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assessing the striking man before her. Charming. Devast ating. Enemy.
    “I’ll remember to keep my smile to myself then.”
    A thunderous sound startled her, and she spun around to the loud cracks of snapping limbs, her heart racing. Thick scrub beneath the tree canopy shook, and a large stag broke into the clearing, stumbled, and fell, an arrow protruding behind its shoulder. Duncan and Seamus appeared through the brush, both men grinning and breathing heavily. Seamus stopped, squatted by the deer, and unsheathed a large blade from his thigh.
    Robert brushed past her and met Duncan halfway into their small clearing. “I recall our deer park being a good distance away.”
    Duncan ’s grin widened. “Aye. Why not flush them your way, save us the long haul, and enjoy the sport of the kill?”
    Robert chuckled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “ Duncan, you shall make a great commander.”
    While Seamus finished with the deer, the snowfall increased, tiny specks of white dusting down through openings in the canopy. Susanna occupied herself as best she could while waiting; sitting upon the stump of a tree, pacing the length of the clearing, and finally settling back against the alligatored bark of the pine beside Robert, where he’d calmly leaned the entire time.
    With the passing minutes, she grew more restless. Not only did the looming danger of being apprehended weigh heavy on her thoughts, time spent around men in their natural element, without any purpose to occupy her hands or her mind, made her uneasy.
    As Seamus strapped their bound kill to one of the horses, Duncan gravitated to the edge of the forest, staring out in the direction from where they’d come. Seamus soon joined him. Both men tensed, their hands hovering over the hilts of their swords.
    Robert moved close behind her, his amazing heat penetrating through her cloak and dress. “Do you feel it?”
    “Feel what?” she asked.
    “Close your eyes, lass. Somethin’ comes our way.” Robert took a step ahead of her, physically shielding her from whatever approached.
    She closed her eyes, uncertain what he meant. Cold flakes of snow hit her cheeks, but a distinct heat weighed heavy in the pit of her stomach. An ember deep inside glowed hotter, and she clutched at her belly.
    Susanna recognized the sensation, only she’d never felt it from a great distance before. The wind carried a message only those attuned to the vibration could hear ...and they all understood its meaning.
    “My father,” she whispered.
    Robert had been right about something coming, and yet, a force greater than any of the men realized was at work. More than a simple feeling reverberated through her belly and seeped into her bones. Susanna opened her eyes. On the horizon, from a thick mist that hovered low to the ground, dark figures emerged. But they faded from her awareness as an epiphany sharpened into focus.
    She’d escaped a threatening past, seeking to seize a secure future, but among three warriors who’d vowed to protect her—even against her tenacious will—every part of her snapped to life. Her perception had twisted from total independence to oneness...with others.
    A surprising inner warrior emerged. She moved from behind Robert and stood tall beside him. Unarmed, yet unafraid for the first time since Robert had captured her, they now shared a common goal.
    “All I feel is an enemy’s arrogance.” She kept her eyes trained on the growing shapes that galloped toward them. “However, I feel far less welcomin’ to their breach of your clan lands than you were to me.”
    Robert glanced at her. “Ah, lass, you’ve no idea how pleased I am to hear those words.”
    Power emanated outward from Duncan and Seamus, from Robert...and from her. A trio of warriors and a petite woman stood strong against an unpredictable and obsessed enemy.
    Susa nna had never felt more secure.

 
     
    CHAPTER FIVE

     
     
     
     
    Brodie Castle—Thirteenth Century
     
    Isobel struggled