Read Online Sapphire Dream by Pamela Montgomerie - Free Book Online Page B

the dagger sticking out of the man’s back.
    Dead. He’s dead. Oh my God. She was going to be sick.
    Brenna stumbled to her feet as the pirate raced toward her. Behind him, the other bluecoat lay in a pool of blood.
    Dead. He’d killed them both. He must have thrown the knife to kill her attacker. Thrown it far. With deadly accuracy.
    Her forehead felt strangely hot, her hands cold, as she dabbed at her bloody lip, watching him run toward her. Her own shaking legs refused to move.
    The pirate reached her and grabbed her by the shoulders, his piercing gaze on her mouth. “Are ye hurt?”
    Shaken, yes. Hurt? “No, not really.” What was a bloody mouth compared to a knife in the heart? She swayed as the full reality of how close she’d come to dying hit her.
    “Easy, Wildcat. ’Tisna the time to swoon.”
    “I don’t faint.”
    With a nod, a hint of admiration gleaming in his eyes, he released her. “Good.” He grabbed the other bluecoat’s gun, knife, and boots, then propelled her toward the cliffs. “Come. We must be away. It’s early morn, but they’ll have heard the fighting.”
    As if on cue, she heard a shout. Turning back, she watched half a dozen men racing from the gates of the castle.
    The pirate grabbed her hand. “Run!”
    Pure fear lent her strength she badly needed. Dead bluecoats meant a noose if they were caught. Or worse.
    She certainly wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Not that she’d ever been in Kansas, but that wasn’t the point.
    As Brenna ran, the boots rubbed her feet in strange ways, promising nice, plump blisters—if she lived long enough to feel them. At least the soles of her feet were cushioned against the sharp rocks.
    They reached the embankment and half ran, half slid down the boggy slope, finally reaching the tiny beach where they’d swum ashore. The pirate caught her hand and pulled her along the surf’s edge toward where the beach ended as the rocky cliffs met the sea.
    “Where are we going?” Surely he didn’t mean for them to swim again.
    “These cliffs are full of caves.”
    They left the beach, rounding the corner to wade through the surf that lapped the base of the cliffs. The pirate kept to the outside, breaking the force of the buffeting waves. Brenna kept her free hand against the cliff face, steadying herself as they walked, until the rock opened.
    The pirate peered into the cave’s mouth, but didn’t stop.
    “You don’t like that one?” she asked.
    “No.”
    They continued on, passing three more caves before coming to a large section of rock with large, gaping holes that reminded her of Swiss cheese. Holes formed from eons of water eroding the rock.
    The pirate pulled her into one of the holes, one with a roof high enough for him to stand. The cave was narrow, but deep, extending farther into the rock than the light could penetrate. If the soldiers came after them, they could well and truly hide.
    As Brenna leaned against the cool, dank wall, trying to catch her breath, her companion remained by the opening, watching. If she’d known this vacation was going to entail two-thirds of a triathlon, she’d have worked harder at her training before she left home. Her breathing was finally starting to even out again when the pirate whirled on her.
    “What did ye think ye were doing?” His voice was low, barely a whisper, yet as hard as his ice-colored eyes. His hair had come loose during the fight and now hung to his shoulders, brushing the shirt that clung to his muscular body—a body tensed with anger.
    “I told ye to run,” he growled.
    Brenna swallowed hard, but met his gaze. “Yeah, but you forgot to tell me where. He had a gun to your head. I had to do something.”
    His arm flung sideways as he made a harsh sound deep in his throat. “I fought them apurpose to draw them from ye. I would ha’ escaped them before we reached the castle.”
    Brenna scowled. “How was I supposed to know that?”
    “Ye were supposed to follow my command!”
    “Sorry,