Chapter 10

I went ahead and put my long hair up in a bun with a braid, hanging in front of each of my ears. I wore my Father's Templar cross necklace, and a pair of sapphire earrings. I wore a black dress with accents of red with my beige heels. I have never been so nervous about having someone over to the house in a long, long time.

As I looked out my attic window to the path I took whenever I headed into town, I saw my brother and sister with Shay and, to my surprise, Gist. Artemis, who was on the balcony, chattered happily and paced back and forth.

I could just barely hear my brother say, "Gentlemen, welcome to our homestead." I shrunk back inside my attic when I saw Shay look up at the top of the house where my window was. I felt myself trembling and wobbling at the ankles. Just calm down, Ellie; he's just a man, albeit a handsome one at that.

Just then, I heard a barrage of footsteps followed by the door opening and a boisterous commotion. I hurried out of my attic room, went down the stairs to second floor and saw the living room, overflowing with our staff, my siblings, and Shay and Gist with their backs to the staircase.

"A pleasure to meet you at last, Master Cormac." My butler complimented. "I am Geoffrey, this is my wife, Dorothea. Next to you are our stablehands, Mr. Anton and Mr. Gideon. And next to me is our cook, William. We are all very pleased to meet you at last. Our lady of the house has told us so much about you. And who is your plus one, if you don't mind?"

"This is Christopher Gist, an old friend and my first mate." Shay said. "I hope you don't mind my bringing him here to your home."

"Not at all, Mister Cormac," Dorothea said. ""Any friend of Elizabythe's is a friend of ours. Miss Freya's made sure that you had a great feast, Captain."

Shay smiled. "How much did my lass tell you about me?"

"Enough for us to get an ear-full."

"Dory, behave." Geoffrey muttered.

"So, we still have some things to do for dinner tonight, so just make yourselves at home. Call me or my wife should you require anything."

"Miss Freya has invited you both to stay with us during your stay here in New York." Dorothea said to Shay and Gist.

"Well, I must say," Gist said this loud enough to echo. "The lady sure know how to look after company."

"Of course she does," Geoffrey said. "She had to learn it from her Father. She never really enjoyed party-planning, that is Seraphine's forte."

"So, Mister Gist, how about you and me take our horses out for a little walk?" Seraphine was always the straight-shooter. She set her sights on someone and she never stops. She takes the gloves off, strutting her stuff and using her more seductive charm to leave a man weak in the knees.

"Oh, that's not fair; how can I say 'no' to a lovely lady like yourself?"

"You can't, Mister Gist." Sera said, grabbing his loose necktie. "Follow me."

Shay chuckled at Sera's flirting with Gist. "Have fun, Master Gist…That's an order." Gist laughed at him.

"Yes, sir!"

As he said his goodbyes to his friend who was swept away by my sister, I saw him turn his body to leave, so I quietly rushed back into my room. UGH, why? Why am I panicking so much?! Just calm down. Like they all said, how dangerous could it be? I was at home, safe and sound. I had the whole rest of my family here. I was the happiest I've ever been in my life. Why is it so hard to let my guard down in front of Shay Cormac?

I was almost done, consoling myself and trying to calm down when I heard Shay's footsteps, scurrying upstairs, down the hallway and stopped at my stairs.

"Elizabythe?"

"I'm here, Shay," I said, walking away from my window and looking to see Shay finish ascending the stairs.

Here's your chance. Lower your walls. Just go over and hug him. Kiss him. Do something, dammit!

As I heard his footsteps get closer, they stopped. He must be right behind me. I sighed and turned around to face him. I know I must've looked distressed and panicked. My whole body was trembling , my eyes were starting to form tears and my throat was shutting up tighter than an oyster.

Shay closed the 3-foot gap between us and brushes away my tears with his thumbs. "What's wrong, Elizabythe?"

"I have noticed…something diff'rent about you, Shay. Your constant smiling, your overly mushy compliments, you…being so close to me…the lengths you've gone to just to see me. I've never had someone make that kind of effort in…a long time. My relationships were short-lived. And unrequited. Yearning for someone to love, but not having those same intimate feelings given back, I-I'm scared of what will happen to us if…if you did want to be with me. Unless, you have changed your mind about us-"

"NO!" Shay nearly said it in a yell, then he sighed. "No, Elizabythe. My feelings for you have not vanished. I do want to be with you. I want to be close to you, if you'll let me."

"W-what d'you mean, 'if'?"

Shay brought me in closer, wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me so that his mouth was next to my ear. "Your scared of being rejected. Scared of change, something bad happening. Believe me, lass, I'm just as scared as you are. But, I'm here now. You can let go of your fear. You mean a lot to me, that's something that will never change…Remember that."

"Shay…?"

"Yes…"

"I can't describe the feelings I have for you. I can barely find the words for them myself, unless I ask-"

"Ask me what?" He pulled his head back to face me again.

"All I ask if for you to be honest. Tell me the truth, and mean it."

"Elizabythe….?"

"Tell me how you really feel about the kiss we shared."

"I felt…relief. I had been waiting to do it for a long time, but I couldn't find the right time. But that kiss, it….it left me wanting more. More of you….I apologize for forcing you to kiss me. It was disrespectful and I'm sorry. I did not mean to pressure you."

"Thank you…Shay."

I felt his left arm shift up and his hand on the side of my neck. "Elizabythe?"

Shay seemed like he was unsure, like he wanted to ask me something. But I soon saw what was the matter. He was at a loss for words. He was moistening his lips. He wants me to kiss him again. Just lower your guard, listen to your heart. Let your emotions take over….

I leaned in and pressed my lips firmly to his, holding myself up with my arms around his neck. I heard Shay moan as his tension subsided. I kissed him, over and over again as much as I could; Shay followed suit and turned me against the wall, pressing his warm hands into my neck and waist. I slowed down more and more until I forced myself to part from his lips.

Shay was in complete awe. "You…kissed me."

"That is what you wanted…right?"

"More than anything…."

Only one word came to mind as he told me this.It cannot be. Is this really what I feel for him? Go on, Ellie. Just say it.

"Shay….I love you…"

My panic slowly started to come back again with every second I stood in complete silence.

"Elizabythe…." He mumbled and leaned in towards my ear again. "I love you, too."

I snapped my head up and stared at him in shock. It felt like I had lost my voice. I felt my face get warm and burst into tears again.

As he pulled me in for another passionate kiss, I felt him move me away from the wall and lift me up onto my attic window's shelf. Now I was at eye level and sitting upright as he lead this passionate kiss. I felt his lips part from mine as he leaned down and began to kiss my neck. I felt the kissing stop when he got past my neck. He turned his head and placed his ear on my chest, then looked up at me. I was breathless, shaking like a leaf.

"Your heart's racing like a horse." Shay said.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'll be okay."

Suddenly, I heard the shuffling of plates and wine glasses.

"Sounds like supper's ready." I said.

"Then let's not keep them waiting for us." Shay picked me up in his arms and walked down the stairs. I saw the others gathering in the kitchen but I didn't see Sera or Gist, until I heard the front door.

"That was a beautiful trail, Sera."

"One of my favorites," Sera said, then she turned and saw Shay and I walking hand in hand. "Well, Gist, it looks like weren't the only lovebirds spending time together."

"Sera, don't start with me."

"Too late, I just did."

"Seraphine, don't be nosy." Hunter said. "C'mon, we have to get the food set out in the dining room."

"Oh, fine; I'm coming!" Sera gave Gist a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll talk a little bit later." She then winked at him.

I saw Gist smile and chuckle under his breath, turning his face away. He was blushing.

"She is a bit of a handful, huh?"

"She's a very pretty woman. So confident, brave, fiery…but also has a big heart. Sera is just…unbelievable."

"Well, everyone, supper is finally ready!" Geoffrey announced as the 3 of us walked through the living room and across to the dining room.

As we all took a seat, I saw that William had made roasted turkey, corn on the cob, greens, toasted bread, carrots and roasted potatoes with herbs and spices. Glasses of wine were poured for us as we all conversed and ate our savory feast. Shay talked about how he acquired the Morrigan Captain Louis-Joseph's ship was stolen and his men stranded. He then brought up what had happened to the Assassin Order he used to be a part of and why he was now busy hunting them down. I had told my family what had happened after I was left for dead and I woke up in Shay Cormac's quarters on his ship. He mentioned how he gave up a chunk of his captain duties to watch over me and make sure I was warming up and getting better.

"You are a very attentive and sensitive, young man," Dorothea said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Steele."

"So, Hunter, have you heard of the possible whereabouts of my ship and James?" I asked him.

"Not a thing, Ellie. I nearly had him one night a few months ago. I saw him in a pub and gave chase until the bastard shot me in my leg. I haven't heard about him or seen the ship since then."

"Luckily, this all happened just near my bookshop," Sera said. "So I helped get him to a doctor."

"Oh, Miss Freya, why don't you tell Shay about your bet you made with Mr. Anton awhile back?" Timothy said.

"Oh, good God." I saw Shay laugh slightly at my discomfort. "I challenged him to a game of cards. If I won, he had to give up his bottle of spiced rum, aged 15 years. Worth a pretty penny. If he won, he and Timothy could take 2 weeks off from work and I would do their duties. After playing three games, I emerged victorious."

"I only showed you how to play poker twice," Anton said. "You just happened to pull a good pair of cards from the deck. That was just luck."

"I make my own luck, Samuel." I told him.

"AHA!" Gist exclaimed. "You too are perfect for each other!"

"I am sorry…?" I excused myself.

"Shay says that, too." Gist said. "Doesn't 'get lucky'. He makes his own luck, don't 'ya Shay?'

"That's right, I do."

"Only downside was I ended up passing out after only 3 shots of that rum."

"You were only 18, sis." Sera said. "You had zero tolerance for it."

"Father was quick to fix that little problem." I said.

After our fruit and specially made dutch apple and pumpkin pie was brought out for dessert, our cook spoke up. "So, Master Cormac, Mister Gist, how long will you two gentleman be staying in New York for?" William asked.

"I'm taking a break from my work to spend my time with Elizabythe." Shay said without hesitation. "I've done a lot of work these past few months. So I figured I'd give everyone a chance to get a good rest before I leave again."

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Dorothea commented.

"Sounds like old Allistair, doesn't it?" Gideon asked.

"Sure does, Tim." Anton said. "He always made time for his family, not matter how busy he was. His priorities came first, Shay; family above all others. Emilly made sure of that."

"I sailed with Father more than Sera or Hunter." I commented. "Hunter mostly stayed home. He got seasick very easily. Sera hasn't sailed at all."

"Oh, and why is that?" Gist asked.

I hushed my voice. "She can't swim."

"LIZZIE…!" Sera hissed at me.

"Sera, don't be embarrassed about it. It was years ago, when you fell over that cliff. Maybe Gist here can teach you how to swim…."

"I wouldn't mind that," Christopher said cheerfully. "How 'bout we try tomorrow, it'll be just the two of us."

"Ooooooh, fine. I'll try," Sera said, faking a smile for him. Then she turned and shot me a glare. "You little bitch."

"Pot, meet Kettle. Haha."

After everyone dispersed, Geoffrey and William took care of the food and put it away while Anton and Gideon cleaned the dining area. Dorothea took the liquor back to the cellar.

Sera and Gist went off on another escapade, as it were. I took Shay out to the stables to see our horses. Zeus and Samson were our brown draft horses. My horse, named Isabella, was dapple gray in color. I braided her mane and tail to keep them clean. Sera's horse, Shadow was all black with a white dot mark on its forehead. And my Father's horse, Dusty, was buckskin, a cream-tan color with black hair for its mane and tail.

"Our horses stay in here at night. Due to an attack by a few wolves, we have to keep it locked." I mentioned.

"Which one's yours?" Shay asked.

"I'll show you." I smirked. "Bella, honey! Where are you?" I whistled and saw my horse hang her head over the stable door and snorted at me, bobbing her head up and down. "There she is."

Shay and I went all the way down the stable to the last one on the right. Isabella smelled my hair and nickered at me. I unlocked her stall, took her rope lead and lead her out of the stall, so that she was standing next to me and across from Shay.

"Wow…she's beautiful." Shay said, taking a step closer to my horse, who seemed to get uneasy and started backing up towards the wall. She made short whinnies and a few low snorts as she pinned her ears back.

"Ssssssh, calm down, Bella." I said, pulling her hackamore down to my level. "This is Shay Cormac. He's a friend. He's a Templar, like daddy, remember?"

She nudged my face with her muzzle. "It's okay, Bella."

I dropped the lead entirely and let this happen on its own. "Shay, hold out your hand. Stretch your arm out."

Shay took a firm stance and obeyed, raising his arm out with his hand out.

I patted Bella's shoulder twice. "Now, just let her come to you."

Isabella took a few steps, sniffing his hand from a distance before closing the gap and brushing Shay's hand with her muzzle.

"Good girl, Isabella." Shay said, petting her forehead and caressing her large snout and cheeks. "You're a pretty lass, aren't you?"

Isabella then lowered her head and placed her left ear under Shay's hand.

"Awww, she wants you to scratch behind her ears."

"That's why she's doing this?" He asked as Bella snorted impatiently.

"Go on, just give her a nice scratchin'."

Shay scratched both her ears vigorously and I saw my horse's tongue flop out slightly as she sighed.

Suddenly, i felt a sharp pain go through my leg and shoulder. My muscles are still sore from being torn by bullets and were still healing.

"Aaargh."

"Are you alright?" Shay asked.

"Just residual pain from my bullet wounds. But I know a place I can treat this." I took steps on a stool and got on Isabella's back. "Care to join me, Shay?"

"Where are we goin'?"

"You'll find out soon enough, now c'mon."

Shay got onto Isabella's back with me. She was a larger, more heavily muscled horse; she was accustomed to heavy loads.

"Hold on tight, Shay."

After he wrapped his arms around my waist, I had Isabella ride north, through the woods until we came to a large cave that was carved out of the cliff side. I tied Isabella to a nearby tree and had Shay follow me through the caves. We went further and further into the cave, and the air got warmer and more moist. Then, Shay saw why I had to come here.

It was a natural hot spring my Father found years ago while he was looking for a plot of land to build his house. He ended up finding this cave and the hot spring. There were 3 pools, 2 one either side of one another and the smaller of the two being elevated on a rock plateau. The smallest of the 3 only fit 2 people and was off to the side.

"What is this place?"

"It's a hot spring." I said, setting my things down. "It helps me heal faster. Hot water makes the blood in your body flow much more easily."

"It's incredible."

"After my Father found this, by accident, he bought the house we have now and did the work himself. This was his favorite place to relax with my Mother."

As he was wandering around, I undressed myself and set my dress and undergarments aside. I took out my bun and let my hair down before walking over to the plateaued pool. Shay turned his face away hastily.

"Shay…?"

"You're naked."

"So? What's the point? You've already seen my body, remember?"

"That was different."

"Shay, you don't have to turn away anymore."
I walked over to him and helped him to lighten up. "I brought you here so we could spend time together. Alone...Please join me, Shay."

Shay smiled warmly and started to take off his clothes. I left him to it and submerged myself in the hot pool of water. The pain intensified for a moment, then subsided. Shay took off his heavy coat, weapons, gloves and began to undress his underclothes. By now, he was fully naked.

My eye caught sight of his manhood, so I averted my eyes and tried to concentrate on his face, but my eyes wandered and I was in shock. Shay's body was perfectly muscled and toned. There were a few scars like mine and he had really dark chest hair. He stepped down into the pool and the water came up to my chest just over my breasts.

Shay moaned contently as the steam wafted over us. "This is very nice."

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Sure does, lass."

I felt around the pool and saw a slightly elevated ledge where I could sit. I got up onto it and saw the water level drop until it was just under my breasts.

As Shay looked back at me, he seemed entranced by me. "Oh, Elizabythe…"

I saw him stare at me more and more, so I wrapped my arm around my breasts. ""What is it?"

"It's you…."

As he walked closer, I wrapped my other arm around my stomach and closed my legs tightly. "I know, Shay…Pretty gruesome, isn't it?"

"No, its not…" He said firmly as he got up to my eye level. "There is nothing gruesome about your body, my love."

"But my…scars, they're ugly."

He brushed his fingers over my shoulder wound. "They're your battle scars. They're only skin-deep."

"They don't bother you?"

"No, and they shouldn't bother YOU….Elizabythe, you're a beautiful lass. And I love you for who you are, just the way you are."

He gave me a kiss and wrapped his arms around me. "Thank you, Shay."

As we kissed again, I felt my body loosen up and relax from the hot water and his warm, gentle touch. He kissed my neck and left several, passionate love bites as he ran his hands over my body. He gently held one of my breasts with his his free hand and squeezed, making me gasp and whimper.Oh, no…I can feel where this is headed. Is he going to try and…make love to me?

As his hand held and squeezed my other breast, he then let his hand submerge underwater and grip my thigh with the pistol wound. I let out a whimper through my teeth when his thumb pressed into it.

"Aaaaah…Shay?"

He loosened his grip on my leg. "I'm sorry…d-did I hurt you?"

"No. No, I'm okay."

As I kissed him back and held his face in my hands, I felt his right hand slide upwards and between my legs. He was looking for that pleasurable bead of flesh that set my nerves on fire and made my heart race.

As his fingers started to brush the little bud of flesh, I felt myself moaning more and more until I snapped out of my orgasm and felt my fear and panic overwhelm me again. "Shay…Shay! Please…Stop."

I grabbed his hand and moved out of the corner I put myself in. I took a few deep breaths and rested my arms on the edge of the pool.

Shay slowly approached me, with a concerned frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, Shay," I said, crossing my arms over my breasts again.

Shay approached me slowly. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to do that….I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, you're fine. It just felt…a little different, that's all."

"What do you mean?"

"I have never been touched there before." I mumbled. "I've never laid with any man before, Shay…."

He took a few steps back, realizing finally why I had panicked at his sexual gesture. "Oh, I see now….You're a virgin."

"Yes…yes, I am." I said, averting my eyes. "I have had the talk, but…I've never laid with a man. SO many men have thrown themselves at me, but I have never wanted any of them….Then, YOU came along. And….now that I found someone to love and commit to, I-I panicked. I didn't know what to expect."

I felt Shay's hands shift from my shoulders to my neck and lower back.

"Lass, look at me. If you're not ready to lay with me, then I am willing to wait for you to tell me when you're ready. I don't want to pressure you or force you to lay with me until you're ready to try with me."

"Shay, aside from my own family…there is no one else I know that I trust more than you. You need not worry about making me uncomfortable. I get nervous, yes, but never uncomfortable. I won't keep you waiting too long. I just need time to process this…."

"Of course, my love….I'll be here for you."

I wrapped him in a gentle hug, with my arms around his neck and his around my waist and upper back. I squeezed him as tightly as I could and he responded with a firm, secure one.

When we got back home, I planned to do a lot of writing that night. I needed to de-stress and get my feelings out on paper. It helped me to process my emotions easier and helps calm me down. Shay ended up sleeping on the couch by the fire. I couldn't help but smile and laugh as I looked out my window and saw Gist and Sera, kissing passionately under a tree by the stables.