Fraser
My patience wears thin as the night trails on, waiting for my mate to make her nightly appearance.
I pace for hours, holding my side from fear of reassurance. The stabbing pain from earlier may be gone, but the memory of it lingers on just as powerfully.
I still have no idea what it was, but I start to think on it, dissecting the feelings that plagued me in those short moments of sheer agony.
It doesn't make sense, I haven't felt anything like to before. I've handled pain, handled it well, but I've never had to deal with something so unexpected, so sudden and unmatched.
I felt as if my life was being taken from me.
The night comes and goes, the sun has risen from behind the highlands. I don't have to see it to know. It's a natural knowledge ingrained in my veins. I've come to know that as soon as dawn hits I begin to feel drowsy.
And still I have not seen my precious Ailsa.
I wonder if it's impart to due with the visit I had early. If that's the case, they've given me more reason to kill them. I feel cheated. They've taken the only thing that I look forward to.
My mind turns sour as I settle down to sleep. I'm adjusting and readjusting my body until I find something semi comfortable.
A moment of clarity hits me and I sprout up.
Giving Ailsa my blood strengthened the bond. I've given her my blood, she's given me hers. The bond has become more solid, more established.
Strengthening the bond allows you to feel what your mate feels. I felt an unbearable amount of pain, otherwise unexplained. That can only mean one thing.
"Damn it!" I yell, sprinting up and banging my fists against the wall as outrage erupts inside of me, the monster wanting to come out and wage war.
I hit the stone wall again, hearing it crack as tiny pieces of broken pebbles fall across my shoulders. I look up, my hopes brimming, only to see nothing of consequence.
"Damn it all the hell." I run a hand through my hair, breathing harshly as a craze unlike any other rushes through my body.
The hot, liquid fury burns as it travels down my limbs, into each of my fingers, flooding them with strength, strength that I can't even utilize.
I yell out, my voice echoing as it breaks.
She's hurt. She could be dead. I have no way of finding out. I have no way of escaping and helping her. I'm useless here, and I hate it.
I've trained my whole life to be strong, to be an impenetrable force. All of it was in the hopes that one day I would have someone or something that I can protect, something that brought me to my knees with love, something I could fight for. And now that I have her, I've been stripped of that power that I gained just for her.
I jump forward, wrapping my hands around the silver bars, ignoring the sting as I shake them as hard as I can.
They start to bend, and I pull harder, but the pain in my hands builds and builds until it becomes too much.
I release the bars with a gasp, panting as I look down at my hands, turning them to myself to examine the damage I've done.
The skin is red and burned, blisters already bubbling to the surface.
I curse up and down, seething with guilt that no matter how much strength I seem to possess, its not enough, but just barely close enough. I'm so close to being able to break out of here, so damn close. If I just had a little moonlight on my skin I could destroy this cell brick by brick.
The small gap between success and failure makes it seem as if the Moon Goddess is laughing in my face as she watches my hardships from above.
It's as if all the odds are stacked against me. There's nothing I can do. I'm powerless. I'm pathetic.
I yell out again, wanting to pull my hair out.
My mate is in trouble, and I simply must wait for what is to come.
Ailsa
The first thing I feel is aching. I groan, and the sound only fuels the throbbing pain hidden under my skin.
I try to roll away, as if I can get away from the discomfort, but it only worsens and a broken sob leaves my cracked lips.
Although my middle is sor, the real pain laces through my neck. I put my hand to it, hissing at the contact of my fingertips with the tender flesh that's been abused.
What's happened?
I groan, moving from side to side as I struggle to move up the hot sheets wrapped around me.
"Not a chance, lass." Strong, capable hands grasp at me, pulling my body and pinning it to my bed. I fight as fiercely as I can, swinging out and striking something. The person releases a gruff, surprised sound as my fist meets flesh.
"You won't take me, Douglas! I won't allow it. I belong to one man only." I demand, swinging again and hoping to hit him again before he can hurt me.
"Ailsa, open your eyes!" The voice yells.
Oh yes, I forgot I could do that.
Light greets me when I open my eyes, looking around through squinted eyes. It's too bright. After a few blinks, Gentry comes into focus, holding one of my wrists in each hand. Her eyes are wide and round with terror.
I've never seen her look at me like that.
"Never do that ever again!" She says through clenched teeth, releasing me as she shakes her head.
I try to sit up, my lungs clenching, and my maid shoving me back down into my bed with more force than is necessary.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you." I insist, and Gentry rushes to a nearby table, dipping a cloth into a basin of water and hurrying to my side.
She sits on the side of my bed, wiping my forehead with the cold, wet rag and pinching her lips up tight the way she does when she's holding back.
"Not that, lass. It's good that you're finally sticking up for yourself, your form wasn't too bad either." Gentry sighs, cupping my cheek. "Don't scare me like that again. I thought you were dead, or dying, either way I don't want to be put through such a fright. Ever. Again."
My jaw slackens, my lips parting, the events of last night flashing through my mind like lightning strikes.
"Douglas... did he?"
Gentry's expression turns stone like.
"No. He didn't do anything other than give you some bruises. The Ramsay's are leaving today. It gives us a month before your wedding. I'm thanking my lucky stars that it's unlucky to hold a ceremony in May. We have time to stop this madness."
Her fingers skate across my throat and I flinch, closing my eyes as tears threaten. Embarrassment blooms in my chest, and I wish I could run and hide from all of this.
"You still have hope then? That I can escape this fate?" I gesture to my unruly appearance.
Gentry winces, but doesn't answer for awhile, fiddling with the rag.
"If we don't have hope then what will we do? Give up? Give you to that spoiled boy so that he can put more bruises on you until you can't take anymore and you.." She trails off, but I can sort out the blanks for myself well enough.
"Enough of this talk, who's this man you say that you belong to?" Gentry presses, leaning down as she lifts her eyebrows and smiles a little tiny smile.
I gawk, pulling the blanket up to my chin as I curse my groggy self. I should have kept my mouth shut. How am I supposed to explain about Fraser to Gentry?
I can't. It would be too risky.
"You don't know him." I hedge, biting my bottom lip as I picture his handsome, rugged face. "Its a simple crush, really. I'm not sure he cares much for me."
Gentry grins. I've never shown interest in boys before, and I do mean never. They never so much as glanced in my direction, so why would I pay them any mind?
Fraser, however, well Fraser is just different in every way that counts.
"What's his name?"
"No. That's all I'm revealing today, thank you very much."
The bed creaks as Gentry scoots closer, determined to get at least some information out of me about the man I've so suddenly claimed.
"Well, he must be a real catch if you prefer him to Douglas Ramsay."
The joke eases some of the tension in my body, and both of us quake with laughter. I ignore the twinges in my throat, wanting more than anything to not let this attack dampen my spirit.
Sorry i didn't quite live up to a chapter a day! I'm going to try to upload more often this week. No promises it'll be every day, but I'm trying my best to put out more chapters for all of you!! :)