THE GIFTED LUNA

CHAPTER 3

At the sound of Tiara’s whimper, the man she had bumped into pulled her into his arms.“You’re alright, I’m here,” he said in hushed tones.For some reason, she believed his words. She was going to be alright because he was here. With Tiara’s head pressed to his chest, he mouthed the words “leave” to the intruder that had appeared before them and with a bow, their “visitor” disappeared into the forest.Tiara reluctantly left his embrace and found that the armed man was gone.“What happened?” She asked her captor who had now become her saviour.“Oh, it was nothing,” he answered dismissively. She c****d an eyebrow at him.“Seriously, it’s nothing to worry about,” he reassured. She gave him a suspicious look.“Well, you should get some rest. You’ve had a long day,” he said, desperate to change the subject of discussion.A small frown formed on her face.“I’m fine. You shouldn’t worry about me. I can handle myself,” she said with a pout.“Like you were handling yourself when you bumped into me?” He laughed. Her frown deepened and he couldn’t help but stare at her adorable pout. From the moment, she had bumped into him he had noticed her striking beauty. Her eyes were the kind of blue that you got lost in, her skin radiant and glowing despite the daily stress she was under, and you couldn’t help but stare at her rosy lips every time she spoke. And when he’d held her in his arms, he was sure he had felt a surge of electricity coursing through him. He had known at that moment, that this was a woman he would risk it all to protect.“Now, that’s not fair,” she grumbled, still pouting.He let out a deep-throated chuckle.“Alright, alright. But you have had a long day,”“I know,” she sighed, “But I’m afraid I can’t call it a day just yet.”“How come?”“Well, when I heard movements in the bushes, I dropped my basket of herbs and fled. If I don’t go back out there, I’ll have nothing to sell tomorrow,” she answered, avoiding his eyes.“Do you want me to come with you?”She looked up at him with barely restrained excitement.“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she blushed.A small smile formed on his lips. It was hard to believe how oblivious of her beauty she was but it was part of her allure.“I want to,” he said, “If you’ll have me.”“In that case, let’s go,” she said with a smile and he knew he would follow this woman to the very ends of the earth if he had to. She walked to where she had left her basket with the stranger she had encountered right behind her. With him there, she felt invincible. Upon their arrival at their destination, she was relieved to find that the horses she had found there had left. She picked up her discarded basket and laughed silently at the sight of the staff and twig she had planned to use for her defence. The panic of a few moments ago felt silly now that this man was by her side.“Why did you leave in such a hurry, anyway?” The stranger asked.“Oh, don’t worry about that,” she said, her cheeks turning red. There was no way she was telling this man that she had had a panic attack over a bunch of horses. Turning her gaze away from him, she began to add more herbs to her herb basket…but she could still feel his eyes on her and this made her brain malfunction. She was sure she just gathering weeds because she couldn’t think of anything else but him. She made a mental note to sort the herbs she had gathered when she got home.“Alright, I’m done,” she said, turning to the stranger, “I appreciate you coming out here with me.”“It was my pleasure,” he said, putting a hand behind his neck, “And I’ll be more than happy to walk you back.”“Oh, I couldn’t possibly ask you to that,” she protested, “You have done enough already.”“I would hate for you to get knocked over by a horse right after I just saved life,” he teased.“You didn’t save my life,” she said with a frown.“Oh?”“Whatever, let’s go.”“Strange way of saying thank you but okay.”She rolled her eyes fondly, “Thank you,” she said earnestly.“Anything for you,” he replied and her cheeks blushed a bright pink. With Tiara’s herb basket in the stranger’s hand, the pair returned to her house.“Thank you for everything,” Tiara said when they’d arrived at her doorstep.“Again, it was my pleasure,” he said, an unreadable expression on his face.“What’s wrong?”“It’s something you’re not gonna want to hear it.”“What is it?” She asked with furrowed brows.“I’m not sure how I feel about you staying here all alone,” he sighed.She laughs, the sound light and carefree.“I’ve lived here all my life and half of that life I’ve spent alone. It’s sweet that you worry for me but I’m fine. I promise,” she said cupping his face.“Edwin,” he says, his hands on hers.“What?” She asks, confused.My name. It’s Edwin. Edwin Stone.”“Oh, Tiara. Tiara George. Charmed to make your acquaintance.”“The pleasure’s all mine, trust me. You have a lovely name,”“Thank you,” she blushed.“Well…till we meet again, I guess,” he said after a moment’s silence.“Till we meet again. Goodbye, Edwin,” she replied with a sweet smile.He nodded, “Goodbye,” he said before turning to leave. She stood at her doorstep, watching him until his frame disappeared. When he was completely out of sight, she entered the house with her basket of herbs, her heart aching. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye. With a heavy sigh, she plopped onto the couch, her face towards the ceiling, replaying their encounter. There was something about him that made her want to stay. Life had taught her to never let down her guard but before this man, all her defenses came crumbling down. She had never felt as liberated as she did with the man she had just met. She wasn’t sure she was ready to let go of that feeling. She got out of the couch and headed straight for the forest, determined to find Edwin again. She was unsure what would happen if she found him but she knew she needed to find him and so, into the forest she went. Trusting her feet once more because she was sure they had led her to him on purpose, she began her search for Edwin. She heard Edwin’s voice after walking for a while. Elated, she quickened her pace and moved in the direction the sound of his voice was coming from. She stopped when she saw him addressing a group of similarly dressed men, the armed man they had encountered earlier amongst them. The blood drained from her face as reality dawned on her. She had been played. This man had taken advantage of her helplessness. Standing in the woods, on her search for the man who had liberated her, she felt like a complete fool. Tears in her eyes, she turned to leave before she was spotted. I should see if he’ll let anything slip, she thought and so instead of leaving, she found a suitable hiding spot and listened to the men’s conversation.“I see today was a productive hunt day,” Edwin beamed, his voice ringing throughout the forest, “Present your prey.”It was only when the men moved to a secluded area within the vicinity that she noticed that it was teeming with dead animals. Her heartbeat quickened at the sight. She watched as the men picked their prey, returning to their spot. When the men were gathered in front of Edwin again, their catch in front of them, Edwin began to inspect. He stopped in front of the man she had seen earlier. Her heart clenching in her chest, she continued to listen in.“We have a clear winner,” he said, lifting the man’s hand and pulling him out of the crowd.“I hereby declare Sir Garret the winner of this year’s hunt. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to the pack,” Edwin continued.“It is my honour to serve you, sir,” the man bowed and the crowd applauded.Pack? This time Tiara knew she had heard right. Serve Edwin? Her brain was starting to piece the pieces of the puzzle together but she refused to accept it. It defied simple logic and she had never been one to chase after fairytales.When the applause subsided, the man returned to his position in the crowd Edwin was addressing.“Today has been excellent,” he continued, “it pleases me to see that everyone understands how crucial their roles are. Because of all of you, we have enough to survive the winter. Thank you all for your service,”The crowd beamed with pride. “Yes sir,” they chorus.“That would be all. Dismissed” Edwin said and the crowd began to disperse. Scared that she would get caught, Tiara fled the scene as quickly as she could. When she was sure she had put enough distance between Edwin and his men, she replayed everything she had just heard.What have I witnessed? Who exactly is Edwin Stone? Nothing made sense.