The Willows: Haven

by Hope Collier

  Kaede nodded and retreated toward the cottage. “I’ll bid you both farewell then. My lady.”

  “Kaede,” I said, my gaze locked on the woman in the yard.

  “Fraternizing with the commoners?” Kyle held a hand to his chest. “What would people say?”

  I slapped his shoulder and finally looked away.

  “Don’t be rude,” I hissed. “They’ll hear you.”

  “Please, everyone here knows I’m joking. Kaede and I are good friends. We hunt together all the time.”

  “Oh,” I said, still off kilter.

  “You ready to learn?” Kyle pulled my hand through his arm and set off toward the museum.

  “Sure,” I answered then froze.

  Kyle jerked to a stop, his hand up in question when my eyes widened.

  “Blue!” I said and slapped my forehead. “She’s not a Dryad.”

  “You noticed that, huh?” Kyle lifted an eyebrow.

  I looked at him expectantly.

  “She’s human,” he explained as if there were humans all over The Valley.

  My jaw dropped. “How is that possible? I thought humans couldn’t know about nymphs or this place.”

  “She’s the first in over two-hundred years,” he said as he began walking again. “Save the life of someone important, and you’re golden.”

  “How long has she been here?” I asked. “Kaede said they had an older son who was with the humans. How is that possible?”

  “Elise is eighty, I believe,” Kyle said on a shrug. “She’s been here for about sixty years now.”

  “She doesn’t look a day over twenty,” I said. “That’s impossible.”

  “You should know there’s no such thing as impossible by now.” Kyle grinned and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Elise is a prime example of why humans can’t know about us.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “She stopped aging. And short of a catastrophe, she’ll never die.”

  I felt the shock on my face. “She’s immortal?”

  “For as long as she chooses The Valley. It’s the grass,” Kyle said. “A little tea goes a long way, but if she stopped drinking it or left, she would wither away very quickly.”

  “Wow.” I shook my head then a thought crossed my mind. “What about her children?”

  Kyle’s expression fell. “They’re human. Everyone had high hopes that bringing Elise here, we could figure out how to grow our numbers, but nothing’s worked.”

  My anger rose up. “So what, she’s a breeding project? Like a panda in captivity?”

  “No, no! Of course not,” Kyle said quickly then sighed. “Well, that wasn’t the idea in the beginning. She saved my life one day while Kaede and I were hunting. My mother offered her the chance to live here, and Elise, having fallen for Kaede, accepted. When they began having children, we just hoped it might be possible. And her kids are exceptions to the laws here as well. They’re given every opportunity and choice she is. They understand the situation.”

  I sighed, my fingers brushing the mossy oak as we passed through the tunnel. Why couldn’t things ever be simple?

  “Where’s your brother this morning?” I changed the subject. “Off doing something charitable no doubt.”

  Kyle laughed. “Is that sarcasm I hear? He’s working a deal with someone in California. There’s a trip planned for next week.”

  I stopped in place, and Kyle looked at me.

  “Do you think he’d take me with him?” I asked hopeful.

  “It’s hard to say what Kevin will ever do. Let’s just focus on educating you for now, all right?”

  The smell of sunshine and grass wafted through the air as we neared the museum. An expansive building rose from the trees at the end of the path. I slowed my stride to study the formation of bent limbs and curved trunks.

  “Is that the museum?” I questioned in wonder.

  Kyle grinned. “Yeah. Pretty neat, huh?”

  “To say the least.” I walked the path around the building, marveling at the way the many trees grew upward, intertwining at the top to form a roof of heart-shaped leaves and twisted branches. “How did you do that?”

  Kyle ran his hand over the white flaky bark, a deep appreciation in his eyes. “We’re good at growing things, much like the giant oak tunnel. By manipulating their growth patterns, we don’t have to kill the trees to use them.”

  Marble floors chilled the soles of my bare feet. I followed the naturally formed hallways, peering into a number of rooms that housed everything from a library to a gallery full of paintings and sculptures. The museum felt creepy with only Kyle and me there. While record keeping was important, I figured the Dryads already knew their history having either lived it, or heard the stories. I couldn’t imagine the museum got much traffic.

  We sat at a long table and Kyle rolled out a logistical sketch of The Valley, explaining a bunch of things I never cared to know.

  “Kyle?” I interrupted his lengthy story. “You remember the other day when we talked about nymph influence on humans?”

  He suddenly became interested in his map. “Yes.”

  “I was thinking about that more. And while I was attracted to Kevin, it was never as intense as with…” My voice trailed away when his lips pinched into a thin line. “What I mean is, how was Kevin so sure I wouldn’t find someone else? Even when I was drawn to him, I wasn’t head over heels stupid.”

  Kyle’s hands stilled and he sighed. “Because he had me follow you. I was ordered to watch your every move. What you did, who you were with, where you lived.”

  I gasped and watched his profile as he stared down, his eyes fixed on the counter.

  “Part of me hated invading your life like that…”

  “And the other part?” I asked, the sarcasm back in full force.

  He looked at me, his eyes searching. “The other part was grateful I had the opportunity to keep you safe.”

  I narrowed my eyes and scoffed.

  “Look, I didn’t invade your privacy like some perverted stalker. I just watched out for you. End of story.” Kyle’s fingers drummed on the table.

  “You’re blushing.” I tapped his pink cheek.

  “No, I’m not.” He tried to turn his face away, and I grabbed the bottom of his jaw. His denoting eyebrows pulled up in the middle. The telltale signs of a lie were written all over his guilty expression.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.

  “It’s just, during that time, I had an opportunity to see more of the real you — the one who loves reading and classical music. That’s when I fell … felt like I’d found my best friend. How Kevin could miss all of that, I’ll never know.” Kyle paused, his eye’s probing. “He’s missed a lot more than your loving to read though, hasn’t he? He doesn’t know you at all. Not like I do.”

  My eyes fell to the map, a frown tugging at my mouth.

  “There’s so much more to you than the façade you show the world, Monet.” He leaned closer, his hand over mine. I cleared my throat. “I’ve seen more of that girl lately. I’ve missed her. That is when she isn’t trying to hate me and everything about this place.”

  “I don’t hate you, Kyle. Far from it. You’re one of the few things here I don’t despise.”

  “Regardless, I miss your smile and carefree ways. Even your walk was different, less edgy. Now, you look like a rubber band that’s been wound too tight, ready to snap.”

  I trapped my lip between my teeth.

  “He’s never known you,” Kyle muttered to himself, bitterness coating every word. “He never will.”

  I pulled my hand from Kyle’s, leaving a cold void where our skin touched, and walked to the window overlooking the stream. “So, you followed me the whole time I knew you?”

  Kyle nodded.

  “Even leaving the party?”

  “Yes,” he answered straightforward.

  “If you were there, how did you lose me in Arizona? Was it because the bellboy got my car?” />
  “Yeah,” he said. “Oren saw you go out the front and he just assumed.”

  “Whose idea was it to run me off the road?” My tone turned accusing as I pivoted to meet Kyle’s eyes. “And then that stunt in the parking lot?”

  He flinched. “The running you off the road thing was an accident. We were trying to fix it when your friend showed up.” Kyle’s chair scraped the floor as he stood and moved to stand beside me. “Oren was the idiot mastermind behind the parking lot. I could’ve killed him for being so reckless.”

  “Figures.” I scoffed.

  He smiled grimly. “We lost you after that. Your little side trip to Texas threw everything into a tailspin. It all went to pot from there.”

  I tensed waiting for Kyle to ask. Mercifully, he didn’t. Texas was a turning point in my life, and we both knew it. Things would’ve played out much differently for everyone had Texas not come into the picture. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  I crossed my arms and followed the length of the room, studying an array of paintings and portraits that lined the walls. Vines wound through the white tree trunks, and disappeared into the ceiling of branches. An iron podium stood at the far end of the room, bathed in sunlight pouring through an ornate stained-glass window.

  The walls on either side of the pedestal were lined with books, and the scent of age and musty paper strengthened the closer I moved. My breath caught with a gasp as I stopped, hovering above the open page. I grabbed either side of the podium to steady myself. A yellowed parchment with frayed edges laid, rolled open beneath a Plexiglas box. Blood pulsed through my ears as I took in the shapes of willow trees decorating the top of the page and the wax seals and signatures along the bottom. The pale background emblem held the same seal as the journal I found at the lake house.

  “Is … is this what I think it is?” I asked, my voice trembling at the sight of a familiar ancient language.

  Kyle’s hand settled at the small of my back. “Please don’t do this right now, Monet.”

  “Answer me, Kyle.” I turned my head to meet his eyes.

  He drew a deep breath. “It’s the treaty, yes.”

  “I can’t imagine you want to read it to me, huh?” I asked, not sure what answer I wanted.

  “Not especially.” Kyle sighed then added, “But if you ask me to, I will.”

  I hesitated. “Not now.” I shook my head and took a step back, swallowing hard. What would it do for me besides raise more questions? I forced my feelings into the vault and looked at the green vines climbing the wall near the window.

  “What’s going to happen to Harry?” I asked, twisting the ivy between my fingers.

  Kyle scoffed. “Why do you still care after all he’s done to you? I would think you have more reason than anyone to hate him.”

  “I just can’t reconcile the two images,” I tried to explain, feeling the heartache on my face. “He’s my family, Kyle, even when I didn’t know it. I have this picture in my head of the man I loved like a father. Then there’s the other one — the one that’s real, the one of the man who sold me to the enemy. I can’t separate the two. I don’t know how.”

  “You feel like you were sold, like a slave?” Sorrow flashed in his eyes. “And my family’s the enemy?”

  “I’ve been drugged, stolen, lied to, and manipulated. I don’t have a choice in any part of my life or even a say. I can’t choose who to love or where to live. Is that not enslavement?” My hand fell. “How would you feel?”

  “I would be bitter and full of hate,” Kyle confessed with frown. “You have to understand though. Harry was never that man you knew growing up. He’s always wanted power, even before you mother was born. Harry’s ultimate goal was your grandfather’s position. He used someone important as a bargaining chip between our families, pitting us against each other by playing both sides.”

  Of course. The face of Ilana’s curly-haired baby popped into my mind.

  “What?” he said. “You’re not going to badger me about the identity of this person?”

  “No. Why would I?”

  Kyle studied my face for a long time. His eyes narrowed. “My mother talked to you, didn’t she?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  Surprise washed over him. “No one knows about that, Ash. You don’t understand what a huge ordeal that was for her … is for her! Not even my siblings know.”

  Kyle began to pace in front of me.

  “She told you,” I claimed.

  “Did she now?” he challenged, his eyes locked on mine. “What exactly did she say?”

  I hesitated, not knowing how to answer him. Ilana had shared her very personal history with me. While Kyle knew some of the story, there was no way to know how much he knew. I wouldn’t betray her confidence like that.

  “Enough it would seem.” I turned away.

  Kyle sighed. “Well, getting back to the point, Leith created an elaborate story to tell both sides concerning the child’s fate. The Naiads believed that we had the baby and we were trying to use him against them to gain something. Leith told us the same story. But it began to fall apart. And in short, your mother was promised in place of the baby. Well, not the baby so much as the war that brooded over the situation.”

  “What would happen if the treaty were broken again?” I asked. Kyle lifted a suspicious eyebrow. “Would it mean a war?”

  “Our people’s numbers are suffering. Kevin wouldn’t risk them, but he would find someone to take it out on. You and anyone you ever loved would be at risk until the treaty was met. You’re in deeper than your mom ever was.”

  “But if it was all a lie on Harry’s part, why does it matter anymore?” I asked. “Why is he even breathing?”

  Kyle’s face hardened. I didn’t know if he caught the undertone of my question — why was I still subject to the treaty if everyone knew the truth?

  “Some of my kind turned stupid,” he confessed with disgust. “They uncovered Leith’s betrayal and decided to use him for their own wants. They offered him amnesty in a way. He would do what he was told, when he was told to do it, no questions asked.” Kyle gritted his teeth. “He was smart though — smarter than those who thought they were controlling him. In classic style, he turned it around to make them believe they had the power when really, he held it. Then my—”

  “Ashton? Kyle?” Kevin’s voice echoed across the marble floor. Caught up in our disturbing conversation, we both jumped.

  “Later,” Kyle whispered as he put on a feigned smile, encouraging me to do the same.

  Kevin rounded the corner to see us content as we looked over the old drawings.

  “Ashton, let’s go,” he ordered, not bothering with a hello. “We need to talk.”

  “Fine,” I said on a sigh and looked to Kyle. “Thanks for today.”

  He nodded once and started straightening up.

  “Ashton, I’m leaving for California in a few days on business, and I’ll be gone for several months,” Kevin began as we walked home. “As you know, our family doesn’t leave the safety of The Valley, but I maintain the company, and it’s necessary I go in person.”

  “Whatever you need to do,” I said, unsure but excited at the thought of not seeing him for months.

  “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t allow you to leave,” he continued. “But having talked to my parents, we’ve decided to move up the wedding date. I want you with me from now on, and this is the only way I can assure no one will risk staging a rescue while we’re away.”

  My mouth went dry. I tried to take a breath, but it felt like someone had wrapped cellophane over my face. Dots floated across my vision, and I struggled to keep my legs steady.

  “M-m-move the wedding up?” I repeated.

  “Yes. The ceremony is Saturday evening.” A wicked glint shone in his eyes. “Six o’clock and you’re mine forever.”

  “That’s tomorrow.” I bit back the dread.

  “You should rest up now, while you have the chance.” His voice grew husky, and my head
began to spin.

  Kevin opened the gate to the front lawn and ushered me to the door. His hands found my waist, and he pulled me close, his focus trained on my lips. “I’ve waited a very long time for this.”

  His mouth moved to mine, his kiss rough and greedy. I shut my eyes, forcing myself not to feel, and waited for him to finish. Finally, he stilled and backed away, wearing a predatory smile.

  I clenched my shaking hands behind my back and plastered on false enthusiasm. “I’d better go before I do something to get me in trouble,” I hinted, hoping he took it the way it sounded.

  “One more day, and you can have all the trouble you want.” His finger trailed the length of my jaw. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Kevin traipsed off into the trees, perfectly at ease. I on the other hand, slipped through the doorway and into a panic.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Confessions

  Billowing clouds layered the sky, hiding the sun behind a ceiling of gray. Erin and Aurelia danced around me, chattering on about something I didn’t hear. Their fingers moved through my hair, twisting and curling pieces here and there. I kept my focus on the floor, avoiding any hint of my reflection in the windows or otherwise. My heart went into overdrive at the thought of today’s events. I closed my eyes and drew a steadying breath.

  “…and your dress is styled in the traditional form of the Naiads.” Aurelia’s voice broke through my subconscious. “Mother thought it would be a nice thought for you as well as introduce our people to the new life the treaty will bring.”

  Erin whisked a garment bag into the bedroom. She unzipped the front and pulled out an intricately designed gown. My body went cold as images of an Arthurian era floated through my mind. The cream-colored satin held a scooped neck bordered with a strip of translucent golden beads. They matched those circling the wide flowing sleeves. An elaborately stitched sash wrapped the midsection of the A-line skirt and swept to the floor.

  “Is that it?” I asked, my voice a choked whisper.

  “No, this is your reception gown,” Erin said. “You’ll change into your wedding dress before the ceremony.”