Highland Defiance

Prologue



Calm and dusted with the sun’s last rosy rays, the sea spoke to her. Did it have any idea of what it witnessed? She wondered. Did she?

“Let’s go. No time!”

Mildred ignored the sharp bark from the man leading them and kept a keen eye to the ocean.

“Now!” He roared.

A hand shoved her lower back. Instead of stumbling, she leapt forward with her head held high. They’d not for a second see her appear weak. Chuckles arose behind her. So be it. She’d walked this path a thousand times. She’d do so again.

“Cocky lass, aye?”

“Seems it.”

“Laird’ll give her a good run over and that’ll be the last of that.”

“It’ll be a sight to see.”

“Think he’ll do it in front of us?”

“Aye!”

Eyes glued to the sea as she walked, Mildred prayed to wake up, prayed for this nightmare to be over.

Soon.

Very soon.

Suddenly, the man in front of her stopped.

She knew why… always somehow knew why.

The man behind wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her down. Mildred said nothing. It was the same as it had always been, the way she landed half on the rock and half on him, the way her elbow caught the stone. No need to look down. She knew that it bled.

“Every last one of you will die if you dinnae release her now.”

His voice, always his voicedeep, dark and unforgiving.

Even with five men ahead of her, their eyes locked. Icy blue, his expression wore that same determined look. A fiery rage seemed to sizzle around him.

Mildred covered her ears.

She knew what was coming.

Even with her ears covered, the loud boom of thunder slammed into her. Dark clouds rolled overhead. The air chilled.

Through it all, his eyes never left hers.

As always, she felt no fear.

One by one, the men crumpled, caught in his strange magic, in his pure power.

As always, they were left alone on the cliff watching one another.

She stood and once more looked to the sea, forlorn and sad.

Because this in when she felt fear for the first time.

As he jumped.