Rebirth

10. Spirit

But how did Odelina come by Genevieve's necklace? She was already buried when he had died since she had been nothing but a box of old bones when he pulled her from the earth. How could she possibly have gone to retrieve it?

His mind was swimming with questions and possibilities of what exactly was going on but his knowledge of the situation was much too vague to arrive at any realistic conclusions. He needed to speak with Baltazaar since it was evident that knew more than he was letting on. The situation had grown more grave and he needed answers.

"What does your brother keep in his dungeon? I went there once and a prisoner told be about a wolf. Is it anything like the beast I fought?" Elias asked.

"I did not get a proper view of the beast but I did glimpse it one night when I followed him into the woods behind the castle. It was terrifying. It was the reason I tried to run away... among other things" Emma told him.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised as she remembered the night she decidedly she wanted the leave the castle.

"This prophecy does not sit well with me" Elias admitted.

"Peace will reign through betrayal" he recited. "Just who will be betrayed?" Elias said to no one in particular. "Why does this prophecy seem so specific?"

Emma was quiet as she watched him. Though he raised some valid points in his concerns, she ignored it all as she admired his bare chest.

"I must go, Emma. Keep the grimoire and the scrolls from prying eyes. Do not let anyone else know of this" Elias said as he donned his boots. His black, silk shirt was torn to shreds, so he had no choice to but to wear only his jacquard jacket.

"No, please do not leave as yet" Emma begged, snapping out of her lustful gaze. She rose from her seat to face him, taking his right hand.

She had placed her hand on his thigh when he sat in her bed, but he had thought nothing of it as his mind was riddled with other issues. Now, here she was touching him once more. He glanced down at their joining hands before looking at her.

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"I would like to say something else" she said as she dropped her gaze to her bare feet.

He noticed the sheerness of her night gown and that her teat was visible through the thin material. The curves of her body was neatly accentuated by the tight fitting piece of clothing. Her heart pounded clamorously as she held on to him.

She was nervous, and it took a moment for him to realize that he too was experiencing the same emotion.

He ran a hand over the silver necklace he had made for Genevieve, ignoring the burn of the metal against his skin.

"I'm taking this" he said softly, using his other hand to unlock it from her neck. He then placed it into the inner pockets of his jacket, his eyes never leaving hers as she gazed up at him.

He then gently caressed her bare neck, letting his hand linger over her pulse. He could not help imagining himself being lost in her neck whilst simultaneously being lost in her.

He tensed when his body began to react to his lascivious desires. It was a normal biological reaction, but he had not experienced it in 7 years, so he was surprised that he actually still had the ability.

He withdrew his hand from her neck, parting with her as he sped over to the door.

"We have time" he said simply. Without looking at her, he left her alone to her own thoughts.

Emma sighed as she sat on her bed. She had only been 15 years of age when she had first met Elias. She thought he was handsome in a rugged way as he confronted her in the Marewood market for her petty theft. At the time, she wished her life was simple enough to deserve a simple man like him. So for seven years, she thought of the stranger she had stolen from.