She stood there like an avenging goddess, tall and straight, her expression stern, as she held the bow he’d gifted to her firmly in her hands, positioned to shoot.
He followed the point of her arrow and saw she was aiming for Varian’s motionless body as he lay still on the ground. Elise waited a few moments in case he was still alive.
Meanwhile, Callum was astonished to find her here, rescuing him! He was also shocked she’d managed to kill Varian, one of the most gifted warriors in the Kingdom, with just one shot of her arrow!
When Elise saw Varian wasn’t moving, she lowered her weapon, and placed the arrow back in her quiver behind her, threading the bow over her shoulder and out of the way, before racing over to help Callum.
Now that Varian was dead, the spell he’d cast on the silver chains tied around Callum’s wrists was now broken. They no longer weighed him down like an anchor. He was able to move more freely, but he still wasn’t able to break the bindings himself.
“Are you alright?” Elise crouched down, giving Callum a quick scan to make sure he wasn’t severely injured. Immediately, her scent hit his nostrils, thick and hard, and just like the very first time when Varian had cut off her protective necklace which masked her true smell to him, it overwhelmed his senses! His throat rumbled as he reigned back his primal half, holding back the urge to claim her.
Elise gave Callum a concerned look, waiting for him to respond to her question before shuffling behind him to work on the chains tied around his wrists.
“I’m fine. Just a little bruised,” he finally managed to reply with much difficulty, trying to ignore the ache in his chest from his cracked ribs, combined with the insistent throbbing urge to take his mate pounding through his blood. Elise, taking him at his word, simply focused on trying to remove his chains.
“There’s a lock,” she declared, after a brief examination, and hurried back over to Varian’s body. She proceeded to pat his pockets down, and smiled in triumph as she heard a jangle. Dipping her hands into his right breast pocket, she pulled out a set of keys.
Then hastening back to Callum’s side, she started going through each one, trying to see if they would unlock the padlock on Callum’s chains. After the third key, there was a click and Elise cried out at her success. She made quick work of the chains after that, and soon, Callum’s wrists were completely free!
Bringing his arms to the front, Callum rubbed the tender, red skin of his wrists with his hands, trying to relieve some of the soreness and pain there. At the same time, a million questions were whirling inside his head.
“What are you doing here? I thought you’d escaped with Cassius?” he asked, rising to his feet with Elise.
“Isn’t it obvious…? I’m here to save your ass,” she chided in a light teasing tone. Callum managed to crack a small smile.
“Can you walk?” Elise asked, giving Callum a look of concern.
“Yes. I can still move properly. Where’s Cassius?” he asked, picking up Varian’s sword since it was the only weapon available nearby.
“He’s fighting the intruders outside with the King’s soldiers.”
“What—” Callum looked at her, startled.
Elise held up a hand, stopping him. “It’s a long story and now’s not the time. We need to free the rest of the hostages and defeat the remaining intruders.”
Callum nodded. “You stay here and lock the door. I’ll come for you once everything is safe.”
He made to leave, but Elise grabbed his arm, stopping him as he took a step forward. Her face was angry when he looked back at her.
“Are you kidding me? I’m not staying behind like some damsel in distress! I don’t care what you say,” she said, giving him a defiant look.
“But it’s better for you to keep safe and out of harm’s way! I’ll help Cassius and the King’s soldiers deal with the intruders.”
Elise tightened her grip on Callum’s arm, her eyes glaring at him.
“Are you forgetting who just saved your life a minute ago?” she shot back. “I’m not locking myself inside anywhere. I’m coming with you and fighting this battle whether you like it or not!”
Without waiting for his reply, Elise released his arm, and stalked off. Callum strode quickly after her, calling out her name. When he caught up to her angry strides down the corridor, he realized he was fighting a losing battle.
“Okay, fight if you must. But if things get too dangerous, you are to stand back and let me and the others take care of the intruders.” Elise simply pinched her lips together, not bothering to reply.
Callum, left with no options, could only sigh.
It was hours before they were able to win the garrison back. Once they were able to free half of the garrison’s trainees and soldiers, the tide tipped over in their favor and they were able to quickly overwhelm their enemy.
Most of the intruders were killed, a handful managed to escape, and a small number were captured and kept alive for later questioning.
On their own side, there were a number of casualties, and Callum shouldered the burden of this news gravely. They had been his men, under his command, and so the responsibility of their deaths weighed on him heavily.
Aiden and Melody had been found safe and alive, and Callum had charged them with helping to organize the soldiers and staff to clean things up and arrange for the prisoners to be locked in the dungeons below.
Callum continued to make sure Elise remained near him and within his sight at all times, and they were now standing in the main hall.
Elise was talking to Gideon, giving him instructions, and Cassius was giving orders to a few of his men, when Cassius walked in with an unexpected figure beside him.
“King Torin!” Callum cried out in surprise and quickly walked over to them. He kneeled before the tall, powerfully built, silver haired man in front of him, placing his right fist over his heart.
The King waved his hand, signalling for Callum to dispense with formalities given the current situation. “Please rise, Lord Callum,” he said, his white and silver armor shimmering under the early afternoon light pouring through the windows. “Now tell me, what news is there? Do you have an update on the situation?”
Callum quickly overcame his shock and recounted to the King what had happened and where things were at. He informed him of Varian’s treachery and that he was now dead.
King Torin shook his head sadly, his handsome face creasing as he frowned. “It seems our enemies have infiltrated inside our own Court and inner Council,” he said gravely. “It seems war will be upon us sooner than we thought. The skirmish to the south is just the beginning.”
“How did you get here? Did Cassius go to the army encampment in the south and find you to tell you what had happened here?” Callum asked, looking towards the Captain, then back at the King.
Torin’s lips curled up in an amused smile as he exchanged glances with Cassius. “No…it was actually your wife who brought me here,” he replied, his gaze travelling over to Elise who was still busy talking to Gideon.
“Huh?” Callum looked at the two men, dumbfounded. “I don’t understand.”
“It seems your wife is a very resourceful and brave young lady,” Torin commended the Commander. “She managed to locate an ancient archway portal and used it to travel to the encampment in the south. She managed to convince the soldiers who found her in the campsite to bring her to see me. When she told me what had occurred, I quickly gathered a small group of soldiers to accompany me and come to your aid.”
“You weren’t with her, Cassius?” Callum asked, still a little confused. He could hardly believe Elise had braved the journey on her own and managed to persuade the King to race to the garrison with help.
“I had to go south-west, towards the normal archway portal. We weren’t sure if the portal Elise had read about truly existed, so we needed a second back-up plan in case the first one failed. Luckily, Elise and the King were able to ready themselves quickly. King Torin sent Stryker in bird form
to tell me to turn back and meet them at the garrison to group together before the battle.”
Callum swallowed, pride swelling in his chest at his mate’s courage and determination. Her intelligence and quick wits had saved them all! He owed her everything he had, and much, much more…
A feeling of sadness struck him suddenly as he remembered what Varian had found inside her room…unfortunately, it seemed she did not want to remain here by his side. The mere knowledge of this was enough to kill him from the inside.
He swallowed again, his throat feeling sandpaper dry. Given all Elise had sacrificed, and the fact that she’d risked her life to save him, his soldiers and the Kingdom, he owed it to her to set her free…
And so with a troubled face, he asked the King for his leave so he could go speak to Elise. “Your Majesty, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to speak to my wife and check to see that she’s fine.”
Torin nodded. “Of course. I’ll send for you in an hour or so. We’ll need to iron out our next steps and what strategy we’re going to employ to ferret out the remaining traitors in Court. Go take care of your wife.”
“Thank you, your Majesty.” Callum bowed and quickly excused himself, leaving the King with Cassius to coordinate the men and women and take care of the garrison.
“Elise…” Callum cleared his throat as he approached her, so she’d be aware of his presence. She gave a quick glance his way, before turning back to Gideon and imparting some final words. The young boy scuttled off soon after.
“Callum,” Elise nodded in acknowledgement, straightening up and looking at him cooly. Unlike when she had first found him imprisoned in the sitting room, she seemed to be holding herself back behind some invisible stone wall. The observation made Callum’s heart plummet to the very pit of his stomach.
“May I speak with you privately? There’s some important things we need to discuss.”
Elise nodded in response, her lips pressed firmly shut. Not a good sign… Callum thought.
“Follow me, please,” he said, turning around to lead the way.
There was a lot they needed to talk about, but regardless of what either of them had to say, their inevitable parting was fast approaching… Callum thought despondently as he guided her out of the main hall.
Soon, he would have to say goodbye, and unfortunately, he was far from ready for that.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Did you want to take a seat?” Callum asked, offering Elise one of the plush chairs standing around the table inside his private study. She shook her head, turning around to face one of the large floor to ceiling windows a few paces away, her mind seeming full of unsaid thoughts.
The wild wooded landscape and snow-capped mountains spread out before them through the glass, still and quiet, unlike Callum’s wildly beating heart.
He wasn’t quite sure what Elise was staring at through the window, but her back was stiff and she had her arms clasped around herself protectively…it was like she felt vulnerable being here alone with him.
However, worse of all was her silence. It hung thick and heavy in the air, choking Callum like invisible hands.
Elise hadn’t spoken a word to him the entire walk to the study, and now that they were inside with the door closed behind them, she still would not say a word.
Callum pushed out a heavy sigh, and managed to work his throat despite the emotion threatening to clog his airways. “Thank you…” he began apprehensively, looking away from her still back, unable to bear the sight of her turning her back to him. “I owe you my life and the life of the people inside this garrison.”
There was a pregnant pause, and Callum was almost certain this was going to continue to be a one sided conversation, when unexpectedly, Elise replied.
“I did what I felt was right. Abandoning you all and leaving you and the others here to die isn’t something I could have lived with.”
“I see,” Callum said, her words confirming what he’d been suspecting all along. She’d come back to save him not because she cared for him, but out of a sense of duty. “Regardless, I’m very grateful and will remember the debt I owe you for the rest of my life.” Callum thought he heard Elise snort.
“Debt?” she said quietly, and Callum barely managed to catch the tone of contempt.
“Yes,” he replied, not too proud to admit it. “I owe you a boon, and since”—he paused, struggling at this juncture, his voice wavering slightly—“a-and since I know your greatest wish is to return home to your own realm, I owe it to you to grant you this wish.”
Elise spun around in a flash, her action taking Callum off-guard. She glared at him angrily, her face contorted in fury, and something else…something that remarkably resembled pain.
Callum took an automatic step back, away from the chair he’d been gripping and leaning his weight on, while Elise unleashed on him.
“So, now you’re just going to dismiss me and send me away?” she retorted, her voice full of resentment.
“Yes…well, I mean no—not like that. I-I’m really confused. Isn’t that what you want?” Callum said uncertainly, not quite sure how to respond. Elise’s reaction was not what he was expecting.
“Why? Is it because I’m no longer any use to you? Or are you feeling guilty that you’ll have to push me aside one day when you find your true fated mate, so you’re sending me away now, before things get messy?” she remarked, giving a little snort, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“What are you talking about?” Callum looked at her, his brow creased in confusion. “I was never planning on setting you aside. I told you before, you’re not my mistress or consort—you’re my wife.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes. I get it. I’m your legally bound wife. But I’m not your mate, am I? You haven’t marked me, so it’s obvious Varian’s right: you’re still waiting for your fated mate to appear.”
Callum kneaded his temple in frustration. He could feel his temper flaring up. “What does that bastard Varian have anything to do with this? What exactly did he say to you, and why do you even believe him?”
The accusation of his words made Elise flush. “He wasn’t lying. I know this because King Torin also noticed you hadn’t marked me and claimed me as your mate despite being your wife,” she threw back defensively.
“For Light’s sake! Is every bloody person involved in my love life now?” Callum scowled, raking his hand roughly through his thick, dark hair.
“Stop avoiding the question. Just admit the truth for once! At least do me the courtesy of that before forcing me to leave,” Elise said acidly with an edge of bitterness to her voice.
Callum rolled his shoulders back as he pushed out an irritated sigh. Elise’s attitude and line of questioning were starting to wear his patience thin. He was already struggling to deal with the fact she was leaving him, and now he was expected to just stand here and let her take her anger out on him? It was all too much!
“Why are you so angry at me?” he argued back, his expression dark. “You’re the one who wants to leave. Why are you making it sound like I’m the one kicking you out?”
“When did I say I wanted to leave?” Elise countered with a dismayed voice. “As in recently,” she added, giving Callum a pointed look as she saw him open his mouth to argue.
Callum closed his mouth, then opened it again to speak. “I saw the map, Elise,” he responded bitterly.
The anger on Elise’s face died away instantly, and she looked away from Callum guiltily.
Taking a moment to think over her response, she breathed in and out slowly, before returning her gaze back to Callum. “That was before—when I first got here,” she explained. “But I’m telling the truth when I say I haven’t thought about the map for a very long while.”
Bartered to the Fae Lord Page 19