Page 42 of Hunted By the Cruel Highlander (Lasses of the Highland Hunt #1)

"Ihave to say, I am a wee bit disappointed to find ye waitin' for me, lass.

I was so lookin' forward to havin' ye wigglin' over me shoulder.

But I suppose, I'll just have to wait for that pleasure after our vows," Aaron said through the open carriage window.

Izzy shifted in her seat and pouted to the bare corner of the carriage.

The fact that she was even going to Scotland was enough to make her want to cry. Oh, the lies Catherine and the others must be spreading by now — the thought was enough to make Izzy shiver.

"Hope ye packed somethin' warmer than that bare thing ye got on. The Highland winds will freeze ye to the bone."

"At least then I'd be rid of you," Izzy mumbled. There was no hiding her disgust. It licked every word that fell off her tongue.

"Why release such venom on me? Am I nae in the same predicament as ye? Or did ye think me ideal mate would be a cantankerous English lass like yerself?"

"You call me names? I see," Izzy said turning to face him. Her eyes widened as she spotted lanterns swaying through the brush like demons following them in the night. The warmth drained out of her.

"Are ye well? Or have ye seen a ghost?" Aaron asked as he leaned over the neck of his horse to get a better glimpse inside the carriage. Izzy couldn't take her eyes off the glowing lights shifting in the darkness.

"And if I tell the truth, you'll certainly send me to a nunnery claiming the devil is in me," Izzy whispered as fear stole her senses.

"What are ye goin' on about there?" Aaron huffed and turned his back to her.

The sound of the metal tipped arrow smacking into the wooden planks of the carriage rattled Izzy to her core. She had been expecting it to rainwater, not arrows. Just as she ducked into the well of the carriage, Izzy's heart pounded in her ears.

"Get her to the castle." Aaron's voice boomed through the thunder of arrows as they slammed into her father's carriage.

There was no stopping or stifling the scream that pierced the silence of the night.

Little fingers of panic trickled from the top of Izzy's head to the tips of her toes.

The air came in quick and sharp as she tried to hold herself steady.

But there was no point. The carriage jostled and jerked her about as if she were nothing but a rag doll to be played with.

"Pull the carriage over!"

Izzy glanced to the window. All hope she had budding in her for some miracle or outside help came crumbling around her as the masked stranger straddled the carriage door.

"No," Izzy screamed as she kicked at the intruder's hand as he tried to reach for the knob of the carriage.

With her mind racing every which direction, it seemed there was a beauty to be found in the chaos.

The world slowed for her as she recoiled her leg back and took aim.

She'd only have one shot at hitting him, but that was all she would need. "Get out."

Kicking out with her heel, Izzy shoved the bandit's arm into the door. The cry he let out reminded Izzy of the pack of wolves pleading to the full moon. There was something fierce and primal that came out of him. Fear strangled her, tainting her world in a foggy haze that she couldn't see through.

"Drive on," Izzy screamed as she braced her body against the seat of the carriage and pressed her foot against the wall as the bandit fell to the wayside.

"Hold on," a voice called as a loud thud rattled the roof of the carriage. Her eyes shot to the roof, and her breath hitched. Two arms the size of tree trunks stretched through the carriage windows.

"Daenae be scared," the man growled. "I daenae want to hurt ye. Ye're far more valuable alive than dead."

"You will leave me alone," Izzy cried as she pulled one of her shoes off and started beating the bandit's arms. His grunting and moaning only gave her the drive to keep going.

"Woah," the driver shouted.

The carriage lunged.

Izzy crashed against the adjacent wall of the carriage and landed in the seat with a jerk. The world had flipped as she tried to sort herself out. If it wasn't for her skirts weighing her down, she could have easily shimmed back around.

"Well, now there's a lovely sight. Come here ye, and let me have me way with ye," the husky man said as he reached within the carriage, his fingers curled around her waist pulling out of the safety of the carriage.

Despite Izzy's thrashing about, all she was doing was wasting her energy.

She was like a fish in a pond, and he a hawk.

An icy finger streaked down her spine as she realized there was no hope coming for her.

Her family was long gone, and her husband to be…

was no doubt dealing with his clan and taking a short cut back to his castle.

And this is how I die.

"Oh, there's a good lass," the bandit said as her fingernails dragged along the planks of the carriage. "Just give me yer arse; that's all I need from ye."

A loud feral roar ripped through Izzy's fear. There was no telling where it had come from, only that the sound caused the claws digging into her hips to sink deeper. Pain rippled through her as her body went numb. The fear shifted to terror as the hands around her waist fell away.

Scrambling to the corner of the carriage, Izzy huddled into a ball as a dark shadow over came the carriage.

The phantom was as black as night and brought with it the icy chill of death.

Every nerve in her body tingled as she watched the bandit drop to the floor of the carriage.

She blinked as she tried to wrap her head around what was going on, but she couldn't seem to get a grip on anything.

She gasped as the shadows shifted and a growl of frustration echoed through the silence, stealing the last drop of her courage.

Her hand clamped over her mouth, stifling the scream that was clawing up her throat as the bandit's lifeless body moved.

She froze, wishing she could blend into the shadows or seep into the floor.

Hope shot through her like a comet streaking the darkest sky.

There was a sliver of a chance. If she wanted to escape, she'd have to take a gamble.

The secret door at the foot of the carriage.

If she could slip under before the phantom came for her, she might have a chance, but she'd have to be quick.

Fear wrestled with terror as Izzy waited for her moment. The second the bandit's body was out of the carriage, Izzy darted for the trap doorway. Pulling up the panel, she slipped into the pitch dark. With her ears pounding, she prayed the monster couldn't see her.

"Where are ye?" a heavy voice growled. She closed her eyes as she listened to the heavy steps falling around the carriage. "Clever minx."

"No," Izzy screamed as fingers curled over her shoulder. In sheer panic, Izzy curled her hands into a tight ball of furry and let her arm swing wild.

"Enough of this. Will ye come to yer senses, lass? We've got several miles to go before we get to the castle, and the only way we're gettin' there now is by foot."

Izzy slowly turned. Her eyes widened at the strange and horrific face before her. Despite the shadows cloaking the Laird's face, Izzy could see the blood splattered over his features. Was it his or the bandits'?

"Ye hurt?"

Izzy's head felt dizzy as the Laird's face shifted just enough to distort his features.

Instead of standing before her husband to be, Izzy found her late brother staring back at her.

He flashed her his charming, crooked grin before the image was tainted by pools of blood streaming down her brother's face.

"No, get away from me," Izzy wailed as the vile remnant of her brother reached for her. It was as if she were in a nightmare she couldn't wake from. Her head ached as her view grew smaller until she was shrouded in darkness.