Until Forever (1st draft)

Part the Eleventh

A warm, sweet smell lured Geneva back to awareness, like the scent of heated honey. Her eyelids fluttered open to blurred vision and a sudden headache that originated above her left temple.

"How do you feel?" asked a masculine voice, and the honey scent drifted to her nostrils again. Her vision focused and she became aware that there was a face mere inches from her own. Silvery eyes held her gaze, sending a wave of goosebumps across her body. It was the man from the trees, the sword-wielding hero who had saved her from the crazy creatures. He was much younger than she had realized, perhaps close to her own age, though his presence felt older. She found that she couldn't answer his question, her breath stolen by a lustful daze that she had never felt before. His features were strikingly handsome, enough to stop women of all ages in their tracks, but his expression was also somehow modest, unintimidating. She was simultaneously captivated and comforted.

"Can you hear me? How do you feel?" he repeated, and she realized that the warm honey scent was his breath.

"Oh! I...uhm..." was all she could stammer out as she finally had to pull herself from his gaze. She was lying on her back with him leaning over her, so she sat up quickly and instantly regretted it. Pain throbbed in the top left side of her head and a loud groan escaped her lips.

"Easy now," he said, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "I've cleaned and covered your wounds, but the head isn't so easily treated."

"My wounds?" she asked.

"Don't you remember?" he chuckled. "You were attacked by Monkey Hawks. It's nothing serious, you have cuts and scratches from their talons." He began to lift the bottom of her shirt from her waist, but she quickly grabbed it from his hand. "I'm sorry, I won't hurt you. I wanted you to see." He reached out slowly and gently held her wrist, then guided her hand so that she lifted her shirt herself just enough to reveal a neatly arranged patch of wet leaves adhered to her abdomen. He lifted the other side and she saw that her belly button was framed by two wounds patched with leaves. Then he let go of her wrist and stole her breath again with another mesmerizing look into her eyes.

"There is another one on your back, and one on your right shoulder."

"Oh...okay," she answered, feeling stupid immediately. His hand reached up to her face now and brushed her hair away from her cheek. His fingers softly traced a tender area on her face. She remembered being jabbed by one of the creature's stone daggers. Did her handsome hero call them Monkey Hawks?

"You are fortunate the dagger was not tipped with poison," silvery eyes explained. "The cut is minor; it should not scar your beautiful face."

Beautiful?

"Where are you from?" he asked. "Are you traveling alone?"

"I'm from Boston—" she started to say, realizing immediately that he certainly wouldn't know Boston, Massachusetts. "Uhm...I'm from...over there," she finished, pointing in the general direction she'd come from. "From a big tree, actually." She felt herself blush. He smiled widely and she melted.

"I don't usually sound this...stupid," she stammered. "I probably have a concussion, you know?"

"Con-cussion?" he asked.

"Maybe you don't have concussions here," she muttered to herself.

"It is quite dangerous to travel alone, particularly without a weapon," he advised.

"Oh I'm not alone," she reassured him. "I'm traveling with Steekbunk Lowbone. He's an odd little guy but he knows where he's going." She paused and looked around "Unfortunately I seem to have lost him during that whole crazy attack."

"Hmm. Perhaps he fled in fear," silvery eyes suggested.

"I do not flee," a voice responded. Geneva craned her neck to the side and winced at the pain. Steekbunk wandered onto the scene, dirty and spotted with blood stains, carrying the two ball packs. "I have pledged to protect the girl. I have pledged to assist her in fulfilling her destiny."

"Is that so?" asked silvery eyes in a lower tone. His voice seemed to purr. "How very kind of you."

"We shall continue now," said Steekbunk, and he snatched Geneva's hand and pulled her to her feet. She groaned, a little dizzy and weak in the legs, but otherwise fine.

"She should rest," silvery eyes commented.

"Danger still lurks," Steekbunk countered. "She can rest when we are safe."

"As you wish," the handsome young man conceded. "I hope you will travel at a comfortable pace for her sake."

"Oh I'm fine," Geneva chimed in. "Really. Care to join us on our...destiny?" She wasn't ready to say goodbye to somebody this gorgeous who had actually called her beautiful. Even if he was just saying that to make her feel better. Silvery eyes smiled again. Geneva melted again.

"I have an urgent task of my own," was his answer. "But I'm certain we will meet again." He reached out and gently took her free hand, holding it long enough for an electric tingling to course up her arm and jumpstart her pounding heart. Steekbunk's grip on her other hand tightened almost enough to hurt. Then silvery eyes let go and began to walk away.

"Wait!" she yelled. He turned and looked back at her and she just stood there feeling like an idiot because she had no idea why she had done that other than the physical longing to stay near him. "I...I don't even know your name."

"I am Sir Nellaf Wark," he said with a sweeping bow. "Until we meet again, Geneva Maxwell." And then he bounded up into the trees and disappeared.

Geneva was transfixed until Steekbunk's persistent tugging at her arm forced her to move in the opposite direction. "Stop yanking my arm!" she snapped as she pulled away from his grip. "He's right, you know, I should be going slow!"

"Monkey Hawks are not wild," Steekbunk tried to explain, but Geneva was lost in her own thoughts. "They would not attack us unless they were directed. This may be worse than I feared."

"I never told him my name," Geneva said to herself. "How does everybody in this bizarre place know my name?"

Steekbunk reached out and grabbed her wrist again, resuming his forceful tugging. With a snarl, she pulled away from him, but quickened her pace. "I'm coming!"