Protecter's Love by Kayla Trautman (fb2 epub reader txt) 📖

and kissed him back. My hands flew up to twist in his hair. When he finally pulled back I was calm again. I still felt so distraught but at least I had stopped crying.

"They won't die. We'll get to them. And he will not get what he wants because he will not get you. He won't succeed in kidnapping you and you won't go to him when he finally decides it's time to give you the address. I will make sure of it. I will put you in that cage again and put a batch of guards inside the room with you and outside. Then another out of the mansion."

I laughed, "You would do all that for me? Just to keep me safe?" He smiled and took my chin between his fingers, "You know I would. Not only is it my job, but I love you. I wouldn't let any harm come to you."

I stared, blinking up at him. I loved him. I loved him too much to deny it. But I couldn't tell him until I found out the deal about my real parents. This was all so confusing.

"What are you thinking?" He asked. I took a deep breath, "I'm thinking that I can't love you. Not yet, by any rate." He frowned, "Why not? What's holding you back?"

"I can't love ... anyone besides my adopted parents, until I find out the deal about my parents. I may love you but I ... it won't work. I won't be able to love you completely, the way I'm supposed to. The way you deserve. I won't feel whole if I don't find out. But there's just no hope. There's no records of me or her loving her child back where she's from because she had me here on Earth with a human.

"And then there's nothing here that would give me any trace of what was on her mind. She didn't leave any sort of diary behind or anything. She's dead and so is everything that went with her."

Taliesin sighed with a slight smile, "I think I'm starting to understand what's going through your mind about all this. I will help you through this, Elena. I swear I will. As soon as this is all over with."


Chapter 22: Go Here When You're Ready

 

I was sitting at the table, eating dinner with Taliesin. It's been a week since the disappearing of my parents. I was really just pushing my food around in my bowl.

"Does the food taste that horrible?" Taliesin asked. He was the one who cooked this meal. I nodded, "It tastes just fine." He put his fork down, "Just fine?" I sighed, "It's great, Taliesin." I looked up at him and sighed again, "I'm sorry. I'm just not so hungry. It's been a week and I haven't even gotten one clue as to where they are."

Taliesin stood and came over to me, "Hey. It's alright. Don't be sorry. You're going through a hard time. Just remember that everything's going to be alright."

I stood and hugged him, "I know. You keep saying that but with every day that goes by and no word, it just seems impossible that they'll come home alive." I pulled back and looked up at him.

He reached up to stroke my face. He leaned down and kissed me. He started to pick me up but I pushed back on him gently, "Uh. Not right now. I'm gonna go read a book in the library."

"Want me to keep you company?" He asked, softly. I shook my head and stepped back, "No. I just ... wanna be alone right now." He sighed, "I really wish you wouldn't. I don't think that you're in the right mind to be left alone. Besides the fact that I wanna be with you when he tells you where to go."

I frowned and muttered, "Maybe that's why he hasn't told me yet. If I'm not with you there's always a guard there with me. I'm never alone." I looked up at him and swallowed, "I'll be fine. But I have to be alone. Not only to give me time to think on my own but to give him the opportunity to tell me. I'm sorry but I have to."

He nodded, "I know. But remember, you won't be leaving this mansion without us knowing and never alone. And I'll be questioning you later. I don't want you running off to sacrifice yourself for them when he'll still kill them anyway after he gets what he wants. Do you understand me?"

I nodded; although if that's what I had to do then I would do it. If I didn't go to him then he would kill them for sure. If I went to him there was a chance that he may kill them anyway but there was also a chance that he'd keep to his word and let them go. And it was the only chance that she had. She didn't have a choice in the matter.

Taliesin sighed and fixed his gaze past me, trying and failing to hide his anger from me, "Go then. Stay in the library and don't come out until I come get you. Since I can tell from your expression that you're just nodding to keep me at bay. I know you'll go to him anyway. Go."

I kissed his cheek, "You can't keep me locked up, Taliesin. I'm Princess Elena and am more powerful than anyone here, so you say. I can and will learn how to use my powers to get out of here when the time comes. And when it does happen, I will make sure I say my last goodbyes without actually saying it."

He growled and grabbed my arm as I went to move around him, "And I will find you and beat your ass for leaving me. Expect that, darling." When he let me go I hurried off to the library. I hated the fact that I would have to leave him and talking about it was making me sick to my stomach.

It caused me to have this choking feeling as my throat tightened. I ran into the library, slammed the door closed, and fell to my knees as I burst into tears. My life was unraveling right before front of my eyes.

I never expected anything like this to happen to me. I had wanted to believe that I was normal. That there were other people on Earth that were like me. There was, as a matter of fact, but they were all from Rahani like I would have been if it hadn't been for my mother being trapped on this planet.

I stopped crying when I started to feel light-headed. I froqned and tried to stand up but I fell to the floor. When I did I hit my head hard. It was so hard that I fell unconscious.

I was in a dark room with no doors. All four walls were black. It was like a box. And leaning against the wall on the other side of the room was Daniel. I sat up and asked, "Where am I?" "No where. You're unconscious." He replied.

"Elena! Baby, please wake up!" Taliesin's voice echoed in the room. I looked around the room but he wasn't here. Daniel answered my unspoken question, "He's whispering in your ear; although it sounds like he's yelling here."

I stood up and frowned at him, "Where are my parents?" "Well they're dead." He said. I gasped, "What?! You promised you wouldn't kill them if I went to you! You didn't give me a chance! You were supposed to-" He cut me off by laughing, "Calm down. Your pathetic foster parents are still alive."

I sighed in relief and balled my hands into fists, "You son of a bitch! This isn't funny! Where are they?!" He suddenly pushed off of the wall and came over to me. I stepped back and he grabbed a fistful of my hair on the back of my hair, making me scream.

He yanked me to him. He brought me so close that I was almost laying my head on his shoulder and his face was only inches from mine. He growled, "Okay. Here's how it's going to work. They're going to question you when you get back. You tell them that you were told to meet me at the Millsberry Bridge. But you are to actually meet me at your old dance school."

He leaned down and kissed me roughly. I screamed but it was muted against his lips. I fought against him but he wouldn't budge and I couldn't use my powers in here. Then he pushed me back and I screamed as I fell into darkness. It was like falling off of a cliff. I fainted.

"Elena? Wake up, baby. You're gonna be alright. Please be alright." Tailiesin whispered. I opened my eyes and gasped at the sudden pain in my head and found myself back in the library. I was laying across Taliesin's lap on the couch. There were guards standing around, armed, ready for a fight.

"Oh, thank goodness." Taliesin's arms tightened around me as he sighed in relief. I sat up, moved so I could sit on his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him, "It was him. Daniel. He did this."

"Are you alright? He hit your head really hard. You were out for ten minutes." He whispered, frantically. I swallowed and choked out, "I'll be fine. My head hurts a little, though. Well, maybe a lot." There were tears gathering in my eyes and I had a hard time containing them.

Taliesin looked up at the others and growled, "I wanna know who was slacking on their responsibilities and I wanna know NOW!" I could hear the rage and anger in his voice. Anyone could see how much he cared for me.

I lifted my head so I could look at him, "Taliesin. It wasn't their fault. He wasn't here. He was just in my head. He made me faint and when I did I hit my head on the floor. And then I was in a room with him. I ..."

My lip trembled as the tears were about to burst out and I was on the edge of losing control of them. I bit my lip to try to stop it. Taliesin frowned, "What? You what?" I wrapped my one arm around his neck and layed my head on his shoulder. I curled up to him on his lap.

"I know where to meet him." I whispered. He kissed my forehead and whispered, "Where?" I closed my eyes and tears ran down my cheeks. I inhaled and even that was shaky. I sighed, letting the air out, and muttered, "I can't."

He layed his cheek on my cheek and growled, "Tell me where. You won't be going anywhere. So you should tell me so that I can go save your parents." I cried out lowly, "Taliesin, please. I can't ... I can't tell you. He'll kill them."

"But I can save them before he does. Elena. Tell me. Trust me, okay?" I squeezed my eyes shut and whispered, "The Millsberry Bridge. That's where he's taken them. That's where I'm supposed to meet them."

Taliesin hesitated but he kiss my head before looking up at the others, "Take the best team you have. Go there. You should be back by tomorrow night. It'll be a long drive up there and back. I'm going to stay here with Elena."

My eyes widened at that. He was going to stay here