Jake (The Highland Clan Book 4) Read Online Free

heard his mother’s gasp when her gaze found Aline’s. His sire moved to lift her out of the cart, but Jake stilled his hand, and to his surprise, his father stepped back to allow him to scoop the lass into his arms. He could hear the sniffles from his mother as he carried the lass into the keep, but he knew her memories would not stop her from doing everything possible to save the lass. His mother had the biggest heart of all.
    He only hoped they were not too late. Aline had not moved much since he’d picked her up.
    Would she live?
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
    Chapter Three
     
    When Aline opened her eyes, confusion filled her mind. Instead of Hew’s face, she saw the lad from the cave. The kind, gentle lad. He was talking with a beautiful light-haired woman walking next to him, but her mind was too hazy to understand his words. She watched his lips move as he carried her into a chamber.
    The kind man readjusted her in his arms before settling her on a bed in the center of the chamber. She flinched as his arm hit a sore spot on her back, though she did all she could not to cry out. His gaze caught hers. “Forgive me, Aline. I’m only trying to make you comfortable. I’ll do my best not to hurt you again.”
    Her breath hitched at the sharp stabs of pain shooting through her body. Steeling herself not to cry out, she gripped his arms. He tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t release him.
    “Please,” she whispered, tears misting her eyes. “Do not leave me, Jake. Please?” Jake was his name, was it not? Frustration filled her as she realized her memory was not serving her well. Her head ached as though she’d been hit with a rock.
    Nay, it had been a fist, Hew’s fist.
    “Please?”
    The light-haired woman stepped in next to him. “Aline, my name is Maddie. Jake will not go far. We need to bathe you, freshen you, and dress you in clean clothing. Whoever did this to you is not here, and we’ll not allow him near you again. Jake will protect you, I promise. We’ll give you something to help you sleep.”
    “Nay, please.” Her hitching breath turned to sobs. “Please, he’ll find me. He has his ways. If I’m asleep, I know not what he’ll do. Please.”
    “All right. We’ll not give you anything to help you sleep until you’re ready.” Maddie’s soothing voice was like nothing she’d ever heard before. Calm, yet kind, she realized Jake looked something like Maddie.
    “When I’m better, I need Jake to take me back.”
    Silence settled in the chamber at her words. They didn’t understand. Not yet. Despite herself, she felt her eyes flutter shut, and she relaxed her grip on Jake’s arms. He stepped back, his gaze still locked on hers, and she felt herself start drifting.
    ***
    Jake didn’t want to let her go, either, but he knew he had to step out to allow his mother and his aunt to care for her. He glanced at his mother after Aline closed her eyes. “I don’t understand her, Mama. Why would she wish to go back?”
    “I felt the same way, Jake. When your father saved me, I left people behind whom I loved dearly. I never rested until I saw my maid, Alice, again.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m proud of you. My thanks for bringing her home.”
    Jake nodded and moved toward the door, taking one last look at Aline.
    “Your father is…”
    “I know where he is, Mama.” His father would be in the parapets, where he usually was every clear night. He and Jamie called the parapets their father’s upstairs solar.
    Jake stepped into the passageway, closed the door behind him, and moved toward the doorway at the end of the corridor. As he climbed the stairway, he thought about how to approach his sire. Being the firstborn son to Laird Alexander Grant, the most feared swordsman in all the Highlands, was not always easy. Scots expected him to act exactly how his father would act, but how could he? Alex Grant was a legend.
    Besides the rampant tales of his prowess in battle, people