Page 8 of Highlander’s Beautiful Liar

“Claire?” he asked softly. “’Tis Alec.”

There was a single candle lit, and she was curled up in the corner of the mattress. His entry hadn’t awoken her, and he took a moment to look her over.

She was such a small thing. Alec couldn’t imagine her lasting a day in the prisons, let alone months. Just how had an Englishwoman made her way into the Highlands, and what the hell had she come to steal? This wasn’t like the streets of London. She couldn’t pickpocket her way for a living, so if they were calling her a thief, it only made sense that she was after something in particular. Seth MacKay had plenty of valuables in the keep, but he couldn’t imagine any of them would gain her attention.

Suddenly, she jerked and cried out. Even in her sleep, he could see the fear on her face. She was in the throes of a nightmare, another remnant left over from Seth MacKay. He feared that if he woke her, she would be even more frightened to see him standing over her, but he would not leave her like this. Instead, he gently set a hand on her shoulder. “‘Tis all right, lass. Seth cannae hurt ye anymore. Sleep, Claire. Sleep.”

At the sound of his voice, she stopped thrashing, but she didn’t wake. Slowly, he removed his hand and settled in a chair by the bed to watch her and make sure she slept peacefully.

“What’s yer story?” he asked her softly.

Although he knew it wasn’t right, he ached to join her in bed. He wanted to cup the swell of her breast and run his thumb over the fabric covering her nipple. He wanted to nuzzle her neck until she moaned and offered him her mouth. He wanted to taste her, to see if she was as sweet as she looked.

Growling softly, he backed away from the room. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn’t be fantasizing. He had an uphill battle in front of him, and he certainly couldn’t afford to obsess about a woman he didn’t even know. Bloody hell!

Safely outside the hall, he closed the door and swept a hand through his hair. Clearly, roaming the halls was dangerous. He needed to go to bed. Alone.

Connor left the next morning and took the majority of the men with him. Left with a couple dozen Sinclair warriors, he started the process of retraining the men.

“Seth MacKay had enemies,” he roared to the men on the field. “That does not go away simply because I’m in charge. They may see this moment as a weakness, and we need to be ready. Divide yerselves in groups of four and five, and train with my men. They are the best, so heed them well. In a couple of weeks, I expect to see vast improvement. I doonae want to hear any complaining. Ye need to toughen up. Yer men, so act like it!”

“This is not how we trained before,” Kane muttered as he shook his head. “They aren’t going to want to take orders from a Sinclair.”

“Good thing that I doonae give a damn what they want,” Alec said mildly. “What I care about is that they are able to protect their clan if there is an attack. Tell me, how often did Seth train with these boys?”

“They’re naught boys,” Kane said fiercely.

“Please,” Alec sneered. “Half of your army cannae even grow facial hair. I’ll be sending a missive throughout the clans to see if any MacKay wants to return, but I doubt it’ll do much good. Until I see improvement, ye’ll train as I say, as often as I say.”

He could tell that Kane was angry, but the man didn’t argue. Feeling almost sorry for the position that he was in, Alec relented just a little. “Pick a handful of warriors,” he muttered. “This afternoon, two of my men will take another handful out hunting. Yer welcome to join them.”

Kane looked surprised by the offer. “Aye.”

“I watched ye in battle. Yer impressive with a sword. Choose yer own group to train for today,” Alec ordered. Normally he reveled in the training, but today he wanted to watch to see who knew what they were doing, and who needed help. After a few days of observing, the real training would begin.

Catching Stephen’s eye, he pulled him away from the fights. “Did Innes Campbell say anything when he left?” he asked in a low voice.

“Aye. He said that ye were a fool for thinking that ye could take over the clan without his help. He said his offer to be a close ally wouldn’t last for long.”

Alec snorted. “The man doesn’t want to be an ally. He wants to gain my trust so that when he betrays me, I won’t see it coming. He knows that if I fail, he’ll get to step in, and I doonna even care how much this clan hates me. I wilnae see it fall into the hands of Innes Campbell.”

“He also says yer a fool for trusting the thief. What’s he talking about?”

Alec remained silent for a moment. He hadn’t told any of his men about Claire. “When I investigated the prisons, there was a woman strung up in chains. Guard says she’s been there for a few months, and I have a feeling she was Seth and Innes’s play thing. All they’ll say is that she was a thief, but she wilnae say anything, only that her name is Claire.” He paused. “She’s English.”

“English?” Stephen asked with a start. “She must be married then. No other reason for her to be here.”

“She flinches whenever men are near, so I doubt it. I put her in one of the chambers to heal. There are no marks on her that I can tell, but the daft woman won’t let a healer examine her. If she won’t talk, the best I can do is give her work in the keep.”

“Why not release her?”

Alec didn’t want to admit that he wasn’t ready for the woman to leave just yet. He wanted to pry her secrets out of her. “She could verra well be a criminal. I want to keep an eye on her.”

“Is she bonnie?” Stephen asked with a grin. “Perhaps ye just want to keep her close.”

“I’m not stupid,” Alec snapped. “Go train yer men.”

Stephen laughed openly and shook his head. “I can’t wait to meet this Claire. Anyone who has ye so vexed is worthy of my attention.”