The Dancer (Men of the North Book 7)

by Elin Peer

  She moved forward and allowed him to help her out. The noise from the waiting Nmen rose up when they got a glimpse of Salma.

  Leo’s face tightened. “I don’t like it. She should hold Hunter’s hand.”

  Ben supported Salma out of the drone and shook his head at Leo. “I told you, she’s not holding anyone’s hand.”

  A roar sounded from the men as Salma raised her hand and waved while Tristan and Hunter jumped out of the drone. In a decisive movement Hunter reached up for me and set me down on the ground like I was nothing but a child. Solo watched us and turned to scowl at the large group of fans shouting for Salma. She waved at them with a stiff smile plastered on her face. Ben, Salma, and I were moving toward the hotel surrounded by Leo, Zasquash, Solo, Tristan, and Hunter when the crowd began shouting louder.

  “Marry me, Salma.”

  “Dance for us, Willow.”

  “I’m your biggest fan.”

  “You’re the prettiest woman in the world.”

  “I’ve got what you’re looking for.”

  Shouts of all kinds came in a blurry white noise. I waved, smiled, and saw Nmen flashing t-shirts with my picture on them. These men were not all here for Salma. Many were screaming for me too.

  “See you at the show tonight,” I called back to them and did what I always did at home in the Motherlands, sending air kisses to the audience.

  A roar of excitement erupted and Solo turned to see what I was doing to rile them up like that.

  “Stop it!” he ordered and Hunter immediately barked back at him.

  “You don’t get to tell her what to do.”

  “I’m sorry.” I lowered my hand just before one man broke through the chain of police officers and ran for me. “Willow, I love you,” he shouted and received a fist straight to his face from Solo, who was closest. The police officers were distracted by the altercation and as they looked back more men broke through the human chain, running to get close to us.

  Solo, Zasquash, and Leo reacted fast and in a unified motion they formed a wall in front of us, backing us to the entrance twenty feet behind us as they pulled their weapons. Salma screamed and hid behind Tristan while Hunter pushed me behind him.

  “Get the fuck back!” Solo shouted at the eight or ten men who couldn’t control their excitement. He lifted his weapon and fired a warning shot into the air.

  That got the men’s attention and they stopped or slowed down. But the sea of people were shouting and looking on as their fellow Nmen attempted to do what they all wished for: to get close to us women. The sea of Nmen pushed forward. We were still backing but not fast enough and that’s when Solo turned his head and shouted to Tristan and Hunter. “Get them inside. NOW!”

  This time Hunter didn’t argue. With a tight grip around my wrist he pulled me to the hotel in a sprint. I looked over my shoulder, screaming for Salma. Ben was covering his head and ran for his life while Salma stood frozen in fear, hidden behind the wide shoulders of Leo, Zasquash, and Solo. Tristan tried screaming at her to run, but when she didn’t, he picked her up in his arms and ran with her. He was almost at the door when a man pulled him back with a hand on his shoulder, shouting for Salma.

  Tristan pushed forward, only a few feet away from the entrance now. “Take her,” he screamed to Hunter, who stepped forward and pulled Salma into his arms, backing inside the hotel just as the attacker was flung to the ground by a wild-looking Solo. The barrier of police officers was overrun and I looked in horror at the mass of Nmen coming for us.

  “Barricade the doors.” Solo shouted the order before he turned to the attackers, taking the same fighting stance I’d seen him practice so many times as a young teen.

  Hunter, Tristan, and some of the security officers inside the hotel pushed the wide double doors shut and locked them, leaving the sea of desperate men to pound at the windows.

  “Get them upstairs. The windows are going to break,” an officer shouted.

  My eyes were on Solo fighting out there side by side with Leo and Zasquash, while Hunter dragged me back through the foyer toward the elevators.

  All around us were fellow performers looking on in shock, but Tristan and Hunter kept their heads cool and ordered everyone inside the elevators and to the staircases.

  “What about Solo and the others?” I cried out and craned my neck to see them through the sea of Nmen now blocking my view. Shots rang out and it made all the performers scream in fright.

  “Leave your luggage here and get to your rooms,” Hunter instructed and pushed two more into the elevator.

  “Go, go, go!”

  We were in Freeman, the capital of the Northlands, and this hotel was larger than the one we’d been in a few nights ago. There were three elevators and two of them were already going up with frightened performers and technicians.

  “Fill it up,” Hunter ordered when everyone was trying to get into the last elevator to the stressful sound of pounding on the windows.

  A crack was followed by a loud boom when the first wall-to-ceiling glass exploded. The sounds of the overheated shouting from the masses outside penetrated the foyer and my heart was racing so fast I thought I was going to faint.

  “Women first,” Tristan shouted and pulled out some male Motlanders to make room for me and Salma in the elevator. He pushed the button for the top floor and pointed his finger at me. “Willow, you’re in charge, do you hear me? You’re a Northlander. Tell them to hide.” The doors were closing and the last thing I saw before they shut tight was Tristan looking at Salma before turning with a growl to face the mob behind him.

  On the top floor, the large hallway was already full of confused and scared Motlanders.

  “We need to hide. Who’s gotten their room number?” Being taller than most I could see everyone.

  Turned out that only a few people had been given access since it required facial recognition like in the other hotel. The registration desk had been busy scanning everyone when hell had broken loose.

  “What is your room number?” I pointed at one of the men who’d raised his hand when I asked who had a number.

  “Five hundred and ninety-two.” He was pale as a ghost and looked unable to do anything.

  “Everyone look around – who sees room five hundred and ninety-two?”

  Far down the hall way a woman called out, “It’s here.”

  “Everyone move up against the walls. You, run down and open the door.”

  Space opened for him to do as instructed and I called out for more room numbers.

  “I have five-hundred-and seventy-four,” A woman called out.

  As soon as the first door opened, I ordered eight to enter with instructions to lock the door and be quiet.

  Another door opened when a crying Motlander found her room number. Another eight hurried in and slammed the door shut. We worked together to find more room while my eyes kept going to the elevator, fearing any second now that it would open with Nmen high on the dream of getting close to us.

  Too slowly the hallway emptied and I pulled Salma with me into the last room, taking a last look up and down the hallway to be sure it was cleared before I locked the door.

  “You’ve got to stop crying, sweetie.” I rushed her and two other women through the room and into the bathroom.

  Click. I locked the door and turned to them.

  “I know you’re all scared, but you have to be quiet. Just sit down and take some deep breaths.” I slid down next to Salma, who wouldn’t stop crying.

  “Listen to me.” My tone grew firmer as I pulled a towel from the hanger on the wall and stuffed it under the door to block the sound of the three women crying. “I know that you’ve probably heard horrible things about the Nmen, but you’ve got to calm down. Nothing is going to happen. We’ll be safe here. There are good men out there who will protect us with their lives and I promise you that none of those men in the crowd wanted to hurt us. They just got overly excited and lost their common sense for a second. Nmen aren’t monsters l
ike you’ve heard. Most of them are good men.”

  My words helped and the women’s hysteria morphed into tense bodies and suppressed cries.

  “I’m scared,” the dark-haired woman said and hid her hands in her sleeves as if she was trying to crawl inside her sweater.

  “Your name is Darlene, right?”

  She nodded and sniffled.

  “You spoke to my brother and Zasquash last night. They are both Nmen. Were you scared of them?”

  “No. They were very nice to me.”

  “That’s right, and right now they’re standing guard to protect us.”

  “What if something happens to them?” Darlene’s voice broke.

  “Or Tristan,” Salma added and it hit me that it would have been more natural for her to worry about Ben, who didn’t know how to fight and protect himself.

  “Tristan, Hunter, Zasquash, Leo, Solo, and all the other men you’ve come to know here are all superior fighters. They can take care of themselves.” I spoke with as much authority as I could muster amidst my own fear for my friends and brother.

  “But Tristan isn’t a police officer or soldier like the others. He grew up in the Motherlands. I don’t think he can fight.” Salma’s eyes were large with concern. “And Ben is caught down there as well. Oh, no, what about Ben?”

  “Hunter and Tristan have been trained to fight and they’ll protect any Motlander down there, but you have to understand no one is going to touch Ben or the other men. The Nmen aren’t interested in them. I can’t explain what happened out there except that it was like a mass psychosis of sorts. Trust me, when the fans realize that they’ve scared us they’ll be ashamed of themselves.”

  More yelling and shouting was heard from outside, followed by shots that made us all jerk in fear.

  “What’s your name?” I asked the woman sitting next to Darlene, who was back to crying again. She was petite with a dark blond pixie haircut.

  “Ava.”

  “That’s a beautiful name.” I was trying to distract them all by making normal small talk. “What instrument do you play?”

  “The violin.” She was curled up with her knees to her chin.

  “I still don’t understand why they would attack like that,” Darlene sniffled.

  I stretched my legs out in front of me trying to send a signal of calmness as I took Salma’s hand. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Salma moved closer and leaned her head against my shoulder. “If Tristan hadn’t been there I would have been dead.”

  “No, sweetie, no one would have killed you.”

  “He saved me.” Her gray eyes were wet from all her crying.

  My lips pursed upward in a sad smile. “Yeah, Tristan is a good guy.”

  “What did he mean when he said that you’re a Northlander?” Darlene asked.

  “What?”

  “In the elevator. Tristan called you a Northlander and said that you were in charge.”

  “Oh, it’s because my father was a Northlander. That’s why I’m so tall.”

  “Did you know your father?”

  “No. He was a donor. My mother was only supposed to have Hunter. I guess you could say I was the plus-one that no one expected… or wanted.”

  Darlene frowned, so I hurried to add, “Forget the last part, the family unit where I grew up was nice.” There was no need to bring up how lonely I’d felt being the only child without a real parent.

  Salma was still holding my hand, but her crying had died down. “I still can’t believe your mother didn’t want you. That’s so odd.”

  I was twenty-two years old but thinking about it still hurt, and even more so that none of the adults in my family unit had adopted me as their own. Tristan and Hunter had speculated that it was because of the known fact that I was of Northlander blood. Too tall, too feisty. A wild card.

  “But what did Tristan mean when he said that you were in charge?”

  I brushed my free hand against my pants. It was clammy, and my mouth felt dry from all the angst we’d just gone through. “It’s just that Northlanders see themselves as stronger leaders. To be honest, they think of us Motlanders as a bit fragile.”

  “Fragile?” Salma’s voice was full of indignation and even though nothing should be funny at this moment, I hid a smile. With all her anxiety she would be perceived as fragile by Northlanders for sure.

  Darlene lowered her brow. “I don’t see us as fragile at all. I mean, we might not compare to them physically but I consider myself a strong woman.”

  “Me too.” Salma brushed her hair back. “It took a lot to even come here to the Northlands. To get up on stage and conquer my fear night after night. A weak person couldn’t do it.”

  I leaned my head back against the wall, a feeling of shame washing over me. Salma was right. Being one of the biggest stars of the world was more pressure than most people experienced in a lifetime. She carried it on her shoulders while battling her inner demons.

  “You’re right. A weak person couldn’t do what you do,” I admitted.

  We squeezed each other’s hands, a look of understanding between us.

  “I don’t hear any more gunshots.” Ava tilted her head. “Listen.”

  We were all quiet and listening for sounds, but except for shouts outside there was nothing. “They ceased shooting. That’s good, right?” Ava looked at me as if I had experience with this sort of thing.

  “Uh-huh.” I nodded. “That means the police have control.” At least I hoped they did.

  “What if someone got killed?” Darlene teared up again. “I can’t stand the thought that our coming here might have resulted in someone dying.”

  “No one is dead.” I used a firm voice. My brother, Tristan, and Solo were out there. The thought of any of them getting hurt had my stomach in a knot and I refused to even talk about it.

  “Let’s change the subject.” Darlene looked at me. “When are you getting married?”

  “Ehh… what do you mean?”

  “Hunter told me you and Tristan are a couple.”

  “Right.” I looked down. “But we don’t plan on marrying any time soon.” It was the best answer I could give without lying.

  “Willow, I don’t know how to say this but you don’t seem to be in love with Tristan, and this morning he sounded like he wasn’t in love with you either. Like it was something you did to make Solo think you were taken.” Salma bit her lip.

  I sighed. “Yeah, Tristan blew it this morning. I hope the others didn’t pick up on it.” I lifted my hands. “Please don’t tell anyone about it.”

  “We’ll keep your secret.” Salma turned to look at Darlene and Ava. “Right?”

  They both gave solemn nods.

  “Tristan is a good friend and he’s helping me by being a buffer between me and Solo.”

  “You mean the soldier who was missing this morning.”

  “Yes, that’s Solo.”

  “I don’t blame you for keeping him away. He’s scary with his size, and he always looks so angry.” Ava changed her position on the floor.

  Salma was quick to defend Solo. “It’s because you don’t know him. Solo is a giant but very nice when you talk to him.”

  Darlene frowned. “Still, I’m impressed that Tristan is protecting you from him. I can’t imagine many men would want to get in the way of someone like him.”

  Ava chimed in. “I heard he kidnapped a woman once. A priestess.”

  “No, that was Magni and it happened ten years ago,” I corrected her. “Who told you that anyway?”

  “Solo kidnapped Willow,” Salma informed the two women. “Hence her need for a buffer between them.”

  “He kidnapped you?” Both Darlene and Ava made outbursts of shock.

  “He didn’t kidnap me.” I looked away – not sure why I was defending him.

  He didn’t kidnap me… The sound of a young woman’s scream inside my head made me sit up straight.

  I could hear the three women’s dis
cussion in the background, but my mind had gone to a time seven years ago when I had defended Solo with everything I had.

  CHAPTER 19

  Reflections

  Year 2440 – Seven years earlier

  Willow

  “You’re not married to him.”

  “Yes, I am. We had a ceremony and I gave him my word.”

  The doctor shook her head. “He manipulated you, Willow. You didn’t know what you were doing.”

  “It was I who wanted it.”

  “That’s what he made you believe.”

  “NO!” I screamed at her.

  “The marriage wasn’t official and therefore invalid. You’re not married and any promise you might have given him isn’t binding. Sweetie, you might as well come to terms with the fact that you’ll never see him again. It’s for your own good.”

  “You don’t understand. I love him,” I cried.

  “No, Willow, you only think you love him.”

  “Solo is my soulmate.”

  “Honey.” The doctor came to sit next to me. “I know this is confusing to you and you’re very young. We all want to help you and make you feel happy again.”

  “I’ll never be happy until I’m with Solo again.”

  “You just need some time to see things in a clearer perspective. What kind of life would you have had in the forest? Huh?” Her stroking my hair made me turn my head away.

  “How about a walk in the park? The ducks just had ducklings and they are so cute.”

  I kept my head turned away.

  “At least eat something. I see you haven’t touched your breakfast.”

  “I will if you let me see Solo.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not in my power. I understand that he broke many of the laws in the Northlands and I’ve been guaranteed that he won’t be allowed to travel here. You’re safe from him.”

  “Then I’ll go back.”

  “You can’t. After what happened, you won’t be allowed to travel back to the Northlands.”