Savior by Eli Harlow Read Free Book Online Page B

“Please excuse me for one moment.” She leapt to her feet and quickly disappeared into the bedroom. After some rustling Alyssa emerged with a small package wrapped in a fine blue cloth. She handed it to him and sat down gracefully. She had never given a human a present and so she wondered if it would be okay. Alyssa ran her fingers through her hair and undid the loose string holding it together. Her curls cascaded down her shoulders and she giggled as they bounced against her skin.
                  Marcus removed the blue covering to reveal two books, one with a faded red cover and the other with a green one. The title of the red book, Le Morte Del Evannia, was written in delicate silver script.
                  The other book with that looked as if it had been made of the green of the forest itself was titled, El Damine Erectus. He cradled the books softly in his hands, “Ah you must have paid a visit to Carl, he is a very nice fellow but a bit strange at times. I have been waiting a long time for these books, the red one tells of the death of a dark emperor at the hands of the elves, the green book speaks of the origin of the elvish people.” He thanked her for the wonderful present and placed the books upon the edge of the table. Questions concerning Alyssa’s past whirled though his mind, though he had decided to stay his inquiries for the time being.
                  She nodded and smiled happily. “Who was the woman in the blue dress that was watching you?” she said as she looked into the glowing flame of a nearby torch. Her eyes became wide and she covered her mouth. “I…I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Alyssa quickly looked away and readied herself for the punishment that was sure to follow such an outburst. She had no right to ask such a personal question of her host. Ruben used a belt when she had spoken out of turn; she wondered what Marcus would do.
                  Marcus formulated the answer to her question in his mind but before speaking he realized the look of terror in her beautiful eyes. By her apology he assumed that she thought the question was too forward, but did not quite understand why she appeared to be so scared. He took one of her delicate hands and placed it between his as he smiled sweetly at her. He could feel her soft fingers trembling and looked up to see a small tear trickle down her cheek.
                  “Please Alyssa, do not be afraid of me, I have sworn never to hurt you and I fully intend to uphold my vow.” He released her and hand rose from his chair to walk behind the little angel and laid his hands upon her shoulders. He could feel her try to flinch away from him and released his gentle touch and retook his seat.
                  “I know it must be very hard for you to trust that the last thing I’d ever want to do would be to hurt you, though I hope you can come to see it someday Alyssa. Anyway, to answer your question she was simply a minor noble with a foolish fancy.” With that he took up the used dishes upon the table and brought them into the kitchen to be washed.
                 

Chapter Four
 
                  Alyssa abruptly rose from her seat and walked into the bedroom. She grabbed her cloak and ran out of the house as fast as her legs would carry her. She wrapped her cloak around her body and found herself racing to the forest, her heart pounding in her ears. Her legs felt numb as she ran through the cold river. Soon though the water was up to her hips and she had to swim across. The muddy bank fell away beneath her feet as she pulled herself out of the river. Branches and leaves whipped across her face as she continued running deeper into the forest. In the darkness that surrounded her though she finally fell to her knees and slumped wearily against a tree. Her breath came in short gasps and her body trembled in the bitter cold