Rebel Kiss: A Historical Romance Novel (Scottish Rebels Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

had heard of their brutal ways and their heathen nature.  English
forces were at war with the Scots now and from what Anna had heard the English
were in the final stages of quelling the Scottish uprising against the Crown. 
    Despite all of
this, there was something about these brothers, Rowan included, that caused
Anna to trust them.
    “We should start
moving towards the shore.  Ye can see it in the distance if ye look,” Rowan
said, seeking to change the subject and remove some of the heat that his
brothers had been placing on him. 
    “Aye, the storm
has died down.  We might be able tae make it before nightfall if the current is
strong,” Quinn surmised, hoping to use the swells from the last waves of the
storm to propel them towards the shore.
    “If we make it tae
shore, will we be free?”  Malcolm asked, raising a hand to his brow as he
looked towards the land far in the distance.
    “Aye, we will.  This
has worked out better than we might have hoped,” Rowan said.  Anna glanced at
him and he looked away, setting his eyes on the shoreline.  He slipped a
protective arm around Anna’s waist and began kicking towards land.
    Anna’s heart sank
because she knew that freedom was not an option for herself.  Her next thought
was about her safety.  She felt Rowan’s arm strong about her waist as his
powerful legs kicked them towards the shore.  A feeling of dread settled in her
stomach.
    What were these
Scotsmen running from?

 
    Chapter Three
     
    The setting sun
loomed low in the sky as Malcolm and Quinn reached the shore.  Hues of orange
and red stained the evening sky, taking the warmth of the sun beneath the far
away horizon.
    Rowan helped Anna
from the water and set her onto her feet. 
    “Ye can lean
against me if ye need tae,” he whispered against her wet hair. 
    Anna’s knees
wobbled from the exertion of the long swim to shore.  She licked her lips
experimentally, tasting residual salt that the ocean had left upon her skin.  Her
throat was dry and ached for fresh water.  Anna threaded her arm through
Rowan’s proffered elbow and reluctantly let him guide her to the sanctuary of
the beach.  She was not used to accepting help from chivalrous strangers.
    Rowan’s exhausted
muscles trembled as his waterlogged boots trudged through the sand. He forced
his body to remain strong for a few more paces, willing himself not to let Anna
fall.
    “We made it! 
We’re alive and we’re free!” Malcolm screamed at the top of his lungs as
he rolled in the sand.
    Quinn crawled from
the water and sat in the sand, brushing his shoulder length chestnut hair back
from his face and resting his head wearily on his knees.  Rowan and Anna walked
slowly over to Quinn and sat down beside him in the sand. 
    “Do you think that
we are the only ones who survived?” Anna asked, her voice raspy and dry from
the salt water.  She rung out her wet hair and tied it in a knot at the nape of
her neck, looking out over the ocean at the setting sun.  A breeze rose up from
the cool water, sending gooseflesh rippling over Anna’s wet skin.
    “Surely not,”
replied Rowan as he squinted into the last light of the sun before it dropped
below the horizon.  He scanned the waves, looking for movement in the sea. 
“All good sailors ken how tae swim.  Mayhap the current took them further down
the beach.”  Rowan glanced over at Anna.  She sat rigid as a board staring
blankly out at the ocean.  Her feet were tucked demurely beneath the shredded
fabric of her chemise.
    As if feeling his
gaze burn over her skin, Anna looked at him, her hazel eyes bright beneath her
thick black.  She blushed and looked back at the ocean.
    “Were ye traveling
with someone?” Rowan ventured cautiously, suddenly feeling insensitive for
assuming that the lass had been traveling alone.  Mayhap she had lost someone
in the shipwreck and he had not found the common decency to ask until now.
    “No,” Anna whispered,
eyes still fixed on the