Chapter 251 - I'm Fine

Delaney didn't want Vincent to touch her but she couldn't get back up on the saddle without his help.  He laced his fingers to make a step for her and helped her up.  When he reached out to touch her arm she pulled it back.  He let his hand fall and looked away.

He took the reins and began forward, leading Frost.  Delaney stared hard at her husband's back as he walked.  As angry as she was with him she couldn't help admiring his figure as he moved.  He wasn't wearing a cloak like she was.  He was in black breeches that fit him perfectly, showing off every muscle.  His shirt hung loose with his bow and quiver of arrows slung across his back.  He wore his sword on his hip so it swayed as he walked.

Even now as he led the half-unicorn, his steps were somehow perfectly placed to cause only the slightest noise, if any.  His jet-black hair was tied back at the nape of his neck leaving the view of his face open when he turned one way or another.  She watched his green eyes flash as he scanned the woods around them for threats, ever alert.

The moment she had seen him shooting through the trees towards her earlier, even as angry as he had been, she had immediately felt safe.  Vincent would never let anything happen to her.  He would fight to protect her with every ounce of strength he had and she knew how strong he was.  Her husband was a powerful thing to behold.

A stab of pain shot through her heart.  He wasn't going to be her husband for much longer.  Not if he got his way.  Right now she didn't know if she wanted him to remain her husband anyway.  It broke her heart that he had lied to her and put up a sort of barrier between them.  It wasn't something small he had lied about.  It was their lives and their future.

By lying to her and hiding the fact he had learned they wouldn't be able to stay together he had taken something away from her.  He had taken away her chance to come to terms with it before everything was ripped away.  If she had known they wouldn't be able to have their life together after all maybe she would have spent these last months differently.

Even as she thought it she knew it wasn't true.  Her last months with her husband had been wonderful.  They were as happy together as they had been during their time alone at the ocean house.  They had been as happy as all of their best times in the last year.

No... Maybe she wouldn't have changed anything about their time together... But she would have made sure to treasure every moment of it even more.

-

Vincent didn't pause when they came to the cold stream and led Frost right through it.  He and Delaney had been traveling in silence but now as she watched him she was beginning to worry.  His leg was very clearly bothering him.  His limp was growing worse as they traveled and she hated to see him in pain.  She had no idea how far from Edgewood they were.

"Why didn't you ride a horse?" she asked then, "Why come on foot?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her for only a moment before turning away again.

"I didn't know that I would be able to find my way on a horse... And the brush gets thick so I would be able to move easier on my own."

"And it's quieter?"

"Yes... And it's quieter."

Delaney frowned.  He had told her on their first walk through the woods at night that they should try to stay quiet and not draw too much attention to themselves.

"You weren't very worried about being quiet earlier when you were angry and shouting at me."

Vincent frowned and glanced at her again.

"I had been running through the woods in a panic that you would be dead when I found you.  I was very angry when I found you after I had made sure you were alright.  It was incredibly stupid for you to travel through these woods alone.  Especially at night."

"It was incredibly stupid of you to push yourself like that instead of just riding a horse.  Now you're in pain."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine," she argued, "I can see that your leg is hurting you.  It seems like it might be hurting rather badly."

"You don't need to worry about me," he grumbled, "I'm fine.  It's not very bad."

"I don't believe you," she countered and then couldn't stop herself from adding, "Are you going to continue to lie to me now?"

His eyes shot daggers when he looked back at her, "Stop it."

Delaney crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.  He turned to look forward again and she was quiet.  On the one hand, it served him right for lying to her that he now had to walk all the way home on a sore leg.  On the other hand, she loved him with her whole being and it was causing her heart to ache to see him in pain.

"Vincent, why don't you just ride on Frost for a while?  It will give your leg a break."

"I'm fine," he said although she could see sweat beginning to form on his brow from the effort and his muscles in his jaw were working as he tried to push back down the pain.

"You're lying," she said coldly, "Why don't you just ride Frost?  I'll walk for a while."

He glared at her in annoyance, "I'm not going to ride while my wife walks.  I'll be fine."

The trees were getting thicker here and she watched him slowly navigate around them, stepping over the roots peeking out of the ground.

"I'm not going to be your wife much longer remember," she knew she was being hurtful but she couldn't stop herself.  She was still so angry with him.

"Stop it, Delaney," he said, his breaths coming in sort of little gasps.

"I'm telling the truth, Vincent.  You may prefer lying but I don't..."

"Stop it."

"I don't lie and I won't go along with your lies.  I wouldn't lie to you and hurt you like that."

"Delaney stop!"

He shouted the words and turned back to glare at her but at the same time, he had been lifting his bad leg to take a step.  Distracted, he didn't see the tree root sticking out of the ground.  His eyes went from angry to scared as he twisted in the air and fell hard to the ground.

"Oh God Vincent!" Delaney gasped and immediately jumped down from Frost's saddle, landing on the uneven ground and falling forward herself.  She caught herself against a tree, cutting up her palms, but managed to steady herself.  She hurried to him and dropped down to kneel beside him.

"Are you alright?"

Her husband lay on the ground with his eyes closed and his face twisted in pain.  He gritted his teeth against it and groaned loudly as he worked to roll over until he was laying on his back.  Sweat was slipping over his face mixing with dirt as he reached out with trembling hands towards his bad leg.  His marks were all back to being a firey red now and even without touching him, Delaney could feel the heat coming from him.  She bit her lip and looked over him in worry.

"I'm going to be fine," he answered although his voice was hoarse-sounding.

They both stayed still for a time and Delaney imagined he was waiting for the pain of falling to ease off.  At last, he slowly began to move and get himself up off the ground without her help.  When he was finally upright he leaned his back against a tree, letting it support his weight.

He looked down at Delaney and held his hand out to her.  So distracted by the pain he was in, she actually took it and let him help her to her feet.  When he let go of her hand he looked down at his own and fear passed over his face.

"Delaney you're bleeding."

"Just my palms," she assured him, holding them up so he could see them, "Now will you please get on Frost so we can hurry home and Harris can clean them up?"

"I... I told you, Delaney.  I'm not going to ride while you walk.  No matter what our future holds, you're my wife now.  I won't do it.  I will only ride if you will join me."

She frowned and crossed her arms.  As little as she wanted him to touch her, she wanted to see him in pain even less.  At last she nodded, giving in.

Relief passed over Vincent's face and he helped her up into the saddle before taking a place behind her.  She felt the comforting warmth of his chest against her back and his strong arms wrapped around her.

As they rode on towards their home, she felt her heart aching again and tears spill down her cheeks.  Having him close like this made her so happy but it made her heart ache as well.

It hurt to be so close to someone she loved so deeply knowing he was going to be taken away from her.