Page 43 of A Storm Rises
With a shake of its head and a satisfying snort, the Enbarr came to rest. Mateo slid off and then helped Avalynn down. “Can you walk?”
“I think so.”
He slowly released her, but her legs had no strength. He scooped her up and held her close, then quickly caught his bearings. He heard water trickle and scanned the lush green grass and tall majestic trees for the waterfall. He detected aromas of moisture, soil, and water logged wood from upwind. His chin swung in the direction of the source. “Up there.”
Cradling her in his arms, he swiftly made his way over branches and roots. A few paces more and they came upon an open area with a looming magnificent cliff. The smallest trail of liquid dripped down the rocks and barely splashed into a small green-hued pond with water lilies floating on the surface.
“So,” Mateo said, “the Green Falls are indeed dying. I have heard the rumors.”
Avalynn teared up at the sight. “I had no idea it was so bad. Nia said it once roared like mighty thunder.”
They walked along a muddy bank strewn with dandelions, bluebells, and clover blooms. Leaves and waterlogged sticks floated along the pond’s lip. Minnows and tadpoles swam in the shallows. Algae fuzzed on the nearby rocks. He walked into the water then stopped.
“Shall I set you down here?” he asked.
“Please.” He eased her to her feet, but kept his arm around her waist. “Nia said submerging in the water works best. I need help removing my tunic. I can do the rest.”
The lightning bugs returned to his belly tenfold. “Of course.” He hid a swallow. He had never undressed a maiden, let alone beheld the undergarments of a princess. Unsure of himself, he flashed her a frozen smile, but neither of them moved a muscle or spoke. She must have thought him an immature sprite.
“Help me tug it over my head,” she said.
He faced her, untucked her tunic, and lifted it with care over her head. Her long dark hair spilled over her shoulders and rested on the delicate lacework covering her bosom. He averted his eyes and spotted a purple splotch on her wrist. Perhaps the poison? But then he saw the bruises that trailed up her arms and made a perfect hand pattern. His gaze locked on hers. He could not unsee that damage to Avalynn.
She curled her arms to her chest. “It is nothing.”
His blood boiled inside his fearless and intrepid veins. Someone would pay for hurting her. “Who did this to you? Was it Eiric?” He was dead, but Mateo would travel to the Passing Place to batter his body.
“It is none of your business.”
“I beg to differ, princess.” He turned her arm, exposing the bruising. “This right here…is always my business.” He might have needed to win the hunt, but he could not and would not ignore that someone had hurt this princess. She irritated him to no end. Still, all he wanted to do was hold her close, kiss her lips, and tell her that nobody would ever hurt her again.
With downcast eyes she whispered, “I do not need or want your worry.”
He lowered her arm gently. “I do not understand you. Or myself when I am with you.”
Her head shook. “There is nothing to understand.” She huffed, and her arms clasped close to her chest, hiding her bruises again. “They came from an accident. Now please, turn around while I remove the remainder of my clothing and enter the water.”
He did not believe her for one second. Accident? He had seen the hand marks but did as she asked and turned around. He focused on a nearby boulder. Eiric the abuser luckily died, or Mateo would’ve choked the life from him. How dare anybody abuse Avalynn, ever.
Her boots thudded on the ground. A soft rumple of clothing hit the dirt. As she stepped into the pond, the water rippled and wings flapped from noisy water birds taking flight. He rubbed the back of his neck. The pond water splashed. His insides burned from something deeper now—desire.
He wanted to look. He needed to see. His eyes felt magnetized, and he fought that natural pull to—wait. She was injured. Wrong thing, wrong time. He needed to move away. “I will wait at that boulder ahead.”
“Thank you. I will come to you when I am finished.”
He trudged to and then climbed the massive rock. Eyes forward, his back remained to the pond. The sunbaked rock warmed his backside while the cool wind against his face lowered his internal temperature. He must stop thinking about her and turned his focus to the terrain.
Scanning the horizon, he saw their silver Enbarr grazing nearby. It swished its long tail while birds flitted from branch to branch. His gaze drifted to the clear skies. The dragon… where had it come from?
But the question that repeated the loudest in his head... Avalynn’s blue light that came out of her... How did she do that?
With a gust of wind, the note slipped under his door sprang to mind. Protect Princess Avalynn.
Panicking, he swung his head on a swivel. Avalynn floated in the pond. Dragonflies skated on the surface next to her figure. Her long hair spread on the water like a silken veil. His breathing steadied. He wanted to talk to her. He needed answers for himself. The time for secrets between them had passed. They were beyond that now.
The pond’s cool water slipped over Avalynn’s skin, caressing her like smooth silk. Its purity eased the pain in her back, diminishing it to a dull ache. The pond’s muddy bottom squished between her toes. She closed her eyes and soaked herself in the gentle waves. If she were home in her bath, she would have opened her eyes and seen the blurred Stromm crest on her ceiling. Perhaps that image was more than an optical illusion.
Maybe her home was not what she thought it was. Her father left bruises on her. And those Shadowbloods… Surely, her father knew that the hunt could end her life. Perhaps that was his plan all along—kill every single hunter. That would have ensured her father could always claim the Sublander came in last, no matter what. Gullible Lily would then be next in line for the throne. He could manipulate her with ease. Would he hurt her? She trembled at the sinister thoughts that shook her to the core.
