Magical Lover (4 page)

“Perhaps you can help us.”

“I can try.” A half-smile.

“We’re looking for a boy who looks like you, red hair and green eyes. He wouldn’t have a father and he probably has some unusual abilities. And he’d have a matching mark to yours on his forearm.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m the only one that has red hair and green eyes. Plenty of boys don’t have fathers. Roam the streets and you’ll find a few.”

“Are you sure?” Enar asked.

“Yes. No one with red hair but me. It’s forbidden.”

“To have red hair?” What kind of craziness was that?

“If it’s not brown or black then it’s evil. Isn’t it that way where you are from?”

Thoren hissed, his lip pulling back in a snarl as he realized what life must have been like for her. Tamping down the dragon that wanted to roar in protection, he forced his lip into some semblance of normal. She tried to pull away, her face a mask of terror.

He cursed. He hadn’t meant to scare her.

Why did his dragon react ferociously to her? The beast clamored to be released, to destroy the town, to protect Keara.

What was with him today?
Pull it together, Thoren. Calm thoughts, calm thoughts.
The dragon returned to its rest and Thoren took a deep breath.

“I apologize for scaring you.” Her face froze, her body poised for a strike. His heart twisted. “You shouldn’t have been treated that way. Where we’re from,” he gestured between him and Enar, “females like you are cherished. As a Halfling your magic sometimes runs stronger than full-breeds.”

Something he said caused her to shiver with apparent fear. She shook her head hard enough to bounce her braid, her eyes wide, freckles popping out in a pale face.

“Magic is evil. I have no magic.”

Thoren kept up the finger-stroking-over-her-mark routine until she relaxed. How could anyone say she was evil? What kind of superstitious backward people lived in this village? No other village he visited believed those kinds of things.

“Magic is not evil, Little One. Magic is in all things, but not everyone can control it. Only those with special abilities can wield magic.”

She blinked and pressed her lips together. A deep breath in. “So I’m not evil?” she whispered.

Something twisted in his chest at her words and the dragon tried to raise its head.
Not again
. He took a deep breath.

“Of course you’re not evil. You belong to my race. We’re Draconi. We work magic.” Plus many other things, but he needed to explain slowly. By the time he returned her to Draconia, she would know about her race and her abilities. “Haven’t you ever done something you couldn’t explain and yet it was a part of you?”

Keara sucked in her lip, her shoulders rising and falling. “Maybe.”

“The middle of the street is not the place to discuss this. My spell to move the people out of our way will break any minute. Why don’t you show us to your store?” The last thing he needed was a bunch of superstitious folk blocking their path.

With the odd way his beast acted today the thing might come out for a destroy-everyone visit. The first thing he learned about reconnaissance missions was to never show the dragon, never use it in a fight.

Today, for the first time ever, that had been a challenge.

“My store is this way.”

She took a turn at the next alley, leading them along the backside of town. The alley scenery showed no improvement over the streets, but avoiding unidentified brown globs leashed his inner dragon. How a town could be so filthy confounded him. He stepped over rubbish and sewage and tried not to take deep breaths as he followed Keara.

A couple of turns, three alleys and numerous brown globs later they came to a wooden gate set in a tall fence. Keara pushed the gate open and a whiff of clean air infused with the scent of herbs drifted through the opening.

Ah, relief.

“My store is on the other side.” Disappearing through the opening, she let out a cry. “Jamie!”

Thoren shoved at the gate, slamming it against the fence. What if someone else had grabbed her? Instead, he saw Keara holding the same boy who had tried to defend her in the town square. Scrawny arms tightened about her waist as his head popped around her arm. Steel gray eyes narrowed at Thoren and Enar. He took a step away from Keara, standing in front of her, hands on his hips.

“Don’t you hurt her.”

Tough little guy. One had to admire a lad that stood up to two grown males.

“Jamie! What has gotten into you? He’s our master now.” Keara pushed Jamie behind her. “I’m sorry. He’s not normally like that.”

“He’s brave. Who is he?”

“This is Jamie. I found him, took him to the town square and claimed him as mine and since no one refuted the claim, he’s now my apprentice.” She took a deep breath, looked at the sky and then met his gaze. “He’s part of my bride price.”

Thoren didn’t need a translation to know she wanted the boy to come with them. The Council might not like it, but keeping Jamie would make Keara happy and that was all that mattered.

By the Goddess, he was turning into a lovesick fool.

“He can stay with you.”

****

Keara smiled and draped an arm around Jamie. Thank the Goddess Thoren was clueless about bride prices or else he would never have agreed to Jamie coming. Everyone knew a bride price didn’t include apprentices, only coins and goods.

Despite their size, these men seemed harmless enough. Or harmless toward her. But what did Thoren mean about magic? Was he suggesting he worked magic and she could too? Was he evil? Her grandmother would have insisted on it, but Keara knew better. Thoren could have worked some sort of evil spell after he rescued her and nothing had happened.

Instead, his touch brought feelings of peace and relaxation. He wouldn’t harm her.
Hopefully
. No use in dwelling on if he would or would not. Her lot was cast. She belonged to him now.

“Is that one part of your bride price, too?” Enar pointed to the back door.

Keara whirled around, surprised to see Lily standing against the shop’s door, frozen in place. In her rush to see to Jamie, she hadn’t even noticed her friend. Mouth agape, Lily stared at Enar, her face flushed.

“What?” Keara whipped her head around to glare at Enar, who paid her no heed as he stared at Lily like a thirsty man would a glass of cool water. “No, she’s my friend, Lily.”

“I see.” He proceeded to turn to Thoren, mumbling something under his breath that sounded to Keara like “claim her.” While they whispered, Keara inched her way toward Lily, who remained frozen at the door.

“What are they like?” Lily asked, staring at the men.

Keara kept her hand on Jamie’s shoulder, in case he tried to get into a fight with men three times his size. Twice in a day, her normally quiet and shy apprentice tried to defend her. Who knew such protectiveness resided inside the boy?

“Clueless about bride prices. But otherwise, nice enough. At least he doesn’t mind my mark. He saw it, but he doesn’t fear me.”

“Finally, a smart one.” Lily smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “What will happen to me once you’re gone? I’m assuming you’re leaving?”

“They said they’re taking me away, but I’m not sure when.”

“I’m scared, Keara. All my family is dead. You’re all I have left. You’ve seen how bare the store’s shelves are. These crazy townsfolk will probably lynch me once you’re gone.” Lily gulped, trembling slightly. Her blue eyes met Keara’s gaze. “I’d rather go with you. If you think they won’t kill me.”

“I—”

“Woman of the exquisite coloring.” Both Keara and Lily jumped, as Enar’s voice boomed across the yard. Lily’s eyes widened as she took a step back. Keara turned to face Enar, who strode across the yard in five steps.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Lily fumbling with the doorknob, apparently deciding facing a lynch mob would be safer than facing Enar. He grabbed her arm before she could open the door. Lily squeaked, craning her neck to meet his eyes.

Holding her gaze, Enar pulled a string of round beads from a pouch hanging from his belt. “Lily of the exquisite coloring, I claim you for my woman.” With a quick flick of his wrist, the beads fell around her neck, snapping in place. Lily’s eyes widened. Keara grabbed Enar’s arm, trying unsuccessfully to pull him away from her friend.

“Leave her alone!” Keara screeched.

“What? You do what with me?” Lily gasped.

“Claim you. Same as Keara did with the lad.”

“But...but you can’t do that anyplace but the town square,” Lily insisted.

“No, I just did it. With this necklace. You belong to me. It cannot be removed. It cannot be broken until I die. And I don’t plan to do that anytime soon. Therefore, you are mine. But do not fear. I won’t be a hard master to please. I will even allow you to bring some of your things with you.” His mouth curved into a grin.

“Ouch. What—” Lily scratched at her neck before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted into Enar’s arms.

“What did you do to her?” Keara shrieked, reaching for her friend.

Enar picked Lily up, cradling her close to him. “I didn’t hurt her. The necklace merely caused her to fall asleep. It does that when a woman first puts it on. Don’t worry. She will wake shortly.”

Keara whirled on Thoren, who had moved closer to them. “He can’t do that. Just take her like that without proper ceremony. It’s not done!”

White lines formed around Thoren’s mouth as he raked a hand through his hair. “He’s a Watcher, not a Draconi. This is their ceremony for claiming women. Nothing can be done, once he has his mind made up. Trust me, I tried.”

He obviously didn’t try hard enough because her poor friend was draped over a giant’s arm like a sack of flour. Her eyes narrowed on Enar. He had another thing coming if he thought he could claim her friend. She felt steam gather in the back of her throat, leaking in wisps out her ears. Before she could take a step toward Enar, Thoren put his hand next to her ear.

Just like that, the steam vanished. Probably because she could no longer draw in air. He knew. He felt the steam and knew her difference. Despite all his talk about how she belonged to his race, how magic flowed in her veins, her confidence he meant her no harm withered like a twig cut off from a branch.

Would he insist on a lynching? Even her grandmother had threatened the rope when she saw the steam.

But Thoren only stood there, his face curious as to what ailed her. No fear, no hate, only concern crossed his features.

Maybe as an evil being, he didn’t care about physical flaws such as ears releasing steam.

Thoren touched her cheek with his fingertips. “Is something wrong, Little One?”

Yes, where do I start?
“No. I mean, yes. He has my friend.”

“She’ll come with us. How’s that?”

His hand circled her wrist, his thumb tracing the dark lines on her forearm. One moment fear coursed through her veins, drying her mouth, stilling her lungs, and the next she felt relaxed and happy, like she had smoked some of the herbs her grandmother kept hidden.

What was happening to her? Normally even-tempered, today her mood swings mirrored those of a middle-aged woman.

“All right.”
Shouldn’t she be fighting for Lily? Doing something besides wearing a goofy grin?