Ever Marked (The Claren Trilogy Book 1)

by Mary Akers

  He tucked her arm snuggly in his elbow, plastered a smile onto his face, and started taking big bold steps down the aisle. The people receded back out of the walkway as it became apparent that Nate was moving with purpose. Elora smiled, relieved to be escaping the scrutiny of the crowd. But while the seemingly endless throng of well-wishers had felt smothering, she also worried that her stalker was lurking beyond the courtyard wall. She held tight to Nate, taking some comfort in knowing that people were nearby who cared for her and would protect her.

  “What could that man want with me?” she asked herself.

  She thought back to her first encounter with him. She’d seen him working for the Highlander in the market. She gasped as the epiphany struck her. It was the seed. Her ability, her birthmark, being followed; everything started changing for her after she’d purchased the seed necklace from the Highlander.

  “He knows! He knows something,” she thought. “I have to find him.”

  As they at last stepped through the courtyard gate to the quiet and empty area beyond the wall, she began looking around eagerly to find him. She ran to the corner of the courtyard where he had jumped down but there was no one. He’d disappeared. Disappointed, she walked back toward the gate where Nate stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her curiously.

  At his raised eyebrows, she shrugged sheepishly and said, “I thought I saw something.”

  At that moment, the handsome stranger came bursting through the gate, crashing into Elora. They both stumbled, but while he managed to regain his footing, Elora’s skirts became tangled around her legs and she began to fall. With surprisingly quick reflexes, he reached out to catch her arm and pulled her up against him. She had no time to react, slamming into his chest with a yelp. He held her shoulders for a moment to steady her as she caught her breath and regained her balance. Startled by the sudden impact, and then flustered by his close proximity, Elora couldn’t seem to remember how to speak. But before she could find her voice, he released her and took off around the corner of the courtyard.

  “He must have seen the same thing,” Nate mused aloud. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just a little stunned,” Elora said with a forced chuckle, looking in the direction where the man had disappeared.

  She was so confused. She had so many questions about what was happening and who those two men were. Something strange was going on and she was clearly a part of it, but she had no idea why or how. It was both frightening and annoying. She pursed her lips in frustration.

  “So, what is supposed to happen now?” Nate asked, peeking back into the courtyard at the crowd milling around inside.

  Elora shook her head to mentally clear away the distractions and refocus on the celebration at hand. She took a deep breath and turned her attention to Nate.

  “Trig didn’t tell you anything, did he?” she said with a laugh.

  “He told me what time to show up!” Nate replied in mock defense of his brother.

  “Well, I suppose that was the singularly most important detail,” she admitted with a laugh. “The reception comes next and it’s supposed to be inside the church. I wonder why people aren’t making their way in there yet.”

  “Oh, I know why,” Nate replied bluntly. “It’s amazing in there. Did you see all those flowers?” he said, looking back through the gate appreciatively. “I can’t say I blame them for sticking around to get a closer look at everything.”

  Elora looked down to hide her blush, grateful that Nate wasn’t aware that she was responsible for cultivating the courtyard.

  “Alysa said there will be all kinds of delicious treats to eat,” she said, changing topics as quickly as possible.

  “Yes, my wife has been baking all week for this,” he said, nodding as he leaned back against the courtyard wall.

  “I am so happy to hear that!” Elora said as she rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Amber makes the most delicious cookies.”

  “Her baking skills were definitely one of my top reasons for proposing to her,” he said, with a grin. “I want to thank you, by the way, for catching our little munchkin in there before she made a spectacle of herself and embarrassed her mother.”

  “Don’t mention it. She’s adorable,” Elora gushed.

  “Yeah. She takes after Amber in that,” he said with a fond smile. “So, when do we get to go inside? I’m hungry and like you said, my wife’s cookies are in there.”

  “We’re supposed to wait until everyone is inside and has a chance to get a cup of wine. Then we announce the newly bound couple, they make a grand entrance, and everyone raises their drink in celebration,” Elora said, holding up a pretend cup of wine in a mock toast. “Hey, speaking of the newly bound couple…” she said looking around.

  “They are taking advantage of a quiet moment and a large bush,” Nate said with a grin, nodding his head toward the part of the courtyard wall that adjoined the church.

  Elora moved closer to the wall to see beyond the thick brush that obscured her view. A fleeting glance revealed that Trig had Alysa pressed against the wall and the two were kissing passionately.

  Elora giggled and quickly looked away.

  “Good for them,” she laughed.

  “No use wasting time,” Nate chuckled.

  His expression suddenly turned serious and he straightened from his position against the wall.

  “Wait, so what you’re telling me is that all these people have to go inside before we can eat?” he asked incredulously. At Elora’s nod, he cried “Do they know that?”

  “I don’t know. Did Preacher Woodward make an announcement before the ceremony?” Elora asked.

  “I don’t remember. And apparently, nobody else does either,” he said indignantly. “I’m going to fix that.”

  “You do that!” she encouraged. “Your wife’s cookies await!” she said, laughing.

  Nate pulled his hands out of his pockets and marched back through the gate and up the aisle to make his announcement. Elora took a step closer and peered down the aisle in amusement. She watched as Nate approached the front of the courtyard, stopping to scoop up his daughter and kiss his wife along the way. Elora couldn’t help but smile at the happy little family.

  “So, do the good people of Windom have a problem with bees?” said a deep voice from behind her.

  Chapter 9

  Elora jumped and spun around to find the handsome stranger standing a few feet away, a teasing smile on his face. She hadn’t heard him approach and, as seemed to be the case whenever he was nearby, she was struck momentarily dumb.

  He stood casually relaxed, his hands tucked in the pockets of his pants, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. He was lean, but muscular, and the fabric of his shirt draped across his broad shoulders in a way that made her heart race. She closed her eyes briefly, utterly intimidated by how beautiful he was, before working up the courage to make eye contact. Because he was a good head taller than she was, she had to look up to meet his gaze. When she finally raised her eyes to his, she found him watching her expectantly, awaiting an answer. She had no choice but to pull herself together. She shook her head in an attempt to regain her wits and took a composing breath, smiling bashfully.

  “A few years ago this courtyard was the site of a traumatizing bee experience,” she said, turning to look into the courtyard. “I wasn’t there to witness it,” she shrugged, “but clearly it left an impression on people.”

  “Clearly,” he said, chuckling. “I thought they were all going to stampede.”

  He had an accent she couldn’t place, which meant he must have traveled quite a ways to reach Windom. Impossibly, this somehow made him even more attractive.

  “I think they probably would have if you’d actually seen one,” she said, smiling as she cautioned another look at his face.

  “It’s a good thing I saw a wasp, then,”
he said gently, holding her gaze.

  He was giving her an opening. Should she acknowledge the real reason behind his outburst during the ceremony? Elora stared into his eyes, unmoving for a moment as she considered her next words. This man was a stranger to her. He seemed to be aware of what was happening to her, of her birthmark, of her ability, even of the man who had been following her. She was desperate for the answers that he might have. But was she so desperate that she would reveal her secrets to a stranger? Whatever he may know, she couldn’t trust him. Not yet anyway.

  “I’m glad it didn’t sting you,” she said softly, her eyes still locked with his, her expression serious.

  He watched her silently for a few seconds, perhaps a bit disappointed. But then his face relaxed into a smile and he chuckled.

  “Me too,” he replied.

  Just then Nate’s booming voice echoed through the courtyard.

  “Attention good people,” he said enthusiastically. “Please make your way inside the church where we will celebrate the newly bound couple with food and drink.”

  Guests were shockingly quick to comply. Elora looked up and found herself suddenly in the path of a swiftly moving crowd. Surprised, she couldn’t move out of the way fast enough. Thankfully, the handsome stranger grabbed her hand and tugged her towards him just in time to avoid the rush of people. The movement was so abrupt that Elora lost her balance for a moment and instinctively placed a hand against his chest to steady herself. Embarrassed and awkward, she quickly removed her hand, laughing as she put some space between them.

  “Thank you. You’ve caught me twice today and I still don’t even know your name,” she said, smiling shyly up at him.

  “Well, the first time was entirely my fault, so don’t thank me for that. I’m sorry for barreling into you like that,” he said wincing.

  “It’s alright. I seem to have a habit of blocking the gate,” she replied sheepishly.

  “True,” he agreed teasingly.

  She laughed, enjoying the easy banter between them.

  “My name is Asher, by the way.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you Asher,” she said smiling up at him. “My name is …” she began but was interrupted.

  “Mr. Weatherby? Is that you?” called out Douglas Redding, the head of the stable facilities.

  A momentary look of annoyance danced across Asher’s face as he tore his eyes from Elora.

  “Yes?” Asher replied.

  “I almost didn’t recognize you! I see you spent some time with a razor,” the burly middle-aged man said as he chuckled nervously. “I need to give you an update on your sorrel mare.”

  “Is everything alright?” he asked, immediately concerned.

  “Yes, yes,” Mr. Redding said, nodding reassuringly. “She’s fine, but there was an incident earlier this morning. Someone attempted to take her from the upper paddock.”

  Elora’s mouth fell open in shock. Things like that just didn’t happen in Windom. She looked wide-eyed up at Asher to see his reaction to such disturbing information. His jaw was clenched, but his features remained neutral. He seemed angry but not surprised. Elora watched him curiously, as he crossed his arms and took a deep breath.

  “Did you happen to catch the thief?” he asked calmly.

  “One of my stable hands saw the guy closing the gate after he’d already taken your horse from the pasture. My man shouted and your mare shied and took off toward the barn, thank goodness. The thief ran in the other direction,” Douglas explained.

  Asher nodded as he listened.

  “Did your man get a good look at him?” he asked.

  “Dan didn’t recognize him, which means he must not be from Windom because Dan knows just about everyone. He said the guy looked young. All he could see from that distance was that the man had light colored hair and was trim,” Douglas replied.

  Elora sucked in a breath at the description which accurately matched her stalker. She looked up at Asher and discovered that he had been watching her reaction. Their eyes locked but instead of finding a question there, she saw understanding. It was as though he knew what she had been thinking. Her head cocked to the side, puzzled. He held her gaze a moment more before turning back to Douglas.

  “Have you already reported this to the Guard?” he asked.

  “Yes. They are aware and have a Guardsman posted at the stable. We’ve moved your horse down to the lower pasture, closer to the barn so we can keep an eye on her. I’m sorry that this happened, Mr. Weatherby,” he said apologetically.

  “It’s certainly not your fault, Mr. Redding,” Asher replied graciously. “Thank you for your efforts. I’ll be by later to check on her.”

  Douglas nodded gratefully before turning to join the few remaining people still making their way into the reception.

  After he had walked away, Elora turned to Asher with a quizzical expression on her face.

  “Pardon me for saying so, but you seemed oddly unsurprised by that,” she said with eyebrows raised.

  “No, I wasn’t surprised,” he answered. “I knew trouble would find me here at some point.”

  Elora took a step backward and gave him a sideways glance.

  “Why would trouble be following you?” she asked warily.

  He chuckled, tucking his hands into his pockets and shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

  “Oh, trouble isn’t following me,” he said. “The problem is that trouble and I are looking for the same thing.”

  Elora tilted her head curiously and opened her mouth to ask another question, but stopped when Asher took a step closer to her and leaned down to look solemnly into her eyes.

  “What did surprise me though, Elora, is that trouble seems to have found you first,” he said lowly.

  Elora stared back at him, her breath caught in her throat and a chill running up her spine. What was that supposed to mean? And how did he know her name?

  “Tell your parents that I’m looking forward to supper,” he said, as he backed away from her slowly.

  Elora’s brows furrowed in frustration as she realized that he was leaving. She lifted her hand and opened her mouth to protest.

  “Wait!” she called.

  But he only smiled before turning and walking quickly away.

  “I told you that guy liked you!” came Trig’s teasing voice from behind her.

  Elora jumped and then sighed, suddenly understanding Asher’s hasty retreat. She turned to find that Alysa and Trig had emerged from their brushy hiding spot and were watching her with excited smiles on their faces.

  “Elora! Who was that?” Alysa nearly squealed as she rushed over to take Elora by the hands.

  “His name is Asher,” Elora said, laughing at Alysa’s enthusiasm.

  “Well, where is Asher going?” Trig asked, bemused. “What kind of man walks away from a lovely girl and good food?”

  “The kind of man who just found out that someone tried to steal his horse.” Elora replied with a shrug.

  “Seriously?” gasped Alysa, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “Ah yes, I heard about that” Trig said, nodding his head. “Will Holmestead was supposed to be at our ceremony but your dad sent him to secure the stables instead.”

  “That’s too bad,” Alysa said, shaking her head. “I’m glad he didn’t try to send you,” she laughed, reaching up to adjust their binding cord which Trig had draped victoriously behind his neck.

  “The day isn’t over yet, love,” he said with a sardonic smirk.

  “He wouldn’t!” Alysa cried.

  “You do remember that we’re talking about your father, right? Michael Scott? Head Guardsman?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

  Alysa sighed in resignation.

  “Well, let’s just hope he doesn’t,” she said, pursing her lips.

  “Here’s hoping,”
Trig replied with a wink, draping his arm around her shoulders. He turned his attention back to Elora, asking “So, is his horse alright?”

  “Mr. Redding said she wasn’t harmed, but I’m guessing Asher’s gone to check on her anyway,” Elora said, watching as he turned to glance at her once more from a distance before breaking into a jog.

  “What a pity,” Alysa said, shaking her head. “You two seemed to be hitting it off.”

  “Yeah. Nice job keeping the drool in check,” Trig teased, nudging Elora with his elbow.

  Elora let out a gasp of mock outrage as she swatted his arm.

  At that moment, Nate walked up and declared, “Alright! Everyone’s in there. Let’s get to it before the cookies are all gone!”

  Elora shook her head and laughed as the four of them turned to walk to the church entrance. She couldn’t resist searching out Asher’s figure once more as he disappeared around a bend in the road. Excitement and fear swirled around in her stomach as she replayed their conversation in her mind. She had so many questions! In just a little while she would hopefully have answers. Her heart swelled at the thought of seeing him again. These next few hours were going to last an eternity.

  As they neared the entrance, Alysa’s mother pushed through the doors carrying two glasses of wine and handed one to Elora and Nate. She smiled excitedly at Alysa before withdrawing back into the church. Through the crack in the door, Elora could see nearly the entirety of Windom milling around and her stomach churned as she realized that she would be their center of attention shortly, even if only for a moment. Hopefully Nate would make the introduction. He didn’t seem to mind the limelight.

  “Are you ready?” Nate asked, looking around at everyone. They all nodded and he turned to Elora. “I’ll be loud and get everyone’s attention and then you can take it from there. My gift is volume, not eloquence.”

  Elora’s mouth fell open in protest. This is not at all what she had expected to happen! But before she could get a word out, he placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and marched inside.

  “Attention everyone! Attention please!” Nate bellowed jovially.