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  Annora felt her breathing quicken as Rolf pressed just a little closer. She could sense that he spoke the truth, just not the whole truth. She could also sense that he was no threat to Dunncraig and its people. If he was a threat to Donnell and his minions, she did not really care. None of that alarmed her. What did was that she could sense his desire and, as he pressed even closer, she could feel the proof of it. The fact that she liked how it made her feel astonished and frightened her.

  “I willnae say anything to Donnell, so ye may release me now,” she said, feeling quite pleased with how calm her voice sounded when she was trembling inside.

  “Are you sure you wish me to let you go?” James brushed a kiss over her forehead and felt her tremble faintly. “I do not think I want to. I think I am going to kiss you, Annora.”

  “I dinnae think that would be wise.”

  “You may be right, but at this moment I do not care. I just want—”

  Before she could say a word his mouth was on hers. It was soft and warm. She not only tasted his desire but felt it flow into her, heightening her own. It was as if, for just a moment, his heart and soul were bared to her, his feelings mingling with and strengthening her own. The emotions in the man were strong, and not all good ones, but his desire for her was real. Despite knowing that a man’s desire could be a shallow, fleeting thing, she did not hesitate to open her mouth when he nipped gently at her bottom lip. The stroke of his tongue inside her mouth was enough to make her toss aside all caution and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Whether his desire was shallow, deep, or even devious, she did not care. She just wanted him to keep on kissing her.

  He pulled her hard against his tall, lean body, his hand moving down to her backside to push her close to his groin. The feel of his long, hard manhood pressing against her in a pantomime of the act he so clearly craved should have had her running for her life, or at least for the sake of her virtue. Instead, Annora pushed back and heard herself moan softly.

  When he ended the kiss, Annora briefly followed the retreat of his mouth, trying to bring it back to hers. A tiny flicker of common sense halted her and she slumped back against the door. She could feel how hard he struggled to rein in the desire that had flared between them and knew she ought to be pleased about that. Unfortunately, common sense did nothing to douse the fire his kiss had started. She also wondered why he had stopped when she had been so willing.

  “Do you hear that?” he suddenly asked, his whole body tensing as if prepared to fight.

  “Hear what?” she asked, still trying to shake the haze of desire from her head.

  “Someone is coming this way.”

  Annora was just beginning to panic when he grabbed her by the hand and started dragging her toward the wall near the small fireplace. “We must get out of here,” she said.

  “That is exactly what we are going to do.”

  She watched in amazement when he stopped, pressed a few bricks surrounding the fireplace, and the wall moved inward. The only thing she could think of as he dragged her into a very small room was that it was a good thing that Donnell obviously did not know everything about Dunncraig. She was sure the man would have made some very nefarious use of such things as hidden rooms and passages. She then tensed as Rolf pushed on something to the side of the door and it closed, leaving them standing very close together in total darkness. She did not mind standing so close to him, but she had an old and deep fear of the dark.

  “Is this it?” she asked in a wavering voice, that sign of her growing fear embarrassing her. “Is there no passageway we now creep away in?”

  “Well, there is a passage,” he whispered against her ear, “but it would not be safe to use it without any light.”

  “Can he hear us?” she whispered back, hoping that conversation would keep her fear from growing too large to control.

  “Not if we whisper very, very softly. We will be able to hear anything said in the ledger room, however.”

  “That could be useful.”

  James wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back, hard up against him. It was a sweet torture, but he was able to control his desire because he could sense her growing fear. He also suspected she was a virgin and a hasty rutting in a tiny dark room with people only feet away was not the way to introduce her to passion, even if it was a way that would allow him to hold fast to his disguise.

  “Are you afraid of the dark, Annora?”

  “Aye, the dark and small places with no clearly visible route of escape.” She shivered as dark memories of her Cousin Sorcha arose from where she had buried them. “One of the women who took me in after my mother died felt time spent in a small dark space was the best way to discipline an unruly child.” She immediately wondered why she had told him that as it was not something she spoke about to anyone.

  James held her a little closer, feeling a strong urge to hunt down that woman and slap some kindness into her. It astonished him that he should feel such outrage on Annora’s behalf. He barely knew this woman and was not yet sure he could trust her. Just because her kiss had curled his toes did not mean she was someone he could trust with all his secrets. And if they made love as he ached to do, that was exactly what he would have to do. He was going to have to forget how sweet she tasted.

  The sound of MacKay’s voice pulled him from thoughts of how right she felt in his arms. James tensed and strained to listen closely, not wishing to miss a word. He was a little surprised to feel Annora do the same. Annora did not like or trust her cousin and he wondered why, but knew questions about that would have to wait until later.

  “When are those cursed Chisholms going to leave?” demanded Egan.

  “When our business is done,” replied Donnell.

  “They are causing too many people to look our way, Donnell. They dinnae try to hide what they are doing. I wouldnae be surprised if they boast about all we have done in every alehouse they step into.”

  “That doesnae matter. I dinnae think anyone will heed them if they speak out against us. They are kenned weel for being lying thieves. It willnae be hard for us to convince people that they are just trying to take someone down with them.”

  “That may be, but are ye willing to take that risk? If ye are wrong we hang right beside them.”

  Donnell snorted in derision so loudly it was clear to hear in the tiny dark room where Annora hid wrapped tightly in a pair of strong arms she found far too enticing. She was trying very hard to ignore the man holding her and only listen closely to Donnell and Egan, but ignoring so much man pressed up against her back was impossible. The best she could do was listen and hope she would recall enough of what was said to think about it later.

  Rolf Lavengeance was a dangerous man, she decided as Donnell and Egan argued over the perils of continuing their alliance with the Chisholms. She had known she was attracted to him from the start but had seen so little of him it had not troubled her much. It was a safe attraction, one enjoyed from afar, and adding a nice romantic glow to a few dreams. It was no longer safe. Now she knew he desired her. Worse, now she knew how he tasted and how he could make her feel. She was going to have to keep as much distance between them as possible now.

  Annora closed her eyes as a sudden sense of loss swept over her. She told herself that was foolish as she did not really know this man who held her safe against the darkness and she was not free to explore such things as desire. There was Meggie to consider, for Annora knew that any hint of impropriety on her part and Donnell would use that as an excuse to separate her and Meggie. There was also the danger she could put both Rolf and herself in if she allowed this attraction any freedom, for she doubted Egan would like it. And finally there was the fact that she did not want to find herself in the same situation that had destroyed her mother, left unwed and carrying a child who would suffer her whole life for the sins of her parents. No, it was necessary to step away from Rolf Lavengeance and stay away. Far, far away.

  When a little voice in her head said she could wai
t to do that until they were out of the little dark space they were hiding in, she grimaced and then inwardly shrugged. There was no place to retreat to at the moment anyway. And the way he was nuzzling the place where her shoulder curved into her neck and stealing slow caresses of her body wherever his hands rested made it a little difficult to ignore him.

  “This last time a laird’s eldest son was killed, Donnell,” said Egan.

  Those words yanked Annora free of her thoughts about Rolf and she tensed. She had known that Donnell was involved in raids on other clans although she had not known how deeply or how often, but it appeared that he had recently been involved in one and it had caused some blood to be shed. Going on a raid or two was obviously why the Chisholms were lingering at Dunncraig. Since such crimes were usually committed during the night she had never paid all that much attention, but it was evident that they were putting Dunncraig and its people in danger. They were putting Meggie in danger.

  The way the man holding her tensed told her that he was probably thinking the same things. She was not sure why he would be concerned, but perhaps he had decided to make Dunncraig his new home and simply feared that Donnell and his men were threatening the peace of his chosen home. Peace was an elusive thing in Scotland under any circumstances, but it was madness to do things that invited retaliation and stirred up bloody feuds.

  “Ease your mind, Egan,” said Donnell, his footsteps passing by the hiding place she shared with Rolf. “I will soon have that old bastard tied to me in a way that will make him shut his mouth, e’en if he is caught.”

  “I hope ye are right about that,” Egan said, his footsteps following Donnell’s.

  “E’en if I am wrong about Old Ian, I am nay wrong about his sons. They would turn on their own father to protect their own arses or gain the power he denies them. Once I have one of those fools tied to me, he will do his best to ensure that I am nay taken down, not e’en by his own kinsmen.”

  The sound of the men leaving the ledger room, the door closing behind them, almost disappointed Annora. She was glad they were gone as she needed to get out of her place of captivity and out of Rolfs embrace. However, she would have liked to have the men talk long enough to let her know just what weapon Donnell thought he would soon have to hold over the heads of the Chisholms, one or all, to force them to protect him.

  Several tense, silent moments passed and Annora was about to ask if they were getting out of there, when Rolf opened the door and nudged her back out into the ledger room. As she blinked against the sudden light, it was a minute or two before she could see Rolfs face clearly, and what she saw surprised her. The man was furious. Since she always sensed some rage inside him, she had not paid much attention to that underlying feeling of anger. It was clear that this anger was fresh and had been stirred to life by hearing of the crimes Donnell and Egan were involved in. She was just thinking that it was nice to meet a man who could be upset by crimes and injustices when she realized he was cursing, low and long and viciously. In the Scots tongue,

  “So ye do speak our language,” she murmured and faintly smiled. “And verra colorfully.”

  “My apologies,” he murmured in French, his attempt to sound calm and polite marred slightly by the underlying throb of fury in his deep voice. “I can curse fluently in your tongue, but speaking as a gentleman should to a lady is more difficult.”

  She nodded but knew she was as detached from the conversation as he was. Now that she was no longer in his arms, the conversation she had overheard was filling her mind and demanding that she think about it. It would also be a good idea to put some distance between him and herself as quickly as possible. Annora started inching toward the door.

  “I think it would be a verra good idea if we got out of here as soon as possible,” she said.

  “Yes, it would be.”

  James strode past her and eased open the door. He looked out into the hallway, saw no one, and signaled her to follow him as he slipped out of the room. Once outside, he grabbed her by the hand as she started to move away from her and kissed her hard before letting her go again.

  He almost smiled at the way she blushed and nearly ran from him. It was undoubtedly a mistake to remind her of what they had shared before Donnell and Egan had interrupted them, but he found he did not want her to go away and force it from her thoughts. That brief kiss had been a little reminder and a warning that this was not the end of it, simply the beginning. He needed to be cautious but he decided he could not completely ignore what had flared between them.

  He could not ignore what he had just heard MacKay and Egan talk about, either. Hurrying back to his workshop, he fought against the urge to go straight to MacKay and demand to know whom he was raiding and who had died. The man was threatening to draw Dunncraig and its people into a long, bloody feud. It could be something it would be impossible to fix once James proved his innocence and regained control of Dunncraig. Unless he could serve MacKay’s head on a platter to the aggrieved party, he thought with a hint of anticipation.

  Reaching his workshop, James looked at his tools and the mantel he was working on and knew it was going to be hard to find the calm he needed no matter how hard he worked. Dunncraig was in danger. The death of a laird’s heir was no small thing that could be talked or bought away. He would have to get rid of MacKay and regain his good name as fast as possible. It was time to stop moving quite so slowly and cautiously. If he did not put a halt to the man’s crimes soon, all he would have when he did regain his good name, his child, and his lands, was a smoking ruin.

  Chapter Five

  A soft curse escaped Annora as she entered the great hall to break her fast. The Chisholms were still at Dunncraig. She had hoped that they had left with the dawn. From what she and Rolf had overheard yesterday, their bloody work had been accomplished, so there was no need for the men to linger. Yet, here they were, ruining her morning.

  Sitting down in her usual seat at the head table, she found herself seated across from the Chisholms. That was not far enough away for her comfort, but she could not simply move, for it would be an obvious insult to Donnell’s guests and cause her a trouble she would rather avoid. Worse, she now had Egan seated to her right. Since it was a very small bench she sat on, it meant that Egan was constantly rubbing against her, touching her, and she knew he did most of the touching and rubbing on purpose. Her appetite was suddenly gone, but she knew she had to stay, had to pretend that sharing a table with five brutal men did not disturb her.

  The moment her bowl was filled with oatmeal, Annora did her best to ignore the men. It was not as easy as it should have been. Egan kept rubbing up against her and pressing his thigh against hers. The Chisholms loudly revealed their utter lack of table manners and Donnell seemed oblivious of everything except the vast quantity of food he was shoving into his mouth. For a man who was expending so much coin and effort to make the keep equal to any royal palace, Annora wondered why he did nothing to improve himself. She had the sinking feeling that her cousin was so vain he thought he was already quite perfect.

  Annora was just helping herself to some fruit when Meggie was brought into the great hall by Hazel, one of the many maids Donnell had working inside the keep. Most of the women were hardworking, but others, ones who willingly leapt into Donnell’s bed, did whatever they wished to. They obviously thought that sharing the laird’s bed gave them some special place in the keep and some privileges. The one leading Meggie over to Donnell’s seat was one who still held some kindness and conscience, and Annora was glad of that. Meggie always felt afraid when she was brought before Donnell, and one of the more cocky and callous maids would have made it even worse.

  Poor little Meggie looked as confused as Annora felt when Donnell introduced her to the Chisholms. His voice was so gentle when he spoke to Meggie that it made Annora nervous. Whenever he deigned to speak to the child he claimed as his, kindness never softened his tone. The way Meggie’s eyes began to widen told Annora that the child also found such a change i
n Donnell’s manner toward her more alarming than welcoming. Meggie was right to be worried. Such a change in Donnell’s manner was a sure sign of trouble.

  Abruptly a chill went through Annora’s body. There was only one reason a man dragged his mere child of a daughter to a meal with guests, or at least only one reason a man like Donnell would have. He knew nothing about Meggie’s accomplishments, likes, or dislikes, and so he could not be attempting to boast about any of those. Donnell was displaying a possible bride before his friends. The mere thought of one of the Chisholms getting his hands on sweet little Meggie made Annora feel ill.

  As she carefully peeled and cored an apple, Annora surreptitiously watched the Chisholms. It had to be them that Donnell was trying to impress, perhaps even bribe, for Egan had known Meggie nearly all her life and had shown no more interest in her than Donnell did. The way the younger Chisholms studied Meggie, as if trying to decide how she would look when she was fully grown, made Annora want to grab Meggie and run for the hills.

  When Meggie was finally sent away, Annora calmly finished her apple and then politely excused herself. She did not go far, only far enough so that the men in the great hall would think she had retired to her bedchamber or joined Meggie in the nursery. Then, as silently as she could, she crept back to the great hall, pressing herself hard up against the wall just by the doorway. If Donnell did have a plan to marry Meggie to one of the Chisholms, there would be some talk of it now that the prize had been shown around.

  “A bonnie wee lass,” said Ian Chisholm, his deep, scratchy voice easy to recognize. “What do ye think, Wee Ian?”

  “Aye, she could weel grow up to be a bonnie lass,” replied Ian’s firstborn son.

  Annora almost cursed aloud and clapped her hand over her mouth to prevent her anger from taking voice. Donnell was indeed attempting to arrange a betrothal between Meggie and one of Ian Chisholm’s ugly sons. There had to be something Donnell would gain from such an arrangement. Even though Ian and Donnell had become close allies in stealing from the neighboring clans, Annora felt they were on even footing as far as the crimes they had committed were concerned. Therefore she doubted it was because of blackmail that Donnell would offer the Chisholms what Donnell always claimed was his first and only child.