Heart Song (12 page)

“Are you okay?” Marren asked.

I nodded. “I think I want to lie down now.”

By the time I
had slipped into long black tights, a black blouse and a red velvet bodice, I had improved.  Marren insisted on carrying me to bed, in case I was forced to surrender to another bout of cramps. I clung to him, breathing in the remaining scent of dried rose petals from the bath, and held onto him when he laid me on the bed, not willing to let him go just yet.

“When are the Ancients going to be here?” I asked just before I fell asleep, curled up next to him. The drapes danced in the warm breeze that blew in from the balcony. The moon's light shining onto the stone made it look like it was glowing with a pale blue aura.

“Several days from now, at least that is what their letter entailed.”

“Do you think I'll be changed by then?”

“I don't know.” An eerie call cut through the air. A howl that was both beautiful and terrifying. I sucked in a breath and clung to Marren tighter. I felt a chill crawl up my spine and raise the tiny hairs on the back of my neck.  “That's Enid telling me everything is clear. You are safe tonight.”

“Why are you worried about my safety? I can defend myself just fine. You even saw to that.”

“I know, but some things are beyond your level of skill.” He added almost as an afterthought, “It's my job to protect you.”

I pulled myself up to his face, rubbing my lips gently along his cheek to his, and then laid my head back on his chest, listening to the thumping bene
ath his shirt. Just before I fel
l asleep, I heard him whisper, “Marry me...”

“I already have,” I whispered back and let unconsciousness sweep me away.

When I awoke, it was warm, but there wasn't
a
fire. The heat I felt was different, like it came from within me.
A tiny ball of flames pulsating beneath my skin.
It reminded me of the feeling I got when I drank too much ale, or what it could feel like to have swallowed a tiny sun.

I stretched out my body, reaching for Marren but finding cold sheets instead. I opened my eyes and saw him on the balcony, shirtless. The beads in his hair lace danced in the wind that blew warm gushes of air into the room. I licked my lips and crawled to the other side of the bed, slipping off to sneak up behind him. I slid my hands in between his arms and wove my fingers together locking him in my embrace. I felt him take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. His hand covered mine.

“Good morning,” I whispered.

He twisted to face me, kissed me on my forehead and whispered, “Good morning,
uwoduhi
.”

“I love it when you say such beautiful things.” I smiled into his chest, leaving a kiss where my lips touched.

“That's exactly what it means.”

“Beautiful things?”

“Beautiful,” he said.

I remembered talking about it once, but never getting very far. Nestled into his chest, I breathed in the smell of his skin. The faint smell of dried rose petals lingered still. It brought the memory of the bath to mind, which in turn lead to the reason for the bath and the way fighting him makes my body react. His arms tightened around me, lifting my feet off the floor and carried me back into the room. He sat me gently on the bed and started to unlace my bodice while his lips parted and massaged mine. Mid-kiss, he paused, sucked in breath and stiffened. I heard a quiet tapping at the door.

“Damn it. Stay here. And this time, please stay here.” He patted the bed firmly. I nodded, afraid of the sudden change in mood and watched him grab a shirt and then walk through the doors like he was running into battle.

I stared at the door after it had clicked closed, waiting for a quick return. When he didn’t, I thought through my options. I could stay put, which was something I didn’t like to do, or I could find out whatever I could about what set Marren off. I hopped to the floor and walked to the bench where my boots sat. After I pulled them on
,
I stared at the door still considering my options and taking into account what happened the last time I did something against Marren’s wishes.

Something set him off. Something he felt like he needed to protect me from…
something
that made him eager and on edge. Staring at the door wasn’t going to give me the answers I needed.  I approached the door and laid my hand on the handle, taking a deep breath before turning it—hoping it wouldn’t be locked.

Enid stood on the other side of the doors with his robes on and arms crossed over his chest.

“It figures he'd find a way to stop me,” I muttered.

“A'lainn, what is it you think you're doing?” he spoke in a stern but quiet tone, careful to not let his voice travel.

“I wanted to see what made Marren demand I be kept in the room instead of with him.”

He moved towards me and in an even lower voice said, “People have arrived here that can, and will most likely, kill you if they discover who you are.”

I nodded.
“The Ancients.”
Even though it wasn't, it came out sounding like a question. He nodded slowly. “But I thought they were here to make sure Marren didn't break any laws? And how did he know they were here?”

“What has happened has gone a little further than that, especially since they arrived unexpectedly. It's of upmost importance that you stay here.”

“Not acceptable.” I started marching down the hall, stopping as Marren rounded the corner with his eyes on fire and fists clenched. He covered the distance in only a few strides.

“I thought I told you to stay put,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I thought I told you I wasn't one to stand around and wait. Besides, I got worried.” I turned, finding Enid directly behind me. 

Marren grabbed my arm tightly and drug me back to the room with such a rush it was difficult to keep my footing.  As soon as we were through the doors, I yanked my arm from his hand.

“What do you think you’re doing dragging me like that?” I snapped.

“Do you understand that when I tell you to do something, I really need you to do it?”

I didn’t think it was possible for him to look at me with so much anger and hate. I bit back the hurt and dug deeper into my own anger. “What I understand is your insistence on keeping me in the dark and only letting me know more when you see fit.” 

“You need to stay here because I don't want anything to happen to you. It would
kill
me…” His last word was choked off. He pressed his lips firmly together and propped a hand on his hips—dropping his gaze to the floor.

I realized then, his anger wasn’t directed at me but at the situation. I closed the space between us, lifted my hand, letting it lie on his arm, forcing him to look at me again. “Why are you so concerned with losing me? You spent so much time trying to get me and now your only concern is losing me?”

“I've waited for you for so long.” His hand cupped the back of my neck. “I can only have you once. If you die, all hope is lost.”

“Why would all hope be lost?”

He sighed as if to surrender, no longer able to fight me.
“Because I'm not the only one that is a threat to the other Ancients.
I have to go, stay here. Please.”

He pulled me into him and kissed me gently. But in it I felt his fear, his overwhelming love, and
an urgency
behind it all that made me want to keep him in the room with me.

“Enid, do not leave her side unless
I
say otherwise. No one else is to come in this room. See to it that she remains comfortable.”

Enid nodded once. “I will protect her.”

With a nod in return, Marren left the room.

“Where does he run off to all the time?” I asked myself more than Enid.

“He's setting up the Ancients in our guest quarters so they aren't around or close by you.”

“I didn't know there were guest quarters.”

“By the stable,” he said
in a
matter of fact
manner
.

“Convenient. And where is that?”

“East of here.”

“Hmm,” I mused and walked to the balcony. “Are you werewolf too?” I know Marren said everyone was, but it didn't explain some differences I saw.

“Yes…” It sounded like a question.

“Why aren't your eyes black like Marren's and the rest of the servants?”

“I'm not a bloodline. I'm what they call a half-breed.” I looked at him quizzically. “It means that I was once human. I don’t completely belong to the therianthrope race.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Did he turn you also?” He nodded, almost as if he wasn't sure if he should tell me too much. “Was it really painful for you too?”

“Excruciatingly.”

“Did it happen gradually? I mean did your change start with senses changing and crippling spasms of pain?”

“No, mine happened all at once.” He paused with his eyebrows scrunched together, as if he was figuring out a complicated puzzle. “I would say your experience is partly to blame on Marren being your heart song and partly due to him changing you during the blue moon.”

“Speaking of the heart song, why are the Ancients so angered by that? It seems odd that someone would be so upset by that or by me wanting to be a part of your world.”

“It’s because of a prophecy Marren was told when our kind was first banished to the immortal realm. And because they fear that Marren is already stronger than they are. And with the allies he's accumulated, they fear an uprising.”

“An uprising?
Why would Marren do that?” He acted as though he didn't want to share more than he already
had. “Please? I want to know. It will help me to stay sane while I’m cooped up here.” I took a seat on the bench in front of the bed and waited for Enid, standing near the balcony, to begin. As he did, he looked out over the trees.

“When the immortal races—non-humans—were banished from the mortal realm, there was a war against us, fueled by the fear of humans. Of course,
they
were responsible.”

“How?”

“A group known as the Denai, a powerful sect of sorcerers, grew hungry in their greed and quest for power. They formed an incantation that would allow them to absorb energies of any living thing or creature, giving them more power than any other race in the world. They became known as the first vampires. Some continued to ascend in power, absorbing enough to become gods.”

A shiver ran up my spine, remembering the picture of the vampire from the book. “Let me guess, they were exterminating numbers too quickly, causing attention to fall onto them and because of their indiscretion, the blame fell to all of the immortal races.”

“
Which forced us to leave this realm.
” He moved to take a stand
in front of me. “The humans band
ed together, deciding that an eye for an eye was the only way that indiscretion could be settled. Many people lost their lives. Families were ripped apart…” His voice cracked as he shifted, walking to stare at the mantle of the fireplace. A few moments passed in silence. I knew then how he lost his family.

“As a result, the Ancients of each race came together, forming the Council of Ancients. They put their magic together to create a new realm that closely mirrored this one, so the immortal races could live in peace instead of fear.”

“How has that realm remained hidden for this long? It has to be hundreds of years old and no one has even accidentally come across it?”

“By the laws the Ancients created,” he answered. “Protections were put in place to prevent anything but our kind from going through, rules to abide by.  Anyone, who wished to cross over into the mortal realm, could do so if they stated their business and abided by the time frame they were given. They had to keep our world secret from everyone and live in secrecy, which is why we live this far from Hafton—or any other town for that matter.”

“But you have been here—”

“A lot longer than we should have.
Marren couldn't risk going back without you.”

“Why? Couldn’t he just go check in and come back?”

“That heart song is what binds you two together. Whether you were accepting of him or not, you two belong together. If he left this realm without you, there was a very real possibility that you would be dead by the time he would be able to come back. Especially the time between the first night he saw you and the night we took you from the Cyrs.”

“What time limits are we talking about here? Because it doesn’t make sense that no sooner than you both bring me here, do the Ancients find out and threaten to knock down the door. It seems to me that they were waiting to see if Marren did find me before making their move.”

“It is certainly possible. Not everyone is trustworthy.  As far as the time limit, it depends on the person. A hunting group would have shorter times because there's no real live stock supply on our realm. Ultimately, it's up to the Ancients as a collective. As such, he agreed to report back every year to state his progress and to ask for more time. I did that for him a few of those times. The last was rather unpleasant.”