Stolen Away

by Marion Webb-De Sisto

  “I’m not sure I understand. Are you saying if I was the heroine, I’d have a problem with the hero not being human because I have low self-esteem? You need to explain that one to me.”

  “A poor self-image wouldn’t stop you liking or loving another person, whether human or not, but it influences how you would handle it. Subconsciously, because of your low self-esteem you expect a relationship not to work out. It’s much easier to create a cause for not having it rather than handling a painful breakup. If you convince yourself there’s a reason you can’t be together, then you don’t ever have to face what you believe would be an inevitable end of the romance. Whew! Does that make sense?”

  “You sound like a shrink.”

  “Well, I did take Psych 101.”

  “So you’re saying it’s better if the heroine doesn’t have a problem with him not being human?”

  “That’s right. You can have some kind of difficulty between them, but not the one you’re thinking about. Esther, you write romance novels not handbooks on psychology. Your readers want to be carried away from their humdrum lives, not plowed under with a character’s emotional turmoil. Have the hero and heroine fall madly in love with each other. Let the conflict come from several bad guy demgels who’ve banded together to stop him rescuing the ones they’ve captured.”

  “I was thinking along that line. They would want to stop the hero and would probably try to kill him. I’ll have to come up with something else with regard to their relationship. Maybe he comes on too strong in the beginning and that makes her think he’s got an overblown ego.”

  “Turn that around. Maybe she comes on too strong. Whatever you decide will be fine, I’m sure. Just don’t use the scenario I don’t like. I’m happy to proof-read for you when you’ve written a few chapters.” She stood up and added, “Right now we should check that everything is tidy and as it should be in the store before opening time.”

  That was Anna’s advice on Esther’s drawback with Dreydon. Some of what she’d told her friend was true, but the heroine wasn’t having a problem with the hero’s otherworldliness because so far in the story she was unaware he didn’t come from Earth. Obviously, when she found out he wasn’t human Esther would need to steer clear of making that become a problem. Anna’s advice was always sound.

  What about my friend’s psycho-analysis of the real problem? She had avoided any further contact with Dreydon and she did doubt her ability to keep him interested. Esther presumed it was possible she didn’t have a deep-seated problem with him being a demgel, but had used that as an excuse to not become involved with him. She wasn’t sure if that was the truth, but it didn’t matter because he wasn’t exactly knocking down the front door to get to her. They’d had sex and apparently that was all he’d wanted. Esther was sure that thought had definite lack-of-confidence overtones.

  In the evening, when she went home, Esther found two bars of sandalwood soap on her dining area’s table. Dreydon had been there but didn’t wait for her to come back. She knew he couldn’t stay there for hours because that would be a day or more in his counting, but he might come back later to see if she’d returned. As this didn’t happen, it was obvious he felt friendly toward her, but nothing more.

  * * * *

  For Dreydon, being without Esther’s company was agony. He constantly thought about her, wondering what she was doing and whether she was happy to be back home. Does she ever think about what we shared under the waterfall? The demgel knew she was grateful he had rescued her, but he wanted much more than her gratitude. He wondered if she was making sure she ignored any attraction she’d felt toward him. She’d called him a creature and a beast, but he was actually her mate. He was miserable and was hoping she might also be unhappy now that she lived away from him.

  To make matters worse, Toldo would remind him of Esther’s absence. The wolf came indoors each night, sniffed the armchair, then the bed and whined. Sometimes he howled. Dreydon had to stroke and hug him to make him stop. Apparently, her fae enchantment worked on a wolf as well as a demgel.

  He made frequent visits to Narrak and Menil. Their brood of six all hatched successfully and it was amusing to watch them attempt to fly or belch small puffs of fire and smoke when they fell down with a bump. Their antics helped distract his thoughts from Esther. When they’d exhausted themselves and were asleep, Dreydon would talk to his two dragon friends about his sadness. Narrak reminded him of his warning that she could bring much unhappiness and he muttered something about some humans being foolish, even if they weren’t unpleasant.

  Menil asked Dreydon if he was in love with Esther. After a few minutes deliberation, he answered in the affirmative and stated that he hadn’t realized it until now. He’d presumed love was something he would never experience. The female dragon advised him to go to Esther, state his love and that he didn’t want to be without her. Menil pointed out how by staying away it might appear to Esther that he had little interest in her. This would not be difficult for a person with a poor self-image, such as Esther, to believe.

  Dreydon agreed. It was something he’d considered, but he would wait a while longer in order to give Esther time to realize he was her mate. When they’d parted he’d explained how she could always call him, so he was hoping she would do this. If he went to her unbidden, he might have to be forceful and that would definitely make her angry. Dreydon had experienced both joy and anger with Esther and he could assure his friends which emotion he preferred. Even his demon was coming around to his way of thinking.

  He read her books and enjoyed them. It was obvious Esther possessed a fascination with romance. Her heroines had no problem with the heroes not being fully human. Dreydon considered it a pity she didn’t follow suit where he was concerned. He’d wanted to only borrow the books so that he could see her again when he returned them, but she’d given them to him. This action made it apparent she didn’t want any further contact with him.

  Dreydon also spent many hours in the amethyst cave. What Esther had told him about the purple mineral seemed to be true. When he felt distressed, he would go to the lair, but always flew away hoping she would call him to her side.

  When that didn’t happen, he decided to go to Esther’s home. He used the excuse of bringing more soap, yet was disappointed when he found the apartment empty. Once he looked at the calendar on the wall of her kitchen, he realized it was a Friday and that meant she was working in her friend’s store. Esther wouldn’t be home for several hours and that would be almost a day in Kurbridor time. He couldn’t stay away from his world for that long; he was helping some centaurs build a watering system for their crops. Dreydon left and was upset at the missed opportunity of seeing her.

  The day after he’d taken Esther home Perali came to his cabin. She was pleased to see that the human female was gone and asked whose demgel scent was mixed with hers. She’d become aware of it when she sniffed Esther. Dreydon told her it was Zortek’s and that he’d taken his captive away from him. She thought that was a pointless thing to do, but was glad he’d sent the human away. When Dreydon refused to have sex with her Perali became furious. She made angry and disparaging remarks about Esther, and then Dreydon forced her to leave.

  Weeks went by and there was no further sign of Perali. He hoped this meant she wouldn’t come back, but about three months later she returned. This time in order to make sure the female demgel would stay away he told her Esther was his mate and that very soon he would be bringing her back to Kurbridor to live. This resulted in a tirade of verbal abuse from Perali, who stormed out of his cabin. Dreydon was grateful that he wouldn’t be plagued anymore by her demands for sex.

  Chapter Twenty

  It was now just over a month in earth time since Zortek had abducted Esther. Other than the two bars of soap left on her dining area’s table there was no indication that Dreydon even remembered her. She had given a great deal of thought to what Anna said about how her lack of self-esteem would affect her view of the demgel. As each day passed, she
felt more certain her friend was correct. Dreydon’s otherworldliness wasn’t the problem; it was her inability to believe he really cared. His extra bodily bits definitely didn’t concern her. She had reached the point where she was fond of them. They were all part of what made him so appealing. His smile would be lacking if it didn’t reveal the retracted points of his fangs, a delicious reminder of what those pointed teeth could do during sex. His scales displayed the emotions that governed him and she had known the warmth and protection of his wings.

  If only she could believe he really wanted her to be his mate. He’d spoken about Esther being such a person in his life, but she believed it was just another part of his demon’s plan to initiate sex with her. Dreydon told her more than once how much his demon wanted her, so that meant it was only a physical need. It was an itch that needed to be scratched. He said when demgels made love the demon was in command, so even though they’d shared incredible sex, it was all about lust, not love. The demgel had managed to awaken that physical desire in her, too. She’d lost all sense of who she was and what she considered important while he’d thrust himself deep inside her. All that mattered was his wonderful love-making. Now reality governed her and it was a painful dose of the truth. Dreydon’s interest in her was motivated by his lustful demon, nothing more.

  It was a Sunday and she’d spent much of the day writing about her demgel hero. The storyline was moving along nicely and she could foresee no problems with the unfolding of the tale to its eventual end. She’d forfeited lunch in order to keep her fingers tapping across the laptop’s keys. So supper was a welcome break that quieted her grumbling stomach.

  Esther hurriedly loaded her crockery and cutlery into the dishwasher; she wanted to finish writing the chapter that was more than halfway done before settling down to watch TV. As she pressed the button to begin the process of washing her dishes, movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Esther looked across to the dining area and was just in time to see Zortek and Perali becoming fully visible. Both were dressed in their usual knee-length pants and boots. Perali was also wearing a short top. Esther stared in surprise and apprehension. There was no way they were in her home for a friendly visit.

  “There she is. Look at that annoying piece of human flesh that Dreydon wants to make his mate.” This remark came from Perali. Obviously she could speak English.

  “She was supposed to be my sex slave until he took her from me.” Zortek uttered a snarl and showed his fangs.

  “What are you doing in my home?”

  “Can’t you guess? We’re here to make things the way they were supposed to be.” Perali moved closer to the countertop that separated her from Esther. “Zortek is going to take what belongs to him, and then I will kill you.”

  Fear and anger set Esther’s fae attributes in motion. Her eyes began to spark and with her mind she aimed the two saucepans that were on top of the stove at the demgels. They avoided both of them and the pans crashed to the floor in the dining area.

  “Oh, this measly human has some fae blood in her, but obviously not sufficient to do any real harm. Zortek, hurry up and take her. I can’t wait to sink my claws into her throat.”

  There was a phone on the wall just beyond the kitchen area, but the two demgels were blocking her path to it. If she could call the police and say intruders were about to rape and kill her, they might arrive before it was too late. Of course, the cops would be shocked to discover the intruders weren’t human, but that was the least of her problems.

  Zortek walked around the end of the countertop and came closer. Esther made the kettle that was filled with water hit the demgel squarely in the head. For a moment, he looked dazed and in that brief space of time she remembered what Dreydon had told her just before he left.

  “Dreydon, come quickly. I’m in great danger.”

  Recovering from the blow to his head, Zortek pounced on Esther and his hand went to the back of her head. She knew what he was doing and cursed herself for letting him get so close. As her muscles froze, she saw Perali laughing at her.

  “Oh my, the little bi-species can’t move. She’ll feel everything you and I do to her, Zortek, but she won’t be able to stop us.”

  Esther’s heart was pounding with alarm. As she tried to think of some form of defense, her line of restricted vision noticed the bread knife near the sink. When she’d loaded the dishwasher, she must have overlooked it. Even though her muscles weren’t working, her mind was. She’d show that demgel bitch how much she disliked her. Before Perali had a chance to avoid the knife it flew through the air and bedded itself in her shoulder. She snarled in pain and pulled the knife out. Golden blood leaked from the wound and stained her top.

  Zortek dragged Esther out of the kitchen and pushed her down onto the floor of the dining area. With a facial expression that could only be described as demonic, he announced, “Now, you’re mine.”

  Perali drew close, apparently wanting to watch. She gave a bone-chilling laugh.

  At that precise moment, Esther heard a low, familiar voice that said, “No, Zortek, she will never be yours. I’ve already claimed her.”

  The expression on the two demgels’ faces was priceless, they were in total shock. Esther wanted to give them a beaming smile, but even her facial muscles were inert. As she stared up at them, they both suddenly dropped to the floor. A second later, Dreydon was kneeling next to her, looking concerned.

  “Are you hurt, little Esther?”

  She could only answer him telepathically. “Zortek froze my muscles.”

  His large hands gently lifted her head and the muscle paralysis was gone. She sat up and could see that both Zortek and Perali appeared to be unconscious or dead.

  “What did you do to them? Did you kill them?”

  “No, but they are no longer conscious. Are you hurt? Did they harm you in any way?”

  “I’m fine, but only because you arrived in time. Zortek was about to rape me, and then Perali was going to kill me.”

  Dreydon helped her stand up and held her to his chest. “I’m sorry you had to witness the more unpleasant side of demgel nature. I knew Perali was angry, but I never thought she would want to kill you.”

  “If Zortek had managed to rape me, I think I would want to die.”

  Dreydon hugged Esther, and then released his hold on her. He looked around and said, “I can see you didn’t go down without a fight. Did you throw those pans and the knife with your hands or your mind?”

  “I used my mind. They dodged the pans, but I struck Perali in the shoulder with the knife. There’s a kettle that was full of water on the kitchen floor. It hit Zortek in the head and stunned him for a minute.”

  Dreydon smiled down at her. “Aren’t you glad you are part elf?”

  “Well, I would have thrown the pans with my hands anyway, but that would be all I could do once I couldn’t move. I guess being fae has its benefits.”

  “They won’t stay unconscious for long, so I need to take them to Kurbridor straight away. When I’ve dealt with these two, I will come back and we can talk. Just wait for me.” He stooped down, took hold of Zortek with one hand and grasped Perali in the other. With a firm grip on both Dreydon inclined his head in Esther’s direction and was gone. Except for her, the dining area was once again empty.

  She stood still, waiting for calmness to return to her. Dreydon had just saved her from being raped and killed. He would be returning quite soon so she needed to think about what to say to him. Esther mentally debated whether she should be telling him how much she’d missed him. He said they could talk when he came back, but she wondered what that would be about. However, what she needed right now was something to calm her nerves. A mug of chamomile tea should relax her.

  When she moved back into the kitchen, Esther noticed the water on the floor. The kettle was lying on its side and the lid was nearby. She’d have to mop up the water before making the herb tea. Her sneakers squelched in the wetness as she moved to pick up the kettle and lid.
When she’d put them together and placed the kettle back on the stove, Esther made her way to the cupboard in the hallway. There was a bucket and mop in there with which she could soak up and squeeze out the water that had spilled from the kettle. She took them out of the cupboard and was about to return to the kitchen when her intercom buzzed.

  Esther hurried to it and pressed the button. “Hello?”

  “Hi, it’s me. Buzz me in, hon.” It was Anna.

  Esther did as her friend asked and opened her front door. She walked back along the hallway with the mop and bucket, heading for the kitchen. The front door closed and she sang out, “I’m in the kitchen.” She started mopping up the water. From behind her she heard,

  “Did you spring a leak?”

  “No, I dropped the kettle and most of the water spilled out of it.”

  Anna’s hand on her arm halted the mopping action.

  “How did you manage to drop the kettle? Are you okay?”

  Esther turned round to her friend. “I’m fine, just a little distracted.”

  Anna stared at her face. “You don’t look fine. What’s going on? You look flushed.”

  She continued to mop and answered, “I guess I’m flustered. Spilling the water is upsetting.”