Alannah’s eyes
drifted shut as darkness closed in around her. She’d almost given into the
nothingness when the pain of human transformation overtook her consciousness.
To Jeremy's
credit, he did not drop her when her body lengthened and grew heavier. He held
her close as feathers became soft warm skin, and blond hair cascaded down over
his arms. When the burning stopped, she was being held against him in a strong
embrace. Her body was whole and healed from the injuries she'd sustained as a
bird. Mary's words about breaking the curse by sacrificing herself for the man
she loved echoed through her mind.
Heat rose to her
cheeks when she became aware of the position she was in. Jeremy set her gently
on her feet, eyes averted, and turned his back to her while he retrieved his
shirt from the hook he'd hung it on the night before. He stood facing the back
wall, and held his shirt in the air above his head.
Alannah ran up
behind him, grabbed the shirt, and pulled it over her head. It barely brushed
the middle of her thighs. Frustration washed over her. I can't leave the barn dressed like this!
Jeremy turned
around slowly, and her concerns about leaving the barn melted under his intense
expression. Once again, time seemed to stop as they stared at each other. The
waves of energy rippling between them made her breath catch in her throat.
He took several
quick steps toward her, catching her up in his arms as they collided. With one
hand, he cupped the back of her head, and ran his thumb along her jaw line. He
pulled her closer and his breath softly brushed her cheek. Then his warm lips
were on hers in a sweet intimate kiss. Her response was instinctive as she
kissed him back. He deepened the kiss, letting go of his usual self-restraint.
The energy passing between them started to wrap around them, nearly drowning
her in its intensity. Jeremy groaned and pulled away from her. “Forgive me. I
shouldn’t have been so bold…it’s just that I couldn’t…I’m sorry…” He broke off,
apparently tongue-tied.
She grinned and looked down. “I’m not
complaining.”
He grasped both
her hands, his eyes searching hers. “You turned into a bird and sacrificed
yourself to save me. You could have died—why did you do it?”
I have to tell him the truth. She looked
down. Her voice was barely audible as she answered. “Because I love you.”
Jeremy fell to
one knee in the straw on the floor, still holding her hands. “Alannah Barry,
will you marry me?"
She could not
speak for a moment. Finally, her voice returned. "Yes, I would love to
marry you, Sir Jeremy Moore."
He smiled, stood
up, and pulled her in for another kiss when Isaac groaned from his place in the
horse manure on the floor. Jeremy frowned and turned to look in his direction. Isaac’s
eyelids fluttered briefly before his head flopped to the side, and he was still
again.
Jeremy grabbed a
clean blanket from the shelf. “I’ll take you home. You won’t be safe if Isaac
sees you.”
She gave him a
grateful smile and wrapped up in the blanket. "Can you take me to Mary's
cottage instead of my house? I don’t want my parents to see me until
I’ve…cleaned up a bit."
He nodded, took
his horse, Chance, from the stall and prepared him to pull a carriage. She
turned and gave Isaac one last glance before hurrying out of the barn.
When she stepped
into the carriage, Jeremy gave her a long look before he shut the door. “I’d
love to have you seated behind me on Chance, but someone might see us.”
She felt her face grow hot, but forced her voice to be
steady as she gave him directions to Mary’s cottage.
They flew across
the countryside in the early morning mist. When they reached the small hut, he helped
her out of the carriage. Her skin tingled where his hands touched her when he
lifted her down.
"Please wait
here a moment, Jeremy." She slipped into the cottage and shut the door
softly behind her. After a few minutes, she opened the door a crack and tossed
his shirt out. He caught it easily, smiled, and put it on slowly. She watched
out the window of the cottage until his carriage disappeared around a bend in
the road.
******
Jeremy’s thoughts
swirled around like debris in a whirlpool. I
need to deal with Isaac. He approached his stables with caution, planning
to use the element of surprise to his advantage if Isaac was still inside. He
was surprised to hear voices when he approached. Tying Chance to the fence
outside the stable, he crept up to the open door.
A man with a
high-pitched voice was speaking. He sounded furious. "You still haven't
paid me for changing that woman into a dove, and now you want me to do more
magic for you?"
Jeremy peeked
through the crack in the door. That's the
wizened little man who was chanting outside the library on the night Alannah
disappeared. He’s the one who changed Alannah into a bird for Isaac.
Isaac touched his
black eye and winced. "I need you to destroy Jeremy Moore and give me his
lands. Then I can pay you."
"What? You
lied to me! You said that you had money sitting in the bank to pay me!"
"I was
desperate then. You know how much this property is worth. If I get it, then you’re
guaranteed payment."
"You have no
intention of paying me. You're planning to string me along forever."
He turned dark and starting glowing red. Pure terror crossed
Isaac's face when the little man began chanting. Isaac ran, but a whirlpool of
black tar opened up in the floor beneath him and sucked him down with it as it
disappeared into the floor. The little man vanished and Jeremy backed away from
the door. Is it safe to go in my stable?
Concern for his
horses got the better of him, and he crossed the threshold. Everything seemed
normal and solid enough, so he went back, untied Chance, and walked him into
the stall. The stable boys will be coming
soon to feed, water, and curry my horses.
As he walked back to his house, relief
flooded him. Isaac is gone. He can't hurt
Alannah anymore.
******
Alannah soaked in
a large tub of hot water in the middle of Mary's cottage. She'd been thoroughly
scrubbed after weeks in the wild as a bird. Mary had gone to fetch a clean
dress from her parent's home.
Alannah had just changed
into her dress when a messenger knocked on Mary’s door. He held a sealed letter
in his hand. Mary took it and thanked him. She handed it to Alannah, who read
it out loud. The message was from Jeremy, and he’d written what happened to
Isaac in it. She was relieved, but Mary still had a concern. "We need to
come up with a believable story about why you disappeared for six weeks.
Discussing magic is not an option."
Alannah was
shocked. "Was I really gone for six weeks?"
"Yes, dear.
People told Jeremy and your parents to give up hope, but they refused.
Now—about that story…"
Alannah thought
about what had happened to her. "I barely got enough to eat, was always
dirty, and almost never saw anybody while I was a bird. Isaac had me transformed
because he didn’t want me to be with anyone else.” She paused. “We could say I
was kidnapped by someone I didn’t know. Jeremy searched high and low until he
found and rescued me. The kidnapper ran off and we don't expect to see him
again."
“Well, it’s not a
great story, but it’ll have to do.”
No comments:
Post a Comment