Of the Woods

by J A S Bennet

  “So you didn’t, and don’t plan to. You didn’t say you didn’t want to?” Ava couldn’t help it, the corner of her mouth turned up.

  “Doesn’t everybody want to do that? He’s hot as hell! I saw plenty of women that would do him the other night when we were there.” Sheridan sighed and scowled then swallowed more of her drink. Maybe she should put it down, as it was making her tongue a bit loose, but where was the fun in that?

  Jenny’s eyes were wide, reminding Sheridan of the fawn from earlier. “You don’t, Jenny?”

  She could feel Ava and Sheridan judging her before she even opened her mouth to speak. “I’ve never made love to anyone, or had sex, let alone fucked.”

  Sheridan very nearly dropped her glass. Ava’s jaw was on her chest. She closed it long enough to ask, “You’re a virgin?”

  Jenny nodded. She wasn’t embarrassed about her lack of experience. It was the being put on the spot and feeling judged that she didn’t care for. “I told you both I was waiting for Mr. Right and he hasn’t found me yet.”

  “Well, I don’t know if you were aware of this, but there are several men that will do for Mr. Right Now. Like, do you have a magical BOB or something to keep you satisfied at least?” Ava was dumbfounded as she tried to grasp this concept of being celibate intentionally.

  “Deaglan told me he has had a recurring dream about the tattoo on my shoulder since the night I got it five years ago.” Sheridan hadn’t planned on sharing that bit, but she wanted, no, needed, to throw herself on the grenade Ava was hurling. Couldn’t the woman see how uncomfortable Jenny was with her questions?

  “Really?” Jenny sounded grateful.

  “That’s like some creepy voodoo-type shit. Do you think he can see you while you are in the shower with mind meld or something? I’m thinking that ol’ Deaglan has a pervy side.” Ava was so delightful.

  Sheridan swirled the last of her drink around and then threw it down the hatch. Truth was, she didn’t know how to feel about that. Better not think about it at all. “Want to see my wings?”

  “Yes!” Jenny clasped her hands together.

  Ava realized her question hadn’t been answered. She also knew it wasn’t going to work to push Sheridan further than she was willing to go. She nodded. Seeing someone sprout wings and fly around this library had recently–as in, moments ago–been added to her bucket list.

  Having stood to put her drink glass away, Sheridan removed her night shirt and turned her back to them. Standing in her bra and panties, she thought hard about getting her wings to pop out. Then she tried to remember the panic she felt earlier when the fawn needed her. Nothing was happening.

  Ava and Jenny both admired the beautiful tree tattoo on her shoulder while they waited for something to appear. It was beautiful. It shimmered in dim light, seeming to reflect as if painted on with green-colored gold leaf. It was near mesmerizing.

  After a few minutes, Sheridan sighed. “Maybe I can’t make them appear when I want them to.”

  “There is a secret tunnel that leads from my room to halfway down the cliff. I almost fell into the ocean today when I found it.” All eyes turned to Jenny. She wanted to take the focus off Sheridan, like she had done for her. “When a wave crashed, I got splashed with saltwater and suddenly I felt a surge of energy. It took everything within me to resist diving in.”

  “That’s new. I wonder if I have a secret room of awesomeness in mine somewhere?” Ava crossed her arms.

  “Also, there is a walk-in closet in my room full of clothes in my size. And I have a balcony made of glass so that it doesn’t obstruct my view. Do you guys have that?”

  “I have a balcony, but it’s stone and so huge I wouldn’t call it a balcony. It’s more like a terrace.” Sheridan slipped her shirt back on.

  “Well I’ll be damned if I don’t want to go do a thorough search of my room.” Ava was curious as hell, now.

  Jenny looked at Sheridan and she nodded. “Do you want us to help you look?”

  “No, thanks. I will probably look for a few minutes and then crawl into bed.” Ava stood and straightened her blanket on the back of her chair. “I’m sorry, Jenny.”

  With those words mumbled, Ava left. Jenny didn’t know what she was apologizing for. It could have been for the sarcastic comment about having questions for Sheridan or for judging her about her lack of a sex life. She supposed it could even be for the fact she had never had sex. But Jenny knew it would have taken a lot of gumption for Ava to utter those words regardless, and that was good enough for her.

  Ava arrived at her room with the end-purpose of discovering something. She thought there had to be some kind of secret in her room like the other two. Quickly stripping off her normal clothes, she put on a pair of thin pajama pants and a tank top. Approaching her huge window, she opened the latch and looked out into the night. Nothing. Pulling the window closed, she ran her hand over every groove in the attempt to find a secret trigger.

  With a huff of air, she slapped her hands down on her legs. “Oh come on, there has to be something completely badass in here or I’m going to be pissed the fuck off.” Turning in a complete circle, she hoped she would just visually be able to see it with her badassness triggered by the castle. No such luck. But there had to be something. Something just as amazing as what Jenny and Sheridan had found. Probably more amazing considering she was such a fucking ninja now.

  Giving the room one more sweep with her eyes, she decided to give up on finding a secret passageway for the time being. Heading to the bathroom to clean up after a long day, she picked up her toothbrush and put on a generous amount of toothpaste. Placing the loaded toothbrush under the running water, she glanced up above the gigantic mirror and saw a glint. Turning off the water, she placed the toothbrush on the counter and climbed on top of it to investigate. Sitting on the lip of the light fixture was a single blade, small enough to fit inside a boot. Ava shuffled the blade from hand to hand, getting a feel for it. She’d never noticed it there before. Was the room giving her secret little gifts to reward her for her fighting skills? This was Ireland, so maybe it was a gift from a Chuck Norris fairy or some shit. Seemed like a logical conclusion.

  Hopping down from the counter in one graceful movement, she looked in the mirror. The way she held herself had changed into a fighter’s stance. It was just how she stood now. Her life had changed literally overnight and she could admit to herself that she liked the changes she saw. Something in this castle made her better. If that could even be possible. She doubted it but decided not to fight the feeling.

  She placed the blade in the waistband of her pajamas and returned to the task of brushing her teeth. She wondered where her secret passage would even lead her. There had to be a secret passage in this room too. Dammit, she was a special flower like everyone else. Finishing her nightly tasks, she jumped into bed, pulled the covers up around her, and sighed. As her eyes closed, she envisioned a fighting room with weapons and training mats as she drifted off to sleep.

  17

  Murder

  Sheridan entered her room, stopped, and gazed around. She wondered if she would find any hidden passages or clues to the purpose of her being here. What she needed was sleep, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen easily. There were too many things swirling around in her head.

  As soon as she catalogued her thoughts surrounding one of the issues she faced today, another would step in to fill its headspace. It didn’t seem like her thoughts were her own and honestly, she wasn’t sure they were. That was part of the problem.

  How could she communicate with animals from nearly a mile away? How did she sprout wings and fly a mile in less than a minute? Why did the animal trust her, despite her human appearance? Did she really heal the animal just by wishing she could? What was she thinking letting Deaglan massage her new muscles, not to mention taking her shirt off and standing before him in her bra? Why couldn’t she get her wings to come out again? And what on earth compelled her to share all of that with Jenny and Av
a?

  Around and around those questions stirred more confusion than peace. Tossing and turning. Flipping and flopping. A woman could lose her mind like that. Grasping for anything concrete to focus on, Sheridan landed on the green eyes of the man who was capable of reducing her to squeaks and purrs. As frustrating as it was, she chose to channel the appearance of his handsome face into working on an ache that would keep her mind clear, for a few precious minutes anyway.

  At first she hesitated, thinking maybe it wasn’t a good idea to feed into her attraction to him, but the impending release and the following satisfaction might just be exactly what she needed to fall asleep. Before she had decided for sure, she had begun. His eyes. His smile. His fingers on her back. They all made it easier to imagine his fingers, his tongue doing the work hers were doing under the covers.

  Her breath started to catch. Her mouth was sure it could taste the wine he poured for her, the food he served her, the kiss that was surely only a moment away. Her lips longed to own his, to steal his breath, to make him purr.

  The memory of his voice rumbling through her chest made her toes curl, her muscles clench in all the delicious places, and her heart race. Her body was his to explore, to excite, to exert pressure on her with the weight of his whole being. Imagining the feel of the hard lines of his body aligned with hers pushed her over the edge.

  Stars danced in her vision as her back arched in release. Her head fell back, mind blissfully blank, and the sweet feeling of contentment lulled her to sleep.

  “No!” Sheridan cried, bolting upright in bed. Light was beginning to flood her room, but that’s not what woke her. That feeling from earlier when the fawn needed her was raging through her like a storm. The pull was stronger this time and she could feel pain throughout her torso. Her wings sprang out, ruining another shirt, even though they were worthless as she was still in her bed. She flew to the terrace doors, flung them open, and she was off before her feet touched the stone. As soon as she left the castle she could sense it.

  The Darkness. It called to her deep within. She pushed it out of her mind as she raced toward whatever it was that needed her. But it was present, threatening.

  Flying through the warm air, she stretched her wings and relished the freedom she felt flowing through her. She flew over the walls of the castle and crossed over the grass, then the woods. She instinctively knew where to go. She didn’t even think about her destination. Then she was there. Her flying was graceful. Landing was definitely not. Instead of floating down the way she imagined a wood nymph would, she flopped down on her almost bare butt. She let out a, “Harummmmphhhh” with the impact. Gathering her pride, she got to her feet.

  Deaglan was already there with a small group of guardians. An ancient oak lay devastated on the forest floor, its limbs shattered and broken upon the ground. A living creature was now dead. Some of the leaves would continue to nurse the fallen trunk for moisture, before they ran out. They didn’t even know they were doomed yet. This was horrendous; someone did this—slaughtered a peaceful, defenseless being. Her heart ached at the sight. She fell to her knees and rested her forehead against what was left of the trunk. She put her arms around it as far as they could go, knowing no power would come. There was no healing this. The tears came and flowed, kidnapping her breath, holding it for ransom. The price was shivers that shook her whole body.

  It wasn’t long before Deaglan was beside her. “Can I help you somehow?” She felt his presence without looking.

  He didn’t touch her, he wouldn’t without permission again. The look on Sheridan’s face was easily the most heartbreaking thing he’d seen in a long while. His own broken heart was pulsing with sadness watching her fall apart because of the damage to this tree. It was possible she was too perfect for the task being set before her. The amount she cared surpassed any expectations, especially within the first week of her residence in Castle McGrew.

  She didn’t answer him. He did the next best thing to holding her. Dropping to his knees, he placed his hand on the trunk above where her arms were wrapped around it.

  “Ar dheis Dé go raibh anam. Err yesh day guh rev ah ahnam,” Deaglan spoke the most beautiful words she had ever heard.

  “What does that mean?” she asked softly.

  “Rest in peace, basically.”

  Sheridan gasped and clung to the oxygen that refreshed her lungs. Hearing him say those words to this massacred tree filled her with such admiration. His compassion was real. Her tear-drenched eyes locked on his and time stood still.

  Shaking her head to clear the craziness sneaking in, she asked what she needed to know, “Who did this?”

  Before he could answer, fog rolled in, thick and inky. Sheridan was on her feet searching for the source. She blamed this Darkness for the slaughter of the friend she hadn’t even had the chance to meet yet. The Darkness would pay. She wasn’t sure how to make it happen, but she would defeat this enemy. If sheer will was a weapon, she was packing major heat.

  “Sheridan!” Deaglan’s voice sounded distant and near at the same time. Louder, he called again. “Agra!”

  That was what snapped her out of it. She took in the scene before her—guardians were watching the exchange with keen interest. A female guardian with wings smaller than Sheridan’s stood with her arms crossed, staring in disbelief at Deaglan, who was holding his hands out. To Sheridan. With no regard for the group in their company serving as an audience. Who did that?

  Maybe this was a dream. That would explain the fog and the radical emotions. If it wasn’t actual consciousness, the tree was fine, she had no need for sadness. She could handle thinking along those lines. She could test her limits and be present in the moment without worries. She could.

  He repeated himself quietly, but as a question this time. “Agra?”

  Without saying a thing, she stepped in front of him, placed her hands on his cheeks, and pulled his lips down to meet hers. There was no hesitation. Their kiss ignited a fire that started in her stomach and spread quickly to the tips of her toes and tingled her fingers. This was the kind of kiss that inspired music to be played, poems to be recited, and art to be made.

  Deaglan had no clue what caused her to pull him into the most magical moment he had ever experienced. He fought the urge to wrap his arms around her. He wanted her pressed against him from head to toe.

  He didn’t know she had the strength to carry his weight, but he would have bet a lot of money that his feet weren’t actually touching the ground. His eyes fluttered closed the moment she touched him and he refused to open them for fear of ending their first kiss. If life was fair, it would never have to end.

  Life wasn’t fair. She sat back on her heels and looked down. She had thought the kiss would wake her up. But here she stood in her panties and ripped night shirt, in front of a demolished tree, with four guardians she’d never met witnessing her embarrassingly throwing herself at Deaglan when she thought it was in a dream.

  “I gotta go.” Pulling on the thread of power that connected her to the castle, she got her wings to obey this time. The mortification that would come with the morning was sure to make her want to stay in bed. That may be the best idea she’d ever had, actually. Or maybe it was that she could pretend this all was a dream and never mention it to anyone. Ugh. Why did she always find herself in stupid situations like this?

  Because she was Sheridan, that’s why.

  Her feet touched down on the terrace with a sigh. She turned to find the female guardian put her hand on her chest and bow in mid-air. Sheridan didn’t even know she had been followed. That wasn’t good. How was she going to learn to keep herself aware when things didn’t go as she planned?

  Unfortunately, the door to her balcony was closed. And locked. From the inside. She had no key. If this wasn’t typical Sheridan? She shook her head. Using her wings, she flew around to the front of the castle. As soon as she touched down at the front door, her wings retracted. She sludged through the door, exhausted and incredibly sad, not to
mention confused. Thoughts filled her mind again.

  Why had she kissed Deaglan? Why did she want to kiss him again? Why did his kiss make her forget everything else? There was a tree to mourn. A tree she should have been able to protect. A tree she never even got to meet.

  A surge of purpose filled her. She was determined not to let that happen again. Tomorrow would be filled with trees, plants, and animals. All of the forest friends she was waiting to meet would wait no longer.

  As for Deaglan, he would need to be kissed again.

  18

  Embarrassment

  Ava woke with a purpose. She had emails to send regarding the latest production company movie startup and then she got to train. Dressed in her normal business attire, she opened her bedroom door and proceeded to walk downstairs to swap computers with Deaglan and get her caffeine fix. What she didn’t expect was seeing Sheridan dressed in only a tattered shirt and panties hurrying to her room, head hung low like a walk of shame. Ava wondered what the hell happened and why the rush. Deciding to confront the timid tree hugger, Ava just asked that question.

  “Where’s the fire, Sheri? While we are at it, where are your pants? Hot date you just getting home from?” Ava crossed her arms and waited for an answer. Sheridan obviously wasn’t in the mood to chat. This only heightened Ava’s curiosity.

  “I’m only going to tell you one more time, don’t call me Sheri.” Sheridan was turning red all over as embarrassment and fury entered her soul. “I don’t feel like chatting. Okay?” With that, Sheridan attempted to enter her room. Sheridan being Sheridan, she ran into the doorframe on her way in and totally messed up the angry bitch look she was trying to give Ava. Even more frustrated, she got in the room and slammed the door in Ava’s face.