Chapter Fifteen

 

 

Jade continued to stare at him, shocked. By the anguished expression on Davian’s face, she presumed he knew better than to say those words aloud, but apparently hadn’t been able to hold himself in check. As usual.

He let out a growl, rife with frustration. “I’m sorry,” he said as he withdrew from her and flopped onto his back.

“Don’t be.” She moved into his arms, her head on his chest. The sound of his pounding heart was a comforting one.

“I’m not purposely trying to make things more complicated or difficult between us. Or for you, in particular.”

Her own heart beat just as fast, despite being heavy with conflict. “You seem to be forgetting that I willingly agreed to enter into this…arrangement.”

“I shouldn’t have let you. Nor should I have led you into it. I really can’t see you again, after tonight.” His voice was harsh with raw emotion. “I put you in danger. And every time we’re together, it’s infinitely more painful to leave you.”

She understood the high stakes all too well. “I’m equally accountable. I’ve done a bit more than just follow.”

She suspected he was attempting to consider his next words more prudently as silence enveloped them. But then his muscles turned rigid and he released her from his loose embrace as he sat up.

Her heart launched into her throat. “What is it?”

“Someone approaches.”

She listened intently, but nothing abnormal wafted on the quiet air. “You hear that well?”

“It’s Thunder. He’s warning me.”

“You can read his mind too?”

“No. I can tell by his inflection.” He jumped to his feet.

“Horses have inflections?”

“Various intonations when they’re wounded or excited or…feeling jittery about me being someplace he instinctively knows I have no business being.”

Jade frowned. “I thought you said he liked me.”

Davian laughed, despite the sudden tension permeating the room. “He does. And my guess is, he thinks I’m a fool for muddying the waters.”

He was dressed before she could protest. But what was there to say, really? He hadn’t created any sort of disillusionment about their time together. Hadn’t made any promises about it becoming more than what it was—a few stolen moments.

She wrapped the sheet around her body, the material scratchy against her skin. He stalked into the living room to retrieve his cloak and gloves. Jade followed.

Turning back to her, he said, “I didn’t mean to drop by, make love to you and then immediately leave.”

She knew that, so she teased him. “This would be referred to as a booty call in the early 2000s.”

“You have a very endearing sense of humor.”

“Go,” she insisted, because he lingered, seemingly reluctant to walk out the door. “You replenished my wood pile, brought me a book and gave me multiple orgasms. You’re exonerated from moral corruption.”

His head dipped and he kissed her. “I know it only makes things worse, but I meant what I said earlier.”

He reached for the brass lever, but didn’t yank the door open. Instead, he faced Jade again. His gaze slid over her and something indefinable sparkled in his beautiful amber eyes. His hand slipped into his pocket and he retrieved one more gift for her.

Handing over an elaborately designed box, he said, “This is a very precious family heirloom. I wouldn’t want to give it to anyone other than you. Ever.”

Her brows knitted as she debated removing the lid to see what was inside. Was there a point to accepting something he so greatly coveted?

Taking the decision out of her hands, he removed the lid himself. She gaped. The necklace atop silver satin folds was, by far, the most stunning thing she’d ever laid eyes on, with the exception of Davian’s chiseled-to-perfection body. Her fingers grazed the raised, diamond-studded center of the star. The piece was delicate and mesmerizing.

“I realize you won’t be able to wear it in the village,” he said. “There would be questions as to where it came from. And I wouldn’t want it to be a homing beacon for demons outside my alliance. They’d know it belongs to me.”

“Then why…?” Her gaze lifted. “Davian.” Realization quickly dawned, with the help of the possessive look in his eyes. “You didn’t give this to me when you first arrived because you’d planned to present the idea of me marrying Michael. Now that you’re convinced I have no intention of ever doing that… You want to stake your own claim. Even if it’s just in theory.”

“Yes.” He didn’t apologize for the convoluted idea.

“You don’t have to give me jewelry to do that.”

“It’s symbolic. Like…a ring on your finger.”

Her heart sank. “One you can never place on me.”

“Correct.”

But could she wear his necklace? She only needed to contemplate this for a brief moment, understanding the gesture and its significance. Yes, she could wear it. Even if it was only in the privacy of her own home.

Despite this, she said, “It’s a bit much, Davian. Too extravagant.”

“Jade, nowhere is it dictated that you have to live without an extravagance from time to time. You earn a wage at the tavern, but what do you spend it on, other than food and clothing?”

“I’m saving my money,” she said. “Perhaps I’ll travel to California someday. See what all the fuss is about electricity.”

“If you want electricity, I’ll give you electricity.”

“We’ve had this discussion before,” she reminded him. “And for God’s sake, there’s nothing more momentous you can give me than your honesty. Even when it disconcerts you to blurt things you believe are best left unsaid. I prefer to hear them.”

“I couldn’t possibly want another woman more than I want you.” His lips swept over hers. “Take the necklace, Jade.”

 

* * *

 

Davian lifted the priceless piece from the satin and set the box on the small table next to the door. Placing the jewels around her neck and securing the clasp, he said, “This looks just right on you.”

The large star sat below the hollow of her throat. Her fingers touched it again as she stared up at him.

The gift of immortality would not be invoked unless he chose to attempt it. Which he wouldn’t. For all the reasons he’d shared with Morgan.

Jade asked, “You’ll come for it when you find someone else, yes?”

“There won’t be anyone else,” Davian reiterated with conviction. “You know my word is my oath. I’ll come for it when you pass.”

“Already thinking of that?” she solemnly asked.

He nodded, knowing his eyes darkened at the thought. “Not in a morbid way, but it is a glaring reality, as you’d stated earlier.”

“Yes, it is. And I’m glad you’ve accepted that fact.”

His jaw clenched. “I haven’t. Not fully.” He kissed her, then crossed the threshold.

“Davian,” she called out before he’d left her patio.

He gazed back at her, his expression likely grim.

“It’s a certainty,” she told him. “Something you absolutely have to accept. Sooner rather than later.”

He said nothing, just continued on his way. He mounted his Arabian in a fluid movement. Then they galloped off, leaving her standing in the doorway.

He hoped she’d simply return to her bed, settle between the sheets with her novel and her introduction to Mr. Darcy. And move on with her life.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks passed as October drifted into November. The snow continued to fall and the village remained blanketed by the pristine white Jade looked forward to every year. Although the temperatures were in the low-forties—dipping into the twenties overnight—and the cloud cover rarely dissipated, the crisp air felt invigorating.

She kept to Davian’s order, allowing one of the slayers to escort her to and from the town proper, despite there no longer being a threat against her. The evil she’d sensed with the fire wraith had vanished. No one tracked her and she felt a degree of safety with Toran and Walker always nearby. Plus, she knew Morgan was out there somewhere, on the other side of the border, close at hand to come to her aid if needed.

Her tension eased substantially, though she still felt that gnawing hollowness late at night when she was alone in her cottage. The house seemed emptier than normal since Davian’s departure. It was a familiar feeling, one she’d immediately experienced following her parents’ deaths. One she knew would eventually ebb. To an extent, at any rate.

She played cards with Lisette at the tavern when she wasn’t serving drinks. Lisette had become a regular and Jade suspected that had something to do with the older woman wanting to keep tabs on her, just like everyone else. Even Michael seemed to watch her warily.

Apparently, she gave off a vibe that intrigued or alarmed her friends, she wasn’t sure which. Maybe it was because she wasn’t as uptight as she’d been previously, when she’d realized she was being stalked. Or perhaps it was the occasional smile that crossed her lips for no cause at all—at least none that they knew of. Thoughts of Davian would flit through her mind and she couldn’t help the thrill that chased along her spine. At night, when she was in her own living room, she wore his necklace.

Granted, there was something a bit masochistic about the guilty pleasure she indulged in when half of her heart was elated to know he had such strong feelings for her and the other was shredded by the fact they couldn’t be together. Yet she’d spent so much of her life veiled by a dark shadow that this one significant and sexy secret she kept to herself offered escapism from her otherwise gloomy thoughts.

Davian wanted her. She didn’t doubt that for a second. He couldn’t have her, of course. But still… Just knowing she’d affected him so intensely had its own evocative impact on her.

Near the middle of the month, as Thanksgiving approached, Jade heard horses tramping through the deep snow outside her cottage. Along with what sounded to be a wagon attempting to slog through the thick drifts. She peered out one of the large front windows, looking around the lightweight curtains hanging over the panes. Her curiosity grew as she opened her front door and greeted Morgan.

“In the village for supplies?” she asked, surprised, as she eyed the burlap covering a heap in the wagon. She knew the kingdom had its own suppliers and vendors, so she was at a loss as to what he was up to—until he spoke.

“No. Making a delivery.” He slipped from the bench and signaled the demon who accompanied him. “Why don’t you go back inside with the fire, Jade? We’ll just be a few minutes.”

“Hmm. Planning to be secretive, I see.”

“Do I have permission to enter your home?” he asked. “Just me.”

“Neither you nor the king are required to ask permission, but thank you for doing so. Yes, of course.” She returned to the sofa where she’d been reading Alice in Wonderland, though her focus wasn’t on the text. A flurry of activity ensued around her, in such a lightning-quick way, she couldn’t have kept up with it if she’d tried.

True to his word, Morgan was finished not even ten minutes later and appeared by her side. “Why don’t you come have a look?”

She joined him outside, where his assistant had stacked at least three cords of wood adjacent to the cottage. He’d also erected a canopy to provide shelter so the provisions stayed dried.

“Wow,” she said. “That will last me quite some time. Thank you both.”

Gazing at the large pile caused a long-buried memory to inch toward the front of her mind. She’d received this generous gift before. Years and years ago…

“One more thing,” Morgan said, distracting her. He gestured for her to precede him back into the house and to her bedroom.

She drew up short, her eyes widening. “Oh!”

In the middle of the room sat an enormous bed that faced the fireplace. The elegant headboard was made of tufted suede in a hue that matched her eyes, which her mother had always referred to as sapphire. The silvery-blue sheets were luxurious satin. A mound of pillows were also covered in the same linen.

The duvet was perfectly coordinated with the material of the headboard and was so plump, she knew a down comforter filled it. She ran a hand over the luxe material as she marveled at the brilliant color that instantly added vibrancy to the otherwise dreary interior.

Davian had clearly remembered her excitement over Sheena’s offering of clothing that wasn’t drab.

“How did he do this?” she muttered in awe.

Morgan chuckled beside her. “He has people.”

She smirked at him. “I realize that. It’s just… This is so gorgeous.” The sensuous-looking bedding made her want to climb under the covers and never leave them.

Morgan said, “It’ll be a lot colder come December. Davian wants you to be warm.”

“Perfectly toasty is what I’ll be. Please tell him how much I love it. And I’m grateful to you and your helper too. Really, General…” She gave him a compelling look. “This is so kind of all of you.”

“Morgan,” he corrected. Then he turned and started to walk away.

But the memory that had stepped into the light earlier made her call after him, “Wait, please.” When he returned to her, she steeled herself and said, “You told me months ago that not all demons are evil.”

“Yes?” His expression gave nothing away.

“My mother used to say that very thing.”

He seemed to give serious thought as to how to address her statement. Finally, he said, “So did your father. I worked very closely with him when the king instituted laws to ensure peace between humans and demons. I respected Liam.”

She gazed up at him. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

He nodded. “The last time was shortly after their deaths. You chose to stay alone and I wanted to make sure you had enough wood.”

Now she remembered returning from the village one afternoon and finding the large stack. No one had taken credit for the delivery—or the crate of food that had been left for her.

“Why would you help me?” she asked, perplexed.

The general rubbed his temple with the pads of two fingers, then told her, “I know this will seem strange, but Liam and I were friends. Very good friends.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“We had a political and military partnership to maintain, so not many people were aware of our high regard for each other in a personal capacity. But, before you were born, your mother would invite me to dinner from time to time. Liam and I would discuss strategies to strengthen the human-demon relations in an effort to minimize altercations and keep tensions low.” He smiled suddenly, as though a particular recollection came unexpectedly to him. “Marianne was a gracious hostess and she made the most incredible dishes.”

“Beef stroganoff,” they said in unison.

“It was her specialty,” Jade added, her voice faltering. Tears stung her eyes as she remembered her mother humming softly while she cooked and Jade set the table.

“Well.” Morgan’s gaze dropped to her necklace for a brief moment before he added, “Both the king and I were greatly disturbed by their deaths. Remorseful. Enraged, even. I hunted the shifters myself and…” He shook his head, a troubled look crossing his face.

“And, what?” she asked as she studied the general. He truly did seem upset by the tragedy. Even fifteen years later.

He inhaled deeply. Exhaled slowly. “They were renegades, but I didn’t take them to the castle to stand trial, Jade. As I was required to do by law. I knew first-hand what they’d done. I hadn’t been able to get to your parents before it was too late, but I couldn’t allow the murders to go unpunished. I had to avenge Liam and Marianne myself.”

She gaped. Pressed a hand to her heart. “You’re the one who pursued the shifters.” She’d seen that much from her hiding spot in the woods. “You were cloaked—I never saw your face. But you went after the wolves with such fury.”

“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “And my vengeance likely would have been worse if I’d had known you’d witnessed the whole thing. The king told me later.”

Her legs trembled and he reached a hand out to steady her.

“I never knew what happened to the shifters—you were all out of my eyesight in the end,” she said. “I should say they had the right to stand trial, but I can’t bring myself to consider that option. Knowing you dealt with them and exacted retribution for my family…” She fought back a wave of emotion and tried to control the tears threatening her eyes. “That means a lot to me.”

“They were good people, Jade. They didn’t deserve their fate.”

“That is very true.” She had to tamp down more of the stinging sensations rising within her. “Tell me something. Why did you stop coming to the cottage after I was born?”

“How would your parents explain to a young girl that a demon was coming for dinner? One of the very demons who waged a war against your kind?”

“But it would have explained so much,” she said. “My mother always seemed so torn between hating your species and yet finding some sort of compassion for them. She was the one to first teach me that humans can be just as destructive. Lisette’s books confirmed my mother’s notions.”

“Marianne saw things from an objective viewpoint. I always admired that about her. In the long run, however, she was only partially right. Not all demons are evil. But Jade… Many of them are.”

With that, he turned once more on his booted heels and marched out of her house.

He’d left her with a clear warning—not to get too comfortable because she’d had interactions with a few demons who didn’t want to kill her. How many more existed that would easily see her dead?

She left the room with a foreboding weight in the pit of her stomach. She tossed the last of the logs from the stack Davian had first supplied onto the fire. His timing was uncanny. She’d been resigned to shoveling for ground debris again in the morning. Yet he’d obviously known her supply had reached the dwindling point and had sent Morgan. Could be he was monitoring, from afar, the amount of smoke from her chimneys and recognized she wasn’t generating as much heat of late.

And that bed he’d had made for her… She laughed out loud, despite her melancholy. The fact it was three times the size of her old one aside, she loved it. Yes, the accommodations would feel lonely since she’d be sleeping by herself. But when she wandered back into her room and gazed at the bed, all she could really think about was how beautiful and inviting it appeared.

There was no denying she’d prefer to indulge in the plush comforter and satiny sheets with Davian, but she remained realistic about their predicament.

In fact, her relationship with him wasn’t what sprang to mind when she changed into her nightgown and slipped between the covers. Rather, her thoughts were centered on Morgan and the things he’d said. She hadn’t known his close involvement with her family, nor had she known of his revenge on the shifters who’d mauled her parents.

One thing that did resonate within her, however, was the comprehension that her mother had been right. Though the human-demon good versus evil equation was a complex and nearly impossible one to solve, she could at least grasp her mother’s sentiment now, for her parents had had exposure to a demon not hell-bent on destroying them.

Jade herself had met a demon who lived in constant conflict because he had executed deadly orders against the humans—a movement he hadn’t been in full agreement with, as he’d admitted to Jade. All this time, the humans had felt as though they were the only ones to suffer. That clearly was not the case.

Yet Morgan’s warning did not go ignored. As she reveled in the lavishness of her new bedding, she wondered if perhaps she really had become too comfortable with the other world she’d gotten a good glimpse at. Her father had apparently maintained a balance between being a liaison to the kingdom, with Morgan, and being the leader of the village. Peace had prevailed and fatalities had been kept to a minimum, with the exception of the obvious ones.

Jade couldn’t help but draw a parallelism. She’d inadvertently built a bridge between herself and the kingdom. She had the king’s ear and his general’s sympathy. She also had the trust and respect of the villagers. The slayers, even.

Now it was time to look beyond her complacent lot in life. Once again she pondered the questions she simply could not escape. Was she meant to carry on in her father’s stead? Was she meant to be the true leader of Ryleigh?

She had no idea what Toran and Walker would say if she opted to step into this role. Except that they too seemed to look to her at times to be the one to placate the villagers or to demand explanations needed in order to reconcile an issue. The slayers hadn’t batted an eye when it came to serving as her personal escort. As though they felt it was a dutiful thing to do. A respectful thing to do.

And Toran had given her a sword to protect herself against the fire wraith.

As sleep encroached, Jade had one last thought.

While she diligently participated in politics, she had let a crucial and necessary talent slide…