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brows arched elegantly over eyes that watched him. Unable to help himself, he reached up and gently traced a brow, just as she had done to him on many occasions as he slept.
    Her eyes widened as her breath left her in a rush.  
    “We can no’ tarry,” Alistair said. “We need to get Donald to the castle and in the dungeon.”
    “How did you know Daman’s name?” Innes asked Alistair.
    Alistair glanced at Daman. “Mum told me.”
    It took both Daman and Alistair to lift Donald and half-carry, half-drag him to the castle. Daman had a difficult time concentrating on anything other than the woman walking in front of him.
    Innes intrigued him, fascinated him. Captivated him.
    With his gaze on her, he never saw the root. Daman tried to catch himself, but with the added weight of Donald he knew he was going to fall. He tried to call out and warn Alistair, but no sound passed his lips.
    Daman fell hard to his knees, struggling to keep his hold on Donald and not let him fall. Daman tried to say Alistair’s name again. Then he tried Innes’s, but once again there was no sound.
    His voice had been taken from him. He had memories of talking, so he knew at one time he could. Why had that changed?
    “Daman?” Alistair asked. “Are you all right?”
    Daman nodded and got to his feet. He lifted his eyes and saw Innes staring at him, her brow furrowed.
    By the time they reached the castle, men were there to take Donald from him and Alistair. Daman gathered his breath as he looked around the bailey – a bailey that was nearly empty.
    “Most of our people are gone,” Alistair said sadly. “I’m losing my clan.”
    Daman looked into Alistair’s dark eyes and shook his head as he frowned.
    “It began a year ago when our feud with the Blair clan escalated to another battle. We faced a bitter loss that day with over half of our warriors dead or dying. While we made the trek home with our wounded, the Blairs raided the castle and took all our sheep.”
    Daman glanced at Innes to see her giving instructions to a couple of women.  
    “It didna take long for our food stores to run low,” Alistair continued. “Soon, people began to leave. My father took a handful of men and tried to take our sheep back. He was killed in the process.”
    Daman took in the account and began to piece things together. Obviously, Donald wanted to be laird, but that was Alistair’s role. How far would Donald go to get the title himself? Daman suspected he would do anything.
    “Our clan chose Alistair as laird over Donald,” Innes said as she walked up, confirming Daman’s suspicions. “Donald hasn’t forgiven Alistair for that. Or me for siding with Alistair.”
    Alistair wrapped an arm around Innes. “We’ve lost a lot of our clan because I’m unable to feed them. Donald gathered a following of men and took them to another rival clan, the Sinclairs, to raid them. In the process, many of those warriors died.”
    Innes leaned against Alistair’s chest. “Donald has made an enemy of the Sinclairs that we don’t need.”
    “War is coming,” Alistair said. “And I doona have men to fight with me. I doona wish to battle the Sinclairs, especially when I know the Blairs are looking to take our lands. I need allies, no’ enemies.”
    “That’s where you come in,” Innes said.
    Daman’s frown grew. Him? What was he supposed to do? Sure, he was a good fighter, one of the best actually. Was he meant to ride into battle with Alistair? If that was what Innes wanted him to do, then he would do it.
    But they would fail.
    It didn’t matter how good a man was if he didn’t have the forces behind him.  
    Alistair waved his arm around. “You’re welcome here, Daman. I didna want my sister to wake you, but perhaps it was what we needed.”
    Daman followed them into the castle wondering just how much he would be willing to do for the lovely Innes. Then he knew the answer – anything.

CHAPTER FOUR

    Innes couldn’t stop looking at Daman. He was