Part 37 (1/2)

”Sleep well, Jamie, along with Brice, in the hollow of G.o.d's hand.”

The boy lay very still, absorbing the shock of her gentle kiss.

For as long as he lived he would never forget her kindness this night.

For long minutes he lay listening to the sound of Brice's shallow breathing. And though he struggled to stay awake and will life into the man who lay beside him, sleep at last overtook him.

Chapter Twelve

JDrice awoke in the inferno he had always known would be his destiny.

All around him drifted the acrid scent of fire and brimstone. And his own flesh felt seared beyond redemption.

So this was what it felt like to be doomed to an eternity of punishment. Pain throbbed until he writhed and twisted. And though he thought he moaned, no sound issued from his parched throat.

He knew why this punishment had been meted out to him. He had been so consigned to this penance for failing to save Meredith. In that brief moment when he had seen her in the doorway to his chambers, he had realized that if he did not succeed in fighting off MacKenzie's soldiers, all would be lost. Meredith, the innocent victim in all of this, would be forced into marriage with Gareth MacKenzie. Once married, he would claim her land and people. And once MacKenzie had what he wanted, Meredith would no longer serve a useful purpose. She would be conveniently disposed of.

That was what had distracted Brice and caused his downfall. It was the presence of Meredith there in the doorway that had made him lose his concentration. Never before had five or even ten opponents worried him. He was a warrior, born and bred for battle. His own mortality had never caused him a moment's worry. But that was before Meredith. Since meeting the fiery little beauty, everything had changed. The thought of what MacKenzie had in mind for her was more than he could bear. That moment's distraction had cost him the battle.

Now it had all come to pa.s.s. Brice felt an overwhelming sense of despair. He had lost. MacKenzie had won. Even now Meredith was no doubt standing at the altar of a small village kirk, surrounded by MacKenzie men, forced to speak vows that would seal her fate.

Brice was consigned to an eternity in h.e.l.l.

The pain came again in waves, causing him to arch his body and roll to one side and then the other. There was no escaping it. The flames of h.e.l.l licked across his skin and stabbed deep into his back. A fire raged inside him.

Something cool touched his face and he clutched at it, holding it to him when it would pull away. In his delirium he imagined that it was a small, delicate hand. Meredith's hand. But that was impossible.

Meredith had been captured by Gareth MacKenzie. She was lost to him forever. Still he clung to the hand, needing to feel it, small and safe in his.

A voice sounded from so far away he could not make out the words. But from the soft, muted tones, from the low, husky whisper, he knew it was Meredith's voice. Calling him. Calling out to him from a lifetime away. He lifted a hand and tried to reach her, to answer her, to tell her that he was sorry he had failed her, that even now he would find a way to come for her. But his hand dropped weakly to the linens that covered him. He would rest awhile, to gather his strength so that he could plan his escape from this eternal d.a.m.nation. One thought burned in his mind. He dare not rest until Meredith was safely away from MacKenzie and returned to Kinloch House. There she would be safe.

There she would be loved.

Loved.

Aye. Though he would never have admitted it in life, he loved her.

Loved her as he loved Jamie. Loved her more than he had thought it possible to love any woman. More than himself.

A dipper of cool water was forced between his lips. He swallowed and accepted another before turning his head away. A cool damp cloth was pressed to his forehead and he felt a moment's respite from the burning heat.

His lids nickered open and he found himself staring into green eyes the color of a Highland lake.

”Meredith.”

His lips formed the word though no sound issued from his throat.

She smiled and he thought there would never again be anything as wonderful as her smile. As dazzling as the sun on a summer's afternoon. As warm and comforting as a fireplace on a cold winter's night.

A hundred questions danced through his brain, begging to be answered.