Calling the guards would only make them more aware of her, and that wasn’t something she wanted. The less they noticed her up here away from town, the better. All she needed was snoopy guards discovering the little treasure she’d built here. Her taxes and protection fees were already high enough; someone might decide that she owed a little more.
So, that left her with only one choice: become nursemaid to a stranger, a man who looked like he’d been in some trouble. It was going to be no small feat to get him cleaned up and into the house, but she couldn’t leave him here, and he wasn’t coming in the house the way he was. Then she remembered the big tub in the cleaning room next door and began the slow task of dragging him through the drying house.
Chapter Six
***Colin***
Colin opened his eyes to bright sunlight streaming into the room, but it wasn’t a room he recognized, so he closed his eyes again. He lay there trying to remember how he’d gotten there, but his head began to pound, and soon he was clutching the bedcovers in pain. Under the pounding in his head, he felt his arm throbbing hotly as if it were being held over a flame and risked opening his eyes to see if it was on fire.
The knife wound had healed, but it was pulsing with a faint red glow that made him feel nauseous, and he looked away, concentrating instead on the room that he was in. Ignoring the pounding in his head, he looked around, noticing that the room had a masculine feel to it. The dark blue bedspread and curtains looked new, but the furniture was well used, scarred and discolored from time’s passing.
He tried again to find some memory of what had brought him here, but his head began to pound again, so he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. As he lay there waiting for the pain to pass, he became aware of voices outside the room. Just murmurs at first, they grew louder, and he soon heard the sound of footsteps, so he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
“Eli, I’m telling you that in his condition, he’s no danger to me,” a woman’s voice said. “Look for yourself; he’s still asleep.”
There was silence for a second, then he heard a man say, “I still don’t like it, Darby. We have no idea who he is or where he came from, and he’s hurt. How did that happen?”
“I’m sure he can answer all those questions when he’s better,” the woman said. “You’ve been bugging me to work at the store for months now; this is your chance.”
“I still don’t like it,” the man said.
“It’s only for the morning. Fiona can handle the restocking,” the woman said. “Please, Eli, I don’t want to have to call the guards.”
“Okay, but I’ll be back before lunch to check on you,” the man said.
He heard a single set of footsteps go back down the hallway, then quieter steps come into the room and cross over to the window. His eyes still closed, he lay there trying to decide what to do when the room began to fill with the most wonderful scent, and for a second, his senses went crazy. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before, a combination of comfort and desire that left his heart pounding and his blood pumping.
Unable to stop himself, he opened his eyes, desperate to find the source of the confusing smell, and found a young woman looking at him. He couldn’t tell how old she was, especially not dressed the way she was in men’s pajamas that must have been three sizes too big for her. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid that fell over her shoulder to her waist, her skin tanned to a golden brown, but it was her eyes that got him.
Full of far more knowledge than they should have been for someone who looked so young, they studied him, taking in every inch of his face. “You look better this morning, but you still look feverish,” she said, crossing over to the bed. “I’m Darby; you were in my drying shed.”
Colin’s heart was going crazy in his chest as she got closer, and when she reached out with the back of her hand to check his fever, desire flared to life inside him. Almost immediately, his head began to pound again, and a sweat broke out on his forehead. “What’s wrong with me?” he managed to croak.
Darby dipped a rag into a bowl of water on the table by the bed, then put it on his forehead. “It looks like you tangled with some pretty bad men. That cut on your arm is full of black magic; it’s never going to heal on its own.”
“But magic isn’t allowed in Ballentine; it’s against the law,” he stammered, not wanting to believe what he was hearing.
“Just because it’s against the law doesn’t mean it’s not out there,” she said gently. “Do you want to go to the hospital, or do you want me to try to fix it?”
Colin could only stare at her. “How do you plan to do that?” he finally asked, afraid to hope.
“I’d rather not say,” Darby replied. “In fact, it’s better if you don’t know.”
Her answer told him everything he needed to know, and he wasn’t sure if he was scared, shocked, or curious. He closed his eyes, the pain in his arm beginning to build again. “Do what you have to do. I’ll just lay here with my eyes closed.”
He felt her pat his shoulder. “I’ll be right back. I need a few things before I get started.”
A few minutes later, she was back, carrying a tray of scary-looking instruments, and he wished he’d kept his eyes closed. She smiled down at him. “Don’t worry: it looks worse than it is,” she said.
Her smile calmed him, and he closed his eyes again. “I don’t know why, but I think I can trust you,” he said.
“Maybe that’s because I didn’t let you die out there in my drying shed last night,” she said.
He grinned but didn’t open his eyes. Well, there is that,” he said, then winced when he felt a cold blade against his skin.
“I’m not going to lie to you; this is going to hurt a lot,” she said just as searing pain radiated up his arm.
Gasping, he tried to fight the pain, sucking in huge breaths of air, until his head began to swim. He was only vaguely aware that Darby had begun chanting under her breath, words he couldn’t understand but touched him someplace deep inside, calming him and taking away the pain.
Just before he passed out, he felt her hand on his brow, and she whispered, “Almost there. Rest now; the worst is over.”
***Darby***
Darby gathered up her dirty instruments, wrapped them in towel, then with one more glance at her patient, carried them to the kitchen. She slid them one by one into the sink full of hot soapy water, then plunged her hands in after them. With a hard-bristled brush, she scrubbed the blood off her hands, out from under her fingernails and around her cuticles, then dried them on a soft towel, aware that they were shaking.
She sat down at the table, laid her forehead on the cold hard surface, and closed her eyes, exhausted. Between a nearly sleepless night, and the toll the spell had taken on her, she felt like she never wanted to move again, but she had to check on the man. When she’d left him still out cold, his wound had already begun to heal again, but this time hadn’t been as angry looking.
She’d used as strong a spell as she dared, but it might not have been enough, so she got to her feet and stumbled back to the bedroom. To her relief, the wound looked normal, and the man was sleeping peacefully, so she fell into a chair by the bed. Curling her feet under her, she closed her eyes and was asleep almost immediately.
When she woke a few hours later, it was to find a pair of very green eyes watching her from across the room. She sat up in the chair and smiled. “You look like you feel better,” she said.
“Yes, and I have you to thank for that, but right now I would give anything for some water,” he said, his voice raspy.
Darby walked over to the bed, all too aware that the man looking at her was much healthier than the one she’d faced earlier that day. He still didn’t look dangerous, but she knew nothing about him; it would be wise to be on her guard at least for now.
“Can you sit up?” she asked, picking up the glass of water from next to the bed.
“I think so,” the man said, sliding himself into a sitti
ng position.
She handed him the glass, then retreated a few steps, watching him carefully. He drained the glass, then held it out to her. “That’s better,” he said, smiling at her. “I won’t hurt you; I promise. You saved my life.”
Darby reached out and took the glass from him. “Who are you?” she asked, stepping back again, trying to not look at his naked chest.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said, shaking his head. “No one else has.”
“Try me,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
The man sighed. “My name is Colin, and I’m Prince of the Seelie. My parents kicked me out of the castle, I had all of my money stolen, and somehow, I ended up in your shed.”
“Very funny,” she said, backing away from him. “If you can’t tell me the truth, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I told you that you wouldn’t believe me,” he said. “But I promise you that I’m telling the truth. I really am Colin, Prince of the Seelie.”
Darby could only stare at him open-mouthed, trying to process what he’d said. “But you can’t be, I mean, it’s not possible...” her words trailed off.
Colin shrugged. “It is, and I am, but I’ll get out of your hair if that’s what you want,” he said, throwing back the covers and getting to his feet.
Darby didn’t believe him, but he was standing there naked, making her body do things it had never done before. “What are you doing? Get back in bed until I can find you some clothes,” she said, looking down at the floor.
“You told me to leave,” he said.
“Not like that,” she said, risking a peek at him.
He was grinning at her, clearly amused by her discomfort. “Are you embarrassed?” he asked.
“No,” she lied, but the blush she felt rising to her cheeks said differently, and she knew it, so she turned away.
“You are embarrassed. That’s cute,” he said. “I’ve never met a Fae who was embarrassed by nakedness.”
Pushing aside her discomfort, she turned back to him. “I’m not embarrassed,” she said, then opened her mouth to say more, but Colin’s legs buckled before she could speak.
She rushed over to him and caught him just as he was about to tumble to the floor and pushed him toward the bed. As he fell, he grabbed her, and together they fell back onto the bed. Darby landed on his chest, her face just inches from his, and her body went wild with desire. Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to get away, but Colin’s arms were locked tightly around her.
“Let me up,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Why? This is kind of nice,” he said with a wicked grin on his face.
She stared at him with what she hoped was a stern look, then pushed against his chest and tried to wiggle out of his arms. He laughed. “That’s not going to help,” he said. “Unless you see this ending differently.”
Darby froze when she felt him stiffen against her leg. Pleasure raced through her body, and her breath caught in her throat, but she managed to find her voice. “I don’t see this ending any way but you letting me go,” she said. “Let me up.”
Colin studied her for a moment, his eyes darting to her lips, and then back to her eyes. “I’ll let you up for a kiss,” he said, then rolled her over on her back.
Before she could stop him, his mouth came down on hers, her body exploded with pleasure, and she melted in his arms. When his tongue slipped into her mouth, the world around them melted away, and for a second, she was completely lost to the passion between them. But then the sound of the front door opening and closing penetrated the fog of her pleasure, and she found just enough strength to wiggle out from under Colin.
She stood staring at him, her chest heaving with passion, then turned and fled the room, too confused by her body’s response to find any words. Eli was just coming down the hallway, but she brushed past him, desperate for a few minutes to collect herself. But he turned and followed her, a suspicious look on his face.
Chapter Seven
***Colin***
Colin watched Darby leave the room, a huge smile on his face, then climbed back under the covers and leaned back against the pillows. In the last twenty-four hours, his life had gone from perfect to horrible, but kissing Darby just then had almost made it all worth it. He shouldn’t have kissed her, that much was clear, but the feel of her body against his had woken a desire in him that made clear thought impossible.
He’d never seen a Fae blush like she had when she saw him naked, and it had done something to him deep inside, stirred an instinct he’d never felt before and couldn’t describe in words. There was something different about Darby, an innocence that was rarely found in the Fae, and he found it refreshing, tantalizing. Putting his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and thought about the kiss and decided that he had to kiss her again.
He was just about to drift off to sleep when the sound of a man’s voice startled him awake again. It was impossible to hear what he was saying, but he was suddenly filled with another emotion he couldn’t name. Jumping out of bed, he looked around for his clothes, feeling an intense need to be out of the bedroom and wherever Darby was. Quickly rifling through the dresser, he finally found a pair of pajama pants and slipped them on.
He crossed the room to the door and cracked it open just a little and poked his head out. Seeing no one in the hallway, he crept out of the room toward the sound of voices, feeling like a child spying on his parents again. When he got close enough to hear the conversation clearly, he stopped and leaned against the wall, surprised to find himself slightly winded.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he heard Eli ask.
Darby sighed. “I’m fine. I fell asleep in the chair after I fixed Colin’s arm, that’s all.”
There was a long silence. “Will you stop looking at me that way? I’m fine,” Darby said.
“Fine, but you didn’t look okay when you came out of that room. I don’t trust that guy,” Eli said. “Did you find out who he is?”
Darby laughed nervously. “He says he’s Prince Colin,” she said.
“What?” Eli asked, clearly shocked by her answer.
“He says that the king and queen kicked him out of the castle, and then he got his money stolen, but he can’t remember how he got here,” she said.
Colin heard the sound of a fist hitting something. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you here alone with him; he’s crazy or something. I think it’s time he went on his way.”
“I believe him,” Darby said quietly.
“What?” Eli demanded again.
“I believe him,” she repeated.
Colin couldn’t stay hidden any longer. Darby’s words had sparked the first ray of hope he’d felt since his nightmare had started. “And she’s right. I am Prince Colin,” he said, coming around the corner.
There was a silence in the room as the three of them stared at each other, then he broke it. “I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed these. You seemed uncomfortable with me running around naked.”
Darby gasped, and Eli’s head whipped around so fast, Colin was sure it would come right off. While he was staring at Darby, it gave him a chance to observe the other man, and he wasn’t sure he liked what he saw. Good looking and muscular, his hands rough from working, he looked exactly like the kind of man Darby would want.
“He was naked?” Eli finally managed to ask, now staring at Colin.
“Yes, I mean, his clothes were all messed up,” Darby said, the blush appearing on her cheeks again. “It wasn’t like he makes it sound.”
Colin wanted to tell Eli that if he hadn’t shown up, they would have both been naked in a few minutes, but he kept his mouth shut. The younger man looked like he was about to jump over the table and attack him, and he wasn’t sure he could win a battle with him right now.
“This is not happening,” Eli said, his face turning a bright shade of red. “I want you out of here right now. I don’t care if you are the prince, which I doubt: y
ou need to leave this house.”
Darby was looking at Eli in shock. She reached out and put her hand on his arm. “Eli,” she began, but he cut her off.
“I want him gone,” he said.
The look that appeared on Darby’s face made him cringe just a little, and he felt bad for the other man. “Eli, this is my house, and I’m the only one who can make that decision. I understand that you’re concerned, but I don’t think I’m in any danger,” she said. “Colin can stay until he feels well enough to leave.”
Eli’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “Fine, have it your way, but I’m going to be watching,” he said, then stormed out the door.
***Darby***
Darby took a deep, steadying breath and turned to Colin, who had a strange look on his face. The sight of him dressed only in pajama pants was still unsettling, and she knew that she’d been harder on Eli than she should have been. But her mind and body were reeling with all the new emotions and sensations bombarding her every time she turned around.
Her quiet life had suddenly gotten more complicated than she was comfortable with, and she had to find a way to gain control again. The source of her discomfort was still standing in her kitchen watching her, and to her horror, she felt her cheeks pinken again. Knowing her attraction to him was the first place to start, she turned to the refrigerator and opened it.
“Why don’t you go back to bed? You’re probably still a little weak,” she said, not looking at him. “I’ll make some lunch and bring it to your room.”
Colin crossed the room and sat down at the kitchen table. “I’ll just rest here and watch you cook, maybe think about kissing you again,” he said, a satisfied grin on his face.
Darby looked over her shoulder at him, her stomach doing flip-flops, then put her head back inside. When she finally managed to get herself together, she decided just to ignore Colin, but that proved harder than she thought it would be. Her back to him, she started putting sandwiches together, taking her time, but feeling his eyes on her the entire time.
The Fae Prince: (Fae of Ballantine) Page 4