It took a long time before she gathered her strength, and all the while she lay on the ground, her dog standing by her side. Ever faithful guardian, ever true.
“Lapides,” stones. she said to the dog and he watched her for a moment before he left to get her pouch full of healing stones and when he came back to her, she had managed to draw herself up to a sitting form. He dropped it in front of her and laid across her, his eyes never leaving her.
“My faithful friend.” She sighed and weakly scratched at his head. He closed his eyes, relishing his mistress's touch.
Opening up the pouch, she picked out rose quartz, an amethyst, and A Jasper and set them in front of her.
She knew it was probably not so wise to practice her gift with a wounded werewolf in a not-so-distant room. But then again, he was wounded, and what she had to do, had to be done. So much was at stake.
Her very life was at stake.
She sucked in a deep breath and drew in a heavy breath, and started saying some incantations. Loosing more of her strength, before she started regaining it. And when she was done, she gave a final sigh, before finally curling up on the ground,
“Dante, keep guard. But she the wolfman find his strength and wander this way, then at least hide the stones.” She said drowsily and fell into a deep sleep. And her Dog laid down by her side.
~•~
She was asleep on the ground for a very long time, and as she had prayed in her chants, her dreams were free of visions. She appreciated her gift, but there were times when it was a blessing to see nothing but black. Or perhaps plain white, as those elderly sages had claimed to see when they wished for nothing.
She didn’t exactly wish for anything, just that sometimes she wouldn’t see anything.
But were those two things in any way very different?
She didn’t know, she couldn’t know, so she pushed the thought aside and stroking her dog, struggled up to her feet.
And remember she had a guest who she was catering to, walked to his room.
“On another thought.” She said, remembering she had passed the hour, sleeping on the ground, And went to her room instead. She sat in front of her vanity mirror and groaned inwardly at the sight of herself, she looked worse for wear.
“Is it for this reason the fates called me out of my home?” She questioned, reaching for her comb to straighten her hair. Because for some reason, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that, between that morning and that moment something had changed about her life, and she could not reverse it even if she tried.
She gave in to vanity and did a glamour so she didn’t look so tired. The last thing she needed was to have the man ask her what the matter was.
She looked down at her dog who eyes her with curiosity and she smiled weakly,
“I’m doing too much, aren’t I, Dante?” She asked and shook her head, before getting up.
He didn’t have to answer, she knew that was the first time she was giving more thought to her appearance. And she knew for what reason that she did such.
~•~•~
She knocked gently on Alexander’s door, and after some time, when no response came, she gently opened the door and peeked into the room, opening the door some more when she found him awake.
“Hello,” she said unsurely when he rose his eyes toward her. He had a very intense gaze that made her feel warm inside, but didn’t deflect her from walking closer to his side,
“Layla, how are you?”
She smiled.
Odd, she thought, when the smile came. She had not believed herself capable of smiling easily with him.
“I should be asking you that, you know?”
He smiled and shrugged,
“Doesn’t hurt to ask you as well. But I’m grand, much better, thanks to you.”
She nodded and walked over to the window, looked out of it, then turned to face him.
He did look much better. He’d gotten his color back, and his eyes were much more alert and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was aware of the way he looked at her. His eyes were bright ad seeking and it struck her at that moment, how very little she knew about him.
“Since you’re indeed better. Then perhaps it’s looking like a better time.”
His brows drew together, just the slightest coming together,
“A better time for what?”
“A better time to know more about you, sir Alexander of the land unknown.”
~•~•~
He smiled at her term of address, as she had hoped that he would, and waited for his reply. She was well aware of his other nature, of the fact that he was a Lycan, even though he wasn’t aware of her knowledge of him. but that was as much as knew about the man.
“What would you like to know?”
“Maybe we can begin with where you come from. You certainly aren’t from around here. I would know.”
He rose a brow at her words, but her expression remain placid. That was as much as she was permitting herself to say,
“You are right, I am not from around here. I am from Derbyshire.”
“Bamburgh is a long way from Derbyshire, Alexander.”
There was a brief silence that issued before he finally nodded his head.
“Yes, I suppose it is. Maybe those men who had put me in my position had been responsible for drugging and bringing me here.”
Or maybe you had run all the way in your wolf form, she thought. But said nothing.
“Cruel. Humans can be cruel…”
He smiled at her, just the slightest upturning of his lips, and the sight of it did vicious things to her insides.
“You say humans as though you belong to a different kind.”
She couldn’t help but smile,
“Pardon my choice of words. People, people can be cruel.”
“It’s okay you know. Whether you use people or humans. And as it is, I share your sentiments.” He didn’t say anything after that, but stared off into the unknown, leaning on Layla to watch him.
To her, he looked lost and completely troubled and she yearned to comfort him. But stayed glued to her spot by the window,
“Family?” She asked, drawing him away from his thoughts, so that he turned to her, “ Do you have any Family back at Derbyshire?”
He looked at her for a moment, and then nodded, “I do. But they won’t be worried. You see, I was on a journey before I was attacked.”
She didn’t know if that part was true, so she let it be, and finally asked the question that she was surprised to find ate at her,
“And when you heal, when you’re completely better, will you be on your way? Will you complete the journey you started when you left Derbyshire? Before you got… attacked?”
A corny smile filled his face,
“Ready to see the back of me, then?”
She smiled, relieved that he could not see how the thought of him leaving bothered her. For even she couldn’t understand it,
“I wouldn’t say that is the reason for my question. I am not ready to see the back of you. I’m simply trying to know more.”
He nodded and grew sober,
“I’m afraid completing my journey will be completely dangerous right now. So I must take a different route right now..”
“So where will you go?”
He shrugged once again, “I wouldn’t know. You say we are in Derbyshire, aye?”
“Yes. We are.”
“Then I suppose Derbyshire would have to do for now. Except, I can't stay here.”
As it should be, so why did having him say it, make her sad?
“But you have no place to stay.”
What did she think she was doing? Ah questioned herself.
“Then I will find. I have the means.” She nodded and looked out a window, where a cabin stood. Untouched, but tended.
Land, so much land. That she did her best to tend, but even she had to admit was too much for her to do alone.
“You know, if you would tend my lands, I could give you a house to make a home out of,” she said, then turned to face him, to find him watching her,
“So you do want me to stay,” he said smugly, but she only cast her eyes up to the heavens,
“Consider it hospitality and maybe slavery.”
He snorted,
“I’ll take it. But tending your lands isn’t enough. So I’ll pay you as well.”
She shrugged, it wouldn’t hurt to have another source of income.
“Fine and good.” She said and headed for the door with a mind to get him some food,
“Until you are my tenant, you are still my patient. Let me get you some food,”
“Layla,” he said stopping her in her tracks. She stopped to face him, “I think it’s safe to say that I am in your debt. You have all my gratitude.”
She nodded and raced out of the room.
She could take his gratitude. She could even take his money. But she had no idea how to deal with the wild raging things he did to her heart and mind.