The Highlander's Conquest (14 page)

There was a shuffling of feet, and the voices receded. Yet, still
she and Blane
remained
motionless
. Below, she could hear the stable hands moving the horses around.
She prayed they had the good sense
to take the saddles and reins for her part
y’
s mounts aside so they could easily escape.

When at last there was silence, Blane sat up and she too rose beside him. Her sneeze had luckily abated.

“We must leave now,” Blane said, his voice hushed but urgent.

Aliah nodded. “What of our things?”

“The
Kerrs
know the drill. Our horses will be ready and our bags already fastened. We need but climb down and mount.”

“Then, let us depart. That man makes me nervous.”

“He should make y
e
more than nervous. The Sassenachs are
a
vile, malicious lot.”

Longshanks was definitely a harsh king, but that did not make all the English so horrid.
Aliah raised a brow, and Blane curled on
e
side of his mouth in a teasing smile.

“Well, my lady, most of them are. At least those in league with Longshanks.”

She nodded, although she didn’t know much about the war between the English and Scots, she’d heard from Arbella the horrid things the English kin
g
was doing, and it wasn’t something she believed in. The Scots were their own people, their own nation and they should be allowed as much freedom as the English.

As they moved to stand, the loud obnoxious voice of Lord Surrey sounded below
once more
. He shouted to one of the groomsmen about his horse. At the same time, Blane silently moved over her, flattening her to the wooden, hay-strewn floor with his body.

Aliah’s breath caught at the danger and at the feel of his hard
length
covering every inch of her.
Eyes wide
,
she gaze
d
up into Blane’s face. His own eyes had darkened into the color of pine needles. Their gazes locked, breaths coming hard and ragged as one.
He didn’t have to tell her to keep quiet, she knew the danger the
y
were in should they be discovered.

Even the position they were in literally would change both of their futures, but that didn’t stop her body from heating at his touch.
A slow, warm ache built up from her toes and fingers and slowly made its way to her breasts and her core. Aliah licked her lips, wanting to feel his
mouth
on hers. Desiring his hands on her breasts. Needing him to take that aching pulse that sat between her thighs and…and…

Blane must have seen her thoughts mirrored in her eyes, as his lids bec
a
me heavy with desire and he shifted his weight
s
o the hardness of his shaft pressed to the apex of her thighs. Aliah tried hard not to buck at the intimate touch and what it meant. She could not, however, keep her body from shuddering.

A wicked smile curled tantalizingly on Blane’s lips as she sh
iv
ered and he leaned down, she thought to kiss her.
T
he voices and sounds from below faded into the background and all she could hear now was the thudding of her heart and the shallow breaths she took. But he didn’
t kiss her lips. His mouth skimmed her cheek, his warm breath sending tingles of pleasure throughout her body. She closed her eyes, letting her senses come alive. The scent of outdoors, leather and fresh soap covered his flesh. There was another scent too…one she couldn’t quite put her finger on, other than to say it was the scent of desire.

Blane’s lips brushed the lobe of her ear, and he took that sensitive flap of skin between his teeth. Aliah bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out. Of their own volition, her hips rocked, sending lightning to pass through her thighs and
into that sheath her wicked body begged for him to plant himself inside of.

“Ye lied, my lady,” he said so quietly she could barely make out his words.

She shook her head. No lies had passed her lips.

“
Oy
, aye, ye did.” As if his purpose was to distract her from the words he uttered, his tongue came out to trace the shell of her ear. “Ye told
Mistress Kerr
ye were spoken for.”

Now,
that
she had done. But she was. How could he say she was lying?

As if reading her thoughts, he went on, his lips brushing back over her cheek
,
settling
a mere breath over her mouth. His words were not so much whispered as breathed, “No one’s claimed ye yet.”

With those words uttered, his lips came down hard on hers—claiming her. There was such power in his kiss. Such sensuality, Aliah thought she’d drown from it. Her entire body was a boneless mass of pleasurable sensations. She couldn’t think straight, didn’t want to. Never wanted this kiss to end.

Blane’s tongue slipped between her willing lips to stroke over hers, and she met him with a fierceness of her own. Wanted to claim this man as he’d done to her. Refused to be intimidated by his power, his prowess. She was a daring woman herself. A woman with desires and passion, which only this man seemed to bring out. Aliah wanted him to feel everything she felt. She wanted him to become as undone as
she was, to soar within the heights of passion.
Unbidden, her hands stroked over his strong back
, feeling the muscles ripple, over
his spine, his neck, burying in his thick hair.

Her fingers tangled between his locks, softer than she’d expected, and an altogether del
icious sensation for her fingertips
.

Beyond
touch
though, were the sensations whipping through the rest of her body. Her nipples were taut, straining
for his touch. Between her thighs was damp, and she couldn’t stop herself from squirming. Only the firm grip of his hands on her hips kept her still. He broke their kiss only for a moment to tease her ear again and whisper, “
Shh
...”

’Twas then she realized they were not alone, but still in the loft. Oh, what a wicked woman she’d become, but she didn’t care. She wanted this. Needed this. If anything, her se
ns
ual adventures with Blane would last her
a
lifetime in the cold and loneliness of the church.
His kiss only served to remind her of what solitary existence awaited her—and that dulled her passion.

Refusing
to think about it at all now
,
Aliah threw herself back into the kiss, tasting, licking, nibbling, exploring.
Blane’s hands tightened on her hips as he too devoured her lips. Slowly, his fingers traveled up over her ribs, before
stopping at the sides of her breasts. She waited, praying he would touch her soon, but he stilled his movements. If she could speak she would beg him to touch her, but voicing her desires would only get them caught. Instead she arched her back, hoping that movement would give him the permission he waited for.

The move worked. Aliah sighed into his mouth as his thumbs brushed over her turgid nipples, and his palms massaged the roundness of her breasts. This was heaven. This was decadence.

This was sin.

A sin she’d gladly take punishment for.

’Twas then she noticed her right wayward leg, slipping up around his hips, allowing
him
to settle deeper between her thighs.

The pleasure was almost too much as Blane removed his hand from her breast to slip up her calf, beneath her gown and massage her bare thigh. At the same time
,
his hips pressed back and forth at the juncture of her thighs. Aliah
couldn’t breathe. She gasped into his mouth, sucked at his tongue.

“My lady?” came an urgent whisper.

With a silent cry, Aliah jerked her mouth from Blane’s and tried to scramble from beneath him.

“My lady? Are ye up there?”

“
Mo
creach
!” Blane whispered.

“Aye,” Aliah said back quietly.

“They’ve gone inside to sup, ye had best fly now.”

Aliah attempted to smooth her hair, but it was impossible to remove all of the hay that seemed to have become a permanent feature.

Blane smiled at her roguishly, as if he were proud to see her so mussed. Even with a flaming face, Aliah rolled her eyes, and descended the ladder he replaced.
Mistress Kerr
met them at the bottom, her shrewd eyes scanning them both.

“
Ye’d
best make haste. ’Tis a nasty lot. They made no qualms
about
running down one
of
my sister’s babes.”

“What?” Aliah gasped. “Is the child all right?”

“Aye, she’ll live. A few scrapes and bruises, nothing broken.”

“Bastards,” Blane seethed.

“Oh, aye. And they’ve a band of outlaws with them.”

“Sassenachs?” Blane asked.

Mistress Kerr
shook her head. “Nay. Scots.”

Blane’s features darkened into a scowl that made Aliah shiver. She never wanted to be on the end of that anger. His jaw twitched and he glanced in the opposite direction
Mistress Kerr
wanted them to go.

“Ye must go, Sir Blane. They
willna
hesitate
to run ye through and there are a lot of them. Ye must take care of Lady Aliah.”

Those words seemed to
draw
him from his intent of heading back to the inn. Aliah couldn’t understand why, but she felt the pull from him, the need to see who those men
were. She shivered, and let
Mistress Kerr
usher her to the back door of the stables.

“Will you not get in trouble when they notice all the horses gone?”

The innkeeper shook her head. “Never ye mind, we’ll take care. We’ve dealt with them
a
fore.”

Aliah couldn’t help giving the woman a last minute hug, before Blane hoisted her onto her own borrowed mount. His men already waited
, having come out from their own hiding places
. W
ithin seconds, they were riding
briskly
away from the Fir Tree Inn.

Chapter
Fourteen

T
hey rode hard through the afternoon, avoiding roadways when possible and
stay
ing hidden in the shadows whenever the
noise
of an approaching rider sounded.
When they were crossing through a
valley or over a ridge, completely exposed
, Aliah tried to keep herself from trembling, to ward off the imaginative foe that ambushed them from every possible hiding place.
She even imagined men camouflaged in grass rising up from the fields to strike them with deadly blows.
The sky was grey, threatening either a cold rain or snow, she wasn’t sure which, only knew she wished for neither.

Blane whispered explanations of the ongoing war between the Scots and English. The rulings of King Edward and how they oppressed the people—
Blane’s
people.
He spoke of his family’s close ties to Wallace, the Scots freedom fighter who led the battle at Stirling Bridge to victory
—the place Arbella had been saved by his brother
. Of his clan, his
siblings. The importance of wool trade and how it had increased their income over recent years.

Aliah found her
self feeling sympathetic toward
the Scottish people’s fight for freedom, which felt like a betrayal to her own country. But to feel otherwise in itself seemed a sin.
Perhaps this was why her sister had agreed to marry a
Scot.
Arbella was known to be compassionate too.
She would not have been able to abide an English noble occupying Scotland, especially if that man had been anything like Lord Surrey. Just thinking of her near brush with the man, Aliah shivered.

“Blane,” Aliah cried out as they passed yet another burned out village and miles of smoking fields. The crisp crops were blackened to soot, and the once standing buildings completely demolished into piles of ruin. This fire had only occurred
within the last day or so
.

Blane and his men looked alert, surrounding her in a cocoon of warrior flesh
as
they surveyed the area.

“The Sassenachs have burned yet another village,” Liam muttered.

“Aye. I see no survivors,” Blane replied.

“Where could the people have gone?” Aliah asked.

“Hopefully they ran when they heard the approach of the English
bastards
,” said Blane. “Even still, we must tread carefully. These fields are still smoking, there is no way to tell which way or when the
Sassenachs
left here.”

“Why would they burn the fields? Couldn’t they use the resources?” she asked.

Blane shook his head. “The fields are mostly harvested now. They took what they could find
and
burned the rest because they could, because it hurts a man where it counts when his sole ability to provide for his family is literally burned to ash.” His voice was bitter acid
and his words a harsh dose of reality.

Men and war… She couldn’t fathom
why some felt the need to oppress others. Why could not everyone live peacefully?
To not only take their lives, but their homes, their
everything
.

Passing the burned village, Blane led them onto a path in the trees, giving them some cover from any enemy that might linger.

They slowed their pace so the men could meander in and out of the woods, checking on any hidden forces and to keep themselves from notice. Eventually they found a
burn, the sound of the water trickling gave Aliah a sense of peace. They
took a brief moment
of
rest. Once more Aliah’s body cried out
from
stiffness, her rear completely numb. She was at least grateful for having a horse without a shifty gate, and for the distance her own mount provided her from Blane.
Having a stiff body that also burned with a heated desire she barely understood would only make riding with him more difficult.

“How much f
a
rther to our destination?” Aliah asked, hoping she didn’t sound like she was
grumbling
. “I’ve lost track now.”

Blane gave her a charismatic smile that reminded her of every single kiss, touch, stroke, smile and whispered word. “Not much longer ‘til we reach my sister Lorna’s castle.
She married Laird Montgomery a few months back.
We shall stay there the night and then continue to Stirling, where we’ll cross the bridge and be ever closer to the Highlands.”

Aliah nodded. “’Tis colder here,” she observed.
“Did you say Stirling? Isn’t that where the battle
occurred
?”

“Aye
. S
now will be coming soon.”
It appeared he would ignore her second question but then he answered her. “
Ye’ve
nothing
to
fear from those who hold
Stirling,
but we will have to be careful. I’ve word that King Edward has spies keeping their sights on the castle. They’re likely spoiling for a fight. Mayhap Mother Nature will be on our side and allow a snow fall to distract
the
English spies.”

Aliah shook her head. She did not want to travel in the snow.
“I hope we’ve reached your home by then.
I don’t like to be cold…
”

Blane
mov
ed
his horse
closer, and she swore she could feel the heat of his body emanating from him.

“There are ways to keep warm,” he said quiet enough for her ears alone.

Her cheeks heated and she looked down at
her horse’s mane
. “’Tis not possible for us to be together, Blane.”

“Aye, I know it.” His voice sounded dejected and she chanced a glance upward.

His jaw muscle ticked as he looked off in the distance. Without her permission, words fell from her lips. “But I wouldn’t mind if we were to keep each other warm in other ways.”
What in all the heavens had she just said?

With a brow raised, he swung his eyes back toward hers, raking his hot gaze up and down her form.
She meant they could
innocently
share each other’s hea
t
.

“That didn’t come out the way I
wanted,” she said in a whisper, hands tightening on the reins.

Blane s
hifte
d
even
closer, his
uninjured
thigh brushing hers.
She was a little unnerved that Frosty
, trotting beside them,
didn’t even bother to push them apart.

“I think it came out exactly the way ye wanted it, my lady.” Then he leaned
, slowing his gait, and
whisper
ed,
“Ye might say
ye’re
for the church, but we both know
ye’
v
e
too passionate
a
nature for that.”

A call from one of his men meant they had to ride
a little harder
,
and that she couldn’t reply to his scandalous—
but
true
—
statement.
Aliah would never survive the strict rules of the church, and now that she’d tasted passion, she wasn’t likely to forget or n
ot
ever desire it again.
However, what did he mean by his words? Was he offering for her? Surely not…

Blane
took a moment to glance at her,
raked his hands through his hair.

“My father would see me married,” she said, wondering if Blane would make his intentions or lack of intentions known.

“Then the baron probably has a man in mind for ye.” Regret flashed in his eyes, but the words were uttered, and she fully understood his meaning.

Despite steamy kisses, he would not ask her to join him on the subsequent journeys through life. She was left bereft, and numbly
prodded
her horse into
a faster gait
with the rest of the group.

The church, which she’d once found haven in, seemed to
be
her only option.
Had she truly thought there could be a future between her and Blane? Aliah felt more naïve than ever. Her life had been so sheltered and now she’d been thrust into reality. A dangerous reality, where people were intent on harming her and a certain man had already done more damage to her soul than all the outlaws had done to her
sense of safety
.

Blane wanted to run headlong into the next tree he passed. To smash his thick skull again and again.

Why did he bother to trifle with the girl if he was only going to turn around and tell her she
was on her own? He felt like an
u
tt
er cad. Lower than low.

He should have left well enough alone. But he couldn’t. Blane was drawn to her. Her essence, her smile, her very nature. And those lips… He couldn’t get enough of them. Every time she glance
d
at him, her blue eyes wide with curiosity and their depths filled with a passion he’d only just begun to tap, he lost all sense
of
what was right and what was wrong. Being in her arms
felt
right.

But it wasn’t.

Aliah would never be his. He himself wouldn’t allow it. Her father would certainly never condone it.

Blane was not good enough for Aliah. She deserved to marry a man with a title,
his own home, land
. A man who would be there, not one that would spend most of his time disguised as someone else.
Not someone who was bent on revenge and could spare no more.

Glancing her way, he wanted to tell her that. How did one say they
were attracted to
a person, wanted to be with them, but it just wasn’t meant to be? Was it even worth the telling?
D
ejected
.
That’s how she appeared when he’d said her father would likely have someone in mind for her to wed. That forlorn, lost expression ripped at his heart.
As tough as he was, Blane wasn’t the type of man who blatantly went around breaking women’s hearts. All the same, ’twas an instance that kept repeating itself.

Not only did she deserve someone better than himself, she deserved a man with a clear conscience, and right now, Blane’s conscience carried a wagon full of demons.

He couldn’t shake
Mistress Kerr
’s words either. The Sassenach lord had traveled with a band of Scots outlaws. If only he’d been able to take a look at just one of them… His gut told him that those men were the one’s he’d spent
over a decade
looking for. But the innkeeper was right. His mission was to take Aliah to her sister.
Aliah
didn’t deserve to be thrust into the midst of a battle. As soon as he saw her to Dunrobin, he would head out and find Lord Surrey himself. Then he could determine whether his intuition was right, or if
he
was simply going mad with grief and guilt.