Without another word, I walk out of my office and storm toward the back door and head outside. The girl is mine to do with as I wish. Bessie is giving her to me, to own. That’s fine. I’ll just sell her, then. But before any of that happens, I need to find my dratted wife.
BIRDIE
Arion grunts, then neighs as he stands in front of me. We’ve had our picnic and we were gathering everything to head back into the house when Arion suddenly appeared. He watches me, and it’s then that I know he’s trying to talk to me.
Closing my eyes, I inhale a deep breath and allow him to speak. You can block me from telepathically speaking to you. Magic, Birdie. It is strong inside of you.
So everyone keeps telling me.
He chuckles and shakes his head from side to side before he pins me with his gaze again. You are with child and it is time to go home. Your husband has been attempting to make contact, but like you, I can block someone from speaking to me.
I don’t want to go back, and how do you know? I demand.
There is a moment of silence, then he neighs. I can smell it. The babe is strong, healthy, and you need to be with your husband because this babe is struggling.
You just said it was strong.
For now. This magic is not normal, the gods have created it, Birdie. Without the love bond, without the physical closeness, this child will not thrive.
How do you know so much about the prophecy? I ask, demanding him to tell me the truth, to tell me more.
I feel like there is much more to this prophecy than I or anyone else knows. And the people that do, they’re keeping it to themselves, just like this fucking horse.
Come. I am to take you home.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that he ignores my questions—my demands. He neighs again as if he’s attempting to show me urgency.
I let out a frustrated sigh and tell him to hold his horses, something that he doesn’t find humorous at all, but actually makes me giggle. Turning toward my retreating sister, I rush after her and Jasmine, who are headed back to the castle.
“Sybilla,” I call out.
She stops and slowly turns to face me. Her eyes widen at the sight of Arion behind me before her lips curve up and she smiles widely at her friend. Arion neighs, shaking his head.
“Arion,” she cries out, her feet hurrying toward me, then past me and straight to the horse. I watch as she throws her arms over his neck and nuzzles his softness. “I’ve missed you. Why haven’t you come to visit me?”
There is a moment of silence and I’m sure it’s because he’s communicating with her, and I realize that she must not be able to speak to him with her mind the way that I can. I frown, wondering if it’s part of my magic? It’s weird. You would think that Sybilla and I would have at least that same ability.
Sybilla turns around, her eyes wide as she stares at me. “You’re having a baby?” she breathes.
I press my palm against my stomach. Arion announced it just moments ago, but I didn’t really hear it, not until this moment does it hit me. There is a baby growing inside of me, a real one.
This isn’t a dream, this isn’t something that is going to go away, and I may not ever be able to go home. I don’t think I could leave and take my baby to a whole other world away from my husband, he’s the father of this child, no matter how he feels about me. I wouldn’t ever do that to him.
I start to tremble, the realization just slamming into me like a ton of bricks. This isn’t over, this is never going to be over and my life will never be the same. Sybilla calls out to me, she says my name over and over, but I’m frozen, still in shock or something.
Opening my mouth, I try to say something, to tell her that I’m not okay. I don’t get the chance. Pain radiates throughout my entire body and everything goes completely dark, black, nothingness.
My eyelids flutter open and I turn my head to the side. I expect to be back in Devilrise, but I’m not. I’m still with Sybilla, in my room at her castle. It still blows my mind that she lives in a freaking castle.
“Birdie,” Sybilla’s voice rasps, interrupting my thoughts about her castle and how I’m just a tad bit jelly that I don’t have one of my own.
She’s sitting on the other side of me, so I turn to look at her. She’s at the side of my bed, her hands reaching out before she takes mine in her grasp. Her eyes search mine, as if she’s assessing me to determine if I’m okay.
She nods her head, then turns to look across the room. I’m not surprised to see Aleida and Godiva make their way toward the end of the bed at her silent signal.
“We had no choice, Birdie,” Aleida whispers.
“You had no choice?” I ask.
She nods her head, her gaze flicking from me to Sybilla. “You were trying to transport yourself, we didn’t know where you were going,” Sybilla rasps. “I was so scared.”
“They knew, I don’t know how, but they did. They appeared just as you were starting to fade away,” Jasmine murmurs as she walks up behind Sybilla.
“What is going on?” I demand.
Godiva clears her throat and jerks her chin toward me. “We have bound you to this world.”
“What?” I cry.
“You’re pregnant. We couldn’t take a chance, not with the prophecy, not with the fates, and certainly not with the gods themselves.”
“What does this mean?” I ask on a whisper.
There’s a moment of silence, personally too long of a moment, but I wait it out, my heart racing faster and faster with each passing second. Then Aleida speaks, her voice low and serious, but her tone kind.
“It means you are magically bound to this world. You’ll never be able to transport yourself home. This is your new home, and you must go to your husband or the next fainting spell could be detrimental to the babe.”
“No,” I exhale shakily. “He doesn’t want me. What don’t all of you understand?” I shout. I am acting irrationally, I know this, but I can’t stop myself as I continue to irrationally ramble. It comes out and I can’t control it. “Colton James does not want me, he loves me, but not by choice. He chooses to love, miss, and adore his dead wife. Not me, and it never will be me. I don’t want to stay with him, I don’t want to be with him. You don’t know what it’s like, he looks at me, but he doesn’t see me, he sees that I’m not her and that’s all.”
Sybilla squeezes my hand and only then do I stop my rambling. She shifts her gaze from me to the witches and she clears her throat.
“Can she just stay there until the baby is born, then come back here?”
I open my mouth, then snap it closed. Months, can I stay there for months? There’s no way he’s going to want to be celibate, and I’m not sure I can tell him no… well, I know without a doubt that I won’t be able to tell him no.
“Perhaps. We can try it, but I have a feeling that something bad may happen to either one of them if that was allowed. The pain she feels by being separated will no doubt intensify and the babe may feel the same anguish. This is new, we don’t know exactly what the gods have put into motion.”
Pinching my eyes closed, I grind my teeth together, then I make a decision.
“Take me back to Devilrise, now.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
COLT
It has been over a day since I have seen Birdie, since I have realized she was even missing. I am angry, not just with her, but with myself as well. I don’t even know if she is safe, I hope that she is, but it’s on me to know and I simply do not at this point.
Aside from the physical pain that I keep experiencing from our separation, there is also an ache in my chest that I cannot ignore. I miss her. I think about Temperance and Adelaide. I think about the pain that I felt when they were ripped from me. It is nothing like the pain that I feel now.
I should be ashamed that I am thinking this way, that I am comparing the aches and pain that I feel from missing Birdie to my wife and daughter, but I am. I know that some of the feelings I have are created by the gods, but I
also know that Adelaide and Temperance are at peace. They are no longer hurting and they are with the gods, in blissful peace.
I will never forget them, and yet, I must move forward. There is no moving on from a loss so great, but I must move forward and with Birdie, it is almost exciting to see what the future holds for us.
Someone clears their throat behind me and I slowly turn my head, looking back over my shoulder to see who it is. Martha stands there, her hands clasped in front of her apron as she watches me. Arching a brow, I wait to hear what she has to say, since she indeed has something on her mind.
“I have kept quiet,” she begins. Turning completely around, I cross my arms over my chest and focus on her. “It has been difficult to do, but I have.”
“However?” I prompt.
“However, I cannot simply sit back and allow this to happen. She is your match, not only because the gods created her for you, but just simply because she is. You are keeping her at a distance and ruining what a wonderful life you could have.”
“You don’t understand,” I grunt.
“Why? Because of Adelaide?” She snorts. “I understand plenty. You’re choosing to think of her as a perfect creature and not remembering the fact that Adelaide was human, as are you. Yes, you were married and I have no doubt that you loved her, but she was not perfection personified and it is okay for you to love again. You must give yourself permission, Colton.”
There is a noise off in the distance, I hear a man shout and then others stand and shout, looking up to the sky. I lift my gaze, following their line of sight and my eyes widen. It’s Arion with a passenger.
“Colton,” Martha calls out.
My body jolts and I look over to her again. “Be kind, be gentle, and show her your devotion.”
She doesn’t allow me to respond, though I hadn’t had any words anyway. She turns around and walks back into the house. Clearing my throat, I walk out from beneath the porch covering and make my way toward them just as Arion lands.
You did not tell me you were coming.
He doesn’t answer right away and it is beginning to anger me, considering I have been trying to reach out to him for days. The new men that have arrived are already all set up in their new camp, supplies have come and the bordello is set up as well.
I cringe at the thought of the woman that is in the house. Daisy seems nice enough, she stays to herself and hasn’t tried to make any type of advance. The fact that Bessie pushed her on me is an annoyance that I haven’t dealt with yet. But now that Birdie is back, I need Daisy gone.
You are not my master. I’ve done what I needed and brought her back to you, for the prophecy and the country.
He sounds angry. Growling, I continue to stomp toward them. He is unbothered by the waves of rage that flow from me.
Treat her well or I will return for her.
His words are not a threat, but a promise. Narrowing my gaze, I open my mouth to ask him what he thinks he’s going to do, because Birdie is my wife. We’re bound not only by the prophecy, but by the gods and the laws as well.
You or your master?
Both.
Which means that King Elias of Bunafi has a loyalty to Birdie already, or perhaps just that much love, devotion, and loyalty to his wife.
Both. Arion clarifies.
“Colt,” a soft voice calls out as I stare at the beast dead in the eye.
Jerking my gaze away from him, I turn and look down at Birdie who is standing in front of me. She looks very much like the woman who left here and yet she has changed. I’m not sure how a person changes in just days, but Birdie has.
My gaze travels down her body and I lift my eyes back to meet hers, widening them at the sight of her. She’s wearing a dress that is much different than the styles here.
There is an expanse of her chest showing, something that means something very different here and the fact that she’s my wife, standing in the middle of a soldier’s camp, anger begins to bubble inside of me.
Reaching out to her, I take her hand in mine and spin around. Without a word back to Arion, I begin to swiftly walk back to the house. If I could throw her over my shoulder, spank her rounded bottom, and toss her into bed and take her until she’s screaming my name, I would.
That is not practical right now. Not only is my home filled, every single room occupied, I also cannot show such a strong reaction in front of my men. Nobody can know how I truly feel for her, that would make her a weakness, just like Adelaide.
Once we’re inside, I continue to quickly walk upstairs, past everyone who is standing around gawking. Making my way into my bedroom, I tug her forward and into the parlor before I make my way in and slam the door behind me.
Placing my hands on my hips, I inhale a deep breath and look down at my boots as I attempt to collect myself. I don’t want to yell at her, say, or do something that I might regret later. I try to calm myself so that I am clearheaded.
BIRDIE
I watch as he stares at his boots. I’m not sure what he’s going to say, but I do know what an angry man looks like. I’ve angered a few in my lifetime, my daddy more than any others and Colt is just about as spittin’ mad as my daddy would get at me.
I don’t say his name again, knowing that it would probably just anger him. Instead, I wait. Although, I can guess his reason for being so mad, but I am curious as to why he’s as angry as he seems. I went to safety, isn’t that what he wanted? I wish that I was better at controlling my telepathy, I really want to hear his thoughts right now.
“It is hard for me to maintain my composure with you, darlin’,” he murmurs. “You show up here, your body exposed in front of all of my men.”
I blink, then I glance down, letting out a gasp before I lift my head back up and my gaze finds his. “I didn’t even think about it. I just got here as soon as I could, this is the style in Bunafi.”
“Bunafi,” he hums.
He’s still pissed way the hell off as he looks at me, but his face isn’t red anymore, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign. I press my lips together, hesitating to tell him that I passed out and I’m pregnant, I’m just not sure how he would take it at this point.
“You went running to your sister, am I right?” he asks. I could lie. I could tell him that Arion just took me there and I had no idea. “On our wedding day.”
His last words are a punch to the gut. He feels betrayed and yet, I don’t feel guilty. I feel betrayal every time he looks at me and doesn’t see her, when I know that’s all he wants.
I’ll never be her.
I’ve never wanted anyone but him.
“I did. I thought you would be relieved to have me gone and the burden of my existence would be taken from your shoulders.”
There’s no use in lying, not at this point. We know enough about one another to be honest and truthful. The simple fact that I love him means that I will always be honest with him, it’s just the kind of person that I am.
“The burden of your existence,” he rasps. “I’ve made you feel this way?” He’s asking me a question, but it sounds more like a dare.
Pressing my lips together, I look down at the floor, then lift my gaze up to meet his. I can’t keep the tears from welling in my eyes, I can’t stop them from falling down my cheeks as well. They flow, and I sink my teeth into my bottom lip in hopes that the biting pain will help to make this crying stop, but it doesn’t.
“You know that you have, Colt. You’ve told me more than once that you could never love me the way you did her. I’m not Adelaide and I will never be her. I wanted to go away so that you would no longer hurt.”
He shakes his head once, then marches toward me, closing the distance between us quickly. He lifts one of his hands, and I can’t help but flinch. If it bothers him, he doesn’t say it. Instead, he cups my cheek so gently that I gasp.
“You are not a burden and I have been unfair,” he rasps as his other hand slides around my waist and his palm presses against the small of my back.
/> “Colt,” I whisper.
He dips his chin, his nose sliding against mine, before his lips touch my own. “I apologize, wife,” he groans. “You are no Adelaide. I am okay with this and I release her to live happily among the gods. I must focus on you, on the life that I have now.”
“Please,” I breathe. He hums, probably not understanding my plea as his hand slides down my back, cupping my ass, then squeezing tightly. “Please don’t give me false hope of happiness, Colt.”
He releases me abruptly, then takes a step backward. His eyes widen before he bares his teeth at me and growls like an animal, almost like the lions that he has a close relationship with. Instead of flinching, or taking a step back, I square my shoulders.
“I passed out and apparently I started to transfer somewhere else after I did it. The witches in Bunafi bound me to this world magically. I can’t leave, Colt. I can’t go back to see my parents or my friends. If Dru never makes it here, I won’t be able to see her ever again. Don’t give me false hopes of happiness,” I ramble.
“Bound you?” he asks, his brows rising.
Placing my hands on my hips, I nod my head a couple of times. “Yes, bound me. I also didn’t have a choice in coming back here,” I announce.
His brows rise even more and he watches me. He doesn’t say anything and because I ramble everything when I’m upset, I continue to talk and I tell him about the baby, because I’m an idiot.
“And I’m pregnant and apparently if we’re separated that horrible pain we feel in our stomachs, that isn’t the only ramification of us being apart, it could kill the baby too.”
Colt freezes, his entire body is stock still and I can do nothing but keep blurting out things that I really shouldn’t, I just can’t stop myself, even though I really want to.
“And not only that, once I found out I was pregnant, I was going to come back here anyway, maybe in a few days, but then I got worried that I could really hurt the baby so I came back immediately.”
Bride of the Frontier (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 3) Page 24