He released a chuckle that made her skin heat, despite the cold water, and Graham swam them farther and farther away from the shore. When he shifted his arm, it rested heavy and solid against her ribs, while his fingers pressed against the underside of her breasts as he held her securely.
Her stomach tightened in the oddest manner, not with fear but something else. She thought upon it hard for a moment, then gasped. Her body wasrespondingto this man, her father’s enemy who was seizing her!
“Must you hold me so tightly?” she demanded in a choked voice, knowing full well the man would not release her and risk her swimming away.
“Aye,” he answered, amusement lacing his tone, and she could swear that his fingers twitched against her breasts. When they did, she could not help but shift her body. Unfortunately, it was hard to control her movements in the water and she seemed to be even closer to him now. His arm tensed even more. “Dunnae wiggle in the water,” he said, his own voice peculiarly strained.
Around them, she could hear low, almost imperceptible chuckles. It irritated her a great deal that his men were finding merriment in her predicament and that Graham felt he could treat her as he wished.
“Dunnae order me about!” she growled.
His arm whipped between her breasts, and his hand clamped over her mouth. “I order ye about for yer own good,Isobel.”
She frowned. However did he manage to make her name sound like a curse?
“Dunnae raise yer voice, and dunnae mistake that I kinnae give ye orders. Ye are my prisoner.” With those stern words, he removed his hand and put it back under her breasts.
“I will nae be yer prisoner for long,” she snapped, seething.
“I dunnae doubt ye will attempt to escape,” he replied in a tone that clearly implied he was not concerned in the least that she would succeed.
As she stewed, he suddenly stood, bringing her with him. She was shocked to realize they had covered the distance between the island and the mainland so quickly.
Light bloomed in the sky, chasing away the shadows. With the change, she felt less afraid and more confident in her abilities. She stole a look at Graham. His tense jaw and flexed arms told her he was prepared to spring at a moment’s notice. Without a word, Graham raised his arm and motioned everyone forward, and as one, the small group obeyed, leaving only Isobel standing alone with Graham.
She stared at him as he studied her, and she prayed she did not look as nervous as she felt. He stepped toward her, his heat enveloping her, his scent—of the loch and the land—swirling around her. He did not touch her, but the power radiating from him brushed her like a caress. “How long were ye away from yer family?”
“Why?” she asked warily.
“Because I am trying to discern how ye can possibly vow fealty to a dishonorable man such as yer father.”
Without thought, she slapped him. Anger flared in his eyes, and she quickly drew her stinging hand to her chest. “Ye dare speak to me of honor? Ye? I saved yer life, and ye’re taking me against my will to use me for my castle.”
He scrubbed the back of his hand over his cheek as he stared unblinkingly at her. “If I were to let ye go, Isobel, ye would nae make it to yer father without being either seized by others wishing to gain yer hand for yer castle or seized by my uncle and yer brother, who ye must ken are evil if ye’re running from them and nae toward them. Worse, ye could be taken on the road and ravished so brutally ye wished ye were dead. Like it or nae, I am yer best hope at the moment.”
She trembled all over at the awful but true picture he had painted. “Then I am hopeless,” she snapped, angry at him, at herself for not knowing how to get to her father, at her half sister and stepmother for their betrayals, and at Findlay, whom she had thought she had known but never really had. Sadness blanketed her in coldness, and she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill.
Surprising pity flickered in Graham’s eyes.
“Please,” she begged, flinging her pride away in exchange for the slight chance that pity would motivate him to change his mind. “Please release me. Tell me where to find my father and let me go.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, and she thought she heard a thread of actual remorse in his voice. “But ye are nae only too valuable to set free but ye represent the revenge I vowed I would get for my sister.”
Panic struck, and she turned to bolt for the water, but his arm slid around her waist before she took more than two steps. “Release me!” she cried as he swept an arm under her legs and hoisted her body against his chest.
She refused to offer him aid any longer. She pummeled his chest once, twice, but before she could strike a third time, he had slung her over his shoulder, and she was left no choice but to hit his rock-hard back. He didn’t speak as he strode away from the water, each step pushing his shoulder deeper into her stomach so that she was struggling for breath by the time he swung her upright once more and delivered her unceremoniously onto a large, black destrier.
The beast danced for a moment in fright as Isobel attempted to jump off and run, but with a firm, “Dante, nay!” from Graham, the horse calmed. Isobel tried again to get off it, but before she could get both legs over the beast, Graham swung up behind her, encircled her waist, and yanked her hard against him, stilling all movement. She tried to twist and fight, but it was useless. His hold could not be broken, nor even budged. When he gave a soft whistle and started the group away at a rapid pace, she sagged in defeat.
They rode in silence for a while, only slowing when the terrain made it necessary. It was then that Graham spoke. “Why are ye running from yer brother?”
She thought about ignoring him, but she wanted answers and mayhap Graham MacLeod had some. He had said she was his revenge for his sister. She suspected Findlay may have harmed Graham and Cameron’s sister by the rage that had overcome Graham when Findlay had appeared in the courtyard. She would have never believed it possible before, but now she would be a fool to deny that he might have when he could so easily do her harm, his own half sister.
“Findlay betrayed me. And I believe he is betraying my father.”
Graham’s arms tensed around her. “What makes ye believe he is betraying yer father?”
“Findlay tried to force me to marry yer uncle, and when I refused, he threatened me and said it was Father’s wish. But my father would never marry me to anyone from yer clan.”
