Chapter 1

Afamiliar noise roused Sky from her light slumber. As she slowly emerged from a fitful sleep, a sense of puzzlement enveloped her. Had she truly heard something, or had she imagined it? Or had it been nothing more than a remnant of a dream she failed to recall? The cloth hood secured over her head, so it could not be removed, coupled with the oppressive darkness of the cell, prevented her from discerning whether it was day or night. She had lost all grasp of time, uncertain of how many days had elapsed since her arrival or the duration since her sisters, Leora and Elsie, had managed to escape.

Struggling against the heaviness of her limbs, Sky attempted to stand. The shackles on her wrists and the chains connecting them to a cold, unyielding metal ring embedded in the stone wall seemed to gain weight with each passing day. The memories of her sister Leora's warning echoed in her mind. Pace often so that your legs are fit enough to run out of here when either I or Elsie return to rescue you.

She had lost hope without her sisters there to encourage her and had not continued to do as Leora advised so she could keep her legs strong. She attempted to stand but her feet protested, tingling from numbness. She had sat too long. She moved her feet back and forth to force feeling back into them. Then she braced her hand against the stone wall and struggled to get to her feet, but her legs would have none of it. She collapsed back on the floor with each try. How long had it been since she had initiated a deliberate pace within the cramped confines of her cell? Each intentional step she had taken had become a small act of rebellion, a defiance against the physical and mental constraints imposed upon her. The cell's size had been a mystery, revealed to her only by the exploratory reach of her hands, as the hood had been thrust over her head upon her arrival at Dundren Abbey. She discovered that, even in her shackled state, a stretch of her hand could graze the four enclosing walls.

Occasionally, a sliver of light penetrated the otherwise impenetrable darkness, streaming through a narrow opening in the stone wall. The thin beam offered a fleeting connection to the outside world, ushering in a breath of fresh, chilled air. The spring nights stubbornly clung to the vestiges of winter, a reminder of the unpredictable Highland weather that could defy seasonal expectations.

Would she ever see the beauty of the forest again and visit with the animals? That she even questioned such a thing felt like a surrender to her dire circumstances. She needed to remain strong and believe that rescue would come soon. Her thoughts shifted to her sisters. She missed them. Elsie, the oldest, had escaped first with promises to return as soon as she could to free Leora and her. After what seemed like endless time had gone by but probably had barely been a few days, Leora grew worried that something had happened to Elsie that prevented her from returning with help. Leora's deep concern had her planning her own escape, though she was upset she could not take Sky with her. The shackles and chains made that impossible. Sky had encouraged her to go even though the thought of being alone, her sisters not there offering comfort and support, frightened her terribly.

She had no qualms that either sister would abandon her. Since she could recall, they always protected her, defended her, and prevented anyone from harming her due to her affliction. Lately, she worried that their escapes had failed and something terrible had happened to them.

Her head shot up when she thought she heard shouts. The monks were either arguing again or another poor soul had been left at Dundren Abbey in hopes that the monks could cure the person's madness. If a person did not suffer from madness when brought here, they did so after being here for a brief time. She could not imagine spending years here locked away, never to feel the frosty winter air nip at her face, feel the spring rain kiss her cheeks, or revel in the intoxicating scent of the forest any time of the year.

It had been a shock to her and her sisters upon arriving here to find out they were to be prisoners locked away in cells. Her da would have never sent his daughters here if he knew of the horrors suffered. So why had he sent them there? Her only thought that made sense was that he did not know what he was sending them into.

She had prayed often for her sisters' safety and that one of them or both would soon return and free her. She had been growing more frightened with every passing day that something may have happened to them. She missed her family, her da, her home, and she missed her mum more every day since her passing five years ago. Her family did not see her and judge her because of her affliction as others did. With family, she was safe. She did not feel safe here. She felt terrified.

Her heart ached terribly, and she tried to conjure the scent of the forest, a place that always brought peace to her heart and mind. With spring soon to take hold, the forest would have a subtle yet persistent scent that chased away the decay of winter and welcomed the onset of new birth. And the morning dew would kiss the leaves and grass with freshness. She breathed heavily as if she could truly smell the welcoming scent.

Then there were the forest animals. She had discovered when she was a young bairn that she had a remarkable bond with animals and birds, an infinity of sorts with nature's creatures. The squirrels and rabbits would come feed from her hand. The red tail deer would join her and nibble at the berries at the same bush as she did. Birds would perch on her shoulder and twitter as if talking with her. She made endless friends with cats and dogs and there was not a horse that was not calm around her. The animals did not judge her as people did, and she loved spending time with them.

She hated being away from all that was familiar and safe to her.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. She desperately wanted to go home, the memories tearing at her heart.

Angry shouts startled her out of her musings and fear mixed with a smattering of hope ran through her. Hope that her sisters had come for her with men from their clan demanding her release or fearful the abbey could be under attack. But from whom?

"Move your arse, monk!"

Upon hearing the harsh command, Sky scurried along on her bottom to tuck herself into a shadowy corner as if the darkness could shield her. Stumbling footfalls followed the shout. Was the monk being pushed or were the rushing footfalls hurrying to obey the demand?

"You have no right to take her."

Sky recognized Brother Emanual's voice. Though no one referred to him as Abbott, Sky had heard enough to know that he presently filled the Abbott position. He was a man of sizeable girth, not one who would stumble easily if pushed or if rushed. That meant the man commanding him had to be of a sizeable girth himself and he was here for a woman. She and Edith, an older woman, were the only two women here.

What Sky heard next sent a shivering fright through her.

"She is bewitched. You are not safe around her. She must be kept locked away."

Fright could be heard in the monk's sudden gasp and the sound of crumbling stone told her that he had been smashed against the stone wall outside her cell.

"Do as I command, or I will rip your tongue out of your mouth."

Fear roiled her stomach and she tucked herself tighter into the dark corner, fearful of what awaited her at the hands of the man threatening the monk.

The door crashed open, and she was not surprised to hear stumbling footfalls. She surmised Brother Emanual had been shoved into the cell. When a flash of light bright enough to penetrate the black hood covering her head followed in behind the monk, she hurried her eyes closed against the flicking brightness of what could only be a flaming torch. Her eyes had been in the dark too long. She feared the damage to her sight if she suddenly gazed upon a bright light.

"Sky!" the powerful voice inquired.

She jumped at the command in the man's voice expecting her to show herself. Fright kept her braced tight against the stone wall as if her prison could suddenly offer her protection, and she kept silent.

"Answer me, woman!" the man called out impatiently.

He would see her soon enough huddled in the dark corner, but fear froze her.

"I will not harm you," he said.

He had tempered his voice, but it still overpowered the cell. She feared whether to trust him or not. How could she be sure he was not lying to her? But what choice did she have? She had nowhere to truly hide, and perhaps he was there to free her.

"Sky."

She gasped. He had to have spotted her, his strong voice sounding as if he was on top of her.

"You must trust me. I mean you no harm."

"Who are you?" She cringed when she felt him crouch down beside her, his arm briefly brushing against hers.

"Someone who was sent to help you and keep you safe. Can you stand?"

"I can try," she said quickly, fearful he might touch her.

Her chains rattled as she braced her hands against the wall for support and she struggled to get to her feet.

A low grumble sounded, reminding her of the warning growl of the wolves in the forest before they viciously attacked. Fear sent shivers through her and what little progress she made was lost, her feet collapsing from under her. A strong arm suddenly hooked around her waist and forced her up onto her feet to hold her steady.

"You will pay, monk, for keeping her chained to the wall like an animal and a hood secured over her head," the man threatened with lethal harshness.

Brother Emanual tried to explain. "She is a danger?—"

"Release her!"

Sky cringed at the growl in his command. Who was he and what did he want with her? Had her da sent him to collect her and return her home? Or had her sisters hired him to rescue her? Or had he come on his own, but why?

"You are wrong to do this," the monk said.

She tensed when the man grabbed her shackled hands and raised them up.

"I will not tell you again. Do it now!" he ordered.

The click of a lock sent her heart thumping, and tears threatened her eyes as the shackles that she had endured since arriving here weeks ago dropped off her wrists to clang as they hit the floor. She went to touch the sore skin on her wrists that had been stinging her for weeks, but a firm hand stopped her.

"Do not touch them. They are rubbed raw and need tending," the man warned, and is hand fell off hers.

Her greatest relief came when the hood was unlocked and yanked off her head. She felt like she could truly breath once again. Her lashes fluttered, eager to open her eyes though slowly and intending only a slight peek. She was anxious to get a look at her rescuer, hoping she would recognize him and alleviate her fear, but his abrupt command stopped her.

"Keep your eyes closed. They will need to adjust to the light slowly."

That was fine with her since she feared he might change his mind and leave her there once he looked her in the eye.

His warm breath drifted down across her cheek as his arm remained strong around her waist and he eased her to rest against him. With her head brushing his shoulder, she surmised he was taller than most men. He was more than ample size, his chest solid with muscles and his presence alone felt like he consumed the space around them.

"Trust me," he whispered and in the next instant she was swept up into his arms.

She gasped and rushed to brace her hand on his chest for support. Iron. He was so muscular that his chest felt like iron even through his garments.

"Please put me down," she pleaded, embarrassed and concerned to be in a man's arms, "or the odor of this horrid cell will stain you as it does me."

"Through no fault of yours," he said and carried her out of the cell.

"I beg you, my lord, do not do this," Brother Emanual said, scurrying behind him.

Sky was surprised upon hearing the man referred to as, my lord. Why would a noble bother to free her?

"Free the other prisoners," the man commanded, harshness returning to his voice.

"They are not prisoners. They have a sickness in their heads and have been brought here for us to help them," Brother Emanual attempted to explain.

The man swung around so fast to face the monk that Sky grew dizzy and had no choice but to rest her head on his shoulder. It further confirmed what she suspected. He was thick with muscle and that he carried her with no difficulty proved it even more. She was not petite like her sister Elsie nor as tall as her sister Leora. She was somewhere in between their heights. And she was not skinny with slight curves like Elsie or shapely like Leora, she was slim with soft curves as her mum used to say.

"Free them! NOW!"

His commanding shout had her raising her head off his chest as a shiver rushed through her.

His cheek brushed hers as he whispered, confirming once again, "I mean you no harm."

The faint warmth of his breath and the strength of his tone sent another shiver through her, and she was not surprised to hear the familiar sound of a key turning in a lock. Brother Emanual was wasting no time in obeying the man's command.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"All you need to know right now is that you are safe with me. On that you have my word."

Safe. She had not felt safe since arriving here, and as far as the man's word… many men gave their word when it suited them and honored it when it suited them or so Leora had warned her. She had had little contact with men and only knew what her sisters had to say about them, which was not always complimentary. So, until she could judge for herself how honorable this man was, trusting him would be difficult.

Cool air gently kissed her face once outside, and she yearned to open her eyes.

She was hesitant to speak, but she desperately wanted to know. "Is it day or night?"

"Day, and the sun is bright, so keep your eyes closed," the man said.

She wished she could bask in the warmth of the sun and cast her eyes on the sunlight after spending so long in the dark. But the man was right about keeping her eyes closed for now, and so she did.

"Ross, make certain everyone is out of the abbey," the man ordered.

"Aye, my lord."

He walked a bit of a distance, keeping her tucked tightly in his arms. "You will wait under this tree until I return for you."

As soon as Sky leaned back against the tree trunk, she sighed softly. She might not be home but being near woods, a place that brought her much comfort, felt as close to home as she had felt in weeks.

"Warriors guard you," he said before he walked away.

Sky's fear rumbled through her stomach. Who were these warriors, and why did she need guarding? Not mercenaries she assumed since their leader was referred to as my lord. Unless—she shivered. Elsie had agreed to wed a warrior, Cavell, who had recently left the Gallowglass, an elite group of noble mercenary warriors infamous for their fighting skills and fierceness, choosing death rather than surrender to the enemy. Elsie and Leora had traveled with her to the monastery, where they had been told Cavell would be waiting for her, but that was not what happened. And she wondered who was responsible for the lie.

Had Elsie found Cavell, and had he sent a friend with his troop of warriors to rescue her? If so, she would be on her way home soon. It would also mean that the man had been informed about her affliction and there would be no need for worry.

"Time for penance, monk!" the man shouted.

"Nay! Nay! Stop! Please stop. I beg you," Brother Emanual pleaded.

Sky smelled it… smoke. She gasped softly. Was he burning the abbey?

"Let it burn like the fires of hell," the man shouted. "And you're lucky I don't burn you along with it."

"Where will we go?" Brother Emanual sobbed.

Anger spewed from the man's mouth. "To hell where you belong."

"You have taken possession of her for only a short time and look at the evil she has you doing," Brother Emanual warned.

"I have done far more horrible and worse things, monk, than to torch an abbey."

Sky shuddered and rubbed her arms, the coldness in the man's voice leaving her with a chill. Whatever worse things he had done had left him with no guilt, no remorse. Did that mean he had no heart, no soul?

"You cannot mean to leave us here without shelter and food," Brother Emanual begged.

Desperation marked the monk's plea as his voice began to draw closer to Sky. Was the man returning to her and was the monk hurrying to follow him? Her imagination conjured the scene in her mind's eye of the monk's hands steepled in prayer as he followed the man with anxious footfalls while begging for mercy.

The man's voice sounded closer to her as well when he responded to the monk. "I do what I please and I protect what is mine."

Mine?

How did the stranger believe she, in any way, belonged to him? Her fear grew. Who was he and what did he want with her?

"Please! Please, I beg you, Lord Slayer, do not leave us here helpless."

Lord Slayer.

A chilling fear gripped Sky right down into her bones. Everyone in these parts of the Highlands knew, respected, and feared the name. Lord Slayer was the leader of one of the most vicious, elite mercenary groups that comprised the Gallowglass. He was known for his fearlessness and endless victories and for leaving the battlefield strewn with the bodies of his enemies.

The monk's pleading turned to anger. "Sky's father sent her here for us to help her."

"Sky's father believed he was sending her to safety," Slayer chided angrily. "He did not know that Abbott Kendrick had died and that you turned Dundren Abbey into a place of horror. He would never have left any of his daughters here if he knew that."

Lord Slayer was right. Her da would have never sent his daughters into such a horrible situation, and Sky was relieved to finally learn the truth. But how did Lord Slayer know? Had he spoken with her da or her sisters? Were her sisters safe?

"She is your brother's wife, and you have no right?—"

Wife?

Sky's eyes almost popped open in shock. That was not possible. The monk was lying. Her da understood her fear of marriage and he had agreed it was for the best that she not wed. Her affliction left her too vulnerable and there was no telling how a husband would treat her.

"My brother, Warrand, is dead. Sky is mine to protect."

Dead?In a few words, she had gone from a wife to a widow. The revelation disturbed her, as did the death of a husband she never knew she was wed to. She prayed it held no truth, but regardless of whether it did or not, the only thing Sky wanted was to go home to find her sisters safe and once again be wrapped in the security and love of her family.

"Sky belongs to Clan Ravinsher now and she is mine to protect. She goes with me and remains with me," Lord Slayer said as if his declaration confirmed it.

Remain with him?That could not be. The thought frightened her. She wanted to go home where she belonged. She did not want to live with a clan who did not know her. She did not want to imagine the horrors she might face there.

She gasped when Slayer scooped her up into his arms once again.

"You will ride with me on my stallion, Skell," he said.

"My lord," Brother Emanual called out.

"I am done with you, monk," Slayer said. "Say another word to me and you will lose your tongue."

She was hoisted up and onto a horse and he mounted quickly to settle behind her. His arm went around her waist to secure her tightly against him, much like the manacles that had been secured to her wrists, leaving no doubt she would remain with him.

He lowered his head, his lips resting near her ear to whisper, "I am not a kind man, but I will not harm you."

That, Sky thought, remained to be seen.