Shifting Hearts

by Ivy Hayes

  He does agree that we should not be forcing her though. We decided to approach my father about this, together.

  Walking into his den, I see our father is alone and reading over some letters. I clear my throat to get his attention, “Father, is now a good time?”

  “Gregory, yes. Good idea bringing Grant along, he needs to be aware of the plans as well.” He turns to Grant, “Can you close the door, son?” We were going to discuss construction plans for the new barracks. That will have to wait.

  Grant moves to close the door, then we settle ourselves down on some chairs. I speak up first, “I will go over the plans with you shortly but first we would like to talk to you about Gwen and Parker.”

  “It’s not right, father, we can’t force her to marry him,” Grant adds in.

  “I know.” Father says, “But I don’t have any options. The treaty is hanging on threads. It is reliant on the peace between us and Westhaven, which is hanging on Gwen’s marriage. If they don’t marry, everything we have worked for over the last decade will be a waste.”

  “We agree about that,” I say, “But we do not agree with your methods. Grant has an idea.”

  “When I lived in Westhaven, I found Parker to be very likable. He and I became fast friends during my time there. I believe that Gwen would grow to love him, organically. All we need is for him to be around.” Grant looked over at me, and I nodded my head encouragingly. “I think we should invite Parker over for a six-month stay, as I did two years ago. When he arrives, we can fill him in on the plan that we would not force Gwen to marry him without giving her the opportunity to love him on her own. I think he will go along with it, he is a kind man and would probably prefer this route if he was given the option.”

  Joining in, I add, “We can keep up the plan for his father’s sake. It should not be hard to convince him to send Parker our way, especially if we paint it as wedding planning.”

  “But what if they don’t fall in love?” Father asked.

  “Then at least we tried,” I said solemnly. “They must still get married. Grant and I would support you in forcing the marriage.”

  “But we won’t if you don’t give Gwen this opportunity.” Grant added, “We want her to have a chance at happiness.”

  Father sighed, “I see. You both aren’t giving me much of an option. I could still order it but it wouldn't be easy, nor do I want to force Gwen’s hand.” He rubbed his hands over his face, I realized he must be just as tired as I am, if not more. “I am willing to give it a try. I will change my announcement tonight. I will just announce plans for Parker’s stay. Gregory, we will have to discuss construction plans tomorrow morning, I need to use the rest of time before dinner to draft a letter to Lord Westhaven. I want to get it sent out tonight.”

  “Thank you for this, father.”

  He nods. “Now go, I have a lot to write before dinner starts and your mother would wring me if I was late.”

  Grant and I get up to leave, his voice stops us half way to the door, “I am proud of you both. You two are stronger when you work together. You will need that strength, once I am gone.”

  He looks down at his desk, and we know better than to respond. He has been saying phrases like that a lot lately.

  Grant and I head into our separate rooms to get ready for dinner. One crisis avoided but I don’t feel any relief. If only I could deal with the other. The woman who keeps stealing my thoughts.

  Perhaps I can find a different sort of relief. I have some time before I am required to be downstairs, after all. Since I can’t keep her out anyway, I stop fighting it and encourage my thoughts to drift towards the green-eyed beauty. I don’t hold back from what I felt earlier. I could not let my attraction show then but there is nothing stopping me now. The effect is instant, I feel blood rush to my cock, it hardens instantly.

  I strip out of my clothes and get comfortable lounging on a chair near the fire. I close my eyes and picture her face, trying to imagine what her lips would taste like.

  Keeping that image in my mind’s eye, I grab the base of my shaft. I think of her enticing smell. Sliding my hand slowly up, I think of the annoying smirk she always makes. Gripping harder, I think of the fire I saw in her eyes today. Moving my hand faster, up and down, I think of the sway of her hips through her dress. I re-live watching her stalk up the stairs but this time I allow myself the fantasy of following her up to play out.

  Stalking after her, I envision ripping off her dress, revealing first those perfect nipples. I think back to the all too real vision of her exposed breast that I saw that night in the woods. I know just what I would do. I would cup them in my hand then lower my face to suck on the tight nips. I can almost feel her hands in my hair, urging me on. I start to move my hand faster. What would her moan of pleasure sound like?

  Picturing her soft voice, I am lost in wanting the sound of her pleasure. I grip my shaft harder, not slowing the speed of my movement. Suddenly, I explode. Just the thought of pleasuring her by having those perky breasts in my mouth was enough to send me over the edge.

  I collapse back, she will surely be the end of me. That was embarrassingly fast, but there is something about her that makes me lose all my control. I lay there feeling spent but not satisfied. Tonight is going to be a long night, much longer then I originally thought. It is going to take plenty of drinking to keep my mind from wandering back to her. Plenty more to keep me from getting on my horse and finding her to live out my fantasy.

  FIVE - ASH

  I am exhausted. I had such an unforgiving night sleep. All night long I was plagued by troubling dreams. I woke up during a bad one; it was a memory of the attack a few weeks back. I woke up in a cold sweat, terrified and ready to fight, only calming once I realized where I was. Safe in my room in Nash’s Tavern. Nothing could hurt me here and nobody knew who I was.

  It took me ages to fall back asleep after that and I almost wish I didn’t. My next dream was about Gregory, the blue-eyed devil. Talk about not getting any peace. I kept seeing images of him shirtless and raging to defend my honor. He was so sexy the whole time. So irresistible that I have decided he will be to blame for my irritable mood today. I laugh at myself, hoping he doesn’t bump into me, forcing me to show him the extent of my irritation.

  Hoping some exercise will spur me awake, I decided to head to the market. Usually, I don’t venture out on my days off, it is better to stay hidden and not risk being seen or recognized. But today, I can’t take it, I am starting to go stir crazy spending all my free time isolated in my room.

  The market stalls should be busier than normal since next weekend is the start of the Spring festivities. Normally, it’s just local farmers but people have already started arriving, hoping to get early preparation. Those that are already here will be setting up their booths and selling their goods. I am determined to check out each new booth, it should keep me busy for at least a couple hours, if I really take my time.

  On my walk over, I notice that it’s was a perfect day to be outside. It's warmer than a typical spring day and there is not a cloud in the sky. It feels like home. Navan is further south than Cliffden, so I am used much warmer weather.

  I catch myself thinking it would be lovely to fly today. I long to feel the sun on my wings as I soar. Allowing myself to daydream, I try and think of a place it would be safe to shift. I imagine hastily ripping my clothes then falling into the shift, letting the animal part of me take over. I have only seen Cliffden by sky at night. It would be a treat to see it in the light of day.

  It would likely be enough to get Gregory out of my mind. Mostly because my time as my eagle would be a good reminder of why I can’t be with him. Flying has always been a way to clear out my troublesome thoughts and ideas. I would fly until I couldn’t picture him standing right in front of me, defending me. Until I stopped wondering what he would look like, missing more than just a shirt. I could fly away from my temptations, away from here and away from him.

  But no, I must stay. I need to
wait for news of my clan. Aside from that, it’s far too dangerous to shift. I must assume that whoever attacked my clan knows what our animal forms are. They are probably searching for news of an out of place, red-blonde eagle. They may not know what my human form looks like, but it would not take them long to figure it out once they knew where I had been spotted.

  Those dark thoughts won’t stop my daydreaming. I promise to myself that once I am through all this trouble, I will move somewhere isolated, where I can spend every day flying without fear.

  I was passing the last couple of buildings, almost to the market when rough hands grabbed me and yanked me between two adjacent buildings. My fighting instincts instantly flared up and I was ripped out my daydreams. Loosening up to prevent any initial injuries, I take in my surroundings. The arms holding me belong to the man from the tavern last night, the merchant that grabbed my backside. Apparently, Gregory was not enough to scare him away. His friend is also in the alley, positioned at the opening. My guess is to act as both a lookout and to prevent me from running if I slip away. Good thing I don’t plan on running.

  He switched his hold on me so that his front was to my back. He had one hand over my mouth and another as a vice over my chest, holding me in place. He was walking me forward towards one of the walls. Look like his plan is to smash me against the wall and to use his superior weight to hold me in place while he has his way with me. Like a coward, he won’t have to look me in the face when he uses my body. Anger swells through me, thinking he is the worst sort of man.

  I allow him to push me against the wall, it shouldn’t be too hard to escape once he gets distracted with his undressing. He leans in close to my ear and whispers, “It would have been pleasant if you let me have you last night. Thanks to your friend though, this is going to be a punishment. I will enjoy it but I fear you will not. Don’t even think about screaming, if you stay quite I will let you leave here alive. Nod if you understand and I will uncover your mouth.” I nod.

  He lets go and adds, “Remember, don’t scream. I don’t care either way, but it would be nice if you lived long enough for my friend to have his turn with you.” I can feel him getting hard against my bottom. Disgusting.

  I start shivering and I let him think I am afraid. I whimper, “I am sorry my friend attacked you, but you have me mistaken, I am not a prostitute. I would not have been with you last night.”

  “Yes, you would have, but it doesn’t matter. I will have you now.” Using one hand to push me into the wall, he lets go with his other to start freeing himself. Just the opportunity I was waiting for. I let all my weight drop, his solo arm is not strong enough to hold me in place that way.

  Once I fall far enough to feel his lack of grip, I land in a crouch. I spin and quickly punch out to hit him right in that bulging, disgusting erection. I guarantee it hurts. I land two quick punches before he curls over, leaning forward and cursing me, “You bitch, fighting is only going to make it worse.”

  I roll to get out from under him, then quickly jump to my feet. I hear a sound from the opening of the alley, looks like his friend is going to come help. I need to finish my attacker, so I don’t have to fight them both at the same time. I growl out, “You should stop talking, you are only going to make the beating worse.” He is still bent over so I bring my knee up to connect with his face. There is a sickening snap as his head lurches back. Not giving him a second to recover, I bring my elbow down to hit him from the other side. I learned early on that when fighting someone stronger, use the parts of my body that have the biggest impact and alwyas use my body weight. I put all my weight on the elbow hit and it dropped him to the ground in an instant.

  He is out cold, but that is not enough. I kick to turn him over and start attacking his groin. He will never push another woman against a wall. He will not rape the helpless. I am seeing red and somewhere around my fourth or fifth stomp, I am grabbed in a bear hug from behind.

  Shit. The other one. I let my anger take over me. I start to lash out, to break my grip when a voice I recognize stops me, “Ash, calm down, it’s me, Gregory.”

  “Let me go,” I shout. Once he drops me, I turn to him and glance around. Gregory and his brother, Grant are here. Grant is busy holding down the other man that was blocking the entrance. That must have been the sound I heard. I whip my head to Gregory, “Why did you stop me?”

  If he was startled by my question, he didn’t show it, “Because you were going to kill him.” Shocked, I looked down and saw what he meant. The man face was a bloody mess and his nose was broken from my knee. Not wanting to sound regretful, I say, “He will wake up. Most of the damage was done to his groin. He will live but hopefully, he will never regain the ability to use his precious penis.”

  I reach my leg back, preparing for another kick when Gregory’s hand on my arm stops me. “Ash, stop. I will go get the constable. Raping women is illegal, we are going to lock him up for a long time.”

  Relaxing, “Fine, just seeing him makes me angry all over again. I keep thinking about him attacking other women. This isn’t their first attempt, they were too coordinated for that to be the case. I can only imagine the trail of damage these two have left behind.”

  I allow Gregory to steer me a few steps away from the man. “You stopped him and now he won’t be hurting anyone.” He gives me a slight smile, almost as if he fears startling me. “Can I trust you not to hit him anymore? I need to run and get the constable. I would send Grant, but he is busy with the other guy.”

  I nod, “I won’t hit him again unless he wakes up. I suggest you hurry.”

  He gives my arm a quick squeeze then heads out of the alley. I look over at Grant, he is still struggling with the other man. I reach down and rip the hem off my dress then walk over. “We can use this to tie him up?”

  “Good idea, Ash. He is a squirmy bastard, it’ll be easier than holding him.”

  Hearing this, the man starts to struggle more. Guess he doesn’t like the idea of being helpless. I kneel close to him and icily say, “I wouldn’t struggle, or we will make it hurt more.” His eyes widen, then looking between me and his friend he mutters out, “Fine, just promise not to stomp on my dick.”

  “Nothing would make me happier than doing the same to you as I did to him, but I promise I will leave that area alone. Unless you struggle.”

  He nods then relaxes under Grant. I hand him the makeshift rope while keeping eye contact with the man on the ground, hoping that he will try something.

  I am annoyed by how easy it was to subdue the second man but not surprised as he is a coward, just like the other one. He is not brave enough to fight someone stronger and so he allows Grant to tie him up and toss him at the end of the alley next to his still knocked out friend. As soon as he is down, I walk up and kick him in the face with enough force to knock him out as well. “That is for wanting the have me second.”

  Grant chuckles and I turn around, “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

  “I am sure you never will.” Frantically I realize that I cannot let people know I did this. Normal women don’t know how to fight. Normal women don’t knock out two grown men. People would gossip. The wrong people could hear that gossip and come investigating.

  Grant notices the sudden change, and misjudging the look says, “It’s going to be okay, they can’t hurt you anymore.”

  “It’s not that, I was never worried about them. Grant, I can’t let people know I was the one that beat these men up. You must help me?” I asked.

  “Why does it matter?”

  “Normal women don’t know how to beat up men,” repeating the worry I just had to myself, “If people start to talk about this, I won’t be able to remain forgettable.” I spit those words out fast, then take a second to breathe, “Please.”

  “I don’t see what the big deal is, why lie?”

  “I can’t explain why, but I need to say under the radar.”

  “Are you running from something?”

  “More like someon
e, I promise it has nothing to do with breaking the law, I am not a wanted person.” I plead, “I just want to stay safe. I like it here, I don’t want to leave.”

  “You will have to tell me the truth eventually, but I will help you. You might need to look more shaken up.”

  Nodding my agreement, “That shouldn’t be too hard, I have the cut on my face from when I fell down against the wall.” Looking down at my dress, “I should probably roughen up my dress as well. Do you mind ripping the sleeve for me, I think that will look more natural?”

  He hesitated, “Are you sure that is necessary?”

  “Absolutely, they would have tried to undress me. Now hurry, Gregory should be back any moment.”

  “Fine, I hope he won’t kill me for this.” He reached up then yanked my right sleeve off my dress, part of the bodice tore with it. It looked just as if someone had done it in an attack.

  “That’s perfect.” I walked towards the opening then sat down and wrapped my hands around my knees, trying to look shaken up. Grant sat next to me, in between me and the men effectively blocking my view of them. Something any gentleman would do to console a victim.

  Hearing the others approach, I smile at him, “You don’t know how much this means to me, thank you.”

  SIX – GREGORY

  Running out of the alley I still can’t wrap my head around what I just saw. At least one thing was proved right, she does not need protection.

  Grant and I were just leaving the market when I saw her get pulled down the alley. We were a few hundred feet away, so I couldn’t fully tell what was happening. I looked at Grant, “Did you see that?”

  “Yeah, that does not look good.” We started running towards the opening.

  When we got to there, we first saw the man blocking our path. Grant immediately jumped to action, he tackled the man to the ground and had him pinned in a couple seconds. A couple very long seconds during which I could hear alarming sounds coming from inside. A man grunted then yelled out, calling Ash a bitch and promising to hurt her. My vision blurred and I raged.