Page 37 of Highlander of Steel
“As long as ye get to me, I daenae mind,” Killian drawled.
Hugging herself against the cold that she knew was about to assault her, she took a breath, closed her eyes, and tiptoed into the water.
“Oh… oh mercy! Oh… oh God… oh, ye bloody bastard… oh…” She huffed and puffed, plucking every rude word she knew out of her mind and onto her tongue as she waded deeper.
The water covered her feet first, then she felt it lick her ankles… her calves… her knees… slapping against her thighs… and up and up. She had no idea if she was heading in the right direction. She couldn’t think beyond the flashing, flaring feeling in her head ofcold, cold, cold.Her breathing was shallow, her body shaking, but at least it wasn’t fear making her tremble. This was simpler, somehow.
As the saltwater climbed up her stomach, chilling her ribs, she had to wonder if Killian was out there at all. Surely, she should have reached him by now?
Pausing, she cracked one eye open to find him wading backward.
“Oi!” she barked, her teeth chattering.
He stopped immediately and held out his hand to her. “Ye were doin’ so well; I didnae want to disturb ye.”
“Aye, well, ye’re more likely to make me go back to the shore, doin’ foolish things like that!” she retorted, glancing back at the beach.
A gasp slipped past her lips as she realized just how far she had come. The sand was still a safe distance away, and the sight of land soothed her, but shewasa little proud of her progress.
“I apologize,” Killian said, wading toward her.
She focused on his blue eyes, warmed ever so slightly as his hands came to rest on her upper arms. An anchor to steady her, while a subtle current flowed past her legs. Not enough to knock her over, but more noticeable now that she was standing still.
“How do ye feel?” he asked.
Ailis thought for a moment. “I feel nothin’.”
“Nay fear?”
She managed a sly smile. “Nay, I mean I cannae feel anythin’. I’m completely numb.”
But he had been right about the cold water not being so bad once she was in it. By some strange force or phenomenon, the parts of her body that were submerged weren’t nearly as cold as the parts that were getting splashed.
“Well, I can help with that,” he told her, and promptly pulled her in, his arms wrapping tightly around her.
The heat of his bare skin was a welcome thing, like stepping out of the snow to find a brazier burning brightly. She didn’t hesitate to draw every last bit of warmth she could out of him, pressing her upper body against his chest, her hands curling into fists between them.
“Ye daenae seem as terrified,” he murmured as he held her.
She frowned, gazing at a small scar on his collarbone. “I daenaefeelas terrified. There are too many other things to think and feel that… it’s been pushed down somewhere.” She took a breath. “It’s there, the little… current of anxiety, but it’s… strugglin’ against the rest.”
“I’d wager it’s like forgettin’ that it’s cold,” he said.
She laughed at that. “I daenae think I have much chance of forgettin’ that it’s cold.”
“Give it a moment.”
He held her tighter, and as she relished the heat of him, she found herself listening not to the whispers of the sea, but to his slow breathing. And to the faint thud of his heart as she rested her cheek against his chest.
“Warmer?” he asked.
She gave a small nod.
“So ye’re ready to swim now?” he asked, amusement in his voice.
Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowing. “Swim? Nay, I’ll drown.”
“Which is why ye’re nae alone,” he soothed. “As long as I’m here, I willnae let ye drown.”
