Claimed: A Scarlet Night Novel
By: Rebecca Baker
Chapter One
It was a man's Scottish bur that woke me from the black abyss that had seemed to overwhelm me as I was returning to my hotel room. As I blinked my eyes open slowly expecting to see the hotel ceiling and perhaps a few faces, I was startled to find that I wasn't where I was supposed to be and that was not a good thing. I wanted to scream but a voice in the back of my mine told me to keep my mouth shut and eyes closed. But the fact that I was in the backseat of a vehicle I couldn't identify and the only people present inside that vehicle I didn't know led me to the conclusion that I was being kidnapped. And the fact that the dim glow of twilight shined thru the window was not a good sign since it was already night last I remember.
Thankful that the big burly men hadn't realized I was awake I listened as they began to talk. Trying to obtain as much information about my situation as I possibly could and waiting for a chance to escape.
"Paden, do ye ken why the laird sent us all the way to the U.S. to fetch the lass?"
"Nay Callum, I do'na ken it but the lass must be important if he sent us all the way 'cross the sea to fetch her. But tis none of our concern unless the laird tells us it is."
"How much longer till we reach the keep?" the voice belonging to Callum asked.
"15 minutes but we need to stop and get gas or weel ne'er make it to the keep by car and you'll be stuck carrin the lass." The other man named Paden chuckled as the vehicle cut right then stopped a few seconds later. "She's still asleep so you can go pay and I'll pump."
"Aye" Two doors opened then closed and I waited a minute before cracking my eyes open to make sure they weren't looking. They weren't so I lowly opened the door on the other side making the least amount of noise as possible then closing it as far as possible without making any noise. Turning I started to run trying to make as much room as I could between myself and my captors. About a minute later I could hear the pounding of running feet behind me making me run faster than I had been.
".SHIT." I chanted as the running feet gained on me.
"Lass make this easier on us both and stop runnin!" The man named Paden shouted.
"Why don't you kiss my ass and leave me the hell alone you burly Scottish BASTARD!" I shouted in response over my shoulder as I forced my feet to move faster than ever before. Fear I learned was a very distracting emotion when my foot caught in a pot hole and I fell on my face just as Paden reached me. Grabbing my arm he hoisted me up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I slammed my fist into his back over and over as I ranted but he didn't speak a word.
"Put me the fuck down you big oaf!"I screamed in frustration and since I couldn't kick him due to the fact that he held my legs securely against his chest it only made me angrier. So I pulled my upper body away from his back and brought my hands to my head as I used the leverage I had gained to slam my elbows into his back.
"You're feisty lass aren't ya?" He said with a chuckle and I could feel my face turning red with fury and the steam coming out of my ears. How'd he like this! I thought as I bit him ignoring the coppery taste of blood that assaulted my toung.
"Ouch. Aye a feisty lass." He stopped as we reached what I now knew was an SUV. He tried to put me on the ground but my teeth were still firmly embedded in the flesh of his back. All of a sudden a large hand slapped my butt and my mouth automatically opened, releasing my teeth from their bloody hold. When my feet touched the ground I went straight for a kick to the groin and succeeded only to be subdued by the other burly bastard as the first rolled on the ground in pain.
"Let me go you cock sucking chicken shitting burly brut!"I screamed as I was pushed to the ground, the man named Callum dispersing his weight on top of me rendering my fight useless.
"Paden, get the tape!"You could hear the grunt as Paden stood from the ground and the grumbling as he opened the back hatch of the SUV and retrieved the duck tape. The first pull of the duck tape was ominous as they taped my hands and feet together.
"Just wait till I get loose then you'll be sorry." I grumbled as I was being seated in the backseat of the SUV, Callum sitting next to me. "And why the hell dose nobody say anything when a girl gets put in a car against her will?" that perplexed me a great deal no person should just ignore a screaming person.
"They think you were throwing a tantrum because you're mad at me." Paden said stifling a laugh.
"Why the fuck would they think that?"
"Cause they think you're my American sister come to live with me after our aunt and uncle died." Paden said.
"Oh God. I'm in deep shit." I didn't speak again instead, thought of how I was going to escape these men. Soon the car came to a stop and we were in front of what could only be called a castle but even though it was intimidating it was beautiful. But that doesn't mean I have to like its owner. Callum pulled me out of the car and once again threw me over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs and into the castle.
"Why is she taped up Callum?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
"She was a bit feisty m'laird." He answered.
"Take it off." As soon as it was said my legs and hands were free and I was standing on the ground. As my earlier threat I punched Callum in the stomach and then kneed him in the groin like I had Paden. When he fell to the floor I put my fists on my hips and watched as he rolled and groaned in pain.
"I told you you'd be sorry." My voice was smooth as I said it. When I turned to see who the new speaker was my eyes went wide. The man was large 6'3" and he was muscled not overly like the other two. His hair was shaggy and black, bangs meeting piercing green eyes that stared at me. The fact that he was gorgeous wasn't what made my eyes widen, no, it was the fact that I had be seeing this man in my dreams for a very long time. "Who... Who the hell are you." I stuttered.
"I am Laird Kegan MacLeod." He said with a breathtaking smile.
"Well…Kegan. Why the HELL am I here?"
"Now lass, isn't the time for you to know. What you do need to know Scarlet Night is that you are safe here."
"How do you know my name." he was beginning to scare me but I wasn't about to let him know that. He walked up to me taking my chin into his hand.
"Because you and I are connected Scarlet. How else would I know of an American girl when I live in Scotland?"
"Scotland?"
"Aye, lass you are in Scotland. The place you should have always been. The only place you will ever be safe from those who mean to use you."
"Use me? What are you talking about I'm a normal girl. This should not be happing to me. How the HELL did this happen to me? Why is this happening to me? What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?" Tears streamed down my face as the reality of what was occurring hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in a foreign country with a man who knew my name. A man I had never met before. And I had no clue how I was going to get back home.