My Highland Home

MHH Chapter 29

I hadn't meant to do it! All our careful planning was ruined. My terrified mind raced and tried to recover from the blow I'd just suffered. My ears were ringing, my face throbbed and my heart was thundering in my chest. I couldn't make out much in the gloom of the room, lightened by the meagre light from a single candle, but the blood that was seeping into the little nest I had previously rested upon gleamed darkly. Reflexively my hand tightened on the handle of the dirk, it was sticky and warm.

My nightdress was pressing against my skin with the same sticky, cloying warmth. The room was awash in the foul taint of rot and iron. It felt at any moment my stomach might rebel, but I couldn't take my eyes away from the perverse horror that lie before me long enough to get ill. My whole body shook. I don't know if it was from fear, adrenaline or pure disbelief. I felt like a wild thing, spurred by instinct, crouched as I was in the corner furthest from the carnage that decorated my bed. The figure sprawled there was face down, pillowed in a pool of his own blood, his pants garishly bunched around his ankles. Even in death, his rust coloured hair stood on end.

Sucking in a breath of the fouled air, I was suddenly angered that he had dared to pollute my space with his stench. Feverishly I pushed aside my anger and tried to piece together the implications of what I had done and how they impacted my escape plans. For the first time in I don't know how many minutes my gaze drifted to the furrow in the stone. The small glimpse it allowed me of the sky told me that it was late. I'd gone to bed hours ago, hadn't I?

Yes, I thought, I had. My eyes had felt heavy with sleep shortly after the grey of twilight had turned to the blue black of full dark. I had brushed out my hair and crawled beneath my blankets shortly after. The tears and the agony of my broken heart came then, as successful as I was at denying them during the daylight my will was beaten and broken by the time I lay down. So as all my previous nights I had cried myself to sleep. That was when I entered the best part of my day, which I looked forward to from the moment I awoke, my dreams. In my dreams Colin lay beside me, his lips whispering sweet words I so longed to hear, one of his strong hands placed low on my abdomen cradling our sleeping child. In some of them he would kiss and cuddle me, in others he would wrap me in his arms and tell me that he'd never let me go.

But all those beautiful dreams, they'd been interrupted tonight. I'd shifted uncomfortably in my sleep, somehow conscious that something had drastically changed. Colin had warned me to protect myself and slipped from our bed and disappeared as though he'd turned to a shadow in the dark room. The blanket had shifted, the scent of alcohol had invaded my senses and dry, rough hands had plucked none too gently at my gown. My eyes had snapped open at that point. The dream had mixed in a kaleidoscope fashion with the reality. My arms had slapped at those hands and tried to bar access to the top of my night dress. A slap had been my reward, immediately I felt the warm ooze of blood from my left nostril.

I don't know what had possessed me. Perhaps it was because I knew without a doubt that Colin would never slap me? Or maybe it had been the glimpse of that wild red hair. Whatever it was, my right hand delved into my nest, digging for the dirk that I had hidden there days, maybe weeks by now, ago. James had given it to me, along with a bundle of clothes. I'd done my best to hide them, but still have them plenty accessible in case we had to make our escape in a hurry. My fingers were frantic, my whole body bucked in protest as he struggled with the hem of my night dress and then with his own pants. But I'd found the dirk, it wasn't too late!

It wasn't supposed to have happened, I thought morosely. Never in my entire life had I ever imagined killing someone. I hadn't meant to do it, but I wasn't going to let him... no I couldn't let him. Sinking shakily to my knees, my lower lip sucked between my teeth to keep from becoming ill, I fought against the panic. I knew I should be getting dressed and not wasting these precious moments, but I couldn't bring myself to do that with his body in the room. Get a grip Kenzie! Worry about the wounds to your psyche later, right now get your ass in gear and get the hell out of here before someone misses the lecherous bastard!