Magically Bound

Chapter four

Aurora’s POV

Mrs. Clemons was there alongside Madame Clarise, talking by one of the food stands that had been raised and filled with goods from the baker across town. Yes, this was such a marvelous event that nothing had been spared or taken lightly.

Mr. Peldridge who usually stood in the far corner of every event, hiding away from every eye that could look his way, was currently standing in the middle of the square, clearly way too excited, especially when thinking about how little he normally cared. The Benton couple were, as always, nicely dressed and stood beside the one and only person I knew I would spend my day avoiding.

However, my eyes kept scanning the crowd for one specific face and when I didn’t meet it, I sighed in relief.

“He is not here,” Nora whispered, reading my mind. “Mrs. Clemons assured me of that before I left yesterday.”

I only nodded in response. I hated that I had to hold my breath whenever he was around. I hated that one man could make me so scared and that one man could make me run for the hills.

Speaking about running…

“Oh, how fancy to see you here,” Charlotte snickered as she approached us. “And looking like a real woman too for once.”

I had not noticed when exactly she had left the Benton couple's side, but it wasn’t anything new. She could sneak off at any time during the day or night for that matter and she wouldn’t be noticed unless she wanted to. And knowing her, she didn’t want to make herself present before she was standing so close to us that we had no other choice but to stay there unless we wanted to be questioned about poor behavior. Which of course we did not.

“Oh, hush now Charlotte,” Nora snapped taking me back a bit. “And leave us be, thank you. There are no men around here anyway so why don’t you just walk back to your own side of the street?”

“That is no way to speak to me,” she exclaimed, faking a horrified look on her face. “Mind your manners!”

“We are actually trying to enjoy this day Charlotte, so I would appreciate it if you actually for once stopped talking and just listened,” she sighed, clearly about to lose her patience.

“You can’t be serious?” she gasped, putting her hand on her chest.

“As serious as a farmer late to the harvest,” she nodded.

“I have never-“

“No? That is a shame, now off you go.”

Nora had always been the one to put Charlotte in her place, but watching her personally shoo her off like that, and at an event like this, around a crowd like this who sucked up every inch of gossip they possibly could so they would have something to discuss over tea later… That was something I’d never forget.

“And that is how you do it,” she breathed as she turned back to me. “Easy right?”

Despite her clear tone and relatively calm appearance, I noticed how her eyes flickered around the crowd to see if anyone noticed more than necessary and I knew why. She was well respected and was to marry an even more respected man, so an outburst like that would not do her any good.

“You are going to hear for that,” I snickered.

“She deserved it,” she shrugged. “Besides, if I get some bad publicity then that might take the heat off of you for a second.”

“Funny,” I snorted. “You are funny.”

I could do nothing but shake my head at her. She had always had my back in more than one way, and this was nothing new. However, she only spoke up like this whenever truly necessary. All a man in this village wanted, was a respectful and beautiful wife who knew how to shut her mouth when the “grown-ups” were talking and from what I knew, her soon-to-be husband was no different.

“Is he not here?”

“No, he is currently away on business, to settle things before our wedding, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get to hear of what just happened.”

“He is good to you though, is he not?”

“He is,” she assured me. “But I’m sure he won’t appreciate his fiancée going around tormenting another villager.”

“Tormenting?” I huffed. “You set her straight. It’s not like you called her out on her nightly adventures in front of anyone. Not that it would matter because frankly, I don’t believe that there is a single soul in this village that doesn’t know about it already.”

“I believe that you are right about that,” she chuckled.

“Aren’t I always?”

“Most of the time,” she shrugged. “Don’t get too cocky now.”

I was about to answer her when my hand began stinging again.

“Ouch,” I mumbled and started to rub the sore place.

“What happened? Did something sting you?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “It happened yesterday too.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, my hand suddenly just started burning like a madman,” I frowned and began to look around. For what I wasn’t sure.

“You are telling me that the flame-shaped mark on your hand is burning?” she said sounding rather amused.

“Yeah, make fun of it why don’t you.”

“I’m sorry, I just find it highly ironic,” she whispered, trying to contain the laugh I could see was playing on her lips.

“That’s what I thought yesterday too so I do not blame you, however, I don’t understand why it keeps happening, I mean I have never experienced it before.”

“I-“ she didn’t get to say more as our attention was wanted elsewhere.

In the middle of the square, Mr. Benton had started to gather everyone’s attention to him by constantly clearing his throat.

“Dear god, it sounds like he is dying,” Nora whispered scrunching up her nose.

“He is so old that he actually might be,” I pointed out causing her to break into a fit of laughter which of cause caused some of our fellow folks to glare at us or tell us off.

I was so used to people staring at me that it in no way bothered me, but when I glanced over at Nora I could see her cheeks grow pink. She wasn't one to usually care either but I knew that she was slightly embarrassed for laughing at a time like this, especially because everyone had just quieted down to hear what Mr. Benton was about to say.

“I have gotten the immense honor of introducing our very important guest. We all know him through the many stories we have heard throughout time, as the man who has been ridding our world of those devilishly blood witches that have haunted our world for the past 200 years,” he began. “We are all so very honored of having him pass through our very own small village and as the wonderful townsfolks we are, we will welcome him with open arms and be ready to grant him whatever he wishes. Let’s give the blood hunter a hand, shall we?”

I was prepared to see an older man maybe in his fifties, someone who looked well put together and would wear an armor polished so much that you could see yourself in it like you could with the king's knights, but oh dear was I wrong.

I was very wrong and very unprepared and it wasn't until his eyes traveled over the people in the crowd and landed on mine that I realized two things.

One... I had for some reason been staring the man down with eyes filled with anything but the lust that most of the women in this town square had in their eyes and two... his eyes were roaming the crowd as if looking for something and when they locked with mine, his eyes narrowed into a thin line and a frown appeared on his face. He for some reason unknown to me clearly wasn't satisfied with my being there.