"My job is to take care of the guests of this house. Enjoy breakfast," he smiles lovingly to me and turns his lip up to Richard before leaving.
"Happy?" He asks sarcastically.
"Ecstatic," I reply I the same manner before taking the tray from his hands and placing it on my lap.
Whilst we sit up in bed, eating breakfast and drinking tea, my father appears in the room.
"I don't think I want to know," he states, looking at us in bed together, eating from the same tray.
"Probably best Eric," Richard jokes.
"Where have you been, I have been so worried?"
"I know child. I'm sorry I have been away when you needed me most. However, I'm here now, and I will be with you," he tells me sweetly before he sits on the edge of the bed.
"You leave today?" My father asks Richard, watching him closely.
"Yes, thank goodness," he shrugs his shoulders.
"Good. I'm going. Zara meet me in an hour?
“Yes,” I smile.
Sitting in bed, in complete silence after my father leaves us, I turn my head to Richard, and smile sadly at him.
Who would have thought I'd be sad at the fact of not seeing him again.
"I think I might miss you," I smirk at him.
"Hum, I'm sure," he laughs.
"No, I mean it. I have liked getting to know you. Will you be back to visit?" I ask him in a series tone, wanting a serious answer.
Turning to face me, he sighs deeply before meeting my gaze.
"I will," he tells me, his eyes scanning my face, as if taking in every tiny detail.
"Will you be ok?"
"Do you care?"
"Yes," I nod my head.
"You shouldn't."
"Too late," I smile.
"If you need me, for anything...then go to someone else. I have had enough drama to last me ten years," he tells me coolly, but it is just a front, I can tell he doesn't mean to be harsh; this is just him dealing with unwanted emotions.
"Ok," I wink at him, and then hold out my hand for him to shake.
"What is that?"
"Well you don't do hugs," I laugh.
"You want to hug me?" He raised a brow.
"Strangely, yes," I admit.
I feel saddened at the thought of not seeing him for however long it will be. I know it's for the best, but we have been through so much together, the good the bad and the ugly.
Taking the empty tray from our laps and placing it on the floor, he sits with his arms open.
Smiling happily to him, I slip closer to him and hold him tightly in my arms. His arms come around me slowly, and nervously.
"Take care Richard," I breathe into his shirt, closing my eyes wanting to remember the smell and feel of him.
"Zara?"
"Um?" I question, lifting my head to look him in the eye.
His eyes shine beautifully as a light frown creases in his brow. Parting his lips, he goes to speak but stops himself. Receiving a weak smile, I kiss his cheek and hold his face in my hands, lingering cheek to cheek; I'm not surprised at all when he vanishes from my arms, leaving me completely alone.
Snorting a laugh at his leaving method, I take a moment to myself before getting ready for the day, the day that will be upsetting to us all, but for the best.
After spending many hours with my father, Sallack, Angus and Dallah, talking about what is best for us all; they sit and watch me closely after my decision is set in stone.
I have decided to go away, train to be the person I was born to be. Now is as good as time as any. I am feeling free; I have no pain in my heart. Also the Brothers’ and Dallah are all happy in their life, and Den has a new life, new family heading his way. All I have to do now is to tell Den.
“Im coming!” Dallah screeches.
“Where?” asks Sallack.
“With Zara, I need to train with her; I do not know my full potential,”
She tells him gently, but with need for him to understand.
“Dallah, you don’t have to do this,” I tell her warmly.
I know that she has been taking this badly, and she is making rash decisions.
“3 years Dallah! You are not going!” Sallack yells with power, and in doing so, causing us to look at him very closely for his strange behaviour.
“I am going. Julian and I are not together. I need time to think about my life, my choices. Im not asking, Im telling you all that I am going!” she yells back.
I have a feeling that I am not the only person in the room that wants to give these guys some space.
Offering my hand to Angus, whist Dallah and Sallack have a screaming match, I transport us to the kitchen of my father’s house, as I know he transported himself here only moments before we did.
“They have it bad!” my father laughs, Angus also laughs.
“What do you mean? You think they like each other?”
“No child, I know,” he winks at me.
“Well...I never...”
“You should go to Den, I will hold Candy of for a while,” Angus tells me with a weak smile.
“Ok, thanks. Listen, I will miss you dearly, but you know that I need to do this right?”
“I know you do, it’s just that I will miss seeing you. Anyway, go see Den and then I will be here to see you off tonight. Do not go without saying good bye sweet, promise me?”
“I promise you,” I smile to him gratefully.
Turning to speak to my father, I snort a laugh when I see he has once again removed himself from heightened emotions.
Walking up to the house I rent with Den, our first home, I let a sad sigh release when I see him in his boxers and a coffee in his hand. How I am going to miss seeing him every day. I have only spent the odd night away from him, so going away for 3 years will be hard, nevertheless a must.
“Hey babe,” Den calls.
Smiling widely, I walk a little faster until I get close to him, then I let myself go and throw my arms around him holding onto him tightly, taking in his calming scent and feeling him so close to me.
“You ok?”
“I’m really good Den,” I smile up at him as I remove myself from his warm embrace.
“Really?” he asks with a frown, not believing a word I speak.
“Honestly I good. Will you sit with me?” I point to the swinging chair.
“No,” he says coolly, shaking his head.
“Why?” I ask in a small laugh.
“Cos I know where this is going, bad news,” He finishes with a sigh when he sees my face fall.
“It is good news in the long run Den, please sit with me,” I ask again.
Placing his coffee cup on the table, he runs his hands through his raven messy hair and flops down onto the chair. His blazing green eyes meet with mine, his questioning, and mine with regret for the news I bring.
Sitting down beside him, I smile sweetly to him before lifting his hand and placing it on my lap wrapped in both of mine.
“I am going away for a while, I won’t be far, but I will be away for a while...”
“How long?” he cuts me off, and asks suspiciously.
“Three years...let me finish please Den,” Nodding his head with building anger in his eyes I carry on, “I will be away training, becoming the person I was born to be. I need strength and I need power if I am to live this life. I cannot come to visit you, or you me. Where I am going is not known by others, I do not even know myself, I will be picked up by a friend of my father’s and taken to the secret location. I know this is hard to take in, trust me I do, but you have to see where I’m coming from. Every time somebody gets the chance to hurt me, they succeed, I don’t want them to, I want to fight for my life and win. Fight for what is right and what is good.”
“No,” he stands and crosses his arms across his chest.
Snorting a laugh I stand to my feet and step to stand before him.
“Im going Den, I wasn’t asking your permission. Look these three years will fly by. When I
come back you will have a beautiful child, a beautiful home and family. Give me that image to go away with?”
“You are my family! Why am I not good enough for you?”
“Not good enough! You’re being serious? You are a fucking dream Den, dreams don’t come true. Don’t think for one minuet that you are any less than perfect, but you are not mine. I didn’t come here to hurt you.”
“I have told you that I will leave them, leave them all. We will go away and train together,” he pleads.
“I know you have, and every time you say it, it breaks my heart. You need to stay here and look after the child you bought into this world, you can’t be selfish anymore Den, you have commitments.”
“I wanted it to be you, my wife, mother of our child, my everything. Don’t let me go Zara, stay with me and we can do this together. You made me all my wrong’s right’s. I am everything I am because you loved me.”
“No, this is you Den, all this is because of you. I am blessed to have you in my life. This isn’t a good bye forever. I will be back in three years. This, what we are going through now will change. We will stand here as separate people, with different concerns and different believes. But I will always love you, so much Den. Never will I forget what and who you are.”
“I don’t think I can babe. I can’t watch you leave my life like this. I need you more then what you know. I’m terrified I will never see you again,” he stresses as he holds me firmly by the arms, needing me to know his fear.
“I will be safe. I Promise you I am going to be safe. These years will fly past,” I tell him whilst letting the tears of a lost love fall from my eyes.
“You are my heaven on earth babe,” he kisses my nose.
“Please let me go,” I ask with many meanings to it.
I know I love him, as much as I have fought it off, it will always be there. That is one of the reasons I need to go. I don’t want to love or be loved, not until my heart is ready and my mind is strong enough to see what is in front of me.
“Go Zara, if it is what you wish to do. You know that there will be not one day that I think of you, miss you,” he tells me almost angrily.
“Don’t think I won’t miss you Den! You think this is hard for you, try being this Charmer,” I finish with a sigh, “I’m sorry. I want to leave like this.”
“What do you want from me?” He whispers.
“I want what we had before coming here. I want my best friend?” tears stain my cheeks.
He runs his thumbs under my eyes, removing the falling tears.
Meeting his gaze, I instantly smile when I see the Den I know and love looking back at me.
“Go do what you have to do babe. But hurry back, I will not stop fighting for you. Every day of my life I will fight for you. You can have this time to grow strong, not too strong though, can’t have you kicking my butt,” he smirks.
Wrapping my arms around him, he lifts me to straddle him, hugging him, I hold on tightly and silently for over thirty minuets before slipping down from him and holding his hands in mine.
“I will miss you. Tell your baby of me?”
“Always, he will know everything about you.”
“Not everything,” I tease.
Knowing that this is the last time I will see Den, my heart beats to a new rhythm as my eyes spring tears.
“Thank you for this, everything,” I tell him full of love and gratitude.
“Ditto babe,” he smiles weakly to me as I take my hands away from his.
Bracing myself to turn my back to him, my heart sinks when I hear him sniff, knowing that as soon as my back turned he let his tears fall.
Catching my breath I brace myself to transport back to my father’s house.
Walking into my father’s office, he looks up to me with a twinkle in his eye before holding his hands out before him.
“I’m proud of you for doing this, your mother and me that is. You need this Zara, Im glad you saw it for yourself,” he speaks with pride.
“Will you be ok?”
“I will, knowing that you will be safe and away from those bloody men,” he huffs.
“I love you dad,” I tell him honestly as I make my way over to him.
Standing to his feet he wraps his large arms around me and holds me as a father would their child.
“Look after Den for me? All of them?”
“Of course darling, no harm will come to them, I promise you that,” he states strongly, needing me to believe him, and I do.
“We ready?” Dallah’s excited voice fills the room.
Spinning in my father’s arms, I face her with a light frown.
“You are really coming? This is what you want?”
“More than anything I want to do this for myself, don’t get me wrong, you being there gave me the final push,” she winks.
Laughing at her statement I run into her and hug her tightly.
“I love you Dallah.”
“You too sis.”
“Before you to go you need to understand that you cannot come back unless it is to come back for good. No dream walking, it’s too dangerous. I will come to visit you once a year, and only that. Take advantage of this time you will spend away. You will learn much more then you think you will. You will both come back different women, and I look forward to it. Once you are picked up, more will be explained.”
“When will he be here?”
“One hour. Go say goodbye to Angus and the Brothers’, they are waiting,” he smiles at us beautifully.
After our emotional goodbye to the Brothers’ we return to my father’s house once more, packed and ready to leave this life as we know it and enter a different world.
“You have said your goodbyes?” my father asks almost sadly.
“Yeah,” Dallah replies in a sorrowful tone.
Looking to me, my father raises a brow, questioning me again.
“I’ll be five minuets,” I tell them and transport away from their questions.
Standing at the door leading into Richard’s office, he sits at his desk whilst six men stand around him waiting on their orders.
“Bring him to me, I will beat the truth from him!” he speaks angrily.
“Richard?” I call out, jolting them all from their concentration.
The six men spin on their heel and face me with confused looks, followed by them taking a step towards me in fighting mode.
Smiling at them, and shocking them, I take a step forward and look them all in the eye.
“Can I have a word with the Prince?” I ask sweetly, batting my long eyelashes.
“Oh for goodness sake,” I hear Richard sigh, as the men step apart so that I can make my way to him.
“I wanted to speak with you before I go,” I tell him with a nod of my head, needing him to see that its important for me to do so.
“Leave us!” He calls to his men, and in return they walk out of the room slowly but surely.
As the last man enters, he clicks the door shut on his way out, giving me the privacy I need.
“Where are you going Zara? Please do not feel the need to tell me every time you’re going on holiday,” he tells me sarcastically.
“Im going away for a few years and I wanted to to hear it from me,” I tell him with a smile as I watch him closely for his reply.
“I’ll remember to throw a welcome back party,” he laughs.
Smiling widely at his remark, I take a seat on his desk, getting a raised brow in return.
“This is for you,” I hand him a shimmering white stone.
Sitting up a little straighter in his chair, he takes the stone from my hand and study’s it closely.
“You’ve been to the beach,” he snorts.
“Stop being sarcastic and take me seriously just for a moments, then you can finish with some joke,” rolling his eyes, I decide to carry on, “This is a safe stone. When you need someone, really need someone then I will be there for you, no matter where or when.”
“Why would
I need this, and why do you trust me with it?”
“You know my dad right,” I wink, “Just take it, you never know when you will need my help. I know...you’re the Dark Prince, but everyone needs someone at some point in their life. Use it, or don’t, it’s up to you, just hold on to it?”
“If I must. So where are you going?” he asks after slipping the stone into his jacket pocket.
“Top secret. I need to go now, good bye again,” I wink at him and remove myself from his desk.
As I stand ready to transport myself away, I look at him closely, secretly wanting him to say something, anything, even a goodbye.
“Take care Charmer,” he winks playfully.
Snorting a laugh at him, I leave the Dark Coven and head back to my father and Dallah.
I wanted to see Ruk before I go, but Mary surprised him with a honey moon/ holiday, or whatever it is. And I suppose there is no real point of going to him; he lives a different life, one made from lies and deceit. I just hope that one day he remembers what and who Mary is, and that I am there to kill her once and for all.
He is the only one that can get himself out of this now, I have done all that is possible, I just hope he sees that.
I have asked my father to give Ruk a letter for when and if he remembers. I didn’t want it to end this way, and I feel sickened by having to write it down, but I can’t put my life on hold in the hopes he remembers and I hope he sees it that way.
“Here he is,” my father call, his tone laced in excitement.
Dallah and I both stand to our feet and wait for his appearance.
Watching the door swing open, my eyes widen when I see the man that stands before us. He is huge! He must be 7 foot tall! And just as wide in the shoulders. He looks to be around 35 years old.
Smiling at the both of us, he steps forward and offers his hands to us,
“We will go now,” Is all he says.
Looking to my father one last time I smile at him, full of love and happiness, then to Dallah with a look of excitement, which she returns with a classic Dallah wink.
With that, we leave our life’s and start new ones.
I hope you enjoyed this 3rd book in The Charmer series.
Forsaken (book 3) (The Charmer series) Page 23