Page 18 of The Highlander’s Gypsy Temptation

“And what of the girl?” one of the guards stepped forward to ask. “You told Bran you would kill her if he failed.”

August backhanded the guard across the face. “Do not dare do anything to her unless I say so. I have no intention of hurting the last of my sister’s blood. Go, find Bran MacLeod and kill him and bring me back Idalia Buckland. Go, now!” He shouted this last with a manic voice, as if the man could not move fast enough to please him.

“We must go,” Idalia whispered frantically to Bran as she clutched at his sleeve. “You heard him. He means to have you killed and me to be his, no matter the consequences. Mahala is safe. He will not harm her, but if we do not leave now, you will not live long enough to see her ever again.”

“I cannae leave her,” he choked on the anger and passion in his voice.

“If you remain here, you will leave her in a much more permanent manner. If you leave now, you can return to save her later. If you remain, there will never be a later. She will remain with August Raymond to the end of her days.”

Bran turned his pain-filled eyes to meet hers. “Ye ask the impossible o’ me.”

Idalia shook her head. “I only ask you to live long enough to kill that bastard so that you can free your daughter when the time is right.”

The harshness of her language caught his attention. “I do ever so wish tae kill the bastard.”

“Then run with me now,” Idalia more commanded than begged. “Come with me now, and I will help you kill him myself.”

Giving one last longing look at the tent holding his daughter, Bran took Idalia by the hand. Men were running toward their position. In mere moments they would be discovered, and all would be over for them both. “Climb on tae my horse,” he commanded. Idalia quickly obeyed. Bran swung up behind her and sank his heels into the horse’s side. Together, they raced through the darkness, north, toward home.

* * *

“What about the lad who was to deliver our message?” Idalia asked as the horse raced across the uneven ground.

“August will release him after he has questioned him. It would nae do for him tae make enemies o’ the local citizenry. The lad will be unharmed.”

“Should we not tell his father he has been captured?”

Bran shook his head. “Once August has questioned the lad, he will immediately send men to the village. We should avoid it if we dinnae wish tae be caught.”

“They will suspect we will run to Orkney or Strathnaver for help.”

“August kens that I would never leave Mahala alone with him for very long. Let us pray he does nae think tae look for us further north until after we have arrived home.”

They rode until the horse could go no further. “The horse need rest. We have nay choice but tae stop.” Dawn had long since come and gone, and the midday sun beat down upon their heads. Bran stopped at the edge of a stream and let the horse get a drink of water, then tied it to a tree to graze. “We will need to find food for ourselves soon.”

He dipped his hand in the stream and pulled forth water for Idalia to drink. He held his hands to her lips and tilted them upwards to let the cool clear liquid flow into her mouth. Their eyes met over the top of his hands and held. A strange feeling curled around Bran’s insides, causing his heart to beat faster. What he saw in her eyes was mesmerizing. He found he could not look away to save himself.

“Thank you,” she murmured, her lips brushing his fingers as she spoke.

Desire coursed through Bran’s body like a lightning bolt straight to the groin. His body hardened in response to her touch as if he were an untried lad. Taking the pad of his thumb, he brushed the droplets of water from her chin. Her mouth opened in response, and her breath warmed the tips of his fingers. “Idalia,” he breathed her name as if it were a prayer.

She sighed, her lip quivering beneath his touch. He leaned in as if to kiss her, but she turned her head, blushing as she did so. She was the first to look away, breaking their held gaze. “Are you certain we are safe here?” she asked, changing the subject.

“As certain as I can be, given the circumstances. We will nae stay long. We must keep moving if we wish tae remain ahead o’ August’s men.” Sighing, Bran moved away from her to search the nearby forest for something to eat. He came back with a small collection of nuts, berries, and edible fungi. They sat together eating in silence for the few moments their food lasted, then they returned to staring at one another, not certain what to do next. The horse was not quite ready to move on just yet.

“Teach me to fight,” Idalia requested, suddenly breaking the silence.

“I taught ye tae use a blade. Ye learned quickly.”

Idalia shook her head. “I want to learn more than that. I need to know more than how to plunge a blade into a man’s kidneys once he is already on top of me. I need to know how to defend myself so that he is never allowed to be on top of me to begin with.”

Bran admired her will to learn. He agreed with her that such a skill would be useful for all women. “That is fair.” Standing from the fallen tree trunk they had been sitting on, he faced her. “Arise and come at me.”

Idalia stood and charged at him as instructed. Bran sidestepped her and delivered a gentle tap to her kidneys. He did not hurt her, but it was enough to get the point across. Her eyes sparked with determination. “Come at me,” she commanded, her stance ready for him.

Bran smiled wickedly and came at her. She tried to sidestep him as he had done her, but Bran’s arms were far longer than hers and he was able to scoop her up before she could maneuver around to deliver her own blow. Laughing, he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her back to her original starting point. He set her down on the ground and was met by fiery eyes glaring up at him. “Again,” he instructed, and returned to his own position.

Idalia came at him again, this time dropping to the ground below him to avoid his long arms and coming up behind him to deliver a tap to his kidney region. “Was picking me up necessary?” she asked him, slightly out of breath from her exertions.