Highlander's Captive Read Online Free PDF

find out. He took off, though it was slow going with the snow-covered ground, but it would be the same for anyone who followed. More snow would help cover their tracks and delay anyone from following, but it would also slow his own pace.
    Clouds moved in over an already bleak sky by midmorning, and Torr worried that another snowstorm would hit. If it was a bitter one, they would not survive long without shelter. His concern grew along with the darkening sky.
    Wintra was so angry that she would have screamed if she hadn’t had a cloth stuffed in her mouth. How dare this man raise his hand to her? And why had he called Owen vile? She hadn’t known Owen long, but he had treated her well and with respect, unlike the stranger who touched her in a spot only a husband should. Wait until she told Cree what this man did to her.
    Cree.
    Whatever was she thinking? She did not want to return to Cree. She wanted to be with Owen. She was no longer a young girl, wanting or needing her brother’s love and protection. She was a woman grown and would soon be Owen’s wife. Cree would have no say over her then. She would be free to live her life with the man she loved and who loved her.
    The thought calmed her and she realized that unless she continued to keep calm and give thought as to how to escape, she would be stuck with this barbarian until they reached her brother. And that was an unbearable thought.
    It took some doing, but after what seemed like forever, she managed to dislodge the cloth in her mouth. She didn’t know if it was the breath she let out or took in that felt the best, though it did not truly matter. It just felt wonderful not to be gagged.
    She took a moment to gather her wits, then turned her head up toward her captor. “Please, I will be good, just get me off my stomach.”
    “I will have your word on that?”
    Wintra wondered how true anyone was to their word, since people had given their word to her in the past and had never kept it, except Owen. He had promised he would return for her and he had. He had also promised that he would love her forever and never leave her, unlike others.
    “You have my word,” she said and would keep her promise to be good, though she had not promised she wouldn’t try to escape.
    Torr eased the horse to a halt, slipped off, and lifted Wintra off. He held her a moment so that she could get steady footing, then he unwrapped her cloak that he had tucked tightly around her.
    She eased her arms out and with a wince gave a stretch.
    “No time to ease your aches,” he said, his hands clamping onto her waist and lifting her to the horse to sit sideways. With a strong, quick leap, he mounted behind her.
    She lost what little balance she had and fell against him. Again she was reminded of his strength when she hit hard muscle.
    He quickly tucked her in the crook of his arm to keep her steady and from striking out at him, not sure if he should trust her word. He had yet to discover her true nature and until he did, he would remain cautious.
    After having stared at nothing but the snow-covered ground for what seemed like hours, she found herself glancing up at the sky and one look told her that another snowstorm threatened. She did not know whether to be happy or worry. It would certainly slow them down, but it would also make it more difficult for Owen to find them. Then there was her concern about what would happen if Owen caught up with them. She was well aware of how skilled her brother’s warriors were and she feared Owen would not have a chance against this brute of a warrior. His scar alone frightened, but she would not let him know that. What she needed to do was find out more about him and why, after all this time, her brother decided to bring her home.
    She began with the easiest question first. “What is your name?”
    “Torr.”
    “You must be one of my brother’s best warriors to have been chosen to bring me home.”
    “Your brother has many fine warriors.”
    “Yet he