Free My Cursed Highlander by Kimberly Killion

golds. 'Twill ward off any brigand with an ounce of wit." Remi consoled her with a pat on her hand. "Fear not, lassie. 'Twill take him a moment, but m'laird will see the right of it."
    "That gaudy crest will mean naught in France. What is all of this?"
    A coffer thumped onto the ground and the squeak of the latch told Viviana he was rummaging through her belongings. Anger took the place of any sadness still lingering in her chest.
    "Gowns, hats, stockings, slippers." He paused. "What is this?"
    Viviana sighed. "I know not, as I cannot see what this is. You must be more specific, m'laird."
    Remi leaned close to her ear. "'Tis white and frilly. Verra pretty."
    Her undergarments! She gasped. Fire shot up her neck and into her face.
    "Baubles, hair combs, hair pins, hair brushes," pause, " five decanters of scented water?" The lid slammed shut. "Ye will not need such frivolity where ye are going. The Scots rarely bathe, and they wear one garment; the plaid. And that includes the women."
    "He is an animal," she whispered into Remi's neck and wished she was anywhere but here.
    Another coffer hit the ground with a jingle. "Ye packed a mallet?"
    He should count his blessing she didn't pack a boulder of marble. "I will need something to throw at you."
    Remi chuckled beside her, and she suppressed the urge to elbow him between the ribs.
    Laird Kraig growled which set an already nervous Miocchi into fits.
    "Yap, yap, yap..."
    "Shite!"
    "Stand back, m'lady. He is turning red." Remi set her behind his shoulder.
    Red was a color she remembered. A color she associated with tragedy and the last color she ever saw. God save her. Her heart sped and beat in all the pulse points of her body.
    "The coffer with your rock carving tools stays, as does the dog," Laird Kraig announced over Miocchi's persistent barking.
    "No!" Viviana cried out and fell to her knees to quiet her beloved pet. "Shh, Miocchi, per favore ."
    The dog whimpered and licked her hand. Miocchi was all she had. "I cannot leave him. Please, m'laird. I've had him since I lost my sight."
    "The dog stays."
    Miocchi whined and shivered as if he knew what was happening. She couldn't leave him. He had been her eyes before Angelo came. He'd protected her from Luciano. No one would care for him the way she did. She wrapped her hands around his neck and cried against his thin coat. "Please, m'laird," she begged. "I will leave the coffers and ride a horse."
    "Christalmighty! Let the lassie take her pet." Laird Kraig's other kinsmen, whose name she did not yet know, aided her plea.
    A long pause stretched the silence. "Have ye both forgotten so quickly the month we spent consoling Makayla when that mangy kitten died?"
    "A falcon snatched up Poppet's pet," Remi said. "'Tis unlikely the same will occur with m'lady's dog."
    "Put Lady Kraig in the carriage. We've a long journey, and I cannae be assured the coin we have will get us to the coast. The last expense I need is a dog that will eat more than her."
    "Come, m'lady." Remi gently pulled her to her feet.
    "I will not eat. There are jewels in the coffers; diamonds, rubies, sapphires. Please, m'laird." She continued to grovel, hoping to solicit the slightest compassion from him. Remi had guided her into the carriage before she even realized she'd walked to the door. She sank into the soft seat and pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes. He was worse than Radolfo and Luciano.
    The man was heartless.
    Miocchi whined outside the carriage and scratched the door with his nails. The sound tore at her insides.
    She leaned out the window. "M'laird, please."
    "A dog of Miocchi's years willnae survive the journey. Would ye have him die en route to Scotland or live the remainder of his days here in Italy?"
    She couldn't answer his question. She wanted to scream and felt as though a demon was inside her shredding her heart to pieces.
    "Auld woman, come here." A shuffling of feet followed Laird Kraig's command. "Take Miocchi back to Angelo."
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