When we got to the woods, I glanced at Rhyne. His face reddened as he cleared his throat. “I’ve got to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I-I finally kissed Gertie last night.” My eyes met his.
“And, how was it?”
“Perfect. I can’t explain it really. It was like my whole insides were on fire. I’ve never felt like that before” he said. “That probably sounds stupid.”
“No. Not stupid at all. So, do you love her?”
He smiled, his eyes lighting up. “Yes, but her ma hates me. The only reason she’s been allowed to be around me is because her da and mine are such close friends.”
I clutched his hand. “And will you propose to her?”
He squeezed my fingers. “Perhaps. But you are sworn to secrecy. I still have to ask her da for permission.”
“Of course, your secret is safe with me.”
“And what of you? Seems you have drawn the attentions of my cousin Raul.”
I sighed. He was my best friend, and we’d always been honest with one another. “Raul kissed me. I can’t tell you how perfect it was. It was like he branded me, as if no one else in the world existed for me.”
“What of your gram?”
“That is where the problem lies. Gram doesn’t approve of him. She’s been trying to discourage me from any interactions since he arrived back in Dark Pines. But I’m attracted to him and I feel drawn to him. But Gram has been acting strange about a lot of things lately. She’s been very adamant about me staying away from Lord Kenrick as well.” I drummed my nails against his sleeve.
He stared at me. “Lord Kenrick has been keeping close tabs on you, but he will leave soon. I know you think highly of him, but there’s something off about him.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“I’ll be fine. But I appreciate your concern.”
“Do you think it’s a coincidence that the Beast attacks seemed to escalate with his arrival?” Rhyne scuffed his foot against the ground.
He sounded just like Gram. I shook my head. “I hope so. I mean I think there’s something going on in Dark Pines. There have been too many accidents and attacks as of late. But to place the blame all on Kenrick, I’m not sure that’s fair.”
“Perhaps not, but I’ll keep a closer eye on him, while he’s in town, if you’d like.”
“Thank you.” I reached across the way and hugged him. “This is why I adore you so much. You understand me like no one else.”
He took a step back. “I suppose I ought to head back to the shop or Da will have my head. Enjoy your day, Brielle. Make sure to take the rowboat out and enjoy the sun. Don’t give Sarah another thought.”
I saw Raul waiting beside a tree and glanced at Rhyne.
“Did you arrange this?”
He smiled. “Yes. Da said we’re too busy for me to be gallivanting all over the woods today. Luckily, Raul was buying meat in the store. I told him you two could use the rowboat on the pond today.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Once Rhyne left, Raul sauntered toward me.
“My little Brielle, I’m sorry about Sarah.” His fingers touched my cheek.
“It’s all right.”
“No, it’s not. And if I had it my way, I’d see that she was punished for what she did to you.” He glowered.
My hand covered his and I inhaled his scent. Why couldn’t I just stay like this forever? Here, alone with Raul?
“Come, let’s go to the pond. Rhyne said we could stay here as long as we’d like.” He released me then led me down the trail.
The canopies thickened overhead like giant green bonnets blotting out the sun, while pinecones crunched beneath our feet as we made our way along the well-worn path to the Butcher’s pond. The scent of earth mixed with pine tickled my nose. I smiled.
A bee buzzed around my head and I swatted it away, stepping over a downed tree in the process. I watched Raul’s back. The contours of his muscles were evident as he held back branches for me. Tiny beams of sunlight snuck through the trees, embracing him like a sun god. Everything about him spoke of strength and beauty.
At last, we stepped into the clearing and onto the shore of the pond. Water bugs and birds darted over the surface. Ripples fanned out, creating waves. We pushed our way to the lone dock where the rowboat was tied.
Raul climbed into the boat first, then reached to help me in. The vessel swayed, and for a moment, I thought we might tip over into the cool water, but Raul held it steady, waiting for me to take a seat.
Once in, I plopped down on the back bench as he untied the rope and shoved away from the dock. He fastened the oars in place then faced me.
“Look over there.” He pointed behind me.
I turned my head to see three swans swimming across the emerald colored waters. “They’re beautiful.”
As he rowed, I dragged my hand over the side, distorting our reflections as we went. After a few minutes, he maneuvered us to the center of the body of water and hoisted the oars into the boat.
Sweat glistened on his brow and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Raul clasped hold of my arm and tugged me next to him then proceeded to pull us both down. We lay side by side in the bottom of the boat, staring at the sky. I was all too aware of his leg pressed against mine. How close we were. I focused on the sky, trying to ignore the loud clatter of my heart thudding against my chest.
Wisps of clouds floated by, while birds sang cheerful tunes. The rowboat rocked back and forth, lulling me into peaceful thoughts.
“Bri?” Raul touched my arm.
I cocked my head to look at him. He propped himself on his elbow and watched me.
He gazed at me as if I was the most precious piece of artwork he’d ever seen. And I liked it. “Yeah?”
“Are you happy? Being here with me?”
I took a staggered breath, feeling his knee slide against mine. “I’m always happy when I’m with you.”
He brushed strands of hair from my face. “I’m glad. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to spend time with you. And the other night, when we kissed, I felt something, Brielle. I know your grandmother told you to stay away from me, but I don’t think I can stay away from you. You make me feel so much—like I can be anything I want to be. You make me want to be better. To prove to people I’m more than just some Gypsy trader.”
I tilted my head as he shifted. “You’re already perfect, Raul. You don’t know how badly I miss you when you’re gone. How I dream about running off on one of your adventures with you. Far from Dark Pines.”
“Brielle … ” He leaned closer, his thumb stroking my lips. “I care more about you then I want to admit. I always swore I would never have any attachments. But you’re proving to be someone I can’t be away from. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
“Then don’t keep away. I don’t care what anyone says or does. I want to be with you.” Deep down, I knew my feelings for him went beyond caring. But I wasn’t sure if now was the time to blurt them out. Not when there were so many things going on.
“Soon, we’ll find a way to be together. For now, we must settle for times like this.”
He bent closer until his lips crushed mine. In that single gesture, he made promises that he wouldn’t voice aloud. My skin burned beneath his touch, he started a fire in me that couldn’t be put out. I deepened the kiss, my fingers tangling in his hair, drawing him closer. Why couldn’t I get enough of him?
He pulled me against him, sending the boat swaying back and forth. After a second he leaned back, his breathing labored.
“Bri, I think it’s best if we head back to shore.” He grinned. “Not that I’m opposed to staying out here a while longer, but the last thing we need is for the wrong person to happen upon us like this.”
My eyes widened and I sat up, attempting to smooth down my hair. He was right.
Raul resituated himself then refastened the oars and rotated u
s around to paddle us back toward the dock. When we got into the shallows, he hopped from the boat, the water coming up to his thighs. He reached back in for me and lifted me up, his hands around my waist.
“Thank you for this. I needed it today.”
“There is one thing I want you to know.”
“What’s that?”
“That you’re the only girl I think of, and I’ll always watch out for you. Promise me you’ll be careful, my little Brielle. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I-I don’t understand.” Did he mean he’d hurt me?
As if recognizing my confusion he said, “Lord Kenrick has seemed particularly interested in you as of late. And I can’t help but feel there is something strange about him.”
I blushed. How many of my interactions with the knight had he witnessed? “I’ll be fine. You’re not the first one to warn me of Kenrick. I’m still not sure what to make of him.”
Once he tied the boat off to the dock, Raul offered me his hand.
My pulse soared and sparks of fiery hot bolts seared my blood to near boiling point. I was all too aware of his closeness, of the heat radiating off our skin. My mind flipped back to our kiss and I felt the blush creep up my spine to my face. I cleared my throat. “I should probably head home now. Gram will likely be there soon.”
“Let me walk you,” Raul said right as Bowman and Rhyne came down the path in their cart.
Bowman’s eyes narrowed as he stared at our clasped hands. “What are you doing on my property?” He directed his comment at Raul.
“I gave him permission, Da.”
“Did you also give him permission to bring Brielle out here, alone and unchaperoned.”
“Bowman, please, it’s not what you think,” I said. “You know me better than that.”
“You don’t know the way a man thinks, lass.”
“Da, they weren’t doing nothing but taking the rowboat out fishing. Brielle does the same thing with me.”
Bowman glanced at Raul then back to me. “If you want, lass, we can give you a ride home. Your gram will be worried about you by now.”
I felt Raul stiffen next to me. My fists clenched at my sides as anger swelled inside on his behalf because of the way Bowman glowered at him, like he was no better than the dirt beneath his feet. Of course, I knew how much Bowman disliked the Wanderers, and I was sure Rhyne would get a good thrashing when he got home for arranging this. “No, I’ll be fine. Raul will see me safely to the cabin. Thank you.”
After sitting for a moment longer, Bowman slapped the reins against the horses. The cart creaked as it rolled toward the woods. When they disappeared, I turned to Raul, and his eyes blazed.
“I’m sorry he acted like that,” I said.
He glanced down at me, the hostility melting away. “It’s all right.”
My brow furrowed and I reached for his hand. “No, it’s not. If he knew the real you, he wouldn’t say such things. You’re so kind, gentle, nice … well maybe a little threatening.”
He stared at our entwined hands. Slowly, he raised my fingers to his lips. “You’re why I come back to Dark Pines. You see beyond what others do. Like I said, the other night, when we kissed, I felt so much. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for that moment.”
My skin scorched where his mouth touched, as if he’d marked me. Tiny flutters tickled my belly. There was something mesmerizing about him. He exuded danger and heat, the forbidden, but I wasn’t scared of him. If anything, it made me want to spend more time with him because underneath that exterior, I knew there was something gentler. Something worth unearthing.
“As have I,” I whispered. “And so you know, I will always see you.”
He smiled as he lowered my hand. “I know. Now, let me see you home before Loreen decides to come hunt you down.”
He slid his cloak from his shoulders and draped it over mine. With that, he guided me into the woods and toward home. There was no denying the connection between us. Soon, I’d have to make a decision. I’d have to figure out what it was I really wanted.
The front door of the cottage burst open, and Gram walked in, toting her basket. She set it on the table, her mood dark.
“I’m sorry for what Sarah did. That girl, she’ll get what’s coming to her. You just wait and see.” She hobbled over to the large pine trunk at the foot of her bed.
“She isn’t worth our worries, Gram. If she wants to be miserable and jealous, I say let her. Besides, maybe it’d be best if I didn’t go to the festival.”
“You know that’s not possible. Mayor Weaver would find a way to make a spectacle of us. Besides, you should never let someone like Sarah make you feel unworthy. You should go and have fun, enjoy the celebration. You don’t want to have any regrets.”
She sighed and set her cane down on the floor. When she tugged open the trunk, Gram finally smiled at me. She rustled through the contents, until at last, she held up a light blue gown, woven with silk and lace. “This was your mother’s wedding gown. It’s a little outdated, but we can make some adjustments. It will be perfect.” She carried it over to me.
I gasped. It was beautiful. Something a princess would wear. Pearls shone along the hem of the high waistline, while spirals of light blue lace danced across the white silk of the sleeves and skirts.
“I love it.” My fingers trembled as I traced the looping, lace-like leaves. “Don’t change a thing.”
“Maybe this was a blessing in disguise.” Gram laid the gown on her bed, smoothing it out. “When Sarah sees you in this, she’ll wish she let you wear that lavender dress her mother made.”
A lump lodged in my throat and I stood to hug Gram. “Thank you. I was worried I wouldn’t have anything.”
She patted my back. “I’d never let that happen. You deserve the stars, Brielle, and if it were in my power, you’d have them.”
Her gaze shifted to the painting of Aunt Narcissa and Cousin Lucia, which hung beside her bed. Narcissa had been Gram’s only daughter. Gram never talked much about their deaths, other than to say she never wanted to set foot back in the Crawford Estate again.
“Are you all right, Gram?”
She gave me a wobbly smile. “Fine dear. You go on and get yourself ready to bed down.”
“Gram, we can talk if you’d like. I’m old enough now to hear these things.”
She wrung her hands together. “The truth is, I think our family is the target of these Beast attacks and killings.”
I froze in place. “What do you mean?”
“I-I was the one to find your aunt and cousin’s bodies. They’d been torn beyond recognition. The only thing that made me sure it was them was the jewelry we found on their fingers. It’s why we moved from Crawford. But now, the attacks have started again, and they seem to draw closer to our cottage. It’s as if we’re cursed.”
“Why haven’t you mentioned this before?”
“Because I didn’t want to frighten you.”
I wet my lips. Now was the time for me to come clean too. “Gram, I-I think I’ve seen Lucia’s ghost in the woods again. She showed up when I found Liam’s body, then I saw her again the night the bridge washed out.”
My hands trembled and I clutched them together.
Gram gripped hold of the table as if to steady herself. “Perhaps it’s an omen. We both know ghosts dwell in our world. Since Lucia was murdered, possibly by the Beast, it would explain why she shows herself near the attacks. I beg you not to mention this to anyone else, do you understand?”
“Yes.” With a sigh, I agreed, wondering if she knew more than she was letting on. Even though I knew she was protecting me, I couldn’t help but feel that she was keeping secrets. And somehow, it involved what’d happened to our relatives. Plus there was the research she was doing.
“And you should also know, this isn’t the first time Kenrick has been to Dark Pines,” Gram whispered.
“What do you mean?”
; “He came through here with his family when he was younger. That is when we had our first attack. It just seems odd that twice now he’s come to our village and both times the Beast started to prey on our people.”
I stared at Gram. Could it be true? I’d spent time with Kenrick. There was no way he’d hurt someone. His job was to save us. Wasn’t it?
But then another thing dawned on me, hadn’t he brought up the town of Crawford before? The place my aunt and cousin were murdered? Had he been there then? Even if he was, he would’ve been a child.
It didn’t seem possible that he could have had anything to do with their deaths.
I didn’t want to believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. But even as I tried to push these thoughts away, they still lingered at the back of my mind.
“No, please!” a voice screamed in terror.
Something crunched beneath my feet. I glanced down to see a scattering of bones. A low growl vibrated behind me. My hands trembled. I didn’t dare turn around for fear of what I might find.
“Please. Help me.”
Oh, dear God. I knew that voice. I whipped around to find Peter Farmer holding his arm, his hand missing. Blood soaked the ground at his feet, his eyes widened with fear. So much blood.
“Peter!” I moved toward him. This wasn’t happening. I needed to save him.
Claws swiped the air in front of me, raking across his chest. Blood spurted from the wound, his agonizing shrieks for help echoing in my mind. Something warm sprayed my face.
Shaking, I raised a hand to touch it. Panic coursed through me as I stared at the crimson fluid painting my fingers.
“Leave him alone, he’s done nothing to deserve this.” I ran toward him, but tripped, falling into the shadows.
“Nooooo … ”
“No. Please, stop!” I screamed.
“Brielle. Child, you must wake up.”
My lids fluttered open to find Gram shaking me. Sweat soaked my shift and my skin burned with the remnants of fever.
Tears streamed down my face as I stared about the room. Two candles flickered on the table, droplets of wax pooling on the wood. Gram released my arms and grabbed a wet cloth to wipe my forehead.
Legend of Me Page 11