Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
A Lone Cottage
Where Hearts Find Shelter
Asudden crack of branches somewhere beyond the trees shattered the quiet moment beside the stream.
Kaelan’s head lifted instantly, every muscle in his body tightening.
The peaceful moment beside the water vanished at once beneath sharp caution. He had lingered too long already, distracted by Bria, by what she might now suspect, and by the dangerous relief that nearly overwhelmed him when she had not recoiled from him after the beast vanished.
But she suspected something. He had seen it in her eyes when he returned to the stream. Questions lingered there now alongside emotions she no longer tried entirely to hide from him. And that frightened him far more than the fight had.
There is something you need to know about me.
The words still hung unfinished between them.
Kaelan had intended to tell her everything. Watching her bound while those men laughed about selling her had stripped away the last of his hesitation. Nothing mattered more than keeping her safe, not even his secrets.
Yet now, standing beside the stream while danger still lingered around them, he realized the truth could not be spoken here. Not if it frightened her enough to run from him and not if it destroyed the fragile trust growing between them.
“It will need to wait,” he said quietly as he rose and offered her his hand. “We should not remain here.”
Bria studied him for a moment before placing her hand in his.
He felt then. Her simple touch eased something savage still lingering inside him after the shift.
They left the stream behind quickly, moving deeper through the forest once more while Kaelan remained constantly alert to every sound surrounding them.
The fight, the shift, and the bloodshed had stirred too much through this part of Driochmor.
He trusted the forest less now than before.
And he trusted what Bria might be beginning to understand even less.
Several times he caught her watching him quietly as they walked, as though she tried fitting impossible pieces together inside her mind.
Kaelan forced himself not to ask what conclusions she reached. If she truly suspected the beast and Kaelan were one and the same, then the truth would either drive her from him or bind her to him forever. There would be no middle ground after that.
The thought tightened painfully inside his chest and the thought of Bria looking at him with fear threatened him more deeply than any blade ever could.
Movement overhead drew his attention.
Kaelan slowed slightly and glanced upward through the trees.
Ravens followed them from branch to branch above the forest path, their dark eyes fixed steadily upon them.
Bria noticed them moments later. “They have been there a while, haven’t they?”
“Aye.”
“You believe someone watches us?”
“In Driochmor, I believe many things watch that remain unseen.”
The ravens continued trailing them silently while the forest gradually began changing around them.
The oppressive darkness slowly eased beneath the trees as more sunlight filtered through thinning branches overhead.
Massive ancient trees gave way to gentler woods brushed richly in autumn color, while cool breezes stirred drifting leaves across the forest floor.
Even Kaelan felt some of the tension ease from him.
This part of the forest no longer carried the same suffocating heaviness as before.
Kilham had spoken truth. There were places within Driochmor where darkness gathered more thickly than others. And places where it did not.
Bria walked closer beside him as the forest opened further around them, her shoulder brushing his now and again while they moved through the quieter woods.
The simple contact nearly undid him.
She still came willingly near him, trusted him, and reached for him. If she truly understood what he was, would she still do so?
Kaelan tightened his hold slightly around her hand before finally spotting the lone cottage through the trees ahead.
The cottage proved empty, though signs of recent use remained. Fresh wood sat stacked neatly beside the hearth, a pitcher rested on the table, and folded blankets occupied a bench beneath the window.
Bria stepped inside while Kaelan secured the door behind them.
For the first time since leaving the stream, neither seemed in a hurry to speak.
Too much lingered between them.
Kaelan crossed to the hearth and knelt to build a fire. Bria watched him in silence. The familiar movements should have reassured her, yet they only sharpened the questions crowding her thoughts.
She could still see the beast and could still hear its roar. She could still remember the strange emptiness leaving her the moment it appeared and returning when it vanished.
The fire caught quickly, spreading a warm light throughout the cottage.
Kaelan remained crouched at the hearth a moment longer than necessary.
She was tempted to lay her hand on his shoulder to feel what he was feeling but that would not be right. A comfort healer did not touch or feel without permission. And she didn’t know if it mattered since she had come to know Kaelan well.
She had seen for herself that he feared little but if it weighed heavily enough then he approached it like a warrior prepared for battle, a twinge of fear and a preponderance of courage.
He finally rose and settled beside her on the bench near the hearth. He sat close enough that their arms touched. Close enough that she was acutely aware of every movement he made.
For a long moment neither spoke.
Then Kaelan said, “The Thornek Tribe is a respected tribe of warriors.”
Bria remained quiet, sensing immediately that he needed to find his own path through whatever he intended to reveal.
“Fierce warriors and feared warriors.”
That last part surprised her.
“Feared?” she asked.
A faint smile touched his mouth, though there was little humor in it.
“Not without reason.”
Bria studied him carefully. His gaze remained fixed on the fire. Not once had he looked at her.
“We fight battles most would avoid. We track what others cannot find. We protect our villages, our people, our king.” His expression softened slightly. “Family is everything to us and always has been.”
Bria found herself smiling faintly. “That part I already believe.”
Kaelan finally glanced at her and the warmth in his eyes nearly stole her breath.
“Aye,” he said quietly. “There isn’t anything we won’t do to protect our family.”
Silence settled briefly before he continued.
“When I was a boy, my grandfather used to tell me the oldest Thornek legend.”
Bria settled more comfortably beside him. “What sort of legend?”
“The kind meant to warn and teach at the same time.” His gaze drifted back to the fire. “He said there was a time when something terrible stalked the northern forests. Villages disappeared. Hunters vanished. Entire families feared venturing beyond their doors after dark.”
Bria listened while the fire crackled softly between them.
“No warrior could stop it. No hunter could track it.”
“What was it?” she asked, though she believed she knew the answer.
Kaelan turned the question over for a moment before answering. “Some believed it was a beast. Others claimed it was a spirit born from the wild places of the world.”
“And what did your grandfather believe?”
A slow smile touched his mouth. “He claimed the truth mattered far less than what happened next.”
Bria chuckled softly. “He and Winnie would get along well.”
The sound of her light laughter eased something inside him.
She saw it happen, saw how some of the tension left his shoulders and saw how much he needed this shared moment with her.
“My grandfather said a hunter finally sought the creature out. Instead of killing it, he struck a bargain with it.”
“A bargain?”
Kaelan nodded. “Aye. The hunter wanted strength enough to protect his people from anything that threatened them. And the creature wanted to live peacefully with the tribe. So, a bargain was made.”
“How so?”
Kaelan finally turned fully toward her.
The intensity in his gaze made her heart stumble.
“That is the part of the story no one knows for sure,” Kaelan said, his gaze never leaving hers, “only that the beast resides peacefully within the tribe.”
Bria remained silent for several moments after he finished speaking.
The fire crackled softly between them while the wind stirred against the cottage walls.
Then she rose, walked away from the hearth, and stopped near the small window, her back to him while she stared out at the fading autumn light beyond the glass.
He knew he should let her think. Yet every instinct inside him urged him to go to her, to explain more, to somehow prevent the distance that suddenly felt as though it had opened between them.
“Bria.” His voice came stronger than he intended.
She turned slowly to face him. “You say the beast lives peacefully with the tribe. Do you mean the beast resides within the Thornek people?”
“Only the men.”
“So, that was you who saved us from those men?” she asked, needing to hear him confirm it.
“Aye, that beast was me—is me,” he said and waited, not knowing how she would respond.
“And it is the reason you heal so quickly and suffer no scars?”
He nodded, relieved she hadn’t been repulsed by the truth.
Bria remained silent for a few moments, then shook her head.
“I don’t know what to make of it and if you had told me before we entered Driochmor that a beast resided within you, I don’t think I would have believed you.
But having seen things I would never have imagined existed, it is far easier to accept it as truth.
” She returned to the bench to sit beside him.
“I cannot say it is an easy truth to accept, though having touched you, felt how you feel for me, how you contain the beast within, not letting me near it, feel it, or how it never lashed out at me, makes it clear that the beast is no threat to me.”
Kaelan took hold of her hand. “Never. Never would the beast hurt you.”
“Then let me feel him.”
Kaelan let go of her hand. “That is not wise to do.”
She spoke softly as she so often did when dealing with people who needed comforting. “If I am to love you, which I believe I do, then I need to know I can love all of you, not just part of you.”
That she believed she loved him brought him tremendous joy but that she wanted to feel the beast brought him equal fear. It could mean losing her forever and yet… it could also be a measure of her love for him.
“You are right,” he said and slipped off his leather vest, then took hold of her hand once again and slipped it inside his shirt to place it against his chest. “Go as deep as you wish.”
She closed her eyes and let herself drift.
Warmth and hard muscle were the first things she felt and while her body reacted, sending a stirring through her, she pushed it aside and allowed her comfort touch to lead.
His love for her engulfed her in the most pleasant way possible, but his desire for her slammed into her so hard, her eyes shot open.
“When you are ready,” he said, fighting the passion her simple touch had sparked in him.
She shut her eyes again, his desire too strong in his eyes for her to concentrate. It took a few moments, but she got past all those feelings she honestly would not have minded lingering in but she wanted to go deeper, and she did.
A slight gasp escaped her when she felt the pull, and it was like nothing she expected.
It was fierce and beyond powerful, but within that fierceness was a longing, a need, a love that longed to be returned.
She understood then why the Thornek Tribe loved one mate so intensely for life, it came from the beast and was passed through to the men and women of the tribe.
Bria felt it then, a love so powerful that it nearly stole her breath and as her own heart reached out to it, touched it, joined with it, she realized that nothing could ever tear them apart. They were one now and nothing would ever change that, and she did not want it to.
She sunk deeper into the beast and was able to see the past. At first there was only loneliness.
Not the loneliness of an empty cottage or a quiet evening spent alone.
This loneliness stretched far beyond anything she had ever known.
She watched as years and decades passed, and the beast endured while everything around it changed.
Forests grew and died. Rivers shifted their course. Generations came and went.
Yet the beast remained… alone.
The grief of it pressed against her so heavily that tears gathered beneath her closed eyes. It had not sought power. It had not sought dominion. More than anything, it had longed to belong somewhere.
Then she felt the Thornek; strong, loyal, fiercely protective of their own.
The beast had found in them what it feared it would never know again—family and love. And the Thornek found in the beast the strength to protect those they loved.
Neither had taken from the other, they had given.
It was not a bargain built on greed or conquest. It was a joining, a promise made.
The beast’s legacy lived on through the Thornek, and the Thornek carried forward the best part of the beast.
Love, fierce, unwavering, lifelong love.
A tear slipped down her cheek, and she felt the beast stir, grow heated, grow strong.
“Bria,” Kaelan said and hurried her hand off his chest, concerned over what she may have felt and fearful of what it might mean for them.
She smiled gently. “The beast gave your tribe the best of him.”
“My grandfather often said the same thing,” he said, relieved at her response and smiled. “Now what about that part where you said you believed you loved me?”
“I need to amend that,” she said, her hand slipping inside his shirt to rest against his chest once again.
“How so?” he asked, though knew, feeling the strength of her need for him.
“I no longer believe I love you… I know I love you,” she said and kissed him gently, feeling the beast stir deeply inside him along with his love for her.
“Forever?” he asked.
“Aye, forever,” she said.
“Be sure, Bria, for once we join, we become husband and wife and will remain so for the rest of our days.”
His heart beat powerfully against her hand and while desire was strong in his eyes, love was even stronger there.
“It seems crazy and a bit confusing,” Bria said with a soft laugh, “but I am surer about this more than anything in my life.”
He stood and scooped her up in his arms. “Then we join and become husband and wife.”
He barely took a step when the door exploded inward, the crash shaking the cottage. Wood splintered violently across the floor as the heavy door flew from its hinges.