“But do continue to struggle. I enjoy mounting a bucking mare.”
She got one leg free and kneed him. She wasn’t sure where—thigh or groin or gut—but his grunt told her she’d hit something.
“Very good,” he praised her, earning him a kick to the back of his leg that probably barely registered. “Ye are spirited, I’ll give ye that.”
“Get off of me!”
“Or what? What will ye do to me? Tell yer da? Then the priest will be called all the sooner.”
With a sinking heart, Caitrin realized the truth of that just as the door burst open.
“MacGregor!”
Oh, God! Not Malcolm.Jamie!He’d found her! Caitrin tried to shove her clothes back into place as Alasdair lifted off her and turned to face the one person who had dared to burst in when she cried out.
“As ye can see,” MacGregor snarled, “yer presence isna welcome here.”
“What I see is ye mauling a defenseless woman.”
“So what? I’m to marry her. I’ll do with her as I please.”
“No’ yet, ye willna.”
Caitlin froze as Jamie’s stance shifted from shock to battle ready, hands at his side near the hilt of his dirk. “She isna yers, and even if she were, ye havena cause to treat her that way.”
MacGregor laughed, but he lacked any hint of mirth. “This is none of yer business, Lathan. I suggest ye leave, now, before I put an end to yer meddling.”
“Caitrin, come with me,” Jamie said quietly.
“She stays here.” MacGregor’s tone made it plain he was unused to defiance. His hand hovered near his dirk.
Caitrin leaned on the desk as she moved clear of both men. If they started fighting, one of them would die, and she greatly feared for Jamie’s life. Without him, hers would not be worth living, especially not if MacGregor had her. “Jamie, I’m well.Please.He is my intended. He’s allowed some…liberties.”
Jamie’s frown grew fiercer, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see her words were having the desired effect on Alasdair. He’d taken a step back and his arms hung loosely at his sides.
“Come away, Caitrin,” Jamie repeated, but softer, as if he understood she hoped to lower the tension in the room. “Ye both need some time to cool off.”
To her very great surprise, Alasdair agreed. “Aye. Go to yer chamber. I’ve had my fill of ye, today. We’ll speak again tomorrow.”
Caitrin fought to keep the frown off her face as she glanced his way, confused by another of his sudden mood shifts, then nodded and left the room, Jamie hard on her heels. She would not miss a chance to make her escape from Alasdair’s clutches.
****
As he followed Caitrin out of MacGregor’s presence, Jamie’s gut twisted harder than it ever had. He paused to make sure the door to the solar shut firmly then he caught up with Caitrin. Keeping his voice low, he demanded, “What game are ye playing?”
She stopped in her tracks, but didn’t turn around. “What do ye mean?”
Her tone of voice told him nothing about how she reacted to his question. He continued speaking through clenched teeth. “Back there.He’s yer intended, so he’s allowed some liberties?Beating ye and half-raping ye?” He could feel his control slipping even as he fought not to shout at her.
Still she did not turn to face him. “I thought ye understood. I was saving yer life.”
Her words were spoken so softly, he barely heard them, but when their meaning penetrated, disbelief drained all the heat from his body. “What?”
“He wouldha killed ye for interfering.”
Not a chance. “He couldha tried.”
“Ye forget,” she said and turned to face him.
