To The End

Chapter Three (Part Two)

Pictured is Nathaniel.

Chapter Three Part Two****

       I sat up gasping. I cracked my eyes open and looked around. I was laying in a cave. Water dripped from the rocks nearby echoing off the walls. It was dark with a faint orange glow. A fire warmed my body but I felt the fever chilling me to the bone. I looked around searching for any signs of the Dark One I remembered as Emzor. Had he brought me here? I tried standing, but as I lifted myself a voice stopped me.

"You shouldn't try and stand. Your foot looks pretty bad."

I whipped my head around trying to find the source of the voice. It was not the voice of Emzor nor my brothers. Who was this man?

There, in the shadows I saw someone.

"Show yourself," I called out.

      Foot steps sounded and the shadow of a man came forward. As he stepped into the light of the fire what I saw made me lose my breath. He was tall, taller than Abel which was really saying something. His golden blonde hair fell into warm pools of chocolate colored eyes, his jaw was chiseled and defined, and his lips were red and kind. A white shirt covered his  uper half and dark jeans hugged the lower, boots covering his feet.

"Who are you?"

He hesitated for just a moment then replied. "I'm Nathaniel." He answered coming closer.

I flinched away and reached for the knife I always kept in my boot. Good looks didn't mean he wasn't a Dark One and I cursed myself for being weak and sick. I came up empty, my knife was missing. Probably back at Emzors lair. Great.

"I won't hurt you. I'm one of the good guys." He tried to reassure me.

I scoffed. "And I'm just supposed to believe that? Prove it."

He gave me a strange look. "Well, I saved you from Emzor. Doesn't that remove me from the 'bad guy' list?"

"You did?"

"Yes. How else would you be here? If I hadn't came along when I did I would say you would be half way through a ceremony for his Personal Slave right about now," He explained.

He looked down with regret, "Or worse."

"Over my dead body." If he wasn't a Dark One with a fake act and good looks who was he?

Before I had the chance to ask a terrible thought came to mind. Where was Abe?

I jumped to my feet and hobbled to the mouth of the cave. The lack of soreness between my legs reassured me that my virginity was still in tact. Tears sprung to my eyes at the memory  but I shook them away.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going? You shouldn't be on your feet." He called walking after me.

"My brother's out there looking for me." I clamped my hand over my neck where Emzors fangs had cut my flesh and realized it had already been bandaged.

"Your brother? He left you alone out there?"

"He went to get me medicine for my fever and infection. I just so happened to make camp where a Demon lived." I explained cringing at my stupidity.

I looked up at the sky to get a guess on what time it was. The sun was coming up taking residents on one half of the sky while the blood moon rested on the opposite side. It was almost pretty. The light and dark fighting a battle of good and evil.

      It was early morning, which meant Abel would be back. It would appear I had been kidnapped or worse, killed. He would be in a rage by now, I had to find him.

I turned around facing Nathaniel. He looked down at my short frame.

"Where is Marcus?"

"Marcus?" His brows knitted together. Standing closer to him I noticed how shadowed his face looked and that his brown eyes held hints of gold. He was a mystery to me.

"The horse. He's huge, black. You can't miss him." I was worried for my horse and my dog and my heart squeezed at the thought of them.

He grabbed my hand and I flinched away. He slowly reached for it again and I stayed still letting him pull me along. I tried to ignore how soft his hand was in mine. There at the right of the cave Marcus stood with Bernie laying at his massive hoofs. When Bernie saw me arrive he stood, but only on three legs. The front leg he held tucked under his body. White cloth was wrapped around it. I sat in front of him and stroked his head. He had recieved his wound fighting for my life.

Nathaniel watched from a standing position and spoke, "I wrapped his wound. He should heal right up."

I nodded a thanks and climbed onto a towering Marcus' back.

Nathaniel watched curiously and I waited. "Well? Are you going to get on and show me the way or just stand there?" I asked.

Surprise fleated across his face, but he smiled a pearly smile and mounted easily sitting behind me on Marcus' back.

I nudged the horse forward and we were on our way. Marcus carried both our weight easily and Bernie followed close behind, limping all the way.

I prayed Abel had made it back unharmed. If not I would go to town myself and find him. Sick or not.