Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

It didn’t matter how much older than himself Mr. Olden was—the bastard had something that belonged to his woman.

The man’s complexion became mottled. Phillip didn’t care.

“Let him go.”

The voice took a moment to penetrate, and he snarled at the intrusion. Damon tried to force him to release Mr. Olden.

“Back off.”

“You do not get answers if the man is dead.” Damon’s point was valid.

That was enough to get him to listen to Damon and let Mr. Olden slide down the wall he’d been thrust against.

Damon inched in front of Phillip and jerked the man up to his feet. “I will not be able to hold him back long. Tell him what he needs to know.”

“My lord!”

Phillip turned as James burst through the door, eyes wide as he took in the scene before him.

“What?”

“Mr. Parker is looking for you. He is outside.”

“Send him in here, James. I do not have time to go to him.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The moment the boy vanished, Phillip snapped back to Mr. Olden and took another step forward. The man’s blanche would have been appreciated but right now, he didn’t give a fuck if he was scared of him or not. All he wanted was information on where Fyre was.

“You should leave,” he said to Damon. “You do not need to witness this.”

Damon shrugged. “Witness what? I do not see a fucking thing.”

That was when he saw it sink in to Mr. Olden that he had no ally in this room.

“You cannot just kill me.”

“Says who? You are a man who went after someone who belongs to me. I can do whatever I want to you.”

“We have laws here.”

Phillip snorted. “And how did that protect my woman from you stealing a ring that everyone knows is mine and that I gave to her, so do not try to pretend you thought she stole it.”

“She is a darkie. Her kind steal all the time.”

His blood boiled. “Right, except when they are out whoring around?”

“Exactly. We need to maintain the order. Everyone has their proper place.”

“You are very correct. And your place is away from me, preferably in the ground, with your views.”

“Where is my sister, Lord Edais?”

Elonne’s deep voice broke through as the door slammed against the wall behind them.

“That is what I am trying to find out, Mr. Parker. Mr. Olden here had the ring I gave her, but he is keeping quiet as to where he got that from.”

Phillip looked over his shoulder and was more than disturbed by the look of concern on Elonne’s face. “Keep him there,” he ordered to Damon before striding over to meet Fyre’s brother. “What do you know?”

“I saw my wife head away from the house and meet Mr. Olden’s wife. I confronted her about that when they began kissing after discussing selling some young girls to a man off this island.”

Phillip didn’t want to hear this but he had to. He’d not known Mr. Olden’s wife was involved, but then again, he wasn’t sure of all who were in on this. “Continue.”

“Cara yelled at me and rode off, talking about how you and Fyre ruined everything. I thought Fyre was with you but if you do not know where she is and he is here with her ring… I do not know where she is.”

Phillip hated the feeling of fear that just continued to grow. Like the winds were just flowing under his terror and pushing it along, keeping it moving.

“Mr. Olden,” Elonne said. “My sister worked for you, kept your books. How can you know something and not tell us?”

Hatred sparked in Mr. Olden’s eyes and the next words out of his mouth were the furthest thing from polite Phillip had heard in a long time, but Elonne didn’t blink at the racial slurs hurled at him. Damon slapped his hand over the man’s mouth with a growl.

“Shut that shit down.”

Phillip hadn’t heard Damon sound so dangerous before, and that was saying a lot for a man he’d felt from the moment they’d met he would never want on his bad side.

Elonne just moved closer. “Where is my sister?”

“Dead.”

Phillip closed his eyes, unwilling to hear that. Unable to accept that.

Elonne’s growl matched his own.

Stepping closer, Phillip repeated Elonne’s question. Mr. Olden barely blinked. Damon produced a small blade and dug it into the man’s body.

“Don’t make the earl ask again.”

“You can kill me. None of it matters. If she is not dead, she will be soon. Taken by the flames. Like should have happened years ago.” The grin that filled his features could only be described as maniacal.

Merciful heaven, she was in the path of the fire. It had taken a while, but Phillip had gotten the truth out of her about the scars she tried to hide. Phillip knew how she feared the beast and how hard it was for her to breathe in some situations because of what had happened.

“Where?” One word. Low. Diamond-tipped. Phillip adjusted his hold on the hilt, waiting.

“I have no clue. I am not with her, am I?”

Phillip pulled the edge from his side and slid it deep in his throat. Blood leeched from his face while more dripped from his neck.

“Try the northeast side of the island. Your property, Earl. Cara was taking her there.” A sniff. “Something about reliving the past.” The words were garbled and most likely the last this man would ever speak, but Phillip didn’t care.

“I know where.” Elonne’s voice shook. “Where our old home used to be before that fire took it.”

She never said her old home was on the property I purchased.

Phillip, Elonne and Damon ran out the door. Phillip grabbed his horse and swung up while the other two took the first two horses they could find. All three of them headed back down the road toward Hawk’s Cove and the fire that was racing to his house.

All he knew was that Fyre was somewhere in the northeast fields, and he prayed to anyone listening that it was somewhere that the flames had yet to touch. He hadn’t known that she used to live on that property.

They split off in different directions when they hit the fields, Elonne pointing toward where their home had been and going that way himself. The winds picked up and Phillip fought his horse until it bucked him off and took off running the opposite direction. He didn’t give the beast another thought—he had more important things to worry about.

He could hear the roaring, crackling flames and the wind had him pulling up the scarf that had been tied around his neck earlier to protect him.

“Fyre!”

Despite his belief that it would be hard for her to hear him over the wind and the roar of the fire, he didn’t stop. Eyes and lungs burning, he continued moving as fast as he could.

Nothing.

“Lord Edais!”

The sound was faint but he picked it up. Wiping his eyes, he coughed and headed in what he thought and prayed was the right direction. The thought of never seeing, holding, kissing Fyre again was killing him. He fought against his need to scream his rage to the sky and pressed on. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, give up.

They had gone to where Elonne had said their old home had been, which was now nothing but fields of fuel for the hungry fire to engulf. And it was doing a stellar job. Unable to see anything more than the crop, they had split up.

Smoke even thicker, he barely made out the figure that stumbled into his view. It was Elonne, and he had Fyre over his shoulder. The man had no shirt on—it was wrapped around her head—and his pant legs were charred.

Heart in his throat, Phillip hurried to them and dropped to his knees, meeting Elonne there as the man sank down. It took mere seconds for him to understand the situation. Fyre’s brother’s body had been burned, which meant he’d gone into the flames to get Fyre out. Elonne had placed his shirt there to protect her from even more smoke, and when Phillip moved it he saw the dried blood, the large bump, and the eyes that didn’t open.

“Save her. She loves you.” Elonne’s voice was raspy, like his throat had been singed from the inside. Sweat covered him, but even with the pain that riddled his expression, Phillip could see the love he had for his sister.

“Come on, Elonne. We have to move.”

The man coughed, bracing on his hands and knees, blood coming from his mouth. “Take care of her. Love and protect her like I could not do.”

And she loved her brother, no matter what the fight between them had made it look like. He had to find a way to save them both.

“Hang on. I will come back for you.”

“She is what is important. Her and my kids.”

The winds lifted again, and Phillip knew his window was closing. Gathering Fyre into his embrace, he pushed to his feet. He just had to get her to safety, then he could return for Elonne.

“Damon!” he called out. Most likely a hopeless endeavor, but he hoped the man was close enough to hear his cry over the roar of the beast barreling down on them.

* * * *

Phillip paced back and forth while waiting for the doctor to meet him outside Fyre’s room. Same as he’d been doing for the past seven days. He wanted to be in there, but Mrs. Asher had shooed him out the door, stating that while he and Fyre were engaged, they were not yet married, and she was going to have some proper behavior.

They were at Fyre’s small cottage.

Mrs. Asher set down a plate of food on the table and gave him a look. One he recognized as ‘sit and eat’. Her smile was small when he listened to her non-verbal directive.

Fyre hadn’t woken for longer than merely a few moments at a time for the past week, and Phillip was not happy with the lack of results. Or rather, progress.

He understood the smoke inhalation and the massive bump along with the gash on her head, but why was she sleeping so much? The doctor had said he wanted to keep her quiet and sleeping until her lungs and the rest of her had a bit more time to heal. She had new scars on her arms and legs, from a cheroot, most likely. Who had put them on her, he didn’t know. Didn’t care. She was alive, sort of. And he wasn’t about to let her go again.

The doctor wouldn’t go into detail about her past, but he got the gist of it. She’d told him a tiny bit and he’d pieced together the rest. Her scars were from a fire she’d been in as a child. One that had severely damaged her breathing and also marred her skin. It explained why she wasn’t outside in the heat working in the fields. Well, that and her brilliant mind. All he knew was that he needed her to wake up and look at him.

Even if it was only to yell.

The children were crashed on the other side of the room. Personally, he was at the end of his rope.

The moment he finished his food, the doctor walked out and Phillip rose to meet him. “Doc?”

The doctor’s eyes sparkled as he reached out a hand and placed it on Phillip’s arm. “She is awake. And I am not going to keep her sleeping longer.”

He longed to sink to his knees in thanks. “Can she have visitors?” Phillip gestured to her nephews and niece.

“Yes, but go slow.”

“Thank you.” He shook the doctor’s hand, then walked to where the children were cuddled together. He set his hand on Elonne II’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

All three were watching him moments later.

“Aunt Fyre?”

He went to his knee beside them. “She is awake and you can see her. Just remember she is going to be tired and weak, so be gentle.”

They got up and went to the door, constantly looking over their shoulders at him. All he could do was nod that they could go in. He didn’t want to share her, but he had to. Especially now. Trailing them, he waited in the doorway while they hugged her.

God, she was beautiful to him. Her hair had been braided and hung over one shoulder, her hands were bandaged, but it didn’t take anything away from her. She looked up at him and he gave her a shaky smile.

She touched all three and kissed them before whispering to them. The trio left, albeit reluctantly, and Bella hugged him before she finally went back through the door.

Fyre struggled to sit up a bit more and he went to her side, helping her to get comfortable. Then he lowered himself to sit beside her on the narrow bed, sliding one arm behind her. The moment she was tucked against him, his heart and soul settled.

He rested his lips against her temple, just allowing himself a moment to take it all in. She was awake, safe, and in his arms.

Where she belongs.

“Are you going to say anything?”

He heard the wobble in her voice and swallowed a few times to get his emotions under control or his would mimic hers.

“I love you.”

Guess the wobble is still there.

“Phillip.”

He turned her face so he could kiss her. “Fyre, I almost lost you. I will not let another day go by without you know how much I fucking love you.”

“I—”

“I want you to rest.”

“Cara.” She closed her eyes. “She is dead. Mr. Olden killed her.”

Arms around her, but making sure she wasn’t hurting from his touch, Phillip nodded. “I know. We know.”

She shifted to look at him again. “What happened?”

So he told her while he held her. Told her about the plans between Mr. Olden and Cara with some men on different islands who wanted to bring slavery back to this one. As well as Mrs. Olden. Told her about the loss he’d suffered with the property, and the house.

He fell silent and she rested her bandaged hand on his arm. “I am so sorry you lost everything, Phillip. Will you be going back to England?”

“I did not lose everything. I lost some of the fields and the house, but the most important thing, I have right here in my arms now.”

“You are holding me.”

“I know, baby.” He closed his eyes, hiding the tears that threatened. “Believe me, I know.”

Fyre sat there in his arms, never so grateful to have them around her as she was this moment.

Fragile was how she felt. And it wasn’t a feeling she enjoyed. The pain was momentary, it came and went, but the thought of never seeing him again…that had been more than she had been ready to face.

She sat still, just soaking up his touch as she ran over everything he had told her. He’d lost it all.

“It was my fault,” she muttered.

“No, Fyre. This was not your fault at all.”

Phillip squeezed her gently and she knew he was being mindful of her injuries. The doctor had gone over all of them with her. The scar on her head from the bullet was healing but she would always have a mark. The injuries to her hands were from her putting out the flames that had found her skirt as she’d tried to crawl away.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

There was a brush of wetness against her skin, but he wouldn’t allow her to turn to him. “I am sorry, baby. I tried to save him too, but I could not.”

“Elonne.” Her heart cried out in pain.

“He got you to me but I was not in time to get him out after you were safe. I can only hope one day you will forgive me for this.”

“Phillip,” she whispered. “Look at me, please.”

He did and she held his face, his tanned skin so much darker than the pale gauze around her hands. “As angry as I know you were with him, you would not have left him to die. You did what you could and I never have to forgive you for any of it.” She used the side of the bandage to wipe away his tear and nibbled on her lip briefly.

“Do the children know?”

“I told them.”

“I guess I am all they have left now. Both mom and dad gone.”

“No. They have us, Fyre. You and me.”

“No one will say anything when you look somewhere else for a countess.”

“I do not have to look anywhere else. I told you this already. You are that woman.”

“What about the ruined plantation?”

“There are plans to rebuild the house. Everyone made it out, and they are staying with family and friends or in town in lodging there until they can return to work.”

“You did not fire anyone?”

“I am not going anywhere, Fyre. Not unless my wife and our family are with me.”

She finally understood that she was where she needed to be. He was the only man for her, and he would protect her.

“I love you, Phillip.”

His smile warmed her completely.

“Four words I will never tire of hearing from you, my love.”

He pressed his mouth to hers, gentle but not holding back any of the emotion she knew he wouldn’t show to others. He was hers and she wasn’t ever letting him go.