Falling Into Place (2 page)

He turned his back and walked away. Tremaine
blinked back his own tears. “I told you I would never touch you
like that. You need not fear.”

A few seconds later she was beside him
without a word, his jacket still tightly wrapped around her. She
wouldn’t look at him.

Hours passed since then, and the sun had
risen. He knew she needed to stop and rest.

“What’s your name?” He finally asked.

Her eyes flashed to Tremaine and
widened.

“I only want to know what to call you. I
want you safe. I want to help.”

She bravely held his gaze, a spark of
challenge in her eyes. “Elizandra.”

“I’m Tremaine.” He nodded to a rock big
enough to make a seat. “I’ll fix us something to eat, and then we
should rest. We have a long trek ahead of us.”

Elizandra turned to gather twigs and fallen
branches. He frowned but helped gather what they needed for the
fire.

Before she attempted to start it she looked
up at him with wide eyes. “Will the smoke bring unwanted
attention?”

That wasn’t the question he was expecting.
He crouched down across from her and gave her a long look. “What is
it you think we’re doing?”

She took in a slow breath, and chewed her
lip. He could almost see her thoughts churning behind the spark of
determination.

“Go on,” he prompted. “I am merely curious
what you think my intentions are.”

After a slow exhale she answered, “You’ve
been avoiding roads. You stopped during daylight. You don’t want
anyone to know where you are.”

“We,” he corrected. “I don’t want anyone to
know where
we
are. I want to take you to a family who will
give you a real chance at life, but in our community, if they know
all the details of your past, there are some who will want you to
pay for a crime you never committed.” Before he got into those
details, he had to find a way to convince her that Sinclair’s
brother was a good man who would give her the life she
deserved.

“I killed Sinclair. I know what he did was
wrong, but I killed him, and I’m glad I did. He would have kept
hurting us. I ended it.” The look in her eyes was hard, cold even,
but he couldn’t blame her.

“You did. You shouldn’t have had to. I wish
I had known sooner, I would have stopped him.”

She shook her head. “It’s over now. No sense
in talking about it.”

That was a sentiment he understood, but he
wasn’t sure that bottling up her past was the right course of
action. Until she was ready to talk, he wouldn’t push. It might
kill him to listen to specifics, knowing he could never avenge her,
but he would do it in a heartbeat if it would help.

He dipped his chin in a nod. “Making a fire
will be fine. You must be chilled.”

Her gaze dropped to the task at hand. Before
he could suggest setting it aflame by magic, she closed her eyes
and snapped her fingers. Sparks fell on the dried leaves she had
managed to find, and a fire blazed to life.

His brow arched. It was unusual for a mage
to start fire without a touch of flame, but sparks worked just as
well.

* * * *

Cold and empty, Elizandra sat by the fire,
staring into the flames. Tremaine had urged her to sleep, so she
pretended until she felt his wards close in around them.

She had watched through her hair as he lay
down across the fire from her and finally drifted off to sleep. She
needed rest but she didn’t want to relive the nightmares.

When she was awake, she could push the
horrors into the chest at the back of her mind and lock them away.
When she slept, they snuck out and wrapped her in her worst
memories. Sleeping now would only drag her back to hell.

Her eyes flicked to Tremaine. He slept
restlessly. His fists clenching and releasing, a whimper of pain
escaped his lips every time his hands flexed.

She studied the burns on his big fingers,
all the way up his muscled forearms. His skin was blistered almost
to his elbows.

Because of me.

Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath.
Had he not rushed into that room and seen what he had, he wouldn’t
be harmed.

She also wouldn’t be sitting there.

Her defenses had kicked in and her magic had
protected her from the blistering flames, but she would have
suffocated under Sinclair’s corpse as smoke filled her lungs.

At first, she feared he would be like
Sinclair, but when she looked into his warm brown eyes, she knew he
was her avenging angel. He was sent to save her, to protect her.
She trusted him completely, almost immediately.

For the first time she could remember, she
felt safe. It was the only thing that kept her following Tremaine.
That, and she had a feeling he would follow her if she ran.

She pulled his coat tighter as her lids slid
shut.

* * * *

The scream tore Tremaine out of sleep. He
bolted up and saw Elizandra curled into a ball against the rock.
Sobs and cries came from her bloodied lips, but her eyes were
squeezed tight.

He rushed to her, gently shaking her
shoulder. “Elizandra, wake up. Please, wake up.”

Her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped as
she pulled away from him. Terror filled her green gold orbs.

He held his hands up, palms out. “You were
having a nightmare. I only wanted to wake you.”

Understanding flashed through her eyes and
she nodded slowly. “Sorry.”

“No. Don’t apologize. You lived through
hell, you fought, and you are alive. You are one of the strongest
people I know. So don’t apologize if you can’t fight off
nightmares.”

She nodded, a hint of a smile on her
lips.

Elizandra was exhausted after three days of
travel, but she refused to complain. She didn’t want to slow
Tremaine down, no matter how far he took her.

The scenery had changed. Instead of swamps
and wetlands, they had made it into beautifully vibrant forests
with an ancient feel.

She looked over, and her gaze locked with
her savior’s. He smiled uneasily. His body jerked and his breath
caught before he put a hand against the tree and leaned heavily
into the trunk.

Peace rolled over her, and her concern for
him melted away as her eyes slid shut. Taking a deep breath, the
tension seeped from her shoulders.

When she did open her eyes, she found
Tremaine looking at her with a curious expression.

Her brow scrunched up. “Where are we? Why
are we here?” She knew he wouldn’t take her to danger, but it was
obvious Tremaine wasn’t completely comfortable after walking
through the invisible barrier.

His expression softened, and he rubbed the
back of his neck. “Have you ever heard about druids?”

Wide eyed, she stared back at him. “Yes, but
why is a mage bringing me to the druids?”

Looking down at the ground, he shoved his
hands in his pockets. “I need to know that you aren’t hurt worse
than you seem. I’ve noticed that you are one tough young lady. You
refuse to complain. With what happened, I think you should let
these women look at you, and help if you need it.”

Panic filled her heart, and she took an
involuntary step back. “I’m fine. I promise.”

He nodded gravely and met her gaze. “You may
think you are, Elizandra, but you’re too stubborn to admit anything
may be wrong. I need to know you are well.”

She shook her head from side to side. “No, I
don’t want to be seen.” The thought of someone’s hands on her,
their eyes judging her, was enough to terrify her. It was why she
hadn’t complained about hurting, why she hadn’t said a word that
she was still bleeding down there.

“Listen to me, Elizandra.” His voice was
soft, gentle. She looked at him, and he smiled sadly as he knelt
before her. “They will help in a way that I cannot. I never want to
hurt you, I never want you afraid, but they can care for you. I’ll
be right outside.”

She swallowed hard. The worry was clear on
his face. He said he wouldn’t talk about what happened, and they
hadn’t, but he had noticed. What he was doing was right, even if it
was terrifying.

“Okay,” she whispered.

He stood and nodded toward the big log
building. “I’m sorry if this is hard. I need to make sure you are
well before I take you to Wilhelm and his family. They can give you
what I can’t.”

Her eyes dropped to the ground and she
blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. He was going to
leave her with a family she could never fit in with. She knew the
choice made the most sense, but she trusted Tremaine, which was why
she wanted to stay with him. It wasn’t fair to expect him to take
her though, so she kept her thoughts to herself as she followed
him.

* * * *

Tremaine felt like hell. He knew what Joslyn
would have to do to Liz, but she was limping. He’d seen the blood
where she had relieved herself. Something wasn’t right, and he was
terrified that their brisk travel had further damaged her.

That young woman deserved so much better
than she’d been given. He vowed to get her the care she deserved,
and place her with his closest friend. Wilhelm had a happy and
loving family. His twins, Emily and James, were Elizandra’s age.
His son, Robert, was four years older and would look after her.
Tremaine hoped that Emily and Elizandra would be close friends.
Then there was James. That kid was a shit, but Robert would put him
in his place when he got out of hand. He worried about Kathryn who
was a snooty broad, but Wilhelm was madly in love with her, and she
was a good mother. Wilhelm would never turn away anyone in need.
The McCallister’s seemed to be the perfect fit for Liz.

Joslyn came running down the path. Her dark
hair flew behind her, her blue eyes were bright as they landed on
Elizandra. Her brow arched as she looked back at Tremaine, and
asked, “What happened?”

Tremaine took a deep breath, but before he
could answer, Elizandra stated, “I don’t need help.” He heard the
trill of fear in her voice.

Joslyn turned to Elizandra and smiled
warmly. “Are you hungry?”

Liz looked to Tremaine with wide eyes.

Damn it, he knew where this was going, but
it was probably for the best. He didn’t want Liz to fight the
examination, and he knew she didn’t want it.

He nodded to Joslyn. “I know I am. We’ve
eaten mostly wild game and berries on a long trek from
Louisiana.

Joslyn knew where he’d been and why. Such
sadness filled her eyes as she looked back to Elizandra. “Come on,
let’s get you fed.”

Elizandra’s expression was null as she
followed Joslyn in. That girl was smart. She had likely figured out
what was going on, but she didn’t argue. As much as Tremaine hated
this plan, he reminded himself that Elizandra needed treatment.

“Here, have a seat,” Joslyn told them. As
soon as they sat, she turned to go down the hall.

“Would you excuse me?” He asked softly.

Elizandra nodded slightly and turned toward
the blazing fire in the large hearth.

He stood and followed Joslyn. Once the door
was shut behind him, he sealed the sound into the kitchen. “Please
be gentle with her. She’s been through so much.”

Joslyn turned toward him, a real smile on
her lips. “You’ve taken the role as her protector. You care for
her. It warms my heart.”

He growled. “I am not a monster. She was
being raped in the next room when I heard her screams. I am simply
taking her to safety. She deserves so much better than the hand she
was dealt.”

Joslyn closed the distance. “Of course you
aren’t. You are a good man. You do love the child though. You would
die for her.” She placed her hand on his cheek and looked into his
eyes, “Am I wrong?”

He took a deep breath and pushed his hands
through his dark hair. “No, you aren’t. I don’t understand how
anyone could harm a child, especially that girl. She’s strong,
she’s a fighter, and she will have a family that will care for her,
regardless of her circumstances.”

Her hand fell to her side as she took a step
back. “And how do you plan that?”

“Wilhelm McCallister will care for her.
He’ll treat her as his own.”

Joslyn snorted. “You would be the right man
for that job. I don’t think she needs a traditional family. She
trusts you. That is clear. If she’s been through so much, and you
saved her, then I doubt she will trust anyone else so easily. You
already care, so why not you?”

“I’ve dragged her miles away after the hell
she’s been through, and probably did more damage than I realized.
Please, help her. I don’t know what else to do.”

She nodded. “She will fall sleep and then
I’ll do what I can. We will heal whatever mess Sinclair made of her
body.”

Tremaine nodded before going back to
Elizandra who still stared at the fire. Once he was in his seat she
looked over at him.

“You can call me Liz.” He heard the note of
resignation. There was so much trust in her hazel eyes, even if she
seemed to know what was coming.

Joslyn set a plate in front of each of them.
As much as he dreaded this course, he took a bite of his sandwich
and urged Liz to do the same.

* * * *

Liz took a deep breath and picked up the
meal. She trusted Tremaine. He would never do anything to harm her.
He wouldn’t have brought her here if it wasn’t necessary. She ate
the sandwich quickly, praying that whatever Joslyn had put in her
food wouldn’t rob her of her senses.

After the curse Sinclair placed on her,
dragging her through her worst nightmares, she didn’t want to lose
herself in the jumble of her past horrors.

Closing her eyes, she drank the juice
sitting beside her, gulping it down with a wince.

Tremaine’s expression grew torn as he
watched her. His hands gripped the table, his knuckles turning
white. “I’m sorry, Liz,” he whispered.