Armored Hearts - By Melissa Turner Lee Page 0,50

its back.

Gareth gripped the arms of his chair at the look of panic on Tabitha’s face. But before he could react, the horse spun and galloped toward the large picture window, crashing through it and down the lawn. Gareth leapt from his wheelchair.

Grandfather rushed in. “What in the blazes?”

“Tabitha,” Jessamine answered, her face pale with shock.

Together they raced to the window. Gareth’s thoughts of hiding his ability from Lord Pensees were lost in the moment. He followed the horse’s path out the window as Jessamine pulled the flap in her corset, releasing her wings. She leapt and grabbed hold of him as he climbed higher.

“Tabitha?” Grandfather shouted his question after them.

Steam rose in a white puff behind the silver horse as it galloped full speed for the woods. A dark cloud hung low over the forest, giving birth to a foggy vapor, oozing its way between the trees. The ghastly sight appeared like a scene from a gothic novel. Gareth pushed the ominous thoughts from his mind and aimed right for the horse when arrows began to rain down around them. Jessamine quickly flipped herself in front of him, hugging his body with her arms and legs as they rolled around to avoid the onslaught of arrows.

“All my clothes are fabric armor,” Jessamine shouted breathlessly at him. He ducked them into a patch of bushes to remove them from the path of the arrows.

Once in the bushes and out of the range, they sought out the direction of the steam horse and Tabitha, but neither were anywhere to be seen.

Gareth shot up in the air. “We’ve got to find her.”

Jessamine, unable to follow him up, shouted at him. “Get back down here. You don’t have your armor on. We have to go back to the house for help. Sarah and Thompton will know what we need to do.”

The crunching of leaves drew Gareth’s attention to the footsteps behind them. Lord Pensees stumbled through the open field, sweat beading his forehead. His blue eyes were wide and panicked as he headed toward them.

“Grandfather!”

Gareth zoomed out to stop Lord Pensees from charging into the forest. An arrow whistled through air, the feathers nearly brushing Gareth’s ear. The morning sun glinted off the steel arrowhead the moment before it sunk itself into the old man’s chest. Jessamine’s scream sounded muted and distant in Gareth’s ears. He froze in shock. Blackness closed in on the periphery of his vision as it narrowed on what he saw. He sunk toward the ground, his knees buckling under him.

Jessamine grabbed Gareth and shook him out of his trance. She climbed on his back. “I’ll shield us both. You fly us to your grandfather so we can get him to the house.”

Gareth shook his head and swallowed. His eyes darted toward the ominous dark fog filling the woods to overflowing. “Tabitha?”

“Lord Pensees is hurt. We need to tend to him and get help. If you go after her alone, you’re going to get yourself killed, and then you won’t be able to do anything for Tabitha.”

He swallowed and reluctantly nodded. Reduced to hiding behind his wife’s skirt. Not anything a man ever wants to do. He bit down on a curse and flew them out of the woods to his grandfather.

Blood bubbled on the old man’s lips. Grandfather’s eyes had taken on a far-off look. Gareth scooped the man’s limp body into his arms. In a harsh whisper Grandfather asked, “Where’s Tabitha?”

Gareth swallowed his heart as it rose in his throat. The man was heavy in his arms, and his wife clung to his back. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he made Waverly Park his focus. He just needed to make it there.

Jessamine whispered in his ear, “We’ll get help and we will find her. We will. We have to.”

Her words echoed his thoughts. He had to rescue Tabitha, if it was the last thing he did. She had no part in this war, and he would make damned sure she wasn’t a casualty of it.

Chapter 16

Gareth and Jessamine entered the house by way of the kitchen, placing Grandfather on the table.

“Sarah!” he shouted as they entered. “Sarah!” He flew around to the pantry looking for her.

She came running in from the hall. “What is it?”

“Lord Pensees has been shot and Tabitha’s been kidnapped.”

Sarah grabbed at her chest, her mouth and eyes echoing Gareth’s own sense of horror. Her face grew pale. “When? How?”

“I’ll tell you all in a moment, but first, Grandfather.” He pulled the ruddy