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Authors: Terry Spear
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ripped
off.
Right then and there, he decided that he’d protect Elaine’s interests until she left
Scotland, if she agreed. He had failed with Calla and could do no more for her. Now
Elaine seemed to need someone to look out for her. And this was the second time, he
was certain.
He thought back to her name, Elaine Hawthorn, and how it could be related to the Kilpatricks
and McKinleys. They were pirates. But what about the Hawthorns?
The memories came back to him in a sudden rush. “Hawthorn,” he said under his breath,
both surprised and glad he’d finally figured it out.
The public hanging of the Hawthorn brothers so many years ago. Robert Kilpatrick and
four of his kin had been desperate to locate the men’s niece, Elaine Hawthorn, because
they had believed she was the key to finding the stolen goods. Cearnach had been the
one to catch up to her�� and lose her in one fell swoop.
Now she was back. Suddenly, he felt possessive all over again. Wanting to protect
her. Wanting to keep her.
She glanced at Cearnach. “What?”
He recalled her haunted expression when she was but a young girl, the way she’d appeared
guardedly hopeful until the man slugged him and she escaped Cearnach’s grasp.
“Why did you run away in St. Andrews, lass?” He spoke quietly, not wanting to put
her on the defensive, and then he added, “I only meant to protect you.”
He pulled into the car park below the castle ruins, which they could see off in the
distance. Four towers and three of the walls were still standing. Despite how rundown
some of the buildings were, Cearnach still loved seeing the ancient ruins, though
his own people had fought the McKinleys a time or two in the distant past and had
caused some of the damage themselves.
Elaine let her breath out in a whoosh, as if she might have finally given up on the
charade, but she didn’t speak.
Did she think he still didn’t know who she was? Most likely, and she wouldn’t come
clean unless he shared with her all he knew. “You are the niece of Tobias and Samson
Hawthorn. My brothers and I were passing through St. Andrews when we heard about the
public hanging.”
“Why would you have wanted to protect me? Yes, my uncles were hanged. I probably would
have been also. Had Lord Whittington known I was their niece, he probably would have
figured I had been pirating along with them. But I could barely keep my head out of
a bucket the whole time I was on the ship.”
“You had never traveled with them before?” Cearnach asked, not surprised. Despite
the way she’d been dressed, wearing more clothes and with her hair hidden from view,
she’d looked as lovely then as now, although perhaps a bit more pale.
She shook her head. “My parents had just died. My uncles were in St. Augustine visiting
them when it happened. They received an offer of a mating for me back home and said
yes to the man. I refused to mate with the wolf who wanted me. I coaxed my uncles
into agreeing to take me with them on this one voyage. I never expected…”
She paused, her voice choking with emotion. “I never thought my uncles would be taken
from me and put to death.” She took a settling breath, but he noticed her eyes were
swimming in tears, and he regretted upsetting her. “What would you have gained by
protecting me?” she asked.
He stopped short of giving her the whole truth, telling her all he could for now.
“You caught my eye when you disembarked from the ship. A flower among thistles. Once
your uncles were taken prisoner, along with most of their crew, I knew the wolves
would be after you, too. I could see how shaken you were when the Hawthorn brothers
were hanged. I knew you must have had some close connection to them. When they were
gone, I saw how young you were, how alone, and smelled on the breeze that you were
a wolf.”
Those—and where the loot was that had belonged to the MacNeill clan—were
off.
Right then and there, he decided that he’d protect Elaine’s interests until she left
Scotland, if she agreed. He had failed with Calla and could do no more for her. Now
Elaine seemed to need someone to look out for her. And this was the second time, he
was certain.
He thought back to her name, Elaine Hawthorn, and how it could be related to the Kilpatricks
and McKinleys. They were pirates. But what about the Hawthorns?
The memories came back to him in a sudden rush. “Hawthorn,” he said under his breath,
both surprised and glad he’d finally figured it out.
The public hanging of the Hawthorn brothers so many years ago. Robert Kilpatrick and
four of his kin had been desperate to locate the men’s niece, Elaine Hawthorn, because
they had believed she was the key to finding the stolen goods. Cearnach had been the
one to catch up to her�� and lose her in one fell swoop.
Now she was back. Suddenly, he felt possessive all over again. Wanting to protect
her. Wanting to keep her.
She glanced at Cearnach. “What?”
He recalled her haunted expression when she was but a young girl, the way she’d appeared
guardedly hopeful until the man slugged him and she escaped Cearnach’s grasp.
“Why did you run away in St. Andrews, lass?” He spoke quietly, not wanting to put
her on the defensive, and then he added, “I only meant to protect you.”
He pulled into the car park below the castle ruins, which they could see off in the
distance. Four towers and three of the walls were still standing. Despite how rundown
some of the buildings were, Cearnach still loved seeing the ancient ruins, though
his own people had fought the McKinleys a time or two in the distant past and had
caused some of the damage themselves.
Elaine let her breath out in a whoosh, as if she might have finally given up on the
charade, but she didn’t speak.
Did she think he still didn’t know who she was? Most likely, and she wouldn’t come
clean unless he shared with her all he knew. “You are the niece of Tobias and Samson
Hawthorn. My brothers and I were passing through St. Andrews when we heard about the
public hanging.”
“Why would you have wanted to protect me? Yes, my uncles were hanged. I probably would
have been also. Had Lord Whittington known I was their niece, he probably would have
figured I had been pirating along with them. But I could barely keep my head out of
a bucket the whole time I was on the ship.”
“You had never traveled with them before?” Cearnach asked, not surprised. Despite
the way she’d been dressed, wearing more clothes and with her hair hidden from view,
she’d looked as lovely then as now, although perhaps a bit more pale.
She shook her head. “My parents had just died. My uncles were in St. Augustine visiting
them when it happened. They received an offer of a mating for me back home and said
yes to the man. I refused to mate with the wolf who wanted me. I coaxed my uncles
into agreeing to take me with them on this one voyage. I never expected…”
She paused, her voice choking with emotion. “I never thought my uncles would be taken
from me and put to death.” She took a settling breath, but he noticed her eyes were
swimming in tears, and he regretted upsetting her. “What would you have gained by
protecting me?” she asked.
He stopped short of giving her the whole truth, telling her all he could for now.
“You caught my eye when you disembarked from the ship. A flower among thistles. Once
your uncles were taken prisoner, along with most of their crew, I knew the wolves
would be after you, too. I could see how shaken you were when the Hawthorn brothers
were hanged. I knew you must have had some close connection to them. When they were
gone, I saw how young you were, how alone, and smelled on the breeze that you were
a wolf.”
Those—and where the loot was that had belonged to the MacNeill clan—were
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