The Highlander's Dark Seduction (Secrets of the Darroch Clan) Read Online Free PDF Page B

her, running faster than her eyes could see.
    “Ye dinna understand ‘stay inside’?” he thundered at her, in the brogue that thickened when he was tense, or in this case, furious. He leapt to the top of the wall beside her with the grace of a winged creature and then, more carefully, he said, “You could have died.”
    With a glance over his shoulder, he whistled for his horse in a way not unlike the groom had shown her once upon another lifetime. The mare pranced out of the mist, head bobbing and mane shaking as if to acknowledge his wishes.
    Then, like a western cowboy doing a trick, Magnus dropped onto the horse’s back. She blinked at his rapid movements, even more amazed when he held up his arms for her to follow him down. A moment’s hesitation had her thinking about all the people who had accused her of being awkward. Graceless. A bull in a china shop.
    With more than a little pleasure, she swept them from her mind and focused on Magnus’s waiting arms as she jumped. She landed exactly where she wanted to be, sealed to the Highland warrior’s side. She clung to him with both arms, grateful that he was whole and unharmed. She did not care if he knew her feelings or if they were foolish and unreturned. As long as Magnus Darroch breathed, she would be beholden to him.
    Indeed, she would love him.
    Wrapping that knowledge close to her heart for fear it would somehow shatter, she ducked her head against his chest as he spurred the mare into the swiftest possible pace. They galloped through the trees, away from the dying battle, and back into the ancient forest.

Chapter Four
    As he cradled Elizabeth Harrison in his arms, Magnus could not remember the last time someone had made such a sacrifice for him.
    Sure, his brothers put their lives at risk for their clan’s honor every day. They knew they faced death or worse each time they faced a dark, otherworldly enemy. But they did not endanger themselves for
him
. The Darrochs battled for their sister, their name, the history of their clan.
    Elizabeth had fled the comfort and safety of Invergale, defying the odds that she would be hurt or killed, and she’d done it to save him. His heart was so full it damn near sent him reeling off his horse. His chest ached with the raw pain of a blow. No wound he’d received in combat had ever hurt worse. And it was rooted in the knowledge that this strong, fearless yet so vulnerable mortal woman had risked all to come to his aid.
    “Are we safe yet?” Her voice whispered softly against his chest, his senses keen enough to hear her despite the clamor of blood rushing to his ears and the rumble of his horse’s hooves as they pounded over ancient forest paths.
    “The
sidhe
retreated when I buried my sword in their commander. They wage war as one mind, like bees in search of a hive. When the leader is deflected from the cause, the rest dissipate.” And the only reason his opponent had been distracted now nestled against him in a sweet, trusting bundle of torn skirts and soft limbs.
    Magnus feared his aching heart was about to fall out of his chest and make itself known. He did not know what to do with her or how to react. He needed to send her home. Remove her from the Highlands and the risks of his dangerous, cursed life. But he instead, he found himself reining in the mare.
    “Where are we?” She lifted her head, tousled blond waves fallen loose from the once-complicated plaits she’d worn. Her hair was a beautiful thing, a flaxen veil that he’d guess few others had been privileged to see.
    With the fussy ruffles torn away from her overly tight and trussed gown, Elizabeth’s more regal beauty was almost blinding. She was at home here in a way he would have never guessed a woman of her upbringing could be. She was no delicate bit of fluff to decorate a drawing room or parlor. Elizabeth had the spirit of an ancient Amazon warrior and the strong constitution of a Highland maid. She damned near took his breath