Highland Thirst Read Free

pain and rage
she had heard in the night. While she had struggled to keep herself safe from
Hervey’s anger, this man had suffered horribly. While she had continued to do
her best to stay out of Hervey’s sight as much as possible, this man had been
tortured and humiliated.
    It
was time to stop thinking only of protecting herself, she decided. Her
cowardice appalled her. She had not realized how deeply it had entrenched
itself within her heart. Brona knew her caution around her cousin was
completely justified, but nothing Hervey could do to her was worth allowing
this man to continue to suffer like this if he was truly innocent of any crime.
    The
urge to immediately release him from his chains and his cage was strong, but
she resisted it. He could be lying to her, trying to stir her sympathies.
Although what few whispers she had understood seemed to indicate that he was
indeed imprisoned here because of some strange tales Hervey had heard about the
man, it was not enough. Even if this man did not kill her the moment she
released him, Hervey might. Her cousin would certainly punish her in ways she
did not care to even think about.
    She
needed more information. This time she would actively seek out the truth
instead of puzzling over the occasional whisper she overheard. Repulsed as she
was by the way Hervey treated men guilty of some crime, she would not free a
guilty man. Hervey was the laird of Rosscurrach and it was his right, his duty,
to punish those who broke the law. The most she would do was protest his
cruelty in meting out his punishments. But, if what this man said were true, then
she would have to do far more than protest; she would have to free him.
    A
tremor of fear passed through her at the mere thought of doing such a thing.
Simply protesting Hervey’s actions often brought retribution that left her
bruised and aching. What she was considering could easily get her killed if
only from the severity of the punishment that followed. Brona knew she would
not only have to decide what to do about this man, but make a plan to protect
herself as well. A selfish, terrified part of her told her to just ignore it
all as she had ignored so much else, but Brona silenced it. Some wrongs could
not be ignored.
    “I
didnae try to learn anything,” she confessed in a soft voice. “Knowledge may be
power, but ignorance is sometimes all that keeps one safe. Howbeit, now I will try to learn something.”
    “And
then do what?” Heming was surprised at how hard he had to struggle not to
believe in this woman, not to let his hopes rise.
    “If
my cousin is treating ye so cruelly simply because he thinks ye may have some
potion or spell that will make him live longer, then I will set ye free.”
    “But
nay right now.”
    “I
cannae act against my kinsmon, my laird, on your word alone. I will visit ye
again soon.”
    Heming
watched her walk away, pausing only to douse the torches she had lit, and he
fought the urge to call her back, to try to convince her to act now. It was an
odd feeling to suffer from since he knew he should neither trust her nor
believe her. Holding out some hope to a condemned man was just the kind of
cruelty Hervey Kerr would enjoy yet Heming found himself unable to believe that
the fey Brona would have any part of that. He almost smiled when he realized
his inability to believe she was hand in fist with her brutal cousin grew from
the way she acted toward her pets and they acted toward her. It was a thin
branch to hang his hopes on.
    He
suddenly tensed as he realized Brona had halted just a few feet away. Heming
knew two men had been dragged down here two days ago and he felt sure she had
halted near their prison. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on listening
closely to what was said. His hearing was far better than any Outsider’s and he
hoped something would be said to help him come to some decision about Mistress
Brona Kerr.
    “Why
have ye been thrown down here?” she asked the men.
    “The
laird