The Hawk: A Highland Guard Novel Read online

  She saw a glint in the other man’s eye. “Aye. A place of our choosing to meet the enemy.” He knelt down, picked up a stick, and scratched a few lines in the dirt. “If we position the men on the south hillside here”—he indicated a point on the left—“we’ll be ready for them as they leave the shelter of the woods. We’ll gather boulders to take out the horses, and Arrow and his archers can take care of the rest.”

  “It will be a trap,” Robert said delightedly. “Just not one for us.”

  The men talked among themselves for a few more minutes and made their plans. When they’d come to an agreement on how to proceed, the king again addressed the warrior dressed like Erik. “Chief, gather the men. We must make our preparations. Any who are too drunk, throw them in the loch.” Robert turned to Erik. “I’m afraid we’ll have to celebrate your saint’s day another time.”

  Erik shrugged indifferently, still glaring at Ellie. “I don’t seem to feel much like celebrating right now anyway.”

  Robert came toward Ellie, leaned over, and kissed her cheek. “I don’t know how to thank you, sister. I owe you a debt of gratitude I cannot hope to repay—at least not at the moment. But when I win my kingdom back you may have anything that is in my power to give you.”

  “I don’t want anything,” Ellie said. “Other than my sister’s safe return.”

  She could see the flash of pain in Robert’s eye, and he nodded. “I want that, too.”

  He turned to dismiss his men. Erik started to walk away with them, but Robert stopped him. “No, you stay,” he said, in a hard voice. “This concerns you.”

  Ellie fiddled with her cloak, guessing that what Robert had to say wasn’t about the information she’d brought him.

  He looked back and forth between Ellie and Erik. “As much as I appreciate your warning, sister, I suspect your coming here was not solely for my benefit.”

  Ellie felt her cheeks grow hot under her brother-in-law’s knowing gaze.

  “Hawk told me what happened,” Robert said. “I’m sorry for what you were forced to endure. His taking you was unavoidable under the circumstances”—he shot an angry glare to Erik—“but his conduct beyond that was inexcusable and dishonorable.”

  She glanced at Erik, surprised to see his mouth pressed in a hard line. Obviously, he had no intention of speaking up for himself.

  “Nay, Robert,” she said, putting a hand on his arm insistently. “You are wrong. I was treated with every consideration. I could have—should have—told him who I was, but I chose not to.” She smiled wryly. “I think I was enjoying my freedom a bit too much. I’m as much responsible for what happened as Hawk is.”

  Erik didn’t appear pleased by her plea on his behalf. “I don’t need you to defend me, Lady Elyne. The king has every cause for his anger.”

  Robert ignored him, giving her a long look. “You have not suffered for your … er, loss? I’ll have him marry you right now, if need be.”

  Ellie repressed a cringe of mixed horror and embarrassment. Being forced into marriage by an angry, well-meaning relative was even less appealing than Erik’s dutiful offer.

  She shook her head. “My betrothed is aware of the situation. As I told Hawk before, I have no wish to marry him.” His noble sacrifice wasn’t necessary.

  Robert seemed mollified by her response, and when he glanced at Hawk it seemed to be with marginally less anger. She could tell he was relieved to have the unpleasant conversation over. He smiled. “I’m afraid you’ve damaged my seafarer’s pride. He isn’t much used to women refusing him. But from what my Elizabeth says, you’ve always been a discerning lass.” He laughed at Erik’s furious expression. “See what I mean? He’s been unbearable for weeks.”

  Perhaps sensing he’d pushed the warrior as far as he could, Robert sobered. “You’ve risked much to bring me this information. I hope no one discovers what you have done.”

  She hoped so, too. “I’ll be fine, but I must get back quickly. The soldiers will be waiting for me, and I don’t want them asking too many questions.”

  Robert gave her another kiss on the cheek. “I’ll have one of my men escort you to where you need to go.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Erik said flatly. “I’ll take her.”

  Robert looked to her for approval. Her gaze flickered to Erik, seeing the hard, forbidding line of his mouth and jaw. She was tempted to refuse, but she knew that this—he—was part of the reason she’d come. Before she decided to go forward with her plans to marry Ralph, she needed to know that there wasn’t a chance for them.

  Hesitantly, she nodded.

  Erik was holding himself by a very thin thread. She was damn lucky she’d agreed to come with him. He’d been one second away from wrapping his hands around that slim waist of hers—as he’d been itching to do since she’d stumbled into that tent—and tossing her over his shoulder like the Viking barbarian she’d first thought him. The infuriating lass seemed to unleash every primitive instinct in him, instincts honed from generations of Norsemen who took what they wanted.

  But fortunately, her hesitant nod had prevented him from further damaging the king’s opinion of him—which had already suffered enough.

  After her goodbyes to her brother-in-law, she turned on her heel, lifted that imperious chin of hers, and floated out of the tent as if she were the royal sister and he was a lackey who must content himself with carrying the hem of her robes.

  He stormed out after her, struggling to keep a rein on the fierce emotions firing through him. The anger he’d felt on seeing her had only gotten worse as he listened to her explain her reasons for coming. He couldn’t breathe when he thought of the danger she’d put herself in.

  The adamant reiteration of her refusal to marry him hadn’t improved his mood any, either. If she loved him, why didn’t she want to marry him?

  Not that marriage was what he wanted, but damn it, it didn’t make sense.

  He stewed in silence, not trusting himself to speak, as the fires and torches of the encampment faded behind them into the moonlight. He picked out a few of Boyd’s sentinels guarding the outer perimeter, but he doubted she knew they were there.

  Finally, when they’d reached the narrow path that led to Loch Troon, she must have determined they’d gone far enough. She turned on him, her eyes flashing green spitfire. “Are you just going to glare at me all night or do you have something you wish to say?”

  It might have been her tone. Or maybe it was the hands on the hips. Or maybe it was just smelling the sweet perfume of her skin after months of torturous deprivation. Whatever it was, Erik had reached his breaking point. He took her by one of those bent elbows and jerked her up against him. “Damn right I have something to say. What in the hell do you think you are doing involving yourself in this? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  Touching her was a mistake. With her pressed up against him like this, he could feel the softness of her body curve into his. She felt—smelled—incredible, and he realized how much he’d missed this. How much he’d missed her.

  Awareness fired through him, heating his blood, his skin, and letting him know that despite recent experience to the contrary, he wasn’t a eunuch.

  Any rational woman would quiver in fear at the maelstrom of anger coming toward her. Ellie, of course—never one to act as she should—wrenched her arm away, looked him square in the eye, and met his anger full on.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Foolish me, I thought you might be grateful”—she poked his chest for emphasis—“that I just saved your thankless, over-muscled, too-handsome-for-your-own-good hide.”

  “Grateful,” he spewed angrily, “for putting yourself in danger?” He took a step toward her, which she wisely avoided by taking a step back. Fortunately for him, a tree blocked her movement. With a hand on either side of her shoulders so she couldn’t escape, he leaned in threateningly. “I want to strangle you for coming here.”

  Or kiss her until the pressure pounding through his chest stopped.

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