Free The Dream Catcher by Marie Laval

grey and haunting under the stormy skies. The same grey as Lord McGunn’s eyes… What a silly thought. McGunn’s eyes might be grey but they were harsh and mean, and not in the least beautiful.
    To her right were rugged cliffs standing tall and impregnable, to her left a wide, empty bay lined by silver sand. Like an enchanted land, its outline disappeared into a mauve haze. Maybe if she stared at the sea long enough, she would catch a glimpse of the mermaids who were rumoured to haunt the coast, of the blue men who lurked in the sea waiting for passing ships, or of the sea creatures Captain Kennedy called kelpies and said were half men and half seals – whatever that meant. This country was so strange. Hostile and bewitching, it was a land of mythical beings, of cruelty and hardship…
    She stood on the cliff until her body ached with cold, her feet were numb and her face frozen. Little by little the hazy skyline fused and melted into the ocean and dusk made the silver sands glow like the surface of the moon. A dark shape, a piece of driftwood probably, moved at the edge of the water.
    An unwelcome thought crossed her mind. What if it was another body? Perhaps she should walk nearer to the edge to take a look.
    She didn’t have the chance. Rapid footsteps crushed the snow behind her, a strong arm grabbed her around the waist and she was lifted off the ground.
    â€˜What the hell are you doing out here on your own?’ Bruce McGunn’s voice was as cold and sharp as ice. ‘Are you mad or plain stupid? Can’t you see there’s a five-hundred-foot drop off that cliff?’
    He plonked her down on the ground and turned her roughly towards him without releasing her. His arm still wrapped around her waist, he glared at her, his eyebrows drawn in an angry scowl and his black hair flying around his face.
    Her temper rose at once.
    â€˜I was perfectly safe before you arrived,’ she shouted back, pushing her balled fists against his chest. ‘There is no need to rumble and grumble at me like a grumpy old camel. You really are the rudest, most unpleasant man I’ve ever met. In fact, forget McGlum, I’ll call you McGrump from now on, it suits you a lot better.’
    â€˜What on earth are you talking about?’
    His jaw was clenched, his nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed to dark slits of gunmetal. A warning rang inside her head – a loud and clear warning to hold her tongue for once. As usual she ignored it and forged ahead.
    â€˜Don’t you like McGrump? That’s all right since I can think of a few others names, all suited to your delightful personality. Maybe you would prefer McGrumble or McGripe, since you seem to suffer from that particular ailment. No doubt it’s the gripes which give you that permanent scowl.’
    He didn’t answer but the arm around her waist tightened. Now he was very angry. She held her breath and waited for him to start shaking her until her teeth rattled. Instead, he broke into a disarming smile, his face lit up and his eyes sparkled with silver. Once again, a strange feeling of déjà-vu made her ill-at-ease. Who could the man remind her of? Someone she knew, someone she’d seen not that long before. She shook her head. Some big ape she’d seen performing in Bou Saada market, perhaps…
    â€˜I swear you’re the most entertaining female I’ve ever met,’ he said, before releasing her at last. ‘Come now. You’re not used to the cold and you’ve been here far too long. You’re turning blue.’
    She shook her head and pointed at the sands below.
    â€˜There is something, or someone, down there on the beach. That’s what I was looking at before you came.’
    He looked in the direction she indicated and muttered something in a language she didn’t understand.
    â€˜What is it? Can you see?’
    â€˜I’m not sure,’ he answered in a flat voice.