by Maia Starr
Weapon it is.
I decided that it was a little more multipurpose than the knife, so I kept it out, leaning against the desk while I closed the panel. I’d just have to ask Kellan about it eventually. I picked up the shorter matching stick and set it back into its place in the velvet, next to the emerald and sapphire ones, then closed the drawer. Only one drawer left to look through, and it appeared to be a file drawer by the size of it. My back was beginning to get sore from leaning over, so I sat on the desk chair and rolled the drawer out in front of me. His organizational skills were impeccable. Every folder was neatly organized with labels clipped to each top going in a diagonal order from left to right and then repeating a few times as my eyes scrolled from front to back. Each label had a name and a year at the top, going in order from the 1800s to current years in the back.
As I peeked inside the first folder or two, I saw small drawings on delicate papers that resembled some of the items I had just studied on the shelves in the very same room. Some of the papers looked to be on very old paper, extremely delicate and faded, many of them placed inside a plastic sleeve. I was afraid to pull them out and damage them, but from a cursory glance, it appeared that he kept detailed records of every item on display. The whole drawer was full, and it didn’t look like there was much room for more. Maybe he was done collecting artifacts? Or was this just one collection of many that I hadn’t discovered yet? I looked around the walls of the living room at the paneling and walls. If the kitchen had a secret door, who was to say that there wouldn’t be more like it hidden elsewhere?
Chapter Eleven
Kellan
I walked up to the hut, taking a moment to collect my thoughts and prepare my words. I couldn’t put the conversation off any longer, so I needed to just rip off the Band-Aid and get it over with. I pushed on the kitchen door entrance to walk into the hut and remembered that it was locked from inside now. I need to make sure Amelia was okay and to make amends for acting the part of an ass in front of her earlier. My emotions were getting the better of me, and I wasn’t proud of that fact. I tapped on the door and waited, listening for shifting on the other side.
“Amelia please let me in. I’m sorry, I really wanted you to have some time to rest and relax from all the insanity, but if we don’t deal with this now…” I trailed my words. I didn’t want to give credence to them, but I had to be honest with her. “There may never be a chance for us to relax ever again if we don’t take care of this.” I could hear Amelia’s feet shuffle across the floor and the sound of the lock being unlatched. From the slowness of her movements, it was easy to tell she was apprehensive, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Time was of the essence, and we were running slam the hell out of it. I reached forward and opened the door, sticking my head inside and looking around.
“Amelia?” I called out again, hoping she was feeling better after some time to breathe. “It’s Kellan.” I glanced around, “Amelia? Are you okay?” I walked over to her and tried to put my arm around her, but she seemed to stiffen as if she didn’t want me touching her at all.
I reached for the towel I had hung on the chair earlier and wrapped it around myself. I didn’t want my nudity to distract from my real purpose. Then I took a step towards her with my arms out, and she jumped back with a sharp breath and drew a long weapon out from behind her back.
“Whoa, whoa, okay,” I stepped back holding my hands up where she could see them. The weapon she wielded now wasn’t the knife I had given her. It was one of the staves that I had hidden by my desk. I knew then that she had been snooping. And likely nosed through more than I wanted her to. “How much did you see, Amelia?” I asked. I felt violated, naturally. I had allowed her into my home to keep her safe, and she utilized that opportunity to rifle through my stuff and learn secrets I wasn’t prepared to tell her about yet. I had to know how much she knew about me. On the upside though, it seemed like now I had even less to explain to her. A short confession was better than none at all, I supposed. She snorted and shook her head.
“Just stay where you are. I saw enough,” she said, nodding toward my desk. “I found this over by the desk. There’s a lot you have to explain, Kellan, but after what I just saw, I think I figured out a lot already. Looks like the wolves aren’t the only shifters desperate for women now, are they?” she accused.
“No, it’s not like you think, Amelia. We’re nothing like—” I started to say.
“Ha, you expect me to believe that? Of course, that’s what you’d say!” she said, jabbing at me with the stave. I stepped back, not because I was afraid, but because she was. She was on the defensive, and I needed to get her calmed down so we could deal with the real danger.
“Amelia, look, I can understand why you’re afraid, and it makes sense that you wouldn’t trust me. But if I was going to hurt you or take advantage of you, I had plenty of opportunities to do that before now. Take a second to think about it. Have I forced you to do anything?” I waited.
“So, what? You think that makes it okay? Why didn’t you tell me, Kellan?” the tears began to well up in her eyes, and I knew I had truly screwed up, “I can understand it would be hard to reveal, but after… I just… you should have told me. You should have told me.” She shook her head, and slowly she tilted the stave down towards the floor, surrendering to the moment. I reached out cautiously and took her hand, slowly leading her to the living room to sit on the couch. I knew we didn’t have a lot of time, but I couldn’t rush her now. It might put her over the edge. The dragon inside was battling to get out and fly off to defend her and our island, but this had to be done. She sat down on the couch, hands on her knees and still staring ahead with glassy eyes. I put my hand gently on her back and sat on the couch at an angle facing her.
“We need to talk, Amelia. But before we do, I need you to understand one very important thing. I need you to understand that I would never hurt you. My only wish is to protect you so that you can be by my side and we can live happily for as long as you’ll have me. Can you believe me when I say that?” She slowly turned her head, and her eyes rose up to meet mine. I did my best to will her to see my heart. She had no reason to trust me, really, but I hoped she could see my intentions through my eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally took a deep breath to reply.
“I have my fears, Kellan. That’s going to be a challenge for you. But when I look in your eyes, I believe you when you say you don’t want to hurt me. To be honest, it feels really good to hear the words come from your mouth, though.” Her body softened then, shoulders dropping slightly, and I could feel that she believed me. Like her very demeanor indicated that she had faith in my abilities and thoughts. This was a relief, especially considering what I was about to tell her.
“Good,” I sighed. “I wish I could take this next part slower, but with the danger lurking so close, I need to make sure you understand everything so that you can defend yourself as best as possible. Right now, you’re in the safest place you could be, and that’s partly because of who I am, but even more so how this hut is built.”
“Does this have something to do with the cave?” she asked tentatively. I was stunned into silence for a moment. She had been quite busy while I was away. What else did she know? I didn’t have time to find out.
“Uh… yes. Actually, it has everything to do with the cave. I have so much to tell you, but it could take days, even years to tell you all about myself.” I chuckled, “A lifetime. But, anyway, the most important thing you need to know right now is that I want to protect you, and the most secure place for you to be if they make it to the island is in the cave. It’s secret, below ground, and the best place to hide your scent if he gets close. Understand?” She nodded slightly and then grabbed my hand.
“So, the cave is where you… where your dragon… keeps your treasure?” I nodded. “And that’s where you want me to hide while you take off to battle the wolves?” I nodded again.
“I don’t expect them to make it to the island shore at a
ll, but I won’t take any chances with you. Please, for your safety, stay here and hidden until we can make sure you’re safe. I’m not trying to keep you captive; I’m just trying to keep you safe.” She looked around the room and then down to her hands. She rubbed them on her thighs, then nodded her head.
“Sort of like protective custody?” she asked.
“Yeah, basically.” I smiled at her, “Thank you for being cooperative, Amelia. I promise I’ll fight to keep you safe, and when I come back to let you out, you’ll know that you will never have to run from that beast ever again. It will all be over,” I put my hand on hers and squeezed. She looked up at me and then leaned onto my chest.
“I believe you.” I could almost feel her smile as she rested her head against my chest. A sense of relief flooded me, and I too smiled.
It didn’t take long to get her down into the sanctuary I was providing. Once Amelia was secured in the cave, and I had lit the lanterns for light, I returned upstairs and made sure the secret door was closed and the seam matched up along the wall. I moved a small cabinet in front of the door. I couldn’t take any shortcuts and had to ensure she would be safe while I was gone. A wolf would have to make it past all of us and into the house even to get a hint of where she was hidden, but I had no idea how strong her scent might be to him, and I hoped that I didn’t have to find out. I worried about scent signatures and considered spraying some hunter’s musk around the area but reconsidered. I was already insisting on keeping Amelia locked up. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her more or treat her like an animal. Or the beast she was trying to be free from.
We met on the shore in just enough time to meet up with the cloud front and took to the air on the back side of the island. We chose the place because there was less of a risk of being spotted on that side as we rose above the clouds. Stealth actions were going to be necessary, and I wasn’t about to be anything but overly cautious. Our formation was a perfect U, flanking out on either side while two of us stayed back closer to the island. Flying as we were it gave us an advantage of seeing all angles. As we rode the currents, we kept sight of each other and waited for those out in front to signal the start of the attack. They were able to see the back of the pack, but for those of us who hung back, the clouds made it difficult to see if any progress had been made in the water, let alone what progress that might have been. We knew that they had contacted a fisherman up the shore and the amount of time it would take to get there and meet up with them would have placed them almost two-thirds of the way across the water. Just where they were most vulnerable.
I spotted our two lead dragons diving down over the front edge of the cloud front and then saw the rest dive down in succession, three on each side. The roar that echoed up into the sky was all that I needed to hear to pierce the clouds myself. As I tilted my nose down into the white, I spun around, working the mist off of my wings until I broke through into the clear. Just as I unfurled my wings and caught the draft, I felt something whiz by my head up into the sky above me, and I knew immediately things were about to come alive. Hopefully, this would all soon come to an end.
Amelia
The wait felt like an eternity, and I was beginning to grow increasingly more bored. Even the towering piles of treasure around me couldn’t distract me from wondering what was happening above ground. I wanted to be mad. I wanted to run away. I wanted to scream at Kellan. I wanted to beat his chest and slap him in the face. How could he leave me here like he did? What right did he have to make executive decisions about my welfare without my involvement? There were a million thoughts that slid through my head, and none of them were pleasant.
But I knew I wouldn’t injure him. If he came back alive, all I would be able to do was rush into his arms, grateful to have him back safe with me and happy to see him again. As much as he wanted to protect me, I knew what the wolves were capable of, and I wasn’t entirely sure he was strong enough to keep them from getting what they wanted. And I feared what might happen to him while he tried. There were other women out there, so what was so important about me? How come I seemed to be priority number one for the wolves? Or maybe I was asking the wrong question. What was so important about that wolf that he wouldn’t let the child go?
A flutter ran across my belly, and I took in a quick breath. Was it possible? Was I feeling the child move already? It could easily have been my imagination, but the thought that there was a child growing in my stomach, a child that shared my DNA and maybe my hair or eyes, made me want to protect it. It was a part of me and though I hadn’t been truly sure yet if I wanted this child or not. I realized that at the moment, I felt the fluttering. Nothing felt real until the baby felt real, too. Like a natural instinct in me was compelling me now that the child had made its presence known, an instinct to have the baby be a part of my world. It was almost as if it knew my thoughts and wanted to let me know it was here, that it wanted to let me know it wanted to be with me, too. Like it had a desire to thrive. This child knew me; it didn’t know it’s father. And if I could help it, it would never have to face him.
I paced around the cave with the ‘stave’ in my hand. I laughed at the name. Kellan had allowed me to keep it and briefly showed me how to use it if I had to. He had called it a stave instead of a staff and told me that he had been given it by a mage long ago. He hadn’t answered the question of how old he was, but there would be time to discuss more of that later… I hoped.
I spun the stave around and practiced jabbing with it to try to keep danger at a safe distance. I stabbed into a pile of treasure and knocked around random bowls. The loud clang echoed through the cave, and it made it feel more dangerous than it probably was. It felt good to take out some aggression on the piles, so I kept at it. Each time I stabbed and swung, I felt a little stronger, and my aim got a little better. The exhilarating feeling replaced my boredom, and within moments, my confidence as a badass stave-wielding fighter was polished to a tee. Honestly, it was a lot of fun, which kind of surprised me.
I had been practicing for a long while, and when I started to get winded, I set the stave down and leaned against it, catching my breath. The quiet of the cave surrounded me, and I tried to calm my breathing so that it didn’t echo so much. It was odd how that worked, how when everything around you was perfectly still and silent that your breathing and heart could become nearly deafening in seconds.
And that was when I heard it. The sound of shifting movement coming from the stairway. He’s back! He survived! In my excitement, I ran to the staircase so that I could meet him at the top when he slid the cabinet aside. It’s amazing how your wishful thinking can put you in the danger zone and you barely even notice it. But hearing the scraping of the cabinet being moved and the sudden crashing sound of china collapsing to the floor paralyzed me. Frozen in place, I realized that I had left the stave at the bottom of the stairs. I spun around and began running back down the stairway just as light broke through the door.
“There you are,” came a growling voice from behind me. It was not the welcome voice I hoped to hear and sent a jolt of fear straight through me. Goosebumps arose on my arms and spread down my body as I made way down the stairs as fast as my feet could carry me. I knew I only had a few moments before he would be on my heels and skipped down the remaining stairs quickly. No beast would be able to fit down that spiral. I grabbed the stave and leaped into the cave, running for a pile to hide behind but found that it didn’t make any difference. The mess I made from practicing with the stave had created an obstacle course of noise. Clank! I kicked a pot across the floor and stumbled over a turned over bowl, nearly crashing to my face. Finally, I ducked down behind a pile of treasure and did my best to silence my breathing, though the beating in my chest almost seemed to deafen my ears. I truly felt like the organ might burst from my chest cavity like one of those old alien movies. Terror had never been so alive in well in me as in that moment, and oddly enough, I had never felt more alive.
“You may as well come with me because
I can smell you from here.” The voice paused in chuckling. “You’re not going to be able to hide from me; your scent is permeating everything. And, besides, it’s not like you have anywhere else to run to now,” he said so calmly that my stomach turned upside down from the mere words. Then, fluttering just like before came up in my belly, and I knew that I wasn’t the only one terrified of my fate. Steps echoed all around me, cluing me into his movement, though they almost seemed to be coming from all directions at once, but I knew he was heading my way. An urgency to run tugged at me, but where would I go? I had no direction or idea of where to run to. Tink! His foot kicked against another item and I felt the air expel from my lungs. Then more sounds came through the air. Sounds of steps running down the stairs.
“Amelia!” called Kellan. “Amelia, I’m coming!” And then a roar rang out across the cave.
Chapter Twelve
Kellan