Authors: Calista Fox
Turning back to Sheena, he said, “She’ll be out in a couple
of minutes. Escort her downstairs and then send Morgan up after he’s seen Jade
and the slayers off. They brought a horse for her?”
She nodded. Then she said in such a conspiratorial voice, he
was certain only he heard her, “Do you think she’s still in danger?”
“Depends on where the fire wraith is and what his true
intentions are.”
“Then how can you let her leave the castle?”
“You’re fond of her. So quickly.” He rubbed the back of his
neck. “You know she can’t stay. She’s human.”
“Are you sure?” With that, she turned sharply on her high
heels and sauntered off.
Darien stared after her, then shook his head. Sheena was
still awestruck or dumbfounded that a human could self-heal at such a rapid
rate. Understandable. It still perplexed Darien.
But no creature other than a human would experience pain in
the fashion she did. When a demon was wounded, the recovery might not be
instantaneous, but it was certainly quick enough—much faster than Jade’s own
recovery had been. And the actual sensations were dull, unless multiple,
near-lethal wounds were inflicted. Even then, one did not suffer the way she
did. What she endured was excruciating—something only a human felt.
Returning to the bed, he sat on the edge and said, “Sheena
brought you clothes.”
This seemed to perk her up. She tossed off the duvet and sat
up. Eyeing the stack, and the boots in his hands, she touched the royal blue
sweater on top and smiled.
“More color.” She pulled the sweater from the pile and
unfolded it. “How beautiful. I thought the robe she lent me was spectacular,
but this is equally gorgeous. That vampire—woman—knows her fashions.”
“Black seems to be a staple for you,” he observed.
“And for you. Which,” she said as she leaned in for a quick
kiss, “is damn sexy. As for me, we don’t have colorful fabric in the village.
Black and varying shades of gray are mainstays. Easy dyes for our resident
chemist to concoct when we receive bolts of white material from villages that
grow cotton. And of course, we trade for leather and buckskin.” She collected
Sheena’s offerings and slid off the bed. “I just need a few minutes.”
He dragged on his own clothes and ran his hands through what
he was sure was disheveled hair. True to her word, Jade emerged a short time
later. He did a double take, his pulse spiking.
“Huh,” he said. No doubt a lascivious look crossed his face.
“I’ve seen that outfit on Sheena before. She doesn’t look like that.”
“I’m sure she looks much better. Everything’s a bit snug.
She’s thinner than me.”
Actually, he thought everything appeared perfectly
proportionate. The sweater pulled tight against her breasts, her defined waist
and her shapely hips. The wide collar sat slightly off the shoulders, making
him wonder what sort of lingerie Sheena had provided for Jade’s enticing chest.
The black leggings and tall boots were a nice complement, completing the
ensemble.
She’d pulled her hair over one shoulder and secured it with
its own strands. She wore a part along the side, and her long bangs dusted her
forehead and temple above the ponytail.
“You’re gawking,” she finally said.
He laughed. “Yes I am. You look…sensational.”
She smiled. “Now
that
was couth.” She crossed the
room to where he stood. “And civil.” Her tone was playful. Jade stretched on
her tiptoes, obviously necessary despite the three-inch heel on her borrowed
boots. She nipped at his lower lip. “Unlike the things you did to me last
night.”
He groaned. “And this morning?”
“Who would ever want to get out of bed?”
Admittedly, he’d been damn reluctant.
She was about to say something else, but another soft rap on
his door cut her off. And made Darien simmer with frustration.
“Yes?” he asked between clenched teeth.
“The slayers, my Lord,” Sheena reminded him. Clearly, they’d
grown impatient.
“I’m coming,” Jade said. She gave Darien a kiss and then
added, “I promise to be safe.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
“And I’ll tell Sheena I’ll clean her clothes and have one of
the slayers return them.”
With a shake of his head, he said, “Don’t bother. You won’t
be able to get the scent out and it’ll be disturbing for her.”
“Good point.” She lingered, seemingly hesitant to go. Then
she said in a soft voice, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
She smiled. “For being everything I
didn’t
expect.”
Leaving him to ponder her words, she opened one of the
double doors and followed his assistant through the study as she thanked Sheena
for her thoughtfulness. Jade glanced once over her shoulder before disappearing
from Darien’s sight. Well…not entirely.
He watched her from his bedroom window when she left the
castle, his eyesight keen enough to penetrate the thick clouds and blowing snow
until Jade and the slayers entered the dense forest.
Dread consumed him, but what choice had he had, other than
to let the two men take her away?
Chapter Seven
Per her request, the slayers escorted Jade to Jinx’s burial
site, despite the inclement weather. She’d been at the castle when the memorial
had been delivered. She felt horrible over having missed the service, because
Jinx had been a good friend. Yet her absence had been unavoidable.
Slipping from her horse, she waded through the snow as
Tanner and Walker discreetly moved away, giving her privacy. She fought to keep
her distress at bay as she stared at the tall cross protruding from a snowbank.
Jade fought for an even tone as she said, “I’m sorry I
wasn’t here for the funeral, Jinx. I got held up.”
A wave of tormented feelings rose within her, despite her
best efforts. Tears burned her eyes and her voice cracked as she said, “I
always adored you. From the first time we met. You came to my fifth birthday
party and told me you could read fortunes. Of course, you had to explain to me
what that meant.”
She laughed quietly, painfully. “You spun a silver coin on
the kitchen table and when it landed on its side, you gasped and said, ‘You’re
the little girl who will always be smiling’.”
Indeed, she had been that child…until her parents had been
viciously murdered.
Fat drops slid down her cheeks as she said, “When I was
fifteen, I begged you not to tell my fortune ever again, because the one you
told me ten years earlier didn’t come true. It didn’t last, Jinx.”
At eleven years of age, she’d wanted to scream at him for
telling her a lie. Her parents were dead and she’d believed she’d never smile
again. How cruel had it been for Jinx to lie to her, when he’d claimed over and
over that his predictions were always accurate?
But, of course, she’d never truly blamed him. Yes, as a kid,
she’d soaked up his optimism and it had been heart-wrenching when her personal
tragedy had proven him wrong. The first time, from what she’d learned.
Regardless of his otherwise successful track record, she’d grown wary. Still,
she’d adored him and had eventually come around to basking in his warm light
again.
Jinx was a man whose compassion and exuberance had won over
even the most tainted of hearts—hers.
Jade was not one to put her personal troubles on another,
but she’d had a need to believe in Jinx. And, years after her parents’ deaths,
he’d done his best to provide her a measure of comfort in an uncertain world.
She said, “I always adored you. And I will always miss you.”
She brushed away her tears. After a moment of silence, she
turned away and joined the slayers.
Later, Jade remained on the horse while Walker inspected her
cottage to ensure it was safe inside. When he indicated all was well, she slid
off the back of the stallion and followed the other slayer through the front
door.
As Walker built a fire, Tanner said, “The general told us
his patrol discovered a small colony of demons not associated with the alliance
up by the Canadian border. But the fire wraith wasn’t among them.”
“Did Morgan say if they had a lead on where he might be?”
she asked.
“No. But certainly not anywhere near this village. We’ve
seen nothing out of the ordinary since you were attacked. I can’t imagine he’d
come back after the king took him on.”
“Likely,” Walker said, “they had an assassination strategy
plotted out. They’re too small a band of demons to actually storm the castle,
but they found a way to lure King Darien from his protective walls.”
Jade quickly explained, “He thought I’d been working with
Lisette and had developed some sort of magical powers. That was the reason he
and the general followed me. Turns out, it was the wraith with the powers he
sensed, since the rogue demon simultaneously watched me. This turned into a
‘which came first—the chicken or the egg?’ sort of thing.”
She kept her tone dispassionate, not wanting to give
anything away, particularly the fact she now had a very personal relationship
with Darien. Even if their one night together was an anomaly never to be
repeated, she couldn’t dispute a strong connection had formed between them.
Continuing, she said, “Obviously, the fire wraith found an
advantage with the fact that the king took an interest in what he thought I was
up to.” She added, “By the way, I haven’t been practicing witchcraft with
Lisette.”
“That’s good to know,” Walker told her. “I think we’re in the
midst of a precarious situation. We don’t need to tip any scales with you and
Lisette teaming up.”
“I understand and agree.”
Tanner said, “Maybe you shouldn’t stay here, Jade. You’re
too remote. And damn, this house is freezing.”
“The fire exploded unexpectedly the other night and I had to
put it out. I swear that wraith must have breathed flames down my chimney.” A
couple days had passed, so of course the cottage was almost on par with the
temperature outside. Good thing she didn’t have running water, after all. Her
pipes surely would have frozen.
“Why don’t you stay with Michael?” Tanner suggested.
“No, I can’t risk it.”
Not just in the event the fire wraith returned and sought
her out at Michael’s house but also because of her past association with him
and the fact he’d nearly kissed her. If he truly was of the mind to reunite
with her, she had to head that off at the pass. She didn’t need to taunt or
agitate Darien with that relationship, nor did she have any desire to encourage
Michael now that she knew who innately stirred her senses.
Of course, what had transpired between her and the Demon
King could go no further. Yet she clearly couldn’t engage in a romance with
Michael at this point. Or at any point. She’d quickly learned about true
passion and knew it wasn’t something she and Michael would ever experience.
They didn’t share the right chemistry to move beyond friendship.
Unfortunately, she and Darien
did
possess the right
chemistry, but it was something she couldn’t dwell on. Yes, she’d instantly felt
a void when she’d left the castle. And lonesomeness had immediately returned to
her when she’d entered the cottage. But there was no denying she did not belong
on the other side of the village border. She belonged in Ryleigh. And the two
worlds that lay on opposite sides of the river should never collide again.
“I’ll stay close by,” Tanner offered, breaking into her
dismal thoughts.
She said, “Not in this weather. I’ll be fine. I’ll stay
inside.” There was no need to go to the tavern. She doubted even the diehards
would venture out in this nasty snowfall. “But do me a favor, please,” she
added. “Let Michael and Lisette know I’m okay and that I’ve returned home.”
“They’re not the only ones worried about you,” Walker told
her. “The entire village has been on edge since the general reported you’d been
taken to the castle.”
“For the record, the king’s staff took excellent care of
me.”
“Still,” Tanner said as he unfastened the low-slung belt
holding his sword to his hips before handing it over. “Keep this. I know you’re
trained to use it.”
She eyed the offering. She hadn’t had a weapon in the house
for fifteen years. Her father had taken both his and her sword with him when he
and her mother had traveled to another village for a funeral on the day they’d
died. Jade had been ordered to stay with Michael’s family, but she’d sneaked
away and had followed her parents. And had witnessed their gruesome murders.
She shuddered and pushed the memory to the far recesses of
her mind, where she’d relegated it long ago.
“Thank you,” she said to Tanner. “To you both. This is a
very dangerous time. I’m hoping it has come to an end as far as the fire wraith
is concerned.”
“We’ll remain alert,” Walker assured her. “And the general
and a small squad intend to patrol their side of the village perimeter.”
She knew the slayers had had to come for her when she’d been
at the castle, in order to ensure she was all right and to appease the
villagers. But she suspected they wouldn’t have demanded to bring her back if
they thought the situation was still a perilous one.
“It wouldn’t make sense for the fire wraith to come after me
again,” she said, “if the king is no longer watching me. He and his bandits
will have to devise some other plan to bait Dar—” Her gaze dropped. “The Demon
King. Or find a way to breach the castle walls.”
“Not at all a likely scenario while the king’s still alive,”
Tanner said.
With the blaze Walker built warming the small house, she
repeated, “I’m all right here. But you guys need to be careful in this
blizzard.”
Tanner chuckled. “A little snow never hurt us.”
Her gaze returned to them. “I know you’re modern-day
superheroes. But it’s damn cold out there. And the visibility is horrendous.”
“We’re not amateurs,” Walker said. He headed toward the
door. “Just stay safe, Jade.”
Yes, her reputation preceded her. Her stubborn and
independent streaks, to be exact. But on the heels of the horrifying encounter
with the menacing demon, she knew better than to do anything that might put her
in jeopardy. Plus…she’d promised Darien.
After the slayers left, she built another fire in the
bedroom hearth to help warm the cottage. She wasn’t sure what she was going to
do with herself until the storm broke, but sleep wasn’t a viable option—her
mind raced with too many thoughts. As night fell, her gaze remained on the
windows lining the back wall.
The image of the fire wraith was burned into her brain, and
the fear it would return was not as easily dismissed as she’d implied with the
slayers—or as she’d tried to convince herself. Losing her house was still a
tormenting thought. And being alone at the cottage during a blizzard only added
to her sense of isolation…and her loneliness.
Though she knew the slayers would keep an eye on her, and
Morgan and his troops would be in the vicinity, she suffered a much deeper
feeling of seclusion and separation following the degree of companionship she’d
experienced at the castle. Morgan’s concern for her safety… Sheena’s acceptance
of her human state and her friendly gestures… Even Jocelyn had cleaned up after
her with nary a blink of an eye.
And then there was Darien.
She tried her best not to think of their time together. What
would be the point? It had been a bizarre twist of fate, but one without any
potential for transcendence beyond those few days.
Jade passed the time scrubbing the charred marks from the
stone fireplace, mending clothes and tidying up the cottage. The snowfall
slowed and the dense clouds dissipated. Two days later, she was ready to go
into the village when Tanner made his scheduled visit.
“Any news?” she asked as she used a tree stump to help her
climb onto the back of his horse.
“Nothing we’ve heard. Though the general said he’d give us
an update in the morning. You sure you want to work at the tavern tonight?”
“I can only spend so much time alone at the cottage. Turns
out I’m not that great a conversationalist.”
He snorted. “Oh you have plenty to say, Jade. We all know
it.” When they arrived at the tavern, he added, “I’ll be back at midnight to
take you home.”
The diligent shovel brigade had taken to the walkways, not
completely clearing them, given the massive amount of snow that covered the
cracked concrete. But they’d made it possible to navigate the village. She
entered the tavern, the noise level a bit more amplified than normal, likely
given the fact no one had come in during the storm and they were making up for
lost time from weather-related captivity.
Yet the din faded as she crossed to the coat rack to hang
the cape Sheena had given her. She wore it over her own jacket because the
combination provided substantial warmth.
Suddenly swarmed by patrons, Jade had to assure everyone she
was in perfect health and also offer what little information she had about the
entire incident. When she finally made it to the bar, Michael stared at her in
exasperation.
“You’re trying a lot of nerves.” Regardless, he gave her a
hug. “You really need to move into the village.”
“Please, don’t start with me. Everything’s okay. Let’s
forget about it.”
Lisette, who surprisingly sat at the bar—she wasn’t a
regular—said, “You were whisked away to the castle after being assaulted by a
fire wraith and we’re not supposed to worry about you?”
Jade sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be nonchalant
about this. I just don’t have much to say about it. I was unconscious most of
the time. The king and his general rescued me and I recovered at the castle
under their protection. I was very lucky.”
They eyed her skeptically as she busied herself by refilling
beer mugs. Lisette had been drinking red wine, so Jade poured a bit more into
her glass.
Michael looked as though he wanted to quiz her further.
Skirting his inquiries, she hoisted a tray from the end of the bar and trolled
the room for empty mugs and more orders. The activity helped to divert her mind
from her time in Darien’s care and kept her from lying further to her friends.
She’d held much back from them during her life, out of necessity, and didn’t
like deceiving them further.
However, despite her conviction to bury thoughts of Darien
deep in her mind, they still lingered. Comforting her in a way, yet also
alarming her, because her heart and soul reacted to memories of their time
together. It was hardly a fair hand to be dealt. One she couldn’t play.
The night progressed as it typically did, a relief to Jade.
Unfortunately, Michael watched her a bit too closely, as though he were looking
for some sort of suspicious behavior on her part. She didn’t think she’d given
him reason to doubt anything she’d said about her hellish experience with the
fire wraith. But he cornered her in the storage room nonetheless.
“Something’s different about you,” he said as he closed the
door behind him.