Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

I dipped the cloth into the bucket of cold water and set it against Liam’s eye.

“Hold it there,” I said, already taking a second cloth and wetting it.

Darian grinned at me as I came up behind Brandle, who was checking his nose.

“It’s broken,” Brandle said a moment before he wrenched it. Darian cursed a storm as his eyes watered profusely.

I brushed Brandle aside and gently placed the cold cloth over the bridge of Darian’s nose.

“Your brother only sought to protect your handsome visage,” I said, running my fingers through Darian’s hair to soothe him. He groaned, stole the cloth from my grasp, and tipped his head forward to rest it against my chest.

“I’ll brew some tea for the pain,” I said.

His arms banded around my waist.

“I’d rather have this,” he mumbled.

Brandle chuckled as he moved off to check on Liam.

“If you allow me to leave, you can hold me again once the tea is done.”

Darian released me but captured my chin and darted in for a quick kiss.

“Your nose is already broken,” I said when he pulled back to wink at me.

“Which is why I know you won’t hit it.”

Foolish men and their need for affection, I silently grumbled. Yet, I enjoyed grudgingly giving it.

Why?

“Brandle, I believe it still looks a little crooked. You might want to fix it again.”

Darian’s eyes rounded, and he held up a hand in surrender as he held the cool cloth to his nose once more. The others laughed.

I started for the cottage and called over my shoulder, “Eadric, I want your pants off by the time I return so I can see why you’re limping.”

Inside, I climbed down into the cold storage and lit the candle to check the herbs for one that would help with swelling and pain. Henry had been thorough in his labeling. I didn’t see how Eadric had mistakenly confused them enough to accidentally poison his brothers.

Lost in thought, I yelped when the nearby candle suddenly went out.

I wasn’t alone.

“Brandle, now is not the time for your games.”

A hand cupped my cheek.

“How did you know it was me?” he asked.

I paused.

“I don’t know how. I simply knew.”

“Are you afraid?” he asked.

“Of being in the dark with you? Hardly. I know where your nose is.”

He chuckled. “You know that’s not what I meant. Do you fear staying here…with us?”

I did. And I didn’t like thinking about why I was struggling not to feel that fear. These men didn’t scare me. However, what might happen to them if I stayed did. The trackers they’d fought off weren’t their only threat.

“Kellen,” Brandle said. “Please. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Yes, I’m afraid. But likely not for the reasons I should be. I’m unpredictable and dangerous.

“My mother was sick for a very long time. Death is part of life. We all know this. Yet…”

“Yet you’ve always wondered if your mother was weak because of you.”

I jerked away from him. He didn’t allow my escape but rather pinned me against his chest.

“Edmund’s anger gives him away. Your concern reveals more about you,” he said. “You’ve spoken often of your mother and sister. You’ve risked the forest to save your father. I saw your reaction when you hit the tracker with the hoe. We’ve seen your fear when you lose control. Why else would you be so afraid of hurting others unless you believe you’ve already done so?

“Casting doesn’t work like that, though, Kellen. If it did, it would have died out long ago. While we’re born with the potential, the gift grows as we do. You did not have the power of a caster to hurt your mother at birth. Likely, birthing two babes taxed her as it did my mother.”

“Do you truly believe that?” I asked.

“I do.”

The tension I’d been holding melted away with his words and his comforting embrace.

“I miss her so much,” I admitted. “I miss Eloise, my home, and the life I had. And I hate that I can never go back to the girl I was.”

“I don’t, Kellen.” His fingers brushed over my cheek and down my throat, comforting me. “The girl you were wasn’t someone we would have ever had the chance to meet. And we need you right where you are.”

I turned in his arms and hugged him. His hand smoothed over my hair as he held me.

“I know,” I said. “I won’t leave. No matter who comes, I won’t leave until I’ve helped you…or until you ask me to leave.”

“That will never happen,” he said.

“The trackers will be back, Brandle. You know they will.”

“They will. And we’ll drive them away again. Eadric wasn’t seriously hurt. He merely received a kick to his leg that will leave a bruise and take a few days to heal. Darian’s nose is the worst of it. And as long as you assure him he is still handsome, it won’t trouble him.”

A dry laugh escaped me.

“It’s broken, Brandle. If it’s hit again before it heals, it will trouble him. Edmund is right. It would be better if those men couldn’t return. I just?—”

Brandle tipped my head back and kissed me, a gentle brush of his lips against mine. It was comfort and temptation wrapped together. I found myself leaning into it, wanting more. Wanting to lose myself in the feel of him instead of the doubts plaguing my thoughts.

When I opened my mouth to seek more, he groaned and cupped the back of my head. His tongue danced with mine, provoking me to feel more than I ever had. My skin tingled with energy, and I pulled away with a gasp.

“Wait,” I panted when his lips moved to my neck.

“You can’t hurt us.”

“But I can hurt the land, Brandle,” I said, threading my fingers into his hair and tugging him away from me.

He let loose a frustrated growl.

“Don’t make me call for one of the others,” I said.

Brandle was silent for several heartbeats.

“It feels as if you are forever retreating from me, Kellen.”

I let loose a very Eloise-like snort.

“I’ve kissed you, slept on you, and admitted more truths to you than I have my own mother. I am not retreating, Brandle. You’re simply a bullish lout who is refusing to allow me to set my own pace.”

A bark of laughter rang out from above.

“And Eadric agrees,” I said.

“We all agree, Lamb,” Daemon said. “But it’s not kind to say it to the lout’s face when he’s trying to confess his feelings for you.”

“His feelings? In a dark cellar? I should hope that’s not what this is,” I said.

More laughter drifted from above.

“Go,” Brandle said. “I will fetch what we need.”

When I emerged from the cellar, the cottage was empty and the rest waited in their same positions outside.

Eadric held up his hands pleadingly. “I wanted to comply and remove my pants, Sparrow, but they said they would cuff me if I did.”

I shook my head at them all and went to switch the cloth covering Liam’s eye. Garron’s stitches from his previous injury were bleeding lightly where he’d strained them too much. The skin around Darian’s eyes was starting to darken near his nose. He truly had my pity, and I didn’t scold him when he tugged on my shirt and pleaded for a hug. Eadric playfully opened his arms and asked for his due several times as well.

“Affection-starved scoundrels,” I said under my breath as I prepared the midday meal. “Shouldn’t you focus on what you’ll do when they return?”

“ If they return,” Edmund said. “We moved them deeper into the trees, closer to the path leading back to Drisdall, and left them with a lit fire and a supply of wood to keep the beasts at bay until they stop bleeding. It will take a few days for them to return. If at all.”

“Truly?” I asked.

Edmund nodded, and I surprised him by cupping his face and kissing him on the lips.

“That is welcome news,” I said with a smile.

Edmund didn’t grin in return. His gaze shifted from my eyes to my mouth and back again.

“He’s thinking about that copper,” Eadric said.

“He should be thinking about Darian’s broken nose,” I said.

A smile briefly tugged at Edmund’s lips. “I’ll prove myself a man of control. For now.”

“Thank you,” I said, escaping his hold. “Drink your tea. I think I’ll read for a bit.”

I heard someone by the door but didn’t lift my gaze from my book.

After reading for hours, I understood how little I knew about what I could do. And how unique I was. Many of the things the book warned could tax a beginner I could do with little effort—such as checking the weather.

It was going to rain again before dusk.

I wondered what excuse they would use to remain outside.

Another novice spell, to heat water, I could cast by simply thinking of the spell rather than speaking it aloud. Again, I felt no tiredness. I even went outside to check the grass and the trees. Nothing was dead.

Why, then, had things died when I was twelve? What had I done differently?

Determined to unravel the mystery, I read and ignored all else.

However, the men of the glade weren’t of the mind to be ignored for long. I knew they’d run out of patience when Liam shuffled to the door and said he couldn’t see anymore, and Eadric refused to feed him his meal.

Liam truly looked terrible with his swollen eye. So, I closed the book and rose to kiss both his cheeks.

“Poor thing,” I said, struggling not to laugh.

While I did feel terrible about the injuries he’d gained defending me, I knew he wasn’t so hurt that he needed comfort. He’d been sent to gain my attention because he looked the worst among them.

He took my hand and led me out to the others. Brandle and Edmund were missing, but the sound of chopping behind the cottage told me where they were. Garron walked near the tree line. Eadric lounged in his strung bed. Daemon poked at the fire. Darian sat on a bench by the table, watching his twin. Likely he was unable to lie down due to his nose. The swelling looked equally as terrible as Liam’s.

Liam led me to the bowl beside Darian.

The casting books had provided a glimpse into a world of which I knew very little. Yet, it was that world I needed to grasp in order to help these men break whatever curse had been cast upon them. And I realized that, although they weren’t allowed to give me hints, they could still guide me to the answer. And perhaps they had been doing so already with their playful bids for attention.

So, rather than sitting on the bench, I nudged Darian to straighten his posture, then perched on his lap to face Liam.

They all stared at me as I grabbed the bowl and lifted a spoonful of soup. Liam didn’t make any move to eat it.

“Is this not what you wanted?” I asked.

Darian’s arms snaked around my waist, and he pulled me more firmly onto his lap.

“I most certainly wanted this,” he said.

“Liam?” I asked, watching him. “Can you not see the spoon? Do you need me to bring it to your mouth?”

Though his eyelids were quite swollen, he proved he could see by darting forward and eating the bite.

“I could eat better if you were on my lap,” he said after swallowing.

“Then perhaps you would like to wait until Darian is done petting me.”

Daemon laughed, and Darian groaned.

“Princess, I can’t tell if you’re provoking me or have no idea what you say.”

I turned to look at him. “Is your hand not petting my side?”

He set his forehead on my shoulder and mumbled something about pleasure and pain.

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll sit on?—”

“No,” Darian said, tightening his hold. “Stay. Please.”

I agreed and finished feeding Liam while Darian held me and rested his cheek on my shoulder.

“Does anyone need more pain tea?” I asked.

“Not yet, Lamb,” Daemon said. “But Eadric wouldn’t mind a bit of a snuggle next. His leg pains him.”

I glanced at Eadric in his swinging bed, and he lifted his arms and wiggled his fingers to beckon me. Could allowing them these liberties truly free them of their spell, or were they simply starved for female companionship?

“If I lie with Eadric, who will start the evening meal?”

“Garron and I will cook tonight,” Daemon said a moment before he called Garron over.

I went to Eadric and puzzled over how to join him on his swinging bed without injuring him. Hands clasped around my waist and lifted me. In short order, I found myself lying on top of Eadric. His arms wrapped around me to keep me in place.

“This is nice,” he said. A hand slipped up under the tunic and skimmed my lower back. “You’re so warm.”

I opened my mouth to tell him to remove his hand, but he nuzzled my cheek and cuddled me closely in a way that felt too divine to refuse.

“How does he not get hit?” Darian grumbled.

“Shut your mouth and let him be,” Garron said. “If he goes too far, Kellen will tell us.”

I tilted my head to look at Eadric. His smile was full of mischief. He wiggled his eyebrows and gave an exaggerated wink before saying, “A kiss would help my leg feel better.”

Understanding that he wanted to annoy his brothers, I lightly kissed his mouth.

“Ah, that was nice. More, please.”

Struggling not to laugh. I kissed him again. This time lingering a bit longer.

He sighed happily when I lifted my head. “More if it pleases you.”

“Greedy git,” Daemon muttered.

Eadric laughed silently underneath me. I lifted myself up enough to cup his face and kissed him the way Brandle had kissed me. Eadric’s tongue playfully teased mine, drawing me deeper into the kiss and distracting me from his hands until one closed over my bare breast. I tore my mouth from his and stared down at him as his fingers stroked over my nipple.

A shiver ran through me.

He smiled beautifully and kissed the tip of my nose as he withdrew his touch.

“I believe I will need your protection again tonight,” he said.

My eyes rounded, and I lifted my head to look at the others. They stood around the fire, staring at us. I’d expected shock and censure in their gazes but found none.

“How?” Darian sputtered. “I would have been unmanned for attempting that.”

Daemon grinned. “I would very much like to see that.”

“Leave them be,” Garron said. “Kellen is free to do as she pleases.”

“Including unmanning Darian,” Daemon said. He nudged his twin. “Go give it a try.”

I shook my head at them and looked down at a grinning Eadric.

"You have no shame,” I said softly.

“None,” he agreed. “Can I have another kiss?”

I thought again of the curse holding them and slowly nodded.

Eadric laughed and drew me down to his lips for another long kiss. He waited until I was just as distracted to move his hand to my breast. I didn’t pull away. I let him touch me, stroking his fingers over a part of me that no one else had ever touched. He teased the skin until I was making small sounds against his lips.

Eadric pulled back, kissing the corners of my mouth then my nose.

Panting for breath, I hid my face in the crook of his neck and struggled with what I was feeling. Things that Mr. Bentwell’s books had hinted at—desire…need—coursed through me

Eadric’s palm still covered my breast, teasing it lightly. And I didn’t bat him away. I lay on top of him, enjoying the closeness and the feel of him.

“Are you angry?” he asked quietly.

“No.”

“Are you afraid?”

“No…yes…I don’t know.”

He removed his hand and simply hugged me.

“You don’t need to be afraid. I’m here. I won’t ever leave you.”

How did he know that was what I feared most?

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him in return.

When I left Eloise, I’d understood the danger. If giving my life would spare hers, I was willing to do so. Yet, I was no longer sure my life would be enough. What if saving my sister meant the lives of the men in this glade too?

“Are you feeling adequately cuddled?” I asked Eadric after several moments.

“I am.”

“I’m not,” Daemon said.

“I’ll cuddle you,” Eadric called with a grin.

Daemon scoffed and turned his back on us.

“Aren’t you going to help me down for your cuddle, Daemon?” I asked.

He whirled about and had me out of the swinging bed before I could blink.

“What liberties am I allowed, Lamb?” he asked, setting me down.

“What would you like?” I asked.

His gaze heated as he considered me. “I think you wouldn’t speak to me if I voiced what I’d like. So I will gratefully accept whatever you wish to allow.”

I stepped close to him, crowding his space, which made him grin.

“Are you saying you’ll concede to whatever I wish?” I asked, running my hand down his chest.

He nodded eagerly.

“What if what I wished for involved less clothing?”

His gaze heated significantly. Then, he bent and tossed me over his shoulder in a single smooth move.

“Tell me where,” he said.

“The well,” I said, bubbling with laughter. “You need to bathe.”

He muttered a curse as Darian plucked me off his shoulder.

“Now you know how it feels,” he said to his brother.

“You all need to bathe,” I said. “It’s going to rain before dusk, and we’ll need to sleep inside again.”

I didn’t add that it would continue to rain throughout the next day, too. I wanted to see what they would do.

“And I’ll comb your hair when you’re done,” I added when no one moved to leave.

Darian and Daemon raced to the well. Liam and Eadric followed more sedately.

“I’ll watch the food,” I said to Garron.

“No need. I’ll let them fight for the bucket and wait until they return.”

I fetched the comb and sat in the chair near the fire to wait.

“Did it upset you? What Eadric did?” Garron asked

“No. But it should have, and I think that upsets me the most. That none of the playful demands you and your brothers put on me has truly upset me. Have I been startled? Yes. Confused or unsure? Yes. But not upset. And any fear I’ve felt has been out of concern for all of you.

“Reading has helped with some of that. I understand how to heat water now. I suppose I could have offered that for their baths.”

A small smile tugged at Garron’s mouth. “You can heat mine for me.”

I nodded my agreement and watched Darian race around the house, wearing a clean set of clothes.

“Where would you like me?” he asked, stopping in front of me.

When I said I had no preference, he sat at the table, facing outward, leaving me to stand between his splayed legs. He used my nearness to tease me with a few words or a wink as he subtly petted my hip.

His frigid hair was in an exceptional tangle and took a bit of time to work through. But he didn’t seem to mind.

When I finished, I cupped his face and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, careful of his nose.

“Thank you for protecting me and for bathing.”

“My turn,” Daemon said, sitting beside Darian.

“Little remains to comb,” I said.

Regardless, I repeated the process, withholding my amusement over how Daemon’s hand skimmed from my hip to my waist. Each time his fingertips brushed bare skin, he would watch me closely. I gave nothing away, though, not even at the end when I kissed him as I had Darian.

“I will bathe daily for this,” Daemon said.

“Move aside,” Liam said, nudging his brother though there was plenty of space on the bench.

Daemon gave up his spot, and I took my time combing through Liam’s hair. Like his brothers, he held onto my waist. However, he didn’t try to steal more. When I finished, I kissed his mouth lightly, then his swollen eye, before thanking him.

Edmund took his spot, and I eyed his short, wet hair.

“You combed Daemon’s,” he said with a slight scowl. I reached up and ran my fingers through his wet hair. “Is it the comb you want or what comes next?”

He gripped my hips and hauled me closer until my front touched his.

“I want everything you are willing to give.”

I stroked a finger between his brows, easing the tension there before I set my lips to his. He moved, nipping my bottom lip. I gasped, and he deepened the kiss. Caged by his legs and held in place by the hand on the back of my head, I braced my hands on his shoulders as his tongue stroked against mine.

Edmund demanded my attention with an aggression none of the others had. It almost felt like a test to see how much I would willingly give.

Everything. Anything to get the help I needed, and I proved it by straddling his lap.

He tore his mouth from mine and looked up at me. I kissed the corner of his mouth, which was pulled down in a frown, then the place between his brows.

“Are you finished?” I asked.

His fingers twitched on my hips.

“He is,” Brandle said from beside us.

I could see the flare of anger in Edmund’s gaze and wanted to scowl at Brandle as well. Instead, I ignored him as I pressed another kiss to Edmund’s frowning mouth.

“Are you finished?” I asked softly.

He exhaled heavily, closed his eyes, and nodded.

“I am,” he said.

I stood and looked at Brandle.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

He looked at the comb I held up and then at me.

“What are you doing, Kitten?”

“Combing their hair like they wanted.”

“And the kisses?” he asked.

The disappointment in his gaze was starting to make me feel uneasy, and I glanced at the others.

“I thought…”

“You kissed them because they wanted it?”

I nodded hesitantly, wondering if I’d made a mistake.

“Didn’t they?”

“They did,” Eadric said. “You didn’t force yourself on them, Sparrow. You’re not in trouble. Tell her, Brandle.”

Brandle sighed and pinched his nose.

“You’re not in trouble, Kitten. We are.”