Ruined

The Lunar Mage Chronicles

Ruined

Rena Grace

~

Published by Rena Grace at Smashwords

Copyright 2014

~

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~

Ruined

Saribella had been listening to the howling
every night for weeks now. The sound was so familiar it was almost
a comfort to her, even though she knew it would mean another life
lost. The werewolves always found their mark. Yet, tonight was
different, it was laced with hope, for her parents as well as the
village elders had found their salvation. His name was Roderick
Grey and he was a werewolf hunter.

She watched from her chamber, high in the
stone fortress that she called home. The castle's high stonewalls
kept the werewolves out, keeping their people safe. She was wrapped
in blankets, the cold air slipping in through the narrow slit that
served as a window, as she waited for their savior to ride through
the gates. Her breath caught in her chest when she finally saw him,
the moon casting light on a hooded man riding up the rampart on
horseback, stiff and erect in the saddle.

Despite the fact that he was covered in a
thick, hooded leather jerkin, she could still make out his
well-defined muscles, but it was more than his physique that made
her breath catch. She had seen this man in her dreams. As if he
knew she was there, he suddenly looked up toward her window and
seemed to lock his gaze with hers. That was impossible, she knew he
could not possibly be staring up at her. No man's sight was that
sharp, and the window slit was simply too small. Still, she felt a
thrill go through her, chilling her skin.
Go to him
her soul
seemed to whisper to her.

She stood quickly, dumping the blankets to
the seat in front of the window, trading them for her heavy cloak.
She exited her room, hurrying down the hallway, so she could join
her parents in greeting him.

Her parents and three sisters were waiting
for her in the great hall, along with half the village. She pushed
her way through the crowd, making her way to the side of her
youngest sister, Anna. Her father scowled at her, frustrated with
her lateness, but he was sooon distracted by the guards opening the
front doors. As everyone’s attention turned toward the front Anna
leaned in and whispered in Saribella’s ear, “Sari, why are you so
late? Nearly the entire village has shown up to see this mysterious
Grey."

Saribella attempted to keep her voice from
quivering in her excitement. “I was watching from my window. Anna,
it's him. The man from my dreams."

Her little sister turned to her in surprise
and asked, "How can you possibly be sure that this Grey is the one
from your dreams?"

Saribella shook her head and was about to
answer when she caught sight of him. Her body started to hum, and
again she seemed to hear
Go to him.
He had an affect on her
that she could not explain, a pull that was almost magical, and she
felt a flush creep up from her chest to her cheeks as she
remembered her dreams. He walked down the center, two guards
trailing behind him as he approached the Lord and the Lady of the
castle, the village elders behind them. Saribella gripped her hands
behind her, her fingernails biting into her palm, trying to keep
herself focused, anything to distract herself from the dreams.

He was tall, his cloak doing little to hide
his broad shoulders and chest. He strode through the villagers, the
guards following behind him as he approached the castle's Lord and
the Lady.

Her father gave a short bow and said in a
loud voice, “Welcome to Castle Greenley, Master Roderick Grey. We
are eternally grateful for your presence here tonight.”

Grey inclined his head, only a slight beard
on a chiseled chin visible from beneath his hood. “I only hope I
can help. I was informed you have a werewolf problem.”

“We do, a very serious problem,” Saribella's
father sighed. “For nearly a month now. The moon seems to hold no
power over them. A short time ago, a group of strangers came to our
village, demanding we hand over our mage and if we did they would
leave us be."

Grey’s eyes slipped to Saribella at the word
mage, but he quickly returned them to Lord Greenley. “Did you give
them the mage?”

It was Saribella’s mother who spoke as she
spread her hands in a helpless gesture. “We have no mage here.
There has not been one in our village for nearly a century.”

Then they did not know. Grey masked the
surprise he felt. They did not know that the girl standing behind
them was their mage. He wondered if even she knew. He nodded in
response. “I’ve been tracking this pack for a year now. They are
seeking the blood of a specific mage. It is said that this mage’s
blood has the power to lift the curse upon them. They are forced to
undergo the torment of changing every night; save for the night the
moon is missing from the sky. They have no power over their
turning. This mage could undo that."

“But we have no mage here,” Lady Greenley
insisted.

“Perhaps you do not know she is here. I will
begin my search tomorrow for the mage, so I can protect her, and
for the werewolves so I can put an end to these needless
deaths.”

“She. The mage is a she,” Saribella asked,
unable to stop herself, torn by the idea that he would seek out
another woman. She felt ridiculous at even thinking it, but her
soul continued to whisper
Mine. Finally, mine. Go to
him.

Lord Greenley stifled a sigh as he put his
arm around her shoulders. “Master Grey, this is Saribella, our
eldest daughter.”

Grey reached for her hand, and she gave it to
him. He brushed his lips across the back of her soft skin and she
breathed a sigh of relief. “It is an honor to meet you, Lady
Saribella.” He stood, but never took his eyes off of her. “Yes, the
mage is a woman. I can sense her.”

Grey smiled at the flash of jealously that he
saw in her eyes as he dropped her hand.

Lady Greenley turned to the hall. "The hour
is late and Master Grey needs to rest before he begins his duty
tomorrow. Please, return to your homes, sleep well, and take
comfort in knowing that this tragedy will soon be behind us." As
the villagers dispersed and her husband ushered away her younger
daughters, Lady Greenley bowed to Grey. “The servants will show you
to your room, Master Grey.”

"Thank you for your hospitality, Lady
Greenley." His eyes darted to Saribella, making her heart skip a
beat. When the servants came to collect Grey, Lady Greenley turned
to Saribella. “And you, my darling, you need your rest. You have
your fitting tomorrow.”

Saribella glanced back over her shoulder at
Grey as her mother guided her away. When he disappeared from sight
she turned back to her mother. “Please, do not make me marry
Thomas. He may as well be my brother.”

“Then would it really be so terrible? To
spend the rest of your life with your best friend? This is a good
match, Sari, dear. You will go through with it.”

"I do not want—"

"This is not about what you want." Lady
Greenley laid a hand on Saribella’s shoulder, stopping her before
they reached the hallway. "Thomas is from a highly respected
family. You have grown up with him and have known him your entire
life. This wedding will happen. It is time you made peace with
that."

Saribella’s response was silence as her
mother led her back to her chamber. Once they had reached her door,
her mother gave her a peck on the cheek.

“Rest well tonight, Sari. Our salvation from
the werewolves has come.”

Salvation
.
He could be my
salvation. He could save me from this marriage.
The idea was a
dangerous one, but it was all she could think about as she entered
her chamber after her mother had left. What if he would ruin her,
take her virginity and make her unsuitable for marriage? They could
not force her to marry Thomas then. She let her maid help her out
of her dress and into her bed. She let the woman think she was
asleep and once the woman had left, Saribella slipped out of bed.
She put her cloak on over her chemise and went to her door. Before
she could grasp the handle, it opened. She stifled a cry as her
best friend tumbled in, quickly shutting the door behind him.

"Thomas, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you." He straightened and
turned towards her. He was tall, though not nearly as tall as Grey.
His hair was nearly black and his eyes were the deepest blue. Even
though he was quite handsome, Saribella could only see him as her
friend. “What do you think, do you think Master Grey can save
us?”

She just stared at her friend for a moment.
Studying his face. He had been her constant companion for so long
she could not imagine her life without him, and yet she could not
see her future with him. They did not belong together, this much
she knew. Thomas would never really understand the depth of her
words when she whispered, “I hope so.”

He crossed the room to her, taking her hands
in his, misunderstanding the emotion behind her words. “Do not
worry, Sari. This Master Grey will bring peace. He will defeat the
werewolves. He will protect us.”

She smiled tightly at him. “I know. He will
be our salvation.”

“You look tired. You should get some rest.”
Thomas kissed her on the forehead, such a tender and brotherly
thing to do that Saribella almost cried. A union between them would
mean the end of such ease. It would change things, of that she was
sure.

“I think you are right.” She grinned then.
“And besides you just want to go off and see Beth before you retire
to your chambers.”

His grin, which should have been shy, was
roguish. “You know me well, Sari. Get some rest.”

“Give Beth my love.”

Thomas just shook his head, and headed for
the door. “Good night, Saribella.”

“Good night, Thomas.”

After he had left she waited a few moments,
mostly to give Thomas time to disappear down the hall, but also to
gather her courage. Her talk with Thomas just now, had only
cemented her need to get out of this marriage. Once she felt ready,
she went to her door and then crept away from her chamber.

She hurried down the corridor, already
knowing which of the guest suites had been arranged for him, as she
had overseen the task herself. She knocked on his door, no longer
thinking, simply acting on her deepest desires.

He opened the door and she rushed in,
shutting it behind her and then leaning against it, hoping her
nerves did not show on her face. She looked up at him and he was no
longer wearing his hooded jerkin. In the light from the fire
burning in the hearth she could see he had light brown hair and he
was taller than her by far. She tried not to sound breathless when
she whispered, “I need your help.”

He opened the door and she rushed in,
shutting the door behind her and then leaning against it hoping her
nerves did not show. She looked up at him. In the light from the
burning fire in the hearth she could see he was taller than her.
She tried not to sound breathless when she whispered, “I need your
help.”

He reached for the bow already by his door,
ready to face whatever crisis awaited him. “The werewolves?”

She shook her head and cut him off. “No, not
the werewolves.”

He set the bow down, eyeing her wearily but
still wanting to help her. “Then what?”

She took a deep breath, briefly closing her
eyes, before she opened them to meet his startling blue ones. “I
need you to ruin me.”

“Ruin you?” Grey asked, not quite
understanding. He was distracted enough by her mere presence, he
could almost taste the magic coming from her. He had felt her as
soon as he had neared the village, felt her power. Then when he had
entered the castle gates, he had seen her face up in the window,
his own magic giving him the sight. He had not expected her to be
so beautiful, and he had not been expecting her to be standing in
the great hall in front of him. He had hardly been able to focus
while talking to her parents when his own need had been crying out
to him.

She nodded and took a step forward, allowing
her cloak to fall off her shoulders to reveal her chemise. The
shear fabric left no question as to what she wanted. “Ruin me,
Grey.”