When Darwick “Wick” McKell first saw her standing in the field picking berries. Her long blond hair glinted in the sunlight, and her voluptuous curves wouldn’t be hidden under the loose tunic and pants she wore. He couldn’t find Vargan Rode to kill, so he made a new plan. He would take his woman and kill her instead. Vargan Rode was going to pay one way or another.
Darwick watched her for a few more minutes before he set his horse in motion. The young woman looked up at the sound of galloping hooves, her eyes wide with fear. She recognized the leathers of the mountain clan, and she knew she was in trouble. She was alone in the field, and only her father knew where she had gone, but he was out on the lake fishing.
Lora dropped her bucket and started to run, but man and horse caught her quickly. He leaned down and captured her as his horse skidded to a stop and Darwick pulled her kicking and screaming up on the horse in front of him on her belly. With a slight pressure of his knee, the horse whirled and set off on a gallop down the same trail he had come.
A few minutes later, they came to a stop under the shade of some willow trees near the lakeshore. As soon as the horse stopped, Lora pushed off the horse and took off running. Wick laughed, as he had fully expected that.
He jumped down from his mount and took after her in long easy strides. Catching her quickly, he tackled her to the soft sandy ground. He pulled a rope from his belt and quickly bound her wrists behind her back as deftly as he would an escaped calf.
“No, please! Let me go!” she cried.
Wick reached for his long knife and turned her over. He should probably kill her now and be done with it. Vargan would be quick to come after him once he learned his woman was taken. There were tears in her eyes as she looked up at him and her chest was heaving from the exertion. When she saw the knife, her eyes widened with fear. She looked into his eyes and saw his intent to kill her.
She was utterly helpless and at his mercy, but she didn’t plead for her life. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for him to drive the blade into her.
Wick wanted to kill someone to make them pay for the death of his brother. Watching the rise and fall of her full breasts made his cock stir, and he knew he couldn’t kill her. But he sure as hell could fuck her. This wasn’t the time or the place, and rape wasn’t what he had in mind. No, he wouldn’t kill her; she was too good a woman to waste.
Stealing Vargan’s woman was better than killing her. Wick put his knife back in its sheath and pulled Lora to her feet.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said meeting her wide blue eyes.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“Vargan Rode killed my brother, so I’m taking his woman, you,” he said, letting his eyes peruse her feminine curves. “Now you are my woman.”
“But, I never did anything to you. I never killed anyone!” she cried. “Why do I have to pay for what Vargan did?”
“Why not? You were his woman weren’t you?’
“That wasn’t my choice. The marriage was arranged.”
“Well, now it’s unarranged. You are my woman now.” Wick told her in no uncertain terms.
“What if I don’t want to be? What if I don’t want to be anyone’s woman?” she demanded, now that she knew he wouldn’t kill her.
Wick strode up to her until his chest was touching hers and took her face in his hands and kissed her, none too gently. He pressed his thumbs against her jaw to make her open her mouth for his tongue to stake his claim. She groaned plaintively and tried to pull away at first, but he held her head so she couldn’t. The longer he kissed her, the less she resisted.
Her mouth tasted sweet, like the berries she had been picking. Pretty soon she was kissing him back and leaned against him for balance.
Yes, he thought, as a fiery lust hardened his cock and he felt her soft breasts pressed against his chest. She was his now, and he was taking her home with him back to the mountains. He wanted her now, but he wasn’t safe this close to the lake clans village.
He also wanted to take is time and seduce her properly. No McKell ever had to rape a woman they wanted, and he wasn’t going to be the first. He finally took his lips from hers. “Come on, we have to go.”
“You mean before Vargan catches up with us and kills you for taking me?” she taunted.
“Him, I could take alone, but he would never come alone. There were at least a dozen with him when he killed my brother,” replied Wick smoothly. “He’s a fucking coward.”
“What does that make you, stealing an unarmed woman?”
“Would you rather wed Vargan Rhode?” he asked.
“I’d rather stay with my family and friends in the village where I grew up,” she retorted. “I never hurt anyone. Why do I have to pay? It’s not fair!”
“Life isn’t fair. Rode took my brother, and I’m taking you,” he said and gripped her upper arm with a large, powerful hand. He started walking toward his bay stallion, pulling her along with him.
Lora tried to hold her ground, “Please, I just want to go home.”
“We are going home,” he said. “My home.” He tugged her arm forcing her to walk with him. He had mixed feelings about what he was doing, but he wasn’t going to let her know that. He was taking her as his, it was his right, according to clan law---his clans’ law.
When they reached his horse, he lifted her easily up onto its back and climbed on behind her. With her wrists bound in back, he would have to steady her with one arm around her and rein his horse with the other. Before he set the horse in motion, he gave in to temptation and cupped her breasts in his hands and pulled her back against him.
Mine!
She groaned, but he couldn’t tell whether in protest or pleasure. He gave himself a mental shake and set his horse off at a gallop. They needed to get away as far and fast as possible. He wouldn’t feel safe until they reached the foothills of the Cerulean Mountains. It was hard not to think about when he got her someplace safe when her bottom was pressed up against his cock as they rode.
Before this trip was through, she was going to want him as much as he wanted her.