Free Highlander's Reckoning (The Sinclair Brothers #3) by Emma Prince Page A

bargaining chip for him to gain wealth and position. But another Sinclair
snatched her away before Raef could marry her off for his betterment.
    Being unburdened of his cowering sister, who
insisted on interacting with the sickly and ill in her foolish attempts to heal
them, was something of a relief. He no longer had to share a roof with someone
who could bring disease and death everywhere she went. But to be bested again
by a Sinclair—he nearly spit on the floor of his study at the thought.
    That made three times the Sinclairs had embarrassed
him. But it wouldn’t happen again. Those Highland barbarians were clearly thick
as thieves with the Bruce. To defeat this Sinclair at Loch Doon would not only
soothe his ego, but it would also be a blow against the rebel pretender-King.
    A thought skittered across his mind as he righted
the last piece on the board. Kennedy had a daughter. Perhaps she had something
to do with the appearance of a Sinclair at Loch Doon. A marriage alliance,
perhaps?
    If those bloody Highlanders could use his women
against him, perhaps he could return the favor. He would have to get word to
his man inside the castle though, which was always a delicate and
time-consuming business. Not even Gordon knew about him. Raef always liked to
keep a few surprises tucked away.
    He picked up the red rook from the board and
examined it, contemplating his next move. This rook was carved differently than
the white one. The rook’s eyes bulged wildly under his helm. Though he
brandished a sword like his white counterpart, this one’s teeth sank into the
shield he held in front of his chest in a look of utter battle lust and
madness. The red rook was called the berserker rook for a reason.
    As a boy, Raef had always loved this piece. His
father had told him to identify with the king piece, for he must protect it as
he would protect himself. But Raef’s style wasn’t as conservative as his
father’s. Instead, he had sent his red berserker rook out relentlessly,
overpowering and outmaneuvering his opponents with a combination of the
berserker’s wild-eyed bloodlust and his own calculated assault.
    Setting the piece back down, Raef went to his desk
and withdrew a piece of parchment and a quill. With a quick dip of the quill
into his ink pot, he began writing a coded message to his man inside Loch Doon.

Chapter 10
    Daniel pressed his seal into the hot wax on the
fourth and final letter in front of him. One was for the Bruce, informing him
that he had safely arrived at Loch Doon, had married Rona Kennedy—Rona Sinclair ,
he reminded himself as he blew on the wax to harden it—and had sent away Laird
Kennedy in order to bring the castle fully under his control.
    The other three letters were going to his brothers
and cousin, asking them to join him at Loch Doon for a wedding celebration. Of
course, they all knew the real reason for the Sinclairs to gather at Loch Doon.
They were needed for a strategic meeting on the Bruce’s plan to lay siege to
Dunbraes Castle to the southeast.
    The Bruce had communicated his plan to each of them
individually, sending only his personal messenger to carry each letter himself.
It was too dangerous, especially in the Lowlands, to do otherwise.
    As much as Daniel was looking forward to seeing his
two older brothers and his cousin Burke, a combination of worry and dread
filled him as he stacked the letters on the edge of his desk. The business of
sieging a castle was lengthy and dangerous. His whole family would be at
risk—including Rona, who would have to stay at Loch Doon while he was away. And
he didn’t trust her to be alone.
    She’d finally returned to the castle yesterday as
twilight was setting in. He’d pretended not to notice her absence and hadn’t
questioned her about it at the somber evening meal, but all the while he’d
seethed inside.
    Perhaps she was just quiet because her father had
been sent away a few days before. Or perhaps she only appeared evasive because
she