Elemental Prince by Megan Fall
Chapter 6
Emmalyn
Emmalyn clung to the massive man’s back as he prowled through her apartment. Mathias had called him Kell, and the name strangely suited him. He appeared like a warrior of ancient times with the medieval clothing and air of power. He was a man who seemed perpetually angry and she had no desire to lay on any more trouble. She couldn’t comprehend anything that had happened in the short time since the tornado started and was still shaking with terror. The adrenaline rush from the sword fight was quickly wearing off, and the slice in her arm was becoming unbearable. She was close to loosing it completely.
Emmalyn tried to struggle in a vain attempt to break free, but Kell’s grip only tightened. She had no hope of getting away and was terrified of sustaining further damage falling from his arms to the floor. The man was freakishly tall and it was a long way down. All she could do was cling to the black shirt and pray she made it through alive. Mathias was gone and all Emmalyn wanted was to see him again. He was the closest thing she had to family and he just had to be alright.
Kell strode across the living room and the wind pounding across the room caused her already trembling body to shake even more. From the upside-down view, she took in the destroyed room and it broke her heart. Emmalyn had lived in this apartment as long as she could remember and loved it. Then Kell’s deep voice yelling over the roar of the wind demanded her attention.
“Hold tight and take a deep breath. Do not let go,” Kell ordered. He stalked to the side of the room directly into the spot where the wind appeared strongest. She panicked and twisted, trying to see around Kell until he growled in warning. She instantly went still.
As they stepped right through the wall, all she could do was scream. A green mist suddenly enveloped the pair and they were thrown forward at an alarming rate. She clung to Kell and closed her eyes, not wanting to see anything else. She felt Kell’s body relax as he gave into the pull, but hers was locked tight.
“I want to go home,” Emmalyn cried, but her words fell on deaf ears. Kell’s strong arms gave her legs a slight squeeze in an attempt to calm her. It didn’t work.
The noise slowly quieted, the pressure pushing them ahead lessened and Kell braced. As he leapt, the momentum raised Emmalyn off his shoulder and dropped her back down again. She gasped losing her breath, and her arm burned from the friction. Kell dropped to one knee and the air was suddenly clean and crisp. The bright light blinded her even with closed eyes, and she buried her head further into his back.
Kell shifted as he rose and Emmalyn slid down his front to land on her feet. His large warm hands spanned her waist to give her a moment to steady herself. Lightheaded, she forced her eyes open in the hope it would help. She needed to take stock of the new surroundings and find out where they had taken Mathias.
But the minute she opened her eyes, her chin was tipped back and she found herself staring up into Kell’s unreadable face. The man was like a steel trap. Whatever he was thinking remained a mystery. Her eyes drifted up to meet his, and she gasped at the sight, instantly noticing his dark, almost black eyes. But it was the tiny specs of silver that captivated her. Just like hers, they danced in the light. His eyes were completely on display though, whereas hers were hidden behind a pair of dull contacts.
He had thick, heavy brows. A scar ran through his right one causing it to arch up slightly. His hair was dark, almost a midnight black. It was cut short on the sides and left longer on top. Right now, it was sticking up as he was continually running his hands through it. Kell had a full, neatly trimmed beard and a moustache. His face was strong and defined as if it was carved from granite. Muscles rippled across every part of his body. The black outfit completed an overall look that would stop any woman in her tracks. He was the definition of wolfish and sexy.
Emmalyn peeled her eyes away to scan this new world. They landed deep in a forest, but it didn’t look like any usual forest. The trees were unusually tall and towered overhead. The leaves appeared unnaturally bright, as if they had captured a light misting of rain. Glistening, the leaves swayed in the slight breeze. The ground was moss covered and held tiny purple and yellow flowers, basking the area with the scent of lavender. Sun filtered through the trees and made the small clearing appear like something out of a fairy tale. Everything here was just, more.
“Secure the princess,” Kell ordered as she took an involuntary step back towards the portal.
Emmalyn jolted in surprise, not even realizing she had moved. The warrior named Behr was suddenly on her. He came up behind, wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her tight against his chest. Behr was careful of her injured arm, but she couldn’t break free. Emmalyn watched Kell walk towards the portal, which looked more like an enormous spider web. It glistened like the leaves, but was surrounded in a wispy green mist.
Kell touched the centre of the web, closed his eyes and started chanting. It took only a minute before the mist disappeared completely, the spider web seemed to shrink and the branches of the trees moved closer together. If Emmalyn hadn’t been watching, she wouldn’t have believed it. It looked just like a normal web. Kell dropped his head, removed his hand and stepped back. He started barking orders once again.
“Torin, get Mathias on a horse. Behr, secure the princess on one as well. I want to move them to a healer as quickly as possible. Leave the bodies. I will send men back after we get settled to take care of the mess,” Kell directed, prowling over to a massive black horse and stroking its mane. The beast snorted in approval and raised his head in greeting.
“No,” Emmalyn protested rather loudly, causing Kell to whip around and face her. He tilted his head in annoyance and lifted a brow.
She tucked in her good arm to make herself as small as possible. Before Behr could tighten his hold, Emmalyn slipped down, ducked out from under his arm and hurried away. A quick glance around revealed Mathias sitting on the ground leaning against a tree near the edge of the clearing. He was pale and clearly in pain. She scurried around the men, who were clearly surprised by the escape, and dropped to his side.
“He can’t ride a horse. You’ll kill him if you force him,” Emmalyn pushed as she glared up at Kell. “He’s lost a lot of blood and needs the injuries cleaned and stitched. Not to mention my arm needs to be bandaged. You’ll do more harm than good by forcing us to travel.”
Kell studied her for a minute, and realizing she spoke the truth, suddenly ran his hand through his hair in agitation as he cursed.
“She is right,” Behr admitted. “And she certainly cannot just ride into a village in that outfit. It will cause too much of a stir. Even Mathias in his odd choice of clothing will draw attention.”
“Thank you, Behr,” Emmalyn whispered giving him a small smile. She was beyond happy to have one of Kell’s warriors back her up. Behr looked at her in surprise for a minute, then gave a small nod.
“Fine,” Kell growled as he turned to two of his warriors. “Go to the nearest village, bring me a healer and obtain a sturdy wagon. Tell the healer about the injuries that need treating to ensure she brings the correct supplies. She will also need to be prepared to stay a day or two. While they are gone, I need the rest of you to make camp. We will remain here until Mathias is well enough to travel,” Kell fumed. “And move these bodies,” he added as an afterthought.
As the warriors mustered to do his bidding, Emmalyn leaned into Mathias’ good side. She was tired and confused and needed a minute to breathe and relax. Her arm was inflamed and she had a pounding headache. She sighed when Mathias reached for her hand and clasped it with his own.
“Everything will be fine Emmy. You need to trust that these men will keep you safe. I cannot do that anymore,” he admitted.
“You’ll be fine,” Emmalyn declared fiercely.
“I will,” Mathias agreed. “But not for a while. You need their protection.”
Emmalyn would have said more, but someone shoved a crude looking metal flask in her face. When she looked up, Kell was leaning down. The scowl firmly in place again.
“You both need to drink some of this. The liquid will dull the pain until the healer arrives.” Kell looked directly at her. “I will wrap your arm for now to staunch the bleeding and Torin will do what he can for Mathias.”
Emmalyn took the flask from his outstretched hand and passed it to Mathias. He raised it to his mouth, took a healthy gulp and passed it back.
“Whiskey,” Mathias warned.
Tentatively raising it to her lips, Emmalyn took a small sip. She would have lowered it, but Kell placed a large hand over her small one and held it in place.
“More,” Kell ordered. Emmalyn had no choice but to do as he said. After taking a large gulp, she pushed against his hand, forcing the flask away. He recapped it and shoved it in his belt thrusting a bundle in her lap as he wrapped her arm in a thick cloth. “I need you to change. The bundle contains a dress, along with shoes and a ribbon for your hair. The dress is short sleeved and will not interfere with your injury.”
“I’ll get blood all over the dress,” Emmalyn protested as she eyed the clothes in her lap.
Kell narrowed his eyes and huffed. Reaching down, he scooped her up, bundle and all. Emmalyn squealed in surprise and wrapped her good arm around his neck to keep from falling. He headed off into the trees, making her wonder what he was up to.