Time to Heal Read online

  “Why did you leave the path? Why did you not stay with me?” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “You could have been killed, Emmeline! You very nearly were.”

  “I…I didn’t mean to.” Her voice was dull and she shook her head. “I only stopped for a moment to help the little butterfly thing—it was trapped in the vines and you were busy cutting us a trail up ahead. So I thought—”

  “That ‘butterfly thing’ was a wisp!” Skahr growled. “Didn’t I warn you before we entered the forest to beware of wights and wisps?”

  “Yes, but you didn’t tell me what they were!” she flared, the dullness leaving her eyes as her temper suddenly came to life. “I’m from another world, remember? How was I supposed to know that such an innocent-looking creature was dangerous? That it was leading me…leading me…”

  Her voice faltered and she choked back a sob before she could continue.

  “I didn’t know what to do! I looked around and the path was gone and the forest was all around me. The butterfly thing acted like it was going to lead me to safety and I didn’t know what else to do but follow it! I didn’t see you anywhere and you didn’t come when I called. I thought I was lost forever…that I would never…never see you or…or Jamie again.”

  It was clear she was fighting not to cry, trying to stay strong because she hated to show weakness. But though her chin was raised high, her lips were trembling and her big eyes were bright with unshed tears.

  Skahr’s anger melted abruptly away and he crushed her to him, drawing her small, soft body against his hard chest.

  “I thought I’d lost you, delora,” he murmured in her ear, his own voice choked with emotion as well. “Gods, I was so frightened when I looked around and you were gone! And then, when I heard you screaming in the forest…”

  He couldn’t go on. He could only hold her close to his heart and thank the Goddess that he had gotten to her in time. He felt her shaking against him and then something warm and wet was moistening his chest.

  Her tears, he realized. She had finally lost the fight not to cry but Skahr didn’t care. He cradled her to him and rubbed her shaking shoulders with his hands, trying to soothe her, trying to let her know everything would be all right.

  “I was so scared,” she whispered in a trembling voice. “It was horrible. That tree. It wanted…wanted to eat me. It…” She shook her head against his chest, apparently unable to go on.

  “Easy now, delora,” he murmured, his heart swelling as she pressed against him. “Take it easy now—everything is all right. All will be well.”

  “I don’t see how if the forest is full of those…those things,” she choked. “That’s the same kind of thing that grabbed my ankle and tried to drag me into the woods last night, isn’t it? Why didn’t you tell me about them, Skahr? Why didn’t you warn me?”

  Skahr sighed. He hadn’t told Emmeline about the Vengeful Ones before they entered the Bervoten because he had hoped that by traveling in daylight they could avoid them and he hadn’t wanted to scare her.

  “I didn’t want to frighten you,” he told her, rubbing her shaking shoulders. “They are mostly quiet and sleeping during the day. But the wisp that found you came from the Old Man of the Forest—the most ancient and powerful one of them all. It is said he never sleeps completely, though I never thought we would have the bad luck to encounter him when the Bervoten is so vast.”

  “Well we did encounter him—I encountered him—and I nearly died!” Emmeline exclaimed. “You should have told me, Skahr! You shouldn’t have kept me ignorant just to assuage my fears. Don’t you know by now that I would face any danger to save my baby? You could have told me and I still would have come here—I just would have been more prepared to do so!”

  Skahr nodded thoughtfully. Her words stung but they were absolutely true. He had treated her as less-than because she was not as big and strong as himself—he had underestimated her and it had nearly resulted in disaster.

  “Forgive me,” he said, nodding. “I should have told you about the meat eating trees—about the Vengeful Ones. And I should have explained better when I told you to beware of wights and wisps.”

  “Well…” Emmeline cleared her throat and straightened up. “To be fair, I should have asked what they were instead of just nodding when you warned me. I was just so eager to get in here and get the Mother’s Milk and get out again. I was determined not to let anything stop me.”

  “And nothing will,” Skahr said firmly. “We will get the Mother’s Milk for you, just as I swore we would.”

  “I know we will. Skahr, I…” She bit her lip and looked up at him. The tears she had shed glittered on her long lashes like exotic jewels and he thought she had never looked so beautiful.

  “Yes?” he prompted gently.

  “I…I didn’t mean to shout at you,” she murmured, dropping her eyes. “I was so frightened and angry just now that I forgot to thank you for coming to save me.”

  His heart swelled again and he tilted her chin so that she had to meet his eyes.

  “Emmeline, look at me,” he murmured and waited until her gaze locked with his. “I will always come for you,” he told her. “No matter what lies between us, I will always come.”

  Her eyes widened for a moment and her cheeks bloomed with a hot blush.

  “Thank you,” she whispered at last, as though uncertain what else to say.

  “Always,” he murmured again. Bending down, he kissed both of her cheeks, tasting the salt of her tears, and then placed a gentle kiss on her soft lips. Gods, how he wanted her! The fear of almost losing her had turned into something else—a strong desire to claim her as his own and never let her go.

  She has a clouded past, he reminded himself, even as Emmeline clung to him and kissed him back eagerly. You must be careful of her—you must go slowly.

  Taking his own advice, he reluctantly disengaged from the kiss and let her go.

  “Look—just over this fence is the base of the Hidden Hill. We need only climb it and we will be safe from the forest for the night.”

  “For the night?” Emmeline eyed the silver rungs that went up the side of the fence. “But I thought we were going to try and get the Mother’s Milk and get back out of the forest the same day?”

  “That was the original plan,” Skahr said grimly. “But now that the Old Man of the Forest is roused—and angry—he will be waking the rest of the Vengeful Ones, who usually sleep in the daylight hours. We must give them all time to sleep again before we can go safely down the path again. And that means we must spend the night on the hill and leave again at first light tomorrow.”

  “Well…” Emmeline bit her lip and he saw the emotions warring in her lovely eyes. The desire to get back to her child was strong but it was tempered by fear and common sense. Ultimately, she must see that he was right.

  At last she nodded her head.

  “All right. We get the Mother’s Milk, leave tomorrow morning early, go back to your Clan where I can heal the Peace Crystal and then we’ll return to my world so I can heal Jamie. Is that right?”

  “That is what we planned.” Skahr nodded.

  She took a deep breath. “Then let’s go.”

  Skahr was glad she was willing to see the necessity of staying the night.

  “Come—you climb the ladder first so I can watch your back. The forest is angry right now, we need to make some space between ourselves and it.”

  “All right.” And with a look of determination on her lovely face, Emmeline began to climb.

  The Hidden Hill was much steeper than Emmeline had expected. Luckily, there was a hidden path cut into the side of the hill which ran in a wide spiral around and around it. Once Skahr had located it, they climbed easily enough, ascending in circles for what felt like hours but was probably no more than forty-five minutes, until they reached the top.

  The summit was a wide plain covered in lush purple grass and many different colored flowers. Looking around, Emmeline wondered which one of them was the M