Alannah excerpt 7

     Jeremy dried his horse, rubbing him down thoroughly. Then he put the horse in a stall with some grain and water. He walked through the stable, checking on the other horses. When he passed by Alannah's hiding place, her breath caught in her throat. It had been so long since she’d seen him up close that painfully strong feelings gripped her when he was near. He stiffened at the soft noise and turned in her direction.

      She froze in place and prayed that he would turn and leave, but he walked directly to the spot where she was hiding instead. When he came around the pile of straw, his dark brown eyes met her aqua ones. Electricity shot through her as she stared at the muscled chest that was clearly visible through his soaked shirt. The expression of shock on Jeremy’s face stabbed at her conscience. "Alannah what, how…?"

     She put a finger to her lips and shook her head. "I cannot explain this. I will disappear again when the weather is calm."

     He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her in a strong embrace. She gasped when his cold, wet shirt soaked the blanket. He let her go and moved back. His eyes turned to the damp spot he’d left. He pulled his wet shirt off and hung it on a hook under the nearby shelf, then turned back to Alannah. "I'll stay with you until the weather changes, then."

    She stared at him. Her eyes lingered on the starburst scar pattern visible across the right side of his chest—a reminder of the battle he'd fought in. He did not appear to notice.

     He grabbed another blanket from the shelf, wrapped himself in it, and sat down next to her in the nest of straw she’d created. “Why won't you tell me what is going on?"

     She shook her head. “I can’t. Tell me about your childhood instead.”

     "I had a wonderful childhood. My parents loved me and taught me to be a gentleman. I never doubted their love for me and I knew they were proud of me. I always tried to honor them by using self-control whether I was at home or away from it." Tears ran down his face, and he hid no emotion from her as he talked about his parent's deaths. "My dear grandfather is the only family I have left in the world."

     As he talked about his experience in the military, he engendered such trust that she relaxed and fell asleep next to him while he was still talking. She woke up hours later as the pain of transforming back into a dove ripped through her body. The folds of the blanket she'd been wrapped in were suffocating her, and she squirmed out of it. Jeremy was curled up next to her, sleeping deeply.

     The first rays of sunshine were crossing the fields. Alannah looked around the stable for an opening large enough to fly through. She was preparing to squeeze through the vents in the roof when the door to the stable creaked open slowly. She flew up to the rafter she’d perched on the night before.

     Isaac stood in the doorway, searching the barn. Malice burned in his eyes. He was muttering to himself. "The servants said he took his horse out last night and didn’t come back to the house. If his horse is here, I'll know they lied to me." His gaze landed on Jeremy’s sleeping form. A vicious smile crossed his face. He grabbed a nearby pitchfork and headed in Jeremy's direction. He's still asleep. Isaac's going to impale him with a pitchfork in his sleep. What a coward!

     She dove down from the rafters, straight into Isaac's face, pecking at him and scratching with her talons. He swatted at her with his free hand but she flew away and circled around his head. He swung the pitchfork clumsily. She easily avoided it. He dropped the pitchfork, picked up a stone, and threw it at her. The stone hit one of her feet with enough force to break her talon, but she ignored the pain and circled again.

     Isaac yelled in frustration as he searched around for another rock. "Stupid bird!"

The sound woke Jeremy, and he jumped up. Alannah dove into Isaac's face again, hoping to distract him and give Jeremy the advantage. This time, Isaac smacked her down to the ground with his hand.

     Jeremy approached Isaac, and he swung a closed fist wildly. Jeremy easily ducked out of the way. Isaac grabbed the fallen pitchfork and ran at him. In his rage, his aim was inaccurate, and Jeremy slapped the pitchfork aside where it stuck into a soft piece of wood. Isaac finally landed a punch and split Jeremy's lip before Jeremy knocked him to the ground. After several strategic blows, Isaac was rendered unconscious.

     Jeremy's safe! Relief washed over Alannah. Breathing was becoming more and more difficult since her breast bone had broken and punctured her lungs when Isaac smacked her into the ground. Her lungs began to fill with blood. I'm going to die.

     She thought of her love for Jeremy and was content that she’d given her life to protect him. He appeared above her, now a giant in her bird eyes. He gently scooped her up and held her to his warm chest. She could feel his heart beating. "I don't understand why you attacked Isaac, but I'm certain you did it on purpose. You saved my life and now you're going to die. Why did you take such a risk for a human?"