Red Moon Rising (4 page)

“How’s that?”

Cautiously, James dropped his hands.  Bree’s body stayed
firmly against his and James grunted.  “That’s good.”

Nicholas eyed his brother’s naked upper body.  “You want me
to try and wrap the blanket around you as well?”

James shook his head.  “No, I’ll be fine.  Let’s go.”

Tia whimpered quietly as Nicholas hooked both bags around
his body, and he scooped the small dog up and deposited her into one of the
bags.  Her head poked out of the top of the bag, and she peered around
curiously as Nicholas petted her head.  “Let’s go fuzzbutt.”

She was naked again and pressed up against him as intimately
as a lover.  She kept her eyes closed, feeling the gentle sway of his body
against hers as he walked briskly.  Her small breasts rubbed against his chest,
and she was embarrassed to realize that her nipples were hard. 

“How are you feeling Bree?”

She thought about pretending to be asleep but abandoned the
idea quickly.  He knew she was awake.  She tried to move her legs but they
wouldn’t budge from around his waist.  She opened her eyes.  Rope crisscrossed
her legs and she wiggled her entire body experimentally.  More rope was across
her blanket-covered back, and they were so tight she couldn’t push her body
away from his.

“Why am I naked?”  She asked.

“Skin-on-skin contact helps heal you faster.” 

“How – how are you doing this?”  She couldn’t look at him. 
She wondered if he could feel how hard her nipples were.  New heat rushed
through her body.  She didn’t even want to think about the fact that he had seen
her naked twice now, and that her crotch was rubbing against his hard abdomen. 
The feel of his stomach against her naked center was making her pulse flutter
in an alarming way.

Her eyes suddenly widened.  “Tia, where’s Tia?”

“Right here.”  Nicholas pointed to the bag thumping against
his hip, and she sighed with relief when she saw the top of Tia’s head sticking
out.

 She stared over James’ shoulder into the growing darkness. 
“How are you doing this?”  She repeated herself.

“I’m a healer Bree.  When I touch people who are hurt or
sick, I can heal them.”

“How?”  She whispered.

He shrugged.  “I do not know.”

“We should make camp for the night.”  Nicholas said quietly. 
“This looks like a good spot.”

James nodded and stopped as Nicholas dropped the bags gently
to the ground.  Tia jumped out and quickly peed before sniffing curiously at a
cluster of bushes.

Bree stiffened against James.  The funny warmth in her
stomach disappeared and fresh fear flooded through her.  The two Lycans had
saved her life, but that didn’t mean she could trust them.  James had not raped
her the first night only because she was close to death.  Now that he had used
his powers to heal her, she would not be so lucky tonight.  Perhaps the
brothers would take turns using her. 

She shuddered and choked back a quiet sob.  All her life her
brother had protected her, kept her safe from men and beasts alike.  Now she
was alone, and she was too weak and afraid to defend herself.

Don’t be ridiculous.  Do you really think either of these
men will hurt you?  They have been nothing but kind to you. They fed you,
protected you against the Lycans, and James saved you from the leech.  They may
be Lycans but they seem different from the others.

Her brain knew it to be true but after months of being abused
by the Lycans, she couldn’t seem to control her fear of them.  Her heart was
pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might explode.

She gave a short cry of fear when she felt Nicholas’ hands
at her back.

“Easy little one.”  James murmured.  “He’s just untying the
rope.”

Nicholas unwound the rope quickly and James set her on the
ground.  She wrapped the blanket tightly around her body, and stared at the two
men with wide and frightened eyes.

“Bree, do you feel better?”  James made no attempt to touch
her.

Nicholas gave his brother a puzzled look.  The woman seemed
more afraid of them now than before they had saved her from the Lycans.  Her
face was pale and her pupils were huge.

“Yes.”  She nodded.  “I feel much better.”

She was lying.  Nicholas could see it in her face, and in
the careful way she backed away from them until she was leaning against a large
tree.  She sunk to the ground, wincing and pressing her hand against her side,
before she tucked the blanket around her bare legs and feet.

As James began to build a fire, Nicholas quickly set up the
two small tents.  Bree watched them silently, her body trembling.  When the
fire was crackling loudly, she crept closer to it and sat cross-legged in front
of it.  Tia climbed into her lap, wagging her tail enthusiastically when James
approached them.

“You should sit with me for awhile longer, little one.”

“I don’t want to.”  She cleared her throat nervously.  “I
don’t need any more healing.”

James frowned at Nicholas who made a small shrugging motion.

Bree gave him a pleading look.  “Please, may I borrow one of
your shirts?”

He nodded and dug through his bag.  He pulled out the last two
of his shirts, and handed one to her before slipping into the other one.

He turned away to give her some privacy.  She grunted softly
in pain and he frowned. 

“Bree, is your side bleeding?”  He moved a little closer and
she shrank back. 

“No.”

“Show me.” 

“I told you, it’s – “

“Show me.”  He spoke louder, his chest tightening when she
flinched and raised her arm to shield her face.

“I’m sorry.”  He made his voice soft and he crouched down,
trying to make himself look as non-threatening as possible.

“I need to see your side Bree - just for a moment.”

She kept the blanket wrapped firmly around her hips but
raised his shirt.  He stared at her pale side.  There was no bleeding, and he
was pleased to see that three of the four wounds had disappeared completely. 
The fourth was a healing scab and after sleeping against him tonight, that too
would be gone.

“It looks much better.”  He gave her a warm smile that she
didn’t return.   She pushed his shirt down and wrapped herself up in the
blanket again, wincing as she did so.

James frowned.  “Where does it still hurt Bree?”

“It doesn’t.”  She lied.

He sighed loudly but didn’t press her.  He stood and walked
over to Nicholas.  “She won’t let me touch her.”  He said quietly.

He stared at his own hands and grunted with frustration.  “I
don’t understand why it’s taking so long to heal her.”

“Hmm, let’s see – maybe it’s because when we found her she
was minutes from death.  The gods only know how many internal injuries she was
suffering from.  Then she had a good deal of her blood sucked out of her by a
leech.”

“I should still – “

Nicholas held his hand up.  “You’ve been sleeping on the ground
for nearly four nights.  We’ve been traveling for days and it’s been what – six
moons since you had a healthy woman warm your bed?”

James flushed.  “Why exactly are you keeping track of my
night time activities?”

Nicholas laughed softly.  “All I’m saying is that you may
have both Lycan healing powers and our mother’s healing gift, but even you get
tired every once in a while.”

He glanced over at Bree.  “The woman nearly died James.  You’ve
never tried to heal someone that close to death before.  She’s so malnourished I
can’t believe she even survived with your help.  It’s not surprising that she’s
still not fully healed.”

“She won’t heal if she won’t let me touch her.”  James
muttered darkly.

“The way she is reacting to us now, touching her is likely to
do more harm than good brother.  Leave her be for the night.  She isn’t dying,
and I’m afraid that knowing we are Lycans means she will never trust us.” 
Nicholas replied.

He sighed.  “Frankly, I don’t blame her.  What they did to
her...” 

His face darkened as he remembered the way Bree had looked
when Tia had led them to her.

“I know.”  James glanced behind him at Bree.  “She needs
food.  I’ll go hunt something for dinner.  Keep an eye on her okay?”  James
said.

Nicholas nodded as James disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

“It’s time for bed little one.”  James voice drifted across
the campfire.

She blinked rapidly.  “I’m not tired.”

Nicholas smiled gently at her.  “You are Bree.  You’re
practically falling asleep sitting up.”

“No, I’m fine.”  She said stubbornly.

James tried not to roll his eyes.  They had finished eating
the rabbit he had caught, and he had been watching her nod off for the last ten
minutes.  Weariness was etched into her thin face.  He had considered just
letting her fall asleep and then carrying her to his tent, but he worried about
her reaction if she woke up to find him touching her.  Still, he was anxious to
try and finish healing her. 

Everything Nicholas had told him was true, but it frustrated
him that he couldn’t quickly and easily heal the small woman in front of him. 
After dinner he had leaned against Nicholas for awhile.  It made him feel
stronger, and he was positive that one more night of sleeping against him would
help heal Bree completely.

Kissing her would help. 

He snorted to himself.  That might be true but she would
never allow it.  She was terrified of both him and Nicholas, despite their
gentleness with her.

He stood and held his hand out to her.  “Come to my tent
Bree.”

She shook her head, her nostrils flaring and her eyes wide. 
Tia, sensing her mistress’ distress, left the bone she was gnawing on and
climbed into her lap.

“I’ll sleep out here by the fire tonight.”

“No Bree.  It’s not safe and you’ll be too cold.”  James
said patiently.

“I’m not going in your tent with you.”  Her body was
trembling but her voice was steady enough.

James gave Nicholas a helpless look. 

“You can have the tent to yourself Bree.”  Nicholas smiled
at her.  “James and I will be taking turns keeping watch anyway, so we can
share my tent.”

“Nicholas that won’t – “

“Be quiet brother.”  Nicholas’ voice was unusually harsh.

“Neither of us will come into the tent Bree.  You have my
word on that.  You may take my dagger if it makes you feel better.”  Nicholas
moved towards her and held out the short but sharp knife.

Bree took the knife from Nicholas.  As she stood, she swayed
and stumbled forward but Nicholas made no effort to touch her.

She weaved carefully to the tent.  “Good night.” 

She disappeared into the tent, Tia at her heels, and James
turned on Nicholas.

“Nicky!  What are you doing?  She needs me.”

“Aye brother she does.  But she does not realize it yet.  It
is better to leave her be for the night.”

James growled with frustration and Nicholas clapped him on
the back.  “I will take the first watch.  Get some rest.”

* * *

“It is not much further now Bree.”  Nicholas said
encouragingly.

Breathless and her side hurting so much she thought she
might faint, Bree nodded.  They had been walking for most of the morning, and
she wasn’t entirely sure how much longer she could continue to walk.

James had wanted to carry her on his back again but she had
refused.  She had felt well enough when they started out, but now each step she
took sent a jolt of pure agony through her ribs and into her lungs.  She was
lagging further and further behind.  She stared grimly at the ground below her
feet, and forced her tired legs to move one step at a time.

There was soft muttering ahead of her.  She heard Nicholas
telling James not to, and then James was standing beside her and lifting her
into his arms.  She knew she should tell him to put her down, but she was so
weary that she let her head drop to his shoulder and closed her eyes.  She
would just rest for a moment and then tell him to release her.

She woke when she heard the woman’s voice.  She blinked and squinted
at her surroundings.  James and Nicholas were standing in a large room with an
enormous fireplace.  A couch was placed in front of it, and a fire crackled
loudly in the fireplace.  The woman standing next to the couch was tall with
long dark hair and dark eyes like James’.

“You were supposed to be home yesterday.  Mom was ready to
send out a search party.”

“We ran into a bit of trouble.”  Nicholas grinned at her. 
“Nothing we couldn’t handle though.”

She ducked back when Nicholas tried to ruffle her hair. 
“Stop it Nicky.”

She eyed Bree curiously.  “Who’s the girl?”

“Her name is Bree.  This is my sister Sophia.”  James gave
no other explanation, and Sophia didn’t press for details.

“Hello Bree.”  Sophia smiled a bit guardedly at her before
looking down at the dog sniffing at her boots.  “And who is this little fuzz?” 
She reached down and petted the dog roughly. 

“That’s Bree’s dog.  Her name is Tia.”  Nicholas looked
around.  “Where are mom and dad?”

“They’re upstairs having a nap.”  Sophia emphasized the word
nap and Bree, her mind tired and her body throbbing, frowned in confusion.

“Gross.”  Nicholas replied cheerfully.

“We’ll have another sibling soon if they keep that up.” 
There was a hint of laughter in James’ voice.

Sophia studied Bree closely.  “When did she eat last?”

“She ate last night.”  James replied.  “She’s been badly
injured and needs rest.”

Still carrying Bree, he left the room and carried her down a
long hallway.  The house was bustling with activity; James passed at least
three people who all bowed and murmured, “welcome home my lord”.  He greeted
them politely by name as he moved further into the house. 

He stopped in front of a door and opened it.  The curtains
were drawn, and Bree strained to see in the dim light.  A fire had been started
in the fireplace and the room was deliciously warm.  She tensed when she
realized that James was carrying her towards the bed.

“No!  Put me down!”  She pushed weakly at his shoulders.

“I’m not going to join you in the bed little one.”  He set
her down gently and unwrapped the blanket from around her.  He pulled back the
covers on the bed, and steadied her with a hand on her elbow as she climbed
into it.  The bed was large and soft and she sank into it with a soft sigh.  It
had been two years since she had slept in a bed and even then, she had never
had a bed as comfortable as this one.