A Kind Of Magic (12 page)

His clothes were dark like Roderick’s and Val’s, and she soon noticed the sword at his hip and the wicked looking crossbow he held in his hand, each displaying the mark of the Shields.

“I’m Elle Blanchard.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said with a friendly smile as he looked her over.

“Hugh? I thought Hugh was leader of the Shields?”

“I was,” he said. “Since neither Roderick nor Val have heard the story, I will wait and tell all of you later this evening when we eat. Now, come. Let’s get you inside to warm yourself.”

Elle was about to slide into Hugh’s arms when Roderick stepped beside him.

“I will see to her.”

She was surprised at Roderick’s gruff tone but was too happy to be in his arms again to care. She slid off the horse into his strong arms as he cradled her against his chest and strode into the castle.

Elle drank in the sight of the great hall with its painted wall behind the table on the raised platform, a dais if she remembered correctly. Candles were placed throughout the hall to help shed light in the dark hours. She found herself eager to explore more of the castle to see if her history classes had gotten it right.

“I hope you like it here,” Roderick said. “I fear you will be here awhile.”

Roderick followed Mina as she brought him to a chamber for Elle. Mina stood at the door as he walked inside the chamber and released Elle’s legs so she could stand on the rug placed before the hearth.

“I never imagined anything like this,” Elle said in awe.

“This chamber has always been one of my favorites,” Mina said as she approached Elle. “My name is Mina.”

“Lady of Stone Crest?” Elle asked.

Mina smiled and glanced at Roderick. “Aye. I have ordered a hot bath for you to help you warm up.”

“Sounds

wonderful.”

Roderick turned to Mina. “Is there any way you can find a gown for her to borrow?”

“She needs a gown?” Mina asked.

In response, Elle opened Hugh’s cloak to reveal her shorts, shirt, and bare feet.

“Oh, my,” Mina said as she drew closer to Elle. “I never knew such clothes existed.” After a few moments, she turned to Roderick and nodded. “I will gather the necessities immediately,” she said before she walked from the chamber.

Roderick turned to Elle. “Are you all right?” He imagined she was in shock and hadn’t had the full force of what all had occurred hit her.

She gathered the cloak around her as her eyes filled with tears. “Jennifer is dead.”

“Aye.” He hated when women cried. Never did he feel so helpless than when the tears started, but Elle had every right to weep after what she had witnessed.

“I’ve lost the only family I had,” she said as the tears coursed down her face.

In two steps Roderick was before her. He gave the only comfort he could think of as he opened his arms. She came easily into his arms and held onto him tightly as her tears soaked the front of his jerkin. They stood in the middle of the chamber as the sobs wracked her body.

Her tears began to dry, but he knew Elle was far from finished with her mourning.

He reached down and gathered her in his arms to carry her to the bed. Her hands reached around his neck as her head buried against him.

He stood beside the bed as he held her. He knew he needed to go below and speak with Hugh, but he longed to stay with Elle. As much as he hated to admit it, what he felt for her was going beyond mere responsibility.

She had a soul-stirring vulnerability about her that tugged at Roderick. He couldn’t deny it any more than he could deny the breath that entered his lungs.

He turned his face toward her as Elle lifted her head. Her red-rimmed eyes and tear spiked lashes broke his heart. He regretted not doing more to save Jennifer. His sole concentration had been Elle and keeping her alive.

As if she read his thoughts, her hand reached up and cupped his cheek. “This wasn’t your fault, Roderick. Nothing any of us could have done would have saved Jennifer.”

It suddenly became hard to breathe. Roderick had never known just how much he needed forgiveness until that moment. His eyes lowered to her dusky pink lips. He knew he shouldn’t want her, knew just what could happen if he became involved, but he couldn’t stop. He needed to taste her, to sample the innocence and woman that was Elle’s alone.

Her lips parted slightly, and he was lost. His head lowered until their lips barely touched. He heard her slight intake of breath as he moved his mouth against hers, his tongue sliding out to lick her full lips.

The one taste wasn’t enough. He needed more, yearned for more. This time when his lips touched hers, he was more forceful. Her head turned to the side granting him better access to her sweet mouth.

He brought his raging body under control as his tongue slid into her hot mouth giving him a small taste of paradise, but when she gave a small whimper, it was his undoing.

She opened her mouth wider and leaned into him, her hands threading into his hair. Her tongue touched his, sending sparks of raging desire to run rampant through him. He wanted nothing more than to lower her to the bed and push himself inside her, to feel the weight of her breasts in his hands, to see her head thrown back as her release wracked her body.

But he allowed himself this one kiss instead.

With his control rapidly running out, he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

Her breathing was as ragged as his own, and the longing he saw reflected in her blue eyes nearly made him come undone. She laid her head on his shoulder and for long moments Roderick was content to hold her. When her breathing had evened, he gently lowered her to the bed to find her asleep.

He covered her with the thick blankets and smoothed her auburn locks from her face. “I will keep you safe,” he vowed before he straightened and turned from the bed to leave.

When Roderick returned to the great hall, Val and Hugh sat at the dais conversing.

“We wondered what happened to you,” Hugh said with a smile.

Val, on the other hand, knew. “Is she grieving?” Roderick nodded and sat with a sigh as Val poured him a goblet of wine. “She is strong. She will get through this.”

“I have no doubt,” Hugh said. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Roderick looked around the great hall, noticing the other Shields were absent.

“Where are Darrick, Cole, and Gabriel?”

“Cole and Gabriel have left to fight more creatures.”

“And Darrick?” Val asked.

Hugh sighed and looked down at the table. “I will take you to him.” He rose and walked from the castle.

“What happened?” Roderick asked as he stared down at the marker of Darrick’s grave.

“He died protecting Mina. The gargoyle went to kill her, and he stepped in between them.”

“Darrick died a warrior’s death,” Val said softly, his voice laced with sorrow at losing a brother.

Roderick turned away from the grave and looked at the land around him. It was a beautiful place and Stone Crest a good home. “I take it you killed the gargoyle?”

“We did. We also found the blue stone and destroyed it. The rest of the story will have to wait. I promised Elle she would hear it with the two of you.” Roderick didn’t care. He still grieved over the loss of Darrick. Darrick had been a welcome addition to their group. Where most of them had come to be in the Shields for reasons they kept hidden, Darrick came because he wanted to be a part of something great. Where as most of them rarely smiled and had nothing to laugh about due to their pasts, Darrick would always manage to lighten the mood and even get a few laughs from them.

Without him they were a somber group to be sure.

“I will miss you, my friend,” Roderick said into the wind.

“Aye,” Val agreed as he came to stand beside him. “We will be joining you soon, Darrick.”

Elle woke to find Mina sitting beside her. She jerked upright and touched her lips. Memories of her kiss with Roderick swirled through her mind. She had never had such an erotic kiss before. Even her body still pulsed with need.

“Is everything all right?” Mina asked.

Elle dropped her hand and looked at Mina. “Yes, I’m sorry. I was just thinking of something. Did I sleep long?”

“Nay. ‘Tis barely been half an hour since Roderick came downstairs. Are you ready for your bath?”

Elle nodded and climbed out of the warm cocoon of the bed. “Where is Roderick?”

Mina pressed her lips together as she turned away. “He and Val have gone to see Darrick’s grave.”

“Was he a Shield?”

“Aye. He gave his life for mine.”

“An incredible sacrifice,” Elle said as she walked to the tub where steam rose to the surface.

“I will return shortly,” Mina said as she walked to the door. “I have found some clothes for you and laid them on the bench at the foot of the bed.”

“Thank you.”

Mina stopped just short of leaving and turned back to Elle. “Do you need any assistance?”

“No, thank you. I will be fine,” Elle replied and returned the smile Mina sent her.

When the door closed behind her, Elle quickly shed her clothes and climbed into the hot water. It wasn’t as hot as she normally liked, nor was the soap her usual Bath and Body, but it did wonders to revive and warm her.

She didn’t wash her hair, though she was tempted. Instead, she quickly washed and rinsed her body before the water chilled and rose from the tub. After drying off before the fire, she turned to the bench that held her clothes.

It took some doing, but she managed to get everything on like it was supposed to be, though she was sure Mina had laid things out in the order to help her.

Elle wished she had a mirror to see herself. The gown was a decent fit, if not a tad too long. The shoes were going to take some getting used to, but all in all, she felt much more comfortable than in her shorts since she was in Medieval England.

She had just finished combing her hair with her fingers when Mina returned.

“That was quick.”

Elle laughed nervously. “I was cold.”

“Do you come from somewhere warm?”

“Blistering hot is more like it,” Elle said.

Mina’s brows drew together. “I cannot imagine.”

“Believe me, it’s better than this cold.”

Mina laughed and took Elle’s hand. “Come. Roderick grows impatient.” Just the sound of his name sent a shiver through her. Elle tried to tell herself the kiss meant nothing, but the fact was, it had rocked her world. Literally. There hadn’t been fireworks, but there had definitely been something that had moved deep within her, soul scorching in its intensity.

She followed Mina’s graceful form down the stairs to the great hall where all three men sat at the dais. Val and Hugh were deep in conversation, but Roderick, his feet propped up on the table stared off into the distance.

It wasn’t until Elle had nearly reached him that he turned his head towards her.

Had it been her imagination or had he looked happy to see her? All three men rose to their feet at her and Mina’s approach. Mina went to Hugh and sat beside him while Roderick pulled out a chair between him and Val. Elle took the chair and smiled her thanks at him.

“How fare you, Elle?” Hugh asked.

“I will be fine.”

“Good.” He took a deep breath. “I will get on with my story first since I know Val and Roderick wish to know the details.”

“Here, Elle,” Mina said as she handed her a goblet.

Elle took it and looked inside to see what looked like water. Thankfully when she tasted it, that’s what it was. She wasn’t sure about the Medieval wine, mead, or ale they had. Sticking with water seemed the safest bet.

“As I already told Val and Roderick. We lost a Shield,” Hugh continued.

Elle nodded sadly. She glanced at Roderick and Val to see their distressed expressions. “Darrick. Mina told me.”

“Cole and Gabriel were sent on another mission as soon as we killed the gargoyle.”

Elle froze. A gargoyle? Those things weren’t supposed to be real. Only in the comics and cartoons did gargoyles come to life.

Hugh looked at Mina. “I couldn’t leave.

“We had fallen in love,” Mina finished for Hugh. “Aimery offered Hugh the best of both worlds. He is still a Shield who could be called upon if needed.”

“However, I would normally be used to house Shields that needed time to heal or rest,” Hugh said.

Elle looked at Val and Roderick, but neither man said anything. She leaned forward and smiled at Mina and Hugh. “That was very nice of Aimery to offer you a solution after years of service.”

When Roderick still didn’t say anything, she kicked both him and Val under the table.

“Owww,” Val yelped.

“What is it?” Mina asked.

Elle glared at Val, daring him to tell Mina what she had done. Apparently, Val thought better of it.

“Just a sore leg,” he murmured.

Roderick leaned foreword until his forearms rested on the table. Elle’s kick had barely grazed him, and though he knew he should say something, he didn’t know what.

The truth was, he wasn’t happy about losing Hugh.

“We’re pleased for you, Hugh,” Roderick finally said. “Sad to lose you in the field but happy to see you have found love and a life that suits you.” He felt Elle’s eyes on him. Ever since she had come to the hall, he had tried his best not to stare at her, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult. Seeing her garbed in the dress of the time did something to him. No complaints had she uttered, and she looked as if she had been born into those clothes.

Finally, he turned and looked at Elle. She gave him a half smile that brought a surge of emotions he hadn’t explored after learning of Darrick’s death. He couldn’t think of Darrick right now, he needed to focus on what was ahead of them.

“Now,” Hugh said after he cleared his throat. “Why don’t you tell me what happened to bring you three here?”

Roderick turned his eyes to Hugh. “Harpies.”

“What?” Hugh bellowed.

Roderick nodded. “Three of them.”

Hugh ran a hand down his face. “Three? We’ve never faced more than one at a time.”

“At least we’ve lost them for awhile.”