It doesn’t mean I want to become a human barbecue.
“I . . . need a moment,” she whispered.
His hands moved to the sides of her face, his fingers threading through her hair. “It’s softer than I thought it would be,” he murmured. “And you’re prettier than the woman I saw in my dreams.”
She couldn’t answer because, at the moment, he was holding her like a cherished possession. As if he couldn’t believe she was real. His blue eyes were shadowed, his face haggard. But there was a fierce hope within his expression.
Her pulse quickened as she reached out to his face. What sort of man was he? His face was clean-shaven, unlike his kinsmen.The bristles on his face were starting to grow smooth. A small scar ridged the edge of his chin up to his lip.
This was a man who had waged battle upon his enemies, a warrior who lived by a different set of rules. And he was staring at her as though she meant everything to him.
“Cian.” She said his name, testing it out.
Before she could speak another word, his mouth lowered to hers. Softly, like they were reunited, he kissed her. Beneath the cloak, she shivered, her flesh rising up with unexpected arousal. He wasn’t the barbarian she’d expected. No, his kiss was seductive, alluring. She could kiss a man like him all night long.
You might have to do more than that,her conscience warned. Three days was a heartbeat in time, barely enough for anyone to become friends, much less fall in love. But a kiss was a start.
He deepened the kiss, cradling her head as his mouth coaxed and tasted. “I’m still dreaming, aren’t I?” He broke free of her, staring at her swollen lips.
Mary clutched the edges of her cloak, not knowing what to say. “It’s not such a bad dream.” Even if he was a stranger, she felt an unusual connection to him.
A half-cocky smile tipped at his mouth. He released her swiftly. “I’ll hunt for our noon meal. In the meantime, you can look about for a gown or some clothes. Ask Brían, if you’ve a need for anything.”
He started to leave, but his gaze suddenly grew distant. For several minutes, he didn’t say a word, but stared at the whitewashed interior walls of the roundhouse. It was as though he’d fallen into a hypnotic trance, one where he lost track of the world around him.
Without warning, his hand curled into a fist, and he cursed in Irish. Cian slammed the door open, and Mary followed him outside. “What’s the matter?”
He stopped short. Casting a glance behind him, he said, “It’s nothing.”
Typical man. “You saw something, didn’t you?” His earlier admission – that he’d dreamed of her – made her wonder what sort of visions he had.
“I did. And we’ll not speak of it again.”
Cian kept walking, his stride quickening. Almost as if he couldn’t wait to be rid of her.
The vision might well have been a razor blade, from the way it sliced through him, cutting to his heart. Cian had seen flashes of Mary, her eyes warm with an unnamed emotion, her arms welcoming. He’d seen her in his bed, her body flushed from lovemaking.
And he’d seen the moment the light had faded from her eyes.
She’d died in his arms, and the pain of losing her was unlike anything he’d known. Damn it all, he’d just found her. He’d sensed that she was the person he’d been searching for, the other half that would fill up the emptiness he’d lived with for so long.
He was so tired of losing loved ones, of foreseeing their deaths. Not again. It was better to live alone, where he didn’t have to endure the visions.
His cousin Logan walked alongside him, his bow ready. “She’s the one you told us about, isn’t she? Your bride.”
“I thought so at first. But I was wrong. She can stay for a few days, until her kin can find her.” After that, he’d not see her again.
“But you said –”
“I know what I said,” Cian snapped. Since they’d likely scared off any of the game, he didn’t bother keeping his voice low. “But I’m not about to let my curse affect her. If she stays, she’s going to die.”
“It might not be until she’s older. Years from now,” Logan argued.
“I’ve already seen it.” He closed his eyes, trying to will away the vision. “Perhaps if she leaves, it won’t happen quite so soon.” In the vision, she’d been cradled in his arms. The sooner he sent her away, the better chance that she would live.
“You’ve no control over another person’s fate, Cian. Only God can decide when a person is ready to die.”
“I’m tired of being God’s messenger.” He shook his head. “Leave me here, Logan. I’ve a need to be alone.”
