The Highlander

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They had finally arrived in the dead of night and Rosie was amazed at the sight before her. They had just emerged from the forest and she could see the mountains at the horizon rising up to tower over the hills below only for the light of the many torches set outside and candles that adorned the windows of the houses below to shine like flickering stars. Around the village or rather the city that spilled down the hills like a waterfall you could see farms, empty fields and meadows stretching into the forest that created a large clearing in front of the city and seemed to climb towards the top of the mountain only to be pushed aside by the city itself and at the top of the hill there was another part of the mountain protruding explaining why no one had built anything there or so Rosie thought but as the horse drew nearer the city she realized she had been terribly mistaken for the protruding mountain was no such thing at all but what she could only explain as a castle or perhaps a fort made of stone mezmerizing in it's beauty or at least what she could see of it in the dark.

"So"? Caine inquired.

"So what" Rosie answered mindlessly.

He smirked at her "So what do ye think of me home lassie"?

"Yo....your home" she stuttered turning her head to face him.

"Aye me home" he said grinning at her baffled expression.

Lord but that smile was beautiful infectious in fact and even slightly teasing making her want to feel those lips lock onto hers, to feel those teeth nipping at her skin. Rosie didn't know she had started staring at his grin ignoring the question completely, mezmerized by it's beauty until Caine's husky voice brought her out of her trance.

Embarrased she quickly looked away "It's the most beautiful thing i've ever seen, where is this place exactly"? She asked hoping that now that they had arrived he would tell her where they were.

He put his mouth right next to her ear "These are the Moors love".

If there was one sentence that could possibly bring Rosie down from her high at seeing the beautiful place before her that was certainly it. She didn't have much experience herself of the Moors but she had heard enough tales and rumors of the place or rather the man whom they called laird here to make her blood run cold at the mention of it.

"Whaaat" she almost screamed with frustration at Cain's stupidity in bringing them here "Do you know who lives here you fool"!

"Well ..

Rosie didn't let him finish his sentence certain that Caine had no idea where or rather to whom he had taken them, as any sane man would turn the other way at the mention of the Laird of the Moors name.

"Have you lost your mind completely" Rosie could feel the panic setting "Oh dear lord he's going to kill us when he finds out we've tresspassed on his land" she felt her throat close up and started trying to calm herself down "Alright Rosie don't panic you can figure a way out of this just think" but her chanting was cut short by the notion that the horse had resumed it's pace towards the city and she turned around appaled at Caine.

"What exactly is it that you think you are doing" she said elbowing Caine in the ribs.

" I'm going home love and I asure ye no man will lay a harmfull hand on ye here in this city" Caine stated with confidence.

"You are serious aren't you"? She stated. "If you really think you could possibly protect us here , you must truly be mad" she hissed at him.

"I don't think I can protect ye 'ere love I know I can".

Rosie's curiosity finally truly kicked in. Who was this man? Did he really come from the Moors and if so what was his position here for he must be of some rank here if he thought he could protect her? She could feel the pieces of information she had gathered of him start to puzzle themselves toghether in her mind, he was a highlander, one that even thieves were afraid to cross if what he had said during their trip was true, he was a warrior that she was sure of for you did not get a body like his, taught with the muscle that rippled beneath the skin from simply sitting around all day and the fact that he looked like he had just gotten out of a gruesome battle when he stumbled upon her home told her that he had been on enemy territory when she had hit him upside the head with the poker. Considering her cousin was duke of said territory, Abernathy territory, Rosie knew and had heard her cousin speak of only one man whom he felt threatened by. She stiffened thanking the gods silently that she had taken her mothers maiden name for if Caine was whom she thought he was then he would surely have killed her if he knew she was related his arch enemy.

She turned her face towards Caine once more, if that was even his real name seeing as he could have given it to her simply in the hopes they would be too far from home for her to escape when he finally revealed it.

Not even sure her voice would hold she asked "Which house is yours"?

"I wouldn't think ye'd mind waiti'n a moment or so more love" he said while he looked into her eyes but Rosie knew he was simply avoiding her question which only further confirmed her suspicions along with the fact that they had now entered the city and were passing the houses below the hills.

"What is your name"? she was determined now, voice trembling slightly with fear.

"Caine" the answer was short, an attempt to stall the conversation perhaps until they had reached the castle at the very top of the hill.

"Not that name, the name others call you by" She was truly frightened now.

There was nothing but silence for a while and then Caine sucked in a deep breath looked straight into her eyes and sighed. "The wolf".

She lost her breath, it wasn't that there wasn't any air going in and out of lungs it simply seemed as though her body had decided that the oxygen in it wasn't worth picking up. As the panic set in she heard a voice trying to calm her down but it was all for naught as she tried flinging herself of the horse only for an arm to circle her waist and pull her back towards the one thing she was trying to escape and when her back met his chest and his eyes locked onto hers she did something she swore she would never do for a man, faint. As the black steed that had now started galloping up the hills drew closer to the castle and the man holding her drew her impossibly closer to him Rosie's world turned dark and she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.