Highlander´s Angel: A Historical Scottish Romance Novel

by Matie Cole

  “You are whoever you want to be,” he murmured back quietly. “I will love you whoever you are. I have always loved you and I will always love you. I never should have let you go either. I love you.”

  She smiled to herself as her eyes began to close. This was heaven for her, it was absolutely perfect. If it had been real and Bryson had rushed to her rescue like the hero he always was for her, then it would have been the best day of her whole life. She would have loved it more than anything in the world.

  “Let me see you, Maisie,” Bryson whispered to her. “I need to see you. To know that you are alright.”

  She leaned back, knowing that it was not Bryson she was going to see, but Ray... yet her mind created him. The man smiling back at her with sheer love in his eyes was the only person she wanted to see. Maisie was grateful for that. She needed to see him, he was everything to her...

  “I am here with you,” she whispered quietly, reaching out to touch the gentle skin on his cheek. “I am here with the most wonderful man in the world and that is all I have ever wanted.”

  “I can take you back to Goraidh Castle, if that is what you want.” Bryson asked her cautiously. “I know that you have another home, so I will take you there if you wish. Or I can take you with me.”

  “I only want to be with you. It is the only place in the world for me. Goraidh Castle all the way.”

  “I should not have allowed this to happen to you,” Bryson told her sadly. “I wish that I had not let you go. I do apologize. It was only after you left that I recalled your nightmares, and I knew then that these were the people who had been coming for you in your dreams. These were the ones that you were having nightmares about all along. I struggled to explain that to my men, they did not understand why I would allow you to leave and then chase after you, but I was right. All along. I knew it. I could feel it.”

  Maisie slid her eyes closed and allowed herself to drift off into her fantasy for a little while longer. She did not want Bryson to vanish, she wanted to have him here with her for as long as she could. She was very afraid that any minute now he could vanish and there was nothing that she could do about it.

  “Bryson, you had no choice,” she whispered. “I was the one who was silly enough to believe in what those horrible people told me. I should have listened to my gut and known. They were not looking for me because they wanted to take care of me. It was because they wanted me dead.” She chuckled mirthlessly to herself. “Lauren tried to tell me that you were the one after my father’s fortune, but I knew that it was not the truth. I knew that you were not like that. You would never do anything like that. It was them. They were the ones who wanted to take from me. They wanted it all and needed me dead.”

  “You are not going to die,” Bryson reassured her. “I have you now. There is no chance of death.”

  “But I am already dead,” she murmured back. “I must be, or I would not be with you. You are back at Goraidh Castle, mourning because our wedding day was an absolute disaster.”

  “Maisie, I am here.” Bryson narrowed his eyes at her, wondering why she had not picked up on that yet. “I am here with you. I came after you. I came to save you. I came to take you back from those people because I knew that I could not trust them. I knew that I should not have let you go, Maisie. Especially because I love you as much as I do. I love you and I want you with me at all times. June does too, as do the rest of the clan. And Anice... Anice misses you like crazy. She was mad at me for letting you go.”

  Maisie reached out and stroked his cheeks, this time accepting the strange and bizarre truth, that Bryson really was here with her. She was not his angel, not in the literal sense anyway, but he was her hero. Instinctively, Bryson had known that she needed him, and he came for her, just like he always would do.

  “You are here,” she cried out, weeping hard. “You are here to help me. I cannot believe how lucky I am. I cannot believe that you have come for me. I do not know how I can thank you enough...”

  “You do not need to thank me,” he declared back, starting to get a little emotional now as he saw the state that Maisie was working herself into. Clearly, this whole experience had been even more traumatic for her than he dared to believe. Guilt flooded him, he knew that he should not have allowed this to happen. Maisie was his fiancée and he let her walk off into danger. What sort of man did that turn him into? “I would do anything for you, Maisie. I want to always be the man to save you. I never want to be away from you again. It has been absolute torture for me, I will admit that to you now.”

  “I have not enjoyed it either,” Maisie giggled. “And if you are really here and this is not a dream, then I would love to be with you forever as well. I do not want to be away from you ever. You do not know how much I have missed you, Bryson. My life felt incomplete without you. Even if it was only a short time, I did not like it. The world is a much better place with you around.”

  This was no longer a nightmare for her, but a dream come true. She just hoped and prayed more than anything in the world that it was all really happening.

  Chapter 21

  “W hat is that noise?” Maisie twisted around, pulling herself away from Bryson ever so slightly. “What is happening?” Any sounds freaked her out now, she found it much too challenging. “Bryson, please!”

  “You do not need to look.” He attempted to shield her eyes, but she would not accept anything. Maisie no longer felt like she needed to be protected. She had already seen far too much, and she wanted to know what was going on. If this was something that she needed to worry about, then Maisie wanted to know. She had spent far too long not knowing everything and it ended up hurting her badly. “Maisie, stop...”

  “Ray is dead?” She was not sure why this surprised her, but it did. Of course, now it made a lot of sense. He would not have stopped attacking her unless someone had done something to him. “What happened?”

  Bryson did not need to answer that question because Maisie could already see. As soon as he had seen Ray attacking Maisie he had acted immediately. He shot the arrow that slammed into Ray and prevented him from doing anything else to harm her. Bryson did not think twice. He saw the woman that he loved being harmed and he did what he could to keep her alive. But he did not want Maisie to think that he was a monster. He was not sure that she would like to see what he could do. Especially after today...

  “Oh, wow, I see.” Maisie gulped and nodded slowly. “Well, I suppose he would have killed me.”

  “Yes, that was what he wanted. He wanted to kill you. I only did what I could to save you.”

  Maisie allowed that to wash over her. Bryson had killed Ray to prevent him from hurting her. That made him a killer as well. But she did not see him as a bad person. She knew that he only did what he needed to in order to save her. She imagined that if the roles were reversed, she would have done the same thing for him. She would have done anything to keep him alive. He was her hero. Now and always.

  “I only got here just on time as well,” Bryson continued, knowing that he needed to justify himself in any way possible. “I only had the chance to shoot one arrow at him. Thankfully, it hit him.”

  Bryson would not have been able to forgive himself if he had arrived too late. He could not have another woman that he loved die, especially because there was nothing that he could have done this time and guilt would kill him. With Maisie, if he had been smarter, she would have stayed alive. It would have been the end of him.

  “Yes, thankfully. You kept me alive, Bryson. You saved me. I am so grateful for that.”

  Bryson’s men made a lot of noise over in the other direction so both him and Maisie turned to see. Maisie stiffened hard when she spotted what had created the commotion. She gasped so loudly that even Bryson began to panic along with her. She was simply not expecting to see Lauren’s body so soon after she killed her. The woman was a sight to be seen, she had never looked so damn dreadful.

  “Lauren is dead as well. Ray’s sister,” Bryson continued sadly. Yet
a part of him was glad as well because he did not want anyone ever coming for Maisie again. The pain was too much. “Good riddance.”

  Maisie hung her head low, sadness encompassing her. She did not want to admit the truth to Bryson for fear of him seeing her differently, but she also could not lie to him. If he was really going to love her then he needed to know about every part of her, including the bits that he might not like so much. It scared Maisie to admit it aloud, but she knew that she had absolutely no choice in the matter.

  “It was me,” she said quietly, almost so quietly that Bryson did not hear her. “I was the one who killed Lauren.” She shook her head sadly. “I did not mean to. It happened in the scuffle. She tried to kill me first and I snatched the dagger away from her. I took it to save myself and she fell forwards. It pierced her heart and I feel so terrible about it. I did not mean for her to die. I did not want anyone to die.”

  She sobbed hard into Bryson’s chest, fearing that he would push her away now that he knew what she was capable of. She had not killed Lauren to save someone else, simply herself. It felt selfish somehow.

  “I should have attacked her another way,” she insisted, more to herself than anyone else at this point. “I should have never used the dagger to threaten her like that. I was not thinking straight, I was afraid. I just wanted her to get off of me. I did not think... I do not even know what happened. She fell. She fell...”

  The memory of it was painful, it was agonizing, she did not want to think of Lauren and her death. She never wanted her to be there in her mind, feeling Lauren’s blood all over her, watching her die, knowing that she was fully responsible. Yet Maisie also knew that it was just another memory that would sit with her forever. She had the memories from her past now, her memories of Bryson, and now the horrible memories in the middle of the forest which had only consumed of death and blood.

  How was she going to mesh those memories together? How would she make it all feel alright inside of her? Right now, Maisie had no idea what she was going to do with the future that she had not planned for. Since she was supposed to die only a short while ago, what was supposed to happen next?

  “You do not have to worry about what you did,” Bryson reassured her. “I did bad things as well, but we did it to save ourselves from evil. We had to get away from Lauren and Ray...”

  “Lauren was not Ray’s sister,” Maisie suddenly declared. “She was his lover. I saw them kissing.”

  Bryson’s lips tightened into a thin line. “I had a feeling that the pair of them were too close.”

  “Yes, well you were right.” Maisie nodded a few times. “They wanted to kill me because they wanted my father’s estate. I was the only thing standing in their way. Me and my memories. They were under the assumption that I would get them back eventually. It was to be their love nest and I could not ruin that.”

  “How did they have any rights to anything that ever belonged to your father?” Bryson asked, confused.

  “Lauren was my stepmother. Married to my father, who she eventually murdered. She wanted to pin the murder on me which I suppose is the moment that I decided to run away. I am not too sure...”

  “She told you all of this?” Bryson could not believe it. “Well, whatever happened, you can forget about this forest now. You do not ever have to worry about what happened in here ever again. It is gone.”

  “No,” Maisie insisted immediately. “No, I do not want to forget anything ever again. It has taken me a long time to get my memories back. I cannot lose anything ever again. Even if the memories are ugly. It is those memories who make me who I am. I cannot be without myself any longer. I need me to live.”

  Bryson nodded along, taking everything that Maisie was saying on board, but not really allowing it to sink in. Not at first anyway. But after a while, it started to resonate with him, and he got it. He understood.

  “Wait, what are you saying, Maisie?” he gasped. “That you have your memories back? All of them?”

  “I do.” She grinned from ear to ear. “I do have them back. Some of the stuff came from Lauren and Ray. They sparked a lot, but a lot of it came at the end of my life. Or what I thought was going to be the end of my life anyway. It all started to come back to me then. I never knew my mother. She died when I was too young so she is someone that I will never know. That is why I have no memories of her. But the medallion... that is hers. That is why I have always kept it so close to me. My father was a wonderful man though. The absolute best. He raised me alone and did a great job of it.” Maisie scowled. “Then Lauren came along and destroyed everything. Like a hurricane she ripped through my existence and wrecked everything. She killed my father and left me with the blame. As I ran away, I was robbed and I think that might be where I lost my memories. That is of course when you came into the picture. You saved my life.”

  She grinned from ear to ear, knowing that Bryson would be her hero forever. He saved her life there and here as well. That was why she could not forget anything. Not even the sickness. The vomit which dragged her out of the carriage and allowed her to see the truth. The truth of who she was with.

  “I am stunned.” Bryson did not know what to say. “I am stunned that you have your memories back. Happy, of course, I know that this is something you wanted, but... wow... what a set of memories.”

  “I know that they are not pretty,” Maisie agreed. “I understand that it makes my whole life complicated. Not just the recent times when I have lost my memories, but before that as well. I know that this must make you think twice about me. About ever rescuing me again. It is very strange, I know.”

  “No.” Bryson shook his head a little too loudly. “No, it is not strange. It is just a lot to take in. I always knew that you had a whole life behind you, but to hear it is something else.”

  Maisie cocked her head to one side and examined Bryson carefully. She was not sure what any of this meant. It was almost as if he could not accept her now, knowing the truth about her which was why he seemed so confused. There was nothing that she could do if that was the case. She would just have to walk away and go back to her home. She had memories of her home, but she was not sure that she could fit in now. She did not know what her old clan thought of her, but they had to have heard that she was a killer, and they would not want her around. Anyone who could do that to her father was not worthy. No one in her clan would like a girl with an evil side like that. If she was on the other side of things, nor would she.

  Of course, if she had to, she could return and explain the truth. Try to make people understand her. Let them know that Lauren and Ray were the bad people. But knowing that they were dead as well, and that it was her fault did not help a lot, but Maisie would find a way. She had to. Since she had been through so much, and she had remained resilient the whole time, so she could do this as well if she needed to.

  But Maisie knew that she did not want to. She would never be happy without Bryson, not really. She would survive if that was what life expected from her, but happiness would never come. Not ever.

  Chapter 22

  B ryson was sick with anxiety. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Of course, it was wonderful news for Maisie to have her memories back, but what did that mean for them? He was almost too afraid to ask. Sure, they had declared their love for one another and had expressed a desire to be together forever, but that was just at the moment he had saved her life. Maybe, after time, she would not want him after all.

  “I... I would still love for you to be my wife,” he declared quietly, with some sadness in his tone. “But I do understand if you wish to wait, to give yourself time to decide what you want for the future. You may feel an aversion to your home right now because of how these people have made you feel, but the time may come when you want to return, to take your rightful place within your own clan. I cannot prevent that.”

  Bryson looked so downtrodden that it almost broke Maisie’s heart. She took the underneath of his chin and brought his eyes up to meet hers. “Bryso
n. I do not need to have time to think. Despite everything that has happened, I am seeing with more clarity now and I know exactly what I want. My only worry is that the baggage I carry with me is going to be too much for you to handle. I understand if so.”

  Over the moon to hear that Maisie still wanted him, Bryson cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled her towards him for a kiss. Their lips collided and made everything feel right with the world again. Bryson could not have been happier that he followed his instincts and he rescued Maisie from her captors. He knew now that he would never let her go with strangers again. No matter what.

  “We must burn the bodies of the deceased,” he told her softly. “But I will ensure that word is sent to your hometown to let them know that death came of them because of their murderous spree. I will also ensure that your name is cleared. It is not right for people to believe that you killed your father. Even if you do not wish to return, people should know the truth about Lauren and Ray. Is that alright?”

  Maisie nodded eagerly. She did want her name cleared, she never wanted people to believe that she could do that to the man who raised her, who she loved so much, it was painful. Plus, people needed to understand what dangers could come with power. One wrong decision and life could end far too quickly. She did not know who would now take over ruling in her father’s place, but she hoped that it would be someone who could make better choices with regards to who they got married to.

  “That sounds perfect. Thank you, Bryson. I think that is the best solution for everyone.”

  Bryson and Maisie stayed behind as the bodies were burned to a crisp. Since Bryson was the one who had commanded that to happen, he felt it only right to remain while the act was carried out. Much as it sickened Maisie to witness it, she was glad to see this unfold with her own eyes as well. She needed the confirmation. There was nothing in the world that she wanted to be unsure of again.