by Lisa Kumar
"She’s an old friend of yours?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably. Though she dreaded the answer, she had to know.
He startled and slanted her a sideways glance. "Yes, how did you guess?"
An icy pit opened up in her chest. So she was right? "A lucky speculation."
"She’s but a friend now and really was never more."
What was that supposed to mean? "Okay."
He snagged her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Remember to rescue me if I’m gone too long."
Her mouth quirked into an unwilling smile. His gesture was wonderfully sweet, and it warmed her that everyone, especially Miss Lovely, would’ve been able to see it. "Will do."
She watched as Lorh walked away. Suddenly, a feeling of loneliness swamped her, and she shivered. Why hadn’t she insisted on going along with Lorh? Sure, he hadn’t asked her, and she was standing in the middle of a crowded square, but she was an outsider here. That’d never been more readily apparent.
Then it hit her. She was the foreigner here, and if she made no overtures, she’d never fit in well. And if she were lucky, she might see another human.
Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her head and strode to the nearest stall. A few minutes melted away, and she found herself browsing from one place to another. Surprisingly, the people manning the stalls put her at ease. All had a greeting and a smile ready for her. Sadly, none had been human so far. Where were they all hiding? Well, if she didn’t meet one soon, maybe she’d meet Jodin’s apprentice once she returned to the shop.
She let her feet take her where they wanted, and when she next glanced up, her stomach dropped. Miss Lovely’s booth, containing swathes of fabrics in all colors and patterns, stood before her. Of course the lady was looking right at her. There’d be no way to leave without looking rude. Worse, Maya’s pleasant expression was open and curious, not catty or judgmental. It appeared it was going to be hard to hate her, at least too much.
With dread hounding each step, she trod the last few feet to the stall. She knew she should make up some kind of pleasantry to say, but her tongue remained glued to the roof of her mouth.
Maya blasted her with a radiant smile. "Hello, my lady, how are you on this fine day?"
Natalie blinked, sure she’d nearly been blinded. At least she found her voice. "Well, and you?"
"I couldn’t be better. This weather makes my work a pleasure."
"It is a lovely day." Natalie cast a glance at the sky as if to back up her words.
"How are you enjoying your stay?"
The truth? It was exhilarating, frightening, maddening. But she couldn’t say that. "It’s been very nice. Everything is so different, it’s fascinating."
Maya cocked her head to the side. "Have I met you before? Something about you seems so familiar, but I can’t place it."
"I don’t think so. I arrived a week ago."
"That’s what I heard." A shadow passed over Maya’s face. "But it’s almost as if… No, never mind, that’s insane."
Confusion swirled in Natalie’s mind. "What is?"
The other female hesitated. "For a moment, something, maybe a mannerism, reminded me of Lord Lorh’s wife."
Natalie’s blood froze to ice. "Wi…ife?"
He didn’t have a wife. He’d only had a fian —
Suddenly, past conversations rushed back to her, making her stumble into the table. Whoever said he’d never been married? No one — that was who. She’d drawn a conclusion, a false one, and run with it. Where was that wife now? Unless divorce or annulment existed here, she was likely dead.
A worried frown creased Maya’s brow. She reached across the table and laid a gentle hand on her arm. "Yes, didn’t you know?"
Natalie shook her head. Her lungs felt a couple sizes too small for normal breath. "I knew there’d been someone he intended to marry…bond with, as you call it. But I never knew he’d actually been married."
The fae woman made a clucking sound, and her eyes narrowed. "Males. They never tell us anything if we need to know it." Then her expression softened. "But maybe I’m being unfair. Lorh does little without reason. Even when we were children, he was like that."
Natalie was still spinning from the previous bombshell, only to have the ground rock beneath her again. He’d not only had a wife, but also a beautiful "friend" who’d apparently been his bosom buddy when they were younger? What did Natalie even know of the man? Not much, it seemed. "You grew up together? Lorh said you were old friends."
She hadn’t meant her words to sound like an accusation, but the high-pitched note in her voice couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.
The other woman shifted uncomfortably and removed her hand from Natalie’s arm. "We were born within a few years of each other, so it was easy to form a friendship early on. Later, I harbored an affection for him. At one time, I thought he might’ve started to return it, but then he met his previous wife and, well…" She shrugged, smiling awkwardly. "That was it."
Natalie zoned in on one thing: previous wife. "What happened to her?"
Maya’s face clouded. "It’s not my story to tell, I’m afraid."
"I understand." Didn’t mean she liked it, though. Part of her wanted to rail against the unfairness of the whole situation, but Maya wasn’t the person who she should be aiming her frustrations at.
"Thank you for not pressing. I don’t know your relationship with Lorh, but I can see how this news affected you, so I think he has some explaining to do."
"Oh, he does, believe me," Natalie said darkly.
"Good. All I ask is that you just listen to everything he has to say. I don’t know his reasons, but like I’ve said, he tends to have justified ones for his actions."
"I’ll try." That was all she could offer. Hurt and anger coiled around her like a shroud. Why hadn’t Lorh confided any of this to her? Why all the secrecy? Once again, she was left in the dark, and nothing made sense.
Maya’s cheery voice drew her back to the moment. "You came to the market to shop, didn’t you?"
Huh? "Yes."
"Then let’s start the shopping right here." Maya spread her arms wide to indicate everything in her stall. "Anything you like, it’s yours."
"I don’t…"
The other woman gave a huge grin, and a pair of dimples flashed near her mouth. "It all goes on Lorh’s tab."
Oh my, she even had adorable dimples. Was nothing on this lady imperfect? Natalie couldn’t even dislike her, because Maya was just too sweet. Why wasn’t Lorh besotted with this paragon of virtue? Ha, there must be something wrong with her. Maybe her hair didn’t style perfectly every day?
Natalie glanced at her hair. The loose bun allowed wavy tendrils to fall around her shoulders and frame her face. Nope, must not be that.
She let the depressing subject go. Now if she could only forget the other dismal ones looming in her mind. "His tab, you say?"
Maya nodded.
Though her heart wasn’t into shopping, Natalie needed a distraction. "What do you recommend?"
Maya soon had her looking at all sorts of fabric and premade shawls. All the items were beautiful, but Natalie hesitated to buy any material. Now more than ever, who knew if she’d be staying long enough to have any dresses sewn for her? So she gravitated toward the shawls.
"How about this sheer pale ivory one?" Maya asked, lifting up a delicately patterned shawl of some fabric Natalie couldn’t even begin to place. "It would go with about anything."
"Oh, it’s lovely."
Maya set it down before Natalie. As she reached for it, a low voice floated over to her from behind another booth a few yards away.
"Did you hear the rumors about Lord Lorh’s new woman?"
Her hand stilled on the shawl as she strained to hear the response.
"Hasn’t everyone?" snorted another male, disdain in every word.
"It appears the talk is true."
"He has another one? Wasn’t his first one enough?" There was the
sound of someone spitting, and then the snide voice continued on. "Him and that family are a disgrace. Scum, they are."
The derision in the man’s words hit like a blow. Why were they so offended at the idea of him having someone? Sure, she was human, but Lorh’s wife had surely been fae.
She glanced at Maya, who frowned and gave her a sympathetic look.
A new voice, a male’s, spoke firmly. "That kind of talk isn’t allowed here. So you and your friends might want to make your stay a welcoming one by watching your words."
"Do you know who you’re talking to, baker?" the spiteful voice said.
"I’d guess, by the decadence of your outfit, you’re nobility of some kind."
"You’d do well to remember that," Mr. Snide Voice said.
"Lord Lorh’s rules are the law here, and he protects his people."
Snide Voice snarled, "You better watch it, peasant. Come on, Timmin, let’s leave this uncouth place behind. I’m feeling so…common."
After a few seconds had passed, and the unpleasant male didn’t speak again, the baker said, "Good riddance."
Natalie let out the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. The two males were gone, then?
Maya touched her arm, making her jump. The fae woman offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.
"What was all that about?"
Maya shrugged and glanced around in an uneasy manner. "Who knows for sure? But don’t pay any heed to them. Ignorance often talks the loudest."
Natalie sighed. Maya’s words were true but did little to hearten her. "Then that one male must’ve been full of it."
"I think it would be wise to seek out Lorh. I don’t like the sound of those gentry."
A frisson of alarm crept over Natalie. Though she agreed with Maya about the fae men, it also seemed like the woman wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible now. What in the world was going on? Were those men dangerous?
She was still upset with Lorh, but after just overhearing what she had, confusion and a bit of fear tempered that hurt. Actually, going back to Lorh sounded like a fantastic idea. She didn’t fancy running into those men. If they looked down on common fae, then they’d surely hate her. No matter what, Lorh would protect and shelter her.
Nodding, Natalie said, "I do think I’ll leave. I promised him I’d come back in ten or fifteen minutes. I know more time than that has passed."
Maya’s brow furrowed. "Stay on the main paths. I’d escort you, but…" She gestured to the group of people heading to her stall.
Natalie forced a smile to her lips. "That’s quite all right. I don’t have to go far, and we’re in a very public place."
"Still, there was something about their words I don’t trust. Be careful."
"I will, thank you."
Not sure what else to say, Natalie turned away. The other woman called out, "My lady, wait."
Natalie swung around. "Yes?"
The woman held out the shawl Natalie had been looking at. "Here, take this. I want you to have it."
Gratification swelled. "I don’t know how to thank you."
"Your name would be enough. I’m afraid I don’t know it."
"Natalie."
Maya startled, and her cheeks lost all color. "I’m sorry. What did you say?"
"Natalie. Are you all right?"
Maya blinked and seemed to come back to herself. "Yes. Have a good day, my lady…Natalie."
She said the name with an odd inflection that left Natalie even more confused. Natalie inched away, an uncomfortable feeling prickling at her. "Good day to you, too."
This time, she left unhindered, but after a few steps, she thought she heard Maya saying something. It sounded curiously like, "Surely he didn’t. No, he wouldn’t. Oh, Great Stars, he would."
What was troubling her so, and why did Natalie have the sinking suspicion Lorh played a huge part in it? She quickened her pace. Lorh had some talking to do.
After a minute or so, Natalie glanced at the buildings to try to locate a landmark. Shouldn’t she be to the shop Lorh had entered? But the tailor’s sign, with its needle and thread, was nowhere in sight.
Worry gnawed at her insides. Was she lost? No, just turned around. After all, the square, with its few paths, wasn’t exactly labyrinth-like.
A little more assured, she headed back in the direction she’d just come. A hand snagged her arm. She stifled a screech, dropping the shawl. It wasn’t Lorh, because her skin didn’t tingle at this person’s touch.
She whirled around to see who’d grabbed her, but the person yanked her backward into an alley.
Her heart thundered in her throat, and her lips opened to let out a piercing scream. Another hand slapped over her mouth, muffling the sound.
9
Natalie caught a few glimpses of fae male faces. Fright blared in her mind. Horrible thoughts of what they might do to her flashed like a running picture before her.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and she hit and kicked with her arms and feet. Very few strikes landed, though.
As if she weighed nothing, her main assailant dragged her through a doorway. She clutched at the frame with desperate fingers, knowing if they got her alone in a room, that it was likely all over. Cruel hands ripped her fingers away from her last chance of freedom, and the door slammed behind them.
Darkness surrounded Natalie, and terror clawed at her. The male holding her forced her to walk farther into the room. The pitch-blackness surrounded her, leaving her blind and helpless. Probably just what they’d planned.
The hand over her mouth disappeared, and the male roughly threw her into a chair. All air whooshed out of her lungs, and she forgot how to breathe. Just when she thought she’d hyperventilate, someone lit a candle. The modest flame flickered weakly through the cavernous space, but it offered her more than enough light so she could see her kidnappers and some of her surroundings.
Three fae men loomed over her in what appeared to be a storeroom, though it stood pretty empty. Two were black-haired, but the blond-haired one looked particularly mean with that sneer affixed to his face. It would’ve been a handsome face if his foul soul hadn’t come shining through. Foul…nasty. The words resonated in her mind, and her stomach dropped. Could this be the same male who’d spoken so horribly about Lorh?
She finally summoned the courage to speak, though her voice quivered like a leaf in the wind. "Let me go. I have people looking for me."
"Ah, look who’s dressed as a fine lady. You think you have Lord Lorh at your beck and call, do you?" the blond said.
The sound of his voice sent terror ricocheting through her. It was the man from the market. For some reason, that made it all the worse. He hated Lorh and his family, so she wouldn’t be viewed any more favorably. The only saving grace was that Maya had suspected trouble and would hopefully tell Lorh.
Still, she had to keep her wits about her. If she could keep her abductor talking, she might be able to buy enough time until Lorh came for her. He’d never desert her, but whether he’d get here before… Before what, she didn’t know, and didn’t want to find out.
"Whatever your issues with him, I have no quarrel with you."
"My issue with him is that he’s a human-lover, so you are a problem. A huge one. You don’t belong amongst my kind."
"That’s for Lorh to decide."
The male gave a snort of disbelief. "He’s proven he can’t be trusted. He’s a traitor to his kind. After he married his first human and sired those half-breed children of his, his parents about died of heartbreak and humiliation."
His words pounded at Natalie’s mind like blows, and she shook her head. Surely she’d misheard or misunderstood? "His first human?"
"You didn’t think you were the first one, did you? Where did you think those brats came from? A fae woman? No, their human taint is quite clear to the eyes. Well, fae eyes, that is." His gaze raked over her body. "I’ll admit he does like them pretty. First a black-haired one, now yo
u."
Her brain froze for a moment, incapable of coherent thought. Lorh…he…the children… She pressed a hand to her head, which throbbed like it was going to burst. What was happening to her?
Before she could snap herself out of it, the fae man’s next sentence penetrated. "How about having ourselves a little fun?"
That ripped her back to the immediate danger she faced. Oh, heavens, no. Nausea welled, and bile rose in her throat.
One of the other males startled and placed a hand on the dark one’s shoulder. "There was no mention of force, Savin. I didn’t agree to this and think we’ve carried this far enough."
Hope built in Natalie’s chest. It looked like she had an unlikely defender, but at this moment, she’d never been more glad for one.
Savin rounded on him. "I knew I shouldn’t have brought you along. You’ve always been a coward, Timmin. Stay quiet and out of my way if you don’t mean to participate in the entertainment."
Timmin’s hands clenched. "I won’t allow the rape of a woman. It’s against my honor. You weren’t even supposed to take her from the market."
Savin glared at him. "You hate humans and want to see them out of our world as badly as I do."
"Yes, but not this way. Nothing good comes out of such a disgraceful act."
The other black-haired fae male came to stand by Timmin’s side. "He’s right, Savin. This isn’t the way."
"And you think you’re going to stop me?"
"If we have to."
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. Natalie sagged back against the chair in relief. But she wasn’t safe, and she wouldn’t be until Lorh rescued her. She shied away from thinking about what the man had said about Lorh and… No, she couldn’t do it. The mere thought made her head thump. She’d have to work out the truth later.
Savin smirked. "Let’s dance."
That must’ve meant something to the other two, because their faces darkened, and their bodies tensed.