“I have no idea how you found me here, but don’t you dare come near me.” Katherine thrust her hands out in front of her, hoping MacConnery wouldn’t come any closer. But the vile snake of a man laughed as he continued to slither toward her with his arms outstretched.

“When I arrived to see you and was told you were missing, I was quite concerned about you,” he said, as he continued his approach. “Your father organized a search party, and as your betrothed, I volunteered to go looking for you.”

“You shouldn’t have troubled yourself. As you can see, I am unharmed.” Her gaze darted around in all directions, searching for a way to escape. But with the river gorge directly behind her and MacConnery in front of her, she saw no way out.

“You are some distance from the safety of your father’s estate,” he replied.

Her heart raced and panic squeezed her chest. She’d been warned more than once that at no time was she to leave the confines of the Grant estate. But she believed the consequences of doing so meant she’d forfeit her inheritance. And her need to know if Ayden was alive and to hopefully find sanctuary amongst his people outweighed her need to comply.

But she now realized there was more to the stipulations in Agnes’s will than she’d thought. By venturing beyond the Glen Heather border, she’d risked her safety and that of her unborn child. Caught halfway between the MacAndrews and Grant properties, she was on her own. Even if she screamed for help, the chances of anyone hearing were slim-to-none, and the likelihood of someone coming to her aid, even less.

MacConnery paused a few feet from where she stood and cocked his head, a sinister smirk plastered across his face. “Tsk-tsk. Is that any way for a woman to greet her betrothed upon his return from a long trip? I’d hoped you missed me,” he snickered.

“You never did say where you were going,” Katherine said. She had a strong suspicion based on things she’d heard, things about how MacConnery got his wealth and power. But it was hearsay. Yet something told her she was right about him betraying the Scots to the English king.

“I wish you’d not returned at all.” Katherine backed away until her heels teetered on the edge of the cliff. “I said stay away from me. I would rather hurl myself from this bluff and take my chances with the rocks below than to have you come any closer.”

MacConnery lowered his hands to his sides. “Fine. But you really should step away from the edge before it gives way.”

“Then stop were you are. Better yet, back away,” she demanded.

He halted, leaving a sizeable gap between them. “I won’t come any closer, and I will refrain from touching you. Until you ask me to.”

“Hell will freeze over before I ask you to come anywhere near me,” she spat. “I hate you. And once people find out about your treacherous betrayal, they will run you out of Scotland. That is of course, if they don’t hang you first.” She didn’t trust him to honor his word, and fully intended to keep her distance. However, when she felt the soft earth beneath her feet, she heeded his warning and stepped onto to firmer ground.

“I have absolutely no idea what betrayal you are talking about.” His brow furrowed, the smug look on his face darkening into a menacing scowl. “If I dinna know better, I’d say you are implying that I have committed some form of treason.”

“Are you telling me that you know nothing about the battle to defend Stirling Castle?”

He shrugged. “What of it?”

“I think you were there, and you sold out your friends and countrymen. And for what? Some land and money, or a title perhaps?” She paused to suck in a gulp of air before continuing her tirade. “I’m betting you informed King Edward about the reinforcements that were on their way from the Highlands. And because he knew of their approach in advance, Longshanks was ready for them when they arrived.” Her voice began to quiver and her heart clenched. “Because of you, Ayden is dead!”

“Ah. So this is about MacAndrews.” He shot her a knowing look, then gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

“And all the others brave souls who died because of your treachery,” she replied sharply, then clamped her lips shut. In her fit of rage, she’d said far too much and had all but confirmed his suspicions about her and Ayden, but it was too late to take the words back.

“While an interesting tale, I’m afraid you have been misinformed. I had personal affairs to handle, and it just happened to be in the vicinity of Stirling. However, I can tell you, the two are in na way linked.”

“Do you expect me to believe that you just happened to have business to tend to in the same area of Scotland where a fierce battle was raging? A place from which a call had gone out only days before your arrival, asking for support?”

“I dinna care what you think. It is na a woman’s place to question things related to war or politics. It is na their place to question anything a man does.”

She raised her chin and looked him in the eye. “Well, maybe it is high time women did start asking questions and demanding answers.” The more MacConnery said, the more he confirmed his guilt.

“Believe what you wish, but it willna make it so. You have no right to question me or my actions,” he countered. “Oliphant was a fool to think he and his men stood a chance of defeating Longshanks. And those men who came from the Highland to support his lost cause got what they deserved.” He took a menacing step in her direction. “As will you if you continue to defy me. I had nothing to do with the defeat at Stirling.”

“You’re a liar. I know what you did. And it willna be long before everyone else does, too.” Her heart hammered as she returned his glower of contempt with one of her own. But as he edged closer, her chest tightened and her palms began to sweat. “Show no fear,” she muttered under her breath, willing herself to stand her ground. She’d not give him the upper hand and she refused to surrender. Women from 1304 might cower before men and do their bidding, but she was from the twenty-first century. Ayden was dead and MacConnery was to blame, and that knowledge alone caused her blood to boil and fueled her ire.

“You have nothing to base your accusations on. And even if you did, no one would listen to the foolish rantings of a woman who accuses the man she intended to cuckold of heinous crimes.”

She’d heard those accusations before. But it was in her own time. She stared at Ewan. It wasn’t until now that she noticed the similarities between Ewan and Ethan. Not only were they both wealthy, powerful men, but they also possessed more than their share of arrogance, self-absorption, ruthlessness, cruelty, and possessiveness. She wondering if the threads of time really did cross and if she was destined to live and relive the horror of being trapped in a relationship with a brutal man she detested. It appeared no matter what century she found herself in, she was destined to be involved with a dangerous man who’d do anything to get what he wanted, including killing her, rather than let her leave him.

“I knew before Ayden left that the battle would be won by the English, and the reinforcements who came to help and all those inside the castle would perish. And that even if they surrendered, King Edward would not stop bombarding the castle until everyone was dead. I just didn’t know they’d be betrayed by one of their own countrymen.”

“If you claim you knew the outcome, why didn’t you say something to stop them from going on a fool’s errand?”

Guilt tugged at her belly. So many lives were lost and she couldn’t help wondering if she was as much to blame for Ayden’s death as Ewan was for betraying his people. Maybe if she’d said something, she could have done something to prevent the slaughter.

“And how did you come up with that ridiculous conclusion? Are you some sort of witch?” he asked, an incredulous tone lacing his words. “You know, in some Scottish villages, they burn people who practice the dark arts. I’d be careful what you say and to whom.” He took a step closer.

Katherine started at MacConnery and for a moment she would swear she saw Ethan standing in his place. He dark eyes devoid of emotion, his merciless scowl causing the hair on her neck to bristle. She thought about the relentless insults he’d shouted at her, the threats to kill her if she dared leave him and to punish George. When he drew his sword and took a menacing step in her direction, she pictured the fireplace poker in his hand instead. Paralyzed by pure fear, panic squeezed her chest and she could not breathe. She gasped for breath, and willed him to stop, but he kept moving in her direction. “Ethan, no!” She brought her hands up in front of her face.

“You are some sort of witch,” he growled. “And a crazy one at that.” He continued to approach. “Do you think anyone will believe a crazy woman’s accusations?”

“I am not a witch,” Katherine repeated, her anger reaching its peak. “Nor I am not from here. At least not by choice. I am from the future, and what happened at Stirling Castle is written in the history books.” She slapped a cupped hand over her mouth. In her hysteria, she’d blurted out the truth about herself, not that the brute would believe a word she said or care.

“And here I thought you had some grounds for your absurd claims.” He threw back his head and laughed. “It would be my word against yours. A respected Scottish Earl and soon to be Duke, against a woman who has clearly gone mad?”

“They will believe truth. And only the King can make you a Duke,” she blurted, then bolted, hoping if she caught him by surprise and ran her heart out, she could make it to the wood and reach Glen Heather before he caught up with her.

“Na so fast, Catriona.” He quickly sprang forward, pouncing on her like a wolf taking down its prey.

Her feet were swept out from under her and she was airborne, plummeting toward the ground face first. Within seconds, her chest slammed into the ground, her slender body crushed by the weight of his large frame. Trapped beneath him, she couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, nor could she draw breath.

In one smooth move, he flipped her to her back and glared down at her. “It was rude of you to depart so hastily, Catriona. Especially when we have na finished our conversation. I see teaching you some proper manners will be a priority once we wed.”

“Get off me, you animal,” she demanded, then she screamed for help. If she didn’t at least try to gain someone’s attention, she didn’t stand a chance of stopping him on her own. She stilled for a moment, as the need to protect her unborn child took precedence. But if MacConnery decided to beat or rape her, she could lose the baby as a result, so decided it was better to fight.

She thrashed about wildly, kicking and hammering her fists against his thick arms and shoulders. But despite her valiant effort, her struggling only served to excite him. She could feel his rock hard shaft pulsing against her thigh as he ground his hips into hers and moaned aloud.

“You have yourself worked into quite a wild frenzy, my dear,” he hissed. “I like my women feisty in bed. Makes the conquest and victory all the sweeter.”

“I’ll never yield,” she said, then clamped her teeth on his ear, biting down as hard as she could until he yelped in agony and she tasted blood.

He retaliated with a backhanded slap that made her see stars, then grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet. He snapped her head back, forcing her to look at him. “I should kill you for that, but I have other plans for you.” His lips curled in a sinister grin. “You’ll change your mind quick enough once we are married and you have spent some time locked away in the tower on my estate.”

 “Perhaps there will be no marriage. When my father finds out what you’ve done, I’m certain he’ll—”

“He’ll what? Call off our wedding?” He laughed. “Your father hasn’t the ballocks to change his mind. He cares more about what our union means for him and his estate than he will my reprimanding a disobedient wife. And if I cut out your tongue, you’ll be telling your absurd tales to no one.”

“I’m not your wife and never will be. I don’t love you and I’d rather die than call you husband or have your filthy hands on me,” she challenged. The baby came to mind and she regretted what she’d said. Not about not wanting him to touch her, but that she wanted to die. But she would certainly not want him to raise her child. More determined to escape than ever, she had to get away, not only for her own sake, but for Ayden’s child.

“Your death can be arranged, but first I intend to sate my needs until I’ve had my fill,” he snarled. He hauled her against his chest and pinned her with a lethal stare. “I do so enjoy a challenge, and I will break you before I kill you, Catriona. And when I do, you will beg me for mercy,” he threatened. “And I am a man of my word. Just ask King Edward,” he hissed, then assaulted her mouth with a brutal kiss, while one of his roving hands fondled her bottom.

She struggled against his iron grip, but he refused to let go. With her mouth held captive and his cheek pressed against her nose, she couldn’t breathe and her head began to swim. Certain she was about to faint, she gasped for air. But when she did, he thrust his tongue between her lips, savagely plundering her mouth without mercy. When he finally let go, she glared up at him, then spat in his face. “I will never be your wife.”

MacConnery answered with another backhanded slap that sent Katherine crumpling to her knees. She glowered at him, wishing she had a dagger to plunge into his chest. He’d all but admitted his guilt and confirmed her accusations, but he was right when he said no one was going to believe her over him. He was a cunning bastard, his sort often getting away with crimes, even murder. The thought made her shudder and a cold chill snaked up her spine as a vision of him struggling with a woman on the edge of a cliff, before sending her plummeting to her death on the rocks below flashed before her eyes. “You killed Catriona, then made it look like she’d taken her own life,” she unintentionally divulged upon realizing this was the secret she was meant to uncover.

 

“I have no idea what you’re babbling about. You are very much alive. For now,” he snarled. “Get up, or I will take you here in the dirt. It matters not to me where we rut. And once completed, and I have taken your maidenhead, I will own your body and soul.”

“You’re too late. I am no longer a virgin, and carry Ayden’s child.” She scooped up a handful of dirt and threw it in his face.

“Bitch!” he staggered backward rubbing his eyes, a string of ribald curses spewing from his lips.

She made another attempt to run, but he caught her around the waist and hauled her to the ground.

“I tire of this game and it is time you learn who is in charge.” He rolled her to her back and tore open the front of her leine, exposing her breasts, then quickly trapped both her wrists above her head. “Ah, you are every bit as lovely as I thought you’d be, and soon you’ll be mine.”

“I’ll never belong to you. My heart will always belong to Ayden.” She spat at him again, but this time she missed.

“It matters not. Perhaps I won’t marry you and will just keep you as my whore. That is if I decide to let you live. I never was the type to settle down with one woman.” He dropped his head and nipped at her breast.

Repulsed by his touch, she struggled, but to no avail. Helpless to do anything to fight him off, Katherine closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

“That’s a good lass. I told you I’d break you,” he groaned in her ear. Trapping both wrists with his left hand, he freed up his right, then slithered his tongue in the crease between her breasts.

In one last effort to thwart his assault, she brought her knee up, catching him squarely in the groin. He moaned and rolled off her, writhing for a moment on the ground.

Climbing to her feet, she clutched the front of her gown together and backed away. But stopped when she felt a rush of wind and realized the cliff and water below was right behind her.

“I have had about enough of you and come to a decision.” MacConnery rose, still gripping the crotch of his trews. He closed the gap between them.

“And what decision is that?” she asked, though she knew the answer.

“You are na worth the trouble. And it is na worth me risking my good name or reputation should someone decide to believe your story about me being a traitor.

“You are a traitor,” she sobbed. Her resolve spent, the tears flowed and she couldn’t stop them.

“That may be, but you will not be around to tell anyone, whore. When they find your body at the bottom of the gorge, I will tell everyone you confessed about your tryst with MacAndrews and carry his bastard. That upon learning of his death, you threw yourself off the cliff and onto the rocks below,” he said with a smirk. “I, of course, tried to stop you from leaping, but was too late to intervene.” He mockingly dragged the back of his hand across his brow, feigning sorrow, then lunged forward and grabbed Katherine around the throat. “It is a shame I dinna get to sample you, but there are plenty of other women who will welcome a Duke into their bed.”

“Get away from my wife, or I swear, I’ll gut you where you stand.” The thunderous boom of Ayden’s voice echoed off the walls of the canyon.

MacConnery swiftly released his hold on Katherine’s neck, clasped her wrist, and spun around, taking her with him. With her one arm twisted behind her back and his other arm now draped across her throat, he used her body like a shield. “I think I am the one who should be doling out the orders, not you.”

When she heard the sound of Ayden’s voice, she wasn’t certain if he was real or imaginary. But when her eyes locked with his, her heart leapt with joy. “Thank God, you’re alive. I prayed every day you were gone that you’d return to me,” she sobbed.  

“The rumor of my death is false, leannan,” Ayden said.

“I can see that now,” she sniffled. “But when I went to MacAndrews Castle, the guard said your father had gone to retrieve the bodies of your clan’s dead, and that your mother was so grief-stricken she’d taken to her bed, I naturally assumed it meant you were dead.”

“The guard at the castle told me I’d just missed you, so I followed as quickly as I could. I’m so sorry you were lead to believe I was dead.” With his hand outstretched, Ayden took a step closer. “Once this is over, I promise never to leave you again.”

MacConnery cleared his throat. “This is all very touching, but I have enough of this sappy reunion. Shame it will be short lived.” He tightened his arm around Katherine’s neck and shuffled backward.

 “They are mourning the deaths of three of my cousins and ten of our men. And all thanks to that traitorous blackguard,” he growled, and pointed his finger at MacConnery. “I always considered him a bastard and a liar, but never knew just how evil he truly was until I spotted him sitting on horseback beside King Edward as he pummeled the castle with his trebuchet.” He glowered at MacConnery. “And what’s worse, the pompous arse dinna even care who saw him consorting with the enemy and betraying his countrymen.”

“And how did you get away?” MacConnery asked snidely. “The only men who could possibly have gotten out of Stirling Castle alive were cowards, prisoners, and traitors. And since Edward ordered his men to show no quarter and no prisoners were taken, that leaves the other two.” He grinned at Ayden. “Perhaps we are both cut from the same cloth after all.”

“The two of you are nothing alike,” Katherine said through pursed lips. “Ayden is a good and decent man, while you, on the other hand, and are the miserable traitor.”

“Silence.” MacConnery tightened his arm across Katherine’s throat and wrenched her arm behind her back, twisting until she stopped speaking and whimpered against the pain. “I’ve heard enough from you, my dear, and I need to think. One body at the bottom of the cliff is easy to explain, but two will take more planning.”

“I can simplify things for you, MacConnery,” Ayden growled.

“Can you now?”

“Aye. We can arrange for your body to be the one found at the bottom of the gorge.” He quickly leapt forward and reached for Katherine’s arm. But MacConnery countered the move by shuffling backward, halting with his heels resting on the precipice.

Remembering what MacConnery had told her about standing too close to the bluff, she feared in his effort to evade Ayden, he’d put them once again in the same perilous position. If her slight weight alone posed a danger, their combined weight would surly cause the lip of the cliff to give way. When she felt the ground shifting beneath her feet, she was certain of it. “Ayden,” she whispered and their eyes locked. “I love you,” she muttered as the edge gave way.

As the large chunks of grass and earth disappeared beneath his feet, MacConnery toppled backwards, taking Katherine with him.

“Catriona!” Ayden launched forward in time to grab her arm, but was unable to prevent her from going over the edge. Only this time, he toppled over with her.