First Kiss (20 page)

I wrap my arms around his shoulders and
sob. The blood from the changing, ripping skin covers
me and
him, sliding between us
but I don’t care. He is alive. He is a scarred
mess but he is
him
again. He is Bash and I am unharmed
from the brigands who had attacked us.

He lifts his scarred face slowly, “Why
did you leave me?”

I shake my head, “You scared me. You
lied about the betrothal all along. You wanted my magic but it’s dangerous
here.”

He looks wounded. “I never meant it
that way.”

I shake my head, “I don’t know how you
meant it, but I believed Baylor, that you were trying to steal my magic. It
made sense, more sense than . . . just more sense.”

“More sense than what?” He gives me a
look. His grey eyes are wounded and filled with the tears from the change his
body has endured.

I feel sick saying it, “That you love .
. . loved me and we were star-crossed soul mates.”

He looks truly hurt, “I am the only
person who has helped you and not betrayed you. Why would I start now?”

“Besides Sam.”

He laughs bitterly, rubbing the knife
wound that is healing before my eyes. “Of course, Sam. Well, besides Sam, I
have stood by you completely, trying to help you.”

“Bash, that’s not entirely true. You
left
me when you thought you were here and not in Lakeland
anymore. And you declared us engaged without talking to me about it. It was
sneaky. And you’ve made a pretty simple story seem insanely complex.”

“Simple? What about this is simple?”

I shake my head, “It all makes sense.
Baylor, as much as I hate to say it, is the victim here. Yes, I suffered but
she lost her life. My mother and my aunt are scheming wicked witches, and my
father is along for the ride. They sent you and I to Lakeland for something, I
just don’t know what, and they never expected we would meet or come back. They
clearly never expected us to find each other. I would bet they never expected
you would forgive me for what my family has done to you either.” That reminds
me of something I have yet to tell him.

“You’re talking nonsense.” He shakes
his head, “It was destiny. I was born loving you. I just didn’t know it until I
found you in Lakeland. Spending time with you ruined me for all other women; I
live and eat and breathe you.” He gives me a smile and look, “The story of us
is simple. Your kiss healed me. That’s not a coincidence. The rest is
convoluted and insane, as I can tell by you mixing the facts up. And I never
hid anything. I revealed
facts
as I needed to. I
didn’t want to burden you or drive you crazy. Not to mention, we were already
betrothed. I never committed you to something you weren’t already committed
to.” He looks hurt gain, “Do you wish our betrothal broken?”

The answer leaving my lips surprises
me. “No.”

I swallow hard, trying to see the man
behind the scars and blood and prepare myself for the story I have to tell him.
The true story.
We have both been so wrong about who
to trust and where the fault lies.

He rolls his eyes, nearly making me
gag. “Just turn me back.” He grabs my chin and pulls my face to his. When our
lips meet, I feel the change in him. He pulls back and he is just a bloody
Bash. He smiles, “Now we have to find somewhere to clean up.”

“I have something I have to tell you.”
I look down, blushing instantly. “You have no clothes.” My head shoots back up.

He laughs, “I don’t exactly have the
option of keeping them on me when I become a wolf.”

“Weird, and yet, I guess that makes
sense. How did you find me?”

His eyes grow sweet,
charming—like they were in Lakeland. “I will always find
you—always.”

I don’t know what to say to that so I
just shrug, “Well, thank you for saving me.”

He steps to me, “You are mine—you
always were. No one will ever hurt you, Lynnie.”

A shudder rolls across my body, “I was
so scared. I shouldn’t have made the horse bring me here. I should have gone
through the mirror with Sam.”

“What mirror?” He looks around,
confused. “Speaking of which, where is Sam?”

I nod, “I sent Sam back, into the
mirror at my aunt’s house. I took his memories and sent him back to Lakeland.
He doesn’t know me or remember this place. Now I’m all alone and my whole
family is a friggin’ mess, and they all want me dead, I think.”

“You never say that again. I am your
family now and you will never be alone.” He takes my bloody hands in his. “I am
sorry that you felt the need to run from me. I want you to remember I am on
your team. I will protect you, forever. Even my death won’t stop me from being
there for you.”

My stomach burns, and the thing I
haven’t told him yet trickles back in. I shake my
head,
“I still have something to tell you about that, something important.”

He takes my
hand in his and lifts me off of the ground
,
“Tell me
later.
I need to get this blood off of me and find some clothes.” He
pulls me through the woods to where they dragged the saddle off of my horse. He
grabs the blanket and wraps it around himself. He tucks the dagger on the
ground in the skirt he has made himself and grabs my hand again. He pulls me
through the woods.

He seems to know where we are going.

I feel the burden of my truth lingering
on my chest like a great weight. Finally, I just blurt it out, preparing for
him to kill me. “I turned you to a wolf. My mother told me it was me who did
it. I cursed you.”

He stops and looks at me, gripping the
dagger. “What?
Your mother?
Your mother is dead.” His
grey eyes turn cruel, “Besides, even if you did do it, you were a child.”

I nod, “I am of the black blood, evil
to the core.”

He starts to laugh after a second.
“Okay.”

I shake my head, “It’s true. I will
betray you again and again. I am evil, like my mother.”

He gives me a look, “Your mother? Your
mother is dead. You mean Baylor. You keep getting the facts confused.”

“No. We have the wrong story.” I shake
my head and begin the story where I think it started.

Chapter Seventeen

He hasn’t spoken to me in hours, but
when we sneak into the cottage on the outskirts of the town I can see, he looks
back at me. “We have an hour before nightfall. They will be back. We have to
hurry. Farmers always work daylight hours.” He enters the far room and tosses
clothes at me. I see a bucket of water and grab it. It’s freezing, but I strip
to my underwear and bra and use my hands to wash the old bloody bits from my
arms, legs, and face. He does the same, stripping completely naked. I turn away
from him. “Dude, what the hell?”

He chuckles, “We will be married; you
will have to get used to the fact you are to be married to a man.”

“Okay, you need to curb the whole
self-confidence thing, a little. Cocky is cute in small doses.” I shake my red
face, “Besides, we aren’t getting married—I told you. I did this to you.
My family is cursed with the black blood.”

He grabs my arm, turning me to face
him. I stare into his chest but he tilts my face upward, “You did it—you
can undo it.”

I swallow. It doesn’t feel like a
request. I nod, “I can try, but I will still be an evil witch.” I pull away
from the heat of his chest pressed against mine and walk into the room to find
clothes.

“Lynnie, have you ever heard the saying
‘Evil is as evil does?’”

I shake my head.

He smiles, “What evil have you done?
You apparently cursed me. But that might not be true. Every other action I have
seen you do has been good. I don’t believe you have an evil bone in your body.”

“Thank you.” My eyes water from what he
has said. He is right. I have been a good person. I find boys clothes that fit
me perfectly. I tuck my hair up into a bun that I tie with a strip of cloth and
make myself appear less noticeable. I am in no way the witchy daughter of
anyone important. I am a beggar or a street person. I am poor and cold. It’s
perfect.

Bash does the same when he is clean. He
pulls on the crappy boots he finds and grabs my hand. He pulls me from the
cottage, again not speaking. He walks fast towards the town. When we get
closer, I see the reason everyone believed Sam was from Norland. The men are
huge and the women are dressed almost the same as I am. They do not look
pretty; they’re more rugged. The men are handsome though, in a way that makes
you feel like they would protect you from anything. I glance at Bash and
realize how beautiful he is, compared to them. The men in the south are
beautiful and Bash is the most. His dark hair and striking grey eyes are impossible
to dislike. His juicy lips make me weak in the knees and his shitty attitude
makes him unbearably desirable.

Girls are so weird and I think I am the
weirdest.

When we get to a building called The
Lone Pony, Bash pulls me inside of it. It’s a dumpy bar or pub, but the smell
of food makes my stomach rumble. I am starved. I look at Bash to ask about
dinner, but he is busy, nodding at an older man I assume is the owner. He wipes
his hands on a towel and rushes over to us, “Your Highness, I have not seen you
here in ages. Are you well? What is your manner of dress? Were you robbed?”

Bash nods, “We were. Highwaymen robbed
my lady and me. Our horse ran and we had to find clothes at a neighboring
cottage. We did not mean to come to Gale, but the men left us on the road
nearby.”

“Tell no one you didn’t mean to come
here. The king is expecting you at the ball.” The man lowers his head, “The
robbers and brigands have gotten far worse. The king of Norland doesn’t leave
his castle anymore. The state of our countryside is dire. There are balls and
parties, and everyone ventures to him, but he doesn’t leave the castle. He has
no idea what is going on. Half his men are the brigands and robbers. You must
have seen it out there?”

Bash nods, “I did. My lady and I require
a meal. I will stay a night at the castle here. Send word to the king that I am
here at the pub and needing a carriage.”

The man holds a hand out, “I am
grateful for your patronage.” Bash drags me to the table the man points at. He
pulls a chair for me and sits across from me. Drinks are brought, along with
bread.

I glance around the bar, noticing the
way people stare at us both. “Do they know you?”

He nods, “I assume they believe me to
be Braden. That is fine, I will uncover any deceptions my brother has been
party to, if I am him.”

I scowl, “You think your brother is in
on this?”

He nods, “I do. Your mother cannot be
alone in this. It is too great of a lie for my brother to not know your mother
is the woman he loves. I assume he knew all along.”

“He would do that to you?”

“You and I have been tricked, by our
families for some unknown reason.” He drinks a gulp from the mug of beer they
called
ale
when they placed it down for him. It’s
beer, I can tell. I drink my spiced wine; it is the same as what was at the
mansion. Heidi’s is better by far but this is still good. He continues, “We
have been tricked for a purpose. What or why that is, is beyond me. We are
going to find answers, and I am afraid we will find some here.”

A lady rushes to our table, “Your Grace,
we have been expecting you for hours. The ball tonight is a mask in your honor.
You are just in the nick of time.”

“Forgive our delay. We were robbed en
route.”

She gasps, “Oh my. The king has sent
his carriage and is excited to see you. He will no doubt want details of this
so he might dispatch guards to the appropriate area. Please accompany me back
to the castle.”

Bash gives me a knowing look but nods
at the lady. “Of course.” He smiles at the pub owner, “Thank you. I will have
the king send you compensation for the meal and drink.”

The man shakes his head, “No, thank you
for the patronage.”

Bash gives him a subtle bow and takes
my hand again. I’m almost calm after all the adventures and weird crap that’s
happened, but then the man leans in and whispers. “Your Grace, I know you’re
not your bother. Your manner is very dissimilar and your lady couldn’t be more
contradictory to his, regardless of being nearly identical to her. You will
discover there are agreements being reached here between your brother and our
king to unite the kingdoms. The king may distinguish you from your brother if
he spends a lot of time with you. He may see the heir prince and not your
brother when he looks at you. The ball tonight is a mask—get to your room
and get ready. Don’t forget your brother is almost always impatient and in a
hurry. His lady is self-important and petulant almost. Very altered from the
way she behaves at his castle evidently.”

Bash smiles, “I will remember your
loyalty.”

He shakes his head, “No, you will be a
remarkable king, and I will be grateful for the trueness of your reign.”

Bash nods his head
once,
“I will honor that gratitude with my actions.” He pulls me from the pub and to
a carriage. The lady is inside. Bash helps me inside. The lady looks shocked,
“My lady Baylor, are you unwell?”

I swallow hard, shaking my head
impatiently. “I am annoyed. I lost a very beautiful gown today and a horse I
adored.”

She scowls, “They took your clothes and
your horse?”

I sigh, “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Bash climbs in but shouts at the
driver, “Let’s away.”

The carriage moves instantly. The lady
gives Bash the eye, but is watching me to see if I am actually paying attention
to her giving my fiancé such a sexy look. I hate the lie of a life my mother
and Braden live.

I pretend not to see it. I glance out
the window but watch in the glass as her hand slides along his leg. I feel him
tense up. I turn my face back quickly. She pulls her hand back and fixes her
hair. “You must be anxious for a hot bath and some clean clothes.”

I nod once, sharply and stifle a fake
yawn.

“Will you be too tired for the mask
tonight, after all of the excitement of the day?”

I shake my head, “I’m sure I will be
rejuvenated once we are settled into the castle.”

She smiles and I have half a mind to
punch her in her fake-ass face. I look back out the window, hiding my savage
annoyance at her touching Bash. I don’t even understand why I’m so annoyed, but
I fear my nasty side. God knows if my magic works or not, but if it does,
ignorance of her flirting is better.

We arrive at the castle after a short
ride through the town. The castle is smaller than Bash’s but it still amazing.
The world feels so large here. The mountains are huge and the forests are dark
and frightening. It looks like a fairy tale castle, one high in the mountains,
atop a large cliff and surrounded by thick forests. The lake at the bottom of
the mountain is icy blue and I would imagine it is freezing. There is a stream
of houses and shops from the castle down to the water. It’s magical; Walt
Disney couldn’t have come up with a better scene than this.

Bash grabs my hand and pulls me from
the carriage. He’s so pushy and cold at times, and I feel like murdering him.
But then he’s sweet or protective and I can’t stop smiling when I think about
him.
 
His unpredictable behavior is
confusing on my heart.

We are greeted at the door by a lady,
who’s equally annoying as the one escorting us inside and casually brushing her
hand against Bastion’s. I feel him move closer to me, either in annoyance or
fear. It makes me smile a little. He is a strong man, not even considering the
beast that roams beneath the cool exterior. The sight of it would make the
woman next to him cringe if she were to ever see it.

I ignore the fact he is hugged up
against me and try not to smile at the fact he is no doubt scared of her
advances in a small way. He’s a gentleman in the true sense of the word. Even
when he slept at my house in Lakeland, he was beyond sweet and polite.

We are greeted in a grand hall with
heads of dead animals and pelts lining the walls. I feel like Grendel is going
to attack the hall at any moment as a man equal to her known slayer approaches
us. He has a trimmed beard and rugged face. He’s a perfect specimen for
Beowulf. He is massive, tall and thick. It really is no wonder Sam was so
easily believed to be from here. The smile on the man’s face is broad and
passionate. I almost have a crush, but currently feel as if my dance card is
full.

Dance card? God help me, I am becoming
one of them. I can feel my thoughts sliding away from the addle brain of a
twenty-first century girl and slowly becoming Jane Austen’s
Emma
. I don’t know
if I should be excited or cry inside. I choose excitement and smile at the
brawny beast of a man bowing at me.
I nod my bow
,
I am his equal
. I have to remember that. He sweeps my hand
into his, encompassing it, and yet gripping so gently, I hardly know we are
touching, apart from the heat. It’s searing off of him and scorching my flesh.
He plants his lips firmly on the back of my hand, remaining far too long. I try
to breathe, but I think I forget how. I just stare, feeling the spit building
in my mouth. Oh my God.

He is fine.

His dark-blonde hair is loose around
his face but not too long. Just long enough to make him look like Thor or any
other Viking. He has the palest blue eyes and a devilish smile. I finally
exhale, but it almost whistles out of my lips.

What is this theme song? Oh my God, I’m
becoming Lune.

His mouth is moving and his eyes are
darting back and forth from me and Bash, but I have no idea what’s happening.
I’d blush with embarrassment but my cheeks are already aflame.

His eyes narrow for a second, and then
I think he realizes the affect he’s having on me. He smiles, but its devilish
nature seems to worsen.

“Milady, are you well?”

I start to laugh of course, because why
wouldn’t I?

Bash gives me a weird look, “You must
have hit your head harder than I thought when we were robbed.”

“No. I need to rest for a moment.”

The king runs his hand up my arm, “You
seem like you are in a bit of shock perhaps.” He looks at the woman who brought
us here. “Bring her to her room, please.”

Bash grabs my hand, “I will escort her.
We will prepare for the ball.”

The king’s smile softens into something
I imagine is real. There is nothing charming about it. It’s just a plain smile.
“Yes, of course. We will discuss our business later.”

The woman giggles at the king and leads
us off, “We will just go over here to the guest wing.” I stumble along behind
Bash but look back at the king.

When we get into the room, Bash closes
the door. I see something dark cross his face. It’s a look. One I have seen
before. “You were throwing yourself at him.”

“What?”

He crosses the room, getting away from
me maybe. “You were staring at him like you might just take your own dress off
for him.”

I smile wide, I can’t even fight it,
and I don’t want to. “So when you were all phoning Sarah and texting her and I
was the jealous asshole,” I want to hurt him and get a reaction from him. I
look up into his face, “This is what that feels like. Nice, isn’t it?”