Elemental (14 page)

“Don’t
worry, she’ll be treasured like the precious jewel that she is. I’ll keep her
safe and happy,” Jonathan vowed.

The
group relaxed and spoke of everything from past to present, acknowledging the
past, making peace between their kinds and discussing the future.

It
turned out that the King was a very animated fellow, with a very charming and
charismatic personality that one couldn’t help but enjoy. He was adamant about
the happy couple not waiting too long before having children. Apparently his
Highness was itching for some grandchildren.

The
day was nearly over, with the clock chiming, alerting everyone that it was
eleven o’clock. Mandy tried to hide a yawn behind her hand, but evidently she
failed because the King rose and enveloped Anna in his arms.

“I
expect to see you from time to time, you know,” he teased. “Jonathan, you are a
fine man, and I have no doubt you will make an excellent husband for my
daughter.”

“Thank
you, sir. I will do my very best,” Jonathan replied, tucking Anna under his
arm.

“You
are welcome to visit whenever you like,” Nicolas offered. “This will be your
daughter’s home now as well.”

The
King accepted the brothers’ handshakes and hugged Anna one last time before shimmering
out of sight.

The
minute he was gone, Anna whooped and jumped into Jonathan’s arms, “We did it!
We are going to be together forever.”

Jonathan
scooped up her legs and hugged her tight to his chest. “You couldn’t get rid of
me if you tried.” He turned to Nicolas and Mandy, “Good night guys, we’re
heading to bed.”

“I
bet you are,” Nicolas smirked, earning him a sharp elbow from Mandy. “Good
night, you two.”

Another
jaw-splitting yawn saw Nicolas scooping Mandy into his arms, much the same as
Jonathan had with Anna. “What are you doing?”

“I’m
carrying my own princess off to the tower to ravish her,” he replied.

“Oh,”
a truly brilliant reply on her part, “Well, lead on, my Dark Knight,” she
purred.

Later
that night…much later…Mandy couldn’t help but think,
This
is the best Christmas ever, as she drifted off to sleep, comfortable, warm, and
sated, next to the man she loved.

Chapter Eleven

The
next morning, Mandy, Anna, and Garrett all piled into the SUV for their
shopping trip into the village.

Mandy
and Anna spoke excitedly in the backseat about everything from dress styles and
how to fix her hair, to shoes and nail polish colors. Mandy informed Garrett
that he could be the one to pick out the flowers and he promised the
arrangements would be both elegant and fragrant.

With
Garrett also handling the food order and procuring the priest, Mandy and Anna
were free to spend the day focusing on just
themselves
.
This was a rare treat for Mandy to indulge in and she intended to savor the
experience.

“Oh,
let us look in here,” Anna exclaimed as she tugged Mandy into a tiny shop.

A
seamstress looked up from her work—an assortment of straight-pins held between
her lips—and gave a friendly wave along with a small smile. Her shop had many
dresses inside and it wasn’t long before both girls were led to the back room
to try a few on.

“I
like both of these, but I think I’d like to check out the other shops too
before I decide,” Mandy whispered to Anna.

“Of
course!
You never know what you may find. Besides, we can
always come back and get them later.” Anna turned and thanked the elderly woman
as they walked out before turning back to Mandy. “You will need two dresses
regardless, since you and Nicolas will be attending our binding ceremony also.”

“That’s
true. Let’s grab a coffee before we continue on,” she suggested as they passed
the tavern they’d stopped in on their previous village outing. “I think I may
be in need of some serious caffeine to fuel this shopping spree.”

Anna
laughed and the melodic sound drew eyes from all around them. “This is
wonderful isn’t it? I was never allowed this much freedom while at my home. My
father feared humans discovering what we are. The exposure could have meant any
number of things from kidnappings, to the destruction of our fairy mounds. Our
magic comes from the earth, so if our home is destroyed, then so is our magic,”
she explained.

“Why
would anyone want to destroy fairies?” Mandy simply couldn’t wrap her mind
around the possibility of humans wiping out the existence of such peaceful
beings.

“People
fear the unknown, Mandy. You, of all people should know that.”

She
did. Mandy remembered the first time her foster mother had come into her room,
unannounced, and caught her practicing her control by folding clothes using her
telekinesis. To say it didn’t go over well would be the understatement of the
century. The woman was convinced Mandy was some sort of demon or witch,
demanding that a priest come and “cleanse” the house of evil. Not that there
was anything to cleanse, but it did serve to make Mandy very careful of when
and how she used her ability.

“Yeah,
I understand how you would all fear that.”

“Enough
about
that,
let us get back to shopping!”

Mandy
laughed at Anna’s child-like excitement. “Fuel first. I’m only human so I
require a little something extra to keep me from lagging.” She led the way into
the establishment and quickly crossed the nearly empty room to the bar. “Can I
get a coffee to-go please? Two sugars and light cream?”

“Sure.
Anything for you?” the burly bartender asked Anna.

“No,
thank you, I am fine.”

“I’ll
have your coffee ready in a few minutes.” He turned and walked through a door
that obviously led to a kitchen, if the sound of dishes clanging was any
indication.

“Do
you want to sit down for a few minutes and enjoy your coffee?” Anna asked.

“Sure,
we can relax for a minute or two and then I’ll be good to go.” Mandy turned,
intending to find a table to sit at, when she ran right into a very warm wall.
Okay, maybe not a wall, but a freakishly large chest just the same.

She
looked up into the face of a rather intimidating man. He had dark brown hair, a
scar running down one cheek, and strange silver eyes that zeroed in on her face
before roaming over her body. Those same eyes softened with appreciation and
Mandy felt herself blush.

“Excuse
me,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to run into you.”

“Entirely
my fault, Miss.
 
Not that I minded. You can feel free to run into me any time you like,”
his deep voice rumbled in response.

Before
his words could register, Anna shoved Mandy’s coffee into her hands. “Let us
head out now. We have lots of wedding dresses to try on.”

Those
soft silver eyes turned to ice and narrowed on her friend, leaving Mandy
suddenly nervous. “I’ve got to go. Again, I’m sorry about that,” she
practically shouted as Anna finally yanked her out the door. “That was rude,
Anna. I ran smack into that guy and was apologizing for it…”

“That
was the hunter. The one from the woods, the one that was here the last time we
came.” Anna’s panicked whispers urged her to heed her warning.

Trying
to ease Anna’s panic, Mandy tried to come up with a logical reason for them
running into him again. The answer proved quite simple. “You know, this is a
small village, so you’re bound to run into the same people repeatedly. He’s
probably just a regular at the tavern.”

Anna’s
pace slowed. “You are probably right,” she conceded. “I guess this whole
werewolf thing has me a little paranoid.”

“Look,
let’s just forget it happened and get back to shopping. I see some gorgeous
dresses through that window.”

This
shop was a little larger than the last and was more like a boutique as it not
only had dresses, but shoes, stockings, hair accessories, make-up, and even a
small jewelry case. A pretty middle-aged woman was cleaning the case with a rag
when they came in.

Off
to the side, Mandy spotted a stunning silk dress close to the same emerald
color as her sweater. She rushed over, a constant chant sounding in her head.

Please
be my size. Please be my size. Please be my size…

Plucking
the silken masterpiece from the hanger, Mandy squealed with delight when it was
only one size too big. “This is it!” she proclaimed, holding the dress in front
of her and twirling.

“Oh,
Mandy, it is exquisite!” Anna agreed.

“Come,
come,” urged the pretty shopkeeper. “You try it on and I will alter it for
you.”

Mandy
was being led to the back and looked back at Anna, but she waved her on. “You
go. I want to look at these other dresses.”

“Okay,
I’ll only be a minute,” she promised.

A
few minutes later, stepping out into the main shop, Mandy couldn’t help but
beam. The dress was just like she’d envisioned. The waist was cinched, laced
down the back like a corset so that she was able to tighten the slack from the
size difference. A handy thing since it was strapless.

The
length would be just right with a pair of heels, and it even had a small train.
It was just too perfect to pass up.

“Anna,
this is the one! I can’t imagine I’ll find anything better.” The look on Anna’s
face pretty much screamed her agreement.

“Nicolas
is going to be on his knees when he sees you,” she giggled. “Mandy, you look
like royalty in that gown. You have to wear your hair down for the ceremony.
With all of your beautiful red curls against that dress you will look
bewitching.”

“Thank
you. Did you find a dress for yourself?” Mandy asked, eyeing the lavender
fabric draped over Anna’s arm.

“I
sure did. I will try it on after you are done and see if it needs any work done
to it.” Anna held the satiny gown up to her and Mandy was speechless. The
lavender color against her pale skin and raven hair really made her eyes stand
out. It was an empire waist gown, beaded below the breasts, with sheer peasant
sleeves, the delicate fabric the same color as the dress.

“That
is going to look so good on you. Let me get changed back so you can try it on.”

Once
Mandy emerged from the back of the store, the shopkeeper took the gown from her
and hung it behind the counter before showing Anna to the dressing room.

“I
have the perfect shoes to go with these dresses! Give me your sizes and I’ll
see if I can find them,” she twittered, bustling Anna along as she went.

Both
girls provided their sizes and the shopkeeper and Anna disappeared into the
back, leaving Mandy to explore the hair accessories on her own. There were
several jeweled hair pieces, some with sapphire colored stones, others with
rubies, and one small halo made of thin silver vines woven together with
emerald accents. Mandy lifted the dainty little halo to the light and smiled.
She’d managed to find her entire wedding outfit in one shop.

A
shadow fell over her shoulder, and Mandy replaced the halo on the counter,
worried that the shopkeeper might get upset with her for touching her more
valuable items she had displayed.

Just
when she was about to turn, a thick arm snaked around her middle, pinning her
arms at her sides as a cloth covered hand clamped over her nose and mouth.
Terrified, Mandy took a deep breath, ready to scream down the walls, but the
sweet smell of the cloth seemed to have a strange effect on her.

She
felt overwhelmingly tired, her limbs heavy and no longer obeying her commands.
The last thing she heard before the darkness took her was, “You’re mine now.
I’ll take good care of you. Everything will be fine.”

Chapter Twelve

Anna
and Garrett came bursting into the castle at a dead run, the commotion bringing
the brothers running from the study, and with one look at their faces, Nicolas
knew it was bad.

“What’s
wrong? Where’s Mandy?” Nicolas demanded, a sick dread knotting in the pit of
his stomach. He feared he already knew the answer.

“We
do not know,” Anna sobbed, and Jonathan quickly moved to her side for comfort.

Garrett
stepped forward to explain, “She was shopping with Anna, but disappeared while
Anna was trying on a dress.
 
Anna said
that she’d seen the hunter from the woods, the same one she had seen before the
werewolf attacked her, and I believe it was him because I scented werewolf in
the store. He must have grabbed her while she was alone,” Garrett reported. “I
tried to follow the scent, but it disappeared, so the bastard must have had a
vehicle nearby.” It was clear to see that Garrett was shouldering a massive
amount of guilt over the situation, but Nicolas simply didn’t have it in him to
offer anyone any comfort at the moment. “We came straight back here, so she’s
only been missing for about 30 minutes now, tops.”