Page 69

“I love ye, Davina Armstrong.”

His words startled her so completely, for an instant she forgot to be afraid. Her eyes were level with his and in them she saw the truth of those magical words. Her heart soared.

“I love ye, James McKenna.”

His bright smile gave her a burst of pure joy. She placed a hasty kiss on his cheek, then buried her head into his neck. He tightened his grip on her. Davina could feel his powerful muscles tense as he crouched, then leaped forward. She tried—and failed—to prevent the scream that tore from her throat as she felt herself falling.

Frantically, she clung to James’s strength, though it was hardly necessary. He held her so tightly, there was no chance that she would slip away from him.

They hit the water with unspeakable force. The wet, biting cold immediately wrapped around Davina’s lungs, stealing her breath. Another scream lodged in her throat as she felt them sinking deeper and deeper into the frigid loch. Branches, twigs, and slick vegetation scraped against her body as they fell deeper and deeper.

I love ye, Davina Armstrong.

The words echoed in her heart and mind, giving her strength to face the cold, black darkness that surrounded them. She let her body go limp, allowing the water to claim her as she fell. But then suddenly they were no longer sinking. Davina could feel James kicking and pulling their bodies upward, toward the surface.

She tried to help, but had difficulty making her frozen limbs cooperate. Still, she did the best that she could, copying James’s movements. Her lungs were near to bursting when they finally broke through the surface. Gasping and sputtering, Davina held tightly to James as he treaded water, keeping them both afloat.

The band of men appeared on the mountain ridge. Davina could hear their shouts of anger, but could not decipher the words, as they pointed down at her and James.

“Let’s pray they have no bows and arrows,” James said, as he towed her through the icy water.

Davina marveled at how he had somehow managed to keep her head above the water as he moved. Her limbs felt leaden; she could barely make them move and the wet material of her cloak and gown were like stones, pulling her down. Yet James appeared to have no difficulty pulling them toward the shore.

When they reached the muddy bank, she struggled out of the water, crawling on her knees, her breath bursting in short pants.

“Are ye all right, Davina?”

She lifted her head at the absurd question, squinting at James through the wet, tangled strands of her hair. Her braid had come loose and the sodden mass was now covering her face.

“I’m frozen to the bone, half-drowned, and scared of out my wits,” she chattered through her teeth.

“Och, it does my heart good to hear the indignity in yer voice,” James said, as he swept her into his arms and settled her over his shoulder.

Upended, Davina felt the bile rise in her throat. “I can walk,” she insisted. “Just give me a minute to catch my breath.”

“We dinnae have a minute to waste,” James grunted. “Those men will be down the mountain soon. Our only chance to prevent them from taking ye is to hide in the forest.”

“Why do ye assume it’s me that they are after?” Davina huffed, rising up on his shoulder. “Have ye never made an enemy?”

“Never one that’s so persistent,” he answered grimly.

Her teeth chattered and she tried to clamp them shut. She slumped over his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, grateful that the heat of his body provided some warmth.

“How far are we from the castle?” she asked.

“Far enough,” he grunted. “We’d have to run through open fields to reach the gates, making us an easy target. I know somewhere that we can hide that is closer.”

“Put me down, James. We’ll move faster if I run with ye.”

He didn’t answer, nor did he set her down. Instead, he began running through the forest, hurling over large rocks, ducking to avoid the branches from slapping their faces. Davina could feel thorns catching on the fabric of her wet cloak and she worried about the scratches James was most likely getting on various parts of his body.

He stopped for a moment to get his bearings in the dense woods and Davina slowly wiggled herself down off his shoulder. When he allowed it, she realized that he must be tiring.

“It’s not much farther,” he said. “But it’s best to keep moving quickly, so they cannae find our trail.”

Davina nodded and took the outstretched hand he offered. They resumed their mad dash through the woods. Even though she heard no one in pursuit, James set a grueling pace.

After but a few minutes, Davina felt an ache in her side. Her lungs were bursting with the pain of each labored breath, her limbs ached from carrying the weight of her wet clothing, yet she stubbornly refused to complain, refused to ask him to stop or slow down, because she knew he would merely nod his head, pick her up, and carry her.