Elizabeth closed her eyes and prayed that true love might find her first.
*
Annelise awakened with a pounding heart, her dream vivid in her mind. She reviewed it, seeking more detail, and recognized the truth within it. It was a gift.
She understood why Garrett had not been able confide in her.
She understood his curse and the threat against him, as well as what awaited them at Killairig.
Even better, Annelise knew that she alone could save him.
Her love was the key.
But who was the knight who threatened Garrett? Annelise wished she had glimpsed his face. It had been a knight riding toward them on the road: she had seen the glint of his mail.
Was it Orson?
Andrew?
Annelise wished she knew. Why had the dream stopped so suddenly? How had Elizabeth sent it to her? Was Elizabeth well?
The dream left Annelise filled with both questions and a new sense of purpose. She had been given this information and had to act upon it to secure her future with Garrett.
She could save Garrett, but needed these details to do so.
Annelise realized that the wolf pelt was nestled around her shoulders and beneath her cheek. She sat up abruptly and pulled it away. Now that she knew what it was in truth, she did not want to touch it.
It had ceased to be a symbol of Garrett’s bravery and become one of his curse.
She slipped from the warmth of Garrett’s embrace and studied the pelt, uncertain what to do with it. Did it carry some Fae sorcery that could reveal them, or lead another to them? Was it best left behind or would they have need of it in future?
“You no longer like the pelt?” Garrett asked, his voice deep with sleep. Annelise turned to smile at him, liking how his eyes gleamed as he watched her. His hair was tousled and his chest was bare, that half-smile tempting her to return to bed.
“I had a dream,” she said instead, keeping her voice low. “It was yet another tale of the two Fae sisters, but in this one, the fair sister had a son who could hear the thoughts of other mortal creatures.” Garrett frowned, but Annelise continued. “The dark sister had a daughter, who could become a wolf, a wolf of silver grey with black paws and snout.”
Garrett rose from the pallet, his gestures decisive. He did not interrupt her, but Annelise feared he gave little credence to her dream.
Still she carried on. “The dark sister also had a son, a son she would see inherit his father’s holding over his older brother.”
Garrett examined his chemise and checked that the blood had dried. He folded it and placed it in the bottom of his satchel with care. “And had he a Fae gift?”
“Not beyond good looks, skill in many pursuits and long life.” She frowned. “A beauteous voice.”
“And what has this to do with a fine and thick wolf pelt?”
“The dark sister sent the daughter after the older son, the golden one, in the guise of a wolf to kill him.”
Garrett gave her a steady look, and his skepticism was clear. “You think this wolf was a Fae shape shifter?”
“In the tale, she chose to attack a woman, a woman who looked just like me, because that woman’s love was the sole thing that could save the older brother.”
Garrett shoved a hand through his hair, clearly impatient with this tale. “Annelise, it was a wolf. It was a hungry wolf that attacked you, and I killed for its deed.”
“What if it was a Fae woman who could become a wolf?”
“Nay.” Garrett’s conviction was clear. “I will hear no tales of wolves becoming women or women becoming wolves. They are wolves, Annelise. They are predators. They kill when they choose and without remorse, and I will not have you believe them to be more than they are.”
“But I dreamed…”
“It was a dream!” Garrett’s eyes flashed and Annelise realized she had never heard him raise his voice so. He shook his head and frowned, then appealed to her. “Annelise, I have lost much to wolves, more even than you know. I will not lose you. Believe what you must, but I would not hesitate to repeat my deed in your defense.”
“Could you hear this wolf?” she demanded, holding out the pelt.
“I tracked it,” he said tightly.
That was not sufficient for Annelise. “Was it the same as other wolves?”
Garrett frowned and turned away.
“The same as the white wolf yesterday?” she demanded.
Garrett shook his head immediately, then his eyes flashed with concern. He came to her side and bent to give her a sweet kiss. “Let us not argue,” he said, his gaze searching hers. “Please do not discard the pelt.”
Annelise nodded reluctant agreement.
Garrett studied her. “What else happened in the tale in your dream?”
“The dark sister’s son hunted his older brother.” She lifted her gaze to his. “He was a knight.”
“Who?”
“I do not know.” Once again, Annelise wished she had seen the knight’s face. “But I think we should leave this place, and soon.”
“I agree.” Garrett shook out his tartan which he had wrapped around them the night before, then donned his boots and laced his jerkin. There was something different about him on this morning. He seemed to be filled with a purpose that echoed her own, and there was no hint of his former malady.
“Where shall we go?” Aware that they might be overheard, she mouthed the name of the holding ‘Killairig?’
Garrett shook his head and held a fingertip to his lips. “There is a place I would like you to see first.” He cast her a smile that warmed her heart.
“Then I should like to see it very much.” She eyed him thoughtfully. “You seem most hale this morning.”
He laughed, something he did rarely. It was an engaging sound, for he had a rich and deep laugh, one so genuine that it prompted her own smile. “I feel better than ever I have.” He crossed the loft with measured steps, putting a finger beneath her chin. His touch made her heart leap. “Perhaps you are the tonic I have sought all my days, my Annelise,” he murmured.
When he looked at her with such intensity, Annelise could scarcely take a breath.
When he kissed her as soundly as he did a moment later, Annelise could not summon a care for anything else in the world. The tale in the dream must be true, and she would heed its message even if Garrett did not. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him back, losing herself in the pleasure he could so easily give.
At the sound of a step below, they parted, then smiled at each other. Garrett smoothed back a stray strand of hair from her cheek, his touch making her heart thunder.
This was all she desired, and more.
She would do whatever was necessary to secure their future.
Then Annelise realized the sound below was the ostler arriving in the stables. Yet Garrett did not seem to be troubled by the presence of another person or that person’s thoughts.
“Hoy there!” said the ostler. “It is a fine day. Do you mean to ride out, my lady? Or is your husband yet ill?”
Annelise saw surprise flicker in Garrett’s eyes and guessed he had made the same realization.
Garrett strode to the ladder to speak to the ostler. “I am recovered on this day,” he replied to the ostler, who was visibly shocked by the change in his appearance. “It seems that a talent for healing runs in the line of my lady’s family.”
Annelise hugged herself in her delight. She had been right!
“Then would you have me brush your steed?” the ostler asked.
“Nay, nay. I will tend Yseult myself. We will be in her care all this day and I would ensure her fine mood.”
The ostler laughed. “A mare can be capricious in her favor,” he said, casting a glance to the loft. Annelise guessed that he thought little of females regardless of their kind. She blushed a little, wondering if his words meant that he had heard her cry of pleasure.
“But once a man earns the regard of one, she will show a l
oyalty beyond all others,” Garrett replied as he claimed the brush. He winked at Annelise, looking so strong and resolved that she believed they could conquer every obstacle.
“Father Thomas has sent provisions for you, for he believed you would likely leave on this morn,” the ostler said, offering the food and a wineskin, as well.
Annelise descended the ladder, gasping with surprise when Garrett seized her by the waist and swung her down from the third to last step. He grinned at her, then returned to his labor. Annelise, meanwhile, accepted the food and packed their bag with care.
The ostler lingered, even after she descended, watching Garrett at his work. Annelise guessed that he was protective, even of visiting steeds to his stable, even of mares. He folded his arms across his chest. The bell at the chapel rang and he did not move.
Annelise smothered a smile. Perhaps he was evading the prayer services.
“That is a most uncommon dog you have,” he said finally. “I might have killed it, if it had not been so protective of your horse.”
“Dog?” Garrett asked, frozen in the act of saddling Yseult.
“A white dog, much like a wolf.” The ostler shrugged even as Annelise’s eyes widened. “Indeed, I thought it a wolf, until it kept me from this end of the stable. And the mare was most untroubled by its presence, so I knew she knew the hound. No horse would take so kindly to the presence of a wolf behind it.” He gestured to the floor in the middle of the stable. “It remained here, like a sentry watching over all of you, all the night long. Its eyes were blue, and most curious, almost like those of a person.” He shivered, then fixed Garrett with a suspicious look. “It is a most strange choice for a hound.”
Garrett held the man’s gaze, but Annelise dared to make a guess.
“Then your dog is not lost, after all, husband!” she declared with feigned relief. She turned to the ostler. “I was certain the hound had been lost when we came through the hills. We are from home, after all.”
“Does it always run with you?”
Garrett’s eyes narrowed as he turned back to his task. Annelise could see that he was not pleased.
“It never abandons my husband,” Annelise said when he remained silent. “It is uncommonly loyal.”
“Yet the hound is gone this morning.”
Garrett shrugged. “It is a hound that takes care of itself. If it defended us last night, it will catch up to us on this day.” He glanced at the ostler. “My wife is not accustomed to dogs of such independence, so she worries about its fate.”
“Perhaps it is part wolf in truth,” the ostler suggested. “And needs to run wild at times.”
“I cannot say,” Garrett said, his tone indicating that he would end the conversation.
The ostler did not take the hint. “Did you not choose it from a litter?”
“It chose my husband, as the story is told,” Annelise interjected, for she noted Garrett’s mood. “But its loyalty cannot be doubted. I am so glad it was here last night.”
“Does it kill like a wolf?”
Garrett visibly gritted his teeth.
“Only those who threaten my husband’s welfare,” Annelise said, fabricating a tale. If the white wolf returned to this stable, she did not want it to be injured.
Garrett gave her a hard look, which Annelise ignored.
The ostler meanwhile nodded with satisfaction. “Then it is a loyal hound indeed.” He nodded approval at Garrett, who had finished saddling Yseult and was leading her from the stall. “A good ride to you. You should make good distance in such fine weather. What is your destination?”
“We ride to Edinburgh,” Garrett said with such assurance that Annelise wondered if it were true. “I have a matter to put before the king’s courts.”
“Then Godspeed to you. Father Thomas is at prayer, or he would wish you well himself.”
“I beg you to thank him for your hospitality.” Garrett bowed, then lifted Annelise to the saddle. He swung up behind her, encouraging Yseult to a quick walk. They crossed the bailey as the ostler watched, then passed through the gates. Garrett took the road that would lead them east and followed it until they were out of sight of the monastery.
Annelise knew she did not imagine the flicker of white that appeared in the forest alongside them. It might have been a beam of sunlight, reaching its fingers through the leafy canopy overhead, but it kept pace with them.
Given Garrett’s reaction, though, she said naught about it.
Yet.
“Edinburgh?” she asked. “Truly?”
“Nay.” Garrett replied. He glanced back, confirmed that they were out of view, then turned onto a narrow footpath in the forest. “But you can see now, my lady, that I can lie as well as you when circumstance demands as much.”
“You think we will be followed.”
“I cannot imagine that we will not, and not by a dog that resembles a white wolf.” He fixed her with a look. “What is this tale you created, and why?”
“Every tale we have heard featured a white wolf, one that could change to a woman.”
“They are tales, Annelise.”
“A white wolf kept us from the road…”
“I know what a wolf can do,” he retorted, his tone hard. “And I have lost much to their appetites.” His grip tightened upon her. “I say again that I will not lose you, Annelise.”
“I do not think you will. I believe this wolf to be more than a wolf…”
“And I should let it live, just in case you are right?” Garrett shook his head. “I will not slacken my guard because you have sympathy for a wild creature that may take any advantage to rip out your throat.” His lips set grimly. “Never, Annelise. Do not ask it of me.”
“But what if you are wrong? What if the wolf is bound to your fate? Think of the knight in your tale of Broceliande? Would you err as he did and lose someone you love?”
He cast her a look that glittered with determination. “What if you are wrong, and this whimsy costs your life?” he demanded. “It will not happen while you are in my company.”
Annelise frowned as she looked ahead of them. “You did not hear the ostler’s thoughts this morning.”
Garrett pursed his lips, but did not reply. Annelise, finally, knew why.
She persisted in guessing his abilities, for he had said she might. “Or was it just that you could bear the sound of them better?”
He frowned. “I awakened this morn feeling very well, much better than I have these past months.” Annelise made to ask more questions, but Garrett dropped a finger to her lips. “There is another tale I would recount to you, but it must wait until we arrive at our destination this day. For the moment, we ride.”
“Is it far?”
“It will be a long day.” Garrett scanned the forest, his eyes narrowed. “Tell me when you see the wolf again,” he commanded, and his tone was grim.
Annelise watched all that day, but to her relief, she never caught another glimpse of the white wolf. She both wished to see it and knew that if she did see it, she might feel obliged to tell Garrett. Its absence saved her the trial of making a choice. She felt certain the wolf was there, though, just out of sight.
And though she had always feared wolves, Annelise was glad to have this one close behind them.
*
Garrett’s mind had never been so clear. He could only hope that the gift of Annelise’s touch was a lasting one. For the first time in many years, he felt optimistic about his future. There were still obstacles before them, but he had a new faith in his own future, with Annelise by his side.
One irksome detail was the white wolf. Garrett could not sense the creature, which was troubling, but he did not doubt the creature was awaiting a moment of vulnerability. He did not share Annelise’s concern for its welfare, much less her desire to see it unharmed. He had only to recall what had come of Mhairi’s trust of a wolf—and a white one at that!—to recall the price that could be paid. Wolves were untrustworthy, no matter their color, and their n
ature did not change. It was out of fear that men concocted tales about them. It was an understatement that he had not been pleased to learn that one had visited the stable the night before.
He wished the ostler had killed the wolf.
Triumph was too close for him to let it be snatched away. He would not let the wolf take Annelise, which meant he had to anticipate it. He hoped she did not witness what he had to do to defend her.
And what of the grey wolf with dark paws and snout? As much as Garrett disliked admitting as much, there had been something different about it, an elusiveness to its thoughts that he had noticed. He had thought it a mark of the creature’s wily nature at the time, and he would hold to that view for the moment.
He rode Yseult hard that day, knowing how much distance they had to travel. It was possible they might leave the wolf far behind, but Garrett would not rely upon outwitting such a wily creature.
One thing was certain: they would not camp in the woods on this night, not with a wolf tracking their steps. They would ride until they reached shelter, no matter how long the journey took.
Chapter Thirteen
It was dark when Garrett led Yseult onto a small footpath. Annelise was tired and sore from a full day of riding, but sensed Garrett’s anticipation. She looked about herself with curiosity. Where had he brought her and what tale would he tell her?
The moon had risen hours before and was close to full. They were fortunate in that, for its brilliance lit their way. The footpath was not so well trodden. Annelise guessed it had been made by people, instead of horses, and not very many people at that. The vegetation was crowding it from either side, as if the path had not been used overmuch of late.
The land had sloped downward all afternoon, and the wind had been brisk. It was cool with a tinge of salt, as invigorating as cold water. Annelise had not yet seen the sea, for the trees grew tall and dense.
A stream ran beside the path, the water leaping over rocks and stones as it ran its downward course. To her surprise, a small hut came into view beneath them. It was well disguised, its roof covered with the same vegetation as carpeted the hill. One had to look twice to see it, especially in the moonlight. Its back wall must have been built into the hill itself, and its front door would face west.
True Love Brides 02 - The Highlander’s Curse Page 21