Page 87 of Bond of a Bewitched Highlander

Would he ever forgive her?

As her body calmed from the lightning strike encounter with Brodie, she missed him. He should be here in bed with her now. During their betrothal, after they had become intimate, he always managed to slip into her chamber if they were in the same place, and no one had ever caught them. He had told her if he got her with child, he would marry her early.

What if she was with child now?

Saints! She sat bolt upright in bed. He would accuse her of seducing him and trapping him.

He wouldn't marry her. Or he might marry her for the sake of the child and continue to hate her. What kind of life would that be?

At least she wouldn't have to marry that vile Talnaroch bastard. She lay back, imagining holding Brodie's precious bairn in her arms. Even if he didn't love her, their child would.

***

THICK CLOUDS HIDING the moon, Brodie swam swiftly through the cool, churning sea toward Rònmòrach Isle. Elsea's sweet perfection lingered in his mind, threatening to stir up a new obsession. He couldn't telepathically read the minds of humans, but her emotions echoed in the marrow of his bones.

She hadn't been lying.

He pushed the spellbinding memories and yearnings away. He had to focus.

Most of the male selkies awaited him on the island's shore, all in seal form. They communicated telepathically, making brief plans. Ronin, Daavar, Harcus and nine others were eager to go with him to rescue the females. Chief Scarth would not accompany them. Instead, he and the remaining males would protect the females in their cave in the event of another raid.

Eight of the males carried a missing female's sealskin so all could shift after release.

A quarter hour later, he and the selkies scrambled onto the sandy beach below Dunrhyne and shifted into their human forms. They hid all the sealskins beneath a large rock that required two of them to move it. They wore no clothes and carried no weapons, but it mattered not.

Their vision in the darkness was far more acute than a human's. Since the storm, the air had cooled. Most people would be freezing, but their bodies were well adapted to the cold. Silently, Brodie led the way up the craggy steps of the cliff, much like the ones at Farspag.

At the top, he stopped and listened. The stiff breeze whipped, and the mostly moonless night hid them.

As they neared the castle, the scent of wood smoke grew strong. Most of the guards were likely inside at this late hour. Movement on the battlements caught his attention. At least one man lurked up there. Where were the others?

They had to find the dungeon. He motioned to the males following him, and they rushed through the demolished gap in the curtain wall.

Use stones as weapons, then take their swords, Brodie said telepathically. He chose a fist-sized stone from among the rubble of the shattered wall.

The horses in the open-sided stables snorted and laid back their ears. Brodie sent them an innate communication that he and the selkies meant them no harm. The animals calmed.

Brodie and the warriors proceeded along the side of the castle, then hid behind prickly whins bushes.

Can you communicate with the females and see if they are here? Brodie asked Ronin.

Selkies had to be close, within a few hundred yards, before the telepathy worked. Brodie's was not as well developed as those with him. Besides, he figured the females would rather hear from a tribesman or relative.

Aye, they are here! Ronin responded. We're coming. How many guards are with you?

Two.

Brodie caught the thread of their communication. They could easily overcome two guards. But there might be more before they reached the dungeon.

He wasn't surprised when one of the earl's men strolled by, whistling.

I'll get him. Brodie leapt out and bashed him on the head with the rock. The guard went down without a sound and crumpled into a heap. Brodie relieved him of his sword, dirk, and multiple sgian dubh knives. He handed them out to the selkies, then he dragged the man, who was still breathing, behind a bushy evergreen yew.

They proceeded farther along, staying behind the whins but trying not to touch the thorns. Light gleamed from a corner, and Brodie crouched to peer around it.

A torch burned near a door where two guards waited. They wouldn't be posted there unless something valuable was locked inside. The two appeared bored. One paced back and forth, muttering about being hungry and craving ale, while the other sat on a stone or stool.

Brodie relayed what he saw to the selkies behind him. Of course, his party outnumbered those two by a massive amount, but he didn't want any of the selkies to be injured. They had only fought one battle, while he'd fought dozens.