Page 52 of Kilted Hate

If that was the case, Katherine had certainly done more than he previously thought, for just by being her beautiful, innocent self, she had lit a spark in him that had been doused for years.

Catching Enya’s expression of surprise, Domhnall smiled, but without mirth. “Ye cannae believe yer braither can feel,” he said.

Enya shook her head. “It’s nae that. You’ve always been able tae feel, Domhnall. But since Maither and Faither died, I thinkwe’ve all struggled tae express ourselves. That being said, ye were never one tae talk about yer emotions even before that happened.”

“It’s nae the manly thing tae dae.”

Enya rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Aye, ‘o course it isnae. But whether it’s manly or nae, ye’re only human, just like everyone else. Ye may have extraordinary powers, but ye still feel.”

Yes, he did. It was just easier to pretend he didn’t. Katherine’s presence had made that more difficult than he might have imagined, and in that moment, as he gazed down at her full of worry, all those emotions he had suppressed at his parents’ death were flooding through him. The worst part was, there was not a damned thing he could do about it.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Flickering her eyes open, Katherine slowly roused herself from sleep. It took a minute for her to realize that she lay in her own bed, and opening her eyes fully, it was evident, from the soft flickering flame of the candle that sat on the table beside her, that night had fallen.

However, she sensed that she was not alone, and, turning her head slightly, she was surprised to see Domhnall sitting in a chair beside her bed. With his head in his hands, he looked worried, and then, her reason for being there came rushing back to her all at once.

The battle. My brother. Domhnall was hurt.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

Upon hearing her voice, Domhnall jerked his head up, the white of his eyes clear to see as he stared at her. A second after that, hejumped from his chair and, going to sit on the bed beside her, he took both her hands in his.

“Ye’re awake,” he gasped.

Katherine frowned at his concern and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’m awake. What troubles you so?”

With his eyebrows lifted, he shook his head in disbelief. “Ye, Katherine. Dinnae ye remember what happened? How dae ye feel? How is yer head?”

Pulling her hands free from his, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and took a moment to examine how she felt.

“There is a lightness in my head, but nothing more,” she replied.

“Ye dinnae feel any pain?” Domhnall pressed.

She shook her head.

She did remember what had happened. She had been thrown with such force, her head had hit the ground, and the pain had been excruciating. But now, as she lifted her hand to the back of her head, she was surprised to discover that there was not even a lump.

“I thought it would have been worse,” she said, feeling a little confused.

Domhnall’s eyes were still full of worry. “It was worse. Yer head was split open, and afterwards, ye collapsed in me arms.”

She frowned and shook her head. “But I cannot feel any cut.”

He dropped his gaze then, and she watched as his expression changed. A second ago, he was loaded with worry. Now, he looked coy, like he was keeping something from her.

“What are you not telling me?”

He didn’t speak for a long moment, as though trying to decide what he ought to say. Eventually, he lifted his head and gazed at her with an intensity in his eyes that unnerved her.

“There are things that ye dinnae ken, Katherine,” he said, his voice loaded with resignation. “Things that very few ken.”

“Like your unusual strength and speed,” she blurted.

Her words halted him, evidently taking him off guard. But a second later, the surprise fell from his face, and he nodded, as though realizing something.

“I havenae been as careful as I should have been around ye. Yesterday, even more so. But when I saw ye were hurt, I…” he trailed off, his face pained with regret. He took a long breath in, and then released it. “I tried tae protect ye, but I was too late.”

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