Page 57 of The Ranger
She sighed as she heard the wagon turn and head out of the barnyard, then headed upstairs.
Once in her room, she went to the window and watched the wagon climb the rise. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the barnyard and hills surrounding them. It wasn’t long before the wagon disappeared, along with Markhel. And for some reason, it hurt. Bad.
Maida came away from the window, her heart in her throat, and sat on the bed.
“What is wrong with me?” She put a hand to her chest. Her heart felt as if it would leap out of it.
She left the bed and paced around the room, hoping the pain would go away. But it didn’t. If anything, it got worse.
Tears stung the backs of her eyes as she forced herself to go through her nightly routine. She put on her nightgown, brushed and braided her hair, washed her face, brushed her teeth. By the time she was ready to crawl under the covers, she was in agony. But this wasn’t physical pain. No, this was coming from somewhere deep within her. A place she hadn’t known existed.
Without thinking she went to the window and pressed her forehead against it. “What is happening?”
Maida closed her eyes, letting her head fall back, then put her palms against the windowpanes. “Why is this happening?”
But part of her knew why, and it had to do with Markhel.
She opened her eyes, looked out the window and didn’t bother to stop the few tears that trickled down her cheeks. “Markhel Gondien Olwen,” she whispered. “Who are you?” She knew so little about him. And she wasn’t the only one. But there was one person in town who knew him, and that was Grandma Waller. If she didn’t get a chance to see him tomorrow, maybe she could pay a visit to Grandma and discover more about the tall, silvery blonde-haired stranger that had captured her attention. Because if she didn’t find out more, she was sure to bust a gut.
* * *
Markhel satin the wagon bed. Vale drove, Makama at his side while Kwaku and Zara watched him closely.
“Dis one will be bad,” Kwaku warned. “Prepare yourself.”
Markhel cast him a helpless look. “She is… so… innocent.”
“Yes, cub. She is pure innocence. Young and inexperienced.”
Markhel closed his eyes against tears. His heart felt like it was starting to tear, and it wasn’t his inner heart. “It hurts…”
“The pain will get worse,” Zara said. “You must be ready for it.”
He put an arm along the side of the wagon and gripped the edge. “My heart has not yet woken. What… is this?”
Zara sighed in sympathy. “Your hearts are different from ours. Because you and Melvale each had three instead of two, and shared the third, there was never a need for a mate when you were of age to join. But when the two of you destroyed that heart, freeing the others, they became more sensitive. Your physical heart will feel the pain until your inner heart is ready.”
He gave her an agonized look. “I am empty.”
“Yes, young cub,” Kwaku said. “But dere is noting we can do.”
“Nothing?” Makama said and turned on the wagon seat. She took one look at him and grimaced. “Oh, man, he looks terrible.”
Vale brought the wagon to a stop. They were almost to town. “What do we do?”
Kwaku shrugged. “Let dis run its course.”
“But it will be harder on him, Kawahnee,” Zara said. “This is not a normal bonding.”
“From what I hear, de last two were not normal.”
Vale looked at Makama. “Ours was normal, wasn’t it?”
Kwaku made a face. “More or less. But dis,” he waved a hand at Markhel. “Dis is someting else entirely. I suspect dey will bond fast. But you saw de maiden’s fadar hovering over her. He will protest.”
“No kidding,” Makama said. “If looks could kill, Markhel would be dead.”
“Come now, darling,” Vale said. “I didn’t see anything wrong.”