The world seemed to stop. Blood roared in Elise’s ears. And with a cry, she flung everything she had left towards the man she loved.
For a second, her vision went black and she thought she might pass out, but when it cleared, she saw a shimmering shield hanging in the air between Jamie and Phillip—with Phillip’s dagger stuck through it.
For the length of a heartbeat Jamie stared at the barrier, the dagger, Phillip. Then, with a cry of rage, he ducked around the shield, grabbed Phillip MacClelland by the shirt and heaved him onto the rail.
“Jamie, wait!” Phillip cried. “I can explain—”
Jamie didn’t let him finish. With a howl full of fury and hurt he threw Phillip over the side of the ship. For a fraction of a second, Phillip seemed to hang suspended in the air, his eyes going wide as he realized his fate.
Then he plummeted downwards and was gone.
Jamie leaned over the rail, staring at the spot where Phillip had disappeared, shoulders heaving, hair whipping around his head. Then he ran a shaky hand across his forehead and turned,crossing the deck to Elise in three long strides. He fell to his knees in front of her, nudging Martin and Bryn aside.
“Elise,” he said placing his hands on her shoulders. “Are ye all right? Please tell me he didnae hurt ye!”
Elise nodded and threw herself into his arms, clinging to him as though he were the only solid thing left in the world.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered into his shoulder. “I didn’t—I never meant—”
“I know,” he murmured fiercely, holding her tight. “I know.”
She closed her eyes, anchoring herself to the sound of his heartbeat, the warmth of his body. Dimly she heard him give instructions to Bryn and Martin, telling them to signal the other ships to get Isles warriors aboard before Ewan Bruce and the rest of the king’s warriors came around.
But Elise barely heard the words. She buried her head in Jamie’s shoulder, squeezed her arms tight around him, and justbreathed. He was alive. He was unharmed. And he was here. Right now, in this moment, that was all that mattered.
Slowly, he eased his grip and pushed her to arm’s length. His eyes roved over her as though checking she was whole, then he raised one of her hands to his mouth and kissed it.
“Thank all the gods ye are safe,” he breathed. “I couldnae bear it if anything happened to ye, Elise. It would be the end of me.”
She pressed her forehead against his, their breaths mingling. “I knew you’d come for me.”
“Always,” he whispered. “Always.”
The ship beneath them suddenly lurched and Elise looked around to see a large war galley had pulled alongside. Men were pouring onto the deck, tying up the downed king’s men and securing the ship. Roger Beaufort, Jamie’s captain, came stomping over.
“They’re surrendering,” he said, nodding to the king’s fleet around them. “Seems they don’t have much appetite for the fight anymore.”
Jamie nodded and Roger walked off, bellowing orders.
“Is…is it over?” Elise asked in a whisper.
“Aye, lass,” he replied. “It’s over.”
“And ye have completed the task I brought ye here for,” said a voice.
Elise looked around in surprise. With a jolt, she realized that everything around them had somehow…stopped. The people on deck had frozen mid-action and now stood still as statues.
“What in God’s name is going on?” Jamie growled.
“I would have thought that was obvious,” said the voice.
They turned, Jamie’s hand automatically going to the hilt of his dagger, to find a tall woman standing behind them, her long wet hair slicked to the sides of her face and her silver eyes fixed on them with something like amusement.
“Lir?” Elise cried.
A faint smile curled the goddess’s lips. “Were ye expecting somebody else?”
Jamie snaked to his feet, pulling Elise up after him. “What by all that’s holy areyedoing here?”
