Rogue's Hostage by Linda McLaughlin Read Free Book Online

anyone."
    She gripped the knife tighter. "Who knows what someone will do when pushed far enough?"
    "You will not survive on your own. Put the knife down and no one will get hurt." He laid his musket against a tree, removed his own knife from his belt and placed it, along with his pouch and powder horn, on the ground. When he turned back to her he held up both hands. "Would you attack an unarmed man?"
    She lifted her chin and met his icy gaze straight on. "If that is what it takes to defend myself."
    He waded into the stream, closing the distance between them with his long stride. "I will not hurt you."
    "You will destroy me," she cried. She gripped the knife tighter in her sweaty palm.
    He hesitated a second, then continued toward her. His shirt was open at the neck and a glint of gold caught Mara’s eye. Her gaze fixed on the crucifix he wore around his neck. If she aimed just below it, she could pierce him through the heart. His words reverberated through her mind, incapable of harming …She shook them off. What choice did she have? Willing her hand not to tremble, she raised the knife higher.
    As he reached the bank of the creek, Mara lunged. But in one lightning-quick motion he snared her wrist before her blade found its target. They grappled for control of the knife. She lost her balance and fell, pulling him down with her.
    They landed half-in, half-out of the icy stream, thrashing wildly, until his greater strength pinned her body beneath his. He locked his hands around her wrist and twisted.
    With a cry she let go of the knife. Her breath came in short, panicked bursts. Pain radiated from her wrist. Cold water splashed around her legs, soaking her skirts, but it was nothing compared to the chill in her heart.
    She tried to break free but he shifted his weight to hold her down, his hips pressing against hers. Looking up at him, she flinched at the cold fury in his expression.
    With a smothered curse, he released her and snatched the knife from where it had fallen. He stood and reached down to pull her up. When he grasped her arm, a sharp pain shot through her, and she cried out.
    Stepping back, he let her rise on her own. "Is your wrist broken?"
    "I don’t think so," she said shortly, cradling it in her left hand. As she climbed the bank of the creek, her wet skirts tangled around her legs, almost tripping her.
    He stripped off his dripping shirt and draped it over a sun-warmed rock. Mara noticed a red stain on his bandaged shoulder. His wound of the previous day must have re-opened during their struggle. No more than he deserved, she thought.
    Turning to her, he said, "We’re both soaked. I’ll make a fire. Take off those wet things."
    Crossing the stream, he picked up his pack and removed a dry breechclout. He looked up and his gaze locked with hers. "Does madame intend to watch?"
    She turned abruptly, picked up her pouch, and headed toward the forest.
    "Not so fast," he called after her. "I would be a fool to let you out of my sight again."
    She spun and stared at him. "You cannot expect me to change out here."
    "Why not? You have nothing I have not seen before."
    She gasped in outrage. "How dare you…"
    He leaped across the stream, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her into gasping silence. "You have caused me enough trouble. Understand this, madame. From now on you will do as I say, without argument, without question."
    Though her heart pounded in her chest, she met his gaze defiantly.
    He released her and stepped back. "But because I am an officer, and supposedly a gentleman, I will allow you some privacy. You may go behind a bush, but I want to see the top of your head or hear your voice at all times, or I will come looking for you. Is that clear?"
    "Yes," she hissed. When he let go of her, she glared at him, then marched behind a large fern.
    Once out of sight, Mara sank down on the ground, no longer able to control the spasmodic trembling within her. Why couldn’t he leave her alone? A single tear slid