say “aye,” needed her to be willing.

“How can ye keep denying what flames between us?” he asked, flopping onto his back at her side.

“What is between us is your need for revenge.”

“’Tis nay revenge that has me sweating and shaking like a mon with the ague. Or ye.”

“Me? Nay. I am as cool and calm as a placid loch on a still summer’s eve.” She ignored his contemptuous snort of amusement “Ye willnae use me to hurt my kinsmen.”

“Just one—Payton.”

“I will fight as hard to save my brother as ye will to save your sister. Good sleep, Sir Cameron,” she added quietly when he made no reply; then she struggled to cool her heated blood so that she could rest.

“Ye will give in, Avery,” he said after several minutes. “’Tis too strong to fight for long.”

“Mayhap,” she conceded, “but I still willnae let ye use me against my brother.”

Cameron could not believe how excited he got over the word
mayhap
. It was no
concession. Yet, it was more than she had offered so far. Closing his eyes and forcing his body to calm itself, he reached out for sleep. On the morrow he would increase his efforts to break her will, press her until that
mayhap
became an aye. He just prayed that he did not drive himself completely mad in the process.

Her hands were free. Avery could not believe it. It had been two nights since she and Gillyanne had made Cameron chase them down, and as she had expected, he had become more vigilant. He had also become more determined in his seduction. Those two nights had been long, torturous ones, filled with self-denial. The days had been just as bad. Both of them were exhausted from the fight. And that, Avery decided, was why she was sitting on his horse, her hands free of restraints. Cameron was obviously too tired and distracted to tie her up properly. She was glad she had not given up testing her bonds each time they were tied.

Avery looked around and finally saw Gillyanne standing near the other women. If she could get the girl’s attention, they could make a run for it. Gillyanne knew how to mount swiftly, and this time they would have supplies. Avery wondered why she was just sitting there wondering about it and not already galloping toward Gillyanne. The answer to her hesitation could be summed up in one word, she thought in self-disgust: Cameron.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Cameron stepped up beside his horse. He put his hand on her leg and stroked her. The arrogant look upon his face, the gleam of expected victory in his eyes, gave Avery the impetus to move. She slowly smiled and wriggled her fingers at him. The look of total astonishment on his face was a delight to see. Then she kicked him in the face, sending him tumbling back onto the ground. Avery kicked the horse into a gallop even as she yelled Gillyanne’s name. To her relief, her cousin responded immediately, and Avery only had to slow her pace a little to allow Gillyanne to leap up behind her. As they raced away, she could hear Cameron bellowing, and she laughed.

Cameron surged to his feet cursing loudly and viciously. It did not surprise him at all to see Avery control his huge stallion with an easy skill, or her cousin cleanly mount a horse on the move. He doubted anything those two did any more would surprise him, especially if it was something that would annoy him. Hoping he did not sound as crazed as he felt, he started bellowing orders, pleased to see Leargan already hurrying toward him with two saddled horses.

“Wasnae it ye who said they must be watched verra closely?” drawled Leargan as he and Cameron mounted the horses.

“One more word and I will cut your tongue out,” Cameron snapped as he spurred his horse into a gallop.

Leargan ignored the threat as he kept pace with Cameron “I dinnae think ye will catch them. Your horse is the fastest amongst all we have, and the lasses show a true skill at riding.”

“They dinnae ken the area, dinnae ken where to go.”

“Mayhap not, but they merely have to stay out of reach and hide.”

And that was just what Cameron feared. If the girls had no set destination then there was no way to know where they were going. That meant he would soon be reduced to tracking them—a slow process that gave them the advantage. Worse, he would not be surprised if they had learned ways to hide their trail. The Murray lasses had already revealed that they had skills that most well-bred lasses did not. He was determined, however, not to be defeated by a pair of skinny lasses, even if he had to trail the brats right up to the gates of Donncoill.

It was noon before Avery felt it was safe enough to take a rest. She and Gillyanne slid off the horse, both groaning softly. The small copse they had found was perfect, however. Shaded, cool, with a small brook trickling through it and plenty of fresh grass for the horse. Gillyanne helped her wipe the horse down, water it and tether it. Then they both collapsed beneath a tree. It was several moments before either of them had the strength to search the bags on the horse for some food and drink. To Avery’s delight, she also found Cameron’s map, and she studied it as she and her cousin nibbled on oatcakes and sipped at some wine.

“’Tis hard to ken where to go when we dinnae ken where we are,” Gillyanne murmured, slumping against the thick trunk of the tree and closing her eyes.

“True, but as soon as we find out where we are, this will be a great help.” Avery relaxed next to her cousin.

“Do ye think Cameron will hunt us for verra long?”

“Longer than we may like. He is a stubborn oaf.”

“And, we stole his horse.”

Avery grinned. “Aye, we did that. Howbeit, I think he will hunt us down mostly because he willnae be able to stomach being defeated by two wee lasses.”

Gillyanne nodded. “That would sorely sting a mon’s pride.”

“And Cameron has a lot of that.”

“I was a little surprised that ye were so quick to flee.”

“Nay that quick.” Avery sighed. “I hesitated. Then he gave me that look.”

“What look?”

“That arrogant
I ken I am winning
look. So, I kicked it off his face.”

She smiled faintly when Gillyanne giggled. “So, this is all his own fault. If he had nay looked so cursed sure of himself, I would probably still be sitting there trying to convince myself to flee. There was a verra large part of me that wanted to stay right there, close to him. All I could think of was how, if I succeeded in escaping, I might ne’er see the mon again.”

“Dinnae sound so disgusted with yourself.” Gillyanne patted Avery’s hand. “Considering your feelings for the mon, ’tis only natural ye wouldnae want to leave him, especially fearing that it might be forever. Payton would understand.”

“Aye, he would, but I am nay sure it would ease my guilt much. ’Tis sinful, but my greatest regret is that I didnae give in at least once ere I left him.”

“’Twould be mine.”

“Truly?”

“Truly. Such a fierce passion is a rare thing. Our parents have told us so. So has Elspeth. ’Tis what we all search for. That passion coupled with love. We want what our parents have. Ye could see a chance for it.” Gillyanne winked at Avery. “Try to soothe yourself by recalling that ’tis all Cameron’s fault ye cannae try to see if that fierce passion is the seed of love.”

“It was in me,” Avery whispered, fighting the urge to weep. “And aye, ’tis all that fool’s fault. His sister’s, too. Mayhap ’tis indeed best that we escape, for I could act verra rashly if I e’er have to meet Payton’s accuser.”

Avery stood up and brushed herself off. “Best we start on our way again. We can travel slowly now.”

“Are ye certain?” Gillyanne asked as she followed Avery over to the horse.

“We havenae seen Cameron or Leargan for a long time. That means they must track us now and ’twill slow them down.” Even as she mounted, Gillyanne quickly getting up behind her, Avery caught the glint of something through the trees. “Curse it, I cannae believe he has found us.” A heartbeat later, Avery realized that those glints were from the sun touching on armor, and there were far more of them than could be produced by two men. “’Tisnae them.”

Gillyanne clutched Avery’s waist as her cousin urged their horse across the brook and into the thick trees on the other side. “Who is it?”

“I dinnae ken. Looks to be an army. So now we hide.”

“Hide? Wouldnae it be better to just ride away, verra swiftly?”

“They are close enough to hear or see us if we bolt,” Avery whispered as she nudged the horse into a thick stand of trees, the shadows comfortingly deep and concealing. “I think we should also get some idea of who else roams these woods.”

Avery leaned forward enough to keep her hand on the side of her mount’s head near his nose, prepared to muzzle him with her hand if the need arose. She could see the small army through the thick branches of the trees now as they paused to briefly water their horses. The pennant one carried was of the most interest to her, the arms upon it making her blood run cold. It was the DeVeaux, and she had the chilling feeling they were armed and ready for something that would mean trouble or grief for her.

“Avery,” Gillyanne said, the soft hint of a question in her voice

“Hush. ’Tis still enough that I may be able to catch a word or two which will tell me why these bastards are here.”

It was only a few moments later when Avery decided she had heard more than enough. DeVeau wanted his money back and cared not if he slaughtered every MacAlpin to get it. It had been foolish to think, simply because the man had not immediately set after them, that he would be willing to let so much of his coin leave his hands. As she watched the men ride away, Avery knew she was faced with a hard decision. Did she and Gillyanne continue on in their escape, or did they ride back and warn the MacAlpins? She sighed as she ruefully admitted the decision had been made the moment she knew about the threat.

“The DeVeaux are going to kill them,” Gillyanne said.

“I ken it.” Avery shook her head. “I think we might have actually been successful this time.”

“We go back to warn them?”

“As soon as I can figure out the best way to do so without tripping o’er the DeVeaux.”

Gillyanne nodded. “I thought that was what ye would decide.”

“Why? Cameron means to use us against our clan, against Payton. He means to ransom you and dishonor me. He and his men didnae attack our French kinsmen, but they were in DeVeau’s hire. We should be wishing the DeVeaux good luck and hying for a port.” Avery nudged her horse back across the brook.

“Aye, we probably should, and no one would blame us—but we willnae.”

“Nay, we willnae. We will put our own skinny necks in danger trying to save our captors. Misled as Cameron and the others are, they dinnae deserve to be slaughtered.”

“Nay, they dinnae,” agreed Gillyanne. “Think we can reach the camp faster than DeVeau’s dogs can?”

“We can only try. And they dinnae look to be in any great hurry.”

“Mayhap they dinnae ken where Cameron’s camp is.”

“They may not ken exactly, but they ken what port he heads to.” She nudged her mount into a steady trot, heading back the way they had just come but in a straighter line. “It may be but a good guess, or one of the MacAlpins told one of DeVeau’s men. Nay out of betrayal, simply nay kenning the depths of treachery his new master would sink to. Ye watch for any sign of a MacAlpin or that we have drifted too close to the DeVeaux. I will set my mind on getting us back to that camp as fast as possible.”

As they rode, Avery prayed for success. Despite the situation Cameron had pulled her into, and his accusations against her brother, she certainly did not want to see him killed or maimed, or any of his people hurt, either. She suspected she would feel the same even if she did not care about the fool. Brief though the acquaintance had been, she liked the MacAlpins and did not wish to see them cut down by DeVeau treachery and greed. All she could do now, however, was try to keep herself and Gillyanne safe, yet reach the MacAlpins in time to save them.

“Jesu, took there, Cameron,” said Leargan, his voice softened by both surprise and caution.

Cameron looked in the direction his cousin pointed, and swore. He was thrilled to see Avery and her cousin close enough to capture, yet was confused as to why they were. They had executed a skillful escape, covering their tracks well. He had just admitted to himself that he had lost them, yet here they were, riding straight back toward his camp and captivity.

“Think they are lost?” Cameron asked, doubting it.

“I would be most disappointed if it was that simple,” replied Leargan.

“Yet why are they returning to camp?”

“Mayhap because they have decided that we are the lesser of two evils. They are being followed, cousin.”

Cameron cursed and nudged his mount into a gallop even as the two men trailing Avery picked up speed. He was relieved to hear Gillyanne cry out a warning. Avery kicked his horse into a gallop, but it would be a close-run race. He signaled Leargan to take down the man on the left even as he headed for the man on the right.

Avery felt as if her heart had leapt into her throat when Gillyanne cried out a warning. She caught a brief glimpse of two DeVeau men rapidly approaching and kicked her horse into a gallop. It was going to be a race to see who reached the MacAlpin camp first, and Avery wished she could feel more certain of victory.

Then, Gillyanne cried out again and Avery glanced behind her, terrified briefly that the DeVeau men had gotten close enough to hurt her cousin. When she recognized the two men close on the heels of the DeVeau hounds, she was elated to be rescued, though she decided it might be wise to keep right on running.

“’Tis Cameron and Leargan,” Gillyanne said.

“I ken it,” replied Avery.

“Cannae we stop running now?”

“Nay. The DeVeaux are clearly a lot closer than I thought they were, and Cameron will demand some explanations, if he e’en lets me speak.”

“How far?”

“Ten, mayhap fifteen minutes at this speed.”

“Weel, hie on, cousin.”

“I intend to.”

Cameron watched as the man he had just killed tumbled out of the saddle; then he quickly grasped the reins of the man’s horse. He looked to see Leargan just doing the same. When he saw that Avery still raced toward camp, he swore and then hitched the man’s mount securely to his. Leargan hurried to his side, also towing a horse.

“Why does she still flee?” Leargan asked, even as he and Cameron started to chase after the two Murray females.

“I begin to think the question we should ask is: Why are these DeVeau swine so close?” muttered Cameron.

“They are DeVeau’s men? Ye are sure?”

“Verra. I recognized the one I just had to kill.”

“An attack?”

“I fear it may be.”

Leargan cursed fiercely for a moment. “The lasses are trying to save our hides.”

Cameron just curtly nodded. This was going to cause him trouble. Avery and Gillyanne had obviously tossed aside their very good chance at freedom to warn him and his people. They had even put themselves in danger to do so. His people were going to think the lasses deserved to be rewarded because of that. Briefly, Cameron tried to convince himself that this was the only reason Avery was doing it—for freedom and a safe escort home—but he could not do it. His long-held cynicism refused to reach out and include Avery.

Despite that, he would continue with his plan. His sister’s needs had to come first. Using Avery was still the best way to pay back the insult done to his sister, and to get her the husband she needed. It did not ease his guilt much to know that Avery would probably understand. She would never let him forget the debt he owed her, but she would still understand why he could not reward her with her freedom.