Bride of Vengeance (Highland Romance Series Book 1) Page 2

  “I imagine this is not the closest you will be to one, either.” Nathanial’s words had a deeper meaning. He knew it. And he could tell the minute she understood him as well. She went white in the face.

  “I should get back…” Lydia stopped walking just inches before she backed right into Duncan. She willed herself to be brave. Brave women would rule the world one day. She just knew it. “I’m getting married today, to a ruthless man.” The intent of her words was not lost on Nathanial. Just in case they were, she added, “I cannot imagine what he would do to us… to you if he found us out here together.” Lydia, feeling she had won, forced a smile. “It was lovely to meet… your horse.”

  Nathanial smiled devilishly at her. Lydia’s heart skipped a beat. Was she terrified or charmed? Did it matter? The man before her was petrifying. “Now, where would ye be going, lass?” The voice behind her shook her to the core. She did not turn to it. It was too close. She was going to faint.

  “I am…” Lydia felt as though the world was closing in on her. She felt her pulse race, her knees weaken and her face set fire all at once.

  “Going on an adventure?” Nathanial took another taunting step forward. He was trying to intimidate her.

  “Yes.” Lydia sidestepped away from the other man. She was now pressed back against another one of the horses, staring at two giant, scarred and intense warriors. “I will not let you intimidate me.” Had she said it out loud? She must have. Both men erupted in laughter. Lydia seized her only opportunity as she saw it. She dove under the horse and scrambled her way into the forest.

  “Lydia!” Nathanial’s scream almost had her stopping in her tracks. Almost. God almighty they were there for her. The realization hit her as hard as the arm that wrapped around her waist, knocking the wind from her. Suddenly, she was being lifted into the air, hoisted over another giant’s shoulder. This one was blonde and even filthier than the other two.

  “Yer bride’s not too fond of ye, Nathanial.” The man who carried her, Blondie, as Lydia decided to call him in her mind, announced as he carried her back to his Laird.

  Lydia stopped breathing. Nathanial. Garrison? She remembered to breathe when she was unceremoniously dropped in front of the Highlander. Nathanial Garrison was one of the most feared men in the Highlands. He was out for blood from… most people. One important enemy on Garrison’s list was Fane. Lydia’s mother told her about the feud when she was but a young child. Lady Sarah had meant it as a warning to her young girl, of what could happen when women disobey. It had terrified her. Most of her childhood nightmares revolved around the Highlander that would kill all in his path. Now, she was staring up at him. The thing of nightmares.

  Garrison looked down at her as she scrambled backwards on her hands.

  “Garrison?” She panicked out loud.

  “Aye.” Duncan smiled.

  “I didn’t marry him. I left on my own. I—“

  “I know.” Nathanial felt a twinge of guilt over her current state. She was clearly horrified.

  “Aye, we know.” Blondie smiled down at her. “Made our job a whole lot easier.”

  Lydia pushed herself to her feet. Was she getting ready to strike or run? Nathanial couldn’t be sure.

  “Then what do you want from me?” Shaken, Lydia seemed to have no idea. Nathanial knew she really could not understand the depth of the history. The blood.

  “I want you to hand me your dagger, Lydia.” Nathanial’s words were clear and stern. He didn’t like to waste time getting to the point, and they had no time to waste.

  Lydia shook her head. Nathanial closed his eyes for a moment, praying for patience. They were running out of time. They needed to be to Teresa’s cottage by nightfall. It was mere miles away, but with the way this one was acting, they would be halted all night.

  “Now, lass…” Blondie tried to reason as Lydia took a few steps back. “No one’s gonna hurt ye none.”

  “Silence, Quinton.” Nathanial moved towards his bride. “When I give orders, you obey.” Nathanial was on her within seconds, grabbing her wrist, pulling her close to him. Lydia could see the anger in his dark eyes. Nathanial could see the fear in hers. He loosened his grip for a mere second and was surprised to feel a deep pinch in his side. In a knee-jerk reaction to being stabbed, he threw Lydia to the ground and bellowed. While the other men rushed to their Laird, Lydia seized her stolen moment and dashed into the woods once again.

  Nathanial stared down at the dagger sticking from his side. It was nothing. He would survive.

  “Your bride just tried to kill you.” Quinton smiled, knowing the wound was nothing to fret about.

  “Let’s return the favor.” Duncan’s rage fueled Nathanial’s for a moment. Nathanial took a deep breath.

  “Bring her back to me. Alive.” Nathanial turned to seemingly nowhere and called, “Jax!” Another burly man came running from the trees. Jax immediately began working on his Laird’s side. This warrior was not as disciplined as the others. He smiled like a big idiot the entire time. Nathanial found the grin catching.

  “This is going to be a successful union. I have a sense for these things.” Jax commented, thoroughly enjoying himself.

  ****

  Lydia was graceful and silent as she slunk through the forest. She had been alone for at least ten minutes now. Had she lost them? She couldn’t be sure. She was panting and crying at the same time. If they caught her, they would surely kill her at this point. Had she killed Nathanial Garrison? God knows she hadn’t meant to. The Garrison clan was the most feared in the Highlands. She prayed he was strong enough to survive her attack. The last thing she needed was a bunch of ruthless villains hunting her down in retaliation. They would do it, too, she knew. Nothing was too petty for a Highlander to take vengeance on.

  Lydia forced herself to cease crying. She could do so another time, another place. She stopped momentarily behind a tree. She forced her eyes closed and listened. It was a trick Callum had taught her while hunting as a child. She could hear more than she could see. And she immediately heard them. They were closing in. How many of them? At least three. Lydia had to act fast. She was not going to be killed tonight. Lydia started running again. She immediately tripped over a perfectly placed hill and slammed hard into the ground. The highland warriors had to have heard. The scared girl was ready for them to come upon her at any second when she saw it. Her small accident was actually a blessed occasion. There was a hole in the side of the hill. It was small enough to miss entirely, unless you were at eye level. Lydia immediately crawled inside, not caring what animal or vermin she might be disturbing at the moment. It was a tight fit, small enough for a wild animal, or a tiny, young, terrified girl. It was the first moment in her life she thanked God she was small. She used to roll her eyes when her sister assured her blessings came in small packages. Mary was right for once in her life.

  Lydia steadied her breathing and forced herself to stop shaking. Within seconds she heard one of the warriors standing above her. Had he seen her fall? Did he know where she was?

  He stood there for what seemed like an eternity. Then she heard his voice.

  “Where is she?” It was Garrison, coming up behind the warrior. Lydia took a sigh of relief. His clan was not going to hunt her down, today. Of course Laird Garrison would survive an attack. Lydia promised herself she never doubted it for a second. At the same time she thanked the gods above in whom she had little faith.

  “She’s here somewhere.” Quinton stared out over the trees. “We’ll find her.”

  Lydia noticed the blood on the ground then. She was bleeding. Lydia touched her head and grimaced as silently as she could. Her forehead was ripped open and the wound was seeping blood everywhere. Lydia looked out as far as she could, to where she fell. She closed her eyes and began to pray. She left a blood trail on the ground.

  Nathanial noticed this as well. He jumped from the perch. Lydia would swear that the earth moved when he did so. He knelt down and touched the ground. The fierce Laird lif
ted his finger to his face and noted the warmth of the blood with a worried look on his face. Lydia had lost quite a bit. Nathanial could see where the blood led under the earth. He could barely see the opening to the hole on the side of the hill, but he was sure that’s where she was.

  “Lydia.” Nathanial started. Lydia’s eyes flew open. The gods had failed her once again. “You’ve lost some blood.” His voice sounded softer now. “Jax can get you patched in no time.” Lydia almost believed him, but not quite. “I’ll not hurt you.”

  That should have been enough to get her out of her hiding place. When she did not answer, Nathanial questioned himself. Had his tracking skills depleted in the last several minutes?

  “Or you can bleed out down there. Either way, it’s of no consequence to me.” Nathanial made eye contact with Quinton. The latter rolled his eyes heavenward. His Laird had no skill with women.

  “Laird, over here!” Duncan called from so far away he was barely audible. Lydia perked, then she blanched. Her head was killing her, quite possibly literally. She was starting to feel very faint, very dizzy.

  Lydia heard Nathanial and Quinton stalk off towards Duncan. This was her chance, she told herself for the third time that day. She waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps and slowly crawled from the hole. Lydia stood and dusted herself off. This is when she realized the damage to her body was much worse than she originally thought. There was a very deep scratch on her temple. She was losing blood fast. Lydia was not a queasy girl, but she was about to lose her breakfast at the sight of all the blood.

  “Ahh lass, what have ye done to yerself.” It was Quinton. He, Nathanial and Duncan all stood a few yards away. Lydia turned to run and immediately passed out, hitting the ground with a hard thud.

  “I’m never getting married.” Quinton promised as Nathanial went to collect his bride from the floor.

  Chapter Two

  “I’ve seen some hack marriages in my day, Nathanial Garrison.” Teresa stood in her doorway, baffled at the boy she raised as her own son, as he held a bleeding, passed out girl.

  “She stabbed him.” Quinton rebutted.

  “Good.” Teresa, calming from her anger, stood aside and let Nathanial inside. She stepped back in the way when Duncan and the others tried. “Those horses better be stowed away and hid good before you walk back up here.” With that, Teresa slammed the door to the cottage shut.

  Teresa took a look Lydia as Nathanial laid her on the table and immediately opened the door again. “I’m going to need Jax.” This request was followed by a resounding boo from the warriors.

  “What can I say? Teresa still wants me after all these years.”

  “Not on your life.” Teresa turned to Nathanial now. “You can leave. You’ve done enough.”

  “No.” A coldness was in his voice now, in his eyes. Teresa had only seen it a handful of times, but she knew better than to argue with him.

  “Are you going to be useful then?” When Nathanial did not answer, Teresa simply nodded.

  Teresa began the tedious and heartbreaking task of evaluating Lydia’s wounds. The blood was not what worried Teresa, nor was it the gash in her head. It was the fever. Teresa placed a hand to the child’s face and felt it immediately. There was something else wrong and Teresa knew it instinctively. She began pushing down on Lydia’s bones. It did not take long to find it. Her right wrist was fractured. Teresa pressed it and Lydia came to life. She was screaming and flailing about.

  Jax seemed to know exactly what she needed before she asked for it. It was the one and only reason Teresa liked working with him. Jax grabbed a wooden spoon and placed it in the girl’s mouth to help with the pain.

  Nathanial was frozen for the first time in his life. He did not know what to do.

  “Grab her shoulder, Nathanial!” Jax demanded. “Hold her down.”

  He leapt into action, applying very little strength he was able to keep her still while Teresa searched for her secret concoction. Nathanial looked down at Lydia’s face and felt his heart shatter a little bit. She was terrified of him. Her eyes filled with tears and she struggled to get away from him.

  “Calm her!” Teresa, having trouble finding what she needed, blasted off commands that she knew he would not be able to complete.

  Nathanial was useless and he knew it. There was nothing he could do to make her calm down. She was going to pass out from the pain and hysterics any second and he would be free from the duty of calming her.

  Lydia was not going to pass out. She was fighting for her life, so she thought, and she would die fighting.

  Nathanial saw the agony in her eyes a moment before he was leaning down to speak to her. He spoke in Gaelic, the tongue of his people, knowing she would not understand him. He spoke quickly, wildly, making promises that no man on earth could keep. He just kept talking to her, pleading for her to calm down and he would see her through this. Begging her forgiveness for this situation, promising to hold her for the rest of her life if she just calmed down tonight.

  Lydia knew Gaelic very well. She studied it for many years with Callum. Dumbfounded and in shock, she stopped struggling moments before a rag came down on her mouth. As she lost consciousness she stared into Nathanial’s eyes wondering what on earth she’d gotten herself into.

  As Lydia closed her eyes, Nathanial straightened and immediately made eye contact with the one man who could not keep a secret. Jax was beaming, and even winked.

  “You old bastard.” Jax hooted before getting back to work.

  “It worked.” Nathanial loosened his grip on Lydia and took a step back.

  “Aye, it did.” Teresa narrowed her gaze for a moment before turning back to the girl. “Poor thing.” Teresa lovingly stroked Lydia’s hair from her face. “In the wrong family at the wrong time.”

  Nathanial watched Teresa work on Lydia. He watched the way Lydia’s lashes fluttered when Teresa touched her broken wrist. He watched her mouth, he took her in. It was the only moment in the entire day she wasn’t fighting him. Lydia was beautiful. The look of the girl he stole from Fane did not matter to him. He would have stolen a cow if Fane wanted to marry it. Nathanial was simply not expecting Lydia. She was a fighter. He felt the anger inside her when she opened her eyes and saw him. He felt her pain, her fear, her anger, he wanted it all. There was a passion inside Lydia, and it would be his.

  “Our boy has a way with words, eh Teresa?” Jax commented as they worked together to put the bone back in place.

  “He is your Laird, Jax. You respect him. Understand?”

  “Yes, Teresa.” Jax said as Teresa popped the bone in place.

  Lydia tensed in her sleep and Nathanial moved towards her again. Lydia groaned in her sleep and then let out a low, sad sigh.

  “I said what needed to be said.” Nathanial said as an afterthought. He was sure he was telling the truth. Lydia was a means to an end. She was his key to vengeance. Nothing more. Still, as Nathanial watched Lydia sleep through Teresa patching the skin on her temple, he realized that he might not be telling the truth to himself. This one was already getting to him. There was no way he would let it continue, though. In the morning they would be off to his homeland, and he would have control once again.

  Chapter Three

  It was the fever that had all control for several days. The first night, Teresa was fairly confident Lydia would be healed by the next morning. When Teresa arose to check on the girl the next day, she realized she could not have been more wrong. The fever had complete control of the poor thing’s body.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Teresa confided in Nathanial as they stood right outside the room where Lydia suffered. “It’s like her body is poisoning her.”

  “Will she survive the trip—“

  “Don’t ask me that, Nathanial. You know she will not.”

  Nathanial took it in. He closed his eyes and sighed.

  “The plan will have to wait.” Teresa’s voice was softer now, more understanding. “Can you
do it without her?”

  “No.” Nathanial was firm now. “I will not.”

  “Nathanial… God forbid she doesn’t make it. What would you do then?”

  “She will.” The nerve of the man, Teresa thought. Tell a mountain to move and it shall move. So was the way of every Highland man she had ever known.

  “The men cannot stay here much longer. One Highlander horse I can hide for a while, maybe. Not ten. Fane will have his men combing through these parts within the next few hours. We both know this. You’re not in any position for a war right now.”

  Nathanial did not answer. He let his gaze fall into the bedroom where Lydia lay. She did not move. Her skin, full of life just the day before, now pale and damp from the fever. Her lips moved frantically, though no sound was made. His bride was in hell at the moment. Would she be better off if he left her behind? Of course. But what about him?

  “Leave her with me and go back to your people.” Teresa reached up and put an arm on Nathanial. “As soon as she’s better I’ll bring her to you myself.”

  Nathanial nodded at this. Had she actually won this one? Teresa, eager to get the warriors off her property, sighed with relief. Nathanial walked outside and motioned for Duncan to come to him.

  Teresa watched them men speak for many minutes. She watched as Duncan vigorously shook his head, in complete disagreement with his Laird. In the end, though, he was the most faithful of companion.

  Nathanial walked back into the cottage. “The men are leaving.” Teresa felt her shoulders sag with the pure joy that comes with relief. Fane and James would surely be able to see ten Highlanders hiding on her land. “I’ll stay until the girl heals.” Nathanial continued. “I’ll bring her back with me.”

  “If they find you, Laird…” Teresa pleaded.

  “Duncan has agreed to rule in my stead.”

  “Duncan? He would agree to anything you say, Laird. But, those are not his people. They are your people.” Teresa was wise enough to know when her words carried little weight with the Laird. “And vengeance is this important to you?”