Laird of the Game (9 page)

Alex was livid!

“It was an ambush,” another warrior stated. “The Prince trapped William. We lost one hundred points to keep him from getting captured.”

“William! What where ye thinking? Ye know better than tae let the Prince put ye at a disadvantage.” Alex had William backed up against a tree. “That could have been a penalty for your capture,” Alex shouted in Gaelic.

William shouted just as fiercely. “We executed this plan exactly as commanded.”

The warriors scoffed. “We executed the plan all right, right up tae the point where ye fell on your arse.”

Alex grabbed William by the shirt and tossed him back at the tree. “You’re going tae have tae sober up if ye want tae stay a warrior in my camp. I won’t tolerate your drunken mistakes again!”

Melissa was terrified Alex would actually hit him. She ran forward and threw her arms around him. “Please don’t hit William!”

Alex looked down. His frown should have warned her she was treading on dangerous ground, but her earnest plea got through the anger, calming him.

“I have no intention of hitting him at the moment, Melissa.” Later, he would beat some sense into his brother. The thought made him feel better.

William looked at her in shock and at Alex in anger. “I almost go’ trapped by the Prince because ye wouldn’t listen tae me, Alex. I warned ye!”

“Ye almost got caught because ye were drunk, and drunks make stupid mistakes.”

Melissa could feel his muscles tighten. She tightened her hold on him, and he looked down again. “Please don’t kill him,” she implored Alex.

He felt a tinge of jealousy. It was a damned difficult transition in his life to allow anyone else to interfere with his family.

The warriors noted his reaction and disappeared into the morning fog before the Laird turned on them. Gideon had warned them the Laird was insanely jealous.

William turned and walked away. The defeat had cost them dearly. The warriors wouldn’t let him forget it as they worked even harder to make up the points.

Melissa wasn’t about to let go of Alex. She held on tightly until she knew he had calmed.

Alex put his arm around her, deciding to take her to the Loch where they could speak privately. The camp was bustling with warriors.

“Ye can let go of me now, sweetheart.” He looked down. Melissa released her hold on him, and her smile warmed his heart. They set off for the loch, his hand firmly holding hers as he dragged her down the path.

Melissa was afraid of what he would say to her. He appeared to be upset at the moment, and she wasn’t about to ask if they still flogged women in this time period. He was so tender and loving to her; she couldn’t imagine him beating William senseless but had seen enough of their playful shoving to know it wasn’t too far from what they were already doing to each other.

She didn’t want to think about the upcoming battle. Alex could frighten most men into defeat, but the Prince wasn’t about to back down. No matter how many times Alex bested the Prince, he came back for more. The battles were getting increasingly dangerous. Injured warriors were taken directly to Gideon’s tent.

“Would it be possible for me to come along with you?” Melissa asked while they walked.

“If we brought ye along, I wouldn’t think about the battle, lass.” He had thought about that possibility a hundred times. Alex didn’t like leaving her at the camp. He worried about her when he was gone and couldn’t stay away from her when he returned. The warriors were trained, but it wouldn’t take much of a distraction to throw a battle.

Alex explained his reasons why he couldn’t take her with him. “The warriors often drop their kilts tae the ground and go into battle half-naked, with only their shirts tae cover their ‘parts’ during the battle. It might be rather shocking for a lady.” While this was historically accurate, Alexander had not personally witnessed such a display. In fact, he didn’t want her to see all the tourists who line up to watch the battles.

“I hadn’t thought of that’s.” She hadn’t considered what it would be like to watch a battle with hundreds of half-naked men.

“Are you angry with me?” She didn’t like to think about the long hours he was gone.

“No. I’m no’ angry,
A Grá.
My brothers and I fight all the time, so we forget what it must look like for someone new tae our way of doin’ things.”

“William tries so hard to please you, Alex. You push him harder than anyone else.”

“I know I do and for good reasons. William has more training than most of our warriors. He needs tae learn how tae take command and earn the respect of the men who will fight hard for him.”

“How could anyone measure up to you? Alex, you worked hard for a long time to become the mighty warrior you are now, but William is still very young. I’m sure you made a few mistakes when you were younger.”

“No. I didn’t,” Alex said, and his voice raised a notch. “William has got tae stop thinking he is alone and learn how tae draw from the power of all his warriors. If he takes on this war by himself, he will be defeated.”

“Then teach him how to do that,” Melissa insisted.

“What do ye think we’re trying tae do with him? He has tae know there are consequences if he fails. I’m his Laird, and he answers tae me. The men who trusted him tae lead them into that battle won’t let him forget his disgrace. They will be ten times harder on him than I was. I canna protect him every day of his life. He must become a man, ye ken?”

She looked at him in wonder and heavily sighed.

They had only a few moments left before he had to depart and Alex didn’t want to spend those precious moments arguing. He backed her up to a tree for a kiss. The warmth of her tender lips caused a jerk in his stomach. How could he think about anything else but her warm and wonderful body under him in bed?

Melissa wound her arms around his neck and leaned into his warmth. He could make her forget just about anything, except that he was about to leave her again. She wanted to beg him to stay with her to keep him safe. She couldn’t think about losing him in battle.

The anxiety caused her stomach to drop to her toes. It felt horrible to have to let go of him, even for a few hours, knowing he was going into a dangerous battle.

The touch of his lips was bittersweet. Every goodbye could be their last words spoken to each other, and every hello was as joyous as their first. She loved him in those few moments with her heart and soul. There were tears glistening in her eyes when he pulled back, but she forced a smile.

The warriors led his stallion up to the Loch and waited for Alex. It wasn’t easy to concentrate when an army watched your every move. Alex kissed her quick and walked away. It unnerved him to see her upset.

The army rode slowly past her. Her hands were in her pockets. She wanted to go with them, just for the sake of knowing Alex was all right.

She climbed to the top of the nearest ridge to watch them ride away and waved them all on to victory. Melissa yelled as loud as she could “Alex!”

He stopped and turned back toward her. He was at the front of the army, and they halted.

Melissa blew him a kiss.

Iain and Robert were riding behind Alex and noticed the kiss she threw. “That kiss was meant for me,” Iain said fondly, smacking his lips, and leaning back in his saddle. “She adores me.”

Robert scoffed. “Why would a beautiful wumman throw a kiss tae a toad? No, little brother, that kiss was meant for me.” He grinned. “She likes me more than ye.”

Daniel knew better. “Sorry, lads, that kiss was meant for me. She likes me better than both ye ugly bastards. She told me yesterday that she thinks I am charming.”

 “Charming?” Iain teased. “
Aye
, and aren’t we the lucky lads that get tae fight next tae his Highness today,” the warriors agreed with howls of laughter.

“Ye can kiss my royal arse,” Daniel growled.

It started again down the line of warriors. Every warrior claimed that kiss was just for him, and occasionally, a fight would break out in the ranks when one warrior was absolutely certain she was looking directly at him when she sent the kiss.

Alex just shook his head and pressed onward. It was a daily ritual with his warriors that he had come to accept. Alex knew she liked him best of all, and that was enough, he thought with a smug smile.

It was a good fight that day. The warriors had plenty of energy to wear off on the battlefield. By the end of the day, they had made up the points lost earlier that day and had an easy 200 point lead over the Prince.

Alex didn’t lift his sword once and sent William in to meet Prince George. It caused quite the upset on the battlefield as the Prince faced William MacKenna. Alex was testing them both. William was brilliant, fast, and strong and took the opportunity to trounce the Prince. Alex beamed with pride.

Later, Alex and Daniel discussed the battle from the edge of the glen. “What do ye think George has planned?”

“George isn’t the type of
mon
who makes a boast of that magnitude without a plan in mind. Perhaps it was a psychological threat and no’ one that he intended tae carry ou’ with action.”

“Double the patrols and put the question again tae the Commanders who are baffled at what the Prince has in mind. I suggest we contact Rosabel tae find ou’ if she knows the answer.”

“We should send Gideon….”

Knowing Gideon, he would have her in bed within the hour, and she would tell him anything he wanted to know. Rosabel had an ardent interest in Gideon, if what he heard about their meeting on the steps of the Manor House was true.

“Have Robert take Gideon tae London for the day tae pick up medical supplies.” For the first time in eighteen years, Alex was worried.

Daniel conveyed the instructions to Gideon and Robert. Alex reminded them both they were needed in the game and not to be gone too long.

“And ye will distract Melissa so she doesn’t notice a helicopter taking off?”

Alex smiled. “Aye, I’ll keep her distracted.”

Chapter Nine

Melissa’s thoughts wandered. Painting had become her obsession. The inspiration overwhelmed her at times, and she couldn’t help thinking that being in love for the first time in her life had brought a light and life in her work that hadn’t been there before she left for Scotland. She sketched if she couldn’t paint. In her heart, she knew her time in the mountains was limited, and she didn’t want to miss anything. There were days she produced only one painting, other days she managed to complete two and had watercolors to fill in when she was waiting for the paint to dry.

It didn’t surprise her that for every painting she completed, a new canvas magically appeared. The warriors cherished her paintings and fought about who she was thinking about when she painted the battle. Alex and his brothers all seemed to anticipate her every need, but she finally broke down in tears when Daniel had given her a new canvas.

“Please don’t spoil me so.” She sobbed against his shirt. “The clan is so poor I just can’t accept your expensive gifts when you need the money for food.”

Daniel was charmed speechless.

She loved watching Alex command the warriors. He instinctively knew what each person was good at and drew them into the decisions. By night Alex was loving and tender. By day he growled out commands, yelled like a demon, and pushed the men to their limits. He was every bit the powerful Laird and expected his commands would be carried out without complaint.

They were daunting to look at and fearsome when they challenged their enemy. Alex had four eagle feathers in his cap, Daniel had three, and every other warrior was only allowed to have one. It was custom, Alex explained to her one evening when she asked about their garments, belted kilts, and the distinction of the eagle feathers.

Robert reminded her of a fierce Native American warrior with his long black hair and dark eyes. The MacKenna brothers all held a rank of Chief, but they honored Alexander as their Laird. When he went anywhere, he was guarded by warriors, and Daniel said it was called his
tail
so that no man could do harm to their Laird.

Alex had four warriors who flanked him during battles, and those warriors were hand picked as the most daring and able to protect the Laird. They all also wore dirks, which she came to learn were small sharp daggers that were often tucked into their stockings and pulled out in the crush of battle.

Evan was their Bard or
Seanachaidh
as they called him. His duty was to write down and remember the history of the clan, and he often gave oral dissertations that could drive a nun to drink. He was exact, precise, and would brook no deviation from the historical facts.

There were pipers and drummers in the ranks that entertained them in the evenings. Alex was stunning in full regalia with a black velvet doublet with silver dolphins for buttons.

Their dogs were great black hulking beasts that were tended by the warriors and given free reign of the camp. They were larger than any dogs she had ever seen, and they could be as fierce as their masters and as gentle as a kitten when Alex gave a command, and the animals obeyed without a whimper.

Gideon was teasing her on one occasion and said they had left the lions at the castle and didn’t bring beasts to the battles any longer.

When she questioned Alex about the lions, he broke into laughter and walked away.

Evan and Iain were tactical geniuses. They planned the battles with Alex looking over their shoulders. He would listen to his Chief’s recommendations before making the final command.

The Clan hunted for food but lived primarily on mutton, much to Melissa’s distress. She saw a chicken tucked into the belt of a warrior that had returned to the camp but couldn’t stomach the thought of preparing the bird for supper.

She wondered if the Olive Garden would consider delivery. She was almost desperate enough to eat tree bark, and fettuccini
alfredo
was constantly on her mind. If only she could phone in an order. Her cell phone battery had gone dead, and she wasn’t sure if they could cross the same time barrier but thought she was almost desperate enough to try.

Alex could tenderly hold her at his side and then bellow commands to the warriors at the same time. He was magnificent, strong, and dazzled her every time he looked at her. Melissa loved him more than she ever thought possible, and had to admit she was proud of all of them. They were fierce, strong, tall, and so handsome.

She was having an amazing impact on all of them. By the end of the second week, their English had greatly improved, and she could understand them all, even with the burr in their deep, rich voices.

Evan especially had a knack for picking up languages, she learned, since he could curse louder and longer than all of them, in a variety of languages. He took his position as the Clan
bladaire
very seriously and hailed their victories to the camp.

The camp was very quiet one evening, and Alex told her they had lost an important battle. She nearly broke into tears, hugged all his brothers, and gave them some words of encouragement. They were more than willing to lose a few more battles, just for the attention, and Alex had to remain beside her or he was certain she wouldn’t make it back to the cottage.

Alex softened his directions to the warriors because Melissa was present. When they suffered a defeat, he drilled battle tactics into their heads for hours. Their third defeat brought them dangerously close to losing the game. Alex pressed them harder to think faster while they had the opportunity to turn the battle into a victory.

Melissa found it was a good time to visit Yorath rather than worry. She adored the magnificent stallion and always saved him a piece of apple or a carrot for a treat. He followed her everywhere she went.

She didn’t see Alex put his head down and cover his face with his hands, “She’s ruined my warhorse,” he choked, “and I’ll have tae put him ou’ tae stud.”

“Tis sad tae see a stallion act just like his master,” Gideon clamped a hand on Alex’s shoulder, smirking.

By the end of the week, Melissa had heard every curse word possible, in two or three different languages. She never berated anyone for cursing and asked Alex to translate the list.

He took the list from her and spent nearly a half an hour yelling at his brothers for teaching her how to curse in Gaelic, Chinese, and Russian.

Melissa worried about them all when they went into battle. When Alex walked into the cottage at night she put her arms around him and nearly broke into tears she was so grateful he was still alive. She was so much in love with the man she couldn’t think about anything else. Her previous life and her family were forgotten in the arms of her love. She sensed there was something dreadful that he wasn’t telling her, and the apprehension of what that could be was leaving her a nervous wreck.

She had also become terrified of the mist. They walked along the Loch one evening and the mist rolled in to the shore. She was nearly hysterical, and dragged Alex back to the cottage. Melissa was torn between going home to her sisters, and the man who loved her so completely. Either way she would lose some part of her heart. She wasn’t ready to return to the future – not yet. The first week had been hell, but she didn’t want to leave unless Alex was going with her.

Life in a war camp was far different than anything she could ever expect. There was more than one fistfight Alex had to step in and settle. Almost every one of the fistfights were instigated by William, but they were all certain it was just because he had been sober for at least two days in a row and was a little touchy. The warriors feared and respected Alex and Daniel who were also trained in martial arts and were masters with a sword in their hands. A fight would break out in the camp, Alex would barely flinch, and the warrior would crumble to the ground or land five feet away.

Alex demanded perfection of his warriors. Training in his camp was mandatory, and he personally supervised most of the physical training. The men would train with scimitar swords and then their abilities were tested until they got the moves down where they could do them without thinking. Daniel was also revered and feared in the camp, she found out because no one wanted to fight with him except Alex.

It came as a surprise to find out they were all trained to fight by a woman. They called her VixenBlade and always put a hand over their heart in salute to her many talents when they made the comment. Melissa couldn’t wait to meet her.

Alex spoke of her with absolute respect and admiration for her skill with a blade. Robert perked up the moment her name was mentioned. Melissa guessed he was madly in love with her but didn’t want his brothers to notice.

There were also craftsmen in the Clan who made and repaired shields and swords. Their shields were not much more than a circle of leather on a wood frame. Some of them had a
targe
in the center, and Melissa was told it was the center spike.

Melissa announced she wanted to do a painting of the church she passed, and it was decided that Iain, who had more to confess than all of them put together, should be the one to take her to the Kirk. Iain was delighted for the opportunity to spend the day with Melissa.

They rode on horseback to the lovely Kirk set on a hillside. Melissa quickly found the perfect point of view for her painting. Iain went inside to see the priest with a long list of his many transgressions.

Melissa chose the side of the Kirk where a tall statue of an Angel was surrounded by flowers. The contrast of stone against brilliantly colored flowers caught her eye, and she quickly sketched the scene on the canvas. The canvas was placed on the easel, and she began in earnest.

She had been painting for over an hour when she heard someone approach. Melissa looked up and smiled as a gentleman walked up to her and stood behind her to look at the painting.

“You’re an artist,” he said, and she was instantly drawn to the silky sound of his voice.

Melissa noticed a dazzling smile, and the paintbrush lay idle in her hand. “Yes,” she said and returned his smile. “Are you a wandering art critic?”

He laughed softly. “No, Sassenach. I’m a man who appreciates true beauty, like you.”

She was stunned. “Thank you.” Melissa felt a little uncomfortable. She had heard the term before and knew it meant that she was English.

He reached out, gently took her hand in his, and kissed her paint blotched fingers. “I can see why my cousin, Alexander, is enchanted.”

Melissa couldn’t help but notice the heat from his ardent perusal. She was horribly embarrassed at the paint splats on her hand that he stroked, gently and admiringly in his.

“I’d love to take you dancing in the moonlight,” he said smoothly, devastating her defenses with another smile. “I’d give just about anything to see your gorgeous blue eyes twinkle in the starlight. We’d dance until dawn, and then….”

He was standing right next to her, and she had to admit he was one handsome man. He had dark, straight hair with a tinge of silver at his temples and smoldering deep blue eyes.

Tall, dark, and dangerous was her thought as he reached out to brush the backs of his fingers against her cheek. He wanted to take her dancing. The thought whirled her stomach into a knot. Wasn’t that what she had asked for—a man who could love with a passion and could dance? If she hadn’t met Alex first, she would have agreed to a date with him.

But Melissa wouldn’t betray her affection for Alex. “I’m not available.”

“I’m truly devastated. Would you please deliver a message to Alex for me?”

“I’d be happy to deliver a message, but you could probably find him later this evening.”

“I’m sure he’s out riding with his warriors,” he said. “Give Alex this message; tell him his cousin says
touché
. He will understand the meaning.” The stranger brushed past her on his way back down the path.

Melissa thought he was a very confusing man. “By the way, what is your name?” she called out after him, but he had disappeared from sight. She returned her attention to her painting, and the hours slipped away. Her thoughts wandered back to the handsome man, and she couldn’t help thinking she had met him before now. It was late afternoon when she discovered Iain had fallen asleep in the church and gently shook him awake.