by CJ England
Milcham felt another shiver go up his back. “And the second?”
She didn’t speak for several long moments. Then she sighed. “The second card…is The Death card.”
That chill went straight up his back and shot deep into his chest. “The Death card? What does it mean?”
She lifted worried eyes to him. “Just what you think. In the way it is positioned, and partnered with this other card, it means loss, failure, illness, bad luck or even…death. You have two possible futures Mr. Phoenix. You will either succeed in what you have been doing, and find the soulmate you seek, or…you will die.”
For a long time he didn’t move, his mind and body stilled by her words. Then his temper rolled up and out of him.
“You think you can frighten me into allowing you to stay,” he roared, his voice making the crystals that hung from the ceiling shiver at his wrath. “You dare such a thing? Is this the type of help you plan on giving the locals? This witch’s carnival trick?”
Aithne gaped at him, totally shocked at his twisted reasoning. “I gave you a reading. One you know very well was accurate,” she shouted back, her own temper flaring. “I’ve been doing this long enough to see the truth on someone’s face.”
“You know nothing,” he snarled.
“I know you’re a coward. You know I spoke the truth to you, and you’re afraid to admit it. I honored our agreement! Will you?”
He swore aloud. “We made no agreement! You wanted to do a reading, and I said yes. That was all.”
She thought her head would blow off in her fury. Never had she been so angry before. “You…you bastard! You liar! You have no honor!”
Milcham swept the cards off the table. “You challenge my integrity? How dare you?”
Flinging her long hair back, Aithne stood her ground. “I dare because it’s the truth!”
“I want you gone by sun-up!”
“I have a contract,” she spat at him. “And I’m not going anywhere!”
He took a step forward, his jaw clenching and unclenching, but still for some reason, she wasn’t afraid. Instead, there was an excitement in her that didn’t make any sense. She watched with luminous eyes as he brought himself under control, and then turning on his heel, marched out of her tent.
Suddenly, all the fight went out of Aithne, and she sank to the ground. She stared after the man who had sent her senses racing. Part of her still seethed at his attitude towards her, hating him, yet another part…a gentler one, knew there was something more.
Slowly, she gathered the cards that had fallen around the table. She methodically shuffled them, and held them to her breast as she prayed. Then, setting the stack of precious cards on her flowing skirt, she blew out her breath in a sigh.
“Who…” she whispered. “Who will this man be to me?”
Taking a deep breath, she reached out and turned over the top card. The breath rushed out of her in one long woosh.
The card was The Lovers.
—
After Milcham stomped out of the tent, he headed for the nearby woods, intent on walking off some of his anger. Unfortunately, he was stopped by two of the roustabouts who were having trouble with a towner who had groped one of the ladies who sold cotton candy. It felt good to blow off steam while he gave the drunken local a taste of his mind. When he saw his people looking at him with raised eyebrows, he knew he was acting out of the norm.
As soon as he was able, he left the crowd and headed deep into the forest. It was a cool September night. The mountains of Tennessee loomed above him, and the tall trees made him feel like he was home again.
A pang of dark homesickness went though him. In that, Aithne had been correct. While he enjoyed his time out in the world, he missed his home with a fervor that at times threatened to strangle him.
He could tell his time of renewal was getting closer. He tired easier and his strength, usually the same as ten men, was much diminished. He slept more and ate less. Soon, he would have to leave this place and head for his walled city. Soon, it would be time to step into the fire once more.
Milcham’s mind went again to the words Aithne had spoken. They had been too close for comfort. He shook his head. How could she know about his quest for a twin-flame? He spoke of it to no one.
She’d also been correct about his searching. He’d never stopped, never given up…never forgot the reason he was out in this human world. No matter where he went or what he did, his goal was always to find her. He thought back over all the women he’d met. Had he ever even been close?
Memory stirred. There had been that one time. When was it…a century ago? He’d been passing though a small town in California . He thought for a moment as he passed below a low branch in the path. That’s right…Sonora . It was a place with a history and he’d enjoyed his time there.
He’d been walking down the street one night when he’d felt a tingle in his inner being. He’d stopped, barely breathing, as he tried to capture the elusive summons again. Milcham’s heart had leaped when he sensed it close by. But before he could track it down, it was gone. Snuffed out like a candle, as if it had never been at all. After several hours of fruitless searching, he’d all but convinced himself he’d been dreaming.
He’d moved on, but the memory lingered. And now…with Aithne’s words of prophecy ringing in his ears, he couldn’t help but think of it. Could he have missed the woman he was seeking way back then? Or was she still out there, somewhere…waiting for him?
—
Aithne walked slowly through the meadow path feeling the soft breeze tease her hair. She had been walking for sometime, allowing the night air to soothe her frazzled nerves. Now she turned back toward the carnival, yet she still felt uneasy. Her altercation with Milcham Phoenix had bothered her more than she realized. And then to draw that card? She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
There was no way she was going to get any closer to that arrogant, opinionated, judgmental bigot, even if he was gorgeous and…she sighed…had such sad longing in his eyes. The cards weren’t infallible, and she would make her own destiny. The man she would take as her lover wouldn’t be so hard and angry, but caring and genuine. She would find her own twin-flame, and like the man who refused to leave her thoughts, she would search until she found him.
She was so lost in contemplation, she didn’t notice she had company until they were upon her. Her senses prickled and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She looked up just in time to see three young men blocking her way. Her pulse raced in sudden fear.
Looking over their shoulders, she saw she’d wandered too far from the carnival grounds to be heard. A man laughed and her eyes snapped back to him. Immediately, she became even more cautious. One of the guys standing in front of her had been in her tent earlier that night.
She cursed her own stupidity. It was late at night, she was in a strange town, and completely isolated from anyone who could help her. When she’d been Aidan’s familiar, no one would have dared touch her. He would have protected her. Now she had no one but herself.
“Excuse me,” she said, pleased her voice didn’t tremble too much. “I’d like to get by.”
The three men laughed. One, the same red-headed guy who’d made a pass at her in her tent, spit on the ground. “If it isn’t the gypsy. It must be my lucky night, no matter what your fuckin’ cards said.”
Aithne remembered the cards had warned this man would be hurt. The Ten of Swords warned of sudden misfortune, ruin of plans, defeat, and pain, while The Knight of Swords told of a brave man being involved. She had told him to be careful, that someone whom he’d wronged would take vengeance on him. Could she have been wrong?
Her heart began to pound. “I need to be getting back.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” The three men started to fan out around her, and Aithne’s heart pounded in sudden fear. She may still be stronger than a normal woman, but she didn’t think she could beat three young men in their prime. And since all
of them stank of drink, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to talk them out of whatever they were planning to do.
She hated the helpless feeling she had as she watched them. Every woman in the world would know exactly how she felt right now. But she wouldn’t make it easy for them. She’d fight tooth and nail to get away.
“I’m warning you,” she said angrily. “I’m stronger than you think. You won’t get away with this. ”
“We’ll get exactly what we want,” one of the other’s said with a sneer. “You…flat on your back…bitch.”
The red head moved suddenly and grabbed at Aithne’s arm. She spun away and slapped him, connecting hard with the side of his face. He swore and recoiled, but the third man grabbed her from behind. She struggled, and when the second man lunged at her, she kicked out, connecting solidly with his balls. The man gave a high pitched shriek, and grabbing his injured crotch, fell to the ground.
The red head recovered and slammed his fist into the side of Aithne’s mouth. She saw stars and tasted blood, but still managed to elbow man number three in the stomach. Breaking free, she ran.
She didn’t get far before, she was jumped from behind. She let out a piercing scream and then fell hard to the ground, feeling rocks and stones stab into her hands and knees. Her stomach rolled as a man’s sour alcoholic breath rasped in her ear.
“Where do you think you’re going…cunt? We caught you fair and square.”
Aithne struggled, using her supernatural strength to toss him off of her. Rising to her hands and knees, she tried to scramble to her feet, but her long flowing skirt hampered her efforts. She got one knee up off the ground, but then he was on her again, this time with help, as another man grabbed at her arms.
She screamed again as they turned her to her back. The three men loomed over her, all grinning evilly. The red head stepped between her legs. “I’m going to do you hard.” He unzipped his pants. “And because you hit me, I’m going to hurt you.”
With his friends cheering him on, he came down on top of her. His friends still held her arms, but her legs were free and she used those to kick at him. She could feel his slobbering mouth against her breast, and almost gagged, but it pushed her harder to fight. Calling on what was left of her strength, she pulled her arm away from one of the men, and used it to rip out the red head’s hair.
When he shouted in pain, she lifted her knee. She connected, but because he felt her coming, he was able to move a little so it had only a partial impact. She fought harder, as she felt his hand creep up her naked thigh.
Suddenly, there was a rush of wind and an almost blinding glow of light. An unearthly scream rent the air, almost melodic in its song. The man on top of her was lifted and tossed away as if he was no heavier than a feather. Using the distraction, Aithne raked her long nails down the side of one of the other men’s face. He screamed and let her go, and she scooted away, turning back when she heard a grunt and a loud cry. In the darkness, all she could see were two men fighting.
She could hear the impact of fists on flesh and the sound made her sick to her stomach. She watched breathlessly as the larger man pummeled the other into submission. When he fell to the ground, she couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief.
But it didn’t last. “Look out!” she screamed. The big man turned just in time to see the red-headed guy swing at him with a broken branch. It hit him in the side of the head and both men fell to the ground.
All she could hear was more grunts and the sounds of fists flying. They rolled, battering at each other, seemingly lasting forever. Then, there was a sharp crack and they both went still. Aithne tried to scramble to her feet to see what happened, but her leg was jerked and she fell back.
Looking at her feet she saw the third man. His face was feral in the moonlight and she felt a spasm of fear. But when he leaped at her, she reacted, using the skills learned over a century of living. Her leg whipped out and she caught him under the chin. His head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground. She crawled quickly away from the still body in case he was playing possum.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw a large form walking her way. The moon had slipped behind the cloud and she couldn’t see who it was. She whimpered under her breath. Shock was setting in and her strength was failing. With the last of it, she lurched to her feet and tried to run.
The arm that caught her was so hot, she cried out, thinking she was being burned. She pushed away…terrified one of the men was after her again. But instead of hurting her, the man folded her against his chest in such a gentle protective way, it brought tears to her eyes.
“Hush, Assai,” the man whispered. “You are safe now.”
Aithne froze at the sound of the deep, melodic voice. Carefully, she lifted her head and looked incredulously into glowing amber eyes. “You?”
Chapter Three
Milcham held her tightly against him. His heart was pounding in a mixture of anger and relief. He smoothed his hand over her hair. “It is all right,” he reiterated. “They cannot hurt you anymore.”
He thought of the moments in the forest when he’d heard her scream. He’d known instantly it was Aithne, and that she was in trouble. His head had shot up, and without even thinking, he’d shifted into his bird form, his whole being intent on getting to her.
Launching himself above the trees, he’d headed in the direction of her cry. When she screamed again, fury such as he’d never known filled him and he’d arrowed down in all his fiery glory, right into the middle of the group.
When he saw what was happening, he let out his battle cry and morphing back into a man, he pulled the would-be rapist off of her body and flung him away.
Then, he’d grabbed another man and set to tearing him apart for daring to touch her. It was primitive, instinctual, but he knew deep inside him he wasn’t protecting just any woman.
He was protecting a mate.
But he pushed that knowledge away, refusing to admit it, even to his deepest self. Instead, he fought, enjoying the feeling of the human male’s flesh tearing beneath his fists.
He watched Aithne, impressed she didn’t cringe against the ground, mewling for help. She shook off the last man, clawing at his face with her sharp nails. She wasn’t totally helpless, that was certain. There had been marks on the rapist’s face as well.
He took the man out with a last blow to the jaw, and when he fell he turned and met Aithne’s eyes. He didn’t think she could see him clearly, yet her eyes were still filled with admiration. Before his chest could swell with pride, the look changed to one of horror, and she’d screamed for him to be careful.
A well placed branch to the side of the head made him see stars. It would have killed a normal man, but it just angered Milcham. He grabbed the red headed man who’d swung it, and they both toppled to the ground.
He was even angrier when he saw the third man, who Aithne had scratched, get to his knees and go after her. Afraid she’d be hurt, he made short work of the man he was fighting. A blow to the stomach, made the drunken man gag, and then a crack to the side of the jaw, put him down for the count.
He jumped to his feet just in time to see Aithne take out the last guy with a well placed kick to the chin. He shook his head in astonishment as the man crumpled like a wet napkin and fell to the ground.
Striding to her, he didn’t see the fear in her face until it was too late. Then, all he could do was wrap her in his arms to try and soothe her. Her cry of pain alerted him to the fact he was still hot and burning from his anger. Immediately, he doused his inner flame and held her tightly.
“How…” she whispered. “How did you get here?”
His arms tightened. “I was taking a walk. I heard you scream.”
She shuddered and buried her head in his chest as her knees gave out. They sank to the ground and he pulled her into his lap. “I wasn’t paying attention. I wandered too far away from the carnival. It was stupid.”
Privately he thought so too, but since she’d lea
rned her lesson, he didn’t think he needed to rub it in. “It’s over now.”
She gave a watery laugh. “You scared me to death. Where’s your flashlight?”
Milcham blinked. “Flashlight?”
“The one you shined in our faces when you first got here. It was so bright, I couldn’t see anything.” She lifted her head and looked up at him. “And the way you howled. Now that was scary!”
Milcham realized his bright light had prevented her and the others from seeing his true form. He’d never before been so careless. Breathing a sigh of relief, he only shrugged. “The flashlight was destroyed in the fight. And I’m sorry my shout frightened you. It was only my…family’s battle cry.”
“And I’m sorry you had to be involved in this. I should have known better. My brother would kill me if he knew I’d been so stupid.”
So she had a protective brother. “Older than you? He must be. You can’t be…what? Eighteen? Twenty?”
Aithne laughed and he saw her cringe as the movement made her bruised lip split and bleed. She wiped carefully at the blood. “Thank you, but I’m twenty-four. I’m…much older than I look.”
“You’re bleeding.” He took her gently by the chin and lifted it up to the moonlight. “One of those bastards hit you?” His voice reverberated with rage.
“To be fair…I hit him first.”
Milcham swore a pithy and concise oath. “There were three of them and only one of you. Nothing about this was fair.” He stroked his index finger over the swollen lip and his eyes glowed briefly. “This is going to bruise.” He wished he could chance healing her, but it would cause too many questions.
Aithne held her breath at his touch. Her heart suddenly began to beat very fast. “I’m afraid that…that won’t be the only one.”
His hands moved gently over her. “You are hurt elsewhere?”
She wanted to moan aloud as his palm brushed the side of her breast and trailed down her side. Moisture gathered between her legs and she wanted to wriggle in his lap. “I’ll…I’ll be…fine.”