Highland Warrior Woman (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Becca van Read Free Book Online Page A

eyes, waiting for the impact. Instead of tensing her body, she relaxed all her muscles, hoping to lessen the damage when she hit the ground.
    When she did it was bone-jarringly painful, but the initial impact was the least of her worries. She rolled down the incline with amazing speed until something hard stopped her. Pain exploded in her head, and she cried out just before everything went black.

Chapter Five
     
    “Where the fuck is she?” Hamish roared as he rushed down the stairs.
    “She’s no’…” Ewan began, and Hamish knew his brother was about to ask if Maeghan was in Calum’s bedchamber.
    “Nay,” Hamish snapped and hurried across the great hall to where Calum and Ewan were breaking their fast. “The chamber is empty and so are all the others. I’ve searched every room above stairs and have no’ sighted her.”
    “Shit.” Ewan jumped to his feet. “Alert the men. I want the whole keep searched from top to bottom as well as all the outbuildings and grounds.”
    Hamish took the lead and flung the heavy wooden doors open with a flick of his wrists. In moments he was down the steps and heading toward the training area at the side of the castle.
    “Cease.” His roar bounced off the stone walls of the keep. The clash of metal on metal slowed and finally stopped, as did the yells of the Campbell warriors.
    When Hamish had commanded the attention of all, he called out, “Maeghan Fraser has disappeared. I want everyone to help search for her. The MacLeods have already taken her once and beaten her. We will not allow that to happen again.”
    “Duncan.” Hamish looked toward their commander. “I want ye to take yer brothers and search to the north. Ian, take a party south, and, Cailean, ye search the west. We will go east. We want the lass found before someone else finds her.”
    “Hamish,” Greer, the stable master, called, “a lad left just before dawn. Alistair saddled a mount for him.”
    “Where is Alistair?”
    “Right here, sir.” Alistair stepped out from behind his father.
    “How big was this lad?”
    “Cannae have been much more than ten summers. I’m going on twelve, and I’m much taller and brawny than that skinny lad.”
    Hamish ignored the smirk on Alistair’s face, too worried about Maeghan to discipline him.
    “Describe the lad to me.”
    “He was wearing breeches, sir, but they looked too big for his scrawny body, and he looked like he had borrowed his papa’s shirt. His hair was flaxen but short, not down to his shoulders, and his face was covered in bruises.”
    “Which way did the lad head?”
    “South, I think. Angus was the one to open the gate for the lad.”
    “Just a word of warning, Alistair,” Hamish said quietly. “Next time someone ye have never seen before tries to leave, take the matter to myself or my brothers. That ‘lad’ might just be our future wife.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Hamish led the way over the drawbridge and turned south, his brothers following. The other parties had set out as well. There were nearly five hundred men at their command. Hamish knew they would find Maeghan eventually. What worried him most was where and how they would find her. The forests were full of vagabonds and poachers, not to mention Laird MacLeod and his man. In anticipation of a fight, Hamish was outfitted with his claymore sword, a dirk, and two daggers. His brothers were similarly equipped, and Gerty had given them food and water as well. A highlander learned at a young age to be prepared for any eventuality.
    Nudging his mount to a gallop, Hamish scanned the ground for signs of Maeghan and her horse. More than an hour passed before he saw anything promising. He signaled his brothers to stop.
    Tracks led from the road into the forest. By the imprints left in the ground, the rider didn’t weigh much.
    He led the way into the woods. After a time, he spied kicked-up earth, as if the horse pranced skittishly. Then it looked to have bolted. As he followed the tracks, he