Taming an Immortal Ch. 05

Etienne sat quietly under the shaded trees, keeping a watchful gaze over Rose as she tended to the children. She had insisted on heading back to the human village - much to his displeasure - but he had acquiesce without complaint; escorting them on their final leg to Eilean.

To him, it was a complete waste of time, seeing that humans needed to break at least twice a day for meals and sleep. Right now, they had stopped for lunch and his patience was starting to wear thin - especially out here in the open where Rose could fall prey to potential danger.

"Make no mistake of my generosity Rose. I am only here to keep you safe."

There was no one he could trust to watch over her -seeing that the Pureblood he had sent to protect her had failed him miserably. Still, when he caught her scent coming from his left, he grunted, giving Miria permission for an audience.

"How are you faring?" he asked, noting that her cheeks were still pale despite her well-healed wounds.

"This is perhaps the worst that I have been my Lord," confessed Miria, blocking his view of Rose as she stood before him. "I acted on instinct. It will never happen again."

"Did you really think I had tasked my army chief to do liaison work?" he replied flatly. "You were the one accompanying Rose -not the other way round. Perhaps I was wrong to assign my best warrior to protect her."

He hadn't thought it was possible but her face looked even more ghostly than before. Getting to her knees, she hung her head down in shame. "I accept any punishment you have for me my Lord..."

There was none he could think of that didn't involve her lying in half on the ground.

Drifting his gaze away towards Rose, he watched as her eyes lit with laughter while she played with the human children. Surely that innocence was worth protecting?

"Your life is no longer mine. Ask Rose what she wishes of you."

From the sharp intake of her breath, Etienne figured that was the cruellest form of punishment for a Pureblood - to be at the command of a human.

Miria shouldn't complain. He could have given her worst.

"But tell me Miria, how could you have been so careless?" he took his eyes away from Rose for a second to gaze enquiringly at Miria. She had no excuses as a Pureblood -their Vampiric instincts were beyond compare to the other races.

To her credit, Miria raised her chin defensively. "They had used one of the children as bait - a single hyena Changeling holding her. I wouldn't have thought twice about overpowering him... and neither would you."

Etienne raised an eyebrow at her unspoken remark. True, he wouldn't have hesitated but then again, Etienne was never careless, nor stupid. If Miria had only looked up, she would have spotted what her nose was unable to detect.

And besides,only one Changeling with a child? That was too easy a bait for a Pureblood.

"It wasn't you they were hoping to trap," he said softly. "What guarantee had they that I would come? None."

It pleased him to watch her silver eyes widened as the truth registered. Yes, the hyenas had to know that Rose was travelling to Eilean somehow and planned an attack just before her arrival. It wouldn't have been difficult to assume from their last encounter that he would come to her aid immediately.

"So thank Rose for your life. She came back for you."

White as ice, Miria trembled slightly as she got to her feet. "Yes my Lord. I will... reflect about it."

Etienne watched as she sauntered away. Miria was an excellent warrior; her swordsmanship possibly the only one in the castle capable of breaking him into a sweat.

It would have been truly a shame to lose her, especially to a backhanded tactic such as this. Etienne had a feeling that even with the demise of Filip, the problem was far from over. Someone was hunting humans, but why?

From a distance, he caught sight of Rose turning her head suddenly as if to check on him. Her face was unreadable but he watched her ladling soup into a bowl; walking towards him a moment later, offering the steaming supplement.

"No, save them for the others," he said, pushing his palm outwards. "If you've not eaten, you should."

Shrugging, she took a seat next to him, leaning against the tree like he did. Etienne cast a sideward glance, making sure the bowl was tipping its contents into her mouth before relaxing a fraction; choosing instead to enjoy the feeling of having her next to him.

"Lord Etienne, about last night..."

"There is nothing to say."

"Mmhmm," she murmured, tilting her head slightly to rest against his arm. "You were very kind, so thank you."

Only Rose was capable of saying such things. He hated to admit it but it soothed something in him to have her close.

"I do not wish for you to continue with these tasks," he said, ignoring the sudden change in her scent; no doubt a sign of her displeasure. "Titus will see to it from now on."

Pushing away from his arm, she frowned slightly; her brown eyes no doubt narrowing at him.

"And if I wish to go with him?"

Etienne arched an eyebrow, wondering if Rose had a secret wicked streak in her.

"Do you wish an early death for the human? Then stop asking silly questions."

"But I want to!" she cried, giving a loud huff as she turned to the other side; slurping her soup noisily in a bid to annoy him.

Etienne kept silent until she was finished - he'd rather have her tiny tantrums than to have a repeat of that unforgivable moment she had offered to the human.

"Are you unhappy Rose?" he asked, not bothering to hide his snarl.

Still with her back to him, Etienne almost didn't hear her soft reply. "I don't want to be of no use to you."

Oh Rose... She might as well have poured ice over his head.

It was never his intention to make her feel useless by bringing her to the castle. Wasn't that why he had sent her to the human villages in the first place? It wasn't so much the treaties that concerned him -he wanted her comfortable, knowing her kind were always within reach if she needed them for anything -food, necessities... companionship.

Holding his hand out, he turned to her, gesturing for the empty bowl. She had no objections but her eyes were full as suspicion as she placed it gently in his palm.

But when he got up, she immediately got to her knees as well. "Where are you going?"

"Didn't you offer me some soup earlier? It seems you've finished my portion."

"Why, but you said..." He caught her following his line of sight. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him backwards with as much force as her petite frame could afford. "I know what you're up to. You will not harm him!"

Etienne bent slightly to cup her chin between his fingers. "Stay here Rose -or I promise I will return him in pieces."

Her grip loosened immediately but he could still sense her frustrations burning a hole in his back as he walked away, towards the small fire surrounded by the human villagers.

He had decided then that there would be no more unnecessary stops until they crossed the river back to Eilean - even if he had to fly them all on Alduin to shorten this journey back. The longer they were outside, the harder it was for him to keep his control in check.

For him, this was perhaps the longest time he had spent in the company of humans, aside from Rose and he had no reason to.

"Titus."

Startled, the young human spilled some of the steaming broth over his thighs but he stood up immediately without wincing.

"Yes my Lord?"

"I do not wish to stop anymore. Will you be able to reach your village by nightfall?" He watched with interest as Titus looked over to where the children were siting before trailing his eyes towards Rose.

"We need another day at least..."

"Alduin is capable of taking a few children at a time. Your men will ride faster without them, no?"

At the punch of his last question, Titus snapped his eyes back towards him, swallowing hard before answering. "Yes my Lord... but it might scare them to be on your dragon."

"Then you will personally escort them, if it soothes their fears." Not to mention keeping him away from Rose. "It is settled then."

"Yes my Lord."

The human bowed and started walking away when he -gently of course -placed a hand on his shoulder. "One more thing."

Titus stilled, turning to face him but not daring to meet his gaze.

"The next time you are in the presence of Lady Rose; keep your hands to yourself if you wish to live."

"My Lord!" The human blinked back the embarrassment, turning his head away. Etienne almost had to rear in his claws as he tightened his hold on his shoulder. If not for those beautiful brown eyes keeping a close watch over him...

"She will demand to come along with you on your mission to the southwest villages," he continued, looking down sternly at Titus, giving his shoulder another squeeze. "I do not wish to remind you, human, the consequences, of the wrong answer."

Titus blushed a deep red; his eyes automatically looking down to the ground.

"Lady Rose has made it clear that her heart belongs to another... I will not question that my Lord."

Etienne finally let him go.

"To ensure your mission goes well, my soldiers will arrive in three days." Etienne lifted his gaze towards the children. "These forests are no longer safe."

"You are most generous my Lord. I humbly accept this gift," replied Titus, bowing low before looking up at him with a serious look on his face. "I will send my messenger falcon should we have pressing news."

Etienne nodded, leaving behind the human leader.

Now, it was finally time to return.

***

The ride home was a blur of movement, scent and heat. All she remembered after leaving Titus and the others was collapsing and feeling soft fur against her face -she barely got any sleep after tending to the children for two days straight. When she woke up, Lord Etienne was holding her in his arms; her head rested against his chest.

"You should wake up now," he murmured into her hair. "I could hold you like this through the night... but there is a witch waiting outside my door."

Rubbing her eyes, she tried to make sense of her surroundings - she had barely a minute before his study door flew open.

"My, my... I heard that my son had a human pet but I never thought those rumours were true!"

Rose saw the physical resemblance but apart from that, the two looked like they would rather kill than sit in the same room with each other.

"What are you doing here mother?" There was no joy nor heat in his voice. Lord Etienne simply kept a straight face for her benefit.

"Can't a mother visit her son?" Lady Elisa purred but her attention was solely focused on Rose. Tracing a long claw over her face, the Pureblood then ran her fingers through Rose's hair. "What beautiful hair you have my darling. I can imagine it fanned out behind you when you sleep. Isn't she a beauty Etienne?"

"Keep your hands to yourself if you treasure them." It was a gentle reminder.

Elisa clutched her chest, in an exaggerated show of sorrow. "Why do you always hurt your mother so? I have but one son! And my only family has no regard for my well-being."

"I will not repeat myself mother. If you have no business here, please see that you leave tonight."

"I don't know why I put up with this abuse!" she wailed. "After all the trouble I've gone to select your future wife, this is the thanks I get?"

Wife? Her eyes immediately snapped wide open. Lord Etienne on the other hand barely turned his head. He was leaning against the window, the wind blowing his silver hair back.

"Etienne? Are you listening to me?" When she received only a blank stare, Lady Elisa continued; her eyes flicking from her son then to Rose. "In sixty days, your father's current hold on these lands will come to the table for inheritance, as is the mourning customs of our kind. I do not wish to remind you my son that you have a duty to your people and your lands."

Lord Etienne made no comment, his silence fuel to her temper. "Etienne! I will not stand to tolerate this insolence! I will send a Pureblood woman every two weeks and by the end of the sixty days, you are ordered to choose one to be your wife!" She was almost screaming. "If not... well, you will know the consequences."

"Thank you mother. I will have you escorted out now." He grabbed his mother by her arm, ushering her towards the door. "Your speech is starting to bore me."

Rose only heard unintelligible screams and growls from behind the door; catching a glimpse of the Queen Mother with her hair aflame before Lord Etienne closed the door behind him.

"Please excuse my mother. She has no manners." He moved closer to touch her; knuckles grazing her cheeks lightly. "Pay no heed to what she says Rose."

How could he say that when the truth was clear to both of them.

"But it is your duty my Lord. Don't you love these lands?" Rose looked down on the floor. This had to be said. "Someday, I will die and when I do, you will be alone."

Another gentle caress on her cheeks. "Don't say that."

"I only say what is true." Rose struggled to pull back her tears but her eyes betrayed her; a drop trickling down her cheek. "I was foolish to dream that something could happen between us. That was the child's wish - but the woman, this woman, only wishes for you to do what is right."

"Rose..." He tried to hold her but she had enough. Pushing past him, she let herself out before he had a chance to catch up to her.

Flicking back her tears, Rose ran all the way down to her room, finding the darkest corner to hide; dropping to her knees as she poured her frustrations away.

***

She didn't speak to him at breakfast. Not even a glance his way.

Their lack of interaction did not go unnoticed by his staff.

Etienne had made it a new house rule that everyone be seated in the great dining hall for breakfast and for dinner, out of respect for Rose. It was gravely unnecessary for the Purebloods but his staff of Noble birth were more than happy to gather around the table - it was so unlike him to allow them to be this close to him otherwise.

This morning, he had taken a small sample of Nahia's new improved recipes and approved. Perhaps those years travelling with Rose and eating what pleased her had made him partial to human food.

"Mistress Rose, are you feeling unwell?" asked Nahia kindly as she scooped more food on her plate. "Does my cooking not please you?"

Etienne wished he could erase those darkness under her eyes; their puffiness evidence of swollen tearducts.

"I am just tired Nahia," she whispered. "If you don't mind, I will eat this in my room."

After she left, Nahia had turned to him, her face grim and her lips pursed into a straight line.

"What?" he asked. Surely she was not insinuating that he had something to do with that?

"My Lord, Lady Rose hasn't been herself since she returned from her mission." Nahia said, one hand on her waist and the other waving a spatula at him.

"Yes my Lord. Did anything... happen between you two?" asked Keiko; a spoonful of porridge stuffed into his mouth.

Etienne simply narrowed his eyes at the Noble; a flick of his finger causing his head to fall right into the watery gruel.

"Master! You are so mean!"

"There it is! I knew it," quipped Nahia; one finger wagging at him. "You did something that upset the Mistress and now she's crying over it. I say you go and apologise to her!"

Chatters erupted all over the room. Etienne had never heard the word 'sorry' said so many times in the span of a second. What was this? A mutiny?

"It seems... you've been outvoted my Lord," said Miria, her eyes lighting up with amusement. He threw an icy look her way. Maybe he should have just left her to die in the forest instead of healing her. Traitor.

"Silence all of you!" The roar did its magic. "I will not acknowledge something that does not exist. Now get back to work. Breakfast is over!"

As his staff scampered away - some sulking, some grumbling, Etienne had to close his eyes to quell the annoyance bubbling under his skin.

"Think I should really say sorry to her don't you?" he spoke, still keeping his eyes closed. He didn't know why the Pureblood stayed when all the others had left but his presence was a great welcome. The majordomo was the closest thing to a father-figure after Lord Montgomery Arceneaux left to live in the human village.

"Human women... they are unlike our kind. If they are sad, their only words will be tears, if they are angry; it is only silence that you will hear."

That sounded too complex for him to comprehend. How the hell was he supposed to know what Rose was feeling if she didn't tell him? Hadn't he always told her he would come if she needed him?

"I will keep that advice in mind Keane."

The Pureblood managed a small laugh. "I do not know how many times I have told your father the same thing. But I'm glad he listened."

Etienne had hoped that Keane would share more but when he opened his eyes, the Pureblood was gone.

It wasn't that he didn't want to comfort Rose. On the contrary, his heart was rife with anguish at the thought of not being able to hold her close. But to care for a human this much was a weakness; something that could kill him -as it had killed his father.

Etienne would not stand for it.

***

He had wandered from his study to the balcony of his chambers, intending to clear his mind; his mother's words ringing in his head. It wasn't so much her presence that annoyed him but the hurt in Rose's eyes when she left that night.

He should have stopped her and yet...

After all his efforts to keep potential suitors away from her, the situation was now reversed. So why then was he searching for her the entire morning?

He had almost given up when he spotted her from his window -her small human frame nestled amongst the greenery of his garden; fingers threading flowers into a tiara as she had done so many times before.

Part of him knew he needed to stay away from her and yet...

Leaping off the terrace, he landed gracefully behind her; his shadow cast upon her willowy frame. He knew she could sense him but she made no attempt to acknowledge his presence; simply keeping her back to him defiantly.

He let her.

Though he had seen her doing it many times, Etienne still found himself mesmerised by the way her nimble fingers moved with such dexterity and precision. When she was finished with one full circle, she moved on to another, ignoring him despite their uncomfortable nearness.

Soon after, she was nearly done with all the blooms within her reach -her tiaras enough to dress the entire castle. Feeling amused, he knelt down; aware of the heat of her body so close to his.

"For how long will I be punished with this silence?"

When she remained quiet, he nudged closer, resting his chin on her shoulder; simply allowing himself to watch her fingers twine the flower stalks together.

This close, Rose smelt wonderful and Etienne knew that if he laid her on the soft grass, she would be his in an instant. Angry as she might be at him, there was no denying the sudden shift in her scent - a woman nursing pure arousal. This was the same scent that filled his being the last time he had kissed her; the taste of innocence still lingering in his mind.

He would kill any other who dared elicit such a response from her.

Pressing a kiss to her covered shoulder, he paused, waiting to see if she would react -nothing. Not even a hitch in her breath. Such control.

Repeating the kiss, he moved it up another notch, placing a kiss at every inch-interval up until his lips met with skin. The sudden contact jolted her slightly but Rose continued to toy with her flowers, ignoring him.