“I’m not sure how close to a village we are. But I was thinking.” Cassandra stopped chewing her food. She stared directly into azure eyes. “Eventually we’re going to need to settle down. At least until you have an education that I can’t provide. After that, we can travel more, if you wish.”
Cassandra expelled the breath she had been holding. She had been afraid Elissa would want to leave her in the care of someone else. There remained that possibility. For now, she would hold onto Elissa’s words.
“I just wish I didn’t have to go to church.” Cassandra relaxed once again. She took a sip of her water. It was warm but it quenched her thirst.
Not attending church could pose a problem. Elissa knew most mortals believed in religion and spent their Sundays in church. It was something she had never had forced upon her. She wasn’t about to force it upon Cassandra.
“We’ll figure something out.” Elissa knew she didn’t sound very convincing. There wasn’t much they could do until they knew for certain what would happen.
A low growl coincided with Elissa’s sensing of someone nearing the wagon. She motioned for Cassandra to hide beneath the blanket she’d been using as a pillow, along with the flour sack.
Elissa closed her eyes. She allowed her senses to roam free. Two men. They smelled as if they hadn’t seen a river or stream for a month. There was also the scent of blood.
Though the sun was bright, there were three ways Elissa could handle the unwanted company. She could confront them, hide or wakeup the sleeping oxen.
With Cassandra not far, Elissa chose to wait. She counted the steps. One was headed toward the oxen. The other was headed toward the back of the wagon. “Raven.” The wolf looked up sleepily at her. “Watch the back.”
Raven cocked her head. She blinked several times before sneezing. She then turned her back on Elissa. The pup placed herself between the back opening of the wagon and Cassandra.
Both oxen made discontented mooing sounds as the man at the front of the wagon walked past them. The wagon moved slightly as the man made his way into the seat.
Elissa smelled the breath before she saw the dirty sandy blonde head poke between the tied flaps. The man was covered with blood and dirt. If she had need of breath, she would have been ill. The sight of him caused her to feel ill.
“Well looky here.” The man’s breath could incinerate fresh meat it was so rotten. “Didn’t think we’d fine such a preddy little thing like you out here.”
Little? Preddy? Elissa shook her head. She didn’t want Cassandra to be inflicted by this man. “I’m not pretty. But I am dangerous. You and your friend best be on your way.”
“Preddy but not very friendly. Maybe I should show you how to be…” His thought was interrupted by the growling escaping from the rear of the wagon.
“I would tell your friend to back off. My wolf is extremely protective.” Elissa wouldn’t share it wasn’t her Raven was protective of.
The voice came from behind her. “Tell your mutt to back off.” There was the cocking of a weapon. “Or I end the little runt’s life.”
“No!” Cassandra launched herself between the wolf and the weapon. Elissa’s soul lurched at seeing her young charge in danger.
“Well looky here.” The male at the back of the wagon was just as disgusting. His dark hair was plastered to his head and neck. “Not only a preddy lady, but a preddy young thing.”
The growl was so loud it startled the two filthy adults, the child and the wolf pup. Elissa was a blur. Less of a blur than she was in the open, but a blur nonetheless.
When Elissa was done, the two men were unconscious. She didn’t hesitate in tying the pigs together. Leaving them this far from the trail meant they would most likely not be discovered.
In the past, Elissa wouldn’t have cared whether or not the men lived or died. But she had to be an example for Cassandra. If for no other reason, her actions taught her charge the true way of life.
Cassandra had watched. She had been terrified. There was a part of her that knew she was safe. That Elissa would sacrifice herself before allowing anything to happen to the child. But it had been terrifying having a weapon aimed at her.
“We can’t leave these men here.” Elissa’s voice was cruel. She hadn’t recovered from having allowed her animalistic side to burst to the forefront. “There’s still three hours till nightfall. We might have to move now.”
Emerald eyes sought out azure. Cassandra stared intently at her mentor. “I can handle the oxen if you can tie the men to the back of the wagon. We can move slowly. And leave them where they will eventually be discovered.”
Once again, Elissa was impressed at how adultlike Cassandra was. Her small stature belied the wisdom held in her intelligent brain. “I’ll be just a moment.”
Cassandra counted the beat of her heart. Only fifteen beats before Elissa returned to the safety of the wagon. Hesitating only momentarily, the youngster made her way to the seat of the wagon.
The sun was brighter than Cassandra remembered, even though it hadn’t been that long since she had made a trip to the old well she had discovered and filled her waterskins. It felt colder. Soon she would need the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
Twenty minutes later, Cassandra halted the oxen. As usual, they continued for several paces before coming to a complete stop.
Cassandra couldn’t see her, but she sensed Elissa was moving. Seeing the men hogtied by the edge of the trail confirmed her intuition.
Without having to ask, Cassandra found the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She couldn’t help smiling. “Thank you.”
There was no response. Cassandra didn’t expect there to be. Elissa was the opposite of the young girl. Cassandra could talk for hours on end. Elissa was lucky to have a handful of words escape her in a day’s time.
The wagon was soon on its way once again. Cassandra could hear the curses of the men. She wondered why Elissa hadn’t gagged them as well. Probably because she knew the young girl would want the men, as despicable as they were, to have a chance at survival.
They continued on their way. Soon, the sun would set and Elissa would rest the oxen for an hour or two before continuing in darkness. Cassandra would curl up in the back and she would attempt to sleep.
Until then, Cassandra had to pay attention to the road. Not just so they remained on the trail, but in case there were any other men who would want to attempt to take advantage of her.
Cassandra barely had time to realize the arrow had struck the bench next to her. She screamed. Elissa immediately had her head out the flap. “Attack.” It was all she could utter.
Elissa glanced at the arrow next to her charge. “Stop the wagon. Get in back. Take cover. I’ll be back.” The vampire didn’t wait for her charge to comply.
As soon as Cassandra had made it to safety, two more arrows struck where she had been seated. Instead of screaming, she buried herself behind the sack of flour. She made certain Raven was next to her.
The vampire retrieved all three arrows. Elissa made certain her swords were in place before she was off in a blur. What she found didn’t surprise her.
Instead of white men, there were four men with reddish-brown skin. They wore animal skins around their waists but their chests were bare. They each had a quiver at their backs and bows in their hands.
Elissa stood in the shade of the trees as she watched the men. They were attempting to locate her. She understood their native tongue. There were a handful of tribes where the clan was located. She had a treaty with the tribes there.
These were different tribes. Just like the four clans were so different. Speaking in their native tongue, Elissa asked, “Why are you attempting to harm a child?”
The man with the most feathers studied her for several moments. His head was cocked to the side. “How is it you could move with such speed. You are female.”
Not liking how he dodged her question, Elissa decided to show her true nature. Her eyes glowed red as her fangs gre
w. She again only allowed them to remain for five seconds.
“You are immortal.” The man didn’t seem surprised. “You are rare in these parts. But I know along the coast where my people originated from there are many.”
Elissa didn’t allow the surprise she felt to show. There were others like her that didn’t belong to the clan? It wasn’t something she would have thought existed. “I’m from where there are many. I’m traveling with a mortal child. I want to keep her safe. Please grant me safe passage. I’ll be forever in your debt.”
The man once again cocked his head. “Do you understand what that means? To be forever in debt to our people?”
“I’m immortal. I know exactly what it means to be in debt forever.” Elissa’s smile was feral. “And I know your word is more honorable than the white men who I have lived with for far too long and will continue to do so.”
The man nodded. “You have safe passage. I hope never to call upon you. If only because it might lead to harm for the little one you protect so. Go. In peace.”
Elissa bowed her head in silent thanks. The scream caused her to become a blur once again as Cassandra was once again in trouble.
Chapter 10
The daylight, even though Elissa was a blur, was beginning to burn her skin. She prayed she would survive long enough for the sun to fully set or she could hide in the covered wagon.
Elissa saw Cassandra struggling. Not only were the two disgusting men they had left tied up attempting to take her young charge, there were four other men with them.
Instead of thinking how killing would affect Cassandra, Elissa didn’t hesitate in breaking each one of the men’s necks. As if it had been physically exhausting, the immortal was breathing heavily.
The animal. It was there. Not just beneath the surface like it always lurked, but bubbling to the surface. Elissa was shaking. Her entire body felt as if it was on fire. Part of that was the affects of the sun. Mostly it was because of the strain it was taking from keeping the animal inside to unleash itself on Cassandra.
Azure eyes opened to slits when Elissa heard the growls. Raven had placed herself between the vampire and Cassandra. The young wolf probably sensed something in Elissa that it fought with on a daily basis as well.
Dark eyes the color of charcoal bore into azure eyes gone scarlet. There was a battle of wills. A young pup who was protecting her savior and an immortal nearly a millennium old attempting to rein in hundreds of years of animalistic anger.
Cassandra sat at the end of the wagon. She had been terrified when the two grubby men had grabbed hold of her. She had been even more terrified when the other men had arrived. She knew she couldn’t save herself.
The way Raven had attempted to fight on her behalf had caused some of the fear to wane, if only momentarily. What had caused the young girl to scream was when the dark-haired man had struck Raven. The yelp had caused her to scream and place herself between the men and her furry savior.
Then it had happened. Cassandra had witnessed the killing of six men. At first, she had been stunned. She couldn’t have responded if she had wanted to.
The stunning had worn off. It had led to disgust. But that had hastily been dismissed. It was replaced with awe and gratitude.
Now, Cassandra was watching in fascination as Elissa was warring with herself and with Raven. The young girl wasn’t certain who would win if she didn’t intervene.
“Elissa?” Cassandra’s voice went unheard. “Raven?” The pup merely growled louder. It was as if Raven had thought the use of her name had meant she needed to protect her master with greater fervor.
“Enough!” Cassandra crawled between the warring animals. She knew if she turned her back on Raven the wolf would calm, if only to a slight degree.
Cassandra had never witnessed Elissa after a kill. Although only ten, she wasn’t stupid. It might be labeled feeding, but what her friend did every four days was kill. Instead of wild animals, it was wild mortals she had killed.
“Elissa.” Cassandra’s voice was but a whisper. She hesitantly reached out. Her hand shook as she made contact with the kneeling immortal.
Eyes glowing red remained unfocused. Cassandra wasn’t certain how to reach her friend. Her voice went unheeded. She had to do something.
Cassandra took a deep breath to steady her shaking hand. Gently, she stroked Elissa’s cheek. The piercing red eyes closed. The breathing was finally slowing to a normal rate. She wondered about the breathing since she knew her friend had no need of oxygen.
When Elissa’s eyes finally reopened, they had returned to their natural azure. The immortal blinked several times. She hadn’t even known where she was. All she had known was her charge had been in danger and there was a battle of wills.
When a sneeze came from behind Cassandra, Elissa realized who the battle of wills had been with. Her smile was wry at the thought of battling with the young pup. She wasn’t certain who would win, especially when it came to Cassandra’s safety.
“I’m sorry.” Elissa grasped the hand that remained stroking her cheek. “I haven’t had to control myself. Whenever I’d brought my presents to the orphanage, I had given myself enough time to recover. But I couldn’t allow those men to harm you.”
Cassandra tipped her head to the side. She wondered whether Elissa was more worried about terrifying her with how easily she had killed or how much it had taken for the animal inside to be reined in.
“I know.” Azure eyes blinked several times once again at the kindness and understanding the young voice contained. “And I’m grateful you once again saved me. Seems like you’ve done that a lot since we met.”
“True. You do seem to attract trouble.” Elissa managed a weak smile. There remained a part of her that held onto her natural instincts. For now, she would concentrate on her friend.
“I attracted you.” Cassandra smiled sweetly at her protector. She didn’t realize until that moment her hand had remained on Elissa’s cheek. Reluctantly, she removed it. “It’s nearly sunset. Are we moving on?”
“I’ll need a little while longer to recover. The sun scorched me more than I realized.” Elissa hesitantly rolled up the sleeves of her dark top.
Cassandra sucked in a breath. She had once had a sunburn that paled in comparison. It had been painful. This must be excruciating. “Is there an ointment that will help?”
Azure eyes couldn’t meet emerald. “The only way to speed the recovery would be to feed. But I don’t need to for a couple more days. I’ll heal. It just might take an hour or two.”
“As long as you’ll heal.” Cassandra decided to give her friend some room. She made her way to where she attempted to sleep while Elissa guided the wagon. “I’ll be glad to be away from these bodies.”
Elissa nodded. The bodies were already attracting flies. It was because these men had lived in filth. They hadn’t bothered to care for themselves.
“I almost forgot with these men.” Cassandra retrieved the dried deer meat and resumed eating. She alternated between feeding herself and Raven who was snuggled tightly to her side. “Who was attempting to kill me with arrows?”
“The Natives of this area.” Elissa settled in her own spot. It was opposite of Cassandra but in the front of the wagon. It was so she could come to the aid of her friend during the day if need be. Right now, it allowed her to look into emerald eyes.
“Natives?” Elissa nodded. “We never had to deal with the Natives. The militia always kept them at bay. Plus, we lived so close to the ocean, they rarely treaded that far.”
“Since we stepped onto the shores of The New World, we had need to communicate with the Natives.” Elissa was held captive by expressive emerald eyes.
Curiosity. Wonder. Empathy. There was so much in those young eyes. Elissa wondered who had the most to learn from who.
“Unlike Devlyn and the others, I spent a great deal of time with them.” Elissa relaxed as her burning skin slowly was soothing itself. “I learned their language. I learned their ways. I mad
e peace with those who were taking aim at white people.”
“Teach me.” Cassandra took a sip of her water. She wanted to learn everything she could from Elissa. There was this sensation that one day her mentor would teach her something no one, mortal or immortal, would ever teach her.
“We’ll include it in your lessons. I promise.” Elissa could no long maintain the gaze. Cassandra was forceful. It was unnerving, to say the least.
“And when I’m ready to become like you?” Cassandra didn’t know why she was broaching the subject, especially so soon after Elissa had showed her animalistic side.
Elissa’s head jerked toward her young charge. She eyed Cassandra. The innocence was nearly overpowering. “You don’t want to become like me. Did you not feel it when you had to so carefully bring me back from my ragings?”
“I felt it. I felt it from Raven.” Cassandra leaned forward. “I also felt protected. I felt cared for.” She had wanted to say loved but knew Elissa wasn’t ready for that word. Not yet, anyways.
“Do you honestly think, after all you’ve seen me do and what I’ve told you I’m capable of that it’s anything to aspire to?” Elissa wouldn’t allow Cassandra this romantic notion of what it was like to be a vampire.
“There is no denying this predator nature you have.” Cassandra held up her small hands. “I’m not finished. Raven has the same nature. Yet, she has come to love and protect me with her very life. Would she be safe with others? I’d like to think so, as long as the mortal or immortal wasn’t threatening me.”
There was a moment of silence. Cassandra decided her friend needed more convincing. “Have you ever had the predatory feelings toward me?”
“I…” Elissa didn’t know. She had stared down Raven a few moments ago. But that was because she had sensed a similar nature in the pup through her haze.
Bonded Souls Page 6
