My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

“Really?” Kennedy lowered the barrel of thepistol and ground it against the bloody wound on Hero’s arm,causing her to cry out in pain. Ian leapt forward, but when Kennedylifted the pistol to her temple he froze in his tracks. “She is thekey, isn’t she?”

“Are you truly so depraved that you couldjust shoot her?” Ian asked.

“It’s not as difficult as you might think towatch someone die.”

Ian’s eyes met Hero’s. Kennedy was wrong. Ithad been hard enough to see hardened soldiers die on thebattlefields, to watch the life leech from the eyes of men underhis command, his friends. He could not watch Hero die. Ian woulddie with her, or certainly without her. “I accept your bargain. Lether go.”

“Ian, no!” Hero pleaded, struggling againstKennedy once more. She couldn’t let him do that. Couldn’t allow himto sacrifice his life for hers. “I won’t let you.”

“It is a conundrum, isn’t it?” Kennedy saidthoughtfully. “Problem is, I believe her more than I believe you.She wouldn’t sit quietly at all. What a shame, really.”

With no other warning, Kennedy flung Herothrough the gap in the rampart wall. Too terrified to even scream,Hero instead heard Ian’s harsh cry of denial as she went over theside. Desperately, Hero grasped for purchase on the remaining partsof the wall, some of the smaller rocks breaking away at herefforts. Feet dangling over the furious waters of the firth and herinjured arm screaming in pain, she fought against the weight of herskirts and petticoats. She tried to push herself up again, butinstead slipped farther down, yet to her surprise, the bottom ofher steel-boned corset caught on the stone and levered her inplace.

Ian was already there, dropping to his kneesand catching her under the elbow. “Hero!”

“Get him!” she panted out. “I’m allright.”

“No!” He pulled her up, wincing at the painin his side, but the slight movement lifted Hero from the perch hercorset had found for her against edge of the stone and Ian was leftwith her full weight to support.

Her sudden collapse dragged Ian to his knees;his grip slid to her wrist and left her entire weight danglingthere from her injured arm.

“Ian!” she screeched in terror, tryingfrantically to gain some foothold. The pain in her arm wasexcruciating, sending fire shooting up her arm, but Hero knew onlyworse things awaited her. Releasing the edge of the wall with herother hand, Hero grasped at his arm with both hands, putting herdestiny squarely in his hands.

Black spots danced before her eyes, and for amoment Hero heard strange voices yelling before her visionbrightened once more and Ian came back into focus. “Help me! Helpme, please! Don’t let me go!” she begged him, staring up into hisdark eyes. Eyes that normally carried nothing but love and humornow held despair.

“I’m not going to let you go, my love. Iwon’t,” he assured her through gritted teeth, but Hero could feelhis grip slipping on her bloody wrist. “Just hold on!”

“Oh God, Ian,” Hero whimpered as again hervision dulled. Now red lights like those in her nightmares floodedher vision, and Hero knew then that the nightmare had shown her herdeath. She blinked the image away, trying to focus on Ian.

“I won’t let go! I won’t!” He clenched histeeth and pulled harder, lifting her back up, until she was able tothrow one arm around his waist, allowing him also to take theopportunity to reach down and get a better hold on her. “I’ve gotyou, Hero. I’ve got you, my love,” he murmured as he pulled her tohim.

The terror subsided as Hero felt his armscome around her. She tried to help him by lifting a knee over theedge of the balcony, but her skirts wouldn’t allow it. She wasstill helpless, though safe for the moment. “We’re fine,” shegasped into his shoulder. “Everything’s going to be all right.”

“That was beautiful to watch,” Kennedysneered. “But I’m afraid your conclusion is quite incorrect.”

Hero looked up to see Camron standing overthem, his face bruised and bloody, as he lowered the pistol to thebase of Ian’s skull. Terror unlike any she had ever experiencedflooded her. “No, please!” she begged with a sob, holding out ahand in supplication.

“Say goodbye,” he snarled piteously, and Heroknew that she had only a moment to do just that, as Ian curledprotectively around her, his only thought even then to saveher.

Her eyes met Ian’s, and in a split secondthat look said everything of their regrets and of the love thatcould have been theirs. A single tear slipped down her cheek. Why?Why had fate given so much? Given something neither of them knewthey wanted or needed, only to rip it away?

Why? Her heart cried, twistingpainfully. “Ian …”

A shot rang out, and Ian’s eyes widened.“No!” Hero screamed hoarsely, clutching Ian to her as the force ofthe shot threw him against her. “Ian!”

He looked up at her one last time, but thelife was already leeching from his loving brown eyes. His lipsmoved, “Hero … my love …”

The pistol fired again.

“No, Ian, no!” she sobbed as agony clawed ather heart. Anguish ate at her soul as she cradled his bloodied headto her breast, pressing a kiss and then another against the crownof his head. Tears fell heedlessly now, mixing with his blood.

Never had Hero known such pain existed. Athousand bullets could not hurt so. “Please, don’t go!” shewhimpered. His arms began to relax, but Hero couldn’t bring herselfto care over her precarious position. He was gone. Gone! For her.Ian had died for her. He could have taken Camron apart, but insteadhe had come to save her. Pain engulfed her, numbing her toeverything around her. No wind, no thunder of the waves below.Nothing. “I love you,” she choked out the words hoarsely from hertear-clogged throat. “Always. Forever.”

“Very touching, Lady Ayr,” Kennedy grumbled,putting a booted foot against Ian’s slumped shoulder and pushing.“But it is time for us to say goodbye as well.”

Hero gasped in alarm as she realized whatCamron intended to do, and instinctively reached with one hand forthe wall that still stood.

“No!” came a thundering shout just as Camronpushed Ian again. Behind Camron, Hero could