Ellida (47 page)

“
I’m still married, Tibor, don’t forget
that
.”

“
Only your wife has a husband, who is not
you
.”

Rowena turned to the dark wolf. “Let me tell
you something, Khalid Nouri,” she said in a stern voice. “You
didn’t go through this ordeal so that you can give up now and
become a loner. Twenty five years is a long time to be a man in a
wolf’s shape. It’s over. We can’t change our past, but we need to
learn how to live with it. After all, lots of good has come out of
it.”

“Listen to Rowena, Khalid,” Arina said. “She
paid the highest price, yet never gave up. She lived through
beating, humiliation and abandonment. She let people believe that
she’d left her child and had her husband killed. She risked her
life day after day working against Seth.”

“And then, when I thought it was finally
over, I woke up to find myself bonded to a man I’ve never seen
before—”

“
What?!”
the two werewolves said in
unison.

“To whom?!” Arina asked, shocked.

“To Ahmed Demmir,” Rowena said calmly.
“Bonded for life. Nobody asked me if I wanted it or not. So God
help me, Khalid Nouri, but I won’t let you chicken out now, no
matter—

“
So are you going to marry him?”
Tibor
said, crooking his head.

Rowena shrugged. “Ah, always a bride, never a
bridesmaid… We can have a double wedding ceremony, if you like, you
and Arina, and Ahmed and I, but there are some legal obstacles to
the marriage, as you know, for all of us.” She sighed. “It might be
necessary to tell Ahmed about you two.”

Turning back to the wolf beside her, Rowena
cupped his head and looked straight into his eyes. “One battle is
over, but now it’s time to face our inner challenges, Khalid.
Reconciling with those we love, finding new love, peace, and
happiness, healing our wounds. You’ll find your other half, and
you’ll be whole again. Mark my words. Promise me you won’t do
anything stupid, like going to Wales, or wherever. The sorrow you
carry inside you will soon disappear.”

“
Yeah, a magic kiss and it’ll be
gone.”

“It will take more than a kiss,” Rowena said.
“Including some effort from your side. But yes, that’s the idea.
Promise me.”

“
I promise
,” he said, looking at
Rowena’s eyes. “
I owe you that much.”

Rowena held his gaze for a long moment.
“Astrid and Jack are going to have a baby girl.”

“
A girl!”
both blaidds exclaimed.

Rowena nodded, smiling. “She told me
herself.”

Khalid’s lips stretched into a wide grin, and
his green-blue eyes sparkling with golden light, as illuminated
from within. “
My God, a baby girl
.”

His friend echoed in a dreamy voice.
“
Astrid is gonna have a daughter!”

Rowena let out a deep, satisfied sigh. “Now
you have something else to look forward to.”

Arina stood up. “You need to go now. I’ll
come to Winston to see you as soon as I can.”

“
Off we go, then,”
Khalid said, still
smiling “
Thank you, Rowena, for everything
,” he added softly
and brushed his head against her leg.

“Thank me by keeping your promise.”

“
As if you’d let me forget it. I’ll keep
my promise
.”

Tibor walked to Rowena and lifted his eyes to
her.
“Rowena, tell Astrid about her father. Tell her… tell her
he liked to sing to her when she was a baby. She got her beautiful
voice from him, you know. Tell her that, Rowena. God, she still
smells the same as when she was a child, sweet and innocent… Oh,
how I wish I could stay here!”

Rowena smiled and stroked his head “She
certainly didn’t inherit her voice from me. I’ll tell her about her
father, but when you come back, you’ll tell her, too. After all,
who knows him better than you? And I know you’ll be back soon. You
have to wait a little bit more, but then you’ll have all the time
in the world to make up for those lost years.”

She bended and gently kissed his head. “Take
care, partner,”

Arina knelt in front of Tibbor and buried her
head in his fur. “I’ll see you soon. I love you, you know that,
don’t you?”

“
I love you too. Don’t be long, Arina.
Bring Amilla with you, will you? Come on, Khalid, it’s time to
go
.”

Arina opened the door and left the room,
followed by the two wolves.

SHE SOON returned with Ahmed. The women
exchanged a look. Arina made a discreet nod and Rowena let out a
silent sigh. Tibor and Khalid were on their way to Winston.

“Tell me about Astrid. How long have you
known each other?” she said when Arina left.

Ahmed told her about Rosenthal, their special
connection, and how he’d decided to move to Red Cliffs to stay
close to Astrid. Soon enough he was telling Rowena his whole
life.

She listened without interrupting, sitting
almost motionless. From time to time she would let out a tiny sob
and brush a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Are you tired?” Ahmed said later. “I
shouldn’t have done that, you’re still very weak.”

“I’m stronger than I look. I’ll be fine. One
day I’ll tell you about my life. But not now. Don’t let me keep
you, Ahmed. They probably need you there.”

“There are enough doctors there, otherwise
they’d call me. For the time being, you and Heather are my
patients.”

“I’m glad she survived. She saved Astrid.
Ahmed, how many people did we lose today?”

Ahmed’s hands framed her face and his eyes
found hers. “Not one of our people died! Seth’s dead, and some of
his guards and mercenaries, that’s it.”

She sighed with relief. “That’s good.”

She yearned to see her daughter, her son, her
parents, Jack... She’d always liked Jack. And James. She wanted
very much to see her ex-brother-in-law, that stubborn and
passionate, honest, brave and generous man.

She still could not tell them the whole
truth, but hoped they’d be able to trust her in their hearts. Could
she and Betty, whom she’d loved like a sister, continue their
friendship, so broken so suddenly by the tragic events many years
ago?

Ahmed’s phone rang. He glanced at the
display. “It’s Jack,” he said. “What should I tell him?”

She took a deep breath. “Tell them to come.
And then I want to see my parents and my daughter.”

“Astrid won’t let them come without her,”
Ahmed said.

A few moments later they heard the distant
sound of their steps in the hallway.

“Will you stay with me, Ahmed?” she asked
quietly.

“No need to ask,
aşkim
.”

My love
.

WE WERE in Darius’ house, the unofficial
headquarters and meeting place for my family, when I phoned Ahmed
to ask if Rowena could see us. He confirmed she was awake, well and
waiting for us. She also asked for my grandparents to come with
us.

“Don’t upset her, Uncle,” Astrid said when
she showed up with Betty and my grandmother. There was an
unmistakable warning in her voice.

“I won’t, Astrid. I promise.”

She turned to me. ”Jack, couldn’t you wait a
bit until my mother’s recovered?”

“Your mother’s ready to see us, Astrid,” I
said. “This conversation is long overdue.”

When we entered Rowena’s room, Astrid rushed
to her mother, hugging her fiercely, but it was my mother who spoke
first. She walked to the mother and daughter, still in a firm
embrace, and gently tapped Astrid’s shoulder.

“Astrid, dear, I need a word with your
mother.”

Astrid took a step back, eyes moving quickly
between her mother and her aunt.

“It’s been a long time, Rowena. I’m glad to
see you again,” Betty said and hugged her. “Let’s go sit over
there. James and Jack have something to say to you. It’s time to
heal our old wounds.”

My mother took Rowena’s hand and walked her
to the sofa, and, without releasing her hand, sat beside her.

With her warm, reassuring words, Betty sent a
clear message to James and me—it was time to mend fences, not to
raise another wall.

Both Astrid and Ahmed rewarded her with a
grateful look.

Mom’s warning wasn’t necessary. This time we
were all on the same page.

“Rowena…” James started in a thick voice, but
she stopped him placing her free hand over his.

“Let me talk first, James. I’m so sorry for
all your pain.”

James interrupted her. “No, let me. When Hal
and Brian died, I was mad with pain, Rowena. I knew even then you
didn’t have their blood on your hands, but I held you morally
responsible. I was wrong. My son and my wife have been much wiser
than I was. They’ve never blamed you. I did, and I’m sorry. That
was what I wanted to tell you.”

“Oh, James, I know how much you loved
them.”

A deep sigh came out of my father’s chest.
“And I always will. Nothing can change that,” he said and then
simply opened his arms.

Rowena flew into James embrace, now sobbing
heavily.

Ahmed, who’d been on alert since we had
entered the room, relaxed. Astrid and my mother cried.

If I had a shadow of doubt my grandparents
knew more about it than they showed, it quickly disappeared when I
saw them protectively and affectionately embracing Rowena. None of
them look surprised to see each other.

It was my turn to make amends, but that was
the easy part. As James had said, I’d always seen Rowena as Seth’s
victim, not a villain. She had become a pillar of her community,
its strength, its hope and anchor. It’d be hard not to notice how
much the ordinary people of Copper Ridge adored her. I’d lost count
of how many times since this morning I’d heard the same question
over and over again: was Rowena going to be okay? It seemed that
the entire town was far more concerned about Rowena’s recovery than
about the mess Seth Withali had left behind.

I pulled her into my arms. “Good to see you
again, Rowena.”

She swallowed hard and two big tears leaked
from her eyes. She brushed them away with the back of her hand.
“Your father would be so proud of you, Jack. I’m sorry he hasn’t
been part of your life all these years.”

“I know. But now we’ll leave the past and
hard feelings behind.” I look at James. “Maybe we should leave
Rowena to rest now. She’s still recovering and we’ve got her all
worked up.”

“No, no. It’s good that you came,” Rowena
said. “I’d been waiting for this moment for too long.”

I glanced toward Astrid. She looked tired. I
walked to her and stroked her shoulders. They were stone-hard and
tense.

“Maybe you should stay here with your mother,
baby,” I said.

“Jack, Ellida Ariel’s here,” she said. “I
can’t leave her to her own devices.”

“I’ve just met her. She asked if she could
help, so I sent her to the hospital to help there.”

For unknown reasons, Astrid rolled her eyes
toward the ceiling.

“If you don’t need me outside, I’ll stay,
then. Maybe Ariel could come here if she needs me,” she said.

James took Astrid’s hand, pulling her from
me. “Stay here and rest, sweetie. If anything arises that requires
your presence, we’ll send for you,” he said, walking her toward the
sofa. “Be a good girl and sit here. It’s been a long day for you.
You’re pregnant, you must take it easy. Lift your feet.” He tucked
the blanket around her. “There, that’s my girl. Rowena, come here
and sit beside your daughter. Betty, let’s go.”

“Arnaldur and Ella flew to Red Cliffs for
some equipment. I’ll ask them to come here as soon as they’re back,
Rowena,” Betty said. “I promised I’d let them know when you were
awake. James, would you make sure—”

She got interrupted by fast, angry steps
rushing to the room, and the next moment the door burst open,
letting a very agitated Darius in.

“What are you all doing here? Mother, are you
all right?” he said, looking sharply at James.

“Darius! Son!” Rowena jumped on her feet and
hugged him tightly. “Are you okay? Ahmed told me about you. I
always knew nothing was wrong with you.”

He smiled and stroked her face. “I know,
mother.”

I watched Astrid’s reaction to the deep
affection between Rowena and her stepson, but Astrid being
Astrid—unselfish, generous and wise—she just smiled happily.

Then more trouble walked in.

“I told you, they didn’t come to draw blood,”
my sister said, closing the door Darius had left wide open. “What
do you think about us? The Mohegans are not a bunch of savages.”
She turned to Rowena, eyeing her with open curiosity. “Hello,
Aunt.”

“Hello, Maggie.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Much better, thank you.”

“I’m glad. Darius was worried.” Maggie smiled
and turned back to Darius. In a spontaneous gesture, she linked her
arm through his and leaned her head against his shoulder. “See,
Darius? Relax, everything’s fine.”

Well, not everything.

“Margaret Alice Mohegan, what the hell is
going on here?!” James’ voice thundered, as he fixed his eyes on
Maggie and Darius.

I laughed. “Told ya, Maggie.”

“Take it easy, James,” my mother said aloud,
sending a clear warning. She usually preferred a subtler approach
in dealing with James’ occasional outbursts of temper, but this
time she quickly realized it wasn’t the best time for diplomacy.
James’ tantrum efficiently stopped, Betty turned to her daughter.
“What’s going on between you and Darius, Maggie?” she said in a
calm voice.

“They’re bonded!” Astrid chimed in from her
place on the sofa, obviously feeling obligated to champion Maggie
and Darius’ case. “Not much you can do about it!”

Darius moved his eyes between Rowena and my
parents. “We haven’t gotten around to telling you that part yet.
Astrid’s right. Maggie and I are bond-mates. We discovered it
today.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, well, I guess, now’s
as good a time as any… Mrs. Mohegan, Mr. Mohegan, I’m asking you
for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”