Page 91 of A Bride for the Icy Highlander
Abigail pressed a hand to his chest. “Dinnae move. Ye havenae fully healed yet,” she said, brushing his hair from his brow. “Freya’s been watchin’ over ye.”
Kian turned his head toward her sister. “Then I owe ye me thanks, Freya. Ye’ve done me a kindness.”
Freya tilted her head, her expression unreadable. “I did what needed to be done, nothin’ more.” Her tone wasn’t cold, just careful.
Kian gave a weak smile. “Still, I’m grateful. If nae for ye, I’d likely be dead.”
Freya didn’t reply at first, her gaze darting between the two of them. There was a flicker in her eyes, a flash of something deeper. Kian recognized it at once—sisterly love. Fierce, protective love for her sister.
He respected it.
He wanted to earn it.
“I ken ye have nay reason to trust me,” he said, meeting her eyes. “But I’ll spend every day tryin’ to prove that I’m worthy of her.”
Freya’s eyebrows rose. “Big words, comin’ from a man still half-full of poison.”
Abigail laughed, and Kian managed a weak chuckle.
“Fair enough,” he relented, shifting slightly against his pillow. “But I mean them.”
Freya folded her arms and gave a small nod. “Then I’ll hold ye to them. Abigail deserves only the best, nae half-truths or broken promises.”
“She’ll get neither from me,” Kian vowed, his voice steady.
Freya moved to check his forehead. “The fever’s nearly gone now. Yer color’s better, and the herbs have drawn out most of the poison. Another day or two, and the worst will be behind ye.”
Kian exhaled slowly. “Feels like I’ve been under for days.”
“Aye,” Freya said. “The poison fought hard, but ye fought harder.”
Kian turned his gaze back to Abigail, his heart full. “For her.”
Abigail gave him a smile, though her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Rest easy now, Kian. Ye’re safe.”
“I believe ye,” he said softly.
“I’ll fetch more water,” Freya spoke up. “Ye’ll need it soon.”
With a nod, she left the room, the door closing quietly behind her.
Kian let the silence settle for a moment, then turned back to Abigail. “She’s fierce, that one.”
“She is,” Abigail agreed, her fingers tracing along his arm. “She’s always looked out for me.”
“I can see that. I hope one day she’ll look at me with something other than suspicion.”
“She will,” Abigail assured him. “Just give her time.”
“I will,” he said, turning his hand to intertwine their fingers. “I’ve got nothin’ but time now… so long as ye’re by me side.”
She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Always.”
He closed his eye briefly, letting her warmth sink into him.
Another day passed, and though his strength returned bit by bit, a weight hung heavy in his chest. His body mended, but his spirit wrestled with guilt for blindly trusting Peyton.
He could still see the look in her eyes when he’d collapsed, the way she’d turned her back as if he were no more than a pawn she’d knocked off the board. Leighton had mentioned her sitting silent in the dungeons, eating only what was handed to her, refusing to speak.
