A Kind Of Magic (27 page)

Panic set in as she realized there wasn’t anything. Then she spotted Roderick’s sword. She pulled the massive sword out of its sheath and set the stone on the ground amidst the snow. Quickly, she jerked up her skirt and wrapped it around both hands as she reached for the sword again.

She turned the sword so that the blade faced the sky and the hilt was turned down.

With a deep breath, she lifted the sword and glanced toward Kaleno. The harpy slowly turned towards Elle, saw was she was about, and lowered her arms. Kaleno gave a small nod of her head to Elle.

Elle swallowed and stared at the creature for a moment. Kaleno knew she was about to die and faced it without fear. Elle plunged the hilt toward the stone and saw Kaleno burst into flames.

Light erupted as the stone shattered, throwing Elle back. She covered her eyes as the light blazed around her and then fizzled away.

“Elle,”

Mina

shouted.

She opened her eyes to see Mina running towards her, but all Elle cared about was Roderick. She turned onto her right side to find him next to her. Her hand reached out and clasped his normally warm hand that was now nearly as cold as her own.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered as the others reached her.

She let Mina help her to her knees as Val and Hugh tended to Roderick. Elle didn’t feel any pain as Mina pulled away the bloody scraps of her skirt from her hands.

“Is he … gone?” she finally asked the men.

Hugh raised his gaze. “Nay, and I won’t let him.”

“Into the cottage,” Val shouted as he hefted Roderick’s weight onto his shoulders.

Elle followed them into the cottage. She refused to let Roderick out of her sight.

“Sit,” Mina told her after she had closed the door and bolted it.

Elle did as commanded.

“I need some water,” Val called out.

Elle jumped to do it, only to have Mina’s hand on her shoulder. “How will you carry it?”

“By

my

hands.”

Mina raised a brow, which caused Elle to look down. Her hands were covered in blood. Her blood. Despite her protection against the sword blade by her skirt, it hadn’t saved her.

“Stay here,” Mina said as she rushed to help the men.

Elle’s hands began to shake. Not because of her injuries, she could care less about that, but because she could lose Roderick. The pain that thought brought her was too much to bear. She felt the weight of it on her shoulders and knew she couldn’t withstand it. It would crush her, and she would welcome it. A life without Roderick wasn’t worth living.

How much time elapsed with Val and Hugh working to save Roderick, Elle didn’t know. All she knew is that she prayed every second of that time for his life to be spared.

Even when Val and Hugh finished with Roderick and then came to tend her hands, she continued to pray.

“He can’t die,” she said.

Val turned her head until she looked at him. “Don’t give up on him.”

“Never,” she vowed.

“This might hurt,” Hugh warned as he turned her hand and picked up a bottle.

Elle shrugged. After what Roderick had done, she would endure physical pain of any kind.

Hugh poured the bottle over her wounds, and, though she fought to stay awake, she succumbed to the blackness that called to her.

Val caught Elle just as she slumped over the chair. He pushed her hair away from her face, amazed at her bravery.

“She

killed

Alex.”

Mina nodded. “And destroyed the stone.”

“By herself,” Hugh added.

Val held her as Hugh finished bandaging her cuts, and then he picked her up and carried her to where Roderick lay. Gently, Val laid Elle beside his friend and stepped back.

“I’ll forever be thankful that Gabriel left some of his herbs. Without them, we might not have been able to save Roderick.” Hugh sighed. “There’s still a chance he won’t survive.” “He has to. Elle will never forgive herself otherwise.”

Roderick turned toward the warmth and hissed at the jolt of pain in his side. His entire body ached, as if he had been beaten to an inch of his life.

Or shot with a laser gun.

His eyes flew open as he recalled everything that had happened. With his heart hammering in dread, he looked around at the cottage and saw Val slumped over the table by the hearth. A soft moan beside him turned his gaze, and he nearly cried out with joy.

“Elle,” he whispered.

“I’m glad to see you are coming back to us.” Roderick lifted his gaze to find Aimery standing beside the bed. “Was it close?”

“Closer than I, or Elle, would have liked. I’m glad to say you are both doing fine now.”

“Both?” Roderick repeated and tried to sit up so he could see where she was injured.

Aimery reached out and pushed him back down. “Not yet. You’re wound is still too new. You’ll be proud of your woman.”

Just hearing the words from Aimery’s mouth brought a flush of delight to Roderick. “Why?”

“She not only killed Alex herself, but she destroyed the stone.”

“Alone?” Roderick couldn’t believe it.

Aimery nodded. “Alone. She took your sword and hit the stone with the hilt.” Roderick’s eyes jerked to her hands atop the covers, bandaged and unmoving.

“Were the cuts deep?”

“Deep enough,” Hugh said as he joined Aimery. “She used her skirt to try and shield her hands, but it only did so much. You should have seen her. It was amazing.” He smiled as he gazed at his woman. “I wish I could have.” His smile faltered.

He looked at Aimery and swallowed. “My father?”

“Is doing much better,” he answered. “We had a nice long talk, and he wishes to see you. Very soon.”

Roderick sighed. “When I’m closer to learning the answer to stopping this madness.”

“I think you should go once you are healed. Your family needs you.”

“The Shields need me,” Roderick argued.

“What of Elle?” Hugh asked.

Roderick hadn’t had time to think beyond killing the harpies. Now that the mission was over, he needed to think about what his plans were.

And he needed to talk to Elle.

Elle fought against the receding blackness. She had no desire to face the world again. Not yet. Not without Roderick.

Yet, whether she wanted to or not, she was awake. She kept her eyes closed and moved her legs. She was in a bed, and by her guess it was at the cottage. That had only one bed.

Before she let herself think beyond that, she turned her head and opened her eyes.

She was alone in the bed, and since there was no way Roderick could be up so soon after such a wound, that left only one answer.

He hadn’t survived.

The pain that lanced through her brought a flood of tears. She turned her face into the pillow and cried at losing Roderick, at never telling him how she felt, and at not having a future with him at her side.

Hands gripped her shoulders, but she pushed them away. She needed time to grieve … alone. And nothing Val or Hugh could say would help to lessen her pain.

“Elle.”

Her heart stopped, and her eyes flew open. Slowly, she turned toward the voice and soaked up the sight of Roderick. Tears began again at the realization that she hadn’t lost him.

“I

thought….”

He nodded. “I know. I’m not, however.”

“Thank God,” she said and sat up. “How?”

“Gabriel’s herbs. Hugh and Mina brought them with them just in case.”

“Well, I’m glad they did,” she said. “It saved your life.”

“And your hands,” he said as he looked down.

Elle studied her hands and shrugged. “It’s a small price to pay to end the evil.” She raised her gaze to him. After all that she had been through, gained, and nearly lost, the fear she had lived with nearly all her life was gone.

It was either ask now or wonder forever. So, she took a deep breath and asked,

“Did you mean what you said?”

His brows furrowed. “When?”

“Right before you passed out.”

His forehead smoothed out, and he smiled. “You mean, the ‘I love you’ part?”

“Yes,” she said and swallowed hard. She might tell herself her fear was gone, but directly asking Roderick left her feeling as though she was falling into a pit of nothingness.

“Aye,” he said finally. “I do.” He sat back and sighed. “I should have told you sooner.”

“At least you told me.”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “True.”

It was then she noticed how nervous he seemed, as if he were waiting for something. When she realized what it was, she nearly laughed out loud. “Do you mean you don’t realize that I love you, too?”

“You do?” he asked, his lips pulled back in a huge smile.

“Of course, you silly man.”

“Thank the gods,” Roderick said and pulled her into his arms.

Elle sighed and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. She felt more than heard him wince and pulled away. “You’re still hurt?” He nodded sheepishly. “I may be immortal and heal quickly, but the laser does something to my body that slows things down and can kill me if hit in the right place.”

“I know,” she said and lowered her eyes.

“You were willing to die for me.”

She nodded, still looking at the covers. “The thought of you dying left me with too much pain.” She raised her head and asked, “How did you know that was what I planned?”

He shrugged. “I just did.”

Silence grew between them. Elle had used all her courage to ask him if he loved her and none remained to ask him what their future would be.

“You need to rest,” Roderick suddenly said and rose to his feet. “Val, Hugh, and Mina returned to Stone Crest to retrieve some clothes and food. They thought it best if we stayed here for a bit.”

Elle never got to reply. Roderick left the cottage so quickly she was left staring at the door.

Roderick paced in front of the small cottage. He had wanted to speak to Elle of their future, but he didn’t know what kind of future they could have. The Shields needed him too desperately for him to leave, and in truth, he couldn’t leave. He had yet to learn the answers to help defend Thales.

He had to stay with the Shields.

And yet, he couldn’t leave Elle.

“I suppose you would like to talk now,” Aimery said as he walked toward him.

Roderick stopped asking a long time ago how Aimery always knew when something bothered them. Instead, he nodded. “I love her.”

“I know,” the Fae said. “And we are glad for you, Roderick. Each one of you deserves it.”

“Then why do I feel so awful?” he asked and raked a hand through his hair, then grimaced at the pull in his side. “The Shields need me.”

“As does Elle.”

Roderick grunted. “Not nearly as much as I need her. Was the decision so painful for Hugh?”

“Nay. The situation was so that it worked easily for both Hugh and us.”

“And

my

situation?”

Aimery sighed. “Not nearly as easily.”

“Let me go with him,” Elle said from the doorway of the cottage.

“Nay,” Roderick and Aimery said in unison.

Roderick walked to her and wrapped the blanket more securely around her. “I cannot allow you to take the chance of death.”

“You mean like you do? It’s all right for you but not me?” she argued.

“For me, it is different. I am immortal.”

“I don’t forget that,” she said testily. “It still bothers me to see you wounded.” “But I heal. You won’t.”

Aimery stepped toward them. “Not to mention, that you are needed, Elle. Once the other three women are found, we can finish off this great evil.”

“Do neither of you care what I want?” she asked.

“I do care,” Roderick said. “It’s the reason I want to keep you safe.” She jerked out of his arms, her face twisted in anguish. “I’m tired of being safe. I want to live again.”

“I cannot lose another person I love,” Roderick roared and walked away.

Elle blinked, stunned at his angry tone. She looked at Aimery. “What was that about?”

“I shouldn’t tell you,” the Fae said. “However, I know Roderick isn’t intentionally keeping it from you. ‘Tis that reason alone that I am sharing the story with you.”

She shifted in the cold, anxious to hear the tale.

“Come inside,” Aimery said and opened the door for her.

Elle quickly stepped inside and sat by the fire. She knew better than to refuse the Fae, but her nerves were wearing thin.

“Roderick is a prince on Thales. His family is very powerful, and yet his father is a fair ruler. The people of Thales love him.” That glimpse alone told her so much about Roderick and why he had such knowledge of what was right and wrong.

“He was the middle child.”

“Was?”

Aimery nodded. “A second son. He and his older brother were very close, and like most brothers, they competed at everything. Roderick knew he wasn’t meant to be king and never resented his brother for that.”

“And the younger child?”

“A

sister.”

Elle licked her lips. “What happened?”

“There was a raid on Thales. Roderick and his brother defied their father’s orders and followed the troops. They joked back and forth that one was better than the other until his brother said he could touch one of the enemy troops and return without a scratch.”

“And because he was immortal, he thought he could,” Elle said.

“Aye. Roderick dared him to do it. His brother raced away, and it was only then that both realized the enemy carried the lasers.”

“Oh, God,” Elle said, feeling sick to her stomach.

“He was hit almost instantly. Roderick picked his way through the troops and carried his brother’s body back to the palace where he took full blame for his brother’s death.”

“Didn’t he tell his family what had happened?” Aimery shook his head. “That didn’t matter to Roderick. All that mattered was that his brother was dead because of a dare he issued. He took responsibility for it and left Thales that night.”

Elle could only imagine how his parents felt. “They lost two sons in one day.”

“We found Roderick soon after that, and he became a Shield. Since that day, I have tried to convince him to return to Thales and explain to his parents what happened.”