Highland Steel (Guardians of the Stone Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

beside her began to sputter and then with wide eyes she propelled herself toward him, tumbling off the dais with the agility and speed of a cat. She buried her face against the crook of the blond giant’s neck, like a wolf ready to feed. It was only once she lifted her gaze once more to peer through her tangle of black hair that Jaime realized she had the man’s noose between her teeth, attempting to wrest it free.
    Jaime slid out of his saddle. “Remove their bindings!” he demanded.
    He went to the woman’s aid, helping her free the rope from about the man’s neck, half expecting her to bite him as he attempted to help. He slid his hand between them and tugged at the rope, loosening its grip upon the man’s neck. In the meantime, the magistrate rushed forward to help undo the bindings at her wrists.
    “ Lael ,” the man croaked, choking on the word even before clarity returned to his clouded blue eyes. Luckily for him, the rope hadn’t the time to do its worst. The blow to his chest forced air back into his lungs. His fellows weren’t nearly so fortunate. The others had shat themselves—he could smell it from where he stood—but Jaime checked their pulses anyway just to be certain. Finding the worst was true his gaze sought and found the man who’d spoken from the ramparts.
    “What good are these men dead? I explicitly bade you wait until I arrived!”
    “We did wait, my lord,” the man contended, pronouncing my lord in the English manner, as though to remind Jaime he was the outlander. “That dún Scoti witch put a dagger through my man’s heart.” He pointed to a pile of corpses that were all heaped miserably and without respect. From where Jaime stood, it was difficult to tell which of them might have been the enemy and which were his own.
    The woman’s face contorted with anger. “I did because he tried to abuse me,” she spat. On her knees, she nevertheless had the bearing of a queen, despite the gnarled hair and dirty face.
    Jaime couldn’t say why, but believed her.
    He thought about his own mother, and the sister he’d barely known, and hoped to God that if either had ever endured such an injustice they too might have been brave enough to gut the bastard with a blade. But he shoved the miserable thought out of his head. Now was not the time or place.
    He turned to his squire, bidding him to come forward—a son of his father’s liege, although now the tables were turned and FitzStephen’s son was Jaime’s vassal. At seventeen, Luc was still too young to be tested on the battlefield, despite that Jaime himself had tasted his first blood as a boy of sixteen. Not all men had the spirit for war. Unfortunately, in these days of unrest, youth and old age were luxuries not every man could afford—nor every woman for that matter.
    His eyes sought the green-eyed girl, but she turned away.
    He fully intended to investigate this case further, but at the instant he was tired, thirsty and his arse hurt from riding too long in the saddle.
    Re-sheathing his longsword, he demanded, “See these men get a decent burial, and put him—” he peered down at the blond behemoth, still gagging on his own tongue “—in a proper cell.” His gaze swept over the castle to gauge his options. “Secure the girl somewhere in the tower. Leave her with two of my guards, then report to me.”
    Once the orders were issued Jaime walked away, resisting the urge to peer back at the she-wolf still seated upon her knees—at least that’s what she appeared to be. God’s breath! There was no need to look back to be certain his demands were being met, but he succumbed to his curiosity and turned long enough to issue yet another, surprising himself, “First,” he commanded Luc, “get that girl a bath!”
     

     
    Get that girl a bath?
    Of all things he might have uttered, that was the last thing Lael expected to hear come out of the Butcher’s mouth.
    Get that girl a bath?
    Locked inside a tower room, she half intended