Page 11 of Highland Secret (The Highland Magic #1)

I nstead of shivering awake in the arid, dusty attic as she did every day, Evelyn drifted into awareness on a sumptuous shaft of silver light, which gained strength as the morning began to peak over the crests of the sea.

The creak of leather and the click of metal armor dumped her into full consciousness and to the comprehension that she lay naked in the bed of a Berserker.

Roderick mysteriously remained cloaked in shadows, his ebony hair pulled into a tight queue at his nape. He fastened a fearsome spiked bracer about a wide wrist, his brutish features set in a grim mask.

“Don’t fight near the Mackay.” The whisper escaped her, knowing that his exceptional hearing would pick up the trembling uncertainty in her voice. “Please, be careful. There’s… someone out there. Someone dangerous.”

His eyes lit upon her and softened, yet a dark brow lifted almost scornfully.

No doubt, he assumed she feared for his safety after his insult on her behalf the night before.

Even heavier now, dressed in his black armor, he sank to the bed, causing her to lean towards him.

An armored hand reached for her, then hesitated when he glanced at the stained glove and scarred bracer dangerously close to her skin.

Instead, he dropped his arm and worried the leather at his cuff.

“Just…” Should she tell him? Would it change the outcome or be the cause of it?

“Angus and his clan have already betrayed the lot of you. I- I overheard them speaking of it last night.” Squeezing her eyes shut, she called herself every form of coward.

“Hundreds more horsemen are even now hidden to the north and west waiting to flank you if the battle turns in favor of the Stewart.”

Roderick kissed her, hard. Not the gentle brushes or passionate tending of lips from last night, but a possessive branding of flesh. As he plundered the depths of her mouth with his tongue, heat bloomed between them, heedless of the battle gear that separated their flesh.

He didn’t touch her, not once allowing his armor to come into contact with her skin as he thoroughly devoured her. Slick moisture pooled between Evelyn’s aching thighs in understanding that, no matter how sore she was, he would be welcome inside her.

Abruptly ending the kiss, he glanced at the grey light of dawn turning more golden with each passing moment.

Stunning her with sudden movement, he leapt from the bed and swiped his sword from where it leaned against the wall next to the headboard. Strapping it to his lean hips faster than she thought possible, a look of dangerous anticipation played across his features.

The sounds of other men preparing for battle permeated the silence between them. Horses whinnied and stamped the ground, carts of weaponry clamored up the rough hewn roads and camp fires sizzled as they were doused.

Roderick paused at the door. Their eyes locked.

Thousands of questions burned behind her lips, holding her tongue heavy with fear. She dare not open her mouth for fear they would come tumbling out, humiliating them both.

What was he going to do? Would he heed her request? Would he live through the day? Would he come back for her if he did? Would she ever see him again?

Did she mean anything to him now?

A torturous agony coursed through her with a strength she’d never before encountered. This must be the crippling horror every woman experienced when she sent her warrior off to battle.

Her heart in her throat, she watched, paralyzed, as he bowed to her, his right hand grasped over his heart. Still, she kept quiet as he turned on his boot and quit the room. The door closed with a click that reverberated through her bones.

Trembling with the force of it, she allowed the tears she’d been holding with an iron will to flow freely down her cheeks.

What had she done?