Red Moon Rising (2 page)

“Stay away from me.”  She whispered weakly as he plucked the
sword from her limp hand.

“We won’t harm you little one.”  The man said as she fainted
again.

James sat down on the fallen log and pressed the girl’s tiny
body against his naked chest.  Nicholas dropped a blanket around his shoulders,
and he nodded his thanks before wrapping it around them both.

He stroked the girl’s long blonde hair.  It was tangled, and
leaves and twigs were knotted throughout it.  He stared at her pale face.  The
bruising around her eye was almost gone, and her formerly swollen lips had
returned to their normal size. 

She was so thin and frail.  Last night when he had stripped
her of her pants and underclothes, he had been shocked by how emaciated she was. 
Her breasts were nearly non-existent, and her body was nothing more than skin
stretched over bone. 

As Nicholas began to cook breakfast, he gave James a solemn
look.  “Those wounds on her side James – they were from our kind.”

“I know.”  He replied grimly.  He pulled the woman closer,
and she sighed softly and nestled into him.

“How do you feel?”  Nicholas asked curiously.

“Fine.”  James grunted.  It was true.  Although the woman
had lain on top of him the entire night and her injuries had been grave, he
felt as robust and healthy as he always did.  There had been some pain when he
first pressed her naked body against his, but that had faded quickly.

He sighed and stared into the small fire.  There was
something about the tiny, fragile woman in his arms that made him feel
unsettled.  It was just the shock of seeing her on the forest floor, bloodied
and bruised and nearly dead, he decided.  Of course, it didn’t explain the odd
pressure in his chest whenever he held her, or his sudden desire to protect her
from harm. 

His blood boiled in his veins as he thought about Lycans
tearing into her fragile body.  What kind of Lycan would attack an innocent
woman?

He didn’t realize he had spoken out loud until Nicholas
replied.

“I don’t know.  I’ve never seen Lycans behave in such a
manner.  We’ll have to speak to dad about it.  Perhaps he will know.”

“Perhaps.”  James grunted and pulled the woman closer.

* * *

When she woke for the second time she was back in his arms. 
The man was sitting on a fallen log and she was sitting on his lap.  A blanket
was wrapped around them both, and her entire body was warm and tingling
pleasantly.  She raised her head from where it was nestled against his shoulder,
and stared at him in terror.

She tried to struggle away from him and his arms tightened
around her.  “No Tia.  Stay with me.”

She realized quickly that she was no match for his strength
and she sank back against him, staring around the campsite with wide eyes.  The
blonde man was crouched next to a small fire.  The body of a rabbit was
roasting on a spit over it and as the smell of cooking meat drifted to her, her
belly growled loudly.

The blonde man grinned.  “Someone’s hungry.”

“When was the last time you ate Tia?”  The redhead’s voice
rumbled above her.

“Bree.”  She whispered.

“What?”

“Tia is the dog.  My name is Bree.” 

“Oh.  Sorry, I thought you said your name was Tia.”  The man
smiled at her in a friendly way but she tensed when his big hand rubbed her
back.  He was still shirtless despite the cold air, but at least she wasn’t
naked.  She squirmed a little on his lap.

“Please let me go.”  She said softly.

He shook his head.  “No little one.  Believe me when I say
that sitting with me is the best thing for you right now.”

The blonde man pulled the rabbit from the spit and began to
tear it into sections.  Tia sat at his feet, her tail wagging hopefully, and he
tore a leg bone off and blew on it before tossing it to her.  She snatched it
out of the air and began to gnaw at it contently.

“My name is James.  That man is my brother and his name is
Nicholas.”

Bree stared curiously at the two men.  “You do not look like
brothers.”

Nicholas laughed.  “Aye Bree, we do not.  I’m much better
looking than him, and I have a far better sense of humour.”

He winked at her and she flushed, making him grin.

James was still rubbing her back and she wished he would
stop.  The pain in her side had subsided again, and the feel of his hand on her
back was causing not entirely unpleasant tingling in her lower body.  She
squirmed again and gave him a pleading look.  “Please, let me go.”

He actually pulled her closer, pressing her head back into
the curve of his neck.  “Try and relax Bree.  It will help.”

Help with what, she wondered as Nicholas piled three plates
with rabbit meat.  He carried them to the log and sat down beside them.  James
carefully folded down the blanket and took one of the plates Nicholas offered
him.  He held it out in front of Bree.

“Here, little one.”

She refused to take it at first and kept her hands clenched
tightly in her lap.  He held it patiently until, unable to ignore the delicious
smell any longer, she reached out and took it from him. 

Her fingers trembling, she took a small piece of meat and
chewed delicately at it.  It tasted amazing, smoky and sweet, and after a few
seconds she was wolfing the meat down.  It had been nearly three days since she
had eaten last and over a month since she had eaten meat.  She forgot about
both James and Nicholas and began to stuff her face as fast as she could.

After only a few minutes her plate was clean, her belly
full, and her fingers and mouth shiny with grease.  She sighed contently and
then burped loudly.  Her face turned red as she covered her mouth and gave James
a guilty look.

He was grinning and Nicholas actually laughed out loud. 
“The gods be damned James, the girl can eat.”

James set his plate on one wide leg and, still keeping one
arm firmly around Bree, began to eat.  She leaned back against him and watched
Tia gnawing at the bone Nicholas had given her.  The food in her belly had made
her feel better, more alert, and she reached down and touched the cuts on her
side through the shirt. 

She hissed quietly, touching them made them burn a little,
and James moved her hand away gently.  “No Bree, do not touch them.  They’ve
stopped bleeding but they haven’t healed over entirely yet.”

She felt her face, pressing on her mouth and then around her
eye.  Neither caused any pain and she wiggled her tongue against her front
teeth again.  They were as solid as ever.  She had been dying last night, she
knew that as well as she knew her own name, and she had no idea why she was
alive and healing. 

“Do you remember what happened to you Bree?”  James asked
quietly.

He had finished eating and was staring curiously at her. 
She shook her head quickly as Nicholas gathered the plates.

“Are you sure?” 

“I don’t remember!”  She spoke loudly, a hint of hysteria in
her voice, and James immediately rubbed her back soothingly.

“Okay little one, okay.”

She twitched against him.  “I have to go to the bathroom.”

He nodded and stood up, lifting her as though she weighed no
more than a feather.  He left the blanket lying against the log and carried her
towards the trees.

He set her down next to a large clump of bushes.  “I’ll be
waiting right here for you Bree.  Do not try and run.  Do you understand?”

She nodded, her skin breaking out in goose bumps as she
moved carefully around the bushes and squatted.

She was tired and cold and by the time she had finished and
stood up, her side was throbbing.  She staggered a little as she rejoined James,
and he picked up her and carried her back to the log.  He wrapped the blanket
around them both and sat down.  She rested against him, watching quietly as
Nicholas cleaned up from breakfast.

Tia stood at James’ feet and whined softly.  He reached down
and scooped her up, placing her on Bree’s lap.  The dog curled up on her lap
and stared adoringly at her. 

“What kind of dog is she?”  James asked.  Tia was small with
short brown hair and large ears.

Bree shrugged.  “Just a mutt.”

“Where did you get her?”

“She was a gift.”

James waited for her to elaborate.  When she didn’t, he asked,
“How old is she?”

“Two.”

“She’s a friendly little thing.”

“How did you find me?”  She asked suddenly.

“Your little mutt dog actually.”  James replied.  “We were
traveling through the forest and she came running up to us, whining and crying
and trying to get us to follow her.  She led us straight to you.”

He rubbed the dog’s head.  Tia licked his hand before
staring at Bree again.

“Why are you in the forest?”  Bree asked.

“We were visiting friends and are on our way home.”

“Do you live close to here?” 

He shrugged.  “It’s about a day and a half by foot.”

She frowned.  “You don’t have horses?”

Nicholas laughed.  “We like to walk.”

James studied Bree.  “Is your home close to here?”

She immediately tensed.  “I – no, it isn’t.”

“Where are you going?”

She hesitated.  “Um, I – “

He was staring at her curiously, and she blurted out the
first thing she thought of.  “I am going to visit my aunt.”

“Where does she live?”

“In Vanden.”

He frowned.  “The city?  It is a long way to walk little
one.”

“I like to walk.”  She mimicked Nicholas’ answer and James
snorted softly.

“We should get going James.”  Nicholas had washed and packed
the dishes, and he started to distinguish the fire.

“Aye.”  James agreed.

He stood and set Bree gently on her feet.  “How do you feel
Bree?”

“Fine.”  She replied.  “May I have my pants back please?”

“Your clothes were soaked with blood.  We burned them last
night.”

She frowned.  James’ shirt would not keep her warm enough.  “May
I trouble you for the blanket?”

He nodded and handed it to her.  She wrapped it around her
body and whistled softly for Tia.  The dog stood at her feet and she gave James
and Nicholas a small smile.

“Thank you for your kindness and for breakfast.”

She turned and started to walk away.  James followed her and
snagged her arm through the blanket.

“Where are you going Bree?”

“I told you, to my aunt’s house.”  She attempted to tug her
arm free.

“You’re not travelling alone.  It isn’t safe.”

She straightened her shoulders.  “I’ll be fine.”

He arched his eyebrow at her.  “Fine?  If you think we’re
letting you leave so you can be raped and beaten again, you’re mistaken.”

“I wasn’t raped!”  She said hotly.

“I thought you said you didn’t remember what happened.”  He
replied softly.

She flushed at being caught in her lie.  “I – I know I
wasn’t raped.”

He continued to stare at her and she cleared her throat
nervously.  “Thank you again.  Please, I need to get going.”

James sighed impatiently.  “I was not joking when I said we weren’t
leaving you to roam the forest alone Bree.  There are both faeries and leeches
in these woods.  You are not fully healed and wouldn’t stand a chance against
either of their kind.”

She paled at the mention of faeries and leeches and glanced
around nervously.

“You can travel with us until we reach our home.”  Nicholas
smiled encouragingly at her.  “You are more than welcome to spend a few days at
our home while you recuperate, and once you’re feeling better we’ll give you
supplies and a horse.  It’ll take you months to get to Vanden on foot.”

“Why are you being so kind to me?”  She suddenly whispered.

Nicholas frowned.  “Well, because it’s the right thing to do
Bree.  Also – “ he glanced at James and grinned, “our mother would kill us if
she knew we let a little slip of a thing like you wander the forest alone.”

Bree sighed and bit at her bottom lip.  They were right –
she wouldn’t stand a chance alone in the woods.  She took a deep breath,
ignoring the twinge of pain in her side, and smiled shyly at the two brothers. 
“Thank you.”

Nicholas smiled with delight and James gave a grunt of
satisfaction. 

* * *

They wouldn’t let her help pack up the camp.  They made her
sit on the log, the blanket wrapped firmly around her as James pulled on a
shirt, and they packed up the two small tents and their supplies into two large
leather bags.  The bags had long straps and Nicholas picked up one and crossed
it over his body.  He glanced at Bree and then at James.

“It is too far for her.”

“Aye.”  James agreed.

Nicholas took the second bag and slung it over his left
side.  The handles of the bags criss-crossed his broad chest, and he shifted
them slightly as James walked towards Bree.

He held his hand out to her.  “Come here Bree.”

“Why?”  She gave him a suspicious look.

“It’s too far for you to walk.”

“You’re not carrying me.”  She protested.

He turned until his back was facing her.  “You can ride piggy-back.”

“What?”

Nicholas tugged her to her feet and led her to where James
was standing patiently.  Before she could protest, his hands were on her hips
and he boosted her up and pressed her against James’ back.  James wrapped his
large hands around her thighs as Nicholas moved her arms around his thick neck.

“I’m too heavy.”  She protested.

James laughed.  “I’ve carried my younger siblings around for
hours on my back, and they both weigh more than you Bree.”

Nicholas wrapped the blanket around her, tucking it firmly
around her slender frame as Tia danced excitedly around James’ feet.

“Ready?”  James turned to look at her, his warm breath
washing over her face, and she flushed and nodded.  The warmth and the tingling
were back, and she shifted a little as his hands tightened on her bare thighs.