Mary Reed McCall by The Sweetest Sin Read Free Book Online

Aileana stiffened. Duncan watched the signs of grief fade from her face as if by the stroke of a wand, masked by that bland expression she seemed to wear so often. Even her tears dried quickly under the snap of the wind.
    Gritting his teeth, Duncan urged Glendragon to a gallop. Aye, sure as the sun rose, he’d taken trouble for a ride today. But he would tame Aileana MacDonell once they reached home. She could rail and rant, or shroud herself in silence; either way he would bend her to his will.
    And yet somehow, he couldn’t rid himself of the persistent voice deep in his mind. The voice that churned adire omen with every beat of Glendragon’s hoofs, urging him to take heed and prepare before it was too late…
    Because, it warned, his lion’s share of tribulation had only just begun.

Chapter 4
    A ileana stretched her aching muscles and inched closer to the fire. The night spent huddled on the ground, protected by nothing but two thin plaids, had confirmed one of her long-held beliefs.
    Men were senseless idiots.
    The idea that they could wage war on each other after sleeping in such conditions seemed addle-minded at best. If they thought to gather piles of leaves or nice, thick pine boughs to lay beneath their plaids, they’d be much more comfortable and agile in the morning. At the very least, it would warm them while they slept.
    But when she’d suggested as much to the MacRae last night, he’d leveled such a look of masculine disgust at her that she’d clamped her mouth shut. The beast had even denied her the privilege of gathering her own makeshift mattress, snapping an order for Kinnon to keep her under control and near the fire when she ventured toward the copse of pines at camp’s edge.
    Aileana supposed she should be grateful that the MacRae had chosen to remain aloof. Yesterday, after the first, grief-numbed hour of riding, the realization of what she’d actually done began to sink in. She’d agreed to a life of virtual slavery, sure to be ostracized and rejected for her status as the MacRae’s leman. And being his leman meant more than just helping to serve his meals and clean his castle keep.
    It meant sharing his bed.
    A shudder slithered down Aileana’s spine. She’d not allowed herself to fully contemplate that part of the bargain yesterday. Now that the prospect faced her in the clear light of morning, she had to purse her lips to keep her teeth from chattering. All kinds of images danced through her mind, making her think. Making her feel. It was enough to make her stomach ache.
    With a start, Aileana stopped herself from imagining any further. The pain was too great. Gone forever was the wedding night she’d dreamed of her whole life. Duncan MacRae wouldn’t attempt to satisfy her maiden curiosity with tender touches and exciting, whispered words of love. Tonight when they reached Eilean Donan, he would bed her, pure and simple; he would slake his lust on her body and then leave her until the next time he felt the need. She’d be his leman, nothing more…an outcast to his clan. Reviled. Scorned .
    Swallowing the ball of fear in her throat, Aileana stood and adjusted the plaid at her shoulder. Instantly, seven suspicious male gazes trained on her. She went still, having almost forgotten that her every move was now watched and studied. Except for the few moments of privacy allowed to her earlier for tending to her personal needs, her life was no longer her own.
    She almost laughed at the irony of it all. She’d gonefrom being a solitary, virtual recluse as the Ealach ’s keeper to being surrounded by enemies under order to note the slightest change in her breathing. She fought a sudden, unthinkable impulse to shake her hair into wild disarray, dance in crazed abandon, and keen to the rising sun.
    But then she caught sight of Duncan across the clearing. He’d turned from a discussion with his men to fix his gaze on her. His silver eyes held a feral gleam, an unmistakable glimmer that made