Caledonia

Shadows

The cold wind of autumn settled into the Highlands. Alex and Callie had been married nearly three months. They had settled into a blissful routine of days working apart and nights together filled with unbridled passion.

Bella finally seemed warm up to her a bit more these days after seeing how friendly Phoebe and Callie were with each other. She invited Callie on a horseback ride after the noon meal one mid October day when the temperature was still mild. Alex made Callie promise to be careful, as she walked him down to the training grounds since it was on the way to the stables.

"You will mind yourself, Callie." He ordered his wife with a smile. "I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks, love."

She laced her arms around his neck to hug him. "I promise."

He kissed her soundly. "I'll see you later then."

Callie wandered down to the stables and opened the horse barn doors, smiling to herself. She walked into the back of the building looking for Ahearn, the head groom for the Campbell clan. Going to the stables made her think of Davis who had lost his life so bravely defending hers the night she met Alex. Davis would have gotten a kick out of a head groom whose name meant "lord of the horses." She was so lost in thought of him and Moira that she didn't see the two men hiding in the shadows.

Callie awoke with a sudden jolt to find herself in total darkness. She was frozen to her core and had a splitting headache. She tried not to panic when she couldn't take a deep breath due to the gag in her mouth. Her hands were tightly bound and something smelled overpoweringly sour that made her immediately want to gag. She could feel that she was bumping in the back of a wagon. She stilled when she heard men who were speaking in accents she didn't know. If she had to guess, it sounded like they were Lowlanders. Who were they and what did they plan to do with her? Did Bella hate her enough to have her kidnapped? She needed to sort out what they planned to do with her and then figure out her surroundings.

"He better pay us what he promised! It wasn't easy at all getting away from there with her unseen."

"Aye, I can't see Laird Campbell letting either of us off alive if we're ever caught after this. Everyone says they're happily wed as much as any two people can be."

"Oof, Angus! Don't think that way. It's bad luck, you know! We'll get her to Hamish and let him do with her what he wills. The Cameron won't care if she still be a virgin or not."

Callie blanched upon hearing their last words. Her worse fears were coming true. Her uncle sent these guys to kidnap her, so he could still plan to marry her off to Cameron even though he heard she was happily wed to Alex. She had to close her eyes and bite down on her lower lip to prevent from herself from crying out, as shooting pains in her stomach started to grip her. She worried silently. "Oh Alex, however will you find me?"

What Callie didn't know was Alex and his men were already on her trail. Bella had found Callie's favourite shawl, a wedding gift from Alex abandoned on the ground outside her mare's stall, but the horse was still there. Bella made the discovery only minutes after Callie was kidnapped. Bella found Ahearn and hurriedly asked him if he'd recently seen Callie. When he said no, she immediately began to worry and ran to find Alex at the training grounds. She was out of breath from running and wheezing hard when she got to the men, yelling. "Alex, it's Callie! She's gone!"

His face fell. "What the devil have you done now?!"

"Nothing! I swear to you. We were supposed to go riding! I went to the stables and her favourite shawl was on the ground. Ahearn hadn't seen her, but her mare is still stabled there! Alex, you know Callie never takes that shawl off since you gave it to her!"