The young girl clutched a dirty blanket. Adrian pulled it from her limp grasp and wrapped it around Redlynn.
“I tried not to hurt her too badly.”
“We need to take them both to the castle." He looked at the girl. "Where did she come from?” Adrian listened for sounds of other people, but heard nothing. “Let’s get them back before they wake.” He lifted Redlynn into his arms. Turning, he noticed Blain staring at the girl. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said. “It’s just… do you think?”
Hope lit in Adrian. “It has to be. You were right. The girls are still alive.”
Blain picked up the girl and joined Adrian.
By the time they reached the gate, Redlynn's scent had faded and he'd gotten himself completely under control again. Adrian called for the gate to be opened and he and Blain marched in carrying the females. Hanna waited for them at the castle entrance.
She touched Redlynn’s skin. “Her fever broke.” She moved the blanket and looked at Adrian sternly. “She’s unclothed, my Lord.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Take her to bed, I’ll send someone up with a new gown,” she said.
“There’s another girl.” Adrian nodded to the unconscious body in Blain’s arms.
Hanna’s brows knit together, and she walked to check the girl. Moving the girl’s hair out of her face, Hanna gasped. Trickles of dried blood caked the girl’s neck and arms. “Vampires!”
Blain and Adrian exchanged a look.
“We don’t know,” Adrian said finally. “But possibly.” He didn’t need the rumors getting out quite yet. He needed a chance to talk to Redlynn first. To explain the truth about Wolvenglen and about herself, before they dealt with telling the rest of the castle about the missing girls. One problem at a time.
“Bring her to my room,” said Hanna.
“Maybe it’d be best if we got someone else to take the girl to your room,” suggested Adrian.
“Why– Oh!” said Hanna. “Yes, I suppose you should retrieve some pants. Fendrick would be hard to convince.”
“Let me take care of Redlynn, and I’ll bring clothes for both of us.” Adrian nodded to Blain and then headed off.
He climbed the stairs quickly, careful not to bump Redlynn as she lay limp in his arms. It was not even a week prior that he'd made the same trek with her, unconscious from the forest. Yet everything was different between them now- and for his entire kingdom.
Reaching his room, Dax rushed toward him.
“Oh, you found her.” His voice filled with relief. “I am sorry, Adrian.”
“Not your fault. Not even I would’ve been able to stop her. Get the door, please.”
“Of course.” Dax passed and pushed open the door.
Adrian stalked to the bed and set Redlynn down. Removing the dirty blanket, he covered her with the duvet.
“So it’s true, then. She’s a she-wolf. The first of her kind... like me.”
“Yes.” Adrian studied Dax for a moment, who was trying to not look at Redlynn. “Can you smell her?”
Dax’s eye shifted to Redlynn’s sleeping form. “Yes.”
“Do you…That is…” Adrian wasn’t sure how to phrase it.
“I can tell that her scent is different, but it isn’t near as strong as it was an hour ago. I can tell that she’s fertile, but I have no desires toward her if that is what you are asking.”
“Stay with her until I return.” Adrian blew out a heavy breath. “Let no one in, unless it’s me or another female.”
Dax nodded. “I understand.”
Adrian threw open the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of breeches for himself, a pair for Blain, and two tunics. He dressed as he walked from the room.
Taking the steps two at a time, he made his way down to the front hall where Blain stood holding the girl. Staring down into the child’s sleeping face, he hadn’t moved from the spot where Adrian had last seen him.
“Let me take her.” Adrian handed over his spare clothes.
Blain held the girl close, and Adrian wasn’t sure he was going to let her go.
“What is it, my brother?”
Blain looked up, his expression pained.
Adrian set his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s unimaginable that one of our own would cause such pain on innocent girls.”
“How did she escape? How did she make it so far?” Blain mused, looking at the girl.
“Sheer will, I suppose. She’s from the Sisterhood, after all. Let me take her.”
Adrian slid his arms under the girl. She weighed no more than a pup. “Go, brother. Go and get washed. And then you and I will have a drink together and figure out what to do next.”
Adrian pounded on Blain’s door ten minutes later. Blain answered it, a bottle already in his hand. He took a long swig, staring at Adrian, and then offered him the bottle. Adrian took it and drank deep.
Blain hadn’t put on his shirt. The scratches on his back were already healed.
“So, the girl...” Blain’s voice filled with the dread that Adrian felt.
“She’s in pretty bad condition. Hanna said she’s very anemic. A few more weeks and she would’ve been dead. She’s been fed on by the bloodsuckers for months.”
“Is she awake?”
“No.” Adrian shook his head and took another swig. “She needs rest, but when she’s strong enough, we’ll try to get her to show us the way to where she was held.”
“What about Red?” Blain took the bottle from Adrian and drank again.
“What about her?”
Blain let out a bitter laugh. “Are you joking, Adrian? She’s a fracking wolf!” Blain’s eyes narrowed. “You have to tell her.”
“You think I don’t know that?” He plopped down heavily into Blain’s overstuffed chair. “But how?”
“I don’t know. ‘Hello sweetums, you know that fever you had, well it was actually you going into heat and shifting for the first time, because, well, you’re a wolf.’”
“Great, Blain. Marvelous idea.”
Blain took another large swallow from the bottle. His face grew serious. “It’s the truth.”
“And how many women have you met whoever wanted to hear the truth?” Adrian stared at the floor. “Tonight I thought she was going to die, and all I could think was that she’d never have known that I cared.”
“She’s the one from the prophecy, Adrian. I’ve been telling you that for days. She will bring an end to the reign of the Bloodsuckers. You need to take her to mate so she can fulfill her destiny. Then you can go out together and find the rest of the girls and bring them home. You’ll be a hero and a king. That’s what your father always wanted.”
“How do you know what my father wanted for me?”
Blain closed his eyes and rubbed his face. “Because before he died, he made me promise to help you fulfill your destiny. To become king and bring the Sisters back. That’s your destiny.” He pointed to the door. “That’s her destiny. Take her, make her yours. Become king.”
The men stared at each other, and then Adrian shook his head. “Her destiny is her own, it’s not mine to force. She needs to fulfill it in her own time.”
Blain hurled the bottle at the wall. It shattered on the stone, and mead and glass rained down behind Adrian. Adrian sprang to his feet.
“What the hell?”
“How many years have we suffered, Adrian?” Blain yelled. “How many years have we suffered to protect the humans from the Bloodsuckers because of your father’s betrayal? How many brothers have we lost? And we still have no mate to bear us young? You can end this. You always could. Your fear and selfishness has kept happiness from us all. Just like your mother.”
Adrian’s anger boiled over. He crossed the room in one stride, and punched Blain in the mouth. Blain spat on the floor, his eyes locked on Adrian’s.
“Take her. Become the king you are meant to be. Then together we will find the girls, return them to Volkzene, and show t
hem the truth. It’s time, Adrian, to bring our mates home.”
Adrian burned with anger. All these years he’d tried so hard not to end up heartbroken like his father, and all this time, he’d been just like his mother- unable to forgive and move past his own pain, dragging the rest of his men down with him.
Adrian straightened his back. Too long he’d stood in the shadows, content to be half a man. He’d not kept his promise to his father. He’d not kept his promise to his men. But no more. He needed to root out the men responsible for taking the girls of the Sisterhood and fortify his ranks. It was time for him to become King.
Chapter Thirteen
Redlynn stood in the courtyard of the castle, taking in everything around her. She breathed the fresh air, letting it wash through her. Moisture drenched her nostrils and caused her dress to cling to her skin. It was going to rain. She smelled the forest beyond the gates, the hay from a nearby wagon, the dirt beneath her bare feet. It was as if she could smell every particle of Fairelle.
Her eyes flexed and focused easily on things she would never have been able to see before the fever. Her sight locked onto a bird sitting in a nest a hundred yards away in the trees. Turning, she watched a mouse scurrying up the side of a castle wall. A man and his wife stood on the other side of the yard whispering a hushed conversation, yet Redlynn heard every word of their worry about her leaving again.
All around her, the castle buzzed with a life she hadn’t experienced before. A blacksmith hammered away somewhere to her left. Horses in stables whinnied and pawed at the ground. Several women scrubbed clothing in large washbasins, chattering and singing.
It amazed and confused Redlynn at the same time. And the only thing she could attribute it to was the fever. Somehow it had changed her, made her more aware.
Thunder cracked above her, and a droplet of water hit her hair making her smile. The couple in the whispering and the washing women gathered their things and moved inside the castle. She opened her arms wide and welcomed the rain.
As fat, glistening droplets hit her face, she laughed and covered her mouth. Somehow where she'd once felt completely alone she now felt connected to everything around her. Something inside her wanted to tear out the gate and run through the woods naked. She laughed again, and again covered her mouth. She’d not laughed in such a long time that the sound of it was foreign to her ears.
Suddenly her laughter burst from deep inside her as if it had been constrained for too many years. Once started, she couldn’t stop. Something had happened between developing the fever and its breaking that left her feeling more alive than she ever had. Alive. For the first time she felt truly alive, not just existing.
The crushing weight of her life was being lifted. Years of loneliness and pain melted away with each laugh. Her eyes teared, and her laughs turned to weeping, allowing her to release what she’d refused to give voice to for far too long. The deaths of her family members and loved ones. The abandonment by her father, the feelings of worthlessness, the stares, whispers, and taunts. All of it and more left her body with each sob. Visions of her lonely life at the Sisterhood played in her mind as she looked around the castle. She'd lived with them for twenty-four years and never, not even on one day had she felt half of the acceptance and caring that she'd received in a weeks time in Wolvenglen.
Minutes past with Redlynn allowing the rain to pour over her like a heavenly baptism. She’d been reborn. Warmth spread peace and a sense of belonging though her replacing every lousy memory.
Her laughing began again as happiness flooded her. She laughed until she bent over to grab her aching side, trying to catch her breath.
“Redlynn! Redlynn! What’s wrong?” Blain was at her side, trying to grab onto her. “What the– Are you laughing?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’ve never laughed before.” She gasped for air as chortles escaped her.
“What? I don’t…” He stared at her like she’d grown a second head. “You should come inside; Adrian’s a mess because you’re missing again.” He tried to take her by the arm.
Another voice blasted through her laughter.
“Redlynn! What’s going on? Are you alright?” Adrian rushed to her side.
Tears flowed down her cheeks, and he wiped at them with his hands. “What’s wrong? What happened? Blain, what did you say to her?”
“Nothing.” Blain shrugged. “She’s laughing.”
Adrian looked at her, confused. “What?”
“Laughing. She’s laughing. She said it was funny that she’s never laughed before.”
“That doesn’t make any–”
She wanted nothing more than to be in Adrian’s arms. She pushed herself up on her toes and tackled his lips with her own. He stiffened, but then wrapped his arms around her; lifting her off the ground his lips parted, and she found his tongue with hers. Something inside her clicked. A piece of her that she'd never felt before bloomed and grew like a sungold in spring. It shone brightly inside her heating her body.
She was meant for this, for him. She was meant for something more than just killing Weres. She was meant to be a part of Wolvenglen.
He pulled away, leaving her breathless. Redlynn smiled, genuinely smiled.
And though his eyes held confusion, he smiled back.
“I thought you were going to die last night.” His voice strained with emotion.
“Me, too,” she said. “There were moments when I wished I were dead.”
When he kissed her again, passion ran through her, making her quake with desire. Fat raindrops soaked through their clothes, causing them to cling to each other.
“You two are going to drown out here if you don’t come inside,” Blain called from the entrance of the castle.
Redlynn hadn’t even noticed his leaving. Adrian set her down, took her hand, and ran to the castle entrance. When inside, he turned and brushed the water droplets from her face.
“What were you doing out there?”
“I don’t know. I woke up and felt so much better that I just had to go outside. It was weird, I had the strangest dream. I dreamed I went out into the woods and lay in the river like my mother used to do with me. Then you showed up and pulled me from the water. But.” She stopped.
“But what?” he pressed.
“You were naked.” She fell silent, remembering her dream. The sensations of pain made her skin prickle. “I was in excruciating pain, and then–”
“What? Then what?” he asked urgently.
Should she tell him? Would he laugh? “Free,” she whispered. “I was free. It was so vivid. I ran and ran. I can still remember lying under the moon. It was like you said. How you feel when you run in the forest and for the first time since my mother’s death I feel it again.”
“Feel what?”
“Home.” She waited for him to respond.
He smiled.
“And this morning when I got up, I smelled everything; the trees and the dirt and the sky. My eyesight is amazing, so is my hearing. It is the strangest and most wonderful thing. I have no idea what the fever did to me to make me feel... like me. It’s bizarre, but for the first time I truly feel this is who I am meant to be.”
When he didn’t respond embarrassment flooded her.
“It’s silly,” she said.
“Do you remember anything else?” Blain leaned casually against a statue.
A wave of distrust ran through her at the sight of him. “Of my dream? Not really. Of you drugging me, absolutely.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Adrian gave Blain a pointed look and hugged her close. “I’m just glad that you’re better.”
A scream rang out from somewhere inside the castle, and Adrian and Blain turned.
“What’s that?” asked Redlynn.
“A girl,” Adrian replied. The three of them proceeded down a side hallway.
Redlynn had never been in that part of the castle before; it was several long hallways
with ornate wall sconces and wooden doors along one side.
There was a scream, and then another. Adrian dragged her past room after room toward the end of the hall. Doors opened, and men peered out but at the sight of them, they closed the doors again. At the end of the passage, a large group of men gathered outside an open door.
“Let us through,” Adrian called.
The men parted, and Redlynn walked to the open doorway and took in the scene. Hanna stood inside the large chamber. Her children were huddled in the corner with Fendrick. Several other women stood around a bed where a terrified girl crouched. Dirty and wild-eyed the girl was ready to bolt. On the other side of the bed, a second woman spoke to the girl softly, but every time she did, the girl screamed louder.
“Get away! Get away!” The girl clutched the sheet and backed into the headboard.
“Lizzy. Lizzy, it’s me, Clara, your sister,” the woman crooned.
Letting go of Adrian’s hand, Redlynn stepped into the room. The girl’s eyes traveled to Redlynn, and she cried out, jumping from the bed.
“Red! Red! Help me!” Lizzy screeched, running to Redlynn and throwing her arms around Redlynn’s waist. “Don’t let me die. I don’t want to go into the woods and die like my sister, Clara. Make her spirit leave me alone.”
Redlynn’s gaze moved across the group of women gathered in the room. The women watched her apprehensively. She moved Lizzy to arms-length and looked into her face. Realization dawned on Redlynn. Lizzy. She’d been the first taken.
“You’re alive.” She couldn’t believe it. Redlynn reached her arms around Lizzy awkwardly and held the girl close. Lizzy’s body shook violently.
She looked from Clara to Hanna. A flash of memory hit her with force. Hanna at her hut. Her mother talking to her about herbs from the forest. In an instant, she remembered.
“You.” Redlynn’s voice hardened, and ice gripped her heart. They’d lied to her. “You’re Sahanna Thrist.” Her gaze went to the other woman watching her. “And you’re Claretta Metlock. You're from Volkzene. You’re members of the Sisterhood.”
Red the Were Hunter (Fairelle Series Book 1) Page 13
