Capturing A Highland Knight (25 page)

             
“What have I done to deserve this?  I have been awful to ye, Derek, and I apologize,” she said looking him in the eye.

             
“What have ye done, Annabelle?  Ye live!  Ye live,” he repeated over and over as he continued to kiss her.

             
“I live?  What do ye mean?” she asked with a confused frown. 

             
Derek set her down on the bed and told her about her ordeal.

             
“He is dead?  I ken he meant to kill me, although he said that it was a choice between that and marrying me.  He confessed to poisoning Laird Harold because he wanted to be laird.”

             
Derek frowned.

             
“Ye already have a husband,” he said looking hard at her.

“I didnae think that ye would come for me,”
Annabelle confessed quietly.

             
Derek looked at her wide eyed.  Why would she think a thing like that?

             
“Annabelle, doona ye ken that I would always come for ye?” he leaned down in front of her.

             
“I wasnae sure.  There had been a lot of things said betwixt us.  And Eilidh had convinced me that ye and she were to be together.  She is having yer bairn,” she said, dropping her eyes.  It still hurt to think about it, but she had resolved to deal with it the best she could if she could still have Derek.

             
Derek laced his fingers through hers.

             
“Eilidh isnae having my bairn.  She lied to ye, Annabelle.  She wanted to get rid of ye.  I understand why ye would believe what she said, Annabelle.  It was close enough to the truth to be believable. Ye had a right to ken the truth of yer situation, but for mostly selfish reasons, I kept it from ye.  I am verra sorry that I did.  None of this would have happened if I had but revealed who ye were from the beginning.”

             
“She isnae?” she asked.  That was all she grabbed hold of.

“Nay, and she no longer lives at Dunkirk.  Ye doona need to worry about her again.  All ye need to worry about is ye and the bairn ye carry,” he smirked at her.

Annabelle gasped.

“How did ye ken?”

“Mither revealed it to me.”

Annabelle looked into his eyes.  He looked very pleased with himself.

“Derek, I still doona ken if my parents are alive.  When I asked at Dunwiche, no one kenned,” she said sadly.

“We will find out what happened to yer family, Annabelle, that I promise,” Derek said with conviction.

“What if they perished also?  They were all I had.”

“Ye have me,” Derek said.

Annabelle smiled tremulously.

“And our bairn,” he said placing his hand over her stomach.

“Derek, I love ye.  I will try not to care if ye find other women ye want to bed, as long as ye give me a little bit of yerself.  I doona want to change ye, I just want some of ye for me,” she said hugging him around the waist.

Derek shook his head.  He stroked her hair and then gently pried her away from him.

“Annabelle, ye have all of me.  I doona want other women.  I only want ye,” he said capturing her soft lips with his.

The, at first, soft kiss turned into something more.  Derek pushed Annabelle back onto the bed and leaned over her, never taking his lips from hers.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back hungrily. 
She loved the feel of his lips against hers or anywhere else on her body.  The kiss quickly became passionate.  She cupped his dear face in both her hands, and infused all the love she felt in her kiss.  Derek reluctantly pulled back and stared down at his beautiful wife.

“We must go tell the others the good news.  They all think that ye died,” he grinned pulling her up with him.

Annabelle gasped and followed him from their chamber.  He stopped on the stairs and turned back to her.

“I love ye,
Annabelle MacDougal,” he said kissing her again and then resting his head against hers.

“I love ye, too, Derek MacDougal,” she replied between breaths.

              “I thought I had lost you.   When I saw yer body fall to the floor, I think I stopped breathing,” he was saying when Annabelle put her finger over his mouth.

             
“But ye did not, Derek. I’m right here, and I promise that I am going nowhere,” she smiled gently.

Derek hugged her to him for a brief moment and then began leading her down to the great hall again.

Chapter 28

             
Everyone sat around the table sipping their ale, each in their own thoughts.  No one noticed the couple as they walked into the hall.  Derek looked around at his clansmen. They all looked just as grief-stricken as he had, and somehow that made him feel closer to them.  They had all grieved for Annabelle, and that spoke of how special she had become to all of them in such a short time.  How special she had become to him almost from the instant he had found her.

             
They walked over to the table.  Brighid noticed them first.

             
“I doona understand…” Brighid was saying as she rose from her seat.  Everyone else was rising in shock also.

             
Annabelle gave them all a small smile.  She had seen the pain on their faces and knew that she had become one of them.  A MacDougal.  Even if she found out that her own parents were gone, she now knew that she had a new family right here at Dunkirk.  And real love with her husband.

             
“What is this?” Laird Breac demanded, puzzlement on his face.

             
Derek chuckled.  He was sure that his face had mirrored that same expression when Annabelle regained consciousness.

             
“It seems that Annabelle wasnae dead, but unconscious.  She revived a few moments ago,” he grinned.

             
“Och!  ‘Tis wonderful news!” Brighid exclaimed as she rushed over to embrace Annabelle.  Everyone took a turn letting her know that they were glad she was alive.

             
“We should celebrate,” Aster said, signaling to Ainsley to bring everyone some more ale.

             
“Aye,” Derek whispered in her ear.  She shivered.  “I am a verra lucky mon.”

             
Annabelle smiled up at her husband.  Just then Colm walked back into the keep.

             
“There were people at the gate.  They should be entering the courtyard as I speak,” he said moving over to sit at the table.

             
“Did ye recognize them?” Derek asked his friend.

             
“Nay, they were wearing colors unfamiliar to me,” he replied finally looking in Derek’s direction.

             
Colm’s eyes grew wide as he realized that Annabelle stood beside him.  He slowly stood and walked over to her.  He stared into her face, and then turned to look at Derek.  Derek looked back at his friend.

             
“How…,” he asked, apparently not believing his eyes.

             
“She wasnae dead,” Derek replied simply.

             
Colm looked back at Annabelle, and to everyone’s surprise, gathered her up in an embrace.  Derek immediately scowled.  Annabelle shrieked in shock.

             
“I thought ye were gone forever,” he said, and put Annabelle away from him.  He grinned.

             
Derek watched the exchange between his wife and friend.  He did not know what to make of Colm’s actions, but he felt the familiar jealousy rise up.  Annabelle smiled at Colm.

             
“Nay, it seems I am here to stay,” she jested.

             
Colm laughed and walked back over to the table.  He sat down and began drinking the ale Ainsley put before him.

             
“What was that all about?” Derek growled at her.

             
Annabelle looked at her husband and saw the jealousy in his eyes.

             
“Derek, Colm is yer friend.  He would never betray ye,” she smiled at him.  “And neither would I.”

             
Derek visibly relaxed.  He looked back over at his friend who was talking with Aster.

             
“Aye,” he said.

             
At that moment, there was a commotion at the great hall entrance.

             
“Where is my daughter?  I have come to ensure that she is indeed fine,” a booming voice said, preceding a large man into the hall.  He was followed by a small woman.
              Annabelle stared in shock as her father and mother entered the hall.  She stood rooted to the spot, her hand covering the sobs from her mouth.  Her parents were alive.

             
She was finally able to make her legs move and she ran to throw herself in her father’s waiting arms.

             
“Da,” she whispered past her tears.  His strong hug was like coming home.

             
“My Annabelle,” he replied, squeezing a little tighter.

             
“I worried that ye had been murdered with Laird Harold!  I don’t know what I would have done if…” she said between sobs, holding on to her father tighter.

             
“Shhh, we are all fine,” he said wrapping his strong arms around her, lifting her off the floor.  The pain he had felt when he had thought that he had lost his only daughter had almost been too much for him to bear.  To be holding her now in his arms was a gift.

             
“How did ye escape?  Everyone had drunk the ale and eaten the food,” she said searching their faces for answers.

             
“We hadn’t.  We stopped to talk to the priest before he left.  He had another appointment and was on his way out of the keep when we caught him.  We were just about to return to the hall when all the chaos began.  Cullen  thought that we should leave, although I did not want to leave without ye.  Angus said that he saw ye run from the hall, so we thought ye were safe and we would see ye at Kinloch.  When ye did not return, we feared that ye had also died and we mourned for ye,” Cadha explained wiping more tears from her face. 

             
“But when we received a messenger from Dunkirk inquiring about ye by yer husband, our hope returned that ye had not perished but were alive.  Since we kenned that ye were safe her at Dunkirk, we continued to bury our dead and try to restore normalcy to Kinloch.  Now we are here to see fer ourselves that ye are indeed alright,” she continued.

             
“Angus is alive as well?” she asked turning to her father

“Aye, he is here,” he said.

Annabelle looked around her father and saw Angus standing by the door.  She smiled and raced to him.

“I am so glad ye are alright, Angus.  I doona think I could bear it if ye had perished also,” she said hugging him.

“Ye ken I doona like to drink with the other men.  I hadnae even entered the hall when the commotion started,” he said hugging her back.

Derek walked up to them with a frown on his face.  So this was Angus.  Derek easily toward over the lad, and was broader.  Annabelle turned and looked at him as he approached.

“Angus, this is my husband, Derek,” she smiled.

“I kenned ye would one day find a strong man to take ye on.  There was no one at Kinloch that could handle yer spirit,” he winked at her and extended his arm to Derek.

Derek instantly liked Angus.  He could see why Annabelle called him friend.  He grabbed the younger man’s arm in greeting.

             
“’Tis time we begin our celebration,” Brighid said turning toward the kitchen.  “To welcome Annabelle back and to welcome the MacAlpins to our family and as our allies.”

             
Everyone agreed.  Ainsley and Megan followed Brighid into the kitchen.  Annabelle started to follow but Derek wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Nay, lass, not ye.  I willnae let ye out of my sight again,” he said nuzzling her neck.

“But, Derek…,” she protested.

“It may be years before I let ye leave my side,” he smiled against her neck.

“Years?” she asked breathlessly. 

             
“Oh a long, long time.”

             
“Sounds reasonable to me,” she said letting him capture her lips with his own.

             
The kiss began sweetly but quickly progressed into a kiss filled with hunger.  They tried to devour each other like a man starved for bread.  They had been apart for a long time, and they wanted to make up for lost time.  Derek scooped Annabelle into his arms.  He took the stairs two at a time to their bedchamber.

             
As soon as the door was closed, they tore at each other’s clothes.  Derek caught his kilt as it fell and laid it on a chair. 

             
“Ye are so beautiful,” Derek said in awe when Annabelle stood naked before him.

             
“So are ye,” she replied, her eyes roving over him in appreciation.

             
He bent down and captured her mouth again.  She tasted so sweet, and he drank the nectar from her lips as if he thirsted.  She responded with equal fervor.  They could not get enough of touching each other.

             
Derek backed her to the bed.  He followed her down as she fell on the counterpane.  He kissed her neck, the hollow of her collarbone and in the valley between her breasts.  Annabelle gasped in pleasure, her fingers tightening in his hair with each kiss and nibble.

             
“I have missed ye, Annabelle.  I hunger for ye.  I canna get enough,” he growled as he suckled her already hardened nipple into his mouth.

             
“I feel the same, Derek.  Ye are my love, my everything,” she said on a sigh.  Her back arched as Derek went to minister the other nipple.

             
“I have to be inside of ye now, Annabelle.  I canna wait,” he said positioning himself to enter her.

             
“I doona want to ye to, for I burn for ye,” she said as his mouth captured hers again.

             
Derek drove hard into her welcoming warmth.  Annabelle lifted up to match his thrust.  She tilted her hips so that she could take as much of him inside of her as she could.  She felt so full and complete as he began to thrust in and out of her at a fast but steady rhythm.

             
They both rode the tide of pleasure, each wave bigger than the last.  Annabelle clung to Derek, her nails scoring his back as he thrust in her again and again.  They both yelled each other’s names as they climaxed together.

             
Derek rested on Annabelle for a few seconds before he rolled off of her and gathered her against his side.  He squeezed her into a tight hug and kissed her on her forehead.

             
After a few minutes, Annabelle stirred and lifted her head to look at him.  He was so handsome, and she was very glad that he had found her.

             
“When did ye ken that ye loved me, Derek?” she asked him quietly, drawing little circles on his smooth chest.

             
Derek smiled at her.  She was gorgeous with her lips still plump from their passionate kisses and her silky red hair tussled on her head.

             
“The night before we left for court was when I was finally able to admit it to myself,” he said running his hand up and down her back.  She made a sound like a purr.

             
Annabelle looked at him in surprise.

             
“How can that be?  Ye didnae say anything and ye dinna stay in our room.”

             
“Ye werenae speaking to me, Annabelle, but I kenned that I couldnae live without ye.  I sat and watched ye sleep until we left the next morning,” he answered with a lopsided grin.

             
Annabelle just looked at him, and she could tell that he was telling the truth.

             
“I believed Eilidh when she said that ye spent the night with her planning yer future” she put her head back down on his chest.

             
“Nay, lass, but my future is with ye and our bairn.”

             
She took in a deep breath.

             
“On the road to Bondlach, I saw a different side of ye, and I think I began to fall in love with ye then, Derek.  But I was afraid that I couldnae compete with the other women,” she said quietly.

             
Derek was quiet for a minute.

             
“I am sorry to have put ye through that, Annabelle,” he said wrapping his arms tighter around her.

             
“Aye, I dinna ken that ye loved me in return or if ye could.”

             
“Annabelle, I was stubborn and stupid.  Fergive me,” he said quietly.