Werebear's Nanny_A Paranormal Romance

by T. S. Ryder

  “What reason do I have to think any differently? You stole me from my home. You turned me into a slave. How much did you tell my parents they could have me back for? We are not a wealthy family. Did you want to put us into your debt for generations to come?”

  “Willow!”

  She glared defiantly at him.

  What had Shante said to her? What had made her think that he was capable of all this duplicity? He wanted to reach for her hand but couldn’t make himself move towards her. Not when there was such anger and, yes, even hatred, in her gaze. Asa didn’t understand. He shook his head, trying to come up with the words that would make everything better. But he didn’t even know where he had gone wrong.

  “When we had sex, I thought that it meant everything had changed. I thought we were going to be in love and that there was nothing else to worry about. But it’s not true, is it? No matter how long I stay, you will always be my master and I will always be the slave.”

  “No.” Asa tried to reach for her again and she danced out of his grasp. “No, Willow. That isn’t what is happening here. I love you. I love you. You aren’t my slave. I want to—”

  Willow shook her head so violently that she could have given herself whiplash. “I can’t listen to this anymore, Asa. There is nothing left to say. I told you that I didn’t regret being with you. I was trying to be gentle. If I could go back and stop myself from doing that, I would. I can’t be here anymore. Let me go.”

  His fire went out. All that was left were smoldering coals. Asa’s arms hung limply at his sides as he stared at the ground. His mind was blank, the agony of her words echoing back at him. Eventually, he stirred and looked up. Her tears had still not ceased, but he knew better than to think that he could do anything but cause her more pain.

  She had been very clear about what she wanted. All the dreams that had been building up in his mind – all the hopes and wishes crashed down around him until he was standing in nothing but rubble. With a thick swallow, he nodded.

  “Of course. You don’t belong to me, Willow. You can go wherever you want to. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

  She opened her mouth then closed it again. It looked like she wanted to say something so badly, but all she did was a nod and turn her face away from him. He stood there, watching her before he shook himself and turned back to his bike.

  “Go pack up whatever you want to take with you. It’ll be an hour or so before I’m finished fixing this thing.”

  “I don’t have anything,” she whispered back. “All I had when you took me were the clothes I’m wearing now.”

  Asa nodded as she bent over his bike, focusing on each piece as he put it back together. Willow found a bench on the other side of the garage and sat there quietly. From time to time, she shifted or sighed, but for the most part, it was like she wasn’t even there.

  Several times he almost broke down and begged her to stay. He could demand to know exactly what Shante had said to her to bring this out. But in the end, it didn’t matter. She was hurt, she wanted to leave. Maybe she even hated him. He had told her multiple times that he loved her and it hadn’t swayed her. So now he had to prove that he loved her and put her happiness above his own. Even though it hurt like a knife driving through his heart.

  “Where would you like me to take you?” he asked her when the bike was back together and there was nothing else to delay them.

  “You can take me to my village. I’ll find my own way from there. I don’t want to be anywhere where you can find me and bring me back here.”

  Asa closed his eyes. He didn’t respond to that. Instead, he got on his bike and gestured for her to join him. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her warmth against him felt so right that he nearly changed his mind.

  Her happiness is more important than mine, he reminded himself.

  It was dark by the time they got to the village. He pulled to a stop just outside the gates. Willow climbed off the bike and handed him his helmet back. Her eyes were red and puffy, but there were no more tears. She swallowed hard as she touched his hand.

  “Don’t forget me,” she whispered and then ran. The darkness soon swallowed her up.

  Asa turned back towards Cendas. “I’ll never forget,” he promised. “Never.”

  Chapter Eleven – The Fairy’s Cunning

  Whatever spell Sherwood had put on her, it couldn’t stop her tears. She could hardly catch a breath, but that seemed unimportant now. Everything she had said to Asa played over and over in her mind. Every lie that had been ripped from her mouth to strike a lash across his heart. Even as her mouth moved and the words came out, she could see how much each one hurt him.

  Tears poured down her face as she moved between houses and down alleys, her feet automatically taking her to where she had been ordered to go. Even though she fought against it with all her strength, she couldn’t do more than falter every once in a while. The closer she got to Sherwood, the stronger the spell was and the harder it was to even have those small triumphs.

  What she wanted more than anything was to turn back, to run back into his arms and tell him she loved him too. Maybe she had been uncertain before, but hearing him say those words had made her heart sing, if only for a second. I love you. I love you. I love you. The words battered around in her chest, wanting to burst out. But the spell, the enthrallment, was too powerful.

  When the sound of his bike roared through the air and then faded away, her heart broke in two. Sherwood would do whatever he had planned, and Asa would never know. She’d never be able to tell him that it all was a lie and that she wanted to spend eternity wrapped in his arms. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, rocking back and forth.

  Maybe she could break free. Maybe, if she fought hard enough, she could regain control of her body. Her fingers curled around the bracelet as she just sat there, utterly useless.

  She wasn’t sure how long she had been there before a pair of boots appeared before her. She looked up to find the fairy frowning down at her, eyes narrowed and nostrils flared as his hands clenched at his sides. “I told you to come to me once you were done.”

  Even though in this case she knew she had control of her jaw, since Sherwood would want her to simper and beg for forgiveness, Willow didn’t speak. She wasn’t going to give this . . . clown the satisfaction of seeing her so down. Her body moved, getting to her feet, but she still didn’t speak. The fairy grasped her chin and peered into her eyes.

  “The spell isn’t binding you fully. You shouldn’t be able to think.”

  Her lazy heart gave a thump, then returned to its normal rhythm. Was he going to take the last bit of free will she had from her?

  Sherwood shook his head and turned, striding away. Her feet followed, though twice she was able to drag them enough that she stumbled. Both times Sherwood glared at her, but the spell didn’t change its grasp.

  “My magic is not as powerful as it once was,” he muttered, whether to her or himself she didn’t know. “They bound it away ages ago. But I left a tear in the bindings and it’s trickled back to me. Strong enough now to do what I must . . . ”

  “And what is that?” Willow managed to ask.

  Sherwood gave her a furious look. “You should be an utter slave to my will – mind and body. Well, I suppose having your body is better than nothing at all. There was a time when I could level the mountains with a single thought. I whispered in the ears of powerful kings and laughed when they killed each other. It’s not fair that they took it all from me.”

  “Yes, because killing people for your amusement is very fair.”

  Sherwood gave her a disgusted look. “Your kind breed like rodents. It was population control. If I wasn’t going to do it, you’d do it to yourselves.”

  The sound of Asa’s bike was completely gone now, leaving them in the silence. Willow frowned as she listened to the night. There should be the bleating of the sheep, the sound of wind in the trees. Television sets lit up w
indows, but when they passed them, there wasn’t so much as the slightest crackle from them. She swallowed. Had Sherwood cast a spell upon the entire village? She shivered as she followed him, her stomach twisting.

  “What did you do to everybody?” Even as she spoke, the bracelet sent out an electric shock that traveled up her arm, making her cry out.

  “It’ll keep doing that until you submit,” Sherwood said lazily. “To answer your question, I haven’t done anything. Yet. It makes it easier for me if we can move unseen and unheard. It has some side-effects which you shouldn’t be noticing.”

  Willow clutched the bracelet again, though, once more, she couldn’t even try to tug it off. “Take it off, please. I’m already helpless in your power. Please, let me have my own body.”

  Sherwood stopped. He cocked his head as he studied her, then smiled. “No, little flame. I will not remove the thrall from you. I know humans. They are far from helpless. You like to pretend like you have no power in your lives, but what aren’t you capable of? You drove my people from our homes simply by refusing to believe our power. You are a strange breed, and I have underestimated your kind far too often to do it again. Besides, I am not without mercy. You will be far more afraid and pained if I released you from the thrall.”

  Willow wanted to kick him for that. The electric pain shot up her arm again, but this time, she didn’t cry out. Sherwood began to walk again and she followed. She wanted to ask him where they were going and what was waiting for her at the end of it, but what was the point? She wasn’t sure if it was the thrall sealing her lips this time or her own despair.

  Sherwood, however, seemed only too happy to continue talking. “For thousands of generations, I have been bound to the wills of lesser beings. The king’s line . . . They gave me to the dragons because of their long memories. If I had been bound to humans, I would have been able to convince them in a generation or two to free me. But dragons? Slow to change and slow to expand.”

  Was that why they still raided? Because they had always done it?

  “I have attempted to free myself in other ways,” Sherwood continued. “I nearly ended the king’s line and won my freedom by inciting rebellion a thousand years ago. But that Lord Asa, your beloved dragon, thwarted it. Quinn was meant to die. Instead, he survived and became king, and he was far too reasonable and generous to incite a new rebellion. A fluid dragon, one that eased the burden on the lesser ones and brought in new prosperity.”

  By the way, he spoke, prosperity and equality were dirty words. Willow remained silent, wondering if there was some way that she could use his monologuing to her advantage.

  “The king’s line was made immune to fairy spells when I was bound to them,” Sherwood muttered. “But Quinn’s gentle heart helped me work towards my plans. He didn’t want to see me imprisoned forever, and so gave me freedom if I stayed within his boundaries.”

  “It’s a shame he didn’t kill you,” Willow spat, then screamed as a wave of pain washed over her. It was too much even for the thrall keeping her moving and she crumbled to her knees. Black and white splotches filled her vision and she panted, saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth. “Stop.”

  “I’m not doing anything. It’ll stop once you stop fighting me.”

  Willow’s head bent. Her muscles trembled. And then they stopped. The pain eased as she stopped fighting against the thrall. After a moment, she got to her feet, her mind still fuzzy from the pain.

  “What are you going to do to me?” she whispered.

  Sherwood tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Kill you, of course. It’s the only thing to do with a human. You and I will die together. Or rather, this fleshy prison that keeps me prisoner will die. And your death will release your spirit for me to capture and revitalize my magic. Then I will level mountains the way I used to and I will rule the world. There are no more fairies to stop me. The queen took our people and fled long ago.”

  Willow swallowed hard. “But you said humans are more powerful than—”

  “I’ll destroy humans. I’ll whisper in their ears again. I will create a new world from the nuclear waste left behind. You people are so full of intolerance and hate. First, I will set you against the dragons, and then I will sit back and watch as your struggles for power after they’re gone destroy you.”

  Willow was suddenly aware that she was nodding. The horror she should have felt with his statements was muted. She knew that it all should terrify her, but she didn’t feel frightened . . . She didn’t feel anything at all . . .

  Chapter Twelve – The Dragon’s Heart

  Asa’s eyes were red and swollen by the time he got home. He wasn’t ashamed of the fact that he had had to stop twice to cry. He was a strong warrior who led his men on raids and fought against other clans as needed without flinching. He knew that there was a myth among humans that strong men didn’t cry, but that seemed utterly ludicrous to him. Having strength didn’t mean that a man didn’t have a heart. And in this case, his heart was breaking.

  He had read everything so wrong. He had been so certain that Willow felt the same way he did, but it was clear from what she had said that it wasn’t the case. So what choice did he have other than to accept what she wanted and let her alone?

  After he stowed his bike away in the communal garage and started to walk away, he spotted two figures. Shante, her hands on her stomach, walked with Quinn beside her. His arms were wrapped around her. Asa’s heart gave a stab. He wanted to just turn around and walk away, but it was too late. They had already seen him and Quinn waved him over.

  He bowed when he got closer. “My king. My lady. What brings you out here this late at night?”

  “This child is close to being born,” Shante sighed. “Walking helps to ease my backache. And you? I thought you would be home.”

  Quinn nodded with a grin. “Shante told me the results of her interview with your human. I thought that the two of you would be celebrating still.”

  Asa blinked, then shook his head. “Why?” His voice was dull. “She decided she wanted to go back home. I just got back from returning her to her village.”

  “What?” Shante stiffened. “She said she wanted to return to her home? What . . . ? Why?”

  “She said that when you and she talked, she realized that she didn’t want to be here . . . with me.” Asa dropped his gaze to the ground. Surely Shante already knew all this? It was their talk that convinced Willow to leave. She would have known everything . . . Wait. Asa’s brow furrowed. Why didn’t she know what Willow wanted? “She didn’t express a desire to leave with you?’

  Shante shook her head. “Quite the opposite, in fact. I have never seen a woman more dedicated to staying with her dragon. She had no doubts about your relationship. I can’t see how she would have once she left my office.”

  “Then why . . . ?”

  Sherwood. Asa’s breath caught in his chest and his fires roared. Even though he knew that there was no proof, there was nothing to say that the fairy was in any way responsible, he knew. He just knew. Sherwood had been unnaturally interested in Willow since she arrived, and he had gotten her into trouble once. Who was to say that the fairy hadn’t said something to her . . . .Or done something. Threatened her. Threatened the people she cared about.

  “I have to get her back,” Asa blurted. “Something’s not right. My king, where is the fairy?”

  “Sherwood? He’s...” Quinn’s expression darkened. “Shante, get back to your chambers. I will look for the fairy. If he’s betrayed us—”

  Asa didn’t stick around to hear what else Quinn had to say. He raced back to the garage, collected his bike, and sped back towards Willow’s village. He drove far faster than was safe and nearly wiped out twice. He was only grateful that there was no other traffic on the road. As it was, it was already morning by the time he arrived. He drove his bike right into the center of the village and jumped off.

  “Willow!”

  People screamed and scattered at the sight of
him. Many of them dodged into nearby buildings. Asa ignored the panic. None of it mattered. He didn’t even know what house belonged to Willow’s family. His heart pounded and his fires burned so hotly that he could taste them on his tongue. He looked around at the terrified people and chose one. He lunged, grabbing the tall, willowy man. It was one of the shepherds. Asa had seen him often.

  “Where do Willow and her family live?” he demanded, keeping a tight grip on the man’s arm.

  “D-down the alley.” His eyes were wide. “That way!”

  Asa dragged the man along with him as the warning bells that signaled approaching dragons sounded. Great. Apparently, they had either recognized him or his bike. It didn’t matter. While the panic wasn’t going to help him with his goal, all he cared about was finding Willow – making sure she was okay and his darkest fears weren’t realized.

  The shepherd led him to a nice house. When he burst inside, he saw Willow’s parents. They sat at the kitchen table, mechanically eating with blank expressions on their faces.

  He’d never seen a fairy thrall before, but he had heard stories. Enough of them to recognize that was what was happening now. His heart jumped into his throat as he marched to Willow’s mother and shook her. There was no response. How long had they been under the thrall? When they refused to buy Willow back from him?

  How long had Sherwood been putting the wheels into motion? What did he want with Willow?

  Asa shook Willow’s father. “Where is he?”

  “Who?” the shepherd behind him asked, voice trembling.

  “Where is the fairy?” Asa peered into Willow’s father’s eyes. “Where did he take Willow?”

  No response. Fine. He’d just have to find them the old-fashioned way. Asa raced back out of the house. There were some people hurrying into their homes. They screamed and bolted every which way when he shifted. He ignored them. If they couldn’t figure out that he wasn’t there for them, more fool to them.