Chapter 3
1215 Words
Dallin stepped out of the shadows, and Esther threw herself into his arms. He kissed her warmly, pulling her tightly against him and inhaling the sweet scent of her.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered in her ear.
“And I you.”
He held her close, and she closed her eyes, leaning into his warmth and strength. His touch erased the strain of the day, and she finally felt at peace.
“Did I keep you?”
“No,” he shook his head. “My father was restless and took some time to fall asleep. I was worried that you would be alone, waiting for me in the woods.”
“For you, Dallin, I would wait an eternity.”
“As would I, my sweet.”
They kissed once more before Dallin led her further into the woods and through a thicket that led to a small clearing.
They were surrounded by closely growing trees on all sides, but the sky was open above them. The soft gray light illuminated their bodies as well as the ground before them. Dallin had spread a thick quilt on the ground before them.
Esther sat down, pulling Dallin down beside her.
She leaned against him, staring at the night sky and letting out the deepest sigh. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head gently before resting his cheek there.
Esther knew she didn’t need to speak, and that Dallin would just be there, at her side, with no explanation needed. But her mother’s words wore heavily on her, and she couldn’t hold the pain inside.
“Mother wishes to marry me off to a man in Bradenton. There is another, but this man has piqued her interest. No matter what I say, she just continues as if she’s doing me a favor.”
When Dallin didn’t say anything, Esther continued.
“Is it wrong of me that I would rather leave this world than marry a man I do not love?”
“No, of course not.”
“I know that I said before that I didn’t wish to run away, but Mother is leaving me with little option. My words fall on deaf ears, and my wishes do not matter to her. It’s like I’m simply a prize to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.”
Dallin weighed his words carefully before speaking, knowing that now was not the time for him to stumble over his explanation.
“I’ve almost saved up enough to run away.” She turned and looked at him, but he continued before he lost his nerve. “We could leave this place and find land of our own, as husband and wife. No one will know us, and we could live in peace.”
He turned to her, grabbing her hands in his and kissing each one.
“What do you say, my love? Shall we run away and find our happily ever after?”
Esther’s face fell a little, and Dallin held his breath, fearful of her answer.
“And what of the men who my father will surely send to retrieve me? Do you think they will just walk away when we tell them that we’re in love?”
“Then we’ll go further than the boundary of the kingdom, into lands where your family is completely unknown. If we must, we can live a nomadic life, moving from village to village after a time.”
“But for how long? Surely you don’t mean to live that way forever.”
“No one lives forever, My Love. But at some point, your father will call off the hounds and realize that he does not own you.”
“One would hope,” Esther sighed again and lay back, folding her hands behind her head and looking up at the sky forlornly.
“All the money a girl could want, and I can’t even buy my own freedom. How lovely it must be to live simply and not in the confines of class.”
Dallin propped himself on his elbow, staring down into her sweet face as she watched the sky above her head.
“We can live that life if you will just trust me. Or I can pay your father a portion for you; it matters not to me.” He stroked her face and smiled down at her. “I would move the heavens and earth to see you smile.”
She grabbed his collar, pulled him down onto her, and kissed him passionately. He hovered above her, his legs straddling hers. He tried to keep his body under control, but his erection was evident against her.
Esther giggled, and it was the sweetest sound. She bit her lip and looked at him, her expression quite wicked.
“Dallin Upchurch, show some restraint. I’m a timid virgin after all.”
She laughed at her own joke, grinding her pelvis into his through her heavy clothing.
“Foolish woman, you’re playing with fire. I can only control myself so much. I’m merely a man.”
His expression got serious, and he looked deep into her eyes. “I only want you to be happy, sweet Esther. If you don’t wish to run away, I will honor your heart, even if it breaks my own.” She reached up to him, cupped his cheek in her soft hand, and smiled at his kindness.
“Perhaps if you will rid me of this wretched virginity, then no one will want me and I’ll be free to marry for love.”
“And your father will have my head on a stake.”
A twig broke in the forest, no more than a few yards away from them. Dallin quickly rolled off her, pulled her and their blanket into the deep shadows of a low bush that grew at the base of a gnarled tree.
“I thought I heard something over here,” a man cried out from the other side of the thicket. He pushed around in the leaves, but didn’t walk through the dense brush.
Esther trembled in Dallin’s arms, but she was silent, holding her breath as well. After several harrowing moments, the man’s companion hollered at him to move on.
“We have a lot of ground to cover tonight and not a moment to waste on chasing ghosts. If there had been a vampire in that thicket, you’d be a dead man by now.”
The men were silent, but Dallin and Esther could hear their footsteps fading into the distance. Esther let out the breath she’d been holding and relaxed against Dallin.
“That was close,” he whispered into her ear, sending shivers up her spine. “You’d best get back before your mother awakens to find you gone.”
Esther groaned, but Dallin was right. They’d stolen their moment and nearly gotten caught in the process. With the entire town abuzz about the possibility of vampires finding their way this far south, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that Hannah may awaken and check on Esther in the middle of the night.
The entire town was on edge, and the villagers hadn’t slept soundly in a while
- Writer
