Mated By The Demon Collections: Paranormal Romance Page 22

  “How can you do this? After everything we've been through, after everything that's happened between our two tribes... you would really give your only daughter to them?”

  “You think this has been an easy decision to reach? I know all too well of the hatred between us, but we need to look past that to a brighter future. Anything else is only going to lead us to ruin. We must look past our feelings and put them aside, we must be better than we have been. You have trusted me so far and I have not let you down, and do you really think I would take this course of action if I thought it would lead to our downfall? I was just as skeptical as you but after speaking with Liam I have found him to be a measured, rational man who is wise beyond his years, and if you would just give him the same time as I have then you would see too.”

  Donal remained unconvinced and he was about to argue some more. Allison could sense the strain that her father was under and she felt the need to speak up herself. She rose, and stood beside her father. Upon seeing this the crowd were silenced.

  “Since this concerns me more than most of you I feel like I should have my say as well. Listen to me. I was shocked when my father first came to me with this suggestion. He wanted to give me time to prepare myself, although I am not sure that all the time in the world would have been enough. I feel the same things as you, anger, hurt, betrayal, but I have looked past that as well. Don't forget that these words are coming from my father, your chief. He has not led us wrong yet! I love my father, and I am proud of him and I have looked up to him all my life. He is my greatest role model and I'm sure the same is true for many of you. Are we really so ready to lose our faith in him now? I have certainly not imagined this path for myself before, and I am not certain that it is a path I want to take, but it saddens me that you are so quick to shout and yell at him. My father is right about one thing, we should strive to be better than ourselves, and although I have not seen the wars firsthand I have seen the effects, I've seen how they haunt people, and if there is a chance that we can ensure peace then we should take it. I am willing to meet this Liam and see if he is genuine about his offer. It is my life and my choice, and I make it because I trust my father, and because I love him.”

  The words that Allison spoke took a lot out of her and she looked out at all the faces staring back at her, hoping that she had some impact. But before any of them could respond a hooded figure walked through the sea of people. When he reached the front he pulled down his hood, and everyone gasped, for it was Liam, the man she had been promised to.

  5

  Despite her initial feelings, Allison was struck by how handsome he was. He stood tall, his cloak hung over his broad shoulders. He had long dark hair, and a full beard, and his dark eyes glowed in the flicker of candlelight. Allison felt her heart beat rapidly and a fire seemed to spark inside. She had never felt anything like it before, and it was a mess of confusion since she still thought of him as the enemy, but there was something about him that made her stomach flutter, and all the feelings that bloomed inside made her scared and unsure of her own senses. And while she looked at him she lost sight of Monty, who glowered at the newcomer.

  When Liam revealed himself Donal drew a knife and threatened Liam with it. The people stepped back, giving Liam a wide berth. He held up his hands and smiled.

  “I am not here to cause trouble,” he said. Allison was surprised at how soft his voice was. It was smooth like silk, and it caused a rumbling deep down inside. “I am merely here to introduce myself to Allison,” he said, and turned to the young woman. “You are even more beautiful than your father described, and I see that from your speech you have been imbued with his same spirit.” He bowed to her, and Allison didn't know what to say.

  “This is ridiculous,” Donal said.

  “No, my old friend, it is the way things have to be. I want this to happen, and I want everyone to be aware that I am doing this for the best interests of the community. I am not saying that it will be easy but it is the path we must take if we are to ensure our future. Allison is going to visit with him, and then she will decide if this is the course she is going to take. It is her future as much as yours, and she will be the one to lead you, so if you do not trust me then at least trust in her.”

  Allison looked at her father in shock, for she was surprised that he had relented and given her the power of the final decision. Yet still it did not seem enough for the people, who were creating an uproar. Meanwhile, Liam stood in silence, watching the scene with a wry amusement. Allison found herself watching him, and she found it increasingly difficult to take her eyes away, although when he did turn his head and those dark eyes found hers, she found her own eyes darting away, and the flush of crimson touched her cheeks.

  “This is madness!” Donal said, “how can you send your own daughter to that place?”

  “Because I believe in this cause.”

  “It's got to be a trap. I can't let you send her there.”

  “She is going.”

  “At least let me send a soldier with her, an escort, just to make sure that nothing bad happens,” he said. Allison's father turned to her and Liam, and they both nodded their assent. Donal shook his head and walked off, grumbling. The rest of the crowd followed his suit, and the party that had been in full swing mere moments before had now disbanded. Allison was left with her father and Liam.

  “I see your people reacted about as well as mine,” Liam said, holding out his hand. The two men shook hands strongly.

  “Yes, but that is what we expected. Liam, this is my daughter Allison.” This time he held out his hands and took hers, she felt the warmth that exuded from his flesh, and when he drew his hand away she felt the emptiness that went with it, almost as though she was missing a part of herself.

  “I'd like to thank you at least for agreeing to my terms,” he said.

  “I haven't agreed yet,” she said icily, “I am merely doing this for my father, because I trust him and I believe in him. I have not yet made my mind up about you.” Liam seemed to find this amusing.

  “You will be safe with me. Your father and I both want the same things. If you like we can get to know each other a little better before the morning, and if you are still open to the idea then we can journey back in the light of day. Even I would prefer not to brave the forests at this time of night.” Allison looked at her father, who gave her his silent assent, and then she nodded at Liam. Her father departed, leaving Liam and Allison alone. At first it was awkward and Allison had no idea what to say, but Liam had an easy charm about him. They agreed to go for a stroll, although went around the outskirts of the village so as not to invoke the wrath of the people who were already incensed.

  “Your father wasn't sure if you would have agreed to his proposal.”

  “I wasn't sure either.”

  “I'm glad you did. We both want the same thing.”

  “Is this prophecy real?”

  “No-one can say for certain, but even if it isn't do you not think that a truce between our two tribes would be a good thing? I am just as tired of war as you, and I only wish my people shared my feelings, but they will come around.”

  “Why do you want things to change? It is not usual for one of your tribe to be so progressive,” she said, teasing him slightly.

  “My father was a warrior king, and the last defeat he suffered affected him greatly. I saw firsthand how the anger twisted him up inside, and he changed. When I was a boy he would often play with me and would laugh heartily. He would enjoy life. But after the war he forgot that, and he wasn't the man I knew. He died too early, but even on his deathbed he was still calling for war, and with his dying breath he asked me to carry on the work he started, but I knew that I could not fulfill his wish. I knew in my heart that it was wrong, and it weighs heavily on me that I had to lie to him, and tell him that I could do as he asked.”

  “Why do you disagree with him?”

  “My father was never a scholarly man, but he had a friend who taught me how to read and in
spired my thirst for knowledge. I read about history and the old wars, and it just seemed to me that violence only led to more violence, and I knew that when I was in charge I wanted to change that. Then I came across the prophecy. I didn't want to believe it at first but I'm convinced that it will come to pass and I knew I had to take some sort of action, so I sought your father out, knowing that he was a man of virtue, and I am only glad that he was willing to hear me out. He could have struck me down when I approached him, and all of my efforts would have been in vain. All I want is a better future for my children, for them to grow up in a world of light rather than a world of darkness.”

  Allison was struck by how thoughtful he was and how much he seemed to care about the future, and the legacy he left behind. It was greatly similar to the way she thought, and it was unusual to find someone who felt the same way as her. The more they talked that evening the more charmed she became by him. He had a good sense of humor and she found herself laughing. Slowly but surely the walls fell between them, and her initial resistance was being eroded. In the back of her mind she knew that he was the enemy, but that thought was pushed further and further back as she gave into the reality of the situation. Liam was unlike any man she ever knew, and the more she got to know him the more she knew that she was falling in love.

  She found herself nodding along and agreeing with nearly everything he said. He spoke of his ideas and his opinions about the way leadership would work, and the nature of love, life, of war and hopes and dreams, he seemed to have an opinion about everything yet he was not haughty or smug about it either. When she gave her own thoughts he listened, and if she disagreed with him they had a civil discussion about it. Allison also discovered that they shared a mutual love of the legends of the land, and they retold their favorite stories, collapsing in laughter, until a sad look came upon Allison's face.

  “What's wrong?” Liam asked.

  “I was just thinking about my mother. Talking about all this reminds me of her. She used to read me these stories before I went to bed. I would never want to go to sleep and I always made her tell me one more, always one more, until eventually I fell asleep to the sound of her voice. My father says that sometimes I would fall asleep in her arms and she would be so afraid to wake me that she would sit in my room all night. Sometimes when I close my eyes and I'm in the dead of the night I can still feel her holding me. It sounds stupid, I know.”

  “It's not stupid at all,” he said gently. “What happened to her?”

  Allison drew her arms around her in a defensive gesture. She never usually spoke about her mother, especially not to people she had only just met, but there was something about Liam that made her want to open up to him, to talk to him in a way that she never had before. It wasn't even like things had been with Monty, this was something different, something new, and the unfamiliarity of it all frightened her. Yet she felt so safe with him too, and whenever she looked at him the fear was quickly quelled. She wanted to tell him her secrets, to share everything with him, but she still couldn't explain why.

  “It was an accident. Father took her out hunting as he wanted to get her a prize for their anniversary. A lot of people went. I was one of the few that stayed behind. Somehow I knew that something was wrong. They found the wrong animal. There was a stampede, and my mother was trampled. When my father came back he was a broken man. I didn't understand it at first. Death was something so foreign to me that I couldn't comprehend it until that night when I just wanted to talk to her or to see her. I wanted to hear her voice again yet I knew I never would.”

  “I'm sorry,” he said, and to her surprise she felt cool crystal tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt foolish for being so vulnerable with him. Liam reached out with his hand and brushed the tears away, collecting them on his finger and pulling them away. The feeling of his skin against hers was pleasing and pleasurable, and it made tingles ripple all the way down her skin, right down to the soles of her feet. Suddenly the world seemed more vibrant than it had before. Everything was more colorful, and her senses were heightened. The sun was rising.

  “We've been talking all night,” she said, smiling at the newness of it all, at the happiness surging through her body.

  “I feel like I could keep going for a hundred nights more,” he replied. Allison gazed into his dark eyes and could feel herself melting into him. In his eyes were the whole universe. The past and future fell away and there only existed that one moment, and it felt like her entire life had been leading to sitting there with him, breathing the same air, melting into him. They sidled alongside each other and Liam leaned into her. Allison didn't quite know what was happening but she knew she was excited. Her eyes began to close as their lips yearned to find each other, and she felt his hot breath linger over her lips in that sweet moment just before their mouths met...and then the moment was ruined as Monty came up to them and cleared his throat.

  “Donal wants you back, just to go over a few things,” he said. The jealousy was apparent in his eyes and Allison felt naked. She turned away from Monty, and hated that he had been the one to find them.

  6

  As Allison got ready to leave she noticed Donal talk to Monty, and dreaded what she now knew to be true. Monty came up to them and told her that he was going to be her escort, to watch out for her in case it was a trap.

  “That's fine, I am glad that another pair of eyes will see that I am telling the truth,” Liam said, although Allison was wary of the danger that this posed. Monty had a dark look in his eyes and she wished that she could talk to him, to try and persuade him not to go with them but she knew it was a forlorn hope.

  “You will make me proud child. Learn all you can, and I hope that you find some semblance of happiness there. And remember, although this means a lot to me I want you to be happy with your choice. Just remember to look at things with wide eyes and an open mind. Don't resist just because that is your instinct, let things flow through you, and I will see you soon,” her father said, embracing her tightly. Allison wondered if there was a part of him that was afraid this was all a trap and Liam had pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, but she dared not ask him because she was afraid of the answer. In truth there was a part of her that wondered that as well. Liam seemed so good, so attractive, that she almost wanted there to be something wrong with him so that she could go back to her father and say that it wasn't going to work out, but given what happened the previous night she was finding it difficult to believe.

  She, Liam, and Monty jumped astride their horses and rode in the direction of Liam's tribe. Monty hung back a little, a sullen look on his face. Allison tried to ignore him but it was difficult. She sensed the angry tension throbbing through his body, and almost began to hate him because she wanted to talk with Liam more, to get to know him better, but she couldn't because Monty was there.

  As they galloped through the forest Liam and Allison challenged each other, daring each other to go faster and faster until the world around them was just a blur. Monty had never been as willing to go as fast as Allison, and he had to struggle to keep up. While they rode, Allison and Liam glanced at each other, wicked smiles on their faces, reveling in the thrill of competition. When they emerged from the forest Allison whooped in delight as she had won, and Liam bowed to the victor. Allison moved her horse closer to Liam, feeling the adrenalin rush through her blood, wanting to finish what they had started earlier and explore the feelings that were so new and fresh to her. She glanced back at the forest. There was still no sign of Monty, and Allison hoped to steal a kiss before he caught up with them. She wore a coy smile as their horses were side by side and she leaned over, stretching to pluck a kiss from her lips, when they heard an anguished cry and Monty emerged from the green forest, sweat pouring down from his temples, his face ruddy and annoyed. Liam and Allison looked at each other, sharing their frustration, and then they turned their horses around and continued on their way, while Monty huffed and followed dutifully.

  When they grew closer t
o Liam's home Allison was surprised at how different the scenery was, even though it was in the same part of the country, and was barely a day's ride. There was more marshland, and more open fields. The two tribes were separated by the forest but the land on Allison's side was lush and easy to farm, whereas the land here was harsher, and it was easy to see why the members of Liam's tribe could have been envious of the lives that Allison's people led.

  “Before we go in I think it's important for you to know that my people aren't excited to welcome you. They're not fond of the fact that I'm trying to build for the future. All they see is a chance for us to strike out at you, and no matter how many times I tell them that it isn't my intention to start another war they still hope that I will embrace my warmonger heritage. They will shun you and verbally abuse you, and I'm sorry for that. I do not tolerate it but it makes no difference if I punish them or not. Stay close to me at all times and I will keep you safe. Hopefully they will see that you are no so different after all and we can make some progress.”