by annie nadine
She opened it to find a stern looking Eli standing there. Did he know about her and Baden? It looked like she was about to find out.
CHAPTER 33
“Eli,” Annie said breathlessly. He stood there with his hands clasped behind his back in a formal manner. He kept his face even but it looked as if he was trying to hold back anger.
“Annie, sorry to disturb you but I have a guest arriving shortly and I would prefer if you were away from the manor for the meeting.” He spoke as if he was talking to someone he felt uncomfortable with.
“Where will I go?” She asked feeling out of place and awkward. She wondered who might be coming but she knew better than to ask.
“I have arranged for a carriage to take you in town for a few hours. It will leave in thirty minutes.” Eli abruptly walked away without saying anything else and Annie was left dumbfound by what just happened.
She stepped slightly out of the room and watched him move away. Before she had time to call to him he was out of sight. She debated whether she should go after him but if there was something he didn’t want to talk about then there was no use in pushing him.
Instead, Annie got dressed for her trip in town. She wore a light day dress, for the day was warm and welcoming. The colour was a soft mauve and it looked lovely against her fair skin. She braided her hair then twisted it into a bun so it sat at the back of her head. When she was ready she made her way down stairs to find Garrick waiting at the door for her. When he saw her coming he opened the door to a sunny, blue day.
“Good morning Miss Belle,” he greeted, bowing his head respectfully.
“Yes, it does seem to be a wonderful morning. Shall we go to the markets then?” She said happily as she moved to leave the manor, pulling a glove over one of her hands. If she was being sent away then she was going to make sure she made the most of it.
“I am afraid I will not be joining you but one of Eli’s personal coachmen will accompany you,” he explained. Annie stopped midway out the door and looked at him in surprise. Only one of her hands was placed in a glove, the other glove hung limp in her grasp. She saw something close to dismay in Garrick’s eyes.
“Garrick, what on earth is going on?” She asked, worry evident in her voice. He remained silent for a moment before he responded.
“Eli has requested my presence for his meeting today and he feels you will be fine with one of his other coachmen.” He sounded as if he had rehearsed the sentence and it came out a little strained.
“I see,” she said irritated, looking at her hand as she pulled the other glove on. After it was in place she looked up and forced a smile. “Then I shall see you when I return, Garrick.” She left before he could say anything about her mood. She felt suspicious of what was going on, like she was missing something but she had no idea what.
Garrick followed her out to the carriage and helped her into her seat. He closed the door and looked at her for a moment.
“Stay safe Miss Belle.” And his words held more meaning than what he had actually said. With a half-smile between them the carriage lurched into motion and soon she was out of the gates and headed for town.
Before too long the carriage pulled up to the town gates and stopped. The coachman jumped down and opened the door for Annie to get out.
“Thank you,” she said when both her feet were safely on the ground. “I will look around for a while and meet you back here. If there is a need, feel free to look for me,” she instructed politely. With a nod from him she was off.
As Annie made her way down the busy street she felt eyes on her. Pausing, she looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Deducing it down to her own paranoia she continued through the crowd trying to ignore the feeling.
She walked past the corner of a tall building and came upon a small alley that led behind the structure. As she walked past she was grabbed and pulled into the shadows by strong hands. She had no time to scream because her assailant had their hand over her mouth instantly. Their other arm gripped so tightly around her that they pinned her against them so she could not move an inch. She was stuck with her back against them and there was nothing she could do to save herself. Tears were just starting to sting her eyes when the person leaned down and whispered into her ear.
“Annie, would you like to have a little fun?” Baden asked mischievously. She let out a huge sigh of relief and he loosened his grip so she could turn around in his arms. When she was facing him he saw the tears glistening in her eyes and the smile dropped from his face immediately. He pulled her into an embrace as he realised the adrenaline he had felt rushing through her was from fear not fun.
“I am so sorry. I did not realise it would frighten you,” he said frantically. She buried her face into his chest and let the relief seep into her.
“No, it is fine. I am just so glad it was you,” she spoke into his shirt. Her breathing was still heavier than normal from the surprise. He waited for her to look up at him before he spoke again.
“I will not let anyone hurt you,” he promised and she felt comfort from his words. Leaning down he gave her a sweet kiss that soothed her fear and replaced it with peace.
From across the street, hidden by the passing crowd, Micah and Eli witnessed the encounter. They were watching from a far distance away and made sure they were out of the breeze so their scent wouldn’t be carried by it. They stayed out of sight and silent so Baden would not detect them. Eli silently looked to Micah who had an arrogant expression on his face. Discreetly they moved away and started back to their carriage.
“I told you,” Micah said with satisfaction.
“We will talk when we are back at the manor,” Eli said bluntly. He didn’t like Micah much but most of all he didn’t like his brother and now Baden was kissing the person he cared for. That changed everything.
The trip back to the manor was silent and tense but Micah didn’t care, he was just happy that his plan was finally picking up pace. Soon they were in the library, Eli in his seat behind his desk and Micah in one close by. Eli looked at nothing in particular, he didn’t feel rude that he was ignoring Micah’s presence.
“Sometimes the perils of love are too much,” Micah commented with a hint of mocking in his voice. Eli still did not face him.
“You wrote and insisted you must show me something and now you have. I am assuming that there is some motive behind this,” Eli said unemotionally as he fiddled with a small, torn piece of paper.
“Yes. Baden needs to go.” Micah’s voice was harsh and his words were blunt. Eli darted his eyes to Micah and waited for him to continue. “We know how you can rectify this situation,” he said alluding to the legend that he obviously knew.
“And what is in it for you if Baden is out of the way?” Eli asked letting his despise show.
“Baden has no right to her,” he said angrily.
“Even if Baden was gone, what leads you to believe I will allow you to be anywhere near her?” Eli found Micah’s reasoning confusing.
“At the very least you know I would not hurt her if I was around but I do not want the woman I love near that monster,” he spat the words. Eli’s jealously sparked when Micah said ‘love’. How many people would he have to go through to get Annie?
“What is your plan? It is not as if we can kill him.” Eli thought this whole thing a waste of time. He just wanted to be alone to deal with how he was feeling.
“I will deceive Baden into believing I have abducted Annie. I will lead a false trail into the forest where the first soul snatcher was created and then you may step in and finish the task,” Micah explained as if it would be clean and easy. No mess, no fuss.
Eli considered this for a moment. Could he do this to his only brother? Before the sentiment had time to sink in he pushed it away. Baden was no longer his brother, he was a creature that must be kept from hurting others. He threw the scrap piece of paper he held on the desk and leaned forward.
“How will you make him believe you have taken Annie? I will
not allow you even a brief opportunity to be alone with her so you can attempt to draw her into your snare,” Eli said harshly. He did not like that he was dealing with a snatcher but he seemed to have no choice.
“I do not even need to be near her. Just send her somewhere, making sure Baden is unaware and I will do the rest,” Micah said easily. He obviously had thought this through.
“How do you know the location of where the first soul snatcher came from?” Eli questioned. No one knew that, not even him.
“I do not. I will have to be shown,” Micah said it as if it would not be an issue.
“I will have to discuss this with the other trackers and then get back to you.” Eli gave nothing else away, his game face was flawless.
Eli was glad that he had met with some of the trackers as soon as he had received the most recent correspondence from Baden and they had come to town with his request. Eli was sure they would approve, they would do anything to confine Baden.
“Very well. Contact me as soon as you would like to begin the plan,” Micah said as if Eli had already decided to do it. Micah stood to leave but spoke before he moved away from his seat. “The sooner the better,” he said as if to warn Eli. Then he was gone.
Eli decided then and there to deal with Micah as soon as all of this was over. However many times Micah claimed he loved Annie, and no matter how many years had passed since he was in her life, it did not prove anything. Eli refused to believe that Micah would not hurt her eventually.
Whether that was Eli’s jealousy or tracker instincts making him feel that way, he wasn’t sure but either way Micah’s fate was sealed in Eli’s eyes.
CHAPTER 34
After Annie and Baden had a lovely day together she made her way back home. The carriage ride was just long enough for her to become nervous of what the reception might be when she arrived. Unfortunately she was about to find out.
She came through the door to find the place empty. She wasn’t sure if this was a relief or something to be concerned about. She hurried to the staircase but as her foot touched the first step she paused out of guilt. Eli was obviously upset about something and she couldn’t call herself a friend if she ignored it. With forced movements she made her way to the library to check for him. To her surprise she found the door locked. After rattling the handle a little she gave up and knocked.
No answer. So she knocked again. The library door was never locked so he must be in there. She knocked harder until her knuckles hurt and she gave up. Seeing no use for it she turned and started to walk away. The sound of the door unlocking and opening stopped her and she turned back to find Eli standing there.
“Did you have a nice day in town?” He asked finding it hard to hide his contempt. Annie felt there was more behind his words.
“It was wonderful,” she answered watching him carefully. His face turned from ice cold to wide-eyed shock. Suddenly he started laughing then walked back into the library without any explanation. The act made him look insane. Annie stormed in after him and headed to his desk where he was walking to.
“What is going on?” She asked louder than she intended. He spun around and faced her as she kept moving toward him.
“Would you really like to know?” Eli asked harshly and it surprised her. He kept his eyes on her as he moved around behind his desk. She stopped in her tracks and stood staring at him as he stood there piercing her with accusing eyes.
“If there is something you would like to say then by all means, say it!” She found some of the fervour she had lost. He looked like he was holding himself back as he stood there silently fuming. “Fine, keep it to yourself like you do everything else!” Her hands gestured wildly as she yelled.
“That is hypocritical of you!” He yelled the words so loud Annie was stunned into silence. “How can you stand there and say anything to me?”
“Why do you not say what is actually on your mind instead of implying everything? Just say it!” Her face was red from her anger as she threw the words at him.
“Why him?” He yelled.
The room was left in silence, as if all the lies and facades had been shattered into a thousand pieces to the floor and they were planning the best route so as not to step on them. She stared at him and was about to ask who he was referring to but she knew he was talking about Baden. She remained silent, trying to regain her breath and think of something to say.
“I…” She went to speak but Eli interrupted her.
“No, I do not want to hear it. Surely you must know that you are being played a fool? Everything he does is to steal your soul!” He was still angry and she could see his body was tense.
“He does not need anything to survive and you know it,” she argued.
“Who knows? All I know is he has done it before so he could do it again.” He was frustrated at her way of thinking.
“Then why has he not stolen my soul yet?” She countered.
“Because he has to make sure you truly love him first,” he said as if he was speaking to a child.
“I do love him!” Annie yelled before she could stop her words.
Eli’s face turned in pain before he had time to cover it. He looked disgusted and bewildered at what she just said. She slowly clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed her head slightly like a scolded child. She wished with everything in her that she could take it back, not because it wasn’t true but to spare Eli the hurt.
It was apparent when the full impact of what she had said seeped in. Eli’s shoulders slumped and he lost the air right out of his lungs. After a moment he blinked away the tears and looked away from her, like he couldn’t stand the sight of her anymore. He placed his hands on his sides and looked down at his desk.
“How can you say that?” The words came out as if he was pleading for them not to be true. When she didn’t answer he looked up to find her staring at him with no explanation and he could see in her eyes that she really did love Baden.
Eli closed his eyes trying to push away the intense pain that was burrowing its way into him. Knowing the truth was like burning coals burying him alive. He let the anger rip right through him because it was better than feeling the pain. Without thought he swept everything off his desk in a fit of rage and it flew across the room, smashing into the bookshelves. Papers fell like feathers after being thrown in the outburst. He grabbed the lamp, which had somehow dodged the wreckage, and threw it against the wall along with the other items on his desk. It smashed loudly and the oil started dripping slowly down the wood of the shelves.
Annie jumped at the violent outburst though nothing was thrown towards her. She took a step back and held her hand to her chest as if this would help her cope with what was going on. Without one glance towards her, Eli moved around the desk and straight past her, ignoring that she was even there. He left the library faster than she could push a word out. She ran after him as quickly as she could.
“Eli, what are you going to do?” Annie asked panicked when she had caught up to him. She had to run to keep up with his pace.
“Garrick,” he yelled ignoring her. Garrick was there in record time, walking in step with Eli. Garrick kept his composure though he would most certainly have heard the argument and surely the smashing of the lamp.
“Your horse is saddled and waiting outside,” he responded then veered off when he saw that Eli did not need anything else from him.
“Eli,” Annie begged and grabbed at his arm. He snatched it back, being sure not to harm her, and then stormed out the door. She followed without pause. “Where are you headed?” Her voice was a mess of tears and fear as it became mist on the dusk air. Eli mounted the horse with ease and grabbed the reins, commanding the horse’s obedience. He looked down to Annie.
“Something that should have been done long ago,” he said and kicked the side of his horse. The steed sped into motion and carried Eli out of the gates quickly, leaving Annie far behind.
Eli headed to where the trackers were lodged in a hidden house o
utside of town. All these years he had not gone after Baden, giving every excuse he could give himself but he knew the only real reason was because he was his brother. Now Baden had gone too far and his actions were too close to home for Eli to ignore his presence any longer. It was time to truly forget Baden was ever his brother and do what needed to be done.
Annie stood stunned in Eli’s wake. She had no idea what he had been talking about and she had no way to change it. She ran to her room, ignoring Garrick as she fled the horrible mess she had fallen into. More so, the mess that she had run head first into. She locked herself in her room, threw herself on her bed and cried.
Baden snuck in and laid down beside her as she sobbed. She felt his hand on her back but did not look up at his touch. She moved closer to him and he held her knowing there was nothing he could do to fix the situation.
Maybe it was time for him to talk with Eli? However painful that would be for Baden he would do it for Annie. He would do anything for her. Right now he had to be there for her and he did just that.
