“Mr. Haldir, so nice to see you again.”
Ben rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned against the stone fountain in the courtyard and watched the sun go down behind the house across from them. “Oh, fuck! How are you going to do this? She’ll be destroyed.”
When Haldir returned later, he walked into the parlor wearing his tuxedo. Thorin looked him over and chuckled to himself. “It’s always entertaining to see a thousand-year-old Viking savage like yourself all cleaned up and looking dapper. You just might be confused with a proper gentleman if you’re not careful.”
As Imara slammed the door shut behind her, Thorin sighed as he rolled his eyes then pushed himself up out of his chair and came to the foyer. “Unless you’re planning on paying for that glass out of your own pocket, young lady, I suggest you treat the door a little kinder.”
Imara sat on the edge of the garden pool with her feet in the water. Her lips were swollenand chapped from the unending stream of tears. She inhaled deeply and smiled as the warm wind blew through her hair and eased the ache in her heart for just a second.
“Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.” Ben’s eyes snapped open as the faint ticking filled his wolf’s ears. He pushed himself up to his elbows and looked around the room as the early morning light filtered through the shutters. Not seeing anything out of place, he closed his eyes and laid back down on his pillow beside Imara. “Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.” The quick, faint ticking came again but this time lingered in his ears.
“I want someone with her at all times.” Thorin briefed the guard the Order sent as he finished his coffee in the kitchen. “I don’t want her to feel smothered, just keep her company. If you notice anything unusual call the Order immediately.”
The dreaded King Daniel of the Darke stood in front of the stained-glass window in the castle library with his hands clasped behind his back as Imara started to appear from the mist. Unlike every other witch he’d ever encountered, Imara’s mist glowed white and gold like a cloud on a sunny day. There were no white lighters left in the Realm, or at least they kept their existence hidden away. Daniel’s deep dark eyes weren’t used to her shine and he needed a few moments to adjust to
“Imara! Slow down. Baby, please wait for me!” Ben called out as he ran down the narrow dirt path she was walking along. No matter how hard he tried to reach her, she was always a few steps ahead. Once he got past the tall gates, Ben followed her scent down a cobblestone road to a harbor. Imara sat on an old wooden dock with her feet dangling in the water watching the ships sail off into the fiery sunset beyond the horizon.
“Dammit, why can’t I ever find that blessed bunny!”
When Daniel misted the three men to the Gates at the North Woods, Ben turned to him and said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”Daniel crossed his arms an
“So, tell me that all the stories about Daniel Darke aren’t true Haldir. Tell me were not traipsing directly into a slaughterhouse. I mean, he can’t be all that bad, right?” asked Thorin as they walked along the dirt path.
While Selvin’s battered and broken body hung limp from the pole in the dirt floor basement, the storm started to let up outside and in Ben’s heart. Ben wiped his bloody hands on a towel as he panted for breath after the vicious beating he gave Selvin. “Anybody want seconds on this old pathetic asshole?” he asked coldly as he turned to Thorin and Haldir.
Imara stood beside the big picture window nervously playing with her necklace as lightning flashed in the background. “Just relax. It’s just a storm. You’re getting yourself all worked up over nothing.” Summertime in West Virginia brought lots of storms, but this night felt different. Goosebumps rose on her arms and neck as her veins coursed with energy.
“Ben, have you seen Mr. Rabbit?” Imara yelled from the living room floor with a ball of light by her head.
As Ben watched the lightning cross the sky from the window, he wiped his hand across his mouth and shook his head. “Dammit Ben! How could you be so fucking stupid?” He took a ragged breath then wiped the tears from his eyes as he heard Imara yawn and stretch herself awake.
“Welcome to the North Woods, Ben. I’m Lord Nicholas,” said the long black-haired man in a green robe as he stood outside the ancient gates beyond the narrow dirt path.
“Hurry up, baby, the shows going to start soon.” Ben waited in the living room of the guest house while Imara got ready for the afternoon matinee in town. As he looked in the mirror over the fireplace, Ben pushed his shaggy black hair back off his face then shook it back out. He hated his ears and how they stuck out, but no matter how he wore his hair, it never quite covered them. He stepped back and turned to the side as he admired his arm muscles and how they stretched the fabric of