8. Chapter 8
Chapter eight
Leena
I tugged on the vines at my wrists, pulling them with every ounce of strength I had. I tried planting my feet, pulling from the depth of my strength, but it only caused me to trip because of my shackled ankles. And because I couldn’t really fall, it just tightened my restraints further.
I threw my head back and screamed.
Crows cawed and fled from far-off branches, and something in the pond dipped beneath the surface. I took a deep breath, exhaling with a groan.
“How could I be so stupid?” I closed my eyes and felt the warm sun against my skin. At least the weather was nice. The Leshy probably had it all planned. The warm temperature, the soft whispers against my neck, the seduction.
The sensations of his lips on mine and his steady breaths against my neck were feelings I’d never be able to forget. I hated that I couldn’t fight the longing I had for him or the heat that rose when I thought of his hands exploring my body. The gentle scrape of his teeth. The way my breath caught in my throat when I relived each second of it in my head.
I swallowed, steadying the rapid rising and falling of my chest as I tried focusing on the feel of the sun—on the comforting beams of light soaking into my every pore. When a small voice rose from the wind, I jumped. My eyes shot open.
A thin woman with a human-like figure but green skin and wooden eyes peered down at me. Her eyelashes were unusually long and as dark as her evergreen hair, which flowed down her back. When I didn’t respond to whatever she’d said, she spoke again. “You must not have heard me. I said that I was sent to fetch you, my lady.”
I didn’t mean to stare, but the female was uncanny and beautiful. A living doll. There was still a slight possibility that I was dreaming.
The most unbelievable part of this wild dream was that I was falling for such an ass just because he stoked such an intense desire in me. Every time I thought about it, I was immobilized. The way Bratan had kissed me was too overwhelming to be peeled from my mind. I’d never been kissed like that before. The only times I’d been kissed had been in small, hurried pecks by a young man I once knew ten years ago. It was nothing like the way I’d been kissed by the Leshy. I didn’t even know it could feel like that. That I could feel a thousand bursts of fire skating down my limbs, sending me somewhere far away.
“My lady? ”
I snapped back to the physical world. “I’m sorry. What were we talking about?” She opened her mouth the moment I remembered. “Oh, right, we need to leave. Thank goodness. Let’s go then.” The woman nodded and bowed as she scuttled to my side. Slowly, she waved at each restraint without touching them, and they fell back into the soil.
The vines moved slowly, squirming like eels as they were swallowed into the earth. “Wow,” I said, rubbing my wrists, though they were surprisingly not sore. “How did you do that?”
“Woodland magic, my lady. You’ll have it too. Actually, a far more powerful magic will be bestowed upon you, from what I’ve been told.”
I frowned. “How would I possess such a gift? I’m a human. Just a peasant from a small village. I’m nobody important.”
“Nonsense,” the woman cooed. “Now come along. We must get you ready.” She nodded toward the way Bratan had left just a few minutes before and walked into the trees. With a deep, anxious breath, I followed.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask the obvious question as we wove through the trees. Even when we entered the picturesque, albeit unsettling, village, I kept my mouth shut. There was a big part of me that didn’t want to know.
The village was bustling with creatures of all shapes and sizes moving about in haste. Something important must have been going on. It was hard not to stare; I couldn’t help watching in awe as they hurried along from hut to hut, gathering different materials, from chairs to leaf-wrapped gifts. I kept walking behind the woman who’d fetched me, scanning the crowd as I went. Until I saw him.
I couldn’t help the sudden inhale of breath I took when I saw him. Just a few paces off, looming over a man with the same form and skin tone as the woman leading me through the village, was Bratan—the Keeper of the Wood. As if he could feel my gaze, he turned to look at me, his eyes piercing mine with an intensity that brought the heat back to my skin.
He lifted a hand to the male speaking to him, all the while keeping his eyes on me. I stood frozen in place, unable to look away as he approached, cursing myself for the excitement that fluttered through me. It was short-lived, though, because the incident of his betrayal was still fresh, and I was still beyond angry.
“How could you leave me tied up like that?” I spat, but his composure remained, though, for a fraction of a second, he winced.
“I did what I had to,” he said. The words were calculated but strained. “Though I was told you humans liked that sort of thing.”
My eyes bulged. “ What? ” I laughed in disbelief. A man behind the Leshy swiped a hand down his face with the shake of his head. I almost thought he’d say something. “You are so…” I groaned, still reeling from what he’d said.
“I don’t have time for this,” he said with a bored wave. “Nor do you. You need to get ready.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to know what everyone was talking about. “Get ready for what?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You don’t know?”
My heart somehow managed to race even faster. I didn’t respond. Not even with a shake of my head. The world around me spun, and I didn’t even know the answer yet.
His mouth curled into a wicked smile, and he approached me once more. When he got so close I could feel that familiar breath against the tip of my nose, he leaned forward. His lips pressed on the space behind my ear, and I had to resist the urge to close my eyes and see what would happen if I collapsed into him.
I was torn between kissing him and slapping him in the face. Depending on his answer, I was inclined to do the latter.
Finally, the rumble of his voice sounded in my ear. “Our wedding ceremony.”
The words made my heart stop. My stomach sank.
“What?” I could hardly say it.
He chuckled into my hair, smelling it and kissing it as it flowed between his fingers. “You are going to be my bride.”
My blood boiled, and this time, it wasn’t from anything pleasant. “You’re vile. You’re despicable. You’re—” He placed a finger on my lips and leaned in.
“Let’s get through the ceremony first, shall we?” His voice was a low purr. “I’d rather you save that fire for tonight.” He winked and turned around .
A low growl crawled up my throat, and before I could think better of it, I stepped right up to him and slapped him across the face.
The creatures around us gasped. I nearly did, too. This man was powerful. He wasn’t human. What possessed me to slap him?
The village around us was so still I could hear every sound that rattled from the forest. Even Bratan didn’t move or speak until he lifted his hand to the side of his face, staring at me with wide eyes. “You really are strange, aren’t you?” There was no hint of anger in the words. He almost sounded impressed.
I waited there with bated breath, as I’m sure the villagers were, too. Bratan’s hand dropped to his side. He continued to stare at me, looking me up and down.
“Get ready. We will be wed in one hour’s time.” With that, he was gone.
No one else could move, least of all me. Everything Ms. Tomlin had said was veiled in lies. I had no autonomy—no choice in the matter. If I wanted to keep my village’s end of the bargain and keep them safe, I had to go along with this. I had to get married to the Leshy.
***
Brata n
“You really tied her up?” Damir asked as we headed to the house. The half-elf, half-fae male was the only being in the world I trusted. He was my oldest friend; we’d grown up together, though most of the villagers didn’t know it. I thought it was best to keep that particular piece of information to only those who needed to know.
My friend had bronze skin and thick black hair that stopped just above his pointed ears. His eyes were dark and shaped like the blade he kept strapped to his back. He was the kind of friend anyone would want by their side, and I was lucky to have him as my servant, though I didn’t see him as one.
“What about it? It’s what we do with all trespassers until we know they’re safe.” I opened the door to the home I’d be sharing with Leena and trudged up the stairs. “Plus, Melora said human women like that sort of thing.”
Damir cast me an annoyed glance. “Do you really think Melora knows what human women like? And this girl isn’t a trespasser; you’re to wed her. A deal was struck. We were expecting her.”
“So? That doesn’t mean she isn’t dangerous.” I threw off my shirt and opened the wardrobe, looking for a decent ensemble to wear beneath my wedding robe. “You saw how she slapped me. She isn’t afraid of me.”
“And that means something’s wrong with her?”
“It means she’s suspicious.” I took out a few pairs of trousers and some tunics until I found a couple that seemed suitable .
“We don’t know anything about her. Just because she’s human doesn’t mean she’s dangerous.”
“I suppose Melora is the one who arranged this,” I muttered. “She has her issues, but she’s been around longer than any of us.”
“I’m not convinced that crone can be trusted.”
I closed the wardrobe doors and shot him a look. “If you don’t trust Melora, how can you trust the maiden?”
He leaned against the wardrobe door beside me. “I guess she did hold up her end of the bargain.” He sighed. “That must mean something.”
I stared at the fabric in my hands, trying to allow Damir’s words to convince me, but I couldn’t stop thinking of the woman and children I’d rescued and of the bruises littering their arms and backs. Humans were brutal. “None of us know her true character. Not even Melora. Regardless of her being my bride, Leena is still human. Until we know she’s safe, we can’t take any chances.”
“Bratan, come on. If you wed her, you have to trust her.”
“So, what, I have to give her free rein around here and let her traverse around both realms? She could be plotting something with her people.”
Damir placed a hand on my shoulder. “No, I just don’t think you should tie her up.” He clapped me on the back and handed me a cloak. “You’re not a charmer, my friend. Either wed her and trust her and treat her like our own or send her back. ”
“I am not sending her back.” The ferocity of my words surprised even me. The pull I had toward this human wasn’t normal. Touching her, kissing her, whispering in her air, caressing her skin—all of it came naturally. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Sending her back wasn’t an option. “I guess she doesn’t seem dangerous…” I mumbled. Damir laughed.
“There you go. Trust her and don’t do anything stupid, or she may go back to her old village on her own.”
I frowned. “She’d leave? But we’re to be wed. It’s why she came to me.”
“Then you better stop being an ass.” Damir handed me my cloak and wedding robe. “Now, let’s get you ready. We’ll work on your people skills later.”