by MJ Haag
“That cut looks deep,” he said as I settled onto the seat. He pulled a clean square of cloth from his pocket, and reaching into the bed of the wagon, he used a water skin to soak it before handing it to me.
“Hold that to the cut.”
I took the cloth and pressed it to my cheek as he climbed back into the seat and clucked the team into action again. The beast’s roars faded as we moved away. I kept a wary eye on the vines, but they remained dormant.
“What are you doing so far from home?” he asked.
I sighed and told him as much of the truth as I could.
“Things weren’t going well in Konrall so Father moved us to the Water, but the house there is too small. That’s why he wanted Bryn and Blye to marry. But he wouldn’t force them into a decision they weren’t ready to make. So, we all moved into a one room home in town. We’re struggling for food. I thought I could gather near the estate like I used to.”
He nodded.
“Did Bryn marry?”
“No.”
“I offered for her,” he said.
I nodded and turned the cloth over, hoping for a cooler spot.
“Do you think she might reconsider?”
I sighed, thinking of her current troubles.
“She might. But you should know she put her hopes in a man who left her with no promises, only a babe.”
“Children are a blessing,” Henick said firmly.
I hoped Bryn would open her eyes if Henick offered for her again.
* * * *
The wagon clattered to a stop in front of the small cottage, and Henick quickly leapt down to help me from my seat. My face throbbed, so I waved him toward the front door as I walked around back to get cooler water from the well.
When I walked through the back door, I only caught Bryn’s reply to Henick’s question.
“I want no part of dirt farming and scraping to live from season to season. Now that I’m in the Water, I see how much I like town life. I plan to marry up, not down.”
Henick nodded and turned without a word. Bryn closed the door and turned to see me standing there with my mouth open. Saying nothing, she marched to her room and closed the door. I ran to the front door and pulled it open, calling Henick’s name just as he moved to climb into the seat.
He paused and waited for me to run to his side.
“You should keep that on the cut,” he said lightly, taking the cloth from my hand and guiding it to my face.
“She’s a fool,” I whispered harshly, raising my hand to his cleanly shaven jaw. “Marrying you would be marrying up no matter what kind of life to which your wife is born.” I leaned forward and kissed the cheek opposite of the one I held.
He smiled and took my hand to press it against the cloth on my jaw.
“Truthfully, her answer doesn’t bother me. When I heard two of the Hovtel sisters were to be married, I’d hoped one would be you.” He brushed a light kiss on my cheek. A blush ignited where his lips had touched and spread outward.
“Tell your father to contact me when it’s your turn. I’d gladly be the first to offer for you.”
When he turned to climb aboard, I found my voice.
“Why did you hope it was me?” I asked.
“We, my brothers and I, thought you might finally be ready to notice we existed,” he said, grinning down at me.
What an odd thing to say, I thought.
“Of course I knew you existed.”
His smile only widened.
I didn’t know how to respond to that so, instead, I chose to change the subject.
“Did your father ever take you fishing after our visit?” If possible, he smiled wider.
“He did, and it was the best fishing. Ma dried what we couldn’t eat that night and said it would make a fine soup come winter. He also received your note and sent a reply to your father. He teases Ma about wanting to catch a crow to train to carry messages.” His smile faded a little. “It might seem like we live from season to season, but we don’t scrape. The land Da’s clearing is meant to build a house for the first son who marries.”
“If you find someone before it’s my turn, she’ll be lucky to have you,” I said quietly and backed up a step. He shook the reins and pulled away.
Instead of walking inside, I started down the road after him, walking in his dust. From the neighbor’s roof, a crow cawed and clacked its beak at me.
“Quiet,” I muttered, not wanting to acknowledge anything related to the beast just yet.
Covered with a cloak, Ila stood at the door when I rounded the back corner of the house.
“What happened?” she demanded and nudged the guard. He dutifully took a step toward me, but I held up a hand, motioning him to stay.
“I’m fine. I’m here because I need to speak with someone who still has an ounce of sanity.”
She held out her hand and helped me up the remaining stairs. With the door closed, she shrugged out of the cloak then tugged me along. Instead of the basement, she turned down the hall to the right. Aryana waited inside a very clean room with a narrow bed.
“Well?” she said kindly.
“Well, what?”
“What happened to your face, dearest?”
“Oh. Carelessness. A piece of wood.” I peeled the cloth away and showed her.
She tsked and motioned for me to sit on the bed. Using a clean cloth from a fresh bowl of water that waited on a nearby table, she washed the wound and pulled a sliver from the raw skin.
“I would say we should sew it, but I’m afraid there might be more splinters. If we sew them in, it would become infected. Best to let it heal on its own. It will likely leave a noticeable scar.”
I nodded absently, thinking of Henick’s comment. I’d always noticed him and his brothers when they’d come to town. They were a lively bunch that never let the baker or the Coalres bother them. When they’d smiled and greeted me, I’d always smiled in return.
Frowning, I realized I’d never actually said anything in return. In fact, looking back, I realized I’d spoken very little, content with my own thoughts and observations. I compared myself to the beast. He kept his own counsel, and it frustrated me. Was that how Henick felt when I’d done the same to him? Very seldom had I spoken my mind. It wasn’t until I met the beast that I started speaking what I thought. Even then, I still kept much to myself, like now.
I felt Aryana’s curious gaze.
“I met a friend on the road who let me ride with him in his wagon. He made a curious comment. He said that he thought I might be ready to realize he existed.” I met Aryana’s gaze. “I’ve always known he was there. I’ve never really spoken to him, but I’ve always smiled in return whenever he’s greeted me. Why would he think I ignored him?”
Ila laughed huskily and left the room. Aryana sat beside me and clasped my hand in her own. I interrupted whatever she was about to say with another question.
“Isn’t it uncomfortable sitting bare bottomed?” I blushed when I realized what I’d said.
She smiled behind the veil.
“You sound as if you are speaking from experience.”
“Curiosity will be my downfall,” I said with forced playfulness.
“Yes, it is uncomfortable at first. Then I grew used to it, and no longer even notice. As for your friend, I think he meant you never noticed him in a way a woman notices a man.”
“That’s silly. I remember thinking him handsome the first time I saw him.”
“And?” she prompted.
“And what?” I asked confused.
“Did he make your heart flutter or your insides melt?”
“No,” I said slowly. “That sounds uncomfortable.”
She laughed and patted my hand.
“It is, but in a pleasant way. Come, let’s tell your father you’re here. He will want to spend time with you.”
* * * *
Father and I walked together down the market street while I told him of Henick’s opportune arrival and Bryn�
��s second rejection of his offer. We talked of Blye’s success at the dressmaker’s and her talk of opening her own shop in the south. I knew that meant she hoarded her coin and felt pity for Father.
He made no comment about the cut on my face, but I knew he still worried.
As the streets filled with people, Father sighed and said he needed to return to work. I realized I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t return to the Sisters as they were now accepting customers, and I didn’t want to face Bryn after listening to her rude refusal.
Hugging Father good-bye, I started the walk back to the estate.
* * * *
The beast waited within the gates, making no attempt to hide himself.
“You returned,” he said in relief when I stepped through the opening.
“Of course,” I said stiffly. “I wouldn’t want you dragging my father from his bed tonight when I didn’t.”
I marched past him in the direction of the manor, but he caught my skirt and spun me around.
“I apologize for hurting you,” he said gruffly. “Let me heal it.”
“No. I want to wear it as a reminder for you. I’m a person, not an object that will withstand your fury and repair itself. I am not part of this estate.”
“I will not forget again.”
“Pardon me if I don’t believe you.” I tugged my skirt from his clawed grasp and heard a rip. Not caring, I started on my way only to be snagged again.
“I’m not asking. Hold still so I can heal it.”
Slowly turning, I glared at him and crossed my arms. He approached me on all fours, a repentant look in his eyes.
“Bring back the wispy gowns. I will not stand before you without clothes again.”
“Close your eyes,” he ordered as if I hadn’t spoken.
Exhaling angrily, I closed my eyes. The first swipe of his tongue over my jaw hurt, but the pain faded with each subsequent turn.
When he stopped, I opened my eyes and found the black mist surrounding us, too thick to see through. Something brushed over my collarbone. A knuckle perhaps? The gentle touch conflicted with the tumultuous mist.
“Rose, the enchantress, has cast a spell on me, and I’d hoped with your help to be free of it last night.”
He turned away, and I quickly jogged to catch up, grabbing his tail. My curiosity outweighed my anger with him.
“How can I help free you?”
“I would rather talk inside,” he said quietly.
The walk seemed to take longer. When he pushed inside the kitchen, I noticed that the table was still splintered but a loaf of bread was set on the block with a chair beside it.
“Sit and eat,” he ordered.
“Will you tell me?” I asked, moving to the chair.
“She requires one night of pleasure,” he growled, obviously agitated.
“And that is a problem?” After seeing him with the wood nymph, I wasn’t sure how it posed a problem.
“Yes. If you recall, she’s haggard and old,” he replied dryly.
“I’ve met her?”
“Twice. I brought you to her cottage when you hit your head, and she brought the medicine when you were ill.”
I vaguely recalled an older woman with missing teeth.
“How can I help?”
“If I could close my eyes and picture someone else, I thought I might have a chance. It worked until my first—”
I waited for him to continue but he did not.
“Your first what?”
“Never mind,” he growled. “I should have known it wouldn’t be so easy.”
I ate quietly for several long minutes.
“You’re trapped here and the only way to freedom is by giving this enchantress one night of pleasure,” I said in summary, more for my benefit than his. “How long have you been here?”
“Over fifty years.”
“You’ve been trying to pleasure her each night for over fifty years?” I asked in disbelief.
“Not every night. Several years ago she limited me to twice a week.”
I felt a little gaggy on his behalf and understood why he would want to close his eyes and imagine someone else. Why me, though?
“It seems to me that if you’ve been trying the same thing for fifty years and getting the same disappointing results, you would try something different.”
He sighed.
“That’s why you’re here. Now, I don’t wish to talk about this anymore.”
I immediately understood my role too well, but I doubted staring at me all day was enough to store up his energies to ensure an entire night of the old woman’s attentions. But thanks to the sisters, I had a few more ideas.
“One more question,” I said. He nodded reluctantly. “Will you allow me to help you?”
“I already have.”
The humor in his tone was unmistakable, and I knew he meant walking around naked the day before.
Chapter 4
“No. I can truly help you,” I said.
The first thing I needed to do was calm him. His rages were dangerous to me, and undoubtedly disadvantageous to his goal to free himself. However, I felt the sisters’ techniques for muscle relief, given Gen’s response, might lead to another chase through the woods. Perhaps a bath, then?
I glanced at the beast and found him watching me closely. His fur stuck up in odd places and some burrs clung to his tail. No doubt, he would need convincing to get into a tub.
Standing, I marched toward him and leaned in to sniff.
“You need a bath,” I said. “Come. I think you’ll fit in one of the washtubs in the laundry.”
“I’m not bathing.”
“I’ll help,” I said.
The world spun, and I found myself clinging to his back. As soon as he lurched forward, I fisted my hands in his fur and wrapped my legs around his waist. He raced around a few corners and suddenly we stood in the laundry.
Sliding off his back, I grinned at the beast.
“That was fun. I’d expected there to be a fire and hot water when we arrived, though.”
“I believe I mentioned she blocked my ability to use the magic.”
“No matter,” I said as I bent to start the fire.
Behind me, I heard him lifting the large pots to fill with water. We worked together for a long while before we had one of the tubs half filled with steaming water.
“In you go,” I said.
He turned away from me and stepped into the water with a hiss. I quickly poured in another bucket of cooler water so he could sit. He sighed when he submerged up to his chest, his knees spread wide.
Using a dipper, I wet all of his fur and began lathering him. Once his fur was plastered against his skin, I could easily feel the hard ridges of his muscles. They distracted me from my purpose, and I found my hands idly wandering over their expanse. Recalling Ila’s instruction, I began to wash him, rubbing the tension from the muscles in his shoulders and torso.
After I rinsed his back, I moved to the side of the tub and encouraged him to lift first one leg then the other out of the water. He watched me closely as I worked. I likewise paid close attention to him, ready to bolt if he showed any sign of pent energies.
Under the guise of scrubbing, I rubbed his calf muscles and as much of each thigh as I could reach under the water. Several times, I bumped into something under the murky depths, but didn’t know if it was his penis or ball sack. Either way, the flesh did not feel firm, so I continued my efforts to ease his tension.
I didn’t speak as I worked, preferring to adopt the sisters’ silence. It gave me an opportunity to contemplate how to broach the subject of his failed attempts with Rose and what he might try differently. I hoped, after the bath, he’d be more open to suggestions.
When I moved to his head, he groaned and laid it back against the edge of the tub. He kept his eyes closed and his arms relaxed on the edge of the tub as I worked, and I felt certain I’d succeeded in calming him.
After rinsing him a second tim
e, he rose from the tub and shook himself, sending water spraying everywhere. I gasped in surprise and felt doubly shocked when he laughed at me. A real laugh.
“Let’s finish drying in the library,” I suggested, wondering how long he’d stay relaxed and, hopefully, receptive to conversation.
He followed me closely and used the mist to cloak himself. In the library, I waited until he once again settled in the corner before speaking.
“I have a proposal. I know when aroused, you have certain pent energies...”
He made a choking noise.
“...that need to be released or you become tense and angry. However, have you considered that releasing these pent energies might be counterproductive toward your goal of a full night with the enchantress?”
“It crossed my mind as I sat in this very corner yesterday,” he said sardonically.
“I’m speaking of a larger sacrifice,” I said, excited that he understood and seemed willing to discuss the topic. “You’ve been doing the same thing for fifty years. What if you did not visit the enchantress for a week or two while letting your energies build? It might give you an advantage.”
“A week,” he scoffed.
“I’ll help you. You just need to stay focused on the goal—your freedom.”
He remained quiet in the corner for so long I began to pace. Perhaps, I’d assumed too much by speaking openly of his physical needs. It seemed that no one actually spoke of that in polite conversation, discounting the sisters of course.
“Perhaps, you’re right,” he said slowly. “This could work.”
I stopped pacing and smiled at him.
“And, I suppose you want something in return for your help?” he said mulishly.
I fought not to roll my eyes.
“Not everything needs to be a trade or part of some deal. I’m helping to be helpful. That’s all.” And, maybe, by being so, I would win my own freedom.
He grunted, but said nothing more.
* * * *
Several days later, I struggled to maintain my temper as I faced the beast over breakfast. He paced back and forth in front of the door, his familiar mist cloaking him.
The day before he’d tried excusing himself often. However, each time I had quickly followed him, certain that he would try to find the wood nymph or some other substitute.