The Highlander's Conquest (23 page)

“I didn’t re
alize it was possible like this,
”
Aliah said breathlessly.

He nodded, unable to speak. For certain, never in his life had he felt so heavenly than he did with Aliah.

“I’m not hurting your leg?”

“Nay, lass. When I’m with ye, the pain is naught.” He spoke the truth, his wound forgotten until she’d mentioned it. Blane
reached up to trace over her cheek and jaw, bringing her face closer so he could kiss her.

She trembled a little and he realized she
could
be cold
, even if she’d professed her warmth
. He grabbed the length of his plaid and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“I dinna want ye to catch a chill,” he whispered as his mouth traveled from hers down her neck and over her shoulders.
“’Tis unseasonably warm, but then again, I’m used to the cold.”

Shivers wracked her body. “I am not cold at all,” she murmured between sighs.
“You make me feel very warm.”

Blane cupped her breasts in his hands, marveling at the silkiness, the warmth of her skin. Her breasts fit perfectly in his palms and her nipples pebbled, beckoning him to taste them. He wasted no time, teasing her slowly by
breathing hotly on the rosy tips, flicking his tongue out to tease her sensitive flesh and then drawing her nipples into his mouth.

Aliah whimpered, rocking her hips against him, her fingers scraping up and down his chest, ma
ssaging his arms and shoulders. Blane wanted them to linger like this for hours, touching, exploring, sighing, but he
was aware
that if they were gone too long, Liam would come looking for them. To be caught like this was not in either of their
best
interests.

With that thought in mind, Blane took his cock in hand and guided it through the slickness of her folds, finding the entrance to her channel.
“
Ye’re
ready for me
.
”

“Aye.
” Her voice was sensuality embodied. “
I want you inside me.”

There was something in her tone, in the glaze of her eyes, that had his heart speeding up and a shudder racing
down
his spine. Or maybe it was simply that
she’d
said it. The only woman he’d ever truly cared for…

His thoughts were taking a turn
toward
forbidden ground again. Blane had to banish them quickly. Gripping her hip with his free hand, he thrust upward, burying himself deep inside her. Before Aliah could cry out, he claimed her mouth with his, absorbing her moan of pleasure.

“
Shh
…” he whispered. “We dinna want any warriors coming to your aid.”

“Oh no.” She shook her head. “You
’
r
e all the warrior I need—and I don’t need saving from you.
”

Again her words played with his mind making him feel things that he shouldn’t, making him wish for things that weren’t meant to be.
He was glad when her forehead fell to his shoulder and she kissed the side of his neck. His thoughts were soon consumed with pleasure. Aliah was a natural at lovemaking, her hips swaying in rhythm with his thrusts. They moved slowly at first, just enjoying the sensations of being joined, but soon, Aliah was whimpering, seeking his mouth for deep, carnal kisses to cover the sounds of her moans. Truth be told, he needed to kiss her as much as she wanted to be kissed. Blane’s throat burned with the need to
shout out his pleasure. Bracing his hands on her hips, he increased his thrusts, his hips pumping at a rapid pace.

He was almost there… Ready to reach that pinnacle of pleasure. But not until he was sure she too found an earth-shattering release. Reaching one hand between their bodies, Blane sought out the tiny nub of pleasure between the folds of her sex. He found it, throbbing and slick. With a few strokes of his fingers, her legs started to tremble against his thighs. Her breath hitched, and she sucked hard at his tongue. She was close, he could feel it. Her channel tightened, squeezing him hard. Then with a muffled cry, her entire body shuddered, her insides clamping tight and releasing in minute vibrations against his cock.

That was too much for Blane. He couldn’t hold back if he wanted to. Her release brought on his own uncontrollable one. Intense pleasure
shot up and down
his spine, surrounding him, embracing him, and bursting outward. His seed rushed in a hot torrent into her body, leaving him spent completely. Ready for a lazy nap.

They stayed connected for a few moments until their breaths returned to somewhat normal.

“’Twas still amazing,” Aliah mused.

“Still?”

“Aye, I had thought that it could be no better than it was
in the cave
.”

Blane smiled crookedly. “Gets better every time.”

Aliah’s eyes widened, her hands resting gently on his shoulders.
“Truly?”

“Aye.”

She shifted, making his cock, which was still inside her, begin to grow hard. Damn. He’d never
bedded
a woman and been so ready to make love to her again. If they weren’t where they were, in the situation they found themselves, he’d roll her over and ravage her once more.

As it was, he could almost count on Liam arriving any minute to make sure they had not been set upon by outlaws.

Blane gently lifted Aliah from him, and taking her hand led her to the stream where they both regrettably washed away their lovemaking in the frigid water.
An awkward silence fell over them as they dressed, both staring at the other, and for Blane, he wasn’t quite sure what to say.

He was overcome with guilt. With the need to apologize. Every time he glanced her way, Aliah looked as though she wanted to tell him something, but then she’d turn away.
He didn’t know where to go from here. If he should confess his love or keep it to himself. If her father was going to marry her off to another man, or she chose to go into the church, then it seemed better to keep his feelings to himself
.
Yet, if he could somehow change her mind… Blane shook his head. He wasn’t ready to put his heart out there. Not when her future wasn’t her own.

Regret chewed at his belly. Not for having made love to her
. I
f he had his life to repeat, he would do so again. He regretted that which had ye
t to happen—and which he prayed did not. He never wanted to hurt her.

Taking a deep breath, Blane stepped toward her, gripped her hand in his and gazed into her eyes. “Aliah, I must apologize now.”

“Why?” Her eyes searched his, confused.

“For taking what wasn’t mine. For compromising y
e
.”

Aliah stared into his eyes for the span of several heartbeats and then quietly said, “
’Twas mine to give.
You should not apologize for showing me what pleasure is. For offering me a few moments of bliss.”

“But—”

She shook her head, held up her hand for him to stop speaking. “Do not sully what we’ve shared, Blane. ’Twas beautiful and something we both wanted and enjoyed.
I don’t regret it and you shouldn’t either.
”

He nodded,
unable to speak because
his throat
had grow
n strangely
tight.

Chapter
Twenty-One

T
hey returned to camp in silence. Th
e men were nearly pack
ed
up, Seamus already tied to another knight upon his mount.

“If we hurry, we might make it to the Sutherland border
within the next few days
,” Blane told Liam.

Once they were on Sutherland ground, he would feel a lot safer. At any time during the day, the borders were patrolled by a group of Sutherland warriors.
Most likely they would be near as well—Magnus would be expecting him soon. The Sutherlands
were a strong and powerful clan and not many were willing to pick a fight with them. That didn’t mean that those that followed wouldn’t
try
. In fact, Blane was fairly certain they would. The cowards, if they were who he thought they were, wouldn’t hesitate to cross over as they’d done over a decade ago.

But this time he’d be ready for them and he wouldn’t let them escape with anything but quick passage to
Hell
.

Aliah’s horse was readied, and Blane watched with a bit of disappointment as she mounted on her own. He wished she’d ride with him, but that might be a bigger distraction than he needed. Climbing onto Gunnar, he gave the signal for them to move out.

They rode hard, taking only one break to rest the horses and eat a quick meal before they were off again, climbing over ridges as they made their way north.
They traveled hard for several days.
The temperature steadily dropped, and by the time the sun started to set
on the fourth day
, Blane could just make out the puffs of his breath as his hot air mixed with the chilling temperatures.

Aliah shivered on her horse, despite her cloak and an extra plaid that had been provided for her.

“’Tis colder here,” she murmured as they left the road, following a path through the trees until they came to a small crofter’s hut just over the border
where
Blane and his men usually made camp.

“Aye, and ’twill only get colder. Once we’ve a fire lit, ye
c
an warm your fingers and toes by it,” he said with a smile.

“Sounds heavenly.”

The men went about caring for the horses while Blane gathered firewood to place in the small heart
h
at the rear of the hut. A hole in the ceiling sufficed as the chimney, but didn’t do its job so well, and much of the smoke ended up floating near the ceiling. That didn’t seem to matter to Aliah. She found a stool and scooted close to the fire, extending her hands and rubbing them together. Frosty curled up right beside her.

Seamus was placed on a bedroll in the corner, cool compresses to his forehead and whisky
poured onto
his wound and
then dripped into
his mouth. He’d become delirious en route, and burned hotter than fire
with fever
.
There was nothing they could do save continue on.
Blane
prayed he’d make it to Dunrobin soon so a healer could be fetched.

“Better?” Blane asked, pulling up another stool beside Aliah.

“Aye, my fingers are starting to thaw.”

“Some of the men were wondering if
ye’d
be willing to make your stew again?”

Aliah’s eyes lit. “Truly?”

“Aye, they are tired of jerky and
oat
cakes, want something warm. We’re not likely to find another wild pig to replace the one we lost.
A hot broth might also do some good for Seamus as he’s not eaten hardly a bite in days.
”

Aliah nodded. “I’d be happy to.”

“Good. I’ll gather a few things
.
Liam’s already set out to catch a rabbit or two. There’s a pot over there.” He pointed toward a high table that had a few dishes piled on it.

“Do you come here often?” she asked
, gazing around at the cozy hut
.

“Every few months. We’ve been lucky no one has taken our supplies.”

Aliah nodded.
“Is there a well or
burn
nearby I can get water from
for the pot
?”

“A
burn
, just a short walk behind the hut. There’s a small garden in the back that despite no one tending to it, seems to still grow a few things. I’ll get the water if ye want to see what vegetables ye can rummage up?
There’s barley and spices
on a shelf somewhere
.
”

Aliah agreed, following Blane from the hut. While he went to get some water, she dug around in the dirt finding a few
parsnips
, carrots and
onions
. The stew turned out even better than the first time she’d made it, and although they were all on alert for the enemy who
never
ceased to pursue them, there did seem to be an air of relief now that they’d reached Sutherland ground.

They joked around the small fire, the men crowding into the small hut.
Even Seamus in his delirium sipped some of the broth.
At last, Blane called an end to the revelry. They had to rest and wake up earl
y
enough to clear out just after dawn. The quicker he was able to leave Aliah
safely
at Dunrobin, the faster he could turn around and reach his enemy on solid ground.

Most of the men bedded down outside, save for Seamus. The rest took first watch. Blane made sure Aliah was safely tucked inside with Frosty while he joined those on watch. Last time they’d been attacked at night, and he didn’t put it past the cowards to do so again. Blane was mildly surprised when
hours later
his watch was up and not a single thing had occurred. He was grateful too.

Creeping into the hut, he saw that Aliah was curled up on the floor beside Frosty.
Seamus snored, appearing less agitated.
The fire
was
banked, but the room
remained
toasty. Not wanting to wake
Aliah
, he made up his bed by the door and was soon fast asleep.

Shouts came from all around.
Blane bolted upright
on his pallet
. Blinking rapidly, he rubbed at his eyes. He was blind.
He couldn’t see anything.
No not blind, it was just dark.
And he couldn’t breathe. Sucking in a breath, he gagged, hacked, coughed. Smoke.

The hut was filled with smoke. And heat.

On fire. The hut was on fire! The ceiling was an inferno.
Red and orange flames greedily licked the thatch, bits falling in sparks onto the floor.
A loud crack thundered in his ears. The back wall was engulfed in flames.

Mo
creach
!

“Aliah!” he shouted, crawling toward where he
last saw her
.
The room was thick with dark smoke and even the brightness of the blaze didn’t show him more than the nightmare about to overtake him. He couldn’t see anything. His eyes burned, his throat ached. Where was she? He patted
at the ground, but couldn’t even see a shadow of her sleeping form.
Unexpectedly, Frosty loomed in front of him, licked his face, nipped at his shoulder, pulling him.

Blane let the dog tug on him, praying the animal
would
le
a
d him
straight to
Aliah. He searched with his hands outstretched as he crawled, then finally felt the warm lump of her
body
on the floor. He shook her, but she didn’t respond.

“Aliah! Wake up!” he shouted, panic setting in.
Placing a hand on her
chest
he was mildly relieved to feel it rise and fa
ll, but
it did so
weakly. She wasn’t getting enough air.

Frosty barked feebly. The dog had inhaled much smoked. Blane choked and coughed again.
They needed to get out. Now.

He glanced around the room, attempting to find another exit, but there was no
ne
. The only wa
y to get out was
through
the front door, likely where the enemy
waited
. He had to move fast. The
fire was quickly consuming the walls.
Cracking and a whoosh sounded above, just before a large
clump of burning thatch
hit
his shoulder. He hissed with pain as the sparks singed through his shirt and stung his bare flesh. Brushing the ashes from his shirt, he again reached out to Aliah, rolling her into his arms.

She needed fres
h air and quickly, before the whole roof collapsed.
He had to get her out of here, even if he’d end up in the middle of the enemy’s circle.
Blane would beg mercy for Aliah, they could do whatever they might with him as long as they promised to leave her alone.

Leaning low to the ground, Blane sucked in the deepest breath his lungs could hold, then carefully stood with Aliah in his arms. He ran toward where he thought the door was, holding his breath the whole time. Blankets, roof particles and other debris littered the floor. He prayed for strength. If he tripped
…

With a thrust of his shoulder, he forced open the door, and burst into the night air, Frosty at his heels. A few yards
away, he dropped to his knees, lungs burning, and placed Aliah on the ground. Metal clanged all around him, deafening screams and shouts vibrated through his ears. His men fought ferociously. A bitter battle to the death. He had to join in, had to help. They’d been ambushed. But he couldn’t leave her here, it wasn’t safe. Taking note that the majority of the fighting was going on closer to the path leading to the road, Blane picked Aliah up again and rushed behind the hut. Keeping a safe distance from the burning
building
, he placed her behind some brambles.

“Stay. Protect your mistress,” he demanded of Frosty.

The hound sat beside Aliah and barked up at Blane, as if to say he would.

Blane wasted no time running back toward the hut. He burst inside, found Seamus’ unconscious body and hoisted him over his shoulder, running him to the spot where he’d hidden Aliah. Frosty still stood vigil, the hairs on the back of his neck on end.

“Good boy,” Blane said before charging toward the fray.

With clouds covering the moon and the only light
coming from
the blaze, he still recognized the band of men who fought his own. He’d never forget
them
. Evil gleamed in their eyes and demon shadows danced on their faces.

Over a decade later, he’d come face to face with his worst enemies.

Issuing a battle cry, he held his sword above his head and ran headlong into the
fight
. He swung, cut, sliced, thrust, parried. Not
one
of the lawless jackanapes w
ould
leave here alive. Blane took down one and then another, bent on destruction, not only for the death of his parents but for nearly taking the life of the woman he loved. When he thrust his sword into the last of them, he spat on the ground. Collapsed. He closed his eyes and looked up toward the sk
y
, his chest tight, shoulders heavy. Lungs burned, lips were
cracked. Exhaustion took over his entire being and he felt as though he too would die here.

A hard clamp on his shoulder had Blane whipping his sword once more, but he stopped when his eyes landed on Liam.

“They are all dead,” Liam said.

“Did any get away?”

Liam shook his head.