She did as he asked, unable to believe his strength, but he was a warrior through and through. They approached the curtain wall, then ran along it toward the portcullis and guard house.

Bushes shook behind them and she saw a few glimpses of pale-colored shirts. "They're getting closer. Hurry," she said.

Torrin increased his speed.

"Guards!" she yelled. "'Tis me, Jessie. Open the gate."

Upon reaching the portcullis, they did not find it open, but several guards lingered outside along with Iain and his men.

"What the devil is happening?" Iain asked.

"Haldane and his band of outlaws are on our heels," Torrin said. "Get Lady Jessie inside!"

Just then the gates opened and Torrin pushed her through. She refused to let go, trying to drag him in after her, but he tore away from her. "Go inside the castle! They have arrows."

"Nay! Torrin!" she yelled, clutching her hands onto the closing bars, but he was off with Iain and the guards, charging to confront Haldane and his men.

She ran up the turnpike stairs into the guard house to gain a better vantage point. The guard stationed there eyed her sword.

"What is happening out there?" she asked him.

The clang of blades answered her question. By torchlight, the men fought. Two men fell and she couldn't tell who they were in such dim and wavering light.

Please protect Torrin. Against her will, she had grown to care deeply for him over the past couple of days.

A shout resounded and several men ran away—Haldane's men. The MacKays gave chase but moments later, they returned. Where was Torrin? Her eyes searched the dimness. She ran down the steps of the guard tower and into the barmkin. She met the men at the portcullis as it was opened. Torrin walked beside Erskine and Iain. Her eyes searched Torrin for injuries but found none, other than the one he'd sustained earlier on his arm. She stood still, forcing herself not to run to him. She didn't want him to know how much she cared.

"They fled like a pack of rabbits," Torrin told her.

"Was anyone injured?"

"We killed two of them—men none of us knew," Erskine said. "All the MacKays, MacLeods and Stewarts are well."

She released a sigh of relief, and they all proceeded up the steps and into the great hall. She stopped and faced Torrin. "You need to have the healer look at that cut on your arm."

"Very well, but it has stopped bleeding and is naught to worry over." His lips quirked into a slight smile.

"Still, I wouldn't want you to catch a fever because of it."

"I like that you're worried about me," Torrin murmured.

"Jessie, what happened?" Aiden rushed toward them, a guard on either side of him.

She sent him a dry smile. "Our wee brother has returned to wreck more havoc on us all."

"Haldane's back? Saints! I tried to come out and help but they wouldn't allow it." He motioned to his two guards. "Erskine told them to keep me inside."

"'Tis for the best. You don't want to go anywhere near Haldane. He'd kill either of us in a heartbeat. He wants Dunnakeil and the chiefdom at any cost. He was going to use me to force the guards to open the portcullis."

Aiden's brow furrowed. "I can't believe Haldane has turned against his own family like this," he said in a saddened tone.

"I'm very disappointed in him, to say the least. He's become the most malicious outlaw you could imagine, and he seems to enjoy it. I've never seen him smile so much." She knew the situation had to be hard for Aiden to accept. He and Haldane had always been the closest of the four siblings, being full brothers and near the same age. He had to be concerned about Haldane and what would happen to him if the MacKay guards ever caught him.

"I wish Dirk was here," Aiden said, looking more anxious by the minute.

"As do I. But he isn't, so we must hold Dunnakeil until his return." She wouldn't tell Aiden that Dirk had been injured on his travels. She didn't want him to worry even more.

"We held supper since we didn't ken where you were," Aiden said. "The men were getting ready to go out and search when you showed up. Where were you when he captured you both?"

"I'd simply taken a walk to Sango Bay." Remembering how she'd been naked with Torrin at the time, she hoped the dim lighting in the great hall hid the heat she felt flushing into her face.

"And Chief MacLeod was with you?"

She glanced aside at Torrin. He had stepped a few feet away to talk to Erskine.

"Aye, he'd followed me. Said he was protecting me in the event MacBain returns."

Aiden gave a sly grin as if he knew Torrin's true motive. "I'm glad he was there."

"So am I. Without him, I couldn't have escaped Haldane."

"Now that he has rescued you… twice, mayhap you will consent to marry him, hmm, sister?"

Chapter Nine

Later that night, Jessie soaked in a large wooden tub filled with hot water and lavender soap. 'Twas heavenly and luxurious. All her muscles ached from where she'd been marched across the moor, then tied up. The skin of her wrists was still red and raw from the bindings.

Thank the saints she and Torrin had escaped Haldane and his cronies. If they hadn't, she or Torrin, or maybe both of them, could've been dead by now. How could her own brother have turned into the most nefarious outlaw in the Highlands?

A knock sounded at her door. Probably the maid.

She lifted her head. "I'm not finished yet. Come back later," she called, wanting to soak some of the soreness out and rest a while.

The door latch lifted and someone stuck their head in. Torrin! A shock went through her system. What the devil was he doing coming to her bedchamber? Everyone in the castle would find out they'd had a tryst. She grabbed the smock lying by the tub and drew it over her nude body.

He quickly slipped inside and closed the door, then barred it before she could utter a sound.

"I didn't say you could come in." Her tone was not as biting as she'd hoped.

He leaned leisurely against the door and gave her a lazy, seductive smile. "I didn't ask."

Her pulse thumped in her throat. "You must go."

"Why?"

"Just because we… doesn't mean…" she faltered, unsure about saying such brazen words to him.

"What? I'm not sure I follow." He sauntered forward, removing the brooch holding his plaid in place at his chest.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Undressing." He unclasped his belt. It dropped along with his plaid.

Unable to believe he was getting naked in her bedchamber, she realized her mouth was gaping and snapped it shut. What if someone had seen him enter her chamber? He slid the linen shirt over his head and tossed it, leaving him bare.

She swallowed hard, her eyes tracing over his long, muscular body, the likes of which she'd never imagined and certainly never seen before today.

His lengthy shaft was growing erect. The memory of their joining earlier that day overcame her and she could scarce breathe.

"I love the way you look in that tub," he said, kneeling on the floor beside her. His dark green eyes in the candlelight mesmerized her. "I've already bathed, but I wouldn't mind doing so again." Leaning forward, he slid his hand along her cheek and captured her lips. His tongue teased her lips apart and slipped into her mouth. She opened, shocked to realize she wanted to devour him. He tasted of peaty whisky and his own unique essence, which further rendered her senseless.