“Have a nice day.” The store clerk said, somewhat reluctantly.
“We will.” Brianna said breezily as she took Etienne’s hand and led him from the store, “Come on B, let’s go back to your place.”
They stepped outside and continued walking a short way until Brianna knew she was safely out of sight of the store.
“OK, hand me one of those bags,” she said coming to a halt and turning to face him.
He shook his head and instead raised his free hand to cup her jaw. She swallowed hard as he ran the pad of his thumb over her lips, his eyes boring into hers with molten desire. Her eyes instantly lowered, his mouth looked all kinds of delicious. Was he going to kiss her? God, she wanted him to, maybe their flirting had been more than just an act. If she was honest with herself, the tingles he caused way down there, were as real as the sky was blue. Deciding to go with her instinct, Brianna leaned in closer and closed her eyes.
She waited, but after another awkward beat without feeling his lips on hers, she cracked open her eyes and saw he was no longer looking at her but was glaring over her head at something in the distance.
“B?” She asked, not liking the look of concern on his face, “we, good?”
“A complication, Little One, that is all,” he spoke into her mind.
Taking the hint, she replied in kind, her body becoming completely still.
“Am I in trouble? Is it the cops?”
“No, it is I who has drawn unwanted attention. Your wolf friend appears to have informed his Alpha of our run-in.”
“His Alpha? You’re not going to fight, are you? Etienne, please don’t get into any more trouble on my account.” Brianna urged, “Can we go? Can we just get the Hell out of here, please?”
“It would be no trouble, but yes it might be wiser if we left.”
Etienne looked directly above her head for a moment longer before turning and pulling her with him, ushering her ahead of him.
They turned a corner and Brianna took the opportunity to look back over her shoulder to see Nate standing next to a large, dark-haired man who even she could appreciate, pulsed with authority. His arms crossed over his broad chest and his eyes seemed to flash a golden amber as he watched them go.
They made their way down the next street in silence, Etienne took her hand and guided her across the main highway and deep into the cover of the trees. They were back in the forest once again.
She paused for breath and looked around her, a tremor of fear slithered its way through her as she looked at the never-ending pillars of dark pine trees. God, she hoped she wouldn’t need to run again. She didn’t want to run again. Her breath came in short pants and she found she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. She turned about and looked for a break in the trees, all she could see was row, after row of tall silent sentries, their surface scratched and scarred. Each one looked the same as she stumbled forward blindly, spots dancing around the edges of her vision.
“No, no, no…” she whimpered under her breath.
“Brianna, Little One,” Etienne was in front of her in an instant, the groceries on the ground at their feet, “You are safe, I have you and I will not let anything hurt you.”
She braced herself on his arms as they came around her to hold her up. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. Campfire. She’d never thought it would be a scent she would become so attached to, yet it meant he was there and that she was safe. As her breathing calmed, Brianna lifted her head and looked into his beautifully unique eyes, they were a softer shade of lavender, rather than his normal striking violet. Still just as enthralling, just gentler, like a soothing lullaby.
“Take me home, B,” she whispered.
“As you wish.”
Chapter Thirteen
Etienne
The afternoon sun would have felt glorious on his scales had he not had so much on his mind. His talons crunched into the loose rock at the top of the mountain, and he folded his wings to prevent himself from being swept up by any sudden gust of autumn wind. It was a mild day, but that could change quickly with just a change in air pressure.
He lay his body down, spreading his weight as evenly as he could and gazed out over the forest. Brianna was safely inside his lair. She had nibbled on a few of her snacks and retreated to furs by the fire, saying she wanted to write down her thoughts. He had hung around inside his outer cave for a while, listening for any sign of distress from the female. But all he heard was a steady stream of consciousness flowing from her as she tried to make sense of what she had been through. Eventually, he had decided to take to the air again, to patrol his territory.
The wolf pack’s Alpha had made it quite clear that he didn’t appreciate the unknown threat of his presence in his town. The wolf didn’t know what he was, only that he was powerful and dominant. Etienne didn’t wish to make enemies with the Darkhills pack. He needed to frequent the town on occasion, and he had seen enough violence in the name of petty power struggles to last him a lifetime.
In truth, the territory of the Darkhills belonged to him. He was the apex creature in the area, and ultimately the duty to defend and protect the land was solely his. But the wolves, much like the vampire, had resided on this land before Etienne had laid claim to it, and they left him alone, so he saw no reason why he should evict them from what was ultimately his.
If the Alpha were smart, he would be trying to discover more about what Etienne was. And he got the impression that the wolf had more about him than simply a keen nose and brawn. So far, he hadn’t seen any hunting parties of wolves moving about the forest. There had been the odd wolf here and there that seemed to be running for sheer enjoyment, but they hadn’t strayed anywhere near to his mountain.
“Etienne, we need to talk.”
The dragon huffed out a curl of smoke. The vampire. It was daylight, he was hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with Lucian until he had resolved the situation with Brianna himself. Namely, had helped her remember enough of what she had lost and established that she wasn’t going to write the intended exposé. He didn’t believe she would, but he couldn’t yet be certain. She had acted convincingly with the wolf in the grocery store, so who was to say she wasn’t putting on an act when she was around him. There was also the matter of the recording that she had found.
She had her evidence, should she choose to use it. Etienne could easily destroy it, but he wanted to see what she would decide to do with it. He wanted her to prove him right. His dragon was convinced of her righteousness and was already extremely attached to the female. More so than he had ever been with any connections he had made in the past. Brianna was something different. He just hoped his faith in her wasn’t misplaced.
“Etienne, I know you can hear me, would you at least agree to meet with me? Not all of us can maintain a mind link across such distance.”
“There is nothing for us to discuss, Lucian.”
“Have you forgotten about the dangerous predicament we have with the journalist?”
The vampire’s condescending tone was almost comical, it was a good thing Etienne had mellowed enough over the millennia to not let such matters rile him.
“She is safe and well under my care. I do not believe her to be the threat you think her to be.”
“And why is that, old sport?”
“It is an instinct; she does not seem capable of such devious intentions.”
“Your instinct is not enough for me to risk the lives of the entire paranormal world; you know that Etienne. We must act.”
Etienne inwardly cursed. He knew Lucian was talking sense, had the situation been reversed, he would be unconvinced by such an argument as another’s gut instinct.
“I will tell you if she proves to be a danger to our world,” he replied, curtly.
“Perhaps you might like to drop by with her the next time you feel like visiting Darkhills, that way I can judge her character for myself.”
Etienne growled his displeasure, the ground beneath him shaking and send
ing a few loose stones tumbling down the mountainside. The Alpha wolf was smart. He had sought information from an older and better-connected source. Clever dog.
“So, you have spoken with the Alpha? I trust you did not take liberties regarding your knowledge of my person?”
“Heavens no, Old Sport, what do you take me for?” Lucian scoffed, “but you made quite an impression on his pack members and Cayden wants answers. He is a good man and a good friend, I told him I would keep an ear to the ground.”
“He is to be trusted?”
“He is a Greystone, and I trust him implicitly.”
Etienne huffed again. A Greystone, he should’ve recognised it at first but now he thought on it, the resemblance to his ancestors was strikingly clear. Etienne had fought alongside the Greystone Pack long before they travelled the oceans and came to this land. They were of good and pure blood, direct descendants from the first man to be infected with the Hell beast’s poison. Much like dragons and vampires, the Greystone’s had the blood of the demons of Hell running through their veins.
“Will you at least join Katherine and me for dinner to discuss matters? Bring the female, I’d like to be certain she can be trusted.”
Etienne didn’t want to share Brianna with anyone, let alone someone with the power to make her forget everything all over again. Considering her reaction to being back in the dark forest earlier that day, he doubted anything good would come of returning her to the scene of her entrancement.
“B? Are you there?”
Her soft voice called out to him via their mind link. His dragon immediately sat up and stretched its wings ready to take flight, eager to return to her.
“I will think on it,” Etienne replied curtly to Lucian before shutting him out of his mind.
He leapt off the mountain top and nose-dived down to the ledge that led to the entrance of his cave. He spread his wings at the last moment and touched down with his hind legs before tucking his wings back behind him once more and entering the cave. He met Brianna just as she was pulling the fur back in place to conceal the tunnel entrance.
“Oh, you are here,” she smiled at his appearance and slowly walked over to him, “Listen, I’m sorry about earlier. I freaked out and I think that was because it caught me off guard. But I’m trying to see this as a good thing. I now know that forests are something that will trigger my anxiety. So hopefully, next time I can be more mentally prepared.”
“You do not need to apologise my Little One, you have experienced much in the past few days, your reaction was to be expected. I am sorry that I was not able to shield you from such suffering.”
“B, you can’t shield me from everything, especially the stuff going on in my own head,” she shook her head and smiled ruefully at him, “I’ve just spent the past few hours trying to sort through the chaos in my mind without much success, thank you for giving me some space to do that. Now I think I just need to let things simmer for a while.”
Etienne nodded his giant head in understanding.
“I don’t suppose we could do something, to take my mind elsewhere. I’m afraid if I stay in there with my notebook, I’ll just keep thinking myself in circles.”
“Of course, what would you like to do?”
“Would you take me flying again? The first couple of times I’ve either been passed out or overwhelmed, could we try it again?” She asked, playing with her hands.
Etienne’s dragon puffed out a ring of smoke that floated over her, making her gasp.
“It would be my pleasure.”
With that, his dragon turned and headed out of the cave back onto the ledge. The sun was getting low in the sky, giving the air a hazy filter. He wanted to show Brianna something that would encourage her to rethink any intentions to expose the paranormal world that she might harbour.
She walked steadily out of the cave and looked up at the late afternoon sky, closing her eyes to feel the sun’s rays on her face.
“Beautiful,” she breathed as she slowly opened her eyes again, wearing a peaceful smile.
Etienne couldn’t agree more. She was the most exquisite treasure. Delicate and fragile, full of fears and doubts but an underlying spirit for adventure that shone through at times to give just a glimmer of her potential. She was brave to face so much uncertainty. Yes, she was cautious but that meant she was smart which only strengthened her potential. So many were brave without fear. She had fear and seemed determined to understand it and face it in ways that she felt comfortable. That kind of bravery was rare, and Etienne admired her even more for it.
He lowered his head to the ground, bowing before her.
“What’s up, Big B?” she asked with a frown.
“Climb on, Little One, sit between my shoulders.”
“Are you serious?!” Her eyes went wide in alarm and, if he wasn’t mistaken, excitement, “won’t I fall if I’m up there?”
Etienne rumbled out a low growling chuckle, smoke coming from his nose, making her cough and wave her hand about to clear the air in front of her.
“If you were to fall, I would catch you in an instant, that I promise you. Climb up, you can hold onto the horns at the base of my neck if it would make you feel safer.”
“You promise you won’t let me fall?” She asked, her feet shuffling on the spot. She wanted to do as he said, he could see it in her dark eyes that shone with the fading sunlight.
“I would sooner die than see you fall, Brianna.”
“Well, there’s no need to be dramatic,” she rolled her eyes and reached up to climb only to pull her hands back, “is there a right way for me to do this? I don’t want to-”
“Just get up here Little One, before I light your behind on fire,” Etienne chuckled as she let out a small yelp and started clambering up his forearm.
His little Brianna was less than graceful but she finally sat proudly between his shoulder blades, gripping his scales tightly. He didn’t mind, it didn’t hurt him, if anything his dragon took great satisfaction in having her cling onto him as though her life depended on it.
“OK, Big B, I’m up,” she said after a fortifying breath, “Now, I’m not saying ‘giddy up’ per-se but you should probably get going before I lose my nerve and jump back-”
Her words were cut short by a squeal as he launched himself over the cliff edge, with a powerful push from his hind legs. The wind was good, and he immediately climbed higher into the sky with long, heavy beats of his wings.
Etienne frowned at hearing the string of expletives coming from Brianna’s mind along with several pleas, begging her deity to ‘not let her die’.
“Brianna, open your eyes, Little One. You are safe.”
“I’m afraid I’ll scream if I open my eyes.” She replied.
Etienne’s dragon levelled out and spread its wings out wide to glide along with a gentle current.
“You will miss the best part of the day if you do not open your eyes,” he coaxed.
He waited another minute before he heard her internal struggle quieten and her sense of curiosity began to take over. She sucked in a breath behind him, bracing herself and Etienne silently willed her to conquer her fear and open herself up to experiencing something new.
“Oh, B, Etienne it’s beautiful,” she said out loud, her voice one of pure wonder.
He had to admit, flying into the hazy autumn horizon as the sun set was one of his favourite times to be on the wing. The colours cast upon the land below were rich and golden, the mountains seemed to stand prouder and more majestic, rivers sparkled like jewels, and the clouds blushed at the sight of so much beauty. While the air was cool and crisp, the breeze that afternoon was gentle and the warm tendrils of the fading sun could still be felt upon his scales, like a lover’s delicate caress.
“I want to try something Big B, can you keep us this steady for a minute?”
“I can keep us this steady for hours should you wish,” Etienne’s dragon puffed out its chest at that.
If a smooth flight was what
the female wanted, that was what she would get. He continued to coast along towards the horizon when he felt her grip loosen from his scales. He tried not to show his concern and instead entered their mind link and heard her thoughts of self-encouragement. Gradually, her hands lifted from his body and he felt her weight shift back, so she sat more firmly upon him, her legs squeezed either side of his neck and he knew she was sitting upright.
Pride swelled within him. She was such a brave spirit, once again she had faced fear and risen to the challenge. While she may be hiding from whatever repercussions of her actions awaited her back in the city, he knew she would face them eventually. Her determined and curious spirit would ensure that she did. A selfish pang of sadness arose in his chest and Etienne immediately pushed the emotion away. Brianna deserved to conquer her fear. His dragon couldn’t keep her.
Etienne remained silent and allowed her to enjoy the feeling of awe and peace that he could sense washing over her. He tuned out of their mind link to give her the moment to herself. If she called him, he would hear, otherwise, he would give her privacy.
They glided until the sky began to lose its tint of burnt amber and the deep blue of the evening sky started to pour its shadows over the world below. Her hands gently clasped his scales at the base of his neck again and he felt her press her body back down into him, squeezing him tight.
“I’m ready to go home now, Big B,” she whispered quietly, “it’s getting a little chilly.”
With a beat of his wings and a feeling of contentment, he turned them around and carried his Little One back to the warmth of his lair.
Chapter Fourteen
Brianna
The shelter of the cave offered a welcome respite from the cold night air, while she had enjoyed their flight, Brianna had soon felt the chilling bite of the dark mountain air as the sun had set. She turned and watched as Etienne’s dragon stooped its head low and crawled into the mouth of the cave. Now that she knew him, his dragon wasn’t so bad. She inwardly snorted at that.
Broken Slumber: A Darkhills Romance Page 10