Page 5 of Scot of Seduction

“I’d rather grip ontae a wild wolf,” she hissed.

“A lover that acts like a wild wolf isnae bad thing, little Catreena.”

“What daes that mean – ah!” She yelped as he suddenly flicked the reins, and they darted off through the trees again.

Another bolt hit the earth beneath the horse’s hooves, but his steed was a hard one to spook. The stallion barely snorted as it rode on at great speed, sensing the danger and carrying them far away.

Fortunately, at the sudden speed, Catreena had indeed held tightly onto him. Tad just had to do his best not to let the monster that often stirred in his gut rise on this occasion.

It was how he always thought of it when he was aroused, as if some dragon was roaring in his lower gut, ready to rise and feed his lovemaking with fire. That dragon had started to rear its head recently around Catreena, though he knew he couldn’t let that happen.

There were too many obstacles in the way of him letting that dragon free. Catreena was the sister of his dearest friends in the world. There was an age gap between them, and there was also the small problem that she despised everything about him.

How inconvenient that she grew up tae be as spirited and beautiful as she is.

He flicked the reins again and concentrated on their journey. Within minutes, they were back near the castle. As they rode out toward the courtyard, two guards stepped forward, alarmed at their presence.

“We were attacked,” Tad shouted at them. They clearly recognized his voice at once. “Double the guard at every entrance. Consider it an order from yer own laird, I’m sure Alec would say as much.”

Tad was allowed to steer the horse into the courtyard before the guards slammed the gate shut behind him. The moment he slowed the pace of the horse, Catreena released him. She even staggered down from the saddle before the horse had fully stopped, nearly managing to make herself fall over.

Tad halted the horse then jumped down too, passing the reins into the hands of a stable boy who had run through the darkness to greet them.

“What happened out there?” Catreena asked, seeming to speak more to herself than to him at all. For a change, she held no argumentative tone. It was more like a curious fear, her voice very quiet indeed. “Who were they?”

“I expect they were Grant soldiers. They have been seen more and more in the Mackintosh lands. Me scouts saw them recently break yer borders. I came tae warn Dunn and Evander about it tonight.” He tried to take her arm to steer her into the castle, but she veered it out of his grasp.

“Why us?” she snapped, stepping back. “I ken Cillian Grant despises us. Bran married the woman he wanted, but ye were the one who killed his faither. Why come and attack us? Why now?”

“Why dae ye think?” he said, sighing with tiredness. “Ye, Dunn and Evander are easier targets with Bran and Alec away, nae tae mention the soldiers that will accompany them. Ye are nae as fortified as me own castle is. Now, come inside. Ye seem tae have had enough of journeying with me fer one night.”

She narrowed her eyes as she stalked past him into the castle.

“I dinnae intend tae go on a journey with ye ever again, Tad.”

Tad followed behind her. Something in her spirited words had made that dragon purr once again in his gut. He shook his head as he followed her into the castle.

She is forbidden tae ye, ye idiot. Remember that.

CHAPTER THREE

“Ye must be jesting with me,” Catreena’s voice was breathy with shock.

She stood in laird’s study with the strong sunlight of the early morning shining through the lead-lined windows behind them. That glaring yellow light fell on the faces of her two brothers. Her twin, Dunn, looked the guiltiest about what he had just said, whilst Evander seemed untouched, unaffected, forever the strong and quiet soldier.

“Say ye are,” she pleaded, looking between the two of them.

Evander folded his arms, making the tattoos across his forearms, one for each man he had killed in battle, stand out across his skin. Dunn ruffled his blond hair, the strands a little paler than her own. His icy blue eyes, almost a mirror match for hers, were clearly struggling to meet her gaze now. That scar which stretched across both of his eyes, running from temple to temple, sometimes made that strong gaze of his all the more intense.

“Dae ye need tae hear it again, sister?” he asked, moving to the window and peering out beyond. “I ken ye’ll hate me enough fer saying it once.”

“I’m just checking that me braither is the one who has gone mad, and that it’s nae me.” Her wit made Dunn smile a little, if only for a second. He turned back to face her, leaning his back against the window.

“We have talked it over with Tad, and we want ye tae go and stay with him fer a while.”

“Nay, I was right. Ye are the ones who have gone mad.” She waved a hand at her brother. “Of all the people in the world, ye wish me tae stay with him? Ye think I will be safe there?”

“Aye, we dae.” Dunn nodded, just once. “Cillian seems to have focused his revenge on Clan Mackintosh fer now. As Tad says, maybe it is because he sees us as an easier target because We dinnae ken, but it isnae wise fer ye tae stay here if we are the targets.”