Page 1 of Tempted By a Highland Beast
CHAPTER ONE
Scotland, 1293
Rowena MacKenzie would have done anything to get away.
The rope chafed against her wrists as Gregor hauled her from the saddle, his meaty hands gripping her arms with bruising force. Her horse snorted and danced sideways, sensing her distress, but there was nowhere to run. Dense Highland forest pressed in on all sides, and Hamish, the second man that had come after her and managed to get her, blocked the only clear path with his mount.
They both looked at her like she was nothing more than a runaway horse to be corralled and returned to her stall.
“Thought ye could slink off like a wee mouse, did ye?” Gregor’s breath reeked of ale and rotted teeth. “Alpin’s been waiting inthe chapel since first light. Nae very bride-like, leavin’ yer groom coolin’ his heels, eh?”
Rowena lifted her chin, meeting his leering gaze with all the defiance she could muster. “He is nae me groom. I never agreed tae this farce!”
Hamish barked a laugh, sharp enough to startle the birds overhead. “Agreed? Ye think a lass like ye gets a say in who her husband is? Yer faither’s dead. Alpin’s the laird now, and if he says ye’ll wed this day, then wed ye will.”
“Me faither named me his heir?—”
“Aye? And what good is a lass fer an heir with nay husband tae guide her?” Gregor yanked her forward, and she stumbled. “Alpin’s done right by the clan, taking the lead in a time of need. With him the power stays within the kin, with a man who kens how tae use it.”
How easily they all are tae forget their own. Alpin’s nae even part of the kin! He only wormed his way close tae faither because he’s me step-maither’s braither.
They pulled her closer to the horse, and when Rowena struggled, Hamish tightened his hold on her, wrenching her back by the upper arm. The rope around her wrists bit into raw skin as she twisted, fighting to loosen the knot through sheer friction. Every tug made her wrists burn, but she couldn’t stop. She needed a way out.
Rowena’s gaze darted around, taking in every shadow and thicket. The forest was dense here, but not impenetrable. If she could break free, if she could run, there might be a path hidden just beyond the rise to her left, where the trees thinned and a narrow game trail curved out of sight. But she’d only get one chance. One wrong move and they’d have her flat on her face, bound tighter, or worse.
“He has nay blood claim,” she said, her voice steady despite the panic clawing at her chest. “The elders will nae stand fer it?—”
“They will accept what they’re told tae.” Hamish’s tone had the lazy cruelty of a man who’d never heard the word no. “Our new laird’s already got his bride in hand, and the priest ready tae bless it.”
Rowena’s mind raced. Once those vows were spoken, there would be no undoing them. Alpin would have a legal claim to everything: her inheritance, her clan, her very body. The thought made her stomach churn. She could not let her people suffer from his hunger for power.
“Besides,” Gregor muttered, adjusting his grip as if she were nothing more than a sack of grain, “ye ought tae be grateful. Alpin could’ve secured his place any number o’ ways. Marriage is the kindest.”
The threat hung in the air like a cloud of smoke. Rowena understood perfectly. Resist the marriage, and there might be an unfortunate accident. A grieving uncle, forced to take control of a clan left leaderless by tragedy.
“He’s been patient with ye,” Hamish said, reining his horse nearer. “But patience wears thin. Today, ye’ll be his wife. Time ye made yersel’ useful as a woman should.”
Heat flooded Rowena’s cheeks at the crude implication, but she forced herself to remain calm. Panic would serve no one, least of all the people who were still counting on her to protect them from Alpin’s rule.
Had any of them truly believed in me faither’s choice? Or had they simply been waiting fer an excuse tae set aside a female heir they’d never wanted?
The bitter thought twisted in her chest. Perhaps this betrayal had been inevitable from the moment her father had named her successor instead of seeking a male cousin to inherit the lairdship of Clan MacKenzie.
Gregor began pulling her toward his mount, and Rowena let her feet drag against the leafy ground, buying precious seconds to think. The forest around them was thick, unfamiliar territory she’d never explored. But unfamiliar might mean unguarded paths, routes these men wouldn’t expect her to run to.
“On with ye, then,” Hamish called. “Alpin’s got the whole clan gathered. It’ll dae ye nay good tae keep them waiting.”
As Gregor bent to boost her onto his saddle, Rowena saw her chance. The man’s attention was split between controlling his restless horse and maintaining his grip on her. Hamish wasseveral paces away, confident in his partner’s ability to handle one desperate woman.
They’d underestimated her.
Rowena drove her elbow back into Gregor’s ribs with every ounce of strength she possessed.
Oh me God, I cannae believe I did this!
He doubled over with a grunt of pain, his grip loosening just enough for her to wrench free. Her hands were still bound, but the rope had begun to fray; she’d been working at it nonstop, twisting and pulling while they dragged her. She spun toward her own mount, but Hamish was already spurring his horse forward, his face dark with rage.
“Ye little?—”
