"Hold tight,"he muttered. He dodged around the corner of the smithy, cut through the kitchen gardens where he trampled some unfortunate cook's carefully tended herbs, and emerged near the north postern gate.
And there,waiting in the shadows like a piece of living midnight, stood the largest horse Maia had ever seen.
The destrier was pure black,its coat gleaming like polished obsidian in the moonlight. It stood at least seventeen hands high, with a broad chest and powerful legs that spoke of speed and endurance. As they approached, the beast tossed its massive head and stamped one dinner-plate-sized hoof, clearly eager to run.
"Good lad,"the man murmured, and Maia heard genuine affection in his voice for the first time. "Just a moment more."
He didn't slowas they reached the horse.
The guards were closer now,close enough that she could see their faces in the torchlight, could recognize men who'd served her father once upon a time. Fergus was among them, his weathered face tight with concern as he ran toward them.
"Miss Maia!"he called out. "Hold on! We're comin'!"
But they were too late.
"Close the gate!"someone was screaming. "Close the bloody gate!"
But the nightwatch had been caught off guard by the sudden alarm. The postern gate stood open, abandoned by guards who'd run to join the search inside the castle walls.
They're too late,Maia thought, her heart pounding with something that felt dangerously like hope.We're goin' to make it.
4
"If ye try anythin' stupid, lass, I'll take immense pleasure in punishin' ye."
Ewan's voicewas low and rough as he swung Maia up onto his destrier. The words were meant as a warning, even as his body betrayed him with feelings he had no business experiencing. Not now. Not with her of all people.
"Daenae tell me what to do!"Maia's voice came out sharp, even as panic washed over her, lending her courage she didn't know she possessed.
"Nay."His hands tightened on her waist as he lifted her higher. "Ye're comin' with me whether ye like it or nae."
He'd carried women before—rescuedclan members from burning cottages, lifted serving girls who'd twisted ankles. But none of them had affected him like this.
Noneof them had made his hands burn where they'd gripped soft flesh, or made his chest tighten with the memory of how feminine curves felt when pressed against him.
"Listen to me!"Maia twisted in his grip, trying to find purchase against his chest. "Me uncle?—"
"Yer uncle,"Ewan growled as he settled her onto the destrier, "can rot in hell for all I care." He vaulted up behind her in one fluid motion. "And if ye're smart, ye'll stop squirmin' before ye fall and break yer neck."
He was grittinghis teeth as he spoke, but inside he was all fighting to keep calm. The lass was all woman—thick thighs he'd felt even through her thin shift, full breasts that had pillowed against his chest as he'd carried her, hips that flared in a way that made his fingers itch to span them.
He triedto ignore the sight of her nipples, clearly visible through the damp fabric, pebbled from the cold Highland air. The thin cotton did nothing to hide them, and his fingers itched to tease those tight peaks, to see if she'd gasp or arch into his touch.
Would they be sensitive?Would she moan if he rolled them between his fingers, if he took one into his mouth and?—
Oh,gods damn me!
Every inchof her was lush and warm and maddeningly distracting.
Ewan had spentthe entire climb down the castle wall fighting the primal urge to press her against the nearest surface and discover exactly what sounds she'd make when he touched her properly.
His mind racedwith the image of her naked, her skin flush against his, her lips parted in a silent moan. But he forced himself to breathe, to remember why he was here.
"Where are ye takin'me?" Maia's voice trembled despite her attempt at defiance. Ewan leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear.
"Somewhere yer unclecannae find ye. Somewhere both ye and yer uncle will learn what happens when MacMahon tries to take what's mine."
"What makesye think I'm yers to take?" she hissed, even as a shiver ran through her at his proximity.
