The Wolf King's Bride, page 11
“For how long?” she asked.
“For as long as I deem it necessary.”
“I am not allowed out? For an indeterminate amount of time?” her voice shook with anger over his decree.
“You are healing from being poisoned, Nora. You need to rest.”
“No, I need to feel like I am not a prisoner in my own chambers. And I desperately need access to nature. Please, Kellan.”
Nora hated herself for pleading, but she needed to get to the greenhouse. Kellan had no idea how much she needed it.
His eyes widened, disbelieving Nora would fight him on her own safety. “I know elementals have a kinship to nature, that it has soothing properties for you. But you will not leave this room.”
“Kel—”
“Nora,” he bit out between gritted teeth, his voice full of warning. “You will obey me in this. I’ll not be swayed.”
Nora seethed. How dare he! She looked away, knowing it would bother him she was hiding her eyes.
She could tell him the truth now, but she was furious with his command that she obey him. And she didn’t always make the best decisions when she was angry.
She felt his weight on the bed next to her as he sat and reached for her hand. Nora jerked it out of his grasp.
Kellan sighed.
“I can smell your anger, Nora. It is not my intention to earn your animosity. I am simply trying to protect you. Can you understand?”
“Oh, I think I understand perfectly, Kellan.” She understood how he saw her. Weak. Someone to be kept in submission, not respected. Someone expected to obey him. It made her feel more powerless than ever.
Gone was her kind and caring husband from days ago. He’d been replaced with an unreasonable ass.
“Will you at least look at me?” he whispered.
When she met his gaze, Kellan saw the fire in her eyes that he knew would be there. His mate was passionate and, though it hurt him to bear her anger, he would. He would do anything to protect her, even if it cost him greatly.
Kellan moved forward to kiss her, wanting to bridge the distance between them, but, again, Nora turned away. It made his chest ache to have his affection rebuffed.
He reached to turn her face to him, pausing midway before lowering his hand back down to the bed. Kellan decided it would probably be best not to push her today. He stood and walked to the door.
“I will return as soon as I can. Agatha will come in first, then Mara. No one else, in or out. Understood?”
Nora said nothing. Kellan knew she wasn’t going to answer so he opened the door and called for Agatha. He took one last look at Nora and left, feeling the rift between them widen with every step. It nearly brought him to his knees.
Nora didn’t acknowledge Agatha at all when she entered and began inspecting Nora’s body. She knew she was being rude, but she was still fuming.
Agatha acted like she didn’t notice. She would have been able to hear the conversation through the door. Nora hoped Agatha understood that no female would take kindly to Kellan’s words.
When Agatha was finished, she patted Nora’s hand. “Your body has been through a great trauma internally. Be kind to it. Don’t eat or drink too much. Easing back into whatever was normal before would be best.”
“How long does it usually take?” Nora inquired.
“If you were wolf, I would say a day at most. But I do not think elementals heal at the same rate, so I can’t answer for sure.”
“I suppose it’s irrelevant,” Nora said. “The King has forbidden me from leaving this chamber for an indeterminate amount of time.”
Nora knew dying while in this isolation was a very real possibility for her. She would have to confess to Kellan before allowing things to get that far.
Agatha rose and gathered up her supplies. “Listen, Nora. Kellan is a good man. And usually quite fair.”
Nora started to speak, and Agatha held up both hands, as if in surrender.
“I said usually. I know that you are upset with him. That alone will punish him more than you realize. So, do not hide your displeasure if retribution is what you seek.”
Nora stared at Agatha, wondering why she was telling her this. She didn’t want retribution. She wanted to be free to walk downstairs to the greenhouse. That’s it.
Looking at and listening to her guest, she thought about Evelyn. Revenge was something Evelyn would encourage, and it lifted Nora’s mood ever so slightly.
Agatha was only trying to help Nora by giving her womanly advice—deviant, womanly advice that would further drive a wedge between Nora and Kellan, but advice nonetheless. She shouldn’t hold Kellan’s words against Agatha.
“Thank you, Agatha. I’ll remember that.”
Agatha nodded and left the room.
Mara entered and closed the door behind her. She had a tonic in one hand and Nora grimaced. They tasted terrible and she wasn’t sure she could keep it down.
Nora knew they were necessary, but she despised drinking them. They contained a variety of nutrients, good for an elemental’s body. Even her sisters drank them for health reasons.
Mara sat on the bed and handed Nora the tonic, which Nora dutifully began swallowing. Mara, who was one of the few people privy to Nora’s situation, began inspecting her skin.
“Oh, Nora. Look,” Mara said, holding up the small mirror she had picked up from the dressing table.
Nora inspected her face. It was pale and thin, but that was to be expected. Next, she looked at her chest, knowing what she would see. Dark streaks marked the path of her veins. They were perilously close to her heart. It was worse than she thought.
Mara put her mouth close to Nora’s ear and whispered, “They think the markings are remnants from the poison. We must get you outside. I don’t know if their forest—it’s sickly, Nora. I doubt it will be able nourish your body. It may very well poison you further. In fact, I’m almost certain it will. I’m so sorry. Your father should never have let you come here. Look at you, not even married a week and already on death’s doorstep. I warned him—”
Nora held up a hand and shook her head to stop Mara’s deathbed rant. She was probably right about the forest, but it didn’t matter. They’d never make it outside before Kellan found them.
“No, there is a place. It’s below this chamber, a greenhouse with soil and flowers from Gwydion.”
Mara’s mouth opened, stunned. “What?! Why would he …?”
“Another gift, but don’t think about that. Figure out how to get me down there.”
Mara stared at Nora, not blinking. It would have been comical had the situation not been so dire.
“Mara? Snap out if it and get me out of here.”
“Yes, of course,” Mara stammered before springing into action.
“I can help you walk. Come,” Mara stood and held out her hand.
“No, Mara. Kellan forbade me from leaving this chamber. You think the guards are just going to let me go about my merry way?”
“He did what?!” Mara exclaimed.
“Shhh!”
“Too late,” Mara said, looking at the door. There was no way the guards hadn’t heard them. “Let’s go, Your Majesty.”
Nora rolled her eyes at the title. “I hope you have a plan,” she hissed as she let Mara help her up.
“You’re the Queen, Nora. How could they stop you?”
Mara was right. Nora was the Queen of Burghard. What could the guards outside possibly do to her? They would alert Kellan, but by the time they notified him, she would be in the greenhouse.
Nora stood slowly, her legs unsteady beneath her. Once she felt stable enough, she reached for her cloak draped on the back of the chair beside the bed. Mara had to help her get it around her shoulders.
Mara put Nora’s arm around her neck, supporting most of her weight, as she led Nora to the door. When Mara opened it, the guards turned and stood at full attention.
“My lady, how may we be of service?” one of them asked.
“No, no, none of that title business. Call me Nora,” she smiled, trying her best to look like she felt far better than she actually did.
“Of course. Should we send for food?”
“No, Mara and I are going downstairs. But thank you.” They made it two steps before the guard moved to block their path.
“I’m sorry, but our orders are to guard the door. The King said you were to stay inside.”
“I appreciate it, truly. But I am much better. Mara will see me downstairs.” The women moved to the side and the guard stepped with them.
“I’m sorry, my la—I mean, Nora. I cannot let you pass.”
Nora moved closer to the guard. “Am I your Queen?”
The guard averted his eyes. “Yes, ma’am. You are my Queen.”
“Then let me pass.”
He hesitated.
“It wasn’t a request. Your Queen commands you step aside. I’m sure you’ll feel compelled to fetch the King after this, but for now, you will let me pass.”
The guard lowered his head and stepped out of their way. Mara and Nora moved past him as quickly as they could. They knew wolves were fast and they didn’t have long before Kellan would come looking for Nora.
They got to the door and Nora had to give Mara the key because her hands were shaking so hard. Mara made quick work of disengaging the lock and ushered Nora into the greenhouse.
“Leave, Mara. Lock the door and go to your room. Don’t come out.”
“But—”
“Hurry!”
For once, Mara stopped arguing and did as she was told. Once Nora heard the lock click, she moved further into the greenhouse. She settled herself on top of the soil, on her back, and closed her eyes. Her body took over from there.
Nora’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Kellan’s howl from somewhere in the castle. She was out of time.
Chapter 10
Kellan ran through the castle, tracking the scent of his mate. He was furious the guards had let her pass. Reluctantly, he acknowledged he would have been more furious had they attempted to physically restrain her. It was the only reason they were still breathing.
He was in wolf form, having shifted involuntarily right after the guard informed him that Nora had left their quarters, after having demanded the guards step aside.
Kellan hadn’t involuntarily shifted since childhood.
When questioned on her current whereabouts, the guard answered he didn’t know where she had gone. Could one of the fools not have followed her?
Kellan sprinted to the hall outside their bedchamber. He easily picked up Nora and Mara’s trails. He followed down the hall, down the stairs, and around until he was standing outside the door to Nora’s greenhouse. Mara’s scent continued in a different direction, but Nora’s stopped here. She was inside.
His wolf nudged the door with its head. It didn’t budge. He looked up and saw the lock in place. Why had Nora allowed Mara to lock her inside? With his nose in the air, he caught a trace of magic. Mara must have done something.
Kellan started to panic. If Mara had done anything to harm Nora, he would kill her. He had not considered the elemental could have been involved in the poisoning. But that was because she had been Nora’s governess since birth. He’d have to deal with her later. Right now, he needed to get to his mate.
Kellan shifted back into human form. “Nora!” he yelled. “Nora! Open the door!”
He cocked his head towards the door to listen for movement inside. Nothing.
He imagined the worst. Her cold, listless body lying in the dirt. How could he have entrusted her safety to anyone other than himself? If she was alive, he would not make the same mistake twice.
Kellan backed away in order to give himself a running start. He took off towards the door and ran into it shoulder-first. It flew off the hinges from his strength and Nora screamed in surprise.
“What in the Goddess’s name are you doing?!” she shouted.
Kellan stepped inside, muscles coiled, eyes wild, searching for his mate and any threat he needed to destroy.
Movement in front of him put him on alert. Nora was walking towards him, up one of the rows.
“Look what you did!” she reprimanded, pointing to the ruined door. “And where is your clothing, Kellan? You look like a madman.”
Kellan grabbed Nora and hugged her tight. She was alive. He buried his head in her neck and drew her essence into his lungs.
Nora began fighting, squirming to extricate herself from his arms. She did not want his hands on her body. She didn’t even want to be in the same room as him. Kellan didn’t seem to care that she was trying to break free of his hold.
“You are alright?” he demanded more than asked.
“I’m fine,” she gritted out, pushing against his chest. “Now let me go.”
Kellan released her from his embrace, but did not let go of her arms. He inspected her face, the skin on her chest, and then held up each hand, looking for signs of anything that could be wrong. There was nothing.
In fact, there was a healthy glow about her skin. Her face looked like it had days ago, no gauntness or dark circles. The poisonous streaks that had appeared near her heart were completely gone. Kellan was confused.
“You are completely healed?” he asked, disbelieving the sudden change in in her body.
“Yes. I told you I needed to be in nature.” Nora jerked away from his grip. He didn’t fight her. He stood there, dumbfounded.
“I smell magic. What happened in here, Nora?”
“I’m not sure you deserve an answer to that right now.”
Kellan growled low and Nora took a step back. He chastised himself for scaring her, but he wasn’t used to being so blatantly disobeyed. He wasn’t sure it had ever happened in all his years of life.
Kellan looked around the greenhouse. He noticed a small patch in the corner where the plants and flowers were wilted. It looked like the life had been drained from them.
“What happened, Nora? I won’t ask again.”
Nora’s lips pressed together, and a fresh round of fury shot out of every pore. If Kellan had thought her upset before, that was nothing. His mate was now enraged.
“Do not speak to me like that, Kellan. I know you are King and used to having your way. But you completely disregarded my request this morning. You ordered me to stay in a room for an undisclosed amount of time. Ordered me to obey you, as if I was a child. Even after I told you I needed to be in nature.”
“You never said why!” he barked.
“You didn’t give me room to speak! And you put three guards outside my door to keep me inside our room. I know I have a lot to learn about you, but never did I think you would treat me thus.”
Her scent changed from anger to disappointment. Kellan had disappointed his mate when he only wanted to protect her. It sat heavy in his stomach.
“I did what I thought was best for you. Do not punish me for it, Nora.”
“Then do not treat me like a prisoner. And stop being so damned high-handed.”
Kellan ignored the remarks. “Did Mara use magic to heal you? Can she manipulate nature’s healing properties? Is that her gift?”
“Mara helped me. I’m sure Agatha saved my life, but it wasn’t enough for me to heal completely.”
It was the truth. Not the whole truth, but in her irritation, Nora decided to keep her secret a little longer.
Kellan was at a loss. If Nora had told him from the beginning that Mara could heal her, he would have let Mara into the bed chamber immediately. But she didn’t. Neither had the governess.
Mara had said nothing, given no indication she could heal Nora. Kellan would need to address this with Mara. He did not like things being kept from him.
“If you’ll excuse me, I would like to take a bath and put on clean clothing.” Nora stepped around him. Kellan followed her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.
“Coming with you.”
“No. I shall bathe alone.”
Kellan started to protest. Nora threw her hand up between them, effectively halting his speech.
“I would appreciate it if you would repair the door you demolished. You told me this was my sanctuary. Just for me. Now anyone can enter with the door missing.”
When a trace of sadness wafted into his nose, he lost some of the fight inside him. He had intruded—had obliterated—the opening of her greenhouse. But he did it out of concern, not to trespass. Kellan thought Nora was being unreasonable.
He knew he had angered her, had disappointed her. And now, he had caused some feelings of sadness to rise within her. His wolf whined, feeling as wretched as Kellan did.
Kellan tried to soothe the beast, knowing the wolf’s need to protect its mate would override all else. Nora would have to accept it.
“I will escort you to our chambers. I won’t enter. You can have time alone. But the guards will stay in place. Someone tried to kill you, Nora. I cannot let you walk around the castle unprotected. Right now, my wolf is trying to push through again. I can only fight him for so long. He needs to protect you with his life. Please try to understand.”
Nora did try. The wolf was an animal and would act on instinct. It would not understand her quarrel with Kellan.
However, she doubted the wolf controlled the King’s mouth. If he told her to obey again she would slap him silly.
Reluctantly, she admitted to herself Kellan was right about someone wishing her harm. She would feel safer with him as an escort. She preferred a guard but there was no point in calling for one.
“Fine. Then the wolf can escort me.”
“Meaning?”
“Shift back. I think I’d prefer his company right now anyway.” With that Nora walked through the doorway and headed towards the stairs.
Kellan’s wolf was ecstatic his mate wanted him, but Kellan thought Nora may as well have stabbed him in the chest with a dagger. He shifted and followed Nora to the stairs.
Nora felt a cold nose nudge her hand and she looked down at the huge wolf. He was impressive. White and silver fur covered his huge body. His head came above Nora’s waist.
