Legend of the Fae: A Highland Fantasy (The Dark Fae Saga Book 1) (10 page)

Relaxing her tense shoulders, she relished this moment, but as her guard began to dissolve in the magic of his kiss, reality began to creep in.         

This is wrong. I can’t do this.
Ella ripped herself from his arms. This was not supposed to happen. She had gotten so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten entirely about her purpose for being here. How could she have forgotten that she’d left when her people needed her the most? On the brink of war, she deserted them and for what? To fall for a human? Ella’s eyes grew misty. Struggling to suppress her emotions, she ran from the room.

Galen watched as the lass ran out the door. Gut-wrenching guilt twisted his nerves like iron chains.
What was I thinking?
Pacing back and forth, he wondered if he should let her be, but chose to run after her instead. At the top of the tower stairs, he nervously pounded on the door. He knew what he’d done was wrong, and did not want to end the night knowing he had offended her. Galen knocked again and begged for her to open, but she did not answer. Noticing the door was unlatched; he opened it and looked inside. The room was dark and empty. She was gone.

~ Chapter 14 ~

With everyone distracted in the great hall, Ella was able to slip out unnoticed. Standing alone, she realized this would be her best opportunity to leave, while there were no guards to watch her. She ran out the door into the bailey. Ella flinched when she heard the sound of horses behind her. Heading in their direction, but staying in the shadows, she followed the noise to a large wooden building, which she realized was the stable.      

Ella walked into the stables to find six horses locked up and rustling within their stalls. Peeking over the stall door at one of them, she saw its sad eyes beckoning her. Much smaller than her own horse, this one had lovely braided hair and a grey coat. Acting on her first instinct, she planned on escaping but knew they would only follow her. There was only one thing to do.

Ella opened the first stall door. The tall creature’s hooves dug into the ground and began to prance about. Ella smiled at its delight. Within moments it galloped out the door, as free as a bird. Ella then ran to each stall and unlocked them all, freeing each of the horses from their prisons. As the ruckus grew louder, the sound of a door slamming and people shouting alarmed Ella. She quickly mounted the grey beauty, headed out the door, and rode through the gate toward home.

The lass was nowhere to be found. Galen heard chaos and commotion wafting through the window from the bailey. He raced to the window to find men chasing after several free-running horses. With speed like lightning, he ran down the stairs and outside to ascertain the situation. Galen gave an ear-piercing whistle for his horse that was running loose along the castle wall.
What the bloody hell was going on?
The grey stallion returned to its master, nudging up against him. Galen grabbed the horse’s mane, hopped on its back, and hurried the animal back to the stables. 

“What the bloody hell happened?” Galen asked aloud, when he saw Alex and Peter coming toward him, holding onto reins in each hand as they led two other runaway horses back to the stables.

“Twas the lass, my Laird. She stole a horse and released the others. The guards saw her riding toward the gate but lost track of her in the confusion. I think she meant to distract the guards,” Peter explained.

“Ye mean to tell me the foolish lass raced off, out into the bloody cold, alone?”

“Aye, my laird.”

Galen thought he had finally gotten through to her and was starting to understand her, but this foolish act angered him beyond belief.
What was she thinking? What if she got lost out in this frigid weather? What if she got hurt?
Anger and frustration masked his fears. 

“We must go after her. The lass dinna know this land and could verra well get lost. This area is hard to travel, even fer men. Ye there! Head to the west. I will head north. She couldna’ have gotten far in this weather,” Galen instructed his guards.

“Aye, my Laird,” Peter responded, after some hesitation.

~ ♥ ~

Racing through the forest, the only thing on Ella’s mind was putting distance between her and Castle Dunquest. If she were lucky, she would stumble upon the doorway back to her own realm and leave this place once and for all.

Ella’s horse jerked its head from side to side and skidded to a halt, throwing her off. Landing on her right shoulder and hip, Ella lay there for a moment shocked. Waves of pain radiated down her spine. Rolling onto her side, she sat up. The horse stood on its hind legs, kicked its front legs into the air, and took off in a full gallop.
What the bloody hell is the matter with that beast?

Before Ella had a chance to consider why the horse was spooked, a series of growls came from behind her. Slowly, she turned. She sucked in her breath when she saw a gigantic wolf crouched, as if deciding whether to pounce or stalk her. In the cold air, its hot breath floated in front of its face, like a miniature cloud.

Sinking its shoulder low to the ground, poised to pounce, its ear twitched. Ella flinched. She knew this was it. This was how she was going to die: being torn to pieces by a beast. With each growl, the beast exposed its sharp fangs, and spittle began dropping from its lips. Ella only had fleeting moments if she was to flee, but instead she sat still and waited for death to come for her. Even if she attempted to stand, the wolf would be on her faster than she could do anything to defend herself.

Ella felt drained and defeated. In this world she was nothing. To live each day in fear, having no control over her destiny, was mind boggling. She felt trapped, as if she were at the bottom of an endless pit or deep well with no hope of survival. Her pulse hammered, her eyes dilated, and her bottom lip trembled as she stared into its bloodshot eyes.

Suddenly, Galen jumped between her and the monstrous beast. His timing was impeccable. He drew his sword, the metal scraping along the inside of the scabbard.
What was it about this moment that made it seem so familiar?

“Stay behind me,” Galen said, whispering his instruction over his shoulder in a deep raspy voice.

Ella scrambled to her feet and hid behind a nearby tree. The wolf snarled and angrily leapt toward Galen for interfering with its meal. With a white knuckled grip Galen swung his sword, slashing the side of the wolf’s face. Blood spewed onto the white snow. The wolf whimpered, but continued its attack. Galen forcefully kicked him away, making contact with the side of its jaw, but he was a moment too late.

The wolf took hold of the top of his boot, and locking his massive jaw around the leather, pulled Galen down flat on his back. The sword flew several feet out of reach. Thrashing its head from side to side, the wolf looked as if he was trying to sever Galen’s leg in a game of tug and war. With his free leg, Galen kicked repeatedly but the wolf’s powerful grip was unyielding.

Galen pulled his captured leg with all his strength, successfully slipping his foot out of the boot. With heightened reflexes of a warrior, Galen managed to snatch the dirk hidden in a special sheath in the boot’s cuff as his foot slipped out and caused the wolf to lose its footing. With one forceful thrust, Galen came to his feet and stabbed the dirk into the heart of the beast.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Galen stood and retrieved his sword, placing it back in the scabbard at his side. Crunching snow caught his attention, and the lass came out from behind the tree. She looked affright. Had he shown up a minute later, she would have been dead. Her teary eyes and frightened expression pulled at Galen’s heart strings.

Emotions clashed inside of him; fear, anger and relief. His brow furrowed at the sight of her, but right now was not the time to lecture.

The lass ran to him, stumbling into his arms. Galen could feel her trembling in his embrace. Whether it was from cold or fear, he held her close, offering her comfort. He was so angry when he left the castle to go out after her. Now he just wanted to hold the lass in his arms, thankful she was still alive.

“Tis alright now Lassie,” he said, biting his tongue to keep from saying anything further.

Together, they walked through the blowing snow back to where he’d left his horse. Lifting the lass into the air, he set her on top of the saddle and mounted behind her. They raced back to the castle with her in his arms.

Ella could not help feeling remorse and guilt for what she had done. For her ignorance, not only had she almost gotten herself killed, but Galen as well. Why had he come after her? Why had he risked his life for her? She wondered if the roles were reversed, she would have done the same. Being here made her question many things about herself and her past actions. Before coming here she knew she never would have given this man a second thought. If he wished to die out in the cold, she would have simply let him. Had she always been so cold-hearted?

Wrapped in his arms, Ella peered up at him. Galen gave her a distant and familiar look. It was a look of dismissal, a look Ella had seen before, the very same look she gave to those who stood before her in the temple when she judged their fate. Now Galen was judging her.

Galen rode the entire way back without saying a word. He needed to find the right words to say. Had she been one of his men, he would’ve scolded her and considered meting out a few lashes, but if he had not kissed her, she never would have run away in the first place.

“Lass, do ye have no’ sense about ye? Ye could have been killed. And ye put me and my men in danger as well. Ye must promise me that ye will no’ do anymore foolish things. Ye are no’ a prisoner, but I verra well cannae allow ya to leave this castle unattended in the middle of a winter storm. If the wolf had nae killed ye, the storm might have. I promised ye that once the storm passes I will take ye home to yer family. Now, do ye promise to no’ runaway again?”

Galen waited for her to nod before letting her down from the horse. Narrowing her eyes, the stubborn lass held out for a moment, as if she was considering another option. Once she complied, he dismounted first. Holding his arms up to grab her waist, he set her down and released her. Immediately, she turned and walked back into the castle. Galen wanted nothing more than to sweep her up into his arms and kiss every inch and curve of her body, but he would be cautious the next time he attempted any advances.

~ Chapter 15 ~

For the next two days Ella did not leave her room and refused visitors. Not because the door was barred shut, or she was shackled in chains, but from fear of her developing feelings for Galen. In such a short time she had become a traitor. Had someone at home done so, she would have followed through with a harsh punishment.

Each day Galen came to visit her, but she had to restrain herself from opening the door.  If Galen learned the truth about her, it would change everything. She needed to keep her distance, and he needed to be nothing more to her than just a means to return home.

Ella sat solemnly on the chair facing the window. The weather had taken a turn for the worse as a wicked storm blew in. She spent her days paging through the book and watching the peasants in the bailey below clearing away snowdrifts and shoveling walking trails between the outbuildings.

For two days the sky had been dark and gloomy, much like her mood, but on the third day the sky lightened as the sun struggled to peek through the congested clouds. Sunbeams burst through the clouds, sending down shards of light like spears pointing toward the earth.

Tired of her self-imposed solitude, Ella grabbed her leather satchel and dumped the runes out into her palm. Rotating them within her hand, she fiddled with them for a long while before she asked her question. When will I return home? Opening her palm out flat, she searched for her answer.

Each of the stones was face down, only revealing their black, unmarked side. It was the most puzzling and peculiar thing. She had asked the same question over a dozen times. She had shuffled them, rotated them, even shook them up in her hands, and each time, the stones faced downward, not giving her a hint of an answer. The first half dozen times, Ella had become so frustrated she threw the stones repeatedly against the wall, cursing them, but now she just felt drained. Ella thoughtlessly stared out the window.

Drops of water fell from the window casing and dripped into a small puddle on the windowsill as the snow on the roof began to melt. The constant tapping sound was like seconds of time passing by. There was a reason the portal opened when it had. There was a reason she’d heard a voice calling out to her. And there was a reason she was meant to be here. It was why the stones had not given her the answer she wanted. The answer was still out there waiting for her to find it. And it was maddening that it was taking this long.

~ ♥ ~

Galen slammed the ledger down on his desk. His mind was clouded,making it hard to concentrate on anything
.
No matter how hard he tried, life always had a way of kicking him in the balls.

“I have reconciled this damn thing twice, and still these counts dinna make sense.”

Sitting opposite him, the look in Alex’s eyes was unnerving. It was as if he too mocked Galen’s inability to count. After spending so much time with the lass, Galen had begun to notice that facial expressions and body language spoke volumes, and had become like a second language to him.

“What?” Galen impatiently asked.

“Forgive me, but I have noticed that ye have been verra distracted as of late.”

“Why do ye say that?”

“In all honesty, I have explained the situation of the missing inventory three times, only ye have no’ been listening. Tis like ye are here, but also someplace else.”

Had Galen not been of sound mind and body, he felt his mind was so scrambled that he could very well believe he were in multiple places at once. With his elbow resting on the top of the desk, he rested his head in his hands. Alex was right. He had not been able to concentrate on his work since his quarrel with the lass two nights ago. She had been nothing but a distraction since she had come here. She had gotten under his skin, and he did not even know her bloody name. How could he have fallen so hard for a lass he knew nothing about?  

Alex chuckled.

“What the hell are ye laughing about?”

“Only that I must say ‘tis about bloody time!”  

“Bloody time for what?”

“That ye have found a lass who fights with as much passion and conviction as ye do. Tis no’ a secret that ye care fer the lass. Love can transpire even when ye least expect it. And it does no’ matter that she canna speak. Sometimes, love is more than just words.”

“Even if I did think highly of the lass, she will no’ even see me. I was verra hard on her when she ran away, and has kept her here against her will only to protect her. I yelled at her but I realize now that I wasn’t even mad.”

“Stubborn lassies are known to hold a grudge or two. Tis how they keep their hold on us men.”

Galen knew there was only one thing he could do to make her happy: keep his promise. With the passing of the storm, Galen knew the weather would be warm enough for travel. As he packed for the journey, he made certain they had enough provisions to last a week and enough coin to last a month. His only hope was that the threat McGregor held against his clan held off long enough for him to return. He could just as easily send one of his men to escort the lassie home, but as Laird he felt obligated, not to mention his own selfish reasons for doing so.

When he finished packing and making arrangements, he headed up to the tower room. Once he reached the door, he knocked softly. Knowing she would not answer, he chose to speak to her through the door.

“Lassie, I know ye are angry wit’ me, and I dinna fault ye fer that. Ye have a reason to be. I will admit I was angry when ye ran away. No’ because I wish to keep ye here, but because I was… afraid. I was afraid that something bad could have happened to ye and I would no’ have reached ye in time. The truth is, I am no’ as brave as ye are. Each day ye have surprised me and I find that most alluring about ye. My intentions all along were to take ye home. I never mean to make ye feel like a prisoner here, and I did no’ meant to frighten ye away when I kissed ye. I am begging fer yer forgiveness. Therefore, I have come to tell ye that the weather has warmed and I am ready to take ye where ever it is ye wish to go. ”

Galen stopped speaking when he heard the sound of chair legs scooting across the floor followed by soft footsteps nearing the door. Slowly, the handle turned and the door opened. Galen took a breath of relief. Looking down at the lass, her unparalleled beauty left him breathless. Dressed in a ruby-red gown with her hair braided to one side she looked like a temptress. For the first time in a long while, he felt grounded, complete. Something he hadn’t felt since he was young.

“I meant every word. It was probably the most open and honest thing I have ever said before. Are ye ready to go home?”

The lass looked at him as if she’d just been given her freedom. Her eyes glistened with happiness, which was more than Galen would have expected. With a soft smile, she nodded.

“We leave within the hour.”