Highland Savage by Hannah Howell Page A

his death, Agnes now wondered if she might have a second chance to seduce him into her bed. He would still have to die, but, mayhap, she could have a little taste of him first. If she could do so while Katerina watched, it would be even more exciting, and satisfying.
    “I dinnae ken what ye are thinking of, Agnes, but ye best stop,” said Ranald. “That smile ye now wear would send chills down the spine of even the bravest of men.”
    “Ye flatter me. I was but thinking of what to do about these people who refuse to stay dead.”
    Ranald studied his lover. She was beautiful, as many of the Haldane women were, with thick fair hair, big blue eyes, unblemished fair skin, and a body that was somehow both lithe and voluptuous. Her face was as beautiful as any he had ever seen, one that made men see sweetness and innocence in her expression, compassion in her smile. He knew she had none of those qualities. It was one reason they worked so well together. Ranald was still astonished that the old laird had been blind to the hard, cold, almost amoral woman hidden behind those sweet smiles.
    “And just how do ye think we ought to deal with them?” he asked.
    “Why, we must correct your mistake.”
    “ My mistake? Curse it, Agnes, the Murray mon was a broken hulk when we threw him into the loch. Your sister went under when we threw her in and stayed under. ’Tis no surprise that I thought them both dead. Aye, and the fact that we havenae seen either of them for a year only made me even more certain of it.”
    “But we have seen Katerina, havenae we. She has been plaguing us and ruining our plans all along.”
    Ranald cursed. “Ye didnae ken the leader of those reivers was Katerina either.”
    “Nay, I didnae. True enough. I accept that error in judgment. ’Tis time to mend things, however.”
    “How?”
    “Why, by finding them. Finding them and killing them. And this time I want to see the bodies.”

Chapter Seven
    “Ranald kens I am alive, doesnae he?”
    Katerina stared at Lucas wondering why he was sprawled in a chair next to her bed. He looked tired and a little surprised by her question. Hazily recalled nightmares had prompted those first words out of her mouth, however. All those nightmares had concerned Ranald capturing her and all the painful suffering that would bring to her. She needed to know if she had been recognized, if there was any chance that some of those very chilling dreams might come true.
    “Aye, he does,” Lucas replied as he stood up and fetched her some mead, mixing a few herbs into the drink before bringing it to her. “Drink this,” he ordered quietly as he slipped an arm behind her and held her up a little to help her drink.
    Even though the strong taste of the herbs made her grimace, the mead soothed her sore, dry throat. Katerina surreptitiously studied Lucas as he helped her drink the brew. He looked very tired. She had a few vague memories of his presence at her bedside, along with Annie’s, and wondered if he had actually helped care for her. It seemed a strange thing for a man to do for a woman he believed had tried to have him killed.
    By the time she finished the drink, she felt so weak and tired she knew she would be a long time recovering from this wound. She also had more important things to worry about than whether or not Lucas had cared for her wound. It was a very bad time for her to be so helpless.
    “He is looking for me then, is he?” she asked as he gently bathed her face with lavender-scented water.
    “Like a mon obsessed,” said Lucas. “Turning o’er every rock.”
    She inwardly winced at his blunt answer, but recalled that Lucas was not one to tell the truth gently. ’That isnae good.”
    “Nay, it isnae, but he has been looking for ye and your men for a long while.”
    “He thought he was looking for reivers, for naught but a nuisance. Aye, the longer we plagued him, the harder he tried to catch us, but he didnae really see us as a threat to him. He felt his