Chapter 7 #2
He struggled to focus on her features as the heat obscured his vision. "Go intae the castle and get some help!" he yelled at her over the crackling of the fire.
She did as he said and picked a path through the flames, jumping into the air as she cleared a smoldering pile of wood. Her dress was badly burned and clinging to her flesh at her side and her long blonde her was singed at the ends.
He quickly looked back down at the man's still body and felt for a pulse. Nothing… His breathing had ceased. Looking around, he took in the scene that lay before him.
A man lay dead, bloodied and beaten; his death was not caused by the fire. He looked down at his hands and noticed the blood covering them.
His mind flashed back to the man's bruised face as he'd landed blow after blow. Allowing his anger to take control and cloud his judgment. Tiny hands gripped her shoulders, tugging at him as a distant voice pleaded for him to stop.
He shook his head again and focused back on the corpse that was in front of him.
I did this… He suddenly realized. I caused the deaths of four of the most prominent Lords in England… He looked to the right, where another man's body lay burning in the fire, unable to escape and succumbing to the blaze.
I beat one of them to death with me own two hands…. And allowed the others tae perish…
The thoughts tumbled in his mind as the scene swam back and forth out of focus. Screaming and shouting filling his ears.
"Owen!" A woman called to him through the smoke. "Owen! Owen!"
He suddenly stirred as a gentle hand touched his face. "Owen," the woman said again. "You were dreaming, it's all right," she stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. The heat from her body was waking him up, bringing him back to consciousness.
Blinking a few times, Owen tried to adjust his vision to the dim light pouring through the window. He wasn't entirely sure where he was, or if he had even escaped the fire. "Where am I?" he asked the beautiful entity who could very well have been an angel with her bright blonde hair.
"Shhh," she soothed him again. "It was just a dream; the sun is almost up," her voice sang in his ears like the song of a siren.
He felt his breathing ease as she gazed down at him.
The early light hit her face in a way that lit her radiant skin.
She was gorgeous in every way he could possibly imagine, with elegant cheekbones and a button nose that reminded him of the Fae.
The side of her body radiated heat as her hip touched his.
"There," she smiled warmly as he reached up and held the hand touching his face.
"This is real. Feel your heart beating," she took his hand in hers and guided it to his chest, placing his palm directly over his heart with hers on top.
"This is reality. The rest was only a dream," her lips parted in a sensual manner as she spoke.
He felt groggy and confused, trying to remember the remnants of the dream as his arousal grew. The smell of her hair lingered on his skin where the silky strands had brushed his cheek.
Her body was pressed into his as she lay at his side, bringing him comfort and warmth that he couldn't quite explain. All he knew was that he wanted to take her in his arms.
"I cannae remember what happened," Owen said breathlessly. His mind was still groggy from sleep as he became captivated by her beauty.
"You don't have to remember," Charlotte shifted closer until her breasts were firmly pressed into his side. "It's not important now. I'm here. You're awake and safe in the monastery. Don't let your past chase you down."
The tips of his fingers ran down the sides of her arm as though they had a mind of their own.
He couldn't help but touch her skin as the peace of her presence captivated his heart and inflamed his loins.
"Charlotte," he whispered her name but frowned when something about it sounded all too familiar to him.
"Yes, that's me," she lowered her face again and held his hand firmly in hers. "I'm here."
"I was having a dream about…" He struggled to bring back the pieces that felt too important to lose.
She shook her head as the early morning light caught the strands, reflecting specks of gold. "Don't try and remember, just rest now."
She gasped slightly when he ran his fingers back up her arm and stopped at the nape of her neck. Her breathing quickened as she leaned in slightly closer. Her lips parted just inches away from his.
He could feel her body pressing into his as one of her legs came up and she adjusted her position.
He felt she wanted him like he wanted her as he gazed into her beautiful eyes.
The color deepened in the light. Or is it because she want me tae?
The fog in his mind was beginning to clear as she leaned in closer and laced her fingers into his.
"I think we should try to go back to sleep now," she whispered breathlessly as his hand ran over her back and stopped in the dent above her buttocks. The fabric of the robe he had given her to wear was thin enough for him to feel the heat of her skin on his palm as he stared up at her.
"Aye, I think that would be a good idea," he breathed into her ear, inhaling the scent of the soap he had given her to bathe. The scent smelled like heaven to him as he took a final breath.
Her skin was soft and warm beneath his touch as he struggled to tear his gaze from her face. Every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than to slowly pull off her dress and press his lips against hers and…
"I'll see you in a few hours," she whispered again as she slunk away from him and got back onto the bed, the absence of her body leaving an empty void in its wake.
Owen took a few minutes to clear his mind as he lay staring out the window at the sun rising over the mountains.
Her lips had been so incredibly close to his.
God, I wanted to kiss her… Owen thought as he rolled over again and shut his eyes, but the remnants of the dream lingered on as he tried his best to recall what he had seen.
Something about the dream had been important.
He remembered something that he hadn't in a very long time.
He stirred again and opened his eyes as birds began to sing.
He could see the outline of Charlotte's shoulders and the gentle curve of her hip as she lay on his bed with her back turned towards him.
They had shared a special moment. He didn't know where she was going or what she meant to him at present.
All he knew was that the overwhelming urge he felt at present to protect her would be causing him problems in the future.