A Whisper in the Woods (Fated Folktales #1)

31. Chapter 31

Chapter thirty-one

Leena

S everal uneventful days went by without that disconcerting chill or seeing shadows in corners and cracks. The fear that something could happen at any moment had lessened but was still there, and I made sure I was alert.

Bratan had brief moments of being at ease—as much as he could be. In addition to him being a tightly wound individual already, he possessed a newfound fear that amplified whenever I wanted to do something alone. I could tell he did his best to give me space when I needed it, but he was eager to return to my side when I called for him, though I’d bet money that he never really left and simply hid from view.

I tried not to think about how worried he was because that reminded me that something dangerous was on the horizon. It helped to keep busy, and we often ventured around the village. I was starting to enjoy the initial steps of being queen of this realm and getting to know our people. Things were calm for now, which truly delighted me, and I was able to spend time getting to know my husband properly. We had regular eating spots, he continued teaching me self-defense, and I was finally grasping what I could do as a Keeper and leader of the woods.

Venturing out into the human realm and deeper into our forest was my favorite pastime, though it made Bratan deeply on edge. Everything put him on edge, though, so I stopped paying much mind to it. But venturing into that familiar part of the woods also reminded me of Grandmother, and it took an immense amount of strength for me not to wander into Woodsmeadow. I had to trust Bratan that he would see to it once things with Melora were dealt with.

I still felt like he wasn’t telling me something, but I figured he would tell me when things were calmer. I was doing the same thing. In the last day or so, I began feeling the stirrings of a dormant power deep in my core. I wasn’t sure how to wield it, what would happen if I could, or if it was anything I could wield at all. There was no point thinking about it with everything going on, though. Even if I could use it, there was no way I could refine it before whatever Melora was planning came to fruition.

Whatever it was hadn’t revealed itself anyway, so I’d deal with it when the time came. For now, whenever that unease left gooseflesh skittering across my arms, I quickly brushed it aside, hiding it in a place I hoped stayed sealed until things were better. Bratan said something was coming soon, and although he didn’t know of this feeling, it was best to focus on the little training he gave me, especially considering I wasn’t fully healed yet .

“Is something on your mind?” he asked when that odd sense of power flickered in my fingertips. I quickly curled them into my palms.

“No, just thinking.”

“About what?” He shifted his weight, looking at me with concern, but my faux smile remained.

“I’ve been enjoying our time together and with the villagers.” I wasn’t sure if he noticed the quick change of subject to evade more questioning or if he thought I was offering a piece of what was on my mind. Either way, it steered the conversation in a relieving direction.

A smile warmed his face. “I have as well. I’ve never spent this much time with my people. I should have thought of it, but I had a one-track mind until I met you. My sole focus was on protection and dealing with those blasted humans. From the time I woke up to when I went to sleep, I was only ever angry or frustrated. Until you.” He caressed the side of my face with his long fingers, and I leaned into his touch, though it was hard not to snicker at the notion that he did anything but worry now. But I let him have this. He was branching out and learning to live, and he was happy.

“It’s not a bad thing to worry about your people,” I said.

His fingers danced along my jawline. It took great strength to resist the temptation to close my eyes and be swept away by his touch.

“No, I suppose not.” His hand continued to roam, but he withdrew it when it fell beneath my collarbone. “I now have someone precious to protect as well—someone who has loved these people like her own family.” The gravity of his obvious adoration sent a pool of warmth through my chest.

I caught his face in my hands. “We make a good team.”

“We do.” His voice was a deep rumble. He kissed my fingers and curled them in his own. “Now let me continue in those efforts. Show me what you remember from yesterday.”

I silenced the protest threatening to leap from my throat. It’d been far too long since we’d made love. I knew we needed to focus and that I wasn’t in top physical form yet, but surely he was aching for me, too.

“Okay,” I murmured.

“That’s my girl.” His fingers fell down my lips, grabbing my chin. I sucked in a breath.

“You’re cruel, you know that?”

He barked out a laugh. “Do you think it’s easy for me to contain myself?”

“Isn’t it? You could have fooled me.”

“I’ve been dying to take you and make you mine over and over, little dove, but I care more about your safety than satiating my desires. However,” He leaned in and gently bit my bottom lip, “if you’re ready enough, maybe we can take a little break.”

Heat darted through my blood. “We’ll see who caves first.” Stepping back, I cast him a seductive look, which made him bare his teeth with a primal growl. To my dismay, he composed himself, leaned against the kitchen wall, and awaited me to display my skills. I hated how he was right. I needed to learn everything I could so I wouldn’t be killed or be a liability. It wasn’t just him—I wanted to protect my people too and not be someone whose safety would distract Bratan from protecting all of us from whatever threat Melora sent next. But it was hard to focus when he crossed his arms like that in his thin, short-sleeved training tunic.

Blowing out the gathering tension in my lungs, I got into position and showed him what I remembered. When he was satisfied with my posture, I did it again and again until he deemed me ready for a few simple techniques where I could fight.

My spirits soared. Maybe I can do this after all. Melora won’t stand a chance against us if I keep this up. We’d be two steps ahead.

Unfortunately, though, that fear tightening his features was back as he trained me, and I knew he was too preoccupied with my safety to think about anything else. I’d have to let go of my desires for now.

I really hated Melora.

***

Brata n

For the first time in decades, my body was sore, and it wasn’t from fighting or any other activity that required dexterous movement but from sheer fear. If I hadn’t been so used to walking around rigid and furious for centuries, I might have noticed the slight difference that took such a toll on my muscles over the last few weeks. The mind-numbing anxiety that something would go wrong was strong, and seeing Leena fall to what I thought was her death showed up in my nightmares, as well as in the quiet moments of my waking hours when she was still asleep.

We were immortal through nature but not indestructible. Though it was difficult, we could be killed, and there were some things we still needed, just not as much as mortals did: food and sleep. We wouldn’t die from the lack of those things, but we’d be living in a death-like state until we could obtain them again. We were impervious to nature’s course of aging—the one that claimed healthy humans’ lives—but we were not invincible.

I’d explained this to Leena in the days following her accident. Seeing her so close to her demise made me realize how fragile a state she was in right now and how little she knew about this realm. She was new to her form and perhaps not fully grasping everything about her new self. I tried explaining as much as I could and informed her of anything that could be important for her to know, but I often worried that I’d forgotten something, second-guessing every action and decision I made as the days drudged on .

There was also the obvious threat looming above us. The fact that Melora hadn’t made another appearance was beyond concerning. She was plotting something, and I feared the worst was coming, though I wasn’t sure what it was. Not knowing was the worst part.

Today, Leena’s movements were more fluid as she displayed her various stances. Admiring her concentration and the way her skin was lined with sweat, the sunlight trickling gold along her braided hair, brought tension to my chest. I’d need a warm soak in the hot spring tonight. It was the only thing that could soothe the pain. The spring was a little far away on foot, but it would do both of us good, especially since whatever Melora was planning could happen at any moment.

“We should go,” I called out, startling a squirrel up a tree.

She nearly tripped as she stopped. “What? Why? It isn’t even sundown.” I shifted against the tree I was leaning on, arms still crossed in an attempt to hide the fear cranking my insides to knots.

“We need to rest our muscles. There’s a hot spring at the far end of the woods. It will do us some good to rejuvenate there. You’ll wake up in the morning without so much as a sore finger.”

“Don’t you have healing powers?” she asked, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“I do, but it takes a lot of energy, and I can’t use it on myself. It also doesn’t work on a lot of physical injuries or ailments, such as torn muscles or broken bones, as you know. Besides,” I pushed off the tree and slid my hand around her neck until I caught hold of her braid, “wouldn’t it be more fun to bathe together?”

Pink dusted the bridge of her nose and spread to her cheeks. “All right,” she said, “if you think my body can handle it.”

My lip curled. “I don’t know about that, but the waters will help soothe any soreness.”

She slid her fingers up my chest and played with the cord at the top of my tunic. “Does that mean we can finally make love again?”

My grip tightened on her hips. “Yes, little dove. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve wanted you so badly I can’t stand it.” I nipped her earlobe and, gasping, she stumbled over a gnarled root jutting from the cracked earth. Catching her by the waist, I pulled her into a kiss. “I’ll have Theodora bring you what you need for the journey. I’ll escort you to her hut, and then I’ll get what we need from home.”

She looked up with those doe-like, ocean-blue eyes, and somehow, my chest muscles pulled tighter. At some point they had to snap.

“Are you all right?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” I forced a smile, but she saw right through it.

“Are you still worried about me?”

I tried avoiding her gaze, but she stepped in front of me and slid her slender hands up my shoulders. She awaited my response .

“Of course I’m worried. You’re everything to me. Leena, you know we’re not invincible, right?”

She stared at me for a long moment and then pulled away.

“I’ve been wondering about that...I know you said I could die, but you’d also said I was immortal.”

“I’m sorry, I explained it better.” Bratan, you moron, I wanted to scream.

“No, no, you did explain it! It probably got lost in all the information I’ve received, but I do remember you telling me that I can be killed and that there are limitations on our immortality.”

This eased my fears a bit, loosening some of the tightness in my chest and shoulders. I brushed a loose wave of hair behind her ear and pressed my hand against the small of her back. “I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you.” A lump formed in my throat. If I looked into her eyes now, my own would gush with tears. “I’d go completely mad if you died.”

Her fingers slipped down to my chest. “I won’t die. Not until it’s time for us to go together.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“If it does, I’m sure we’ll go together. You and I are one, remember?”

I lifted her braid and kissed it. “I love you, Leena. I adore everything you are, and I’ll protect every hair on your head and freckle on your body, even if it means sacrificing and the life I once knew. You’re my present and future, and I’m convinced you were my past.”

“Don’t worry about me. Please. We have to stay strong and fight whatever comes next together. And whatever comes after that, and after that, forever. We’re a team. Okay?” She touched my cheek. The scent of her skin was sweet. Honeysuckle and pear. I kissed her palm and then her wrist. My heart nearly melted when she giggled, and when our eyes met again, all I felt was guilt.

She didn’t know who I truly was. She didn’t know that I went back and killed that bastard who tried to assault her or how many beings I’d killed over the centuries. Every act was justified, but she’d begged me not to kill that vile man. Would she forgive me for going behind her back if she ever found out? I only wanted to protect her.

My life consisted of partial truths and acts of whatever I deemed necessary for my kingdom’s safety and survival. I now did the same for her, and I was afraid of who I might become the next time danger flirted with my queen. Could I hold back, or would the monster inside me consume me completely? If it got bad enough, I might be unable to turn back, and I wasn’t sure she could love the part of me that was nothing but a monster.

Regardless of the form I took, that’s what I was—a monster. And I knew, to a certain extent, that a part of me would always be one. To my people, I was some sort of angel—or at least a demon that kept them safe. I supposed that part was true, in a way, but I wasn't sure she'd accept it if she found out everything I was and all I’d done. If she grasped my role and how I must protect our people—and, above all, protect her —she may not accept it. I’d told her vague memories and things I had to do, but she didn’t know the scope of it or that I’d betrayed her trust by killing that disgusting creature who tried to harm her.

I have to tell her.

As soon as whatever threats Melora sent our way returned to the pits of hell she’d conjure them from, I’d tell Leena everything, including what I did to that heinous beast she’d asked me to spare.

As I looked at her now, prancing into the village with her braid falling down her back, I wondered if she could love the soul she was mated to or if she’d turn away from fate. It felt like I’d always known her—that our souls had always been one—and I believed that. I believed that we were one being woven from a cloth of stars at the beginning of time. We still didn’t know each other in the way we one day would, though. If she decided I was a monster and wanted nothing to do with me, then what?

Her hips swayed as she walked to the carved-out tree where she was often dressed. With one last wave, she dipped through the doorway.

She was everything I wasn’t. Sweet, kind, pure.

Even if she didn’t choose me, I would choose her. Nothing could change that. Even if I had to do it at a distance, I would protect her and love her until my inevitable dying day. And even after that.

If every tree in these woods were to fall upon me and ripped apart my very soul, I would suffer it gladly if it meant she’d be safe. If it kept her happy and free.

I just hoped I was worthy to be happy by her side.