Bakra Bride (15 page)

A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the silence. Zaren pushed her behind him. “Head for the horse,” he commanded. He didn’t have to tell her twice, her feet were already moving as she raced towards the opposite end of the field where they’d left the horse grazing on sweet grass.

She spun around as she heard the sound of hooves pounding the ground. Two large black horses carrying even larger men erupted from the woods. Each of them brandished a sword, but it was the looks on their faces that terrified her. There was murder in their eyes as they bore down on Zaren.

Jane gasped as Zaren moved forward to meet the two adversaries thundering towards him. He needed his horse. Spurred to action, she whirled back around, dropped the blanket and raced towards the animal. A cramp in her side caught her unawares and she almost doubled over in pain, but she kept going. Clamping a hand over her stomach, she ran as fast as she could. Their lives depended on it.

Gasping for breath when she reached the horse’s side, she gripped its mane as she tried to haul herself onto its back. Zaren had removed the saddle and there was no time for her to put it on the horse. That was assuming that she could even find the strength to lift the darn thing, which at the moment she didn’t think she did.

It took her three tries before she got her leg over the horse and dragged herself onto its back. She thanked the heavens that the horse was well trained and stayed steady during her clumsy attempts at mounting it. Threading her fingers through the horse’s mane, she tugged and the horse obediently turned its head toward the fighting.

Jane froze at the sheer savagery of the fight taking place before her very eyes. The swords swung with amazing speed and accuracy. Each blow was meant to be a killing one if it was not deflected or evaded.

Zaren stood in a fighting stance with his legs wide but slightly bent at the knees. Both hands were wrapped around the pommel of the sword as he swung it with incredible strength and deadly precision. The two attackers might have been on horseback, but Zaren still seemed to be in control.

As she watched, one of the men swung toward Zaren’s head. At the last possible second, he ducked and plunged his sword deep into the man’s chest. He tumbled off the back of his horse and fell lifeless to the ground. Jane was mesmerized, as his blood seemed to spread onto the ground around him.

Another unearthly scream echoed through the air and Jane jerked her head back to the ongoing fight. Zaren was still engaged in battle, fighting for both their very lives. The warrior on horseback was older and his eyes looked half-mad as he galloped towards Zaren.

This time Zaren ignored the rider and instead struck at the horse. When the blade cut through the animal’s front leg it stumbled, throwing its rider. The man quickly jumped to his feet and continued his relentless attack. Jane had never witnessed such brutality in her life. Even the murder she’d witnessed seemed civilized compared to this.

They circled each other like two male animals in their prime, savage and beautiful at the same time. There was no room for civilized behavior here. It was all about brute strength and sheer cunning. Jane wanted to look away but was unable to tear her eyes from the scene unfolding in front of her. Part of her was afraid to even blink for fear that Zaren might be killed if she looked away for a split second.

Jane lost track of time as they continued to battle. Sweat poured from their bodies and they grunted with each swing of their swords. Their muscles strained, but neither of them relented or dropped their guard as they fought. This was to the death. Only one of them would leave the clearing alive.

She knew she should ride for help, but she also knew that by the time she got to the castle and back the battle would be finished, the outcome decided. She would not abandon Zaren. Her legs tightened around the belly of the horse. She wasn’t quite sure what she’d do if the warrior succeeded in injuring Zaren. Jane wouldn’t even contemplate the idea of anything worse.

“I will have her!” the stranger shouted, his threat chilling Jane’s blood as she realized she was the cause of this.

Zaren ignored the taunt but attacked with a ferocity that was awe-inspiring. He didn’t yell and there was absolutely no expression on his face. But even at this distance, Jane could see the promise of death in his eyes. She shivered and said a prayer for the man who had been foolish enough to attack them. There was no longer any doubt that he’d soon be joining his partner in death.

It came swiftly. Zaren’s sword was a blur as he swung with deadly accuracy. A cut appeared on the man’s arm, then his leg and finally his chest. Blood gushed from his body and he dropped his sword, clamping his hand over his chest as his lifeblood drained onto the grass around him. He fell to his knees and looked down. Jane could see the utter disbelief in his eyes along with the knowledge that he was dying.

Zaren stood over his opponent and watched dispassionately as the man toppled over onto his side and closed his eyes. Giving a grunt of satisfaction, Zaren wiped his sword clean on the grass and returned the blade to its sheath. Turning his back on the two dead men, he strode towards her.

She could see the cuts and nicks on his arms and legs where the attackers had managed to slip by his guard. Jane shuddered and closed her eyes at the thought of how close he’d come to dying. And when his hand wrapped around her leg, she flinched.

Zaren felt his heart clench when Jane closed her eyes. He could see her shivering and his only thought was to comfort her, to reassure her that he would always protect her from harm.

But he felt his heart shatter when she recoiled from his touch. He looked down at his hand, stained in blood, and slowly withdrew it from her leg.

He remembered the conversation she’d had with his mother and Christina at Castle Garen. The one he’d eavesdropped on. Jane had witnessed a brutal murder and it had caused her much pain in her life. Now she’d just watched him kill two men. In her eyes, he must be no better than that murderer. Their world was not hers. It was more violent and more primal.

Ignoring his own pain, he swung up into the saddle behind her. Carefully, he pried her fingers from the horse’s mane. “I thought I told you to run,” he muttered.

“No,” she whispered. “You told me to go to the horse.”

Her voice was a low monotone and her hands were chilled. He knew the shock of the battle was affecting her. She held herself upright and away from him, but he was having none of it. She could despise him if she chose to, but he would see to her care. Holding her close to him, he spurred his horse towards home, back to the safety of Bakra Castle.

When they thundered through the gates, men came running. Zaren pulled the horse to a halt and swung down with Jane in his arms. Bador met him halfway up the stairs. “There are two bodies by the lake. Wrap them and have them dumped back where they belong.”

Bador gazed at Jane, concern in his eyes. “Who?”

Zaren smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Two of the Craddock brothers have been dispatched back to hell where they belong.”

Bador’s eyes widened, but he allowed them to pass. Then he hurried down to the courtyard, calling orders to the men as he went. Zaren continued into the castle and straight up the stairs, ignoring Sarena’s worried looks.

Shouldering his way into Jane’s room, he placed her on the bed. Standing back from her, he gazed down at her as she curled her body into a tight ball to protect herself. From him? From what had happened? He didn’t know. But what he did know was that he’d do anything to protect her.

Even if that meant driving her away.

Jane had already been through much in her life. She had no one in her old life that would ever love her as much as he did, but at least she would feel safer and more secure there. Zaren swallowed hard at the thought of losing her. His throat tightened and his hands clenched at the thought of another man holding Jane, loving her. Obviously, his world was too violent for a woman as giving and sensitive as Jane.

It might kill him, but he knew what he had to do. He had to make sure that she went back home to her world when the tapestry came for her.

Watching her lying there, all he wanted to do was to wrap her in his arms and comfort her. Instead, he turned his back on her and walked out the door. He walked down the hallway and entered his own room. Closing the door, he bolted it tight.

Then Zaren wearily made his way to the end of his bed and sat. There he buried his face in his hands and wept.

Jane buried her face in her pillow and clenched her teeth to keep from crying out. She couldn’t believe that Zaren had just dumped her here and left her. Part of her couldn’t really blame him. Because of her, he’d been forced to kill two men today just because they wanted her. She’d never meant to cause any harm to anyone, but today two men had died because of her. It didn’t even matter that they’d attacked first and were killed in self-defense. Dead was dead. And what if this was only the beginning?

On the ride back to the castle, she’d longed for Zaren to talk to her, to reassure her, to say anything. But he was deathly silent. And although he’d wrapped his arms around her, she’d felt that he was somehow distant from her. And no wonder. She’d brought death and strife to his land just by her very presence.

She’d wanted to comfort him, but it had been obvious to her that he didn’t want her comfort. Didn’t want anything from her. That fact was even more evident when he dumped her in her room and left her.

Probably it was for the best, she assured herself as she swiped at the tears on her face. Obviously, he no longer thought she was worth the bother. Thank goodness she had a way to leave here. She couldn’t imagine staying and facing his cold condemnation every day for the rest of her life.

She’d be fine back in her world. She had prospects and opportunities. The tears flowed faster and she started to cry in earnest. But she no longer wanted to leave. The thought of leaving Zaren made her physically ill because, in those moments when he was willing to die to protect her, she’d come to a revelation. She loved him. And she was very afraid that no matter where she lived, she would love him until the day she died.

Clutching her pillow to her face to smother her tears, Jane wept.

She didn’t know what woke her, but slowly Jane became aware of the sounds around her. Voices. She could hear them talking over by the fireplace. Keeping quiet, she feigned sleep and listened.

“You didn’t see her, Bador.” She could hear the weariness in Zaren’s voice.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Our world is too brutal for her. You heard what she told Mother and Christina. In her world, the Craddock brothers would have gone to trial and been locked away. But here, we are the law and the executioner. She has nightmares about the murder she witnessed. What will her dreams be like when she remembers this day?” He laughed bitterly. “I will become her new nightmare.”

“Zaren,” Bador began only to be ruthlessly cut off.

“No! She flinched away from me. Looked at me like I was no better than a murderer. And perhaps she’s right. I’d kill them again in a heartbeat rather than let them take her. What does that make me?”

“That makes you a good man, Zaren. A protector, as you have always been.” Bador spoke low and calm and Jane strained to hear all his words.

“Then there is no choice. To protect Jane from what she fears most, she must go back to her own time.” Jane could hardly fathom what Zaren was saying. He cared enough about her to send her back to her own time. Some of the pain that had been crushing her chest eased at his words.

“No. That is to protect yourself.” Jane stilled at Bador’s words. “You are afraid to admit that you love her. You are so afraid that something might happen to her here that you would rather send her home than face that fear. That way you can tell yourself that it was her choice, not yours.”

“If you were not my brother I would kill you for that.” The coldness in Zaren’s voice sent chills down Jane’s spine.

“I would not say it if I did not love you, brother.”

Jane could hear footsteps moving towards the door. “You will not stay with her tonight?” It was Bador who spoke, so she knew it was Zaren who was leaving.

“No.” She opened her eyes just a crack and could see him standing with his hand already on the door handle. “Maybe I am the coward you accuse me of being. But I cannot bear to go to bed next to her and awaken to her gone. If I am to let her go, it must be now. If I stay I would fight the devil himself to keep her.” He opened the door and hesitated before squaring his shoulders and marching out of the room and closing the door solidly behind him.

She closed her eyes tight and concentrated on taking slow, even breaths when she heard Bador moving towards the bed. Clothing rustled and then she felt the mattress depress behind her as he climbed into bed. His muscled forearm wrapped around her waist and he pulled her tight to his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before kissing her temple. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he slowly rubbed it back and forth. “Don’t leave us, Jane,” he whispered. “Zaren and I need you. He does love you, only he is afraid to admit it.” He sighed again. “Perhaps I am being selfish to want to keep you here. But you have brought hope and laughter and life back to the castle. Without you here, I’m afraid Zaren will withdraw even further inside himself.”

Jane listened, almost afraid to breathe. Bador kissed the top of her head and settled down. “Only you can decide, but I pray for all our sakes that you make the right decision. Go or stay, I’m just thankful I had the opportunity to be with you. It’s probably good that you are already asleep. Perhaps when you awaken in your own bed, you will remember us fondly as a wonderful dream you once had.”

A tear slowly slipped from the corner of her eye, but she made no move to wipe it away. That was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her. The steady rise and fall of Bador’s breathing comforted her even as she longed for Zaren. Lying next to him in the large bed, Jane silently waited for the tapestry to reappear.