Page 37 of Highlander’s Evil Side

Chapter Sixteen

Fraser

Fraser didn’t know why he went to Beitris’s rooms. He knew he should see a healer about his head. A belly full of food wouldn’t hurt either, but he wanted the villagers to have their fill first. They had just lost their homes. The healer would be busy for the next several hours, tending to their burns and scrapes.

Fraser could wait.

What he really needed was Beitris’s gentle touch and soft voice. He wanted to tell her what happened to the village, ask her for her advice, lean on her for support. The day had been so long. Each step up the long, spiraling staircase left his body trembling, and he wondered if he would be able to tell her anything before his body finally gave out.

Fraser trudged through the corridors, wandering from side to side. He nearly tripped over his feet twice before making it to Beitris’s door. His head leaned against the door frame while his knuckles wrapped lightly at the wood. He groaned, waiting for an answer, yet none came.

Was she angry with him?

Fraser frowned. He knew she was disappointed he didn’t take her, but he couldn’t risk any harm coming her way. She was attacked by brigands shortly before returning to the castle. Her entire body had been trembling on the return, and he worried at any minute she would topple over. He didn’t mean to sound patronizing if that was how she took it.

Beitris was important to him. He only wished for her safety.

Fraser knocked again, harder this time. When no answer came, he slowly opened the door, wondering if she was merely sleeping. His frown deepened when he found the bed unoccupied. Pushing the door further ajar, he found the room completely empty.

Where had she gone?

Too exhausted to search the castle for her, he stumbled inside, perching at the end of her bed. Maybe he was too bold, but he wanted to see her, know she was safe, explain himself to her. All he wanted to do was see her face.

He groaned while massaging his temples. His wound was beginning to ache, making his head throb, yet the bleeding thankfully stopped. He wondered briefly if Beitris would be willing to tend to him. The thought brought a smile to his lips, which quickly dissipated when he heard crying beyond the door.

Fraser straightened on the bed, watching the door open. Beitris paused, her mouth gaping open and her eyes widening. Her face paled, her body trembling. She shook her head, her gaze running up and down the length of him. Slowly, he rose, worried she would faint. She looked as if she was staring at an apparition.

Perhaps the day had been too much for her. She had been so worried about him when he left. Perhaps she thought he would never return. “Beitris,” he whispered, slowly rising and reaching for her. He wanted her in his arms, to hold her tight and never let her go.

“H-how?” she asked shakily, her legs giving out. Fraser rushed towards her, shocked she had fallen so swiftly. “How are ye here, Fraser?”

Fraser blinked, not understanding her words. He watched her turn around, her words making the hair on the back of his neck rise as she said, “When ye were there.”

Fraser felt as if the ground was giving out below him, and he was falling into a dark abyss. Who had Beitris just seen? Fraser swallowed, feeling his insides twisting, his skin crawling. She had just seen someone who looked like him. That someone was in the castle.

What had he done to her to make her react so?

Fraser took in Beitris’s swollen red eyes, the dark circles marring the skin underneath them. He kneeled before her, touching her shoulders gently, wanting to pull her towards him and provide her with all the warmth and support in the world.

As Fraser listened to her speak, he was tempted to go to his mother’s rooms, demand to know who she had been speaking with. But he knew he couldn’t leave Beitris like this, and most likely, the assailant was already gone. She was having difficulty breathing, catching her breath; he feared she would pass out from sheer exhaustion. The day had been too much for her, and he wished he could have remained by her side. But his people needed him.

They had also spoken of a man who appeared just like their laird.

What is happening?Fraser wondered.

He remained rooted where he stood, knowing what Beitris needed now was space in order to make sense of what was happening.

“I was here?” Fraser asked. “What did I look like?”

Tears streamed down Beitris’s cheeks, and Fraser wanted to kiss them all away. He wanted to kiss her pain away and tell her everything would be fine. He would find this man who had harmed her.

She stared back at him, and he found a glimmer of recognition invoking hope within him. He watched as Beitris inhaled deeply, her breaths wheezing.

“Tell me what happened, Beitris,” he said gently, “Tell me what this man did to ye, what he said.”

Beitris’s lips quivered. He watched her swallow a sob, her shoulders shaking. Fraser stepped towards the window, hoping by creating space, she would realize he was her Fraser. “Please,” he said, gesturing towards the bed. “Sit. Tell me what happened. Yer safe here, I promise ye.”

Beitris took a hesitant step forward, followed by another, and then another until she was perched at the end of the bed. The door was ajar, and though Fraser feared someone would listen to their discussion, he also knew Beitris needed the door open in order to feel safe.