Rage Read online

  “Good luck to you,” he said before trotting off.

  He didn’t look back, though he wanted to. There wasn’t an arrow sticking out of his back either. She had kept her word. And so would he. Sort of.

  Just in case she watched him, he rode until the glen was far behind him. Only then did he tug his horse to a stop. He turned his steed around and sat there, thinking of the encounter. She had been afraid of him, but it seemed she was more afraid of being found. That meant anyone who came upon her would get the same treatment.

  The cottage was tucked away in a remote glen. It hadn’t been used in nearly five years. Rob knew that no one had been using it last summer when he’d ridden past. She had found it sometime after that. Was she running from someone? That had to be the answer. A husband, perhaps? A woman alone anywhere was in danger. A woman in the Highlands, even more so. Anyone could come upon her and take advantage since her location was so far from the castle.

  That would explain her hiding from him, but not her fear. That was an entirely different thing altogether. The panic and distress was something he had only seen once before. In his cousin, who had been running for his life.

  “Bloody hell,” Rob murmured.

  He sat there for a few more minutes. He’d never intended to let her go, but he wanted to make her think that he had. She would beat a hasty retreat, which would make her trail easy to track. He could go back to the castle and get reinforcements, but he wanted to do this alone. The more men he had, the more she would likely do something to endanger her life. Too many had died recently for more blood to be spilled.

  His horse snorted, eager to get moving.

  Rob bent and scratched behind his ear. “I know, lad. We’re going after her.”

  The lass was already terrified. He didn’t want to reappear before she’d had time to get away—or at least think she had gotten away. She’d know that she had little time to run because he would be back. Rob wouldn’t chase her down, though. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to approach her this next time. He had made himself visible atop the hill so that anyone in the cottage could see him. He had ridden slowly to the house and called out. And, still, she had hidden.

  “We’re going to have to do things differently this time,” he told his horse before Rob nudged him into a walk.

  Just as he’d known, the Sassenach was gone by the time he returned to the cottage. Rob stood inside the door and looked around. The roof had been repaired. Everything was clean and tidy. By the looks of it, she had been there for some months. Alone. A woman, alone. That gave him pause.

  Not because she was alone. Other women in the clan lived alone, but there weren’t many. Those who did it chose that life and didn’t live so far from others that they couldn’t get help if they needed it. This woman clearly wanted the isolation. And he kept coming back to that.

  Rob pivoted and studied the ground outside the cottage. Her footprints led directly to the river. He followed them and stopped on the banks. A glance across the other side didn’t show any indication that someone had pulled themselves from the water. No wet rocks. No grass half-pulled from the dirt from being grabbed while she yanked herself out of the river with her soaked skirts. No trampled flowers or grass as she walked away.

  He looked downstream. There was a chance she’d floated, but he doubted it. The water only got faster downstream before it finally calmed, where it became shallow enough to cross. Did she know of that area? Likely not if she’d considered crossing here. But she didn’t cross here. She only wanted him to believe that she had.

  She might be scared and reacting, but she had devised a plan. Maybe she’d always had it in case someone came upon her, but at least she was being smart about it. He grinned before turning away. He began searching the area to see where she had gone. He was a good tracker, and yet it took him longer than he wanted to admit to locate her trail. Mostly because only her tracks were around the cottage. That hindered him, but it didn’t stop him.

  “Got you,” he murmured when he saw her footprints leading away from the cottage and the river. They were grouped wide apart, showing that she was running.

  Rob whistled to his horse. When the animal trotted over, Rob grabbed the reins and followed the Sassenach. His mind raced with possibilities of what she, an Englishwoman, was doing in the Scottish Highlands alone. There were several scenarios, and it only made things worse not knowing. So, he quit thinking about it—or he tried to. He turned his attention to finding a way to approach her that wouldn’t spook her again. The problem was, he didn’t think there was a way he could do that.

  He lost her trail a couple of times when she went over rocks, but he quickly found it again. She had slowed to a walk for a short while before running again. She was trying to put as much distance between them as she could. It wouldn’t make a difference. He had a horse. He could cover twice as much ground as she could.

  And still, she ran.

  It took him almost two hours, but he found her. Rob decided to follow her instead of approaching. When he saw that she only had a small bag with her, he thought about everything she had left behind at the cottage. Things that others would gladly steal if they found them. Yet she had left them all without a second’s hesitation.

  Rob followed her for half the day. She rested only twice. If she saw someone coming, she hid. The more he observed, the more questions he had for her. There was no reason for him to trail her, other than he felt some sense of responsibility since his arrival had sent her fleeing.

  He thought about his clan, his family. He thought about his responsibilities there. The reason for his visit to her. He needed to get back to them, but he couldn’t leave her. Not alone. He owed it to the lass to make sure that no one accosted her. Though he was beginning to wonder how far she planned to run—and how far he would follow her. He would have to make that decision soon.

  By dusk, she looked exhausted. She found a spot off the road in a forest for the night. She didn’t light a fire. Neither did he. He crept close enough to see her through the trees, but he didn’t approach. She leaned against a tree and valiantly tried to stay awake, but fatigue took her.

  A light rain began during the night. His horse nickered in protest. Rob ignored the animal and remained on guard. It was an hour to dawn when his steed’s head suddenly jerked up, his ears swiveling forward. Rob peered through the thick foliage to see what had caught the animal’s attention. Then he saw the two men coming upon the lass from opposite sides. One had a beard, and the other had a scar across his cheek.

  Rob quietly unsheathed his sword and began to make his way to them. The woman came awake when the man with the scar touched her braid. She didn’t scream, didn’t even cry out. She jumped to her feet and reached for her bow. Unfortunately, the one with the beard had it.

  “This is nice,” Beard said as he admired the bow.

  Her eyes blazed with fury. “Give it back.”

  “Naw. I think I’ll keep it.” Beard smiled, half his teeth missing.

  The tree was at her back, and they blocked her in. Rob maneuvered himself to come up behind the two men. He glanced at the lass and saw her anger. Not fear now. Anger. He hurried to them, knowing surprise was his element.

  “This is your only warning to leave me be,” she told them.

  Scar grinned as he looked her over. “You’re alone, lass. No one to help you.”

  “I warned you,” she replied coolly.

  The two looked at each other and laughed. Rob thought he saw something flash a bright pink as Scar grabbed her hand. The lass jerked back. Beard’s big hands grasped her.

  Rob bellowed as he jumped from behind a tree, but it didn’t stop Scar from hitting her. Her head snapped back, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Scar spun and faced Rob, pulling a knife from his boot. The lass then bit down on Beard’s hand, causing him to drop her bow. The big man bellowed and slammed her against the tree, where she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

  Rob quirked a brow as
he held his sword. “Do you really want to try that?”

  “It’s two against one,” Scar said.

  Rob grinned. “I’m game if you are.”

  Scar and Beard exchanged glances before turning and running away. Rob sighed as he watched them go. Then he sheathed his sword and went to the lass. He gathered her pack and the bow, securing both to his saddle before lifting her into his arms and mounting his horse.

  3

  Elin winced at the pain in her head as she came awake. She opened her eyes and blinked as she tried to focus. Light filtered through the slits of the window covers. She frowned at that. She was normally awake by dawn, but it was clearly past that.

  She sat up and immediately regretted it as her stomach roiled. She carefully lay back down and took slow, measured breaths to help calm the nausea. She lifted her hand to her head only when she knew she wouldn’t get sick. The instant her fingers lightly brushed the bump on the side of her head, agony and more nausea assaulted her.

  It was excruciating even minutes later before the pain subsided. What had happened to her? The last thing she remembered was being out in the morning sun. There had been a rider… That’s when it all came back to her. Flashes of Rob, his leaving, her running, and then the men in the forest.

  But…how was she back at her cottage? And it was her cottage. She knew every inch of it. Had Rob been there? Had he seen the men attack? He must have. There was no other explanation for how she’d gotten back to her home.

  She had known that someone would follow her, but she’d thought she was smart enough to make them lose her trail. Turned out she wasn’t very good at that at all.

  “Not without magic, at least,” she murmured angrily.

  She was determined to forget she had it. She wanted a normal life above all else. For people to not fear her. To be a part of something.

  Yet she had been faced with an ultimatum with the men. Her magic had alerted her that they meant her harm. As it was, the knot on the side of her head was an indication of what awaited her. She should’ve immediately used her magic to dissuade them. But she had thought she could handle it.

  She hadn’t been able to fix the cottage without magic. And it turned out she couldn’t protect herself without it, either. How would she have the life she dreamed of if she kept turning to the magic that’d put her in this predicament? There was no easy solution. And that was the rub of it all.

  Elin sighed and slowly turned onto her side before gradually moving to a sitting position. Someone had taken off her shoes. She knew who that someone was, but she refused to say his name, simply out of spite. Though that was childish. He had not only found her, but he had also returned her to the cottage. She needed to show her appreciation. Otherwise, she was no better than those who had once created the Coven.

  She swayed a little when she got to her feet but quickly found her footing. Elin went to the windows and opened the shutters. Sunlight spilled into the cottage. She shivered. It was spring, and the clear skies brought warmth but not enough that a fire wasn’t needed. That was the hardest part of living so far north—the cold.

  Elin turned and went to light the fire. She found wood already stacked and ready. Rob again? She had threatened him with her bow, had run from him, and what had he done? The opposite. She felt like a fool for reacting so badly. Then again, she knew what awaited those of her kind.

  If he found out who she was.

  She wouldn’t let that happen. She hadn’t handled the situation properly, but maybe there was a way for her to make it right. Perhaps this place in the Highlands could offer her the life she dreamed of—ordinary, without magic.

  Elin didn’t know where to find Rob, but she had a feeling he would be back. Until then, she’d go about her day as usual. The pounding of her head made her reconsider, however. She knelt and started the fire. Then she went outside and searched for the herbs she needed to make a tea to ease her pain.

  She didn’t have to go far for them, thankfully. Elin returned to the cottage and soaked the leaves as she ground ginger to help with the nausea. Once the tea was ready, she took the cup and curled up on the bed to drink it. It wasn’t like her to waste a day sitting around doing nothing. However, since the little she had already done had made her feel even worse, she decided to take a day and relax and think about the future.

  When she ran from Rob, she’d had no place in mind. All she’d thought about was fleeing as fast and as far as she could. She moved around a lot and knew how to travel on her own. Because witch or not, it was dangerous for a woman alone. The men had startled her. That was her fault. She hadn’t found a protected place to rest for the night, somewhere that shielded her. Because she had been exhausted. And, she had paid the price.

  She couldn’t let that happen again. Living in the glen had made her complacent. She knew to have at least one plan, if not multiple, in case someone discovered who she was. Elin liked to believe they couldn’t do that if she never did magic, but she had seen women who weren’t witches hung because of even the slightest transgression.

  Fear and superstition. Though, sometimes, anger or jealousy made someone declare another a witch. One accuser with the right words could turn an entire village against someone they had known for their entire lives.

  The sound of a horse snorting pulled her from her thoughts. Elin started to rise from the bed when Rob called out. For an instant, she wanted to pretend that she wasn’t there. But that hadn’t gone so well the first time.

  “Please, come in,” she called.

  She spotted a shadow of movement near the window, then the door opened. He pushed it wide but didn’t enter. Rob stood outside and peered into the cottage. When he found her on the bed, he frowned.

  “I’m fine,” she told him as she motioned him into her home. “Just some pain and nausea. It will subside.”

  He hesitated before stepping over the threshold. After shutting the door behind him, he took the chair near the hearth and poked at the logs with a stick. “I’m glad to see you awake. You didna stir once on the return.”

  Elin winced. “Thank you for bringing me back. I assume you stopped the men before they could…do more?”

  His head turned to her, and he nodded.

  “Thank you.”

  He bowed his head. She studied him, really looked at him as she hadn’t when they first met. There was at least a day’s growth of whiskers on his face that hadn’t been there before. It outlined his strong jaw and chin, bringing his mouth into focus. His lips were wide and full. He had a bump on his nose that signaled it had been broken at least once. Thick brows slashed over eyes that watched hers.

  Handsome. Strong. Robust. Formidable. He was all those things, yet he had been gentle and kind with her—a stranger. There was more to him than she’d first thought. Granted, she hadn’t given him much thought in the beginning. He had been a threat to her peace, and she had simply reacted.

  He blew out a breath, the muscles in his jaw clenching as his gaze swung to the fire. That was when she noted the dark circles around his eyes, and the fatigue that weighed upon him like a cloak soaked with rain.

  “I must go. I just wanted to make sure you were all right,” he said as he wearily got to his feet.

  Before she could think about it, she said, “I have a little food. Eat. Rest. You look like you need it.”

  “More than you know.” Then he shook his head, briefly squeezing his eyes closed. “I doona have time.”

  “You’re ready to collapse. You can take a few moments to eat.”

  She carefully rose from the bed and set aside her tea as she found some bread and dried meat. He didn’t argue when she handed it to him. Rob sank back onto the chair and ate in silence. Elin returned to the bed. Despite his kindness, he still made her uneasy.

  “Do you know anything about herbs? Healing?” he asked.

  She stared into his eyes and lied. “I don’t.”

  He stopped chewing as he sighed. He leaned forward to brace his forearms on his
legs and hung his head.

  “What happened?” She knew she shouldn’t ask. It wasn’t her problem. She wanted a normal life, right? That meant keeping her mouth shut. That meant not interfering.

  What about helping?

  She ignored the voice and watched Rob.

  “There’s a sickness at the castle,” he said after several silent moments. “It’s getting worse. The healer we have has done everything she knows. Those who have no’ been afflicted are scouring our clan to see if there’s someone else who can help.”

  Don’t ask. Don’t ask. “What kind of illness?”

  He shrugged and lifted his head to meet her gaze. “No one knows. It happened suddenly. Donald says we’re cursed. I doona believe in such things.”

  But Elin did. Her heart skipped a beat at his words. “A curse?” she asked softly.

  “Aye.” Rob sat back in the chair. “My eldest brother and laird of our clan, Donald, was visiting a neighboring clan chief. His daughter made it clear that she was interested in Donald. The MacDonnell chief saw an opportunity and tried to persuade my brother to break off his current engagement and marry the daughter. Donald, however, is already set to marry someone else in two weeks’ time. No’ to mention he gave his word to his bride-to-be. The MacDonnell lass took that as a slight. As Donald and his men rode from their castle, she shouted what my brother says was a curse at him. I told him it was nothing. Now…this.” He ran a hand down his face and sighed.

  Elin bit her tongue to keep from telling him that he should be worried. That this woman had cursed them—or knew someone who could. The possibility of both was real.

  “Donald’s future wife died last night,” Rob continued. “My aunt the day before, and my cousin before that. We’ve lost other members of the clan. And…I found out when I returned that my youngest brother has taken ill.”

  She looked down at her hands because she could no longer watch the anguish on his face. He had been gone because of her. And she had a way to help him. She knew the consequences of her actions, but she’d never be able to look at herself again if she didn’t do something. Her mother had known that and still helped. Elin had to do the same.