John shook his head in disbelief. “By the moons, nothing good is going to come of this.” He ordered four shots of jeckden from the bartender. “We’re all going to need a shot to get through tonight.” He grinned and the two of them made their way back to the table.
Heidi sniffed her shot suspiciously. “Is it good?”
Tyler laughed. “My aunt says it’s like strong whiskey.” He took his shot and watched as she brought the small glass up to her lips. She shrugged, wrinkled her nose, and tipped the glass back. She closed her eyes as the dark brown liquid burned down her throat. Unable to keep it in, she buried her head in her arms and coughed. Tyler rubbed and patted her back, trying not to laugh.
“Oh my god!” she sputtered as she came up for air. She gratefully took the mug of sloan Tyler was holding out to her and took four long swallows. “Ugh, that’s not like any whiskey I’ve ever had!” She took another swallow of ale. “Of course, I usually take mine in a glass of coke.
“Ok, so are there any rules or anything I need to know about?”
Trista shook her head. “The only rule is for tonight’s ball. Every woman must have a dress and every man a jacket. Other than that, just have a good time.” She grinned and took a swallow of her drink.
Heidi smiled. “I could use a night of fun.”
John acted shocked. “What? Are you saying you haven’t had fun while in our company?”
Tyler shrugged and waved in dismissal. “What’s not fun about displacement stones, crazy Wedelven magic wielders, and Zerpanays?”
“I’m insulted!”
“So am I!”
Heidi was laughing so hard at their antics she knocked her empty shot glass off of the table. She bent over to retrieve it from the floor and cried out as her head collided with Tyler’s.
“Ow!” She sat up, her laughter making it hard to breathe.
“You have a very hard head for such a tiny woman,” Tyler teased as he set her glass back on the table. He brushed her hair back from her forehead “Though it does seem that mine may be harder. Sorry.”
Heidi’s laughter faded and she smiled. “I’m fine.”
Tyler stood and she looked at him and the arm he held out to her. “Shall we?”
She grinned and linked her arm with his. “Let’s.”
John stood with a shake of his head. He looked down at Trista who was watching them walk to the door with wide grey eyes. She looked up at him with a frown.
“Are they…?”
“Apparently, it’s just for show.”
She grunted. “If it’s a show, then I’m a brunette. I’ll bet you a back rub those two end up mated tonight.”
“If that happens, it will be the least of our worries. It’s what happens if they don’t I’m worried about. Actually, I don’t think it matters how tonight ends for those two, it will be a disaster either way.”
Trista frowned and walked after him as he took her hand and followed the topic of their conversation out the door without bothering to explain himself.
The night was starting to darken and the air was starting to cool. Everything from the trees and plants to the beings walking around seemed to relax as the heat of the day lifted. Heidi looked up at Tyler.
“So, this dance is going to be on the beach?”
He nodded.
“How are we going to see? It’s going to be dark.”
He smiled and pointed to the sky.
“Ooh! That’s a Burrie!” She watched in amazement as the little blue being noticed her attention and landed before her with a flutter of transparent wings. The Burrie was only as tall as her waist, thin, and a stunning teal blue. Its only garments were a tan loincloth and a belt that held a dagger on one hip and a small pouch on the other. Its long black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.
It peered at her closely then jumped toward her. “Boo!”
Heidi jumped into Tyler with a small scream, tripping on her dress in the process. Tyler grabbed a hold of her arm and managed to right her before she fell. The Burrie burst out laughing, the high pitch shrill of it turning heads in their direction. Tyler took four long strides toward it. It grinned, ran away, and took to the air once again.
Heidi forgot her embarrassment as Tyler turned and she saw his deep brown eyes dark with anger. A nervous shiver ran through her. He took a deep breath and relaxed his jaw.
“Are you alright?” He growled low in his throat. “Burries have a peculiar sense of humor.” He looked up to the sky.
“Tyler.” She touched his arm lightly and he closed his eyes. When he reopened them, the anger was gone.
“How’s your dress?”
She lifted the hem up enough so she could have a look at it. “It’s fine.”
He took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, and started to walk again. She gave his hand a squeeze.
“So what do the Burries have to do with how we’re going to see tonight?”
He smiled. “It will be better if you just see it for yourself.”
They took the trail Tyler had taken the day he’d needed to run. As they got to the top of the cliff, the ocean appeared below them. Heidi smiled at the reflection of the moons in the dark water. She hiked her dress up and made her way down the steep trail that led to the beach below. She gazed around, amazed at the transformation that had occurred. At the far end of the beach, along the foot of the cliff, booths and stands had been set up and many of the beings already here were ordering food and drinks from the vendors. At the other end, tall poles had been staked into the ground. Lines of some sort had been hung from one pole to another.
Tyler led her to an area against the cliff between the vendors and the poles. He leaned back against a large rock and stood Heidi in front of him.
“Just watch the Burries. I’ve only seen this once when I was eleven.”
Heidi looked back at him. “I thought only beings that were of age could attend.”
He grinned. “I didn’t say I was there with my parents’ consent. Trent and I snuck out of the house and hid in the woods so we could watch the show. It was Wellfore in Sageden.” His smile slipped slightly at the thought of his brother. “Anyhow, just watch.”
A man walked by them, close enough to Heidi that she took a step backward. John noticed another man making his way toward them.
“It looks like Gerald is on his way to say hello, Heidi.”
She looked toward the path and saw the six foot tall black haired Maj John was talking about. His light blue eyes met hers and he smiled. Her heart dropped then jumped as Tyler touched her shoulder and pulled her back against him. She leaned back into his chest, noticing how solid he felt and how strong his arms were as they wrapped loosely around her shoulders.
“No worries.”
Heidi jumped at the sound of his voice beside her ear. It wasn’t that she was scared of Gerald. He was a nice enough man. He’d asked her out for drinks a couple of times and had taken the news well when she’d told him she wasn’t interested. The only thing that made her uneasy was the fact that he still insisted on hanging around and showing up at Trista’s to see her. She wasn’t sure if he was still interested, or just a nice guy.
Tyler rested his chin on the top of her head. “Good evening, Gerald.”
Gerald took a second to take in the scene before him then smiled a genuine smile. “Good evening, Tyler, Heidi.” He nodded to them and to John and Trista. “It’s going to be a beautiful evening, I think.”
Tyler smiled and straightened, but kept his arms around Heidi. “It does look that way.” He glanced at the cloud free sky and noticed the Burries gathering. “Heidi, look up.”
She gazed up in awe as six Burries flew back and forth over the lines that hung from the poles, dropping handfuls of sparkling dust from the pouches on their belts. In unison, they flew to the center pole and flew straight up into the air. Heidi could hear them chanting in a language she didn’t understand. They all grabbed one last handful of dust and let it drop toward the watching s
pectators. The instant the dust touched the lines, they started to glow and the beach lit up.
“Oh my god, that’s unbelievable!” Heidi looked back at Tyler and grinned. He smiled.
“It is.”
She turned back around and leaned into him, her hands on his arms. John gave them a small shake of his head, took Trista’s hand and headed for the booths.
“Drinks?” he asked them.
Tyler nodded. “Please.”
Gerald excused himself to go find his brother. The band started up and soon the beach under the glowing strings was covered in dancers. Heidi tapped her foot to the beat. John reappeared with the drinks and everyone sipped and watched as the colourful dresses swirled around. The song ended and the beat picked up.
Heidi glanced back at Tyler, trying not to notice how solid he felt against her back. “Can you teach me the steps?”
Tyler’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “I’d love to, but I don’t know them.”
“You don’t dance at all?”
“I’ve never had to learn how.”
Gerald had made his way back to their side. “Would you mind if I showed her?”
“Not at all.” He took her drink and watched as they made their way to the dance area. Heidi’s light blue dress swayed with the movement of her hips as she let Gerald lead her expertly through the crowd. Gerald said something to her and she laughed. Her dress moved with her, flowing with her movements. The soft glow of the lines lightened the color of her hair, made her skin pale.
Trista watched him watching her, saw the usually hard look in his eyes soften and noticed his mouth curl up slightly. The moment was so personal, Trista felt as though she was intruding. She pulled on John’s hand and he smiled down at her.
“Do you want to dance, Love?”
She grinned and the two of them joined the rest of the dancers. The song ended, a new one started, and Heidi smiled and nodded as another man asked her to dance. She glanced in Tyler’s direction and he smiled. Her grin widened then was lost from sight as the blond man turned her in a different direction. He took a sip of his sloan, content to stay apart from the crowd. Two songs later, she finally made her way back to him, her chest heaving from the fast beat of the last one. He handed over her sloan and watched as she finished it in three long swallows. She looked up at him, her face flush. He tucked her hair behind her ear and placed his lips softly on her forehead.
“Would you like another drink?”
“I’d hold off on the drinks if I were you, Tyler.” John was frowning as he made his way back, Trista looking back over her shoulder worriedly.
“What happened?” Heidi looked toward the dance floor.
John shook his head. “The last man you danced with,” he looked to Trista for his name.
“Blair.”
“Blair. He was talking with his friends afterward. Just as we were walking past, he said something along the lines that he was sure the two of you were putting on an act and he was going to call you on it.”
Tyler growled low in his throat and all of the darkness returned to his eyes.
“Why does he care?” Heidi glared in the man’s direction.
John shrugged. “Jealous? I don’t know.”
Tyler met Blair’s gaze. His jaw clenched and Heidi put a hand on his arm.
“Tyler!” Heidi tried to stop him as he motioned with his head to the other man. “You don’t have to do anything!” He looked down at her and her heart jumped in her chest.
He took a few deep breaths. “Heidi.” He cupped her face and ran his thumb over cheek. “I’m just going to talk to him. He wants to know if we’re mated, I’ll tell him we are, and all will be fine.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the drinks, she was sure she hadn’t had that much to drink, but she leaned her face into his touch and closed her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter.” She forced her eyes open and looked into his deep brown ones.
“Of course, it does. He’s questioning your honour, and mine.” By the moons, he had to stop touching her. How many drinks had he had?
“It still doesn’t matter. We’ll be gone tomorrow. Good god, Tyler, do you really want to go fight over something that’s the truth? We are lying about being together.”
He searched her grey green eyes and what he saw in them shocked him. It wasn’t the heat that surprised him; the moons knew he was feeling it too. It was the fear. She was scared. He blinked and straightened. He glanced around and saw that they were alone. He frowned, taking a step back, his head cocked to the side.
“You’re scared of me.” It wasn’t a question.
Heidi almost stumbled as the feel of his hands left her face. “I…” She swallowed hard. “No… yes… I mean… I…” Her heart sank as he turned and headed up the trail that led back to Harring; the same trail Blair had taken. She hiked her dress up and ran after him. She watched as he took his jacket off.
“Tyler!”
If he heard her, he ignored her. She made it to the top of the hill in time to see Blair turn toward Tyler. Tyler never slowed. He closed the distance between them with four long strides. Blair’s eyes widened with surprise and he had no time to react as Tyler’s fist connected with his face. Heidi watched as Tyler continued toward town without missing a beat. She stopped by Blair who was lying on the ground, his nose spurting blood.
“Are you happy now?” she screamed at him before running after Tyler. She slowed to a walk at the sight of him throwing his jacket onto a large rock before shifting into his wolf. He turned off the trail and disappeared into the woods.
She swallowed hard and brushed the tears from her cheeks. What had just happened? Stupid Blair! This was all his fault. A sob shook her frame. No, it wasn’t. This would have happened regardless, probably sooner than later. She couldn’t help herself. Anytime she was around Tyler, all she wanted was to touch him. She’d wait impatiently for the feel of his hand on her arm; of his arms around her when he’d hug her. Ugh! What was wrong with her? She had a boyfriend! She loved Blake! And yet, it was Tyler she dreamed of; his touch she craved.
She went to her room, swore when she couldn’t reach the laces on the back of her dress, and stared at the bed. Her gaze wandered to the window and she looked up at the two moons before scanning the woods. Maybe he’d beat her home. She made her way to his room, but wasn’t really surprised to find it empty. She lay on his bed and started to cry.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tyler walked into his room and stopped short. Heidi lay on her side, her face partially hidden by her hair, her dress spread out over his blankets. He leaned against the door frame and took a deep breath. By the moons, the woman was confusing. If she was scared of him then what in the world was she doing in his bed? The hurt he’d felt when he’d realized how she felt returned. How could she be scared of him? After everything they’d been through together… The throbbing in his head intensified. He let his belt drop to the ground, pulled his tunic over his head and lay with his back to her, the headache he’d been hoping would stay away erupting full force. He groaned and held his head. He jumped at the feel of Heidi’s fingers pushing his out of the way. She ran them through his hair and massaged his temple. Not getting the angle she needed to do both sides of his head, she sat up and rearranged herself so that his head lay on her lap.
A growl rose up his throat as the pain intensified and tears managed to make their way out of his eyes even though they were squeezed shut.
“What can I do? What do you need?” Heidi whispered the questions for fear of making the pain worse.
“Nothing.” The word was hard to understand as he pushed it out past clenched teeth. She brushed the hair out of his eyes and he flinched.
She let her hands fall to her sides, simply letting the headache run its course. He let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob before turning so that his face was buried in her lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his tears soaking into her dress.
When the headache finally
passed, the only thing he could manage was to loosen his hold on her. Heidi felt him relax and slipped out of his arms, replacing her legs with a pillow. She tried to reach the laces on the back of her dress with the same results as the first attempt. With an exasperated sigh, she lay back down. Tyler’s hand trailed up her back and she shivered.
He opened one eye to make sure he had the right lace, pulled open the bow, and proceeded to loosen the lacing all the way down her back.
“There’s a clean tunic on the floor on your side of the bed.”
She started to wiggle free of the dress and was forced to stop. “Tyler?”
“I’m not looking.”
“That’s not it. I… it’s not loose enough.” She felt the bed move as he got up with a groan and knelt behind her.
He started from the top once again, this time pulling the back of the dress wide apart. The sight of her bare back through the dark blue satin lacing was enough to force a deeper groan out of him.
“Are you ok? Is it your head?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s my head.” He lay back down and closed his eyes. He heard her pull the dress off, felt her move to put on his tunic, then put his arm around her without thinking about it as she lay back down. She reached back and ran her hand through his hair.
“Is your head ok?”
“It is.” He pressed his lips to her hair. “Heidi…”
“Tyler, stop. You need to let me finish explaining. You ran off before I could.” She turned and couldn’t help but trace the scar on his chest. His hand caught hers and placed it on his hip. “You’re right, Tyler. I am scared of you. I am scared of you on so many levels I’m not sure I can explain it.” She looked up into his deep brown eyes and her throat tightened at the hurt she had caused.
“I know I don’t know much about you, but I know you’ve lost a great deal. I can tell you’re angry about that. Sometimes, you get this look in your eyes… like you’re seconds away from killing something. It scares me. At first I thought it might be a wolf thing, but it isn’t. I’ve been around this pack long enough to see this is you.”
Tyler's Story (Tales of Quelondain) Page 13
