“Am I your heart?”
“Yes, haven’t you figured it out?”
Red smiled and ran her fingers through the crisp curls at the opening of his jerkin and shirt before sliding them into the silken strands of his hair. She loved the small touch of vulnerability he showed. “Yes,” she said reverently. Reassuringly. “As you’ve become mine.”
Griffin nodded once in affirmation. “I love you Rose-Red.”
“I love you, my Baron.”
“Not just a baron, my flower. Just a man who loves his woman.”
The glamour that protected them shifted and Red began to feel cold air start to permeate their cocoon. “Our time together is drawing short, isn’t it?” He nodded.
“How can I help break this spell that has you trapped?”
“Just stay safe. I need to find Tristan. Listen to your sheriff. He is a good man.”
“For now. But what if he gets caught in wolf form? We have another full moon coming up, Griffin.”
“I know, Flower. Just get him the message for me, okay?” Griffin pressed their foreheads together as they each soaked up the spirit of the other.
“You’re leaving? But I’ve only just found you!”
“I must find my brother. We were separated, and I don’t know where he is,” Griffin said. “I need to locate him so we can defeat Gaul. Together.” His brown eyes were sad. “Wouldn’t you do that for your sister?”
“I…of course,” Red said. She understood but was at war with herself. She wanted Griffin home. Safe. With her. Eventually realizing the truth behind his quest, she sighed and nodded. Where do you think he’s being held?”
“I’ve followed Tristan’s scent into the woods and then down near the Grimm River.”
“That far? That river is miles away and deep into Paulina’s territory.”
“I know. That’s why I need you to be safe,” Griffin said. “I have no idea how long I’ll be gone.” His unspoken words drifted in the air. He didn’t know if he’d ever been back in Thistle Grove again.
Red nodded. “Snow and I always travel together. There is safety in numbers.”
“Carry a weapon, too,” Griffin urged, his dark eyes imploring. “Please. I’ll feel so much better knowing you and your family can take care of any danger.”
Red framed Griffin’s face with her hands. Already he was fading and growing ephemeral. Cold air continued to distract her, and the sound of the storm outside the cottage grew louder, as though to pull her away from this moment. Tears filled her soft green eyes. She didn’t want this interlude to pass and yet she knew it was. Knew that, like a dream, the harder she concentrated on keeping it, the faster it would dissipate like starlight into dawn. “We have lived here our entire life. We are more than able to take care of ourselves, Griffin.”
“Good. That relieves my mind,” Griffin said. “Come, woman.” A devilish look appeared in his eyes. “We only have a few minutes left and I did promise you your first kiss.”
Their lips met. Tender. Delicate. Exploring. At first, they merely teased each other, testing out the tensile strength of desire. Then deeper as Red found the sweetness of his kiss an alluring temptation, she could not resist. The gentle friction of his lips against hers lured her with a fire hotter than the sun and brighter than the moon.
Chapter Seven
Red woke to the bright yellow rays of the dawn light. She flinched from the bright light in confusion, wondering why she wasn’t in her bed. Griffin, she thought with panic, seeking out his spot by the fire, but it was empty and cold as though he’d never been there.
She sighed, her shoulders drooping. She’d been hoping to see Griffin one last time before he left. Red picked up the pillow he’d used and inhaled, relishing the slight scent of bear fur that remained in its depths. She sobbed slightly and hugged it a bit tighter before putting it back on the couch. Later, she thought. She would deal with the pain later.
Her emotions were jumbled between elation at finding her love, sadness at sending him on his way, and the deep sorrow of waiting for his return. Her thoughts went to her mother, and she wondered how Olga had gone on without her husband.
Red passed the mirror over the mantle and had the sudden realization of how her mother had survived without her mate. Olga had borne his children and was raising them. Through her daughters, she kept her husband alive. Red looked at herself in the mirror and wondered if she possessed the same strength.
But there was breakfast to make and work to do. Introspection was a spice best served sparingly, in Red’s opinion. She put the kettle on and headed into the back courtyard to collect eggs.
The work day stretched before her in a relentless wave. Never before had Red felt this all-encompassing sadness. Last night, as she sat with Griffin, she had felt intoxicated with life. Triumphant with each breath. Anticipation coursing through her body. But this morning? It was all she could do to put one foot in front of the other. Hoping some fresh air would clear her mind, Red opened the window over the sink and was instantly hit by the overwhelming stench of wet, rotten lettuce. Placing one hand over her nose as she gagged and struggled to close the window.
She knew her mother didn’t want them going into the woods, but somehow, they had to figure out what, exactly, had died and get the poor creature disposed of.
“What is that reeking odor?” Snow asked as she came into the main room. Her long black hair was neatly plaited, and her dress pressed. For a moment, Red grew jealous seeing her sister so calm and together.
Seeing her sister struggling, Snow rushed helped Red close the window. Both girls were swallowing and fighting back their gag reflex. “I want to open the door to air out the house, but it’s the air outside that stinks,” Snow muttered.
“I think the odors will get worse,” Red said. “Whatever is causing it will grow bolder now that Griffin has to leave to find his brother.”
Snow opened her mouth to argue but closed it. After a good sleep and a cup of tea, she knew she trusted Red. And if her sister swore the bear was Barron Knox, then it was. “Where does he think his brother is?”
“He didn’t say,” Red confessed. “He followed his brother’s scent to the Grimm River and was leaving to track him.”
“Maybe if we stoke up the fire a bit, it will help the smell in here,” Snow suggested.
“It can’t hurt,” Red said. While Red put a few more pieces of kindling on the fire, Snow pulled some lavender essential oil out of her baker’s case.
“The Grimm River is miles away. Is he sure?”
Red nodded. “Bears have excellent senses of smells, you know.”
“No,” Snow said with a gentle grin. “I figured it would be better than our own, but not that good.”
They were shocked when they heard a knock on the front door. It was barely after dawn. Who would be knocking this time of day?
Red straightened her shoulders and looked out the peephole. She turned to her sister, shock in her eyes. “It’s Gaul,” she mouthed.
Snow swallowed nervously but backed her sister up at the door. Snow held her hand up to indicate her sister pause before opening the door. Together, they slid a wrought iron door stopper in front of the door to prevent Gaul from overpowering them and getting in.
After the second set of knocks, Red took a deep breath and opened the door just far enough for her and Snow to be seen. “Gaul. How can I help you?”
“I’m looking for something.”
“Oh? And what could that be?” The old man seemed to be growing more vicious with every encounter.
Gaul sniffed the air, and Red swallowed. Could he smell Griffin’s bear form? After snuggling with him all night, did she smell like a bear? Like his bear? Tension began in her shoulders, and she clenched her hands to resist slamming the door on the horrid little man.
“My lantern,” he said, his eyes shrewd as they darted between Red and Snow. Snow could tell he sought a weakness between them. She slipped her hand on the small of Red’s back in a sign of
solidarity and had the mild pleasure of watching Gaul frown in reaction.
“We left your lantern on the large tree stump at the edge of the woods,” Snow said when Red seemed unable to speak. “We borrowed it after it was left in the woods and left it in an easily found spot.”
A cruel knowing look came over Gaul’s face. “Show me,” he demanded. “I did not see it on the stump.”
Snow’s hand tightened in her sister’s soft shawl. She hadn’t expected this move. “We need to get ready for work now,” Snow said. “I’m sure it’s there. Look again.”
“Or perhaps I’ll call the sheriff and report two girls for stealing a man’s lantern?”
“The sheriff has far better things to do than responding to frivolous accusations,” Red said as she finally found her voice.
In the distance, a bear roared as if warning Gaul away from the cabin. Gaul startled and looked away from the girls, and Snow grabbed a cricket bat that stood near the cloak rack. Gaul looked back at them the dark and oily look on his face turning triumphant. “I see,” was all he said and Red wondered for a moment just what he saw.
Gaul bowed at them, his obsequious manners mocking them. “I bid you good day my ladies,” he said. He turned and took off in the direction of the bear’s growl.
Red muttered to herself, something about stupid bears and men without the sense God gave a goose. Snow returned the cricket bat to its spot near the door.
“What did the Baron say?” Snow asked. The sisters exchanged a long look and Snow knew her sister wanted to say something about her behavior last night but chose not to. That was the thing with sisters. Sometimes, apologies could be quiet and understated.
“He warned that should be wary of Gaul,” Red finally said. “Griffin was worried if Gaul figured out I was important to him, Gaul would attack us out of spite. So, what does he do? Practically takes out an ad in the Gazette warning the odious little man to stay away from me. Could anything be more obvious?”
Snow hugged her sister. “We’ll get through this,” she promised. “I don’t know how but we will. Was there anything else?”
“He said we need to carry a real weapon.”
“Perhaps father’s walking stick,” Snow suggested. “That looks hefty enough to clobber even the most persistent threat.”
Red nodded. “Good idea. I’d almost look forward taking a swipe at Gaul if he attacked us again.” She went into her room to dress for the day, frowning as she passed the rug where Griffin had slept. “What’s this?” she asked, bending down to pick up the shiny object.
Snow joined her by the now cold hearth. “A gold necklace,” Snow said. “Where did that come from?”
“I wonder,” Red muttered to herself. “There’s a bear charm around it. Could it be the Baron’s?”
Snow frowned at the gleaming piece of jewelry her sister held in her hand. “Maybe. I mean, I suppose. As you said, they are quite wealthy. Tristan wore a small bear talisman around his neck. So, it would make sense if Griffin did, too.”
Red shrugged and slipped the necklace around her neck. She’d worry about it later. “Would you like me to plait your hair?” Snow asked a little shyly. Red always loved the way she did hair, but usually, they didn’t have the time.
Today, however, Snow would make the time. Snow could tell her sister’s heart was missing the baron and her selfish behavior last night hadn’t helped.
Red ducked her head, and a long swath of her auburn tresses slid across her forehead. “I’d like that,” she finally said.
Snow breathed a sigh of relief. Her sister had understood and accepted her apology.
Snow still wasn’t quite sure she understood or trusted what was happening, but from here on out, she would trust Red’s opinion. After all, her sister had never steered her wrong before.
After dressing and packing their lunches, both women set off for the shop with the walking stick. Without even asking each other, they avoided the woods and took the road through town. “What are you making today,” Red asked, more for the company of their voices than any real curiosity. Sometimes Snow didn’t even know what she was making before she got to the bakery.
Chapter Eight
The damage from the storm to Fairy Cakes was minimal but still required some work. Snow sighed, feeling overwhelmed for the first time since opening her shop in town.
“Oh, girls, I’m so glad you came by today,” Mary Brown said as she approached the shop. “The damage from the wind hit almost all of us in town.” Her husband Jed followed in the wake of her floral perfume.
“Miss Snow. Miss Red,” Jed greeted, tugging on his cap in respect. “How can we help?”
Tears of appreciation filled Snow’s eyes, but she blinked them back. Now was not the time to get weepy. Now was the time to work.
“Let’s start with cleaning up the brush that fell down,” Snow said after taking a look at the scattered debris.
Red caught her sister by the wrist. “Why don’t you get some baking done,” she suggested. “Jed, Mary, and I will get started out here.”
“But I should help,” Snow said, glancing at her neighbors.
“Nonsense,” Mary said. “We have been without bread and treats since the storm blew in. The best thing you can do is bake up some of your magic.”
Snow nodded and hugged her friends to say thank you. She unlocked the door of the small shop but felt restless. Baking while her friends did hard labor just didn’t seem right. She pulled out her sourdough starter and went to work. While the bread was rising, she got ingredients out for three kinds of cookies. – oatmeal raisin, cranberry walnut, and sugar cookies.
She threw herself into the baking, momentarily forgetting about the missing children, her sister being in love with a bear (who also happened to be the baron), and Gaul’s torment. Baking, she decided, was good for her soul.
Every now and again, Snow looked up to find her sister staring off into the distance. Snow felt a tightening in her chest. As the youngest child, it had always been the two of them. Never any secrets. Never any boys who had come between them. When the Baron came back, that would be the end of Snow and Red.
She wasn’t jealous, exactly. Well, maybe. Just a little. But she wasn’t proud of it and resolved to do better.
She walked into the courtyard for her first break. The first few batches of cookies were baked and cooling, and all her cookie sheets were full of dough. The refreshingly cool autumn air felt delicious on her warm skin, and she paused to bask in the pale-yellow sunshine and let the spring air hit her skin.
A gentle huff echoed in the small courtyard and Snow opened her eyes in shock. “Baron?” she asked, confused. Why wasn’t he with Red?
But as Snow’s eyes focused, she realized it wasn’t the same bear that visited her home yesterday. This bear was a golden blond bear with a big scratch on his nose.
Snow’s sage green eyes softened with understanding. “Tristan?” she asked, her voice hushed and breathy. The large golden bear nodded and raised his paw. His paw with its deadly six-inch claws landed on her thigh and Snow jumped with fear. Whatever communication abilities Red and Griffin shared were obviously lost between her and Tristan.
“The Baron went in search of you,” she whispered. She pushed his paw off her lap and stood on a bench to see over the stone wall. “He said to be careful of Gaul.”
Tristan looked at her further, but none of his sounds or huffs made any sense. “I don’t know,” Snow said with a little cry. “I don’t know what you want from me.” The timer went off, and she went back into the kitchen to rotate cookie sheets. She loaded up some trays for the front of the store and returned to remove the loaves of bread, all the while studiously ignoring the view into the courtyard.
Finally, Snow finished the day's baking. She sold several muffins and a few loaves of bread. She took coffee and scones out to Red and the Browns to say thank you for all their hard work.
“I made cookies, too,” Snow said. “I’ll get some packed up for
the boys,” she said.
Snow hugged her sister, letting her love flow from her arms and into her sister’s soul. “I’m sorry I doubted you,” she whispered into the soft cloud of her auburn hair.
Red’s arms tightened around Snow. “It’s okay. I probably wouldn’t have believed me either,” she said with a little wink.
A weight lifted from Snow’s shoulders, and she turned to the Browns. “Let me get you a basket of goodies. You did a lot of work here this afternoon.”
“We can be like Ruby,” Mary said with a laughed. “We see her every day delivering baskets of things all over Thistle Grove. But you are very welcome, Snow. Without you, I’d need to start baking again.” Mary shot an amused glance at her husband. “And I think my boys would rebel if I made them eat my burned cookies after tasting yours.”
“Oh, I’m sure they aren’t that bad,” Snow demurred. She headed back into The Cake Fairy to prepare a basket of goodies for her friends.
After setting the basket on a table, Snow went into the back to begin dishes. She didn’t usually mind dishes. They allowed her mind to wander while her hands stayed busy. But today, she wasn’t quite sure where her mind would wander off to.
She spared a glance out into the courtyard. Hidden by the ivy was Tristan. She walked towards him with a tray full of cookies. “I baked these for you,” she said.
Tristan huffed and looked into her eyes. The moment expanded like an elastic band, encompassing her in his spell and his mind. The distant sound of cardinals and honey bees faded away leaving only the two of them in their own private world.
“What just happened,” Snow asked, her green eyes wide and frightened. Tristan brushed against her gently, and Snow felt the overwhelming sorrow within him. She fell to her knees and threw her arms around the bulk of his neck.
“I don’t know how my brother found the courage,” Tristan said, and for the first time, Snow understood his words as clearly as if he stood beside her in human form. “But I cannot ask you to be mine.”
It was on the tip of Snow’s tongue to suggest he was assuming an awful lot, but the truth was, he did not assume anything. Their bond seemed to be created out of the air but had the tensile strength of a spider’s web.
Red: A Retelling or Rose-Red and Snow-White (Thistle Grove Tales Book 1) Page 5
