Tagan's Child Read online

  “Hello Ahran,” I said, unable to hide my sarcasm. “No, I haven’t heard anything. You obviously aren’t familiar with English hospitals; it’s customary not to tell anyone anything for hours on end.”

  “Come on,” he said, taking my elbow and it felt like I was being frogmarched through the hospital. Pulling my arm away from him, I stole a sideways glance at his profile and noticed the muscle at his jaw flexing. He seemed really pissed off. I started to seethe. Who the hell did he think he was? I was just beginning to get my life sorted out and then he turned up and it had all started to unravel again. Self-pity began to mingle with anger. I hadn’t asked for any of this, all I’d done was try to establish a more settled life and do what was right for Toby. I did my best to demonstrate my annoyance whilst we walked, although frankly this was difficult as I struggled to keep up with his pace.

  I tried not to notice the female attention Ahran’s presence attracted in the waiting room at A&E. As we approached the reception desk, the receptionist looked at me, then at Ahran, and then back to me. I got the distinct impression she disapproved of me. Ahran’s leather jacket creaked as he leant forward and I got a waft of aftershave, leather and that smell of the sun again. It was a distracting combination of scents and I took a step away. He started to ask about Audrey and was being so charming and polite. On the two occasions we had met he had been positively hostile. My annoyance increased. A nurse had joined the receptionist and they were both now fawning over him. I used the excuse of getting another cup of coffee to distance myself. Some women were so transparent.

  I got my coffee and sat down. Another nurse had joined the merry twosome at the reception desk, drawn to Ahran like bees to a honey pot. Fawning nurse #1 gave Ahran a dazzling smile and went through the double doors they had taken Audrey through several hours earlier, whilst fawning nurse #2 continued to fawn with the fawning receptionist. I turned away in disgust.

  It couldn’t have been more than three minutes when the nurse came back through with the registrar. How did he do it? Ahran gesticulated towards me and he and the registrar came to where I was sitting, leaving the three fawners to admire Ahran’s tidy behind. I couldn’t believe I had been there nearly three hours and had heard nothing, and yet Ahran had managed to get the head honcho to come out in under three minutes. The registrar was laughing at something Ahran had said as they approached me.

  The doctor’s face turned more serious. “Miss McAllister, sorry you have had to wait so long, my team have been working hard to stabilise Ms Goodfellow. She has several cracked ribs, a broken wrist, severe concussion and we think she’s suffered a stroke, probably brought on by the trauma of the attack.”

  “Oh my God,” I said quietly, my hand covering my mouth in shock.

  “We can’t be certain about the extent to which the stroke will have affected her but she should make a complete recovery from her other injuries,” he continued.

  “Can I see her?” I croaked, my mouth suddenly feeling parched.

  “Not tonight I’m afraid. Ms Goodfellow has been moved into intensive care so that she can be closely monitored, she is heavily sedated.”

  I wasn’t sure what I had expected to hear, but Audrey’s condition sounded bleaker than I had feared. I stifled a sob. Ahran stepped forward and put his arm around me, I was grateful for the support.

  “Why don’t you go home and get some rest and give us a call in the morning?” the registrar suggested.

  I nodded barely able to see the doctor through my tears. He gave me a sympathetic smile.

  “Thank you,” I said. He gave a curt nod in response and headed back towards the emergency room.

  I turned and sobbed into Ahran’s chest. I felt him tense and then he put his arms around me. His embrace was reassuring and I forgave his previous abruptness just a fraction as I welcomed his sympathy.

  “Come on, let’s get you home,” he said gently. It was the nicest he had been to me.

  I allowed him to steer me out of the hospital. It was bitingly cold outside and in stark contrast to the hot dry air of the hospital. I took a couple of deep breaths welcoming the cold burn of it again. We silently made our way to Ahran’s car. I sat in the passenger’s seat and let my head fall back onto the headrest, the leather seat felt cold. Ahran made his way around to the driver’s door. I took in a deep breath, the car smelt of him. I closed my eyes and allowed the events of the evening to sink in.

  Ahran started the engine and the warmth of the heated seat began to seep through my jeans.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, the glow of the orange street lamp overhead casting a funny light into the car.

  “I feel a bit better now I’ve come outside,” I replied, turning to look at him.

  “You’ll feel better once you’ve had some sleep.” He had an odd look on his face. It was a mixture of sympathy and puzzlement.

  I glanced at the clock on the dashboard, it was gone ten. It seemed very quiet and intimate in the car compared to the noise and bustle of the hospital. “Ahran, I want to thank you. You didn’t have to come to the hospital and I don’t know what you said to those nurses but it had the desired effect.”

  Ahran gave me a lop-sided grin, it was the first time I had seen him smile and it did funny things to my insides. I struggled to tear my eyes away from his. I really didn’t want to dwell on my reaction to his smile. I was tired, I’d had a traumatic evening and my guard was down, that was all.

  “It was the least I could do, if I had been more vigilant I could have prevented your friend from being attacked. At least now we know that Bazeera means business and we cannot take any chances. I want you to seriously consider coming to stay with my family, it is the only way we can assure the safety of you both.”

  I knew this evening had left me with little choice and I felt despair wash over me. Toby and I would be safe from Bazeera if we stayed with Ahran’s family, but I was also painfully aware that Toby was heir to a large and wealthy kingdom, they would not let go of him easily.

  “Can we talk about this in the morning?” I asked.

  Ahran hesitated as if he wanted to say more, but instead he just nodded and reversed the car before pulling out of the car park. He drove fast and I willed myself not to look at the speed dial preferring not to know what breakneck speed we were travelling at. A couple of times I looked over at his profile, he was deep in thought. All I hoped was that he was concentrating on the road. Nevertheless, I was thankful for his silence. I was surprised by how comfortable I felt with him. I usually felt the need to say whatever inane thought came into my head with people I’d only just met, I didn’t like uncomfortable silences, but for some reason I didn’t feel like this with him. Maybe it was because he hadn’t gone out of his way to be too friendly with me. I wasn’t sure, but I was happy to be left alone with my thoughts.

  We got back to the house in record time. Ahran parked behind my Land Rover in front of the garage. I couldn’t have been more pleased to see the welcoming glow of my porch light. All I could think about now was my bed.

  “Thanks for driving me back,” I said, daring to look into his eyes. Why did I find them so hypnotising?

  “It was the least I could do,” he replied.

  I went to get out of the car.

  “If I could change any of this I would.”

  I turned back to look at him. He hadn’t made any attempt to move and I wasn’t sure what he was referring to exactly.

  He held my gaze but didn’t elaborate any further. Suddenly the atmosphere between us changed. It no longer felt so easy going and comfortable.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said, clearing my throat and got out of the car.

  Ahran joined me on the garden path and we walked to the front door. A woman was standing under the porch waiting for us. Where had she come from? She was absolutely stunning. She had short blonde, spikey hair, delicate features and must have been at least six feet tall.

  Chapter 6

  Ahran spoke to the woman in a language I
wasn’t familiar with.

  “This is my sister, Elaya,” he said, making the introductions. She didn’t look anything like the American female wrestler I had imagined. The Elessar family obviously had good genes. “Elaya, Sophie McAllister.”

  She offered me her hand. “Hello Sophie.” Her voice was slightly husky and more heavily accented than Ahran’s. Her handshake was extremely firm and she eyed me curiously.

  “How is your friend?” she asked.

  “Not great. She’s in intensive care.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Thanks. Let’s go in, it’s cold.” They were both making me nervous and I scrabbled around in my bag for my keys. “Aha! Here they are,” I said awkwardly.

  The house felt warm and I closed the door against the biting cold. “Can I take your coats?” I offered. They both handed me their jackets and I hung them up with mine.

  Sandie came and stood in the kitchen doorway. “Hi,” she said, looking at Ahran and Elaya with a confused expression on her face. She clearly recognised Ahran. She had been right, he wasn’t easy to forget.

  “Hi Sandie, this is Ahran and Elaya Elessar. They are, er, friends of mine.”

  “Hello, nice to meet you,” she said, looking even more confused but was too polite to say anything.

  They shook her hand but didn’t respond. Sandie looked uncomfortable and blushed. Being in their presence was a little disquieting.

  “How’s Toby?” I asked.

  “He’s fine; he went out like a light as usual. How’s Audrey?” she asked.

  “Not great, we should know more in the morning.”

  “Poor Audes,” Sandie said sympathetically. “Will you let me know how she is?”

  “Yes of course. Thank you for helping me out at such short notice.” I took a twenty pound note out of my purse and held it out to her. “I really appreciate it.”

  “No problem, any time,” she said, shaking her head at the money. “Don’t worry about it, I’m just happy I was able to help out.”

  Dan came and joined her.

  “This is Dan, Sandie’s boyfriend,” I said introducing him to Ahran and Elaya. They both nodded.

  “Ok, well, we’ll be off then,” Sandie said. The small hallway was suddenly very crowded.

  “Go through,” I said to my guests. I turned back to Sandie and Dan. “Thanks again,” I said seeing them out. I took a deep breath and returned to the kitchen where Ahran and Elaya were waiting. They were having a hushed conversation which came to an abrupt halt when I entered the kitchen.

  “Would you like a tea or coffee?” I asked.

  “No, thank you,” Elaya replied.

  “Not for me,” Ahran said.

  I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. I doubted whether they would leave Toby and me on our own now, and to be frank I didn’t want to be left alone after Audrey’s violent attack.

  “You are both very welcome to stay the night,” I offered, trying to make them feel more at ease.

  They exchanged a few words. Ahran answered. “Thank you but Elaya will go home, I will stay. From now on, one of us will be with you at all times until you and Toby can come and stay with our family.”

  I couldn’t help but feel a little irritated that the decision had been taken out of my hands.

  “Goodbye Sophie,” Elaya said, shaking my hand again. “I hope you and your nephew are able to return with us soon, it is not safe for you here.”

  “Yes, so it would seem,” I replied.

  Elaya’s expression softened a little.

  “It was nice meeting you. Oh and thank you for your help,” I said.

  She acknowledged my gratitude with a nod and a smile. She really was beautiful, I felt decidedly plain stood next to them both.

  Elaya and Ahran exchanged a few more words and Elaya left.

  “Well, I need to go to bed,” I announced.

  Ahran looked as if he was contemplating what to say next. He took a deep breath. “There is more I need to tell you.”

  “Can’t it wait until the morning?” I said, stifling a yawn, but the expression on his face began to ring alarm bells and my curiosity got the better of me. “What is it?”

  “You have to promise that what I am about to tell you, you will keep to yourself, because if you don’t, we will have far worse problems on our hands than the ones we already have. Please don’t even tell Toby, he will know soon enough.”

  I sat down at the kitchen table. What could it possibly be? I wasn’t sure I could take much more.

  He seemed to be taking his time to choose his words carefully as he pulled out a chair for himself. “I am from a place called Ramia.”

  I had never been any good at Geography so I wasn’t particularly surprised when I didn’t recognise the name.

  “I’ve never heard of it, where is it?”

  “You wouldn’t have heard of it because it isn’t exactly in this world,” he said carefully, watching for my reaction.

  I shook my head slightly feeling confused. “What do you mean it isn’t exactly in this world?”

  “The place I am from is...not on this planet.”

  I struggled to suppress a laugh and made a funny snorting noise in the back of my throat instead.

  He ignored me and continued straight faced. “My world is in a parallel universe,” he said slowly.

  “Riiight, so you are some kind of Dr Who Time Lord?” I said, nodding slowly. The man had gone mad.

  Ahran looked offended. “No, not at all, Dr Who is a character in science fiction and as far as I’m aware you can’t travel through time, but you can travel between universes,” he confirmed.

  There wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face. He really was serious. Oh. My. God. I was dealing with a nutcase. Why did I let him and Bennie convince me that what he had told me was the truth? Audrey wasn’t beaten up by someone who was after me, it had been a coincidence. Oh hell! What if it wasn’t a coincidence? What if he had beaten Audrey up in order to gain my confidence? I’d been a complete idiot. I had started to believe this elaborate ruse and now I had let this psychopath into my home.

  I felt sick and shaky as I stood up.

  “Well Ahran, that’s fascinating, but it really is getting late, thanks for picking me up from the hospital, there really is no need for you to stay I’m sure we will be fine. How about I call you in the morning?” I said with forced cheeriness. “Let me show you out.” I started to walk towards the front door in the hope he would follow me, frantically looking for something I could defend myself with. When I realised he hadn’t moved I dived into the lounge searching for anything that would serve as a weapon, my breathing came hard and fast as the panic set in. I caught sight of the cast iron companion set stood next to the log burner. I lunged forward and grabbed the fire poker.

  “Sophie?”

  Ahran’s voice came from behind me.

  I spun around wielding the poker. “Don’t you dare come near me or I swear I’ll stab you with this.” I was aware he had a distinct height and strength advantage and I probably didn’t stand a chance, but I was prepared to die trying anyway.

  “Sophie, don’t be ridiculous, I’m not going to hurt you.” He raised his hands as if he was placating someone who was about to do something very stupid.

  I moved forward waving the poker from right to left and back again. “Get out of my house,” I said as menacingly as I could.

  “Sophie, calm down. I know what I have just said is difficult to believe but I swear it’s the truth.” He took a step towards me.

  It was now or never and I charged at him growling like a woman possessed. I didn’t care, I wasn’t going down without a fight. But before I knew what had happened, Ahran had grabbed the poker, bent it in half, clamped my hands behind my back, spun me around and pulled me off balance, which caused me to slam back against his chest and the air to leave my lungs in a rush.

  “You bastard!” I said through gritted teeth. “If you touch one hair on Toby’s head I will ki
ll you,” I threatened. I struggled to break free but he held me firmly. I aimed a backwards kick at his shin and made perfect contact.

  “Ah!” His grip loosened slightly. “You are stronger than you look,” he said with a hint of admiration in his voice.

  I struggled but it made no difference. Negotiation was the only thing I had left in my rather pathetic armoury.

  “Look,” I said. “If it’s money you’re after, I can get money, just please don’t hurt the boy.” I was starting to feel desperate; I didn’t care if I was harmed. “Please don’t hurt Toby.” My voice broke.

  Ahran released my hands and turned me around. I found myself sobbing into his chest, for the second time that night.

  “Please believe me Sophie, I have no intention of hurting you or Toby, I’ve been sent here to protect you.”

  I pulled back and looked up into his face, his expression was wary. “Then what are you?” I said in a quiet voice, taking a step backward. Ahran hesitated, obviously testing the water to see if I was going to lash out at him again. When he seemed satisfied that I had calmed down enough not to go in for a second strike, he relaxed.

  “Sit down,” he said.

  Suddenly, I felt too exhausted to argue and did as he said. He came and sat in the chair opposite me.

  “I’m different to you,” he explained.

  What did he mean different? He looked like any normal human being, okay, not normal, his looks were extraordinary but he had the usual outward attributes of a human being.

  “Like some kind of alien?” I asked. Was I really having this conversation?

  Ahran frowned. “No, I am human but I have certain...advantages.”

  I looked at the bent poker lying on the floor. “Well, you’re strong, I’ll give you that,” I said, eying the mangled piece of metal.

  “Strength is one of them,” he confirmed.

  I thought back over the last few minutes. “And fast,” I added.

  “Much faster than any athlete. I also have heightened senses: sight; smell; hearing and taste.”

  “So you are some kind of superhuman?” Now that my fear had subsided, my interest increased.