Harder than she had when she’d fled Xander on the beach. Her legs and lungs burned equally, and her throat was dry. Her ears stung from the rushing wind and she shivered against the chilled air, despite the heat she’d worked up from exertion. She paused, leaning on a boulder to catch her breath. Closed her eyes. “What am I goin’ to do?” Her words were desperate to her ears and she clenched her jaw until her teeth ached. It did nothing to stave off tears. As they coursed down her cheeks, a warm contradiction to the cool wind, she started to rock, bumping into the large slab over and over. The rough surface bit into her shoulders and upper back, but the pain was good. It grounded her. She looked around. Janet was so far from Dunvegan she couldn’t see the castle over the crest of the hills. “Drat.” She’d never been this far down the beach. Certainly not alone. Cormac had wanted to accompany her when she’d gone out this morning. He’d only considered letting her out of the gates by herself because Xander was already on the beach in the first place.
