Highlander Taken. Juliette Miller
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battle during the Campbell uprising over a year ago.
So it was up to one of us to marry well and secure a new laird for our moderately prosperous keep and our large but somewhat-flagging army. Marriage to a Mackenzie would secure an alliance that would unite our forces to theirs; this was crucial to my father, now more than ever since the Campbell rebellion was threatening to reignite.
Maisie was as feverish as my father about her potential match to Wilkie, which she hoped would be arranged officially this night. She felt fortunate that her conquest was not only noble, wealthy and talented, but also exceedingly good-looking. All three Mackenzie brothers were celebrated for their bravery, their swordsmanship, their military prowess and—it had to be said—their looks. Looks that would, in my father’s words, produce a handsome heir. So my father was anxious to secure the engagement. He had already begun arrangements with Laird Mackenzie regarding Maisie’s marriage to Wilkie.
The rest of us, too, were obliged to seek out men with credentials: lands, wealth and military alliances were to be at the top of the list of our considerations. Only with one or more of these attributes would the suitor in question gain my father’s approval. A Munro would please my father, I knew that. Preferably the one in line to accept the lairdship. If I recalled correctly, the name associated with that privilege was Magnus, not Tadgh. Either way, I couldn’t quite bring myself to care.
“Would you like to go for a stroll with me, Stella, to the drawing room?” Tadgh suggested. “I’ve heard the tapestries in there are even more spectacular.”
I knew he was mocking me. We were both well aware that there was not the tiniest likelihood that I would—or could, for the sake of my reputation—agree to a private stroll to an unattended drawing room with the likes of Tadgh Munro.
“Thank you, but I must decline,” I replied, perhaps overly shortly.
Bonnie attempted to smooth over my rudeness with a suitably charming comment. I scarcely heard what it was, or Tadgh’s response to it. I was allowing myself a small, delicious reprieve. I thought of Caleb and the stolen moments we’d shared in the blacksmith’s hut, where he worked. Once I’d watched him bang a still-molten sword with a hammer, honing its blade. Another day he’d been making chains, linked together while hot, forged solid and unbreakable once they were cooled. I’m to install these in the dungeons, he’d said, and I’d marveled at the thought. Such a task would require considerable bravery, and skill, I had thought at the time. Although Caleb and I hadn’t spent much time together, these brief memories were some of the sweetest I had ever known.
Such was the extent of my distraction that I didn’t notice, after a time, the accumulating crowd enveloping us. I turned to see Kade Mackenzie talking casually to Tadgh, just a few feet from where I stood. I was, I had to admit, riveted by the sight of him. Kade Mackenzie was even taller up close. His shoulders were squared and solid. The white tunic he wore emphasized the dark hues of his hair and his tawny, sun-bronzed skin. He looked every inch the savage warrior he was reputed to be. His eyes were a memorable shade of clear, light blue, a detail I couldn’t help but notice as he watched my finger absentmindedly twirl itself through a ringlet of my long hair. An expression of relaxed arrogance played across his bold features, softened only by the glimmer of subdued fascination that lurked behind it. It was true I was somewhat different-looking from my sisters. My hair was darker and I wore it longer. My eyes were a lighter hue than my sisters’, almost amber in color, with unusual flecks of yellow. I thought of Tadgh’s unsettling comment. And of a description my sisters liked to tease me with. Stella, you’ve the eyes of a frightened wildcat and the face of a fallen angel. My clan members often commented that I was the child who looked most like our mother, though I myself could not remember her. She died when I was three.
Against the backdrop of my lingering thoughts of Caleb, and even amid the jaunty camaraderie of the Munros, the sudden looming countenance of Kade Mackenzie was even more daunting and dramatic than it had been from afar. His presence seemed to close in around me and cause an inexplicable tightening of my throat, as if he were somehow stealing light and air. Sequestered and restricted to the company of my sisters and cousins for most of my life, I was entirely out of my element in the company of men. I knew this was why I preferred the nonthreatening gentleness of Caleb to the overt masculinity of men like Kade Mackenzie. His swarthy charisma leaped into the space all around him, and provided a sharp juxtaposition to the shadow of Caleb’s mild, soothing memory. There was nothing soothing or mild about Kade Mackenzie. Which was precisely why I wanted to put as much distance between us as I could.
But I was held in place by my younger sister Ann and my cousin Bonnie, who strung their arms through mine, as though sensing my thoughts and preempting any attempts I might make to leave.
“Ladies,” Angus Munro was saying, “may I top up your drinks? ’Tis a night for frivolity, after all.”
Ann, my sweetest of sisters, accepted her drink from Angus with a shy smile. Angus, all easy laughter and bright red-lit hair, was clearly enjoying himself as he served our ale. He topped up Kade’s cup, then replenished his own with a generous serving that threatened to overflow. Angus watched Ann take a tiny sip from her goblet, and, as much as I would have liked to retreat to the quiet of my chambers, I resolved then to stay and make sure she was well chaperoned. The combination of free-flowing ale, Angus’s overeager manner and his hawk-eyed attention of my vulnerable sister were enough to keep me in place, firmly at her side.
And all the while, as colorful conversation filled the large yet still-cozy hall, as people drifted and mingled, Kade Mackenzie’s cool predatory stare seemed to fix itself on me all too often, making me feel uneasy and restless. The ale did nothing to calm my nerves and seemed to stretch the minutes into long, hazy hours.
After drinking almost a full goblet of the sweet ale, in fact, I began to feel woozy and decided to avail myself of the inviting courtyard at the far end of the hall. Leaving Ann in Clementine’s care, I walked the long length of the hall, feeling heated and flushed, and reveling in the cool touch of the night air as soon as I reached it. I closed the door behind me to distance myself, just for a few minutes, from the noisy gathering.
No one had followed me. I had, for once, escaped the notice of my father’s guards. At this realization, I followed a lit pathway that led beckoningly into a tiny rose garden, enclosed by small trees and trellises. Intrigued and invigorated by my momentary freedom, I wandered just a few steps farther—and a few more—to find a secluded bench. Delighted with my find, I sat. I knew I shouldn’t be alone in a dark, isolated place such as this, but my newfound despair—and anger—had undermined the forced habits of my upbringing. Just for a few minutes, I wanted to pretend I was free to make my own choices, to fantasize about being treated with respect, or even love. And to appreciate the very simple pleasure of being alone.
The late-summer perfume of the roses filled the air with their heady scent, and I savored the peaceful moment. The past few weeks had been filled with turmoil and sadness, and I was grateful for the window of solace this little haven provided.
But then, without warning, a brisk, high gust of wind blew all the candles out.
The darkness was sudden and startling.
Flickering stars overhead were shadowed by bulky black clouds, and the moon was hidden. I had only the distant torchlight of the manor to guide me back. I stood, feeling unsteady not only from the lingering effects of the ale but also the stark isolation.
As my eyes adjusted infinitesimally to the darkness, I guessed at my return route along the meandering path back to the manor. I took a step, holding my hands out in front of me and feeling somewhat ridiculous. I laughed lightly at my predicament, wondering at my own impetuousness. The sound of my own laughter lingered with me briefly; it was a sound I hadn’t heard in some time. If I’d once been prone to bouts of adventurousness as a child, that tendency had been decisively eradicated from my nature by my father’s tyranny. If he could have seen me now, I had no doubt I’d be beaten yet again. So there was a small, defiant satisfaction to this seclusion.
But some subtle intuition brought my laughter to an abrupt end. A chill raised the hairs on the back of my neck in a sudden realization: someone was here with me. My senses