Page 2 of Love Me Forever
A stab of pain brought Brianna back to consciousness. Only this time she rested on soft bedding and comforting warmth penetrated her aching body. Her first thought was to remain still and linger in this heavenly bliss, but it was a brief consideration and one she could not take seriously.
She had to know where she was and who had brought her here. And of course, she had to determine if she was in danger, though there was little she could do to defend herself. Still, she could not remain ignorant of her situation no matter how much the soft bedding eased her pain.
She opened her eyes slowly and it took several agonizing minutes for her vision to clear enough for her to determine her whereabouts. She lay in a good-size bed with a layer of coverings over her. And in an instant, she realized she lay naked, not a stitch of clothing on her.
Worry seized her and with great effort she made a cursory glance around the room. It was a one-room cottage of fair size, and it smelled fresh as if tended to regularly. She fought to keep her eyes open and fought to focus them on her surroundings, but the relentless throb in her head made it a battle hard to win.
She allowed her eyes a brief rest before forcing them open once again. This time she caught sight of a table and two chairs in front of the hearth. She kept her eyes steady on the stone fireplace. It was large, taking up a good portion of the wall with a rough log mantel across the stones, a good head’s height above the flames.
A sudden stabbing pain to her ribs forced her eyes shut, and she attempted to take several deep breaths, which only worsened her pain. She wondered if she had broken any bones, and while she wished to know, she was too much of a coward to discover for herself. She felt as if she had suffered a bad beating. Every part of her ached or throbbed, and if she attempted to move a mere inch she quickly found herself slipping into the depths of unconsciousness.
She could never see to her own care in this horrendous condition, but how then could she allow a stranger to tend her? Tears threatened her eyes and she fought hard to keep them away. It would do her little good to shed senseless tears. They would serve no purpose and only manage to hamper her already hampered sight.
Courage.
She needed the courage of her heritage. She was born of a strong clan, and no matter the difficulties or challenges, the Cameron clan faced all adversaries with pride and honor. She had only recently regained that pride and honor in herself after having surrendered it to a husband who had not been worthy of her. She had promised herself she would never do so again. She would maintain her rich heritage and face life’s challenges with courage as only a Cameron could.
The pain subsided enough for her to focus once again on her surroundings. She thought she caught sight of a single window but could not be certain, and the delicious scent in the air told her that something tasty roasted over the hearth’s flames.
The well-maintained condition of the cottage told her that a caring heart resided here, and that thought gave her pause to sigh in relief.
Her eyes drifted shut once again, and she almost slipped back into the blissful relief of the darkness when she heard a movement and her eyes sprang open, causing her to grimace in pain. She did not moan, for she had found that even the slightest sound caused her discomfort.
Where had it come from?
She listened to the silence, hoping to hear the slight movement again, but she heard only the crackling of the hearth’s flames. Someone was here with her and she knew not who. The thought that a stranger lingered nearby made her grow fearful.
How could she protect herself? She had not the strength, nor the means to defend herself. She could do nothing but rely on the kindness of a stranger. But was it kindness he offered?
She searched the room, her glance going from corner to corner, and she could see nothing, but she had heard. What had she heard?
The sound came again.
It was a shuffle of sorts, as if someone moved, but it was a brief movement, a barely noticeable or audible one.
Did he not want her to detect his presence?
She remained quiet, not moving, only listening. She fought the darkness that reached up to capture her. She could not surrender to it even though it removed her from the constant pain and offered her relief. It was a false sense of relief, for she would wake to the pain once again and realize her plight. Strength was her ally and she could not surrender to her pain.
She battled with herself and forced her eyes open, forced herself to glance once again around the room. She thought she caught a movement in the corner next to the fireplace, and she allowed her glance to settle there.
She thought it a shadow, a large shadow that dominated the corner, the width and height of it overpowering and intimidating like a dark angel who hovered in wait.
She swallowed her fear and remained focused on the shadow. It moved, only slightly, but it moved.
She waited to see if it would move again.
It did.
It moved away from the fireplace slowly, as if hesitant, and with even slower steps it approached the bed where she lay.
Brianna tried to take a deep breath, but pain rushed into her chest and she gasped as a relentless ache stabbed repeatedly at her body.
Her distress caused the shadow to move faster, and it reached the bed in an instant.
Brianna stared in horror at the sight that hovered over her.
She thought the face that of a man, but she could not be sure, for a freshly stitched scar, red and raw, ran from his forehead over his eye, down his cheek to his jaw. His other eye was badly bruised and swollen almost shut. His lower lip was in the process of healing from a severe split. His multiple injuries had swollen his face grotesquely out of shape so much so that he resembled a demon from the depths of hell. Her response was natural.
