Page 49

CHAPTER TWO

V ivian gasped at the voice, for it was calm, but commanding. Cold and calculated. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one taken back at the crisp, firm and yet, completely emotionless demand, for the two men stopped in their tracks. Loosening their grip on her, they turned to see who was speaking.

A man then stepped away from the wall of the inn.

“I said, let her go,” he repeated, his tone not changed.

A tone that did something to the men, for both of them continued to hesitate with the depth of authority. Vivian could understand why. His voice was measured, sharp, dangerous. It made her stomach twist and cause the strangest sensation. A sensation she had never before experienced.

That came as no surprise given the fact that she had spent little to no time in her life around the opposite sex. But even acknowledging that, her gut told her that her reaction was different, that it meant something more.

The men seemed to shake themselves from their shock. The larger of the two reacted first, but even his words did not hold the conviction he intended.

“This isnae any o’ yer damned business. Go back inside ‘afore ye get hurt.”

“No. Please!” Vivian cried.

This might be the only chance she got to escape, and she certainly wasn’t going to shirk the opportunity.

“Shut it,” the big man yelled.

A second later, Vivian felt a heavy strike across her face, the pain of which utterly stunned her. A strange coppery taste seeped into her mouth. She dragged her tongue across her lip, feeling the broken skin that now bled. The shock was brief, quickly replaced by fear and then fury.

She was about to fight back when her savior suddenly arrived beside the three of them.

She was stunned by the way he moved, for like his tone, he was calculated, precise, brutal.

Not an ounce of hesitation or fear was present, even though he was outnumbered.

He was tall and broad and powerful with rugged features.

His dark hair was cut short to his head.

The white lines on his face a testament of the many battles he had fought before.

He was the most interesting human being Vivian had seen in her whole life.

Standing there waiting for the men to acquiesce, he held a frightening efficiency that took Vivian’s breath away. In fact, that twisting sensation she had just felt only seemed to expand and grow in her stomach.

“We have tae tak’ her,” the smaller of the two said. “Our own lives depend on it. Ye dinnae ken anything about her. She needs tae come with us, and we need tae move now.”

Vivian waited for the powerful man to reply, but he said nothing.

Instead, she watched the swift movement of his arm, so fast, it was like lightening.

There seemed to be a second’s pause, and then the smaller man’s legs crumpled.

His body fell with a heavy thud on the ground, and Vivian screamed at the sight of the blood seeping out of his throat.

She felt the larger one release his grip on her arm as he stepped forward, his arms raised and ready to fight.

“Ye’re going tae pay fer that,” he spat.

Only then, did Vivian see the quick flash of metal. Her attacker had swiftly grabbed a knife from somewhere, and now lunged at the man who had appeared from the shadows.

But her attacker was not fast enough, the other swiftly dodging his aggressive swipes. Instead, he batted his arm away, before swinging his fist and striking the man hard across the jaw.

He stumbled backwards a few steps, but righted himself. Shaking the strike off, he launched forward again. This time, the other man brought his own blade down, slicing through the man’s clothing. A spurt of blood sprayed from flesh beneath.

“Argh,” he cried, holding onto the wound.

“Ye can run, or ye can die like yer friend,” the man said, nodding to the man lying on the floor just a few feet away.

Still holding his wound, her attacker hesitated for the briefest of seconds. He looked at the man who had struck him, then at his dead companion on the ground. Without another word, he turned on his heels and fled into the darkness.

And then, she was left standing beside the man who had just slain her captor without a second thought or hesitation. Only then, did she start to tremble a little. Thanks to the stranger, she had escaped a terrible fate, the shock of which only hit her at that moment.

The two of them stood there as the air went quiet. Now all she could hear was the thud of her rapid heartbeat, and the soft breathing of the horse that remained standing beside her.

He approached her, slowly, carefully, as if she were a frightened animal that might bolt at any second.

There was no softness in his expression, only cool control.

She could not help but wonder, even in her traumatic state, whether this man did anything in his life in any other manner.

He had appeared from nowhere and had fought to save her.

A stranger who knew nothing about her. A tall, dark, handsome stranger.

Still, she did not fully know his intentions.

Could she be in a worse circumstance than before?

Vivian found herself taking a step back as he grew closer.

“I’m nae going tae hurt ye,” he said, his voice low and rough. “Let me tak’ a look at that lip.”

She was still shaking, but she nodded. True to her character, and even through her fear, she wanted to make certain this man knew she wasn’t a pushover, even though he had just saved her from a dreadful fate.

Narrowing her eyes, she said, “You better not do something that you’re going to regret.”

His eyebrows hitched in surprise, and then, his mouth twisted. He gave her a crooked smile, something unreadable behind his eyes. Half amused, half something darker.

“Ye’re a Sassenach,” he stated. His smile fell then. “Dae ye ken how dangerous it is fer a lass like ye tae be out here alone in the Highlands?”

Vivian opened her mouth to reply, but he didn’t give her a chance.

“Ye’re a reckless woman, putting yersel’ in such danger.”

Agitation rose up in her at his words, and unwilling to let it pass, she said, “You know nothing about me, and yet, you have made a hundred conclusions as to the type of person I am. How very presumptuous of you.”

In her agitation, she turned away a little. The man’s eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of her garment beneath.

“Ye are a nun?” he gawked in bewilderment.

Vivian shook her head. “No, I am not a nun. I have lived with the nuns though. In fact, I’ve spent most of my life with them.”

Again, his eyes were unreadable as they grazed across her face. With the same careful wariness of earlier, he lifted his hand to her chin and softly pulled her face toward him, his eyes peering at her swollen lip.

“Stay here,” he growled.

Vivian did as she was bid, but the man did not go far.

His horse was situated only a few feet away.

She watched as he dug around inside his saddle bag, and then he turned back towards her with a small item in his hand.

Upon reaching her, Vivian noted it was a small tin, the kind of container one might find snuff or powder in.

He twisted the top off it to reveal some kind of creamy, pale balm.

“Stay still,” he ordered once more.

Scooping his finger into the balm, he then applied it to her swollen lip. Vivian hissed, and he pulled his hand away looking genuinely sorry. But then, he reached for her again and finished off applying what little balm was left on his finger.

As cold and calculated as this man had been so far, his touch was as gentle as a child’s.

His finger dragged over the softness of her lip, sending a strange tingle down her spine.

It was a feeling she had never before experienced, yet it was not unpleasant.

In fact, she felt a strange guilt rise in her, for surely, she ought not to be affected by his touch so easily.

He was so close to her now, she could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he towered over her.

It was the first time she had ever been so close to a man.

Especially one so large, and unreadable.

Only then did she notice blood on his tunic; it was still fresh from killing the man who now lay at their feet. But he didn’t seem to care. About the blood, or the man, or anything else for that matter. His focus was entirely upon her.

The air between them felt charged, as though sparks could crackle at any second.

His finger rubbing across her lip sent a thrill through her entire body, and she felt goosebumps on her arms and a tingle down her spine.

And yet, her reaction made little sense.

She did not know this man. Nor did his poker face give her any inclination or hope of finding out.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a thundering sound stopped him. Instead, he cocked his ear to listen more intently.

“We need tae go,” he said gruffly.

“What do you mean?” Vivian cried. “No. I need to stay. I have far to travel and I need?—”

He turned and stared into her eyes. “He’s coming back.”

“Who?” Vivian cried.

“The man who escaped. And by the sound of it, he’s bringing reinforcements.”

She looked out into the darkness, as though she might see them, but then, she felt his hand on her arm. Spinning around, her heart thumped in her chest.

“What are you doing?”

“I told ye. We have tae go, and it has tae be now.”

Not giving her a minute to think, he pulled her along with him, while Vivian struggled to know what to do.

Indeed, she could not stay there. If that dreadful man was coming back, she certainly didn’t want to be waiting for him, but at the same token, she had no idea who the man who had saved her was.

She was still struggling with her dilemma when they suddenly came to a halt.

Without a word, he took hold of her waist and lifted her effortlessly onto his horse.

“Wait,” she cried.

“There’s nay time,” he replied gruffly. “We need tae go.”

Fear mixed with the excitement of the moment.

From having nothing to do with men, to suddenly being surrounded by them, she hardly knew what to think or feel.

It was as though she had leapt from the frying pan into the fire, for now there was another man trying to take her against her will.

He might well have saved her but she still did not know what his intentions were.

“I don’t even know who you are, I will not just leave with you.”

Ignoring her, he mounted the horse and pulled himself in close behind her.

“It’s dangerous fer ye, and I cannae leave ye alone. Ye’re coming with me,” he declared. “Ye belong with me now until I say otherwise.”