He grabbed my waist, pulling me quickly to him. My stomach pressed hard against his. Oh my. I grabbed his extended hand and laughed as he swirled us into motion with the others in the crowd. I offered a silent prayer not to injure his toes or fall down.
Soon, sweat beaded over my skin, and my hair even began to fall limp from the jostling and humidity that all of the dancing bodies emitted. Jonas was sweet, only taking his eyes off of mine to make sure we weren’t going to crash into anyone else. I was concentrating so hard on not making a fool of myself I didn’t have time to look up at Faric. The fast tempo of the song bled into another and another.
Then finally, a slow melody filled the air. No one complained about the change of pace, most seeming thankful for having a chance to catch their breath and grab a drink, or three. Jonas led us back to the table and slammed his beer back as I took a gulp of coconut sin. After a few more large sips, I felt fuzzy and warm and started giggling.
“Let’s not miss the slow ones, Lara!” He grinned, pulling me back into the crowd. I held my hand out to grab his hand, but he grabbed mine and put both of my hands behind his neck and traced the outside of my arms down to my sides, landing on my waist. Faric stood to the stage’s side, strumming his guitar, looking blankly into the crowd. Until that is, until his eyes found mine and widened in disbelief. His gaze fell over my body and then stopped cold on Jonas. He stopped strumming for a moment, but then started back up again, lips pressed tightly together. Crap.
“Why haven’t I seen you around here before?” Jonas asked. His sweet, malty breath swam over my face.
“Oh, I’ve never been here before,” I admitted.
“Never been to the bar or to the settlement?” he inquired, grinning with his head cocked to the side as he swayed our bodies perfectly to the slow rhythm.
“Yes.” I laughed. “I’ve never been to either.”
“I would certainly have remembered you, Lara. You’re very beautiful. Will you be staying here for a while?” he asked.
“At the bar or the settlement?” I asked playfully.
“Yes,” he retorted.
I glanced back at Faric, whose eyes were trained on us. Squirming, I tried to put some distance between me and Jonas. Faric stepped to the front of the stage and started playing a hauntingly slow melody that drifted like smoke through the crowd, who started swaying in obedience. Then his gravelly deep voice cut through the noisy bar. Silence filled the air. Jonas pulled me close. It was good to just be held. Just to feel like a normal girl for a minute. Not a newlywed, not the chosen, just Solara. Even if it was a mirage, I wanted to dive in to the crystal-clear water in front of me, swim in this feeling until my fingers pruned. With each turn, I noticed Faric’s gaze—hard and steely trained on us. What was his problem? Maybe he just didn’t want me here because he was performing or something. Maybe he was still angry.
Whatever it was, I made up my mind to ignore him and continue to have fun with my new friend Jonas. When the song ended, Jonas grabbed my hand and carved a path to our table. All around us, girls sat perched upon the laps of their men, husbands or boyfriends, lovers. Jonas sat in a wooden chair beside me; his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me over to him.
I didn’t protest his arm around me; after all, we’d been dancing like that all evening, but there was no way I would end up on his lap. I was not lap candy, especially for some guy I’d just met and barely knew. He never pushed his luck though just kept his arm around my waist as we talked. Jonas was very talkative, and for that I was thankful. He talked about his family. He had seven sisters and was the youngest, so his stories were hilarious.
A bouncy, fun rhythm filled the room, and Jonas nodded his head back toward the dance floor and smiled. “It’s my favorite.” He laughed. “Come on, Lara.” I grabbed his hand and laughed. He pulled me tight, widened his eyes and said, “Let’s go.” With that, we took off, galloping along with the others to the fun beat.
The song ended too soon. I was having a blast. I put my hand on my chest to catch my breath and laughed. Jonas put both hands on his knees and looked up at me laughing too. His breath was ragged. Then his smile faded, and his eyes drew attention to something behind me. I turned around to see Faric standing there. He was so close to me. His chest almost touched my shoulder. And he looked pissed. Great.
“May I cut in?” he asked, his teal eyes hard as stone. He held a hand out, waiting for me to accept it. The band began a slow sweet melody. A tall skinny brown-haired man clad in head to toe light brown clothing began singing. I recognized the song from Wesley’s class. I took his hand, looking at Jonas, who had straightened and crossed his arms in front of him.
“Jonas,” I said, “this is Faric. He’s a friend of mine. I’ll catch up with you in a few, okay.” My eyes hopefully plead with him to understand the intrusion and Faric’s rudeness. What? Was he marking his territory? Jonas, glanced at me and said he’d wait at the table before walking away. When he got there, he threw his beer back, wiped the drips from his face with the back of his hand, and sat down, staring in our direction.
Crap. Just one night of normal. Is that really so much to ask? Faric held me back from him a bit. Jonas had fearlessly held me as we danced, pressing us both together without hesitation. Faric’s hand stayed steady on the small of my back, and his rough fingers clamped down on my clammy hand. I cleared my throat and met his gaze. “You sounded great up there. I didn’t know you played or sang. You were awesome.”
“Thanks.” His terse response was a testament to his anger.
“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” I asked, growing tired of his piss poor attitude. He was acting as if I’d forced him to dance. Jonas, on the other hand, actually seemed to enjoy my company.
“No.” He looked away.
I’d had enough and let go of his hand and pushed away from him, but the hand around my waist caught me. “Don’t go, Lara. It’s just a dance. You’ve obviously been enjoying your dances this evening.” He nodded toward Jonas.
“What? So I’m not allowed to have fun. Am I not permitted to dance?” I asked indignantly.
“You certainly have been,” he said through gritted teeth.
I looked at him and snarled, “Yes, I have been. And if you hadn’t been such a jerk earlier, I would have been dancing with you all evening. But you ran away from Maylon’s. She encouraged me to come and talk to you, but you have been busy on stage.”
“So I’m not supposed to play?” he said in disgust.
“No. You are supposed to play. And I can dance when and with whom I please.” I wanted to go to Jonas. “We are not married, Faric. We are not together. We are just friends, and I can dance with Jonas if I want to. He’s just a friend. Friends and freedom are things I’ve never had. I don’t expect you to understand, but I do ask that you respect it. I’m having fun and he actually enjoys my company, so if you’ll excuse me.” I tried to pull away again, but he pulled me closer, flush against his body.
He inhaled deeply and looked at me and said, “I know we aren’t married or together. But I don’t like you dancing with him.”
“Why? Why don’t you like me dancing with him? He’s been a perfect gentleman. I just wanted to make a friend. Why can’t you understand that?” Good Lord, the man infuriated me and exhausted me simultaneously, and I didn’t even know that was possible.
“I understand that,” he said, softening his eyes and voice. “I just feel...protective of you.”
“Okay. Well, I guess I appreciate your concern, but Jonas is harmless. Give him a chance. Come with me and talk to him. He’s hilarious.”
“Hey, do you know any of Wesley’s songs?” he asked, looking down at me with one brow lifted.
“Yes. I know most of them. Unless they are brand new, I guess.”
“Do you know “The Moon Song”?”
“Yes. Why?” I asked. It was a beautiful song. I’d heard Wes strum along and sing it as well. And though I didn’t know it at the time, it had been th
at melody that he’d been playing on his cello the day I walked in on him shirtless and—Focus, Solara, I keep on telling myself.
“Will you sing it with me in a few?”
“What? No. I don’t sing well and definitely don’t sing in front of crowds. You’re doing great.” I stepped backward. The band had started a very fast song, and the crowd started writhing and jumping along with it. I grabbed Faric, and we stepped to the side. He grinned at me. “I’ve heard you sing it. You sound beautiful. Please, just sing in the background or just the chorus. I’ve always thought it would sound lovely for a woman to be a part of the song.”
“Fine. Then we’ll talk about everything. About Riven and everything?” I was bargaining with the trader and hoped he’d find this a fair exchange, though it was hard for me to fathom Faric being the trader and a guard in the kingdom simultaneously. His smile dropped, but he agreed to my terms. After two more lively songs, Faric strapped his guitar on and led me out on stage with him. He introduced me, and all of my internal organs began to shake. Jonas and friends pushed their way to the front. Jonas grabbed a girl about our age from her perch at the bar so he could dance along too, but he kept his eyes set on me. I rocked back and forth, heel to toe, wringing my hands. They were sweaty.
Faric strummed out the beautiful rhythm and filled the air with his gravelly voice. The lyrics flowed like silk through the room. Then, I joined in. My smoky alto voice mixed beautifully with his sexy gravelly distinctly male one.
He’d held my gaze for the entire song as we sang together, and my apprehension melted into his confidence. But an entirely different kind of nervousness erupted in my stomach. If I were a cat, I would have been purring. This was so perfect. But I didn’t understand why he looked at me as if I were the only person in the room. Had he forgotten about Lil? Had I forgotten about Wes? It was all so confusing. Until recently, we’d never even had contact with men, and now they were everywhere and it was overwhelming. I shook the thoughts from my mind.
After the song, Faric stayed on stage at the request of the band and played a few more songs. Jonas helped me hop down from the stage, and we danced and laughed, but it was somehow different from before. I was different. Now I didn’t want to look away from Faric. I caught myself stealing glances at him with every turn. When my feet screamed in pain, I crashed into one of the chairs, and Jonas stood beside me and put his arm around the chair back. “You sounded amazing, Lara,” he said, grinning.
“Thank you,” I said, looking at my hands. I glanced back at Faric who was watching us as he strummed along with the band. When the song ended, the band started packing up, and the bartender yelled that we had ten minutes to clear out. The pub was closing.
I had no idea what time it was, but it was very late at night, or very early in the morning. I cringed at the thought of waking Maylon. She was tired earlier. Somewhere along the line, I’d fallen in love with that woman somehow in the short time I’d known her. I wanted to stay with her forever. She would keep me safe. Safe from what, I wasn’t sure. I silently cursed myself for not paying attention to prophesy lessons but then thought that I would surely recall something about the fate of the chosen if it had been taught. Then it dawned on me. It hadn’t been taught.
They never got that far. Just to the mark, and that the chosen was basically some sort of key thing. The patrons stood, whooping, laughing, and finishing off their drinks. Jonas gulped his beer and smiled down at me, almost sending the foamy drink out his nose. What was so funny?
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Lara, and dance with you and hear you sing.” He bowed.
“Okay. Now I know you’re drunk,” I joked.
“Oh, I would never be too drunk to know that you are amazing and beautiful,” he said softly, having stooped down to look directly in my eyes. I shifted on my feet. His lips were only an inch from my own, and his half-lidded gaze indicated his intention or desire. Or both. I was not kissing someone I just met. Anyway, I needed to quit kissing people. I was married to Wes.
Stepping back to put some distance between our mouths, I said, “It was great to meet you too. Maybe we can hang out again sometime. As friends.” I emphasized the last two words, quickly hugged him like a friend and turned to leave. I didn’t see Faric as I walked to the door.
The cool air outside was a relief. At some point in the night, my hair had become an unholy mess, so I released the ribbon around it and felt my new layers cascade down my back. Strolling toward Maylon’s, I hoped that Faric would catch up with me.
A frantic light appeared in the field across from me and kept getting bigger and closer. Deranged monster firefly? It was a young boy, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, with dirty blonde hair.
“Are you Solara?” he yelled.
“Yes,” I answered back hesitantly. What did he want?
“Hurry. You have to come with me. It’s Maylon!” he yelled, motioning me to hurry and follow him. I didn’t hesitate. It was Maylon. She was in trouble. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I ran faster than I’d ever run in my life. We crossed the field and started through a wood of sparse trees. I leaped fallen trunks and rocks with the grace of a deer trying to outrun a predator. Only I wasn’t running from anything. I was running toward Maylon.
We ran around to her front door. The boy flung the door open, and Maylon was in the floor on her knees, bent over, holding her head. I rushed to her side and put my arm around her shoulders, trying to lift her head upright. “Solara!” she yelled, her eyes wide with fright.
“Maylon. I’m here. I’m here. It’s okay. What happened?” My breath cut ragged out of my chest.
“Solara. Run. They’re almost here. They’ll kill you, child. Run. Run and hide now. I’ll buy you as much time as I can. Go out the back door!” she yelled desperately.
“What? Maylon, who is almost here? Who? Maylon, please talk to me,” I begged frantically searching her face.
Then she turned toward the doorway. I heard a loud noise out front. The young man leaped out into the night to see what happened. I heard his strangled cry, and my body clenched in terror. “Maylon,” I whispered. “We have to get you out of here.” I tried to lift her but she fought me. “Maylon, please. Come on. We have to go.”
She grabbed my arms and looked in my eyes. “I said to run. This is your last chance. Everything depends on your survival. Go. Please, Solara. Out the back.” She pointed a wrinkled finger toward the rear door. “There’s a cave about a mile away. Just keep running. Don’t stop until you get there. Then hide, child. Don’t let them get you. Go!” she yelled. I stood and staggered toward the back door, watching her sink back down, holding her head. Another of the boy’s screams pierced the night as I ran out back into the thick darkness.
I ran as fast as I could into the woods and kept running. I had no idea how I would find this cave in the dark. Caves were dark, too. I had no source of light— nothing but the clothes on my back and my will to survive. And I would survive, for Maylon. Who was after me? What did they want? Was Maylon okay? Bile rose from my stomach as I ran, branches whipping my face, leaving stinging trails in their wake. I tripped over a rock and fell hard on my knees, one of them landing on another sharp rock.
My kneecap burned, and I felt warm wetness oozing down my leg as I sprinted through the forest. The darkness reminded me of my ring. Obsidian. It was black and polished to a stunning shine.
I prayed Faric was safe too. I kept running until I came to a small stream. I splashed across the cool water and looked ahead, seeing a huge rock cliff in front of me. It seemed somewhat out of place but scanning its length, I saw an opening in the rock.
The cave. I crept up to the opening and peered inside. My flesh formed a blanket of goose bumps, and I grabbed my elbows to steady my shaking extremities. I looked for a nest or evidence of a den inside, but it seemed empty. I ventured cautiously into its darkness, which somehow was even worse than the night outside. When I could barely see outside, I stopped, feeling safer that I had view of
the entrance. I wanted to know who was after me. Or what was after me.
Then the remnants of my nightmare drifted back into my thoughts. I had been in a dark cave. The cat eyes emerging from the darkness, the dark angel with wings like a raven’s. The evil look on his angelic face sent shivers down my spine. After my introduction to the hellfire whip, I knew such monsters existed. I sunk down against the cave wall and shook for a long time. Finally succumbing to the numbing effects of the coconut devil, I leaned my head against the rock behind me and drifted to sleep.
The sounds of footsteps in the cave woke me. Crap! Someone was in here with me. They approached from the entrance, and the silhouette of a person contrasted with light of the entrance.
Daylight. I needed to get outside. I sunk into the rock behind me and quieted my breathing. The footsteps continued toward me. I squeezed my eyes closed, but when the person grabbed my shoulders, I screamed a guttural primal scream that echoed through every crawling crevice of the cave before fleeing into the morning outside.
“Solara!” he yelled, shaking me gently. I recognized the voice and sunk into his chest, sobs overtaking my body. Faric. He had found me. He held me and shushed me until I calmed down.
I composed myself enough to croak out, “Maylon. Is she all right? What about the boy?” He didn’t answer me, just pulled me back to his chest, its warmth creeping over my ice-cold skin. His silence said it all. She was gone. They both were. The sobs started again, and my body shook uncontrollably as I mourned yet another friend taken from me along with the innocent boy. Alone. I realized that Faric placed himself in danger just be being in my presence. But right now, I just wanted to hide in his arms forever. I tightened my grip on his shoulders and cried.
Faric’s horse carried us across the forest at an amazing clip. I didn’t even know how he’d gotten another horse, but he had, and I was thankful for the beautiful creature. She was cloaked in black from mane to tail. Silky and dark. Beautiful.
Pariah (The New Covenant Series) Page 15