Read The Highlander's Triumph for Free Online Page B

determine a puzzle.
    “I dinna know yet, but I do believe her,” Brandon said , glad his voice did not belie his true feelings. He believed most of what she said,  that many had perished, and that she’d been left behind by Ross. But there was so much left unanswered—that was where he doubted her, in the shades of gray she left smudged and filled with mystery.
    Ronan frowned and Julianna continued her hard stares in Mariana’s direction. Lord how he wanted to turn, to see if Mariana was cowering or glaring back.
    Ronan said, “Did she tell you why she’s turned against Longshanks? Obviously she was close to him, if he chose her to relay his message.”
    Brandon shook his head, frown deepening . “She did not go into more detail than to say she could no longer do his bidding in good conscience. I trust that she’s turned a new leaf.” He emphasized trust. Mariana may have told half-truths, but she wasn’t dangerous. Not as long as she was with them. The danger from Mariana wasn’t physical, but more what she might whisper into the wrong ear.
    Julianna was quick to respond. “But how can ye trust her? Ye barely know her.” Her voice held an edge of suspicion. “Ye want her,” she muttered under her breath, so Brandon just barely caught it.
    “ ’Tis a fact, ye are correct that we only just met”—he wasn’t going to let her know how much he wanted Mariana—“but there is something in her eyes. She’s no danger to us here.”
    Julianna raised a skeptical brow.
    “There is no one better than Brandon at reading people,” Ronan said, grasping his shoulder. Brandon was pleased to have his cousin’s confidence. “If ye say we can trust her, then I believe ye.”
    Brandon nodded , receiving a nod in turn from Ronan. From the corner of his eye, he watched Julianna. She stared them down, and he knew in her mind she was assessing the entire situation. The lass was shrewd, and one hell of a fighter, he’d give her that. More power to Ronan for being able to handle her spirit.
    “What of the army? Did she give ye numbers?” Julianna asked.
    Brandon unclenched his fist, not realizing he’d held it so tight. Relief flung through his blood. Damn, he hadn’t recognized how much Julianna’s acceptance meant to him. Why was he so hell bent on protecting a woman he barely knew? Aye, ’twas true he desired her, but there was more to it than that. There was something about her, the way her blue eyes enchanted him, made him feel as though she could see his soul and that her spirit melded with his. Ballocks, he hated getting all poetic. He needed more whisky. “Aye, she said there are over two-hundred of them.”
    “Will they disband or join us?” Wallace asked.
    Brandon rubbed his hands together and cracked his knuckles, eager for a fight. Bashing heads and knocking bodies was an excellent way to relieve stress and some of the internal emotions that stirred since meeting the lass. “I dinna know; she didna say.”
    “Ask her,” Wallace ordered.
    Brandon hid a grimace. While he wanted desperately to sit beside Mariana again, at the same time he didn’t want too. Being close to her only made him want to pull her into his arms and sample the lips she often bit. He had a dozen excuses as to why he should argue the order—how would she know the Ross army’s intent? Why would Ross share such intimate details? Could he trust her answer?
    But in the end, he didn’t give them voice. In truth, he desired nothing more than to sit beside her again, even if it meant speaking about his enemy. As long as he could hear her silky voice, imagine her warm breath on his lips.
    Ballocks! His cock pushed against the fabric of his plaid, and he was grateful that earlier he’d shifted his sporran to the front. Brandon nodded at his small group and turned to do their leader’s bidding.
    But Mariana was gone.
    Panic seized him. His stomach tightened, heart ceased beating, breath caught. Immediately, his hand was on his sword,