Highlander's Reckoning (The Sinclair Brothers #3) by Emma Prince Read Free Book Online

sent a shiver through
her.
    She nodded, suddenly finding herself at a loss for
words. Those gathered in the hall must have noticed what transpired between
their lady and their new lord, for a few whistles and chuckles went up, breaking
the trance he had cast over her with his touch.
    She jerked her hand back from his hold and broke the
gaze that was pinning her.
    “If you don’t mind, my lord, I’d like to retire to
my chamber,” she said.
    “Aye, if that’s what you wish,” he said slowly, suddenly
more guarded than he had been a moment ago.
    Before he could confuse her further with his searing
gaze or intimate touches, she stood and stepped down from the dais. She hurried
toward the stairs and the sanctuary of her chamber, but even as she reached her
chamber door, the memory of his stare still heated her cheeks.

Chapter 6
    Despite the low, dense clouds and the sharp wind,
sweat poured off Daniel’s bare chest. The sounds of men cheering for him at his
back clashed with the shouts in favor of his opponent, who stood panting in
front of him.
    Daniel raised his sword and swung it down toward his
opponent’s shoulder, but the man blocked, binding Daniel’s blade and forcing it
into the ground. Instead of struggling against the other man’s strength, Daniel
pulled his sword back while stepping toward his opponent, driving his shoulder
into the other man’s chest.
    That sent the man stumbling back, giving Daniel an
opening for another attack. He took another swing, this time aiming for his
opponent’s unsteady feet. The dulled edge of the blade thwacked into the man’s
ankles. With a surprised yelp, he tumbled to the ground on his back. Daniel
darted forward, placing his booted foot on the man’s sword arm so he couldn’t
land one final blow, then placed the tip of the practice sword against his
throat.
    The men gathered in the yard roared their approval,
despite the fact that half of them had been cheering for the man now splayed on
his back.
    Daniel’s plan couldn’t have worked better. Just
after dawn, he had set about organizing the men of the castle for a training
session in the yard. Though all had sworn their fealty yesterday, Daniel
suspected that some of the inhabitants of the castle and village were
disgruntled about the rapid change in authority at Loch Doon. After all, when
Kennedy had been charged with looking after the castle by the Bruce three years
ago, he had brought many of his own men from his clan’s keep at Dunure in
Turnberry.
    But if there was one thing that could bond men and
build a sense of respect, it was fighting. After an hour of sword drills in the
chilly yard, Daniel had set up a mock tournament that pitted the men against
each other in pairs and eliminated the losers.
    Hours later, it had come down to him and the man
that now lay prone under his blade—Harold Kennedy, he thought his name was. He
was almost as tall as Daniel, yet at least twice as wide. Daniel had already
noticed that many of the others deferred to him, clearly respecting his
strength and experience. That Daniel had bested him in a mostly friendly match
would go a long way in securing the men’s trust and respect.
    He withdrew the point of the practice blade and
extended a hand to Harold, who was panting and frowning in disbelief.
    “I nearly had you with that blow to the ribs,”
Harold said.
    “Aye, and I’ll have the bruises to prove it,” Daniel
said with a grin.
    That seemed to please the large fighter, who thumped
Daniel on the back.
    “And if the men see me limping around like a lame
horse, they’ll have you to thank for it, my lord!” Harold said cheerily.
    The gathered men laughed and cheered as the two best
fighters exchanged a forearm grasp.
    As Daniel turned toward the great hall for the
midday meal, his eyes caught a splash of emerald green in the doorway.
    Rona stood watching him.
    He hadn’t seen her after she’d excused herself to
her chamber yesterday, and by the time he’d dragged