Chapter 12

Harley sidled her way down the staircase, her back pressed against the wall, moving with a silence born of sheer desperation.She didn't have a clue as to where she was headed, all she knew was she had to go. For the last unbelievable hour, she had listened to Aveline, and she'd be damned if she stayed around to be manipulated by the MacKays anymore.

Ronan, Rachel, and Laird Caelan had stood on either side of the sniveling young woman, their heads bowed and faces dark with anger and shame.

Awestruck into silence, Harley had sat there, staring at Aveline, unable to believe anyone could be so selfish as to hatch such an outlandish plan.If not for the fact that she sat in Scotland in the 1400s, she would have thought Ronan's sister was insane.

As soon as Aveline had tearfully hiccupped out her story—for that was how it had come across—like some twisted fairy tale, not a confession or apology.Harley had stared at her for a long, heart-stopping moment, then bolted for her room.She'd locked herself inside and pressed her back against the door, ignoring Ronan's incessant hammering and pleas to open it and let him in. She'd shut her eyes and gritted her teeth until he'd given up and left her alone.

A raw, somehow wrong sense of pride in staying strong against him had filled her—still did. He was the one thing in all this chaos that she didn't want to leave. Her pirate Highlander had an inexplicable pull to him. He drew her in like a moth to a flame. Well, her wings had been singed before, and thanks to Aveline, they now smelled a little burnt again.

And now it was time to go. She had to get out.At this point, the where of her plan would be figured out as she went along.If she survived this century, great.If she didn't, well, she'd decided if that was her fate, then so be it.She'd never been a coward before and wasn't about to start now. All she knew for certain was she could not spend another minute under the same roof with the person who had ripped her away from everything she had ever known.

Ellen had laundered and neatly folded her jeans, cotton pullover, and twenty-first century underpinnings and placed them on the top shelf of the wardrobe. Her sneakers were there beside them too. Harley had carefully returned the borrowed dress to the peg on the screen and donned her clothes, thankful that the opinionated yet kindly maid hadn't discarded them.

Now, the back staircase to the outer entranceRonan had shown her earlier in the day served her well.With any luck, that friendly little mare from the stable would allow herself to be saddled for an unscheduled ride into the night. Harley loved animals, always had, and they always loved her. Hopefully, that sweet fifteenth-century beastie wouldn't be any different.

The outer bailey was silent, with only the occasional shadow flitting across the cobblestones as a clansman standing watch upon the battlements strolled beneath the light of the waning moon.She melted into the shadow of the wall until she was positive the guard had crossed to the other side of the tower.With a tight hold on the dark plaid around her shoulders and hugging her supplies to her chest, she stole across the yard to the stable door.She paused and strained to hear if anyone was inside. Satisfied at the quiet within, she slipped through the door and was greeted by the curious whickering of the mare she'd met earlier in the day.

"Hello, friend," she crooned softly to the horse. "I'm happy to see you too. How about we go for a moonlight ride?"

The roan mare perked her ears, as if anxious for an adventure.

Harley ducked under the stall's bar and hurried to saddle the amicable beast. She tied her cloth bag of supplies—bread, dried meat, and a skin of water—to the saddle, then mounted the patient mare.During her flight out of the keep, it had occurred to her that filching the food and stealing away appeared to be going entirely too easily, but she would take it. "I'm due some good luck. Hopefully, karma remembers I'm not such a bad person and helps me out." Once seated in the saddle, she leaned over the animal's neck and stayed low as they slipped across the yard and exited the gate.

That was another thing. The MacKays had a guard walking the wall but left the portcullis up and the wooden gates open? Was that standard Scottish defense? She glanced back over her shoulder, squinting at the window of the guardhouse. The guard was right there, watching her, but didn't sound the alarm. She peered harder. There was a tall, shadowy figure behind him, watching too. But neither said a word. Maybe the MacKays wanted her gone as badly as she wanted to leave. Fine by her. That made her exit easier on all of them. Although, it did kind of hurt her feelings. She'd truly thought Ronan was as drawn to her as she was to him. She shook her head. "Stop it. It's better this way, and you know it."

She urged the horse to a faster pace in case whoever was in the guardhouse changed their mind. Once they galloped across the bridge spanning the narrow ravine, she released the breath she'd held since spotting the watchers in the guardhouse. "Come on, little mare. Let's find a nice, quiet place to lie low for a while."

A moonlit trail prompted her to veer to the right and head for the coast.If memory served and her history lessons were the least bit accurate, most settlements would be along the shore. She glanced down at her apparel and had second thoughts about not bringing along the fifteenth-century clothing to fit in better with any population she happened to find. Her jeans, pullover, and sneakers would be hard to explain. She rolled her shoulders and shook the worry away. "I'm not going back for clothes. I'll figure it out."

An eerie feeling of being watched made her twitch her shoulders again. She pulled the mare to a halt and twisted in the saddle, looking all around while listening for the sound of someone following. Nothing but the steady shushing of the nearby waves hitting the shore came to her. No movement caught her eye. The nearby woods concerned her a bit. Someone could easily hide in those shadows the trees provided.

"Move, if you are there," she said under her breath, while staring at the darkest part of the forest. Nothing happened. The only movement was the trees shifting in the wind.

"I'm paranoid." But after all that had happened, she had the right to be. She urged the horse onward, noticing the trail gently sloped downward, and the hard packed dirt was softening with the addition of a sandy loam.The steady music of the waves got louder, and when she rounded the last huge outcropping of boulders, she discovered she'd escaped to a deserted horseshoe bay that led to nowhere.

Harley eyed the tiny deserted bay and shook her head. "Well, dammit."

She dismounted, tied off the reins to a scraggly bush, and walked farther down the beach to make sure she wasn't mistaken about the bay.With another shake of her head, she returned to the mare."You could've told me we were headed for a dead end. I thought we were friends?"

"She knew it was the safest place to take ye. Friends take care of one another."A huge black stallion stepped out from the shadows beside the mound of stones and touched noses with the little mare chewing at what leaves she could reach.Astride the great horse, dressed all in black, was a scowling Ronan, glaring at her with his hands resting on the lip of the saddle.

Harley's heart geared up to a hard, pounding rate, making her swallow hard. She squared her shoulders and shifted to put the mare between them. "Go home, Ronan. I am no longer the responsibility of you or your family."

"Like hell ye're not." Dismounting in one smooth, powerful move, his dark cape billowed out behind him. It snapped in the rising wind as he slowly strode toward her. "'Tis not safe for ye to travel alone.I have come to bring ye back."

"I'm not going back. Go away."She kept her gaze locked on him while trying to untangle the reins from the bush. Everything had been going so well—until now.

His eyes were dark and unreadable, his mouth hard and unsmiling. His approach never slowed. He stalked toward her like a hunter determined to capture its prey. "Ye will come with me. Either willingly or not.I will be damned straight to the hottest parts of hell before I allow ye to ride off to some unsavory fate because of yer sheer bullheadedness. I have had my fill of women who think they can do as they damn well please without giving a care as to the consequences. We will begin anew, ye and me. Somehow."

Burning rage shot through her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes."Women who think they can do as they damn well please? Your sister stole my life away, and you dare lump me in with that self-serving little beast?Go home, MacKay!As I said, my fate is no longer your concern and as far as your fill—you can shove it."

Lightening split the clouds roiling in to blot out the light of the moon. Deafening thunder crashed like boulders dropped from the sky, shaking the ground. Glancing up, Harley stared in bewilderment at the quickly rising storm.

With one great stride, Ronan closed the distance between them and jerked the reins out of her hands.He grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her off the ground, forcing her to meet his gaze."Aye, my sister stole yer life.But I'll not stand idly by and allow ye to throw the rest of it away.Ye will return with me whether ye like it or not."

Harley kicked hard, landing a solid hit to his groin.As he doubled over, she brought her knee up under his chin and knocked him back onto the sand."As I said MacKay—shove it!"

Just as she recovered the reins to her horse, she found her feet jerked out from under her. Ronan yanked on her ankle, pulling her toward him.She scrabbled flat on her stomach, then rolled in his grasp and kicked at his face.

Growling like an enraged beast, he caught hold of her free foot, crawled his way up her body, pinned her shoulders in the sand, and forced her to meet his glare.She kicked and bucked, trying to dislodge him, growing more enraged the longer he held her down. Hands full of sand, she threw it into his eyes, causing him to shift his weight.As he bellowed at her success, more lightning and thunder shattered the skies. The clouds opened, sending rain and hail pelting down.

She finally bucked free as he was trying to clear the dirt from his eyes.Scuttling away on her hands and knees, a roar of rage ripped free of her throat as he grabbed her ankle again and dragged her back to him.

As the storm built and the rain sluiced down, he grabbed her hair, forced her head back, and stared down into her face. He narrowed his eyes and thunder once again shook the earth as he crushed his mouth onto hers.

His lips were hard and unrelenting as he worked her mouth open wider, claiming her with a determination she'd never experienced before. He crushed her against his chest and stroked the line of her jaw as he drove his tongue deeper, demanding her to yield with every possessive thrust. This was not just a kiss. This was a vow, a bonding that neither time nor tide would ever erase. The connection both staggered and thrilled her. They clicked, for lack of a better term. He was the missing piece to her puzzle—the part she had always searched for, the part she needed to be complete.

When he lifted his head and stared down at her, the fiery resolution in his eyes shook her to her core. "Come with me. To my ship,"he said, his voice deep and raw with passion. It was neither a question nor an invitation, but a call to war if she chose to rise to the challenge.

An urgent breathlessness spurred by panic and pure unadulterated lust made it so hard to think, impossible to be logical, rather than animalistic. She fought to ignore the raging inferno he had kindled.If she gave in to him, then what?She was not a subservient woman of this century. She would never be the sort to bow her head and accept whatever a man said—no matter his handsomeness or the possessiveness in his eyes.

She was already so vulnerable.So unsure of herself.But the way he looked at her, the way he held her, she hadn't felt this connected to another human being since—ever.She needed him. A shuddering breath escaped her. She needed him a damn sight more than she was ready to admit.Did she have the courage? Would she rise to the challenge?

"Fine," she whispered. "I will go with you—just this once."

He inhaled deeply and locked her in a hypnotic stare."Domum recurro," he uttered, then touched his forehead to hers.

The air around them crackled as though electrified. A myriad of colors whirled around her. She squinted her eyes shut against the dizzying energy and tucked her face against the warm, muscular curve of his throat. She had to escape the strange, blinding haze.

Then the luxurious softness of a feather mattress cradled her. The plump firmness of a lush pillow was tucked under her head.She opened her eyes and found herself staring into Ronan's watchful gaze.

"Where are we?" she whispered, afraid to look.

"On my ship."

Was he as dangerous as his sister? Would he attempt to manipulate her if she didn't do what he wished? Her heartbeat roared in her ears, threatening to make her retch. "You do magic too?"

"Magic is a part of me.But never a part ye should fear.I would never bring harm to ye, Harley, or use it to force ye to bend to my will." His dark brows drew together, pain and regret shadowing his gaze. "I swear to protect ye for all of my days."He smoothed her wet hair out of her face and softly ran the heel of his thumb across her bottom lip."I am sorry for all that has happened, lass." He seemed to be battling with himself. "But it would be a lie if I said that I was sorry ye are here." He pressed his forehead to hers again. "I need ye, Harley. I am drawn to ye—and heaven help me if ye ever cast me aside."

She turned her head away. Unshed tears of uncertainty burned her eyes. How could she trust him?Was it just duty making him say these things, or did he really want her? If it was only duty, that would soon fade. She had been down the road of empty promises before.

He gently forced her to face him. Ever so softly, he tasted her mouth—a precious caress this time with the subtle promise of so much more.He pressed tender kisses to her eyelids and nuzzled his way to the tender flesh behind her ear, all the while barely trailing his fingertips along her collarbone. "Trust me, lass. Dinna fear I will hurt ye or ever cast ye away. I promise—as retribution for my sister's selfish ways—I will always protect ye and stay by yer side."

And there it was. Duty. Paying for his sister's sins. His words doused her fires as effectively as an ice bath. She even shuddered. "We are done here.I need to find the little mare and take her back to the castle."She shoved him. "Get off me. Now."

"What?"He stared at her, his face a storm of disbelief. "But, Harley?—"

"Let me up. Nothing is going to happen between us. Not now. Not ever.I appreciate your oath and all that—and if you want to protect me the rest of my life? Fine. Do—whatever."She pushed up from the bed and yanked at her wet clothes, doing her best to straighten them and wring them out. "But that's it. I do have some pride, and pity sex is something I'll never need. Not from you. Not from anyone."

"Pity sex?"He scowled at her, glaring at her like a caged animal about to escape and eat its captor.

"Yes. Pity sex. As in, you intend to sleep with me because you feel it's your duty." She jutted her chin higher. "When a man makes love to me, it's going to be because he loves me—not because he feels guilty over some stunt his sister pulled."

"I assure ye, lass, my need to make love to ye doesna fall under the heading of duty. I need to be joined with ye. I ache to make ye mine."

She arched a sleek brow and tilted her head."So, you're saying that even though you've only known me a scant few days, you find yourself madly in love with me?"

He clenched his fists at his sides and the sound of rumbling thunder grew louder once again."At the moment, I would say I'm finding myself sorely tried by ye and ready to turn ye across my knee and smack yer arse for ye!"

She tossed her wet hair and headed for the door. "Good. As long as you're just as miserable as I am, there might be some hope for this century yet!"

As she crossed the ship and stomped down the gangplank an enraged roar back in the captain's cabin battled for supremacy over the deafening thunder shaking the land.