Page 48 of Highlander’s Bride

The last word came out in an animalistic groan, and this was his undoing as it was hers. She fell over the edge of sanity, bucked, and was coming and coming and coming, shuddering, moaning, trembling. There, above the ground and close to the sky, among the first rays of sunlight, deep in the Scottish Highlands, waves of sweetness were washing over Bryanna—with the man she could never have, the man she was falling in love with.

Chapter 23

They sat for a while, leaned against the cold wall of the merlon, right on the floor of the tower, watching the sky lighten up. It was colored in soft gold and pink, blending into a pale manganese blue and then indigo on the other side of the sky.

There was a new awareness in Bryanna. Raghnall’s arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and something about that gesture made her believe he, indeed, meant it when he’d said he’d protect her, he’d make sure she was fine, even though it had been said in the heat of the moment.

She felt protected and secure. This man…she tangled her fingers with his, and he brushed the side of her thumb with his, sending soft tingles through her skin.

They connected on a whole different level—somewhere beyond words, beyond time, and beyond her comprehension. There must be something about that soul mate thing. She’d never felt anything remotely like it with the three boyfriends she’d had in the past.

Raghnall…

She looked up at his calm, peaceful profile. “You make me feel alive.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “Lass, ye dinna ken what ye talk about…”

“No, listen. You’re wild. Pure in your rage, in your pain, and in your love. Like a true Highlander, you never do anything by half, do you?” He frowned and watched her, completely still. “You always dive into everything wholeheartedly, whether it’s for your own good or ill. Don’t you?”

He cleared his throat. “Aye, lass, I suppose, ’tis the correct explanation.”

She shook her head and gave out a bitter chuckle. “I’ve been just the opposite. My diabetes…the sugar sickness…it made me careful. Always watching my diet is one thing, but I also have to keep track of my blood sugar and always have insulin handy. I’m like a ticking bomb, Raghnall. Yes, I’m manageable in the twenty-first century, but I’m completely dependent on medicine. You saw it yourself. And my family has always been worried I’ll injure myself doing sports because it’s always more dangerous for the diabetics to get hurt and go through surgeries. That’s why I’ve never been allowed to ride a horse, and you made me so happy when you taught me. And this…” She gestured around at the castle. “This adventure, overall…nothing has ever made me feel so afraid…and so alive. It showed me I can do it, that I’m not a fragile wallflower. I’m strong and I’m capable of more than I thought I was.” She cupped his face. “You showed it to me, Raghnall.”

He smiled. “There ye are again, the sun.”

“What?”

“When ye came to me by the church, I thought I’d never seen anyone that had more life and energy than ye. Ye…brightened everything around ye. Ye made me feel like there was hope, like I could be happy. Just yer presence brought me joy.”

The corners of her mouth tightened and threatened to spread in the broadest smile. “Really? That was when I thought I was in a wonderful dream and that I was invisible…and diabetes-free.”

“’Tis who ye are, lass. ’Tis the true ye. Nae ye bent by sickness.” He placed his palm in the middle of her chest. “The sun-lass.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “I wish I could stay with you forever. If I didn’t have diabetes, I would stay. Truly. I’d live in this crazy medieval world with you and Seoc, and I’d face any hardships and embrace any adventures.” She whimpered. “But I can’t. You know I’d die without insulin.”

He turned away from her, his jaw muscles working under his short beard. “Aye, lass. And I canna have another woman die because I failed to protect her. Ye’re going back. ’Tis the end of it. Ye wilna die here, I swear.”

Suddenly the vision of her dead body being carried out of the castle by a warrior flashed in her mind. Tall…muscular…dark-haired…

She couldn’t see his face, but it really could be Raghnall.

Sìneag’s words came to mind, He may also be yer destruction.

She didn’t believe he’d kill her, and she knew he’d do everything to protect her…so how could he be her destruction?

No. She chased the thought away.

“You know, I still might die here.” She looked at her hands and picked at one fingernail with another.

“Aye, but—”

“I’ve…I’ve never told this to anyone. Not to my sister or my mother or my dad… But I see things.”

Raghnall turned to her, suddenly more serious than she’d ever seen him. “Ye see things?”

“Yeah…I think I have psychic abilities. Well, I’m pretty sure I do. And I’ve seen my own death… here.”

Raghnall stopped rubbing his thumb against hers. “What did ye see?”