Traveler (21 page)

A chilling laugh escaped Alexander before he looked directly at the Captain, a serious look in his eyes.  “No, Captain, I am not here to kill someone...not yet at least.  I am here as a favor to my protege.  I am sure you have met her.  You sent her alone to retrieve something you gave away.”

Luc cocked his head to the side as he looked at Aislin. “Oh, it’s our mermaid, all right.  Funny, it’s difficult to recognize you wearing so many clothes,” he said to Aislin, winking roguishly and grinning wolfishly at her.  

Aislin had the decency to blush.  “Thank you again for saving me from the ocean, Rogue,” she murmured.

“I’ll take a kiss as payment, darling,” he grinned at her, winking again.  Aislin giggled and then turned her face away, her cheeks crimson.  

“So you’re the Traveler’s Guardian, are you? Appropriate, that.  Though it’s a wonder her feminine wiles haven’t gotten to you, as they have gotten to us aboard the ship.  She is quite a charmer, your red-haired beauty.  Unless she is not yours?” Rahim raised his eyebrow.  “Because if she’s not...I think that Luc would be more than up to the challenge of keeping her...nice and protected, if you know what I mean.”  He was watching Alexander carefully.  If this was indeed the Ghost of legend, he needed to make sure that he wasn’t weak.  Especially if he was to be the Guardian of the Traveler.

Cold, unadulterated fury filled his blue eyes as each word was spoken, a slight on the honor of his...of Aislin.  Gently he let go of her arm before abruptly fading from view.  A foot swept Luc’s legs from underneath him before Alexander reappeared again, a dagger held to Rahim’s balls and a forearm against his throat.  “I suppose the two of you think such comments are funny.  Do not think you can get away with saying such things about my charge in front of me.  She is not a whore for your amusement.”

Luc slammed onto the ground, his breath coming out of his lungs in a whoosh.  Gasping for air, he laid on his back like a fish, even though Aislin almost moved to help him.  

Rahim looked at the assassin who had a dagger to his balls and a forearm against his throat calmly.  “Do you really think you’re the first assassin to come after me, Ghost?” he asked, his eyes devoid of emotion.  “And I would never assume her to be a whore.  Not her.  I would also never disgrace her enough to see  her as merely a charge, either.  What she is...she is something to be worshipped and treasured, Assassin.  Or is that something that you deny as well?”  He pressed his throat against Alexander’s forearm.  “So do it, if you need to.  I accept death.  I accepted it a long time ago.”  Aislin’s eyes were wide with shock.  God, she didn’t know what to make of this entire exchange.  All she could do was sit back and watch, at a loss for words.

“You think that you of all people can lecture me on how to treat my charge with honor?!  You...the man who sold an innocent girl into slavery simply because you were too cowardly to admit your feelings.  Don’t make me laugh.”  Alexander stared into the Captain’s eyes, pressing harder against his throat for a moment.  “If not for my charge, you wouldn’t even get another chance to apologize to that girl.  I would take her away from this world in a heartbeat.  I still might.  Light knows scum like you does not deserve such a chance.”

“Here now,” Luc said, finally catching his breath and still on the floor.  “Pirates we may be, but we still have honor.  I would have done the same thing, in the Captain’s position.  She may have been in slavery, but she would go to a nice household, one that wouldn’t treat her badly, but at least she’d be safe.  I’d rather have her safe and out of harm’s way, to live, than to be with us and in the middle of danger.”  

“And then you use that despicable word again, Ghost,” Rahim said quietly.  “Charge.  She is not twelve years old...or had you not noticed that?  I had heard rumors that you Assassins are eunuched to make pleasures of the flesh no longer a distraction so you can focus more on the task at hand.  If you take her from this world, she might actually be safer.”  He actually thought about it for a moment, his eyes looking off into the distance.

“Being safe doesn’t matter much when the one you love has ripped out your heart and your will to live.”  Alexander snapped at Luc before focusing on Rahim once more, blue eyes staring into his.  “You know...Captain...you are one of the biggest hypocrites I have ever had the displeasure of encountering.  You speak of her safety...and yet you stole her only dream from her.”  Suddenly he gave him a grim smile.  “Shall I tell everyone here the secret you hide,
Dragon
?  Shall I tell them who you really are?  What you could do if you grew a little hair on your balls and actually did your duty?”

Rahim narrowed his eyes.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Assassin.  I am a pirate Captain, no one else.”  He wanted to kill this man.  He knew his secret? How? No one knew who was still living, besides Brileia.  

Aislin cleared her throat from behind Alexander, walking up to him and laying a hand gently on his forearm.  “Alexander,” she whispered, her breath warm and her lips close to his ear.  “Come on...I think you’ve gone far enough.  Please.”

His expression softened when she spoke to him, his gaze briefly leaving the Captain to look at Aislin.  Nodding slowly, he looked back to the man and leaned close to whisper in his ear.  “I am sure that you have a very good idea, Dragon, of what I am talking about...but don’t worry.  Your secret is safe...for now.  Should a single hair on that girl’s head be out of place...well...the truth will be known.  So...protect your betrothed, hm?”

Then he let him go and put his dagger away, taking a step back before gently taking Aislin’s arm.  He gave her a reassuring smile before tugging on the strands of magic, sending the two of them through the gateway back to their home.

Chapter 13

Aislin stood in his living room, looking down at the newest dress to add to her swiftly growing collection. Now she had a blue one, a white one, and this one.  She smiled a little at him.  “Thank you...for handling that.  I just didn’t want you to go too far with him...but what did you mean, you know his secret?”  Her green eyes looked at him, demanding answers.  She thought maybe her aches would go away when they got back home, but it just looked like it was getting worse the more the day wore on.

The man sighed softly, gazing down at her in concern.  He couldn’t help but to notice the way she held herself, as if she was in pain.  “I’ll tell you...but first...why don’t you take a relaxing bath while I take care of dinner?  You’re stressed and in pain...” He replied calmly, carefully ushering her towards her bedroom.

She stiffened indignantly.  “I’m not in pain, or stressed,” she snapped, going into her bedroom to put on a long-sleeved shirt and pants to cover up the grayish splotches that were beginning to show.  
Shit.
 She needed to keep those hidden from Alexander.  She dug through her dresser and pulled out some Ibuprofen, popping three.  She needed to look more relaxed than she was if she was going to pull off this charade effectively.  

Grabbing a towel, Aislin went into the bathroom and closed the door softly behind her.  As she waited for the bathtub to fill, she tried to find every place she had bruises, so she could focus more on what she needed to cover.  There was one on her neck that would need cover-up, but the others on her neck would be covered by her shirt.  The water was ready, nice and soapy, and Aislin propped the door open just slightly so the bathroom didn’t get too steamy.  Maybe she would be able to relax for a little while.

Alexander sighed softly, knowing that she was angry at him yet again.  This was beginning to become a normal state for their relationship, or lack thereof.  Walking quietly into his bedroom, he quickly changed into a tank top and sleep pants, both a deep blue.  There was no chance that they were going anywhere else today.  It was just as well, considering what the day had been like.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, glancing at the pendant he had spent the majority of the day working on.  Well, at the very least, he could leave that in her room for her.  He wouldn’t disturb her in the bathroom while she was attempting to relax, despite her insistence that she wasn’t in pain.  He glanced towards the bathroom door before stepping into her bedroom.  Carefully he set the necklace on her dresser, her clothes from earlier laying in a pile near the closet door.  He really hadn’t been too precise with his magic at the time.

Laughing softly at himself, he turned to leave before suddenly falling silent and stopping short, his blue eyes widening in surprise.  There was the dress she had worn...back on the island...the green silk that had looked so pretty on her.  He hadn’t noticed the splotches of blood on it. How could he have missed that?  Shaking lightly in anger, he hurriedly left her room, knowing that he needed to calm himself before she came out of the bath.  

Alexander slumped back against the wall, taking several deep breaths through his nose.  The scent of her bath wash lingered in the air, and he found the scent surprisingly relaxing.  Feeling a bit calmer, he opened his eyes...only to realize that she had not closed the bathroom door completely.

Aislin had enjoyed her bath, smiling to herself.  She could even almost forget the bruises now.  Standing in the tub, she let the water drain, carefully drying herself off with a towel, standing on the bathmat outside the tub.  Even such a light touch made her wince a little, and she was careful when she began to put her clothing on not to press against them too tightly.

If this had been any other time, he might have been aroused by the sight of her bare body.  But just seeing the beginnings of multiple bruises dotted across her pale skin filled him with anger.  Trembling in anger, he forced himself to walk away from the bathroom and into the kitchen.  He wanted to beat someone senseless for hurting her in such a way.  But the truth was...he knew it was his fault that she had gotten hurt.  It was his duty to protect her and he hadn’t even done that well.  All he really could do for her now was attempt to ease her pain and take care of her.  Recalling her having mentioned a love of Chinese food, he quickly placed a call to a good Chinese place nearby, ordering several different dishes.  Hopefully, there was at least one on the list that she enjoyed.

Aislin finished getting dressed, tying her hair back loosely, tossing her towel in her bedroom in the hamper.  She looked around the room, noticing something shiny on her nightstand.  Curious, she picked it up, finding it a phoenix pendant.  It was a delicate thing, and beautiful.  Aislin loved it immediately.  And her clothes...her clothes from the club were here too?  How did they get there?  All she remembered doing was...Oh God...fooling around with that guy in the car...and then disappearing.  Alex must have cleaned up her mess...again.  But...he’d gone into her room.  Without permission!  Who knows what he could have snooped around in while he was there?  This thought consumed her brain while she went into the living room, trying to get a view of Alexander before plopping herself down on the couch.  She closed her eyes softly, just relaxing for a moment.  It felt nice to just...not move.

After ordering dinner, he took a moment to just lean on the counter.  He didn’t want Aislin to see him in such a state.  Considering the reputation he had built over the years, he knew that he could be very scary when he was angry.  He wanted...no, needed to take care of this. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his face before stepping into the living room, determined to keep things somewhat pleasant between them.  “I ordered from the Chinese place...hope you’re hungry.”

Aislin opened one eye from where she lay on the couch, smiling a little.  “I was actually just in the mood for Chinese,” she admitted with a soft yawn. “Thank you, Alexander.  You always know how to take care of me.” The pendant he had left for her was held in her hand, resting over her heart. She was...tired.  “Will you wake me up when it gets here?  For some reason...I’m very sleepy...” A frown creased her forehead as she admitted that.  She had been gone nearly a full day from the real world, by her best guess...and it had taken its toll on her.

Alexander gave her a small smile, murmuring softly.  “Of course, munchkin.  Stretch out on the couch.  I’ll take care of everything.”  He grabbed a throw from the front closet before bringing it back to her.  “Here...get some rest.”  She looked so tired that he couldn’t bring himself to even ask about the bruises or the blood.  

Aislin smiled, already drifting off by the time he brought her the throw blanket from the closet. Her grip wouldn’t loosen on the pendant he had given her, the couch sucking her into its depths, cushioning her and easing her off into sleep, at least for a little while.

He smiled faintly at the sight that greeted him when he returned to her side.  Gently he tucked the blanket over her, grateful that she would get some sleep before their talk.  He had a feeling that they weren’t going to enjoy that discussion at all, and if he wasn’t working in the morning, he would have a drink to calm his anger.

It was about forty-five minutes later that the door bell rang, signalling the arrival of their dinner.  He glanced briefly at Aislin before setting his book down and going to answer the door.  It took only a moment to sign for the food and tip the man before he was carrying the bags into the kitchen.  He pulled everything out of the bags, setting it out on the kitchen table before going back out into the living room.  he leaned down and touched her shoulder gently.  “Aislin...time for dinner...”

Aislin’s eyes flew open when he touched her shoulder, in a moment of panic.  “Alex...” she let out a slow breath.  “It’s just you.   You scared me.”  She sat up, stretching a little, the shirt coming up a bit to show off some skin on her abdomen, and stretching a little to fall back on her wrists, showing the shadowy bruises there.  “It smells fantastic.”  She sat up, smiling genuinely at him.