Fraser 02 - Highland Quest by B. J. Scott Read Free Book Online

the center. She didn’t dare voice her belief that the precious gem held protective powers. Though Bryce accepted much about her, she feared that would be too much for him to believe.
    “I canna take this. It means too much to you.” Bryce tried to give it back, but she closed his fist around the gift.
    “You will take it and keep it with you. Promise me you’ll wear it.” She peered up at him through tearful eyes and smiled. “Now be off.” She turned to walk away, but he grasped her elbow and drew her into an embrace.
    “Not without a goodbye kiss.” He lowered his head and their lips were about to touch when he hesitated.
    Fallon closed her eyes and waited, but when the kiss did not come she looked at him in disbelief. “What’s wrong?”
    “Your uncle is staring out the window, watching my every move,” he whispered. “He has been so kind, I dinna want to show him any disrespect by making improper advances.”
    Fallon glanced over her shoulder, and spotted Donald as he disappeared behind the curtain.
    Once again Fate had stepped in when they were about to share an intimate moment. Mayhap it was sign. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him soundly, then moved away. “Take that with you, Bryce, and be careful. She turned and scurried into the croft.

Chapter 4
    “No! Dinna go. Please come back,” Fallon called out to the brown-haired man, but he paid her no mind.
    Wrapped in a shroud, he walked with stealth away from her. According to Scottish lore, this was a very bad omen to be sure.
    Her breath caught and her chest tightened when a woman with fiery red hair came into view and blocked his path.
    Desperate to keep them apart, Fallon tried to hurry forward, but she couldn’t will her legs to move. She called out again, but this time she had no voice.
    It was too late to intervene.
    The red-haired beauty flashed the man a smile and beckoned him to her side with a wave of her hand.
    The man quickened his pace, closing the distance between them. He pulled the woman into his arms and buried his face in the curve of her neck.
    Fallon gasped. With her hand clutched to her throat, she watched in horror as the woman’s once comely features transformed into those of a wrinkled old hag.
    The man raised his head and glanced over his shoulder, revealing his identity as the woman prepared to claim his soul.
    “Bryce. No!”
    Fallon’s head snapped back and her eyes flew open. Her heart hammered against her ribs, her stomach twisted with fear, and her chest constricted. She couldn’t breathe. While she was aware the events in her vision were symbolic and not real, they still unnerved her greatly.
    The Scots were deep-rooted in their mythical heritage and belief in the power of magic, both good and evil, especially the Highlanders. Unwelcome visits from the taibhs , spirits who resembled those about to die, haunted her dreams.
    While she should be accustomed to the premonitions by now, they never failed to catch her off guard, leaving her physically and emotionally drained. Especially when they showed the possible demise of someone she cared about.
    Fallon shuddered at the thought of her most recent vision. She had to warn Bryce, to do something to intervene or he’d die at the hands of his enemy.
    “Where is he?”
    The gruff male voice caused the hairs on the back of Fallon’s neck to bristle. She spun around, her eyes locking with the hostile gaze of a robust warrior dressed in a heavy linen gambeson, a tunic of mail and brandishing a claymore. She immediately recognized the plaid often worn by the Clan MacDougall draped over his shoulder. A few feet behind him stood two of his burly clansmen, one on either side of her uncle. She sucked in a short, sharp breath and averted her eyes, trying not to stare at Donald’s disheveled appearance, the bruises on his face, or the jagged cut above his left eye. There was no doubt in her mind he’d suffered a brutal beating at the hand of these scoundrels.
    “I told you she