Legacy of the Mist Clans Box Set Read Online Free PDF

skin, the dampness of his long black hair, which had escaped its leather tie, and the rough stubble of his cheek against hers. He was powerfully real.
    She dropped the stick and clung to him. “You came back,” she said, trying to choke down her sobs and failing.
    Branan’s embrace did not ease. “I feared ye dead,” he whispered, a soft brogue accenting his speech. “When I saw the manor house . . . ” His voice broke and his grip tightened.
    “We . . . we must find Gavin. I know not—”
    “He is with me, Catriona. He fetched me from my home in Scotland.”
    She stared up at him, stunned, her muddled mind trying to wrap around his words.
    “We were searching for ye when we heard the men shouting. Gavin is doubling around behind the curs. How many are there?”
    “Five . . . I think.”
    He sucked in a deep breath. “Are ye hurt?”
    Though the quivering of her terror was subsiding, she realized her ankle continued to throb. “I took a bad fall in the ditch. I don’t think my ankle’s broken—just strained.”
    “Sweet Jesu,” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear. He surprised her with a soft chuckle. “I ken yer speech be as gentle and maidenly as always – at least to people ye think are going to slay ye.”
    A hot blush colored her cheeks, but she grinned up at him. “And you expected no less.”
    He laughed, a wonderful, deep sound, his smile sinfully bright.
    Her humor faded, a painful memory replacing it. “So how long before you vanish into the night again?”
    His jaw tightened and his sea-green eyes clouded, as turbulent as a storm. “Catriona, I—”
    “Hey now,” a voice called.
    Branan stiffened and turned, but then smiled. “Gavin.”
    Catriona reluctantly released Branan to embrace her brother, but the giant man beside her continued to possess her attention. His armor failed to hide his broad shoulders and the powerful size of his chest. All semblance of the youth she had known was gone. His face had matured with exquisitely handsome planes, pronounced cheekbones, and a straight nose. His lips were full and well-shaped, his jaw strong and proud. She noted his tanned skin and the tiny smile lines around his mouth and eyes. But his eyes hadn’t changed at all, still a beautiful sea-green color that sometimes shifted with the light. She glimpsed a reflection of deep grief within them, yet he smiled at her, and for a moment his eyes sparked with an old fire that had always taken her breath away.
    “I slew two of the sods,” Gavin said and glanced around. “But it seems you had more fun than I did.”
    “Here,” Branan said, removing his huge woolen cloak. “You’re half-frozen, Catriona.” Gently he placed the thick wool over her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around her.
    Catriona staggered, her exhaustion catching her unexpectedly.
    “Branan, she’s well-nigh unto dropping,” Gavin said, refusing to release her.
    “The lass said she thought there were five. If ye killed a pair, then we have them all.”
    “Wait,” Catriona said. “Is one a huntsman or forester?”
    Branan scowled, gazing at the bodies. “I dinna think so, lass. Gavin?”
    “Serjants, by the look of those I killed.”
    Catriona shook her head. “Then one escaped. I was not sure of the count, remember.”
    “Medoubts—” Branan began.
    “Branan,” she said wearily. “They never fell more than an hour or two behind me, although I tried everything father taught me. You know how well I understand these woods, yet they stayed on my trail like hounds.”
    “Aye,” Gavin said tightly. “There must be a forester.”
    “Mayhap they simply—”
    “Branan, you lack-wit, you know my sister’s talent, do not deny it simply because she is female.”
    “Aye,” Branan said, giving her a wink. “Mayhap the forester escaped. I’d wager he willna pursue, but return to Strickland for reinforcements.”
    “Aye, brother,” Gavin said nodding.
    “Where should we go?”
    Catriona did not