23
The world faded in and out as Izzy tried not to let her head dunk under the turbulent waters around her. She knew the moment she let the water come up over her, she'd be done for, and nothing but the grace of God would bring her back. But fighting was hard and painful, even with the reward as great as Aaron. Izzy hoped that with her passing, he'd find true happiness.
"Ye cannae die on me."Aaron's voice was muffled and sounded as if he were stuck in some hole in the ground. Izzy smiled as images of Aaron skipped through her mind, filling out the dark spots in her vision. Aaron stood but feet from her with his hand extended and a crooked grin plastered on his lips. "I willnae allow it. Do ye hear me? Ye cannae leave me… I love ye. So ye see? Ye've got to come back to me."
"Leave the poor lass be;her body needs the rest." Izzy heard an elderly raspy voice announce through the darkening clouds. Confused by the state of things, Izzy turned around. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware that she wasn't well. Shelooked to the left to find images of her mother drifting by. Izzy hadn't thought of her family since she landed in Scotland, and now that she was struggling to hold on to her wits, seeing them only made her want to fight harder to stay.
"Come inside,Izzy; ye'll catch a deathly cold."
"You worry far toomuch about the child. A bit of cold will do her some good. Make her strong," Izzy's father interjected. Izzy's heart skipped. How long had it been since she had seen her family? Was her mother well? Or had she reached her wits end tending to Izzy's father?
If it wasn'tone question, it was another that seemed to anchor her to the moment. With each thought came a new worry, and with each new worry, a new chain, thicker than the last wrapped around her waist, anchoring her to the spot.
"Stay with me,please. I cannae face this world without ye. Or have ye nae figured out just how much ye mean to me?" Aaron's voice rattled in Izzy's ear. It sounded like something she had heard in a lullaby once upon a time. Her heart fluttered wildly as Izzy pushed against the turbulent and violent images of Caiden with his hooked nose and sinister grin. She didn't want to think about how many times he raked his blade over her skin.
"Stop, please,"Izzy pleaded as she turned around, too frightened by the emptiness before her. "I'm sorry. I'll do better. I'll be better. Just stop. Don't hurt Aaron. He doesn't deserve it. If anyone is to be punished, punish me."
Izzy droppedher shoulders as she tried to understand the darkness around her and the plethora of voices that seemed all be vying for her attention. She pulled in quick gulps, but it wasn't enough to quench the need for air her lungs so longed for. Was this what dying was like? She didn't know. The pain gave her the impression that her journey had just started. After all, death would taste sweeter, wouldn't it?
"Stay with me,love, please. Ye cannae leave me; nae now."
"Aaron?"Izzy's voice droned on over the crackle of silence that engulfed her. It didn't matter which way she shifted or looked; Aaron was nowhere to be found. For a moment, she wondered if she had somehow dreamed him into existence. Surely there never was a man who loved her more. From the moment she met the man, he cared for her. And what did she do? A huge chunk of Izzy's heart cracked and fell like boulders tumbling down a cliff.
Just as swiftly asAaron came, he was gone, faded like a dream she just couldn't hold on to. More of Izzy's heart fell as memories of her life began to fade like the embers of a dying fire. She pulled in a long deep breath as panic poked and prodded through every fiber of her being.
"Aaron."His name was like a dagger on the tip of her tongue as she shot up. The world was dark with a sliver of silver light splitting the shadows from the nightmares.
"I'm here."Aaron's husky voice was tainted with sleep and worry. "Izzy? Are ye really awake this time?"
Izzy scanned the room.Everything from the four-post bed to the chair next to the fireplace was familiar, yet it didn't feel like it was her room. She clung to the blankets for support as the shadows shifted and parted, allowing Aaron to escape.
"Where?"
"I hadye brought to me chambers," he answered as he appeared next to her. The mattress under Izzy shifted from his weight as he pressed the palm of his hand to Izzy's forehead. "Ye're still hot, but I think the worst is over."
"What happened?"
"What do ye remember?"Aaron asked. There was joy in his voice, that much Izzy was aware of, but she could also hear the sorrow and pain that she just didn't understand.
"Caiden…Melina, she doesn't know what her father has done. Or what happened to him." She paused as she tried to piece together the events, but it was hard to make sense of the whirlwind of events. "What am I going to tell her? Should I say he left?"
"He dinnae leave,and there's nay reason to lie to the lass," Aaron answered as he slipped his hand under hers. Izzy's heart jumped and skipped the moment Aaron made contact. It had felt as if she had been weightless for so long, and his touch was what she needed to come back down. The nightmare she'd been living in was over. Everything she had every wanted was right in frontof her. She pulled in a long deep breath as she studied Aaron's face.
The worrythat had been flickering through Aaron's eyes stopped. Peace came over him as he brushed back the loose strands of Izzy's hair. The tip of his thumb grazed over her cheek bone like a hot poker igniting her longing for him.
"You killed him, didn't you?"
"Wouldye prefer if I lie to ye?" he asked as he molded his hand to her face. Izzy leaned into the warmth it provided. Never in all her life had she felt so safe.
"Don't ever lie to me,"Izzy answered, her tone sharp and direct, leaving no question about her motives and intentions. "But you did it to save me. Again."
"About that,"Aaron said as his frown shifted to a smirk. "I'd prefer if ye would stop puttin' yerself in danger."
"Me? If I recall…"Izzy started and was stopped just as quickly by the throbbing in her head. She pressed her hand to her head. Aaron was at her side in a flash, his body curling around her as if to protect her from any and all pain.
"It's me fault,"he whispered as he buried his head in her bosom. He wasn't the brute that claimed her at the Baron's party but a child nestled next to her with worry that went beyond what he could understand. Aaron's grip tightened as his voice crackedwith emotion. "Blame me for it all, I daenae care, just please daenae go back to sleep."
After everythingthey had been through together, from Caiden's death threats to nearly plunging to her death, it was this moment that broke Aaron? He crumbled around her, clinging to her as if she were his life line in a sea that threatened to toss him about. Izzy held him, wishing she could take his worry and concern away.
