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Auburn Rose

Paranormal Romance

By Julienne HolmesPublished 3 years ago 24 min read
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Auburn Rose
Photo by Thomas Bonometti on Unsplash

Auburn Rose

The day that Auburn Rose arrived in Greenock, Scotland was like any other day. She wore a dark magenta wig that covered her balding head, and her eyes reflected both empathy for others and the anguish born from the throes of pain following chemotherapy. From just looking at her, the people of Greenock knew that she was sick, but none of them wanted or had any idea on what could be ailing her. So naturally they were afraid, and treated her like she had the plague. Yet, even though they didn't want to have anything to do with this sickly woman, they felt that the only way to rid themselves of her was to make her someone else's problem.

That's where Laird Tormod fitted into the situation. He was a wealthy loner, who, even though attractive, was quite unusual. Also, Lord Tormod was out of town, and, not being well liked, had not given specific instructions for his cottage to be rented out; he had never specified on whom he wanted as a tenant. And so, nobody contacted him, nor did he ever find out that his bleak cottage had been rented out to an unhealthy lodger.

After Auburn had moved into her new home, the first step, at making her living arrangement a little less depressing, involved cleaning up this pitiful excuse of a cottage, and, since this would be her final resting place, that she would live and die in, she wanted a comfy home environment for which she would find some peace before she finally did succumb to her disease. She knew that if her doctors were right, which, in most cases, they seldom were, she probably would not be alive by the end of that year. The one advice that one of her doctors had actually given her, was, if she wanted to preserve her life, she needed to check herself into the nearest hospital. Yet, for her, life was too short and, if she was going to die anyway, then why not enjoy the little pleasures she had left.

She had never been to Scotland and had always wanted to go, but, like so many of the other empty promises her ex-husband had made to her, this was just another one of those unfulfilled assures. As it was, Auburn had found herself always putting her ex's life before hers. Getting sick, as bad as it was, was a better excuse than any to accomplish some of her bucket list. It wasn't just that, though, her illness also showed her how truly despicable her ex was; abandoning her when she needed him most, for another woman.

The house cleaning had taken a lot out of her, yet, when Auburn finally got out to her yard, she found her second wind and decided to plant daffodils, lilies, tulips, daises, and many other colorful assorted flowers that would make the small run down shack appear both quaint and beautiful; she stopped only when she exhausted herself, and that was just for a few minutes. For some reason, the grueling work seemed to do more for her than the chemo had ever done; it took her mind off of the inevitable. While staring down at her dirty hands, and with little regard to her appearance, she quickly wiped them on her old faded jeans. After awhile of just sitting there, she let her gaze travel around the work she had accomplish in that short time; she couldn't say why, but she felt surprisingly optimistic about the future.

Once she had finished with her yard work, she said a quick prayer that the small seedlings would flourish before she died. As much as Auburn tried not to think about dying, there were times when her thoughts couldn't help going there. After all, it was in every animal's nature to run away from death and maybe that was why she had come to Scotland. Either way, she felt that, no matter how short her life might be, at that point, she was going to try and make the best of every moment. Besides there was always a silver lining in a bad situation. Just because she didn't have the time to watch and enjoy these flowers as they grew, didn't mean someone else, who rented this cottage after her, wouldn't.

Sighing, Auburn stood up, and looking around her garden, she, after a few minutes of just letting her thoughts wander, decided to put on some water for tea. Before going back inside her cottage, she glanced, one last time, over at her little flower garden. While she breathed in the fresh air and looked around at the beautiful landscape around her, she came to this happy realization that her life was finally starting to go her way; she no longer had a deceiving man in her life, and she had accomplished practically everything on her bucket list.

When Laird Tormod arrived back from his Austrian vacation, the first unwelcoming piece of gossip he received was regarding his new tenant: the sickly woman who had rented his cottage. As much as he would have liked to have pretended that he really didn't give a damn, he couldn't help feeling this slight curious draw to her. Tormod, of all people, was not a neighborly person, he didn't believe in conversing with people and hated when his privacy was disturbed by the constant gabbing of his nosy neighbors. Yet, even though he was of this mind set, he couldn't help wanting to have some contact with his new lodger.

Even though the peaceful time he spent in his mansion was suppose to be uninterrupted, his wandering thoughts were constantly distracting him and, while he hadn't actually met his mysterious tenant, he couldn't help wanting to. After awhile of pacing his house, he came to the conclusion that he needed to try and get his curious mind off of his lodger. So, after getting behind the wheel of his black convertible, he went for a drive; he drove, no where in particular, just a nice drive to clear his head. Yet, what he didn't know was that fate and his curiosity were playing a hand in bring him together with the mysterious woman who plagued his thoughts.

As he let his mind wander, he suddenly was pulled out of his thoughts when he, looking to his left, saw a rental that bore a striking resemblance to his. Coming to a complete stop, he realized immediately, that this rental did, in fact, belong to him. He couldn't help being blown away by the changes that had been made to it. He could almost mistake it as belonging to someone else entirely! How warm and inviting it now seemed. As his gaze wandered over the yard and it's small garden, he noticed a young woman on her hands and knees intently digging in the dirt. Parking his car and getting out, he quickly hurried across the road and unlatching his cottage's fence, he stepped into the yard; so he could get not just a better look at the cottage, but her. She wasn't exactly the definition of beautiful, more like an apparition; she was far too pale and skinny, but nevertheless had a delicacy about her that was very alluring.

Auburn had come out that morning to work in the dirt and, as it was, she had been at it for quite some time. As she sat on the ground, she couldn't help feeling this overbearing weariness bearing down upon her. Throughout the past few days, her health had deteriorate to the point of her weight dropping drastically. Yet, as long as she was still alive, she would continue doing what she loved, which was gardening.

Shakily, getting up from the ground to stretch her cramped legs, she glanced over to the right, and, shading her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun, she was surprised and at the same time frightened to see the tall silhouette of a man standing inches away from her. As her eyes adjusted to the glare and he stepped closer to her, she was able to make out more distinguishable features. She could see that his medium length, dirty blond hair, brought out a lot of his strong features and his mahogany eyes showed a mixture of intelligence and wisdom. At that moment he was grinning suspiciously at her with this charming crooked smile that added a lot of whimsical charm to his facial features. He was actually ruggedly handsome, yet, as attracted as she was to this stranger, she still felt a need to be cautious of him; smiling precariously at him, she asked, “Can I help you?”

At first Auburn wasn't even sure the man had noticed her, he seemed lost, and her question had somewhat taken him by surprise. “I'm...” he hesitated slightly, letting his intense gaze rake over her. “just looking.”

Smiling at him, she said shyly, “Oh...well...I'm Auburn Rose...” she hadn't a clue on why she had so freely offered him her name; only that she felt very much enticed by his mere presence.

He grinned, that charismatic smile of his, and bowing slightly, he replied, in a tender, but aristocratic voice, “Auburn, that's pretty. I'm Laird Tormod Uisdean.”

“Oh,” she said. “You're my landlord.”

“Aye, that I am,” he chuckled.

“I have some ice tea that I was just going inside to get for myself. Would you like a glass?” she motioned towards the cottage, which had been the main thing that had drawn Tormod to now standing there in front of her.

Even through Auburn was very much surprised by her lack of restraint in inviting her mysterious landlord into her house, she found herself feeling these all too foreign emotions stirring deep inside her. She had never felt aroused or attracted in any way by her ex-husband, the only reason why she had married him was that everyone had told her that since they made such a lovely couple that she should just go for it and besides she probably wouldn't find anyone better than him. For a time just having someone seemed to be enough, yet, eventually, even that got old.

As Tormod looked down into her azure eyes, he felt this unbelievable urge to be with her, without a twig of hesitation he stepped toward her. “Aye..” he replied, “that would be very nice.” following her into the cottage and into the bright welcoming kitchen, he was instantly comforted when she turned around and smiled this warm and beguiling smile; he had always felt uncomfortable around other people, but with her everything seemed so natural.

While he looked around the kitchen, he was somewhat surprised by the warmness emanating from every little appliance that was in this small room; it was possible that this came from Auburn's mere presence, for he did have an unbelievable urge to be near her. Of course he wasn't entirely sure why he wanted her so bad. There was nothing remotely pretty about her, with the exception of her eyes; her eyes were an unbelievable shade of blue. When he had first looked into them, he had thought they were as blue as the ocean, yet, now, in her cottage, he was blown away by the slight gray dent that made them appear even more mystical.

Taking their tea outside, he sat down in the chair that she motioned for him and, as he stared out at the scenery that lay before him, he felt this peacefulness wash over him as her voice lulled him into a security that he had never felt around any other woman. Letting his gaze skim over her, he was suddenly glad that his curiosity had driven him to be on her porch; sitting beside her, having tea, and listening to the pretty lull of her voice.

Pulling his gaze away from her and looking back over at the green lush landscape, he realized, then, how truly beautiful it was. Since he had been born here in Greenock, one would have thought that he would have immersed himself in the splendor. Yet, the truth was, that he had never been given a chance to enjoy his childhood or take in the beauty that was Scotland. His parents had wanted him to attend the finest schools and even though they had meant well, they hadn't let him enjoy being a child. Some would say that since he was forced to grow-up too soon, that that was why he was the hard stern man that he was today.

While Auburn talked about nothing in particular, she was surprised to find herself drawn to Tormod. He had a nice masculine voice that rocked all her senses and sent her arousal into overdrive, which was surprising because she hadn't thought she would ever be attracted to anyone in that way. She had all but been content in the knowledge that she would be, for the remainder of her life, in the solitude and comfort of her cottage. Yet, as she sneaked glances over to her handsome landlord, she found herself longing to have some sort of human contact; especially with him.

As the summer days went by, Tormod got to know Auburn better. She was a very compelling woman who had a simple child like innocence. The time he spent with her on their many picnics was the most enjoyable he had ever had, and he was learning a lot about his little tenant; for instance, he discovered, one day, her true love for nature and animals. After they had finished eating, they had been walking back to his car, when Auburn just stopped; he had been just happily chatting on about their life together and the future, too preoccupied to notice that she wasn't following him.

Through the short span of their relationship, Tormod, had realized that Auburn would change the subject periodically when he would mention marriage or the future. He had tried to understand what was actually wrong with her; he knew she was sick, he just didn't know how terrible her ailment was.

Once he had made it back over to his car, he realized then that she wasn't with him; turning around, he saw that she was kneeling beside something on the ground. As he stood there, just watching her as she moved the grass aside, he slowly came over to her and bending down to take a closer look at what it was that she was so contently looking at; he saw it. It was a baby bird, who had most likely fallen out of the tree that they had been picnicking under; gingerly and very gently she picked the bird up. He had thought the bird to be dead, because it hadn't made a sound as she cradled it in her hands.

When the bird moved his head and started making small little chirping noises, he surprisingly looked from Auburn to the bird. Glancing over at him, she whispered, “Go get a little box...” he hesitated slightly and looking back at the bird, he stood up and hurried over to his car. Once he had retrieved the box and laid sticks and grass inside for a comfy bed, Auburn gently put the little bird inside it.

She had wanted to keep the bird, but had understood, when he had explained it to her, that it wasn't a good idea to grow too attach to the little guy; she could take care of it, but once it grew and got stronger, she should let it go. The bird became their little pet project, not that their relationship needed any help, but it seemed to grow stronger over the nurturing and caring of their bird.

Tormod couldn't help noticing how tentative Auburn was to the little guy, and he found himself imagining and, at the same time, wanting to have a family with her, which surprised him, because, throughout his life, he had never wanted to have that kind of relationship with any woman. He enjoyed the bachelor lifestyle, yet, now, with Auburn, he found himself wanting more out of life.

To Tormod and Auburn the days had become a memorable sea of enjoyment. Yet, as the days progress, Tormod had noticed this immense change in Auburn's appearance; she was getting skinner. When he tried to get her to eat more, her appetite was either completely none existent or barely there. One day, after they had finished a picnic lunch, they lay back upon the blanket that they were sharing and stared up at the sky; jokingly poking fun at the clouds and trying to guess what each cloud looked like to them.

As Tormod looked longingly over at Auburn, he found that, again, he was drawn to her hair. He didn't really know why he was so fascinated by it. He knew that the hair on her head was a wig, yet for some reason he just wanted to show her that it didn't matter to him if she had hair or not. She had never mentioned nor complained about her illness, this of course had not just made him more enamored by her, but, also, more concerned about her well being.

He hadn't really thought much about her reaction when he leaned, purposely, over to knock the wig off of her head. He did instantly realize his mistake, though, when he saw that he had more or less askew the damn thing. Yet, what brought him up short, was the shame and humiliation on her face that, right away, had him feeling a twinge of guilt at his attempt. He hadn't really thought that she would be that upset, yet, what surprised him, was when she jumped up and ran off towards her cottage. The shock of seeing her retreating back, had him sitting there for a few minutes; wondering what had just happened.

What finally pulled him out of his stupor was this bug, which almost flew directly into his mouth. Irritably swatting at the insect, he quickly got up from the ground, and sprinted after her. When he had finally caught up with her, he grabbed her, firmly, by the arm, and, turning her around to face him, he could see, from her tear-stained face, that she was utterly devastated by his discovery. Yet, he still couldn't understand why.

As he gingerly wiped away her tears, he soothingly inquired, “What's wrong?”

“I'm ugly!” she cried. “This isn't real hair and you won't like what you see underneath it.”

Caressing her cheek, he replied, “Want a bet?”

As he leaned over to grab hold of the wig, she quickly grabbed his hand before he could. “Please don't,” she whispered.

“Let me see you,” he said; frowning, he sighed inwardly. “I've known for a long time now, that your hair wasn't real...” he couldn't help smiling at how surprised she looked at that moment, before she could say anything, he rushed on, “I won't love you any less after I see what it is that you're hiding under that wig.”

Auburn was shocked by his admissions, she hadn't known that he knew about her hair; most people thought the wig was real. Yet, maybe what surprised her even more, was him saying that he loved her. “You love me?”

“Aye, I do,” smiling down at her, he said, “now, let me see.”

Putting her arms to her sides, she closed her eyes; she could feel him removing the wig, yet, she didn't want to see that all too familiar look of revulsion. When it came right down to it, she knew that eventually she would have to open her eyes. Hesitating slightly, she took a deep breathe, and opening them, she let her gaze travel down to her feet; still avoiding his intense gaze.

“Look at me.” It was his stern persistent voice, that slowly had her looking up into those hypnotic mahogany eyes of his. Even though she still felt slightly humiliated by his gaze traveling over her bald wig-less head, she was calmed by the ever present warmness that was in his eyes. What surprised her even more, was when he pulled her against him and kissing the top of her head, he said, “I love you, Auburn, and you'll always look beautiful to me...” whispering he continued, “no matter what.”

Auburn couldn't help feeling happy and at the same time this overwhelming sadness for the love that she was feeling for this wonderful man that stood in front of her. As she continued to look up into Tormod's handsome face, she wrapped her arms around him and laying her head upon his chest she sobbed happily. It seemed so unfair that she had wasted most of her adult life with the pretense of love from her ex-husband. She had so much regret. To start with, it was not fair that she had leukemia and little time left to be with the man who really loved her; she wasn't angry with God, though. If anything she was more angry with herself. She knew that it wasn't God's fault for her illness. Yet, she still couldn't help feeling like she had been dealt an unjust hand; she felt cheated. Finally she had found her soul mate and, because of her disease, she had little time left to be with him; staring up into his eyes, she saw this warm compassionate love that no one, not even her husband, had shown for her and that made Tormod's declaration of love even more heartbreaking.

As the days progress, Tormod and Auburn were always together, and every time they were apart he was lonely without her and the thought of not having her in his life was suffocating. He wanted to spend every waking hour with her, especially when the nights closed in among them and they only had each other to stand against the beautiful ever consuming darkness.

Since meeting Auburn, she plagued his every dream and thought. That was what had finally led him, that morning, to decide on a surprise proposal of marriage. Yet, instead of his cheerful Auburn greeting him, when he arrived at her cottage, it was this uncomfortable quietness that welcomed him. As he looked around the property and inside her house, he immediately noticed that she wasn’t in any of the typical places that she usually was; either sitting outside drinking ice tea or working in her garden. Also, for some reason, the warmth he had felt every time he had been there was gone and in it's place was this cold shadowy dissolute feeling of lost that devoured everything in it's path.

While looking around the yard, he instantly realized that she hadn't done any of the usual amount of work in her garden that day; checking the cottage door, he was surprised to see that the door was securely locked. As he called out to her, through the unsettling stillness of the yard, he started making his way to the back. He wasn't expecting to find her lying on the ground, and the shock of discovering her unconscious body was such a surprise that it brought him up short in his tracks.

When he finally did come out of his stupor, he quickly hurried over to her and checked her pulse; he could make out a tiny little thump. His gaze hurriedly went over to the back door, where he noticed that it was standing wide open. Gingerly, picking her up, he quickly went inside, and once he had her inside and in bed, he again checked for a pulse.

He was panicking, he didn't know whether or not to take her to the hospital. Over the past few days of getting to know Auburn, she had confided in him, her utter distaste and fear for hospitals; she was positive that if she went in, they would never let her leave. She had made him promise to never take her to one and yet now that promise seemed far less important than the fact that she was mere inches away from death. What could he do? He had few options, he could either betray her trust by taking her to the hospital, or wait until she was conscious enough to ask for permission in giving her something that would ultimately save and change her life.

While he sat next to her bed, he realized then how decimated she had become; her body had shrunken down to the point that it looked practically skeletal and her face was terribly pale. When she finally did open her exhausted eyes and look up into his, he knelt by the side of her bed and cradling her hands gingerly between his, he blurted out, “Marry me.”

“You don't want to marry a woman who’s dying, even my ex didn't want me; that's why he left me. Once he found out that I had leukemia, he took off.”

“I want you...” he took her hands and brushed her knuckles lightly against his lips. “I love you...and we’re meant to be together - forever. Don’t you love me, too? Say you will marry me.”

Auburn, smiling weakly, stroked his hair; when she had opened her eyes, she had been so happy to see his face, and, yet, she knew that even now she didn't have much time left. It was just a matter of days before she wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing that ruggedly handsome face and those beautiful eyes, that, at that moment, were frightened of her dying and rejecting him. She realized, then, that she couldn't refuse him anything; gingerly stroking his cheek, she softly replied, “Of course I love you, you already know that...” smiling happily, she said, “Yes, I will marry you. But, I want you to promise me that after I'm gone you will find someone else to make you happy. Don’t let this ruin your life.”

“You're not going to die, my love,” he assured her; letting go of her hand, he stripped off his jacket and shedding the rest of his clothing, she watched as he flexed his magnificent body.

“What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously. As much as she was attracted to him, the thought of making love to him seemed like too much effort, and, as pleasurable as the experience might be, she had a hunch that she wouldn't live through it.

“I want to show you something, but you need to promise me that you won't be afraid. Trust me. I know a way to heal you, but you mustn’t be frightened of me.”

Struggling to sit up in bed, but failing at the attempt, she asked. “What are you going to do?”

“You'll see..., but first promise me.”

“I know you would never hurt me; I promise.”

As he began to stretch, he turned into an enormous black timber wolf right in front of her. For a moment, she thought she must be hallucinating. Yet, as she continued to intently watch him, as he sauntered over to her on four legs, she realized that this wasn't her diseased mind playing tricks on her.

When he sprang up on to her bed, she couldn't help the little cry of surprise that escaped her lips. It was his mahogany eyes, staring intently into hers that had her shakily reaching out her hand to touch him; she was instantly surprised by how soft his fur felt.

“Tormod, are you in there?” she whispered. He didn't respond, instead he barked and licked her hand. “Tormod?” she pleaded, she couldn't help being somewhat frightened by him. Yet, when he whimpered and licked her face, she automatically felt this relaxed and comforted sensation wash over every inch of her being.

When he nudged her nightgown off of her shoulder, and started licking her neck, she was still somewhat nervous by him.

“What are you doing?” she asked timidly.

Not responding to her, but locking his eyes with hers, he kept licking her neck. As she continued to sit there, feeling the tension leaving her body with each stroke of his tongue, she seemed to enter a trance, and, when his long pointed teeth finally went into her neck, she felt no pain.

Auburn’s cancer remission shocked the doctors. Yet, it surprised them even more, when they saw no signs of the lasting decimation on her body from not just the horrible disease but the chemotherapy. She regained her lost weight and her appearance was stronger and sleeker than before her ailment.

When she shifted, that first time, into a white wolf, she had never felt so much freedom; especially when she ran with her mate. She felt more alive and happier than she had ever been, and every night she made love to her new husband, under that beautiful celestial sky, she enjoyed the caress of his slender fingers and the way he made her climax over and over again. She had never experienced true bliss, until meeting Tormod, and now, that he had freed her from her illness, she was able to experience the liberating sensual love that they both felt for each other.

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About the Creator

Julienne Holmes

I'm a writer, but I haven't had many successful books or stories published. I'm also a photographer, and have submitted a few pictures to photo stock companies; such as adobe stock and Shuttershock.

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