FF-Saving Grace!!! COMPLETED!! Ch 18 to20 PG 93-94 - Page 50

zoya showed a great amount of courage

now hope no one will say she's courageous

thanks for the pm

zoya has come a long way

but still i can't understand her

though she is right most of the times

i can't understand wht she was trying to tell asad

n when will her past get revealed

thanks for the PM

Totally amazing, loved Zoya...hope she continues with this courageous avatar

Thank you for the long update, really enjoyed it

Chapter 8

The first thing Zoya noticed when she came downstairs the following morning was her throw. The half-completed throw had been ripped to shreds. Her bag wasn't intact either. The culprit was busy chewing on one of the burlap straps. He'd already devoured the other one.

Midas knew he'd gotten into mischief. He tried to crawl under one of the chairs when she shouted his name and started toward him. The chair went crashing to the ground; Midas started howling, and Megan came running from the buttery.

The dog sounded like a demon let out of hell. The frightening sound he made was loud enough to shake the rafters. The noise terrified Megan. Even though the dog wasn't paying her any attention, she was still extremely cautious when she bent to pick up the throw.

Keith and Calum both heard the commotion and came running inside. They came to a dead stop on the top step. Asad was right behind them. He shoved them out of the way and started down the steps.

Zoya was involved in a tug of war with Midas. The dog was winning. She was trying to get her bag out of his mouth. She was concerned the dog would choke on the strap he was trying to swallow.

"Good God, Megan, what have you done to your maam's throw?" Keith demanded when he finally figured out what she was holding in her hands. He scowled at the woman and shook his head.

Zoya didn't take her attention away from the dog when she called out to Keith. "Sir, you do honestly believe Megan ate the thing?"

Calum started laughing. Zoya lost her footing and went flying backward. Asad caught her. He lifted her out of his way and turned to his pet. Zoya ran around her husband to stand in front of the dog.

"Asad, don't you dare strike your dog."

She shouted her command so she'd be heard over Calum's laughter. Asad looked like he wanted to shout at her.

"I have no intention of striking him. Get out of my way, woman, and quit wringing your hands. I'm not going to hurt him. Midas, quit that damned howling."

Zoya didn't move. Asad lifted her out of his way, then knelt down on one knee and forced the dog's mouth open so he could pull the strap free. Midas didn't want to let go. He yelped in protest before he gave in.

Asad wouldn't let her comfort the dog. He stood up, grabbed her by the shoulders, and demanded she kiss him good-bye.

"In front of your men?" she whispered.

He nodded. She started to blush. His mouth captured hers in a long, lingering kiss. She sighed then. She was a bit rattled when he pulled away.

"You look tired, wife. You should rest."

Asad made the remark on his way to the doors. She chased after him.

"You cannot be serious, Mr Khan

"I'm always serious, Mrs Khan

"But I only just got out of bed. Surely you don't expect me to take a nap now."

"I do expect you to rest," he called over his shoulder. "And change your clothes, Zoya. They are a mess.

She let out a loud, unladylike sigh. Megan waited until the men had left, then hurried over to her "Do go inside and sit down, Zoya maam. You don't want to overdo."

Zoya felt like screaming. She resisted the urge. "For the love of... Megan, do I look ill to you?"

The woman studied her closely before shaking her head. " Well you look fit to me."

"Are you going to sit down and rest?" Zoya asked.

"I've got work to do," Megan answered. "I don't have time to sit."

"Neither do I," Zoya muttered. "It's high time I took an interest in the running of this household. I've been entirely too self-consumed. All that's going to change, however. Starting now."

Megan had never seen her sound so commanding. "But, maam, your husband has ordered you to rest."

Zoya shook her head. She rattled off the list of chores she wanted to complete by nightfall, gave Megan permission to enlist the help of two more servants, and then announced she was going to speak to Cook about dinner.

"Please fetch my bow and arrows from my room," Zoya requested. She started toward the back of the keep. "If Cook's in an accommodating mood, we'll have a grand menu for dinner. I am going riding after and shall be back by mid afternoon

"You can't go Riding Maam Your husband forbade you to leave."

"No, he didn't," Zoya countered. "He merely suggested I rest. He never once mentioned riding, now did he?"

"But he meant..."

"Don't try to second-guess your Mr Khan. And quit your worrying. I promise I'll be back before I'm missed."

Megan shook her head. "You won't get ten paces outside before you're spotted by Keith... or is it Calum responsible for looking out for you today?"

"I'm praying each believes the other has that duty."

She hurried out the back door, turned left, and crossed the courtyard to the building housing the kitchen. She intro duced herself to Cook and added an apology for taking so long to make her acquaintance. Cook's name was Hilda. She was an older woman with streaks of gray in her red hair.. She seemed appreciative of Zoya's interest in her duties and took her on a tour of the pantry.

would you be willing to prepare this menu for our dinner tonight?"

Hilda nodded. "

Zoya hurried back to the great hall, took her bow and arrows from Megan, and then left by the back door again.

She took the long way around to the stables. Sean didn't want to saddle her horse for her. She coaxed him into the duty with a smile and a promise not to leave the meadow. She implied she had Asad's permission. It wasn't an outright lie, just a little fabrication, but she still felt guilty.

She had another mare made ready for Auggie. It was presumptuous on her part to assume he would agree to ride with her, she supposed, but she didn't want to waste any time. If Auggie did go with her, she didn't want to have to go back to the stables. Keith or Calum would surely try to stop her then.

Auggie was lining up his holest in the center of the meadow when Zoya interrupted him.

"I cannot go horse back riding, I have a lot to do," he announced.

"I was hoping you'd be more agreeable," Zoya countered. "And while we were at it I thought you might be inclined to show me the cave you were talking about.

Auggie shook his head. "I'll ride as far as the ridge with you, girl, and point the direction once again, but that's as much time as I'm willing to take away from my work."

Auggie climbed up on the horse, took the reins from Zoya, and led the way.

They rode for a few minutes and finally came to a stop.

"That's the break you're looking for, between those trees," he instructed. "You were taking the wider path higher up when you went looking, weren't you, lass?"

"I was," she replied. "Will you please reconsider and come along with me?"

Auggie declined her invitation a second time. "Let the younger staff that just saw you going this way trail you, Zoya.

The sparkle in Auggie's handsome eyes made her smile. His praise and his opinion of her were both important. In the short time she'd known him, she'd come to value his friendship... and his guidance. Auggie took the time to listen to her. 'it was the truth no one else did. He never told her to rest either, she thought to herself.

"Now what has you scowling?"

She shook her head. "I was just considering my circumstances," she remarked.

"Again? You'll give yourself a pounding headache thinking about your circumstances all the time. Good riding, Zoya," he added with a nod. He turned his mount and headed back to his meadow.

Zoya rode in the opposite direction. She'd almost reached the path Auggie had shown her when a white-haired rabbit came racing into the clearing. She tucked the reins under her left knee, reached for it,. The rabbit went down just as another came loping across her path.

Something must have spooked the animals into leaving their hiding places, for in less than twenty minutes, she'd found over 10 rabbits all around herShe continued to ride along enjoying the view around. She stopped at the stream, splashed some water and continues around. She was gald she had her bow and arrow with her,just in case.

Zoya was happy. She turned her attention back to her task and led the way through the forest. The trail narrowed and then became broken bits with bushes barring her way. Sunlight filtered through the limbs of branches arched above her like a lush canopy. The path split into two directions. Zoya turned her mount to the left, SuddenlyZoya's mare started misbehaving. Rachel's ears flattened, and she let out a loud snort as she pranced to the side of the path. Zoya tightened her hold on her reins and ordered the mare to behave.

"Something's frightening her," she remarked. She glanced back over her shoulder to see what

might have startled her mare. She better get back she thougt and nudged Rachael with her knees and tried to get the mare to turn.

Rachael suddenly bolted. Zoya only had enough time to duck her head when her horse broke through the bushes. The mare wouldn't be calmed. Zoya had her hands full trying to control the animal and block the branches at the same time.

She couldn't imagine what had caused the sudden tantrum. Rachael veered to the left and continued on, in a full gallop now. She turned around again and put her hand in front of her face to block yet another branch. She wasn't able to push the obstacle aside. Zoya was literally plucked from her saddle. She went flying to the side and ended up underneath a leafy bush. The breath was knocked out of her. She let out a low groan and sat up. Part of the bush sprang away from her leg and slapped her in the face. She muttered an unladylike expletive and stood up. She tried to rub the sting out of her backside.

She kept expectingthat someone saw her.She knew the 2 boys working by the golf course had seen her going this way and hoped they would come to her assistance. Her mare was nowhere in sight. The forest was quiet now, eerily so, and she assumed the boys were close by. She would have to wait until they realized that she was missing. Then they would surely backtrack to look for her.

Zoya collected her bow and arrows and went over to sit on a low boulder to wait for for someone to come looking for her. The musty scent of peat and fresh pine needles filled the air. Zoya waited a long while before deciding she was going to have to walk back to the house. She wasn't quite certain of the direction, for her horse had turned several times during her run.

"I'll probably walk in circles for the rest of the day," Zoya muttered.

Asad was going to be furious with her, too. She couldn't fault him, she supposed. It wasn't safe to go strolling through the forest, especially with wild animals roaming about.

She notched an arrow to her bow just as a precaution and started walking. A good fifteen minutes later, she thought she was back where she'd started. Then she changed her mind. The boulder in front of her was much larger than the one she'd sat on. She believed she was going in the right direction after all and started walking again.

She found the cave quite by accident. She had stopped in front of another large boulder blocking her path and was trying to decide if she would go to the left or the right. The opening was on her left and was as tall as she was. It was flanked on both sides by tall, narrow trees.

Zoya was so excited about her find, she forgot caution. She literally ran inside. The corridor was lit by sunlight filtering through the cracks in the ceiling. When she reached the end of the pathway, the cave opened into a room the size of the great hall at the house. It was just beautiful, exactly the way Auggie had secribed.

Zoya was thrilled with the find. She wanted to run all the way back to the keep and demand that Asad come and see this cave and how beautiful it was.

She'd have to wait until her husband returned from his meetings, she remembered. She let out a sigh then.

Zoya went back outside to wait for the staff to fetch her. She walked over to the boulder and climbed up on top. She leaned against the trunk of a giant tree, folded her arms across her middle, and waited.

The staff were certainly taking their time. A good hour passed before her impatience got the better of her. She guessed she was going to have to find her own way back home.

Zoya pulled away from the tree, adjusted her bow on her shoulder, and was just about to jump down from the boulder when she heard a snarling sound coming from the bushes directly in front of her. She froze. The noise intensified. The horrid sound reminded her of Midas, but she knew it wasn't Asad's pet. He was at the house. It had to be a wolf making all the commotion.

Then she saw the eyes staring up at her. They were yellow. Zoya didn't scream. Dear God, she wanted to. She wanted to run, too, but she didn't dare.

Another rustling sound came from across the tiny clearing... another pair of murky yellow eyes staring at her. The snarling echoed around her now. She heard a movement behind her and knew then she was surrounded.

She didn't have any idea how many wolves were there, waiting to prey upon her. She didn't panic. There simply wasn't time for that frivolity.

She found out something amazing about herself, too. She could fly. God's truth, she was certain she flew up the branches of the tree. She certainly didn't remember climbing. She'd almost made

it to safety, too, when one clever wolf caught hold of the tip of her boots He was in a frenzy to pull her back. His jaws were locked on the material, his head shaking back and forth with his determination. Zoya was draped over a branch, holding her hand over the top of her carrier so her arrows wouldn't spill to the ground and clutching the tree with her other hand. It was a precarious position. Her feet were only inches above the wolf's teeth.

She didn't dare look down. She wrapped her legs around the branch and tried to undo her zip so she wouldn't be trapped by the shoes. It took her long minutes and when she was finished, she let the shoe drop down to the wolves.

She was finally free. She kept climbing, whimpering now, and when she was finally high enough up to convince herself she was safe, she settled herself in the crook of a heavy branch and the tree's trunk.

She finally gathered enough courage to look down. Her heart felt as though it had just dropped to the pit of her stomach. Dear God, there were at least six of the beasts. They circled the tree, growling and snapping up at her and at each other, and there was one, perhaps their leader, who made Midas look like a pup. She shook her head, denying what she was seeing. Wolves didn't get that large. Did they?

They couldn't climb trees either... or could they? The giant wolf started butting his head against the tree trunk. She thought that was an extremely ignorant thing to do. Two of the other wolves were shredding her plaid. They seemed to be in a frenzy, too.

They didn't look like they had any intention of leaving her alone. Zoya worried over her circumstances a long while. When she finally accepted the fact that she was indeed safe, she started worrying about the 2 young boys. She didn't want them to ride into a pack of wolves, and she didn't know if the monsters would leave when they heard the horses coming.Oh they were monsters all right, and they didn't look like they would ran from anything or anyone.

Zoya's attention was turned when she caught a movement to her left. One wolf had climbed to the top of the rocked entrance of the cave. The animal looked as though he was getting ready to spring at her. Zoya didn't know if the wolf would make the distance or not. She wasn't going to wait to find out, however. She slipped her bow from her shoulder, pulled out an arrow, then shifted her position ever so slightly and took aim.

She caught the wolf in midflight. The arrow went through one eye. The animal crashed down to the ground and landed just a foot away from the others. They immediately turned on the dead animal.

In the next twenty minutes or so, Zoya killed three more. She'd heard that wolves were clever animals. These weren't. They were safe from her arrows as long as they stayed below her, for the branches obstructed her aim, but one after another climbed up on the rock and tried to leap into the tree to get her. They were slow to catch on, she decided, when the fourth wolf followed the same path the first three had taken.

Her fingers ached from holding her arrow against the string of her bow. She wanted to get the giant wolf in her sights. In her mind, he was surely the one who had injured Midas. She didn't know why she'd come to that conclusion. Perhaps it was the dried black blood on the animal's fangs when he bared his teeth at her. He seemed to be more demon than animal. His eyes never left her. He was such an evil-looking beast. Zoya shivered with disgust and fear.

"You're the one they call Pet, aren't you?"

She didn't expect an answer, of course. She began to wonder if her worrisome situation had made her mind snap. She was, after all, talking to demons now. She sighed over her own behavior.

Why wouldn't the wolf leave? And where in heaven's name were the boys ? They surely hadn't forgotten her, had they?

Zoya didn't believe her day could get much worse

She was wrong. She hadn't counted on the rain. She'd been too busy to notice the sunlight had disappeared, and God only knew she didn't have time to look up at the sky and see rain clouds. She was so intent on protecting herself from the wolves, she didn't have time to think about anything else. It didn't matter, she supposed. Knowing ahead of time wouldn't have changed anything. She still got drenched.

Lightning crackled through the trees. A torrential downpour followed. The branches became slick, as though they'd been greased with lard instead of water. Zoya couldn't get her arm all the way around the trunk. She was afraid to adjust her position, fearing she'd slide down.

The monster still waited at the base of the tree. Zoya's hands were shaking from holding her bow and arrow. Her fingers cramped.

She heard her name being shouted. She whispered a prayer of thank you shouting back. Odd, but she thought she heard her husband's voice. That couldn't be possible, of course. He was out.

The pounding of horses coming her way finally encouraged the wolf to leave. Zoya was ready. As soon as the streak of lightning moved away from the tree, she dispatched her arrow. She missed her mark. She'd aimed for his middle, but the arrow caught him in the backside. The wolf let out a howl of distress and circled back toward her. Zoya hurried to put the beast out of his misery. She grabbed another arrow from her carrier, sighted it to her bow, and took aim again.

She had little liking for the kill. Even though he looked very like something the devil had let out of hell, the wolf was still one of God's creatures. He served a purpose ,she still felt guilty.

2 horses came riding around the curve in the path just as Zoya's arrow sliced down through the air and killed the wolf. The animal was lifted back and up by the force of the arrow, then collapsed in a heap on the ground in front of the warriors' horses.

Zoya leaned back against the trunk and let go of her bow. She clenched and unclenched her hands in an effort to get the cramps out of her fingers. She suddenly felt nauseated. She took a deep breath and peeked around the branch to look at the soldiers below.

As soon as she regained a bit of strength, she was going to give the men hell for making her wait so long. Then, after they offered her their apologies, she was going to make them give her their pledge not to mention this shameful incident to their Mr Khan. By God, she'd nag that promise out of every one of them.

"Are you all right, maam?"

She couldn't see the faces. She recognized Calum's voice though.

"Yes, Calum," she called back. "I'm quite all right."

"She doesn't sound all right," said Keith. In a near shout, he added, "You killed our pet."

He sounded stunned. Zoya felt an explanation was necessary. She didn't want any of the men to think she had derived any sort of malicious satisfaction or pleasure from killing the beasts.

"It isn't how it looks," she shouted down.

"You didn't kill them?"

"They look like her arrows," Keith remarked.

"They wouldn't leave me alone, sir. I had to kill them. Please don't tell anyone, especially our Mr Khan. He's too busy to be bothered by such an insignificant incident."

"But maam

"Calum, don't argue with me. I'm not in the mood to be polite. I've had a trying morning. Just give me your word you'll keep my secret."

Zoya's shirt was caught on the branch. While she worked at tugging it free, she waited for the men to give her their pledges. She wasn't going to get down from her perch until they did.

Asad would be furious. Just thinking about his reaction gave her goosebumps.

The men still hadn't given her their promise. "It's little enough to ask," she muttered to herself.

Calum started laughing. It didn't take her any time at all to understand why.

Asad already knew.

"Come down here. Now."

The fury in her husband's voice almost shook her out of the tree. Zoya grimaced. She leaned back against the crook in the tree, hoping to hide from her husband... and his wrath. She quickly realized what she was doing, muttered an unladylike expletive under her breath, and then leaned forward. She pushed a limb out of her way and looked down. She wished she hadn't. She spotted Asad right away. He was looking up at her. His hands rested on the pommel of his saddle and he appeared to be only mildly irritated.

She knew better. Her husband hadn't been able to keep the anger out of his voice when he'd rudely bellowed his command.

His mount was between Keith's and Calum's. Zoya let go of the branch and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. She could feel her face heat up with embarrassment. Asad had obviously been there all the while she was demanding his men keep her secret from him.

Some sort of explanation was probably due now, she supposed, and given enough time, she could surely come up with something plausible. Zoya decided she wasn't going to move until she did.

It was taking all of Asad's concentration to keep his anger under control. He turned his gaze to the ground and once again counted the number of dead wolves, just to make certain his eyes hadn't deceived him. Then he looked back up at her.

She hadn't moved to do his bidding. God's truth, she couldn't. The threat of the wolves wasn't over yet. There was still one down below, waiting to pounce on her.

"Zoya, get down here."

She didn't appreciate his surly tone of voice. She would have told him so, too, but she didn't believe her opinion would matter much to him. She guessed she'd better try to accommodate him.

Unfortunately, her legs refused to accommodate her.

She'd been gripping the branch with her thighs for so long, they seemed to turn to jelly when she tried to scoot down the trunk.

In the end, Asad had to come up and fetch her. He had to peel her hands away from the branch. She couldn't seem to let go.

He placed her arms around his neck, then pulled her up against him. His one arm was spanning

her waist, his other was draped over the branch to keep the two of them from slipping.

He didn't move for a long minute. Zoya hadn't realized how cold she was until the heat from his body began to warm her. She was shaking now.

So was he, she noticed. Was he so furious with her, he was shaking with rage?

"Asad?"

The fear he heard in her voice was his undoing. "You will cease being afraid of me, damn it," he told her in a low, furious whisper. "God's truth, I would like to throttle some sense into you, woman, but I won't ever harm you."

His rebuke stung. She hadn't done anything to cause his displeasure... except perhaps ignoring his ridiculous order to rest.she thought to herself, she did disregard his suggestion.

"I have already ceased being afraid of you, damn it," she muttered against the side of his neck. She let out a sigh then. Asad was partial to honesty, and she supposed she'd only prick his anger further if she didn't give him the full truth now.

The man looked ready to throttle something all right. "I'm not afraid of you most of the time," she added in a rush. "Why are you so angry with me?"

He didn't answer her question. He couldn't. He was still in jeopardy of bellowing at her. He would wait until he had his temper under control before explaining she'd taken a good twenty years off his life by giving him such a scare.

Her husband tightened his hold on her. Her question had obviously upset him. She couldn't imagine why. She wasn't a mind reader, after all. She thought about mentioning that fact, then changed her mind. It wouldn't do her any good at all to incite his fury. She was his wife and therefore should try to soothe him.

She decided to change the topic. She'd start with praise, thinking to please him. "You were right, husband. The woods are infested with wolves."

It was the wrong thing to say to him. She came to that conclusion when his grip tightened and he let out a loud, shuddering breath.

"I'm getting you all wet, Mr Khan," she blurted out, trying to turn his attention away from her unfortunate mention of wolves.

"You're soaked through," he snapped. "You're going to catch a fever and be dead in a week."

"I will not," she announced. "I'll change into dry clothing and be as fit as ever. You're squeezing the breath out of me, husband. Do let up on your hold."

Asad ignored her request. He let out an expletive, then suddenly moved. She tightened her hold on his neck and closed her eyes. She'd let him worry about keeping the branches out of her face on the way down.

He wouldn't let her walk. He carried her over to his mount, lifted her up higher, and then dropped her onto the saddle. He wasn't overly gentle about the task.

She immediately tried to straighten herself.The material of her shirt was stuck to her skin. She knew she didn't look like a decent lady now, glanced down, and let out a gasp of dismay when she saw how her clothing was clinging to her breasts. She quickly threaded her fingers through her hair and pulled it forward to cover her chest.

Thankfully the men weren't paying her any attention. Asad stood with his back to her and ordered the removal of the wolves.

He wanted a moment alone with his wife.

Calum gave her a sympathetic look before taking his leave. He obviously believed she was going to catch hell. So did Keith, if his dour expression was an indicator.

She held her head high, folded her hands together, and pretended to be composed.

Asad waited until his soldiers had left before turning back to her. He put his hand on her thigh to get her to look at him.

"Have you nothing to say to me, wife?"

She nodded. He waited. "Well?" he finally demanded.

"I wish you would get over your anger."

"That isn't what I want to hear."

She put her hand on top of his. "You expect an apology, don't you? Very well, then. I'm sorry I ignored your suggestion to rest."

"Suggestion?"

"You needn't bellow at me, husband. It's rude."

"Rude?"

She didn't understand why he needed to repeat what she'd just said. He didn't understand why she wasn't hysterical over her encounter with the wolves. Didn't she understand what could have happened? Dear God, he couldn't quit thinking about it. She could have been torn apart by the wild beasts.

"Zoya, I want you to promise me you'll never again leave the house without a proper escort."

His voice sounded hoarse. She thought it might be due to the fact that he was trying to keep himself from shouting at her. If that deduction was true, then her husband was actually being considerate of her feelings.

"Mr Khan, I don't want to become a prisoner in your home," she explained. "I've already had to resort to trickery just so I could do some riding. I should be able to come and go as I please."

"You should not."

"With an escort then?"

"Damn it, woman, that's just what I..."

"Suggested?"

"I didn't suggest. I demanded a promise from you."

She patted his hand. He wasn't in the mood to be soothed, however. He motioned to the ground beneath the tree where her shredded show lay. "Don't you realize you could have been torn apart as quickly and as easily as your shoe?"

The truth had been slow to dawn on her. Her eyes widened in surprise. He thought she was finally beginning to understand her jeopardy. He nodded. "ya, you could have been killed, wife."

She smiled. It wasn't the reaction he'd hoped to gain. How could he ever teach her caution if she didn't understand the dangers all around her?

He scowled with frustration. "I have been trying to get used to having a wife, Zoya. You make the adjustment difficult. Why in God's name are you smiling?"

"I have only just realized, Mr Khan, that your anger is due to my near miss. I believed you were upset because I disregarded your suggestion to rest. Now I understand," she added with a nod. " 'the truth's you're beginning to care for me. Your heart has softened, hasn't it, husband?"

He wasn't about to let her jump to such foolish conclusions. He shook his head. "You're my wife and I will always protect you. That is my duty, Zoya. You

seem to have forgotten that important fact."

She didn't know what in heaven's name he was talking about. "What does thatr have to do with your attitude toward me?"

"Matters of the heart do not concern me," he explained.