Elemental (4 page)

Mandy
was momentarily frozen with fear, but a firm hand on her arm brought her back.
“What is that? That’s too big to be a normal wolf,” she whispered to the
seriously underdressed woman beside her.

“He’s
not a normal wolf, nor is he well. I’m not sure what is wrong with him, but if
we do not get inside the castle, then we will be dead before we can find out.”

Mandy
finally took her eyes off of the giant canine to regard the stunningly
beautiful woman next to her. She was in a shimmering gown with her long,
midnight black hair cascading down her back in a gentle wave, while her
porcelain skin shone in the fading light of day. Her eyes were a peculiar shade
of lavender, and Mandy felt ensnared. The woman stood there staring at her as
well, until the wolf emitted another snarl.

“I
am not sure what you are, but we need to get inside. He would not dare to enter
Mondragon Castle, not while the brothers are here.” She tugged on Mandy’s arm
and then shrieked in terror as the wolf lunged.

Mandy
acted on instinct and thrust her arm out, directing her thoughts at the
airborne wolf, and launching him in the opposite direction. Both women watched
as he slammed into a tree trunk and dropped to the ground.

He
was only down for a moment, before stumbling to his feet and shaking his
massive head.

“We
have to go now!” the woman exclaimed, tugging Mandy’s arm as they both made a
run for the door.

She
could hear the animal’s approach, but wasn’t prepared for the speed with which
it reached them. Mandy felt the fiery burn of the wolf’s claws as they slashed
her side, dragging down to her hip, and she cried out in agony. She wrenched
her arm free of the mysterious woman and turned her gift back on the wolf just
in time to avoid another swipe of his claws.

To
her horror, she was only able to push the beast back about ten feet. She was
weakening. A glance down at her torn sweater revealed that she was losing a
disturbing amount of blood.

A
fierce roar from just inside the castle was echoed by the enraged wolf glaring
at her. He snarled and launched himself at her one last time, and Mandy used
every ounce of energy left in her to deflect him once again, sending the furry
black demon hurtling over the SUV.

Unable
to support herself any longer, Mandy allowed her rubbery legs to have their way
and felt herself sinking to the ground, only to be scooped up into a pair of
well-muscled arms.

“I’m
sorry, Jonathan,” she whispered, regretting that he had to discover her secret
like this.

“
Shh
, Jonathan is right here.
Let us get
you inside and taken care of,” the man above her crooned.
He looked just
like Jonathan, until she noted his eyes. While Jonathan had eyes as black as
night, this man had eyes the color of a clear summer sky. So this must be
Nicolas, she thought absently.

Mandy
could feel a strange sort of weight pulling her down. Her body seemed to be
getting heavier, her arms and legs refusing to move on her command. “I’m
tired,” she whispered.

“Stay
awake, Mandy,” Jonathan spoke beside her, “Nicolas is going to get you settled
inside and then we’ll take a look at where the wolf got you.”

“Not
a normal wolf,” she slurred.

“She’s
going to need healing, gentlemen.” The woman from outside was with them too,
and to Mandy’s relief, sounded unharmed. “I would be honored to provide the
healing needed, as she saved my life.”

Healing?
What were they talking about?

“Let’s
get her into the dining room. We’ll need the table,” Nicolas instructed, his
tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re Fey.” That sounded more like an
accusation than a question.

“Yes,
I am his majesty’s daughter, Princess Anna.”

Fey?
Princess?
Man, I must be hallucinating, Mandy thought,
as she felt herself being lowered onto a hard surface.

“She
needs to be tended immediately,” Anna declared, pushing her body in front of
Nicolas’s and lifting Mandy’s sweater out of her way.

“Dear,
God,” Jonathan groaned.

“Save
her,” Nicolas ordered.

Mandy
managed to pry her eyes open at that, and noted the looks of worry and
determination the brothers wore. The woman currently examining her side,
however, just looked slightly perturbed.

“She
will be fine, but she will also need rest for a day or so,” Anna instructed as
she placed her surprisingly warm palms against Mandy’s wounds.

Mandy
hissed in a breath. To her astonishment, Anna’s hands grew warmer and warmer,
her pain lessening as a strange sort of pulling sensation began. After a
moment, her pain eased completely, and Mandy allowed the darkness to pull her
down into its comforting depths.

Chapter Three

“What
are you doing?” Nicolas demanded. “You’re hurting her.”

“I’m
healing her. She will feel only a minor discomfort at first.”

“That
didn’t look minor to me,” Nicolas snarled. He had no trust for the Fey after
what had happened with his family. To have one now, in his home again, was
enough to set his teeth on edge.

“I
did not come here to harm. I was trying to escape the werewolf, and this was
the only place I could run to with the exception of the village. I did not
expect to find a human outside of the castle walls.” She spoke softly, her full
concentration centered on the wounds that Nicolas could see knitting themselves
closed.

Jonathan
stepped up to Nicolas’ side, “Let’s cut her a little slack, I don’t think she’s
here to hurt anyone. Look at how she’s dressed, she must be freezing.”

Nicolas
frowned at the interest he saw in his brother’s eyes, but he didn’t have time
to ponder his brother’s taste in women, not when Mandy was lying, bleeding, on
his dining room table.

From
the moment she and his brother had arrived, Nicolas noticed a distinct change
in the atmosphere. The air inside the castle seemed lighter, and he found
himself wanting to do nothing more than cancel the meeting with his brother and
meet the infamous woman his brother had raved about for the last year.

He’d
had no idea that while he had been bringing his brother up to speed on the
increase in attacks, the very beast they discussed was creeping around the
castle grounds. Of course, Mandy wasn’t supposed to have gone outside either,
but that was neither here nor there at the moment. All that mattered was
ensuring she was healed, and recovered fully from her injuries.

“There,”
Anna announced, “She’s all set, but we should move her to her room and I’ll
change her clothes. She doesn’t need to wake up in these,” she gestured to the
gruesome remains of her green sweater, now shredded on the side and soaked in
her blood. Her jeans hadn’t fared much better. The waistband had been sliced
through and Nicolas could just see the creamy skin of her hip.

“I’ll
take care of her,” Nicolas declared.

“I
do not think that would be wise,” Anna interjected, “While I was healing her, I
checked for other things that may have been affected during such an attack. I
was not sure if she was romantically involved with either of you, so I wanted
to ensure that any child she may have conceived was well.”

“And,
did you find anything?” Nicolas asked, casting a glare at his brother.

“Don’t
look at me! I was bringing her here for you to meet.”

“She
is an innocent, gentlemen.” That little statement brought an identical look of
shock to both their faces. “Do not look so startled. Virgins do exist, even in
this time.”

“But
she’s so beautiful,” Nicolas replied.

“And?
Just because she is beautiful does not mean she has to go to bed with a man,” Anna’s
eyes flashed with her growing anger over their reaction, and Nicolas turned a
quizzical eye on her.

“Are
you taking offense to our surprise because you are a virgin as well?” he asked,
causing Jonathan to sputter out a startled cough.

“So
what if I am?” she replied, swaying a bit on her feet.

Nicolas
frowned, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,”
she bit out, before plopping down onto the bench seat.

“Don’t
lie to us now. We owe you for healing Mandy, and we’re not likely to repay that
by leaving you sick or injured in her place.”

Jonathan
approached her and placed his hand on her brow. “You’re clammy.”

“I
will be
fine,
it just takes a lot out of me when I
heal. I am not as strong as those of the Fey who are Bound.”

 
“Bound?” Nicolas asked absently, his eyes
moving over Mandy’s unconscious form.

“Fey
who have met their one love and are bound together, share their power. They can
perform healings with little to no aftereffects,” Anna explained, her words
getting softer as she spoke.

“Let’s
get both of you upstairs. You will stay here as well, until we can get you
safely back to your father.” Nicolas scooped Mandy up and watched as Jonathan
took Anna into his arms.

“I
don’t think Anna will be able to help Mandy change,” Nicolas pointed out,
watching as the
Fey
princess slumped in Jonathan’s
arms. “Do you think she would be terribly embarrassed if I were to help her?”

“Without
a doubt,” Jonathan answered. “Just get her settled and I’ll see if I can find
one of the maids to come and help. Are there any staying here tonight?”

“Yes,
they’re staying in the west wing,” Garrett announced from the doorway. “I had
the castle cleaned thoroughly before your arrival. I will send one to her room
immediately.”

Nicolas
shrugged, “I guess I was trying to impress her with our home. I wanted
everything to be perfect.”

“She’s
not a materialistic person, Nicolas, and she’d be insulted if she even
suspected you thought her so.”

“No!
I didn’t mean it like
that,
I just meant I wanted her
to like the place.” Nicolas thought for a moment, and then asked, “She doesn’t
have a problem with Christmas trees, does she? I can have it out of here in a
second if she does.”

Jonathan
laughed, having to lean against the banister to keep his hold on Anna. “She’ll
be fine with a Christmas tree. I’m not sure how long it’s been since she’s had
a big Christmas, but I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.”

“I’ll
make sure she does.”

“I’ll
settle Anna in and meet you in Mandy’s room,” Jonathan said, heading up the
stairs and down the hall to the room across from Mandy’s.

Once
Nicolas had settled Mandy onto the bed, he backed out of the way of the maids
who arrived to tend her. He decided to step out, so as not to make her
uncomfortable with his presence should she wake while they were dressing her,
but ordered her clothes to be burned once they were removed. He wanted nothing
to remind her of the vicious attack she’d suffered. After making his wishes
clear he turned and left the room, though he didn’t go far.

Nicolas
strode across the hall and watched as Jonathan settled Anna into the bed and
covered her, thinking that there was something softer in his brother’s eyes as
he gazed down at the
Fey
princess. He had to admit she
was a stunning sight in her light blue gown with her long, black hair flowing
all around her. Jonathan placed a quilt over her slight body, and even seemed
to be a little reluctant to leave her side.

Not
willing to let his defenses down yet, where she was concerned, Nicolas stepped
back into the hall and awaited his brother to join him.

He
was pacing outside the door to Mandy’s suite, his clipped stride warning every one
of his turbulent emotions, when his brother joined him.

“So?
What’s happening now?” Jonathan asked.

“They’re
changing her clothes,” Nicolas bit out. “She didn’t even budge when I placed
her on the bed.”

“You’re
worried.”

“No
shit, Sherlock!”

“You
felt it, then?”

Nicolas
nodded. He knew what Jonathan was referring to. When you met your other half,
you just knew. It was like a weight was lifted from your soul that you hadn’t
even known was there. Being near your mate did that, and bonding with them
cemented it.

“Do
you think she could accept me? Will what we are
scare
her away? You’ve known her for a year now, what do you think?” Nicolas hated
this feeling. He freely admitted to being a bit of a control freak, but he was
at a loss here and he knew it. There was no way he could foresee or control her
reaction to what he was.

“Did
you not see what she did out there?” Jonathan’s incredulous tone had Nicolas
frowning. “She tossed that wolf without laying a finger on it!”