Page 44 of Love Beyond Wanting
He reached out to pull me into another hug.“Of course, you can use it.”
It pleased me to see that Marcus had at least settled in to feeling at home here.
“Thank you.I’ve got something I need to take care of first, but if anyone can’t find me later, that’s where I’ll be.”
Dusk would be here soon.
It was time for me to meet Freya.
Chapter 28
That night just after dusk, before Nicol made his nightly trek down to the garden to spend the night with Freya, I went down to meet the ghostly woman I’d heard so much about.
It startled me when I saw her.While intellectually, I knew she would simply appear once the sun dropped into the sky—it was still shocking to witness.She was stunning.Translucent and bright, her long dark hair fell loosely around her waist, and her eyes were the darkest I’d ever seen.If not for her smile, she would’ve been rather frightening.
“I can see the resemblance between ye and yer sister.I’m verra fond of her.”
I smiled.I couldn’t help but stare at her, my eyes wandering up and down the length of her body.“I’m fond of her too.It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Come and sit, lass.Nicol willna be down for awhile still.”
I followed her over to a small garden bench and together we sat down.
“Does he come even on nights like this?Even when it’s freezing and raining?”
She nodded a little sadly.“He does.Despite my insistence that he needn’t do so, he comes each and every night.”
“He loves you.”
“And I him.How do ye find the castle?”
I glanced up at the tall, foreboding fortress and then turned my gaze to the garden surrounding me.It had long since withered and died.
“The people are wonderful.”
Freya laughed.“Ye long for more beauty just as I do, aye?”
“Why haven’t they tended to this garden for you?Made it a place that is at least pleasing to be when you’re here?”
“I doona believe it has occurred to them.Truly, there is no need.I couldna smell the flowers or feel the warmth even if ’twas here.”
I knew from my own experiences beautifying people’s surroundings that the aesthetics of one’s home holds so much more power than people realize.
“No, but you could see them.Sometimes that makes all the difference.”
She looked past me to a long-since-withered bush of something that once bloomed, and I could see the sadness in her eyes.
“Mayhap ye are right.”She paused and reached for my hand.While I could see her touching me, I could feel nothing.It made my heart ache all the way through.How painful it would be to be stripped of the ability to feel someone’s skin against your own.“I’ve a feeling Machara’s temper willna be the only thing that changes now that ye are here.”
“Machara’s temper?”I looked at Freya curiously.
“Aye.She’s frightened.Her hold over me has bound us together, and she has never been as frightened as she is now.”
That gave me a sense of hope.I’d been right to ignore her stinky request that we meet.Whether Maddock and Nicol believed it or not, I was a threat to Machara, but I was currently more concerned with the other ways Freya mentioned that I might change things.
“I have an idea.What happens to you during the daytime?”
She shrugged.“I simply doona exist.’Tis as if I’m sleeping, though I never dream.”
