Read Online Seduced by Her Highland Warrior by Michelle Willingham - Free Book Online

up,’ Alex said, ‘if being the tánaiste means losing you.’
    She saw that he meant it. And though she quailed at the thought of ever being a chief’s wife, she couldn’t let him walk away from this. It might be a dozen years before Alex would ever have to be the leader. Her doubts began to weaken when she shook her head. ‘I won’t let you give it up.’
    â€˜Will you take me as your husband?’ he asked again. ‘Will you let me protect you and make a home for us?’
    She took his hand in hers, and said quietly, ‘I will be your wife.’ And I swear that I’ll never bring shame upon you, she vowed silently. I will find a way to make myself worthy of being yours.
    The priest began to speak a blessing in Latin as he joined their hands together. And when the marriage rite was completed, her new husband sent her a smile. ‘Begone, Father Nolan. I’m wanting to be alone with my wife.’

Chapter Four
    â€˜B ring her to me.’ Lord Harkirk lifted his hand and stared at the Scottish chief who stood before him. Finian MacLachor’s dark hair was cast with grey, his clothing ragged. Blood trickled from his lip, while his gaze was focused upon the door.
    Within moments, soldiers brought forth a young girl hardly more than ten years old. She was sobbing as the men gripped her arms.
    â€˜You should guard your women more carefully,’ Harkirk said to the warrior. He enjoyed watching the man’s face transform with a father’s fury.
    â€˜Let her go,’ MacLachor responded, his voice like the point of a sword.
    â€˜Not yet.’ Harkirk folded his arms and gestured for the men to take the girl away.
    She screamed, ‘Da, don’t let them take me. Please!’
    MacLachor’s face turned murderous, and if he’d had a weapon, no doubt Harkirk would have seen him lunge.He didn’t respond to his daughter’s begging, but his cold grey eyes grew focused. ‘What is it you want?’
    Harkirk sat down upon the carved wooden chair, enjoying the man’s discomfort. He accepted a cup of wine from a servant, taking a sip to clear his throat. Though he had more than a few Scottish prisoners held captive within his fortress, it wasn’t enough. He’d suffered humiliation and defeat from the MacKinloch clan. And his ally, the Earl of Cairnross, had been brutally murdered by Bram MacKinloch.
    â€˜I want you to bring me the MacKinloch chief,’ Harkirk answered. ‘And his brothers.’
    MacLachor’s face twisted. ‘Because they defeated you?’
    Harkirk threw the cup of wine across the room, the silver goblet clattering against the floor. ‘Because you want your daughter to live. And because I’ll give her to my men to enjoy. If you want to see her again, her virtue intact, you’ll bring me their heads.’
    Although he had the forces to go after the MacKinlochs again, Harkirk saw no reason to risk the lives of English soldiers or the ire of his king. Edward Plantagenet was not known for mercy; though he wanted the Scots beneath his reign, his first priority was to dim the uprisings in the north-west region.
    Harkirk calmed his temper, gathering a patience he didn’t feel. There was a way to accomplish vengeance, using the blood of Scots instead of his own men. Better to unite the clans against the MacKinlochs, letting them take down his enemy. The king wouldn’t care if the Scots murdered each other.
    â€˜We can’t defeat them,’ the MacLachor chief argued. ‘The MacKinlochs are too strong.’
    Harkirk crossed the room and grasped the man’s throatwhile his soldiers held the warrior’s arms back. ‘I watched their fortress burn. Everything they have lies in ashes. Now is the time to strike. And you’ll do it for me, if you want your daughter to live.’
    His face twisted in a smile. ‘You can’t protect all of them. A pity your wife is