by Bonnie Lamer
No one says anything until we get downstairs. Grandmother speaks first, but all she says is, “Xandra, do be sure you do not leave him there too long. He needed a display of your strong will and strength, but poking a caged tiger with a stick is never a good idea. He may get loose someday.” Sage advice even if it is falling on deaf ears. With that, she goes in the opposite direction that the rest of us are going.
Xandra looks shocked. “I thought she’d be mad.”
I shake my head and grin. “You have no idea how much Grandmother has wanted to say the things that you have said to him today.”
Her forehead scrunches her brows together. “She’s stronger than him, right? Why doesn’t she just say it then?”
“Because she can do more good by remaining the High Chancellor. She must pick her battles very carefully.
“Oh, okay.” Satisfied with my answer, she says, “I guess we should actually do a perimeter check. Someone really could have followed him here.”
“Can I just say, that was the most impressive use of magic I have ever seen,” Kegan says with a grin. “Every minute in your presence proves more and more what I said earlier. You are way too special for the likes of my cous…” He doesn’t get to finish because I punch him in the arm. Hard.
Xandra shakes her head. “Come on, you two. Let’s go walk around the house.”
Chapter 16
Walking hand in hand, Xandra and I walk around the house and then make a few concentric circles outword to search the surrounding areas where Fairies could hide and still have a clear view of the house. It gives me an opportunity to take a measure of Xandra’s emotional state as well. “You were a lot more restrained than I thought you would be in his presence.” She knows who I am talking about.
She sighs. “I’m trying to be calm and collected like you and Isla but I’m not as good at it yet.”
I stop and put my hands on her shoulders. “You are being the epitome of calm and collected considering the situation you are in. The man tried to kill you for god’s sake. No one expects you to fall at his feet and call him father.”
She smiles sadly. “I know. It’s just that everything is happening so fast. I can’t even take a breath before some new problem comes up and I’m afraid I’m going to totally lose it and accidently kill him myself. I really don’t want to protect him, Kallen.” She sighs again. “But I will because it’s the right thing to do regardless of my personal feelings for the man, Fairy, whatever.”
I wrap my arms around her and pull her into hug. “You are one of the bravest Fairies I have ever met. There are not many who will do the right thing even when every fiber in their bodies are telling them to do the opposite. It is because of things like this that I love you.”
She wraps her arms tightly around my back. “I love you, too.” She smiles up at me. “Can we just run off somewhere and pretend there aren’t any problems in either of our realms.”
Oh, the things we could do if we ran off together. As that thought flows through my brain I cannot help but find her lips with mine. She tastes so good and the feel of her tongue dancing with mine drives me crazy. When I have used up every last oxygen cell in my lungs, I finally release her lips. She moans softly as the kiss ends.
“I would love to run off with you and I promise, I will do that as soon as you say the word.”
She looks at me thoughtfully for a moment. “You would, wouldn’t you?”
I chuckle. “Xandra, I have already given up my realm for you once. Do you honestly believe I would do anything less again if you asked?”
She gets a teasing glint in her eyes. “Technically, I did not ask you to give up your realm. You decided that while I was drunk on Fairy darts.”
With a growl, I capture her lips again leaving her more breathless this time than the last. Leaning my forehead against hers, I say, “I did not hear any complaining on your part when I decided to stay.”
Her hands cup my cheeks and the teasing is gone from her eyes. There is pure love there. “I would have asked you to stay if you had not chosen to on your own. I am the luckiest person in both realms because you decided to stay with me.” Wow. She actually does love me as much as I love her. I think my heart is going to burst.
I lean in for another kiss, a more sensual kiss, when I feel a small, hard object hit me in the head. Kegan seems to have a death wish. I pull back from Xandra and turn towards him, ready to defend myself against whatever else he decides to throw at me.
“You two really need to get a hobby that does not involve locking lips in public. You are starting to border on obscene.”
I grin at his envy. “Perhaps someday some unlucky Fairy will find you attractive enough to kiss you. There must be someone who is so desperate.” He throws another pebble at me from the pile he has in his hand. I easily avoid it.
With a roll of her eyes, Xandra says, “Okay, knock it off.” I laugh and grab her hand. We all walk back to the house positive no one followed Dagda.
“I am starving,” Kegan says from behind us.
“I could eat,” I say. “We can see what Tabitha has. Maybe we will get lucky and she will be gardening.” Xandra looks up at me with a questioning expression. “We have strict orders to stay out of the pantry when Tabitha is not in the kitchen. That is where she keeps all the good food,” I explain with a grin.
“But you’re supposed to stay out of there?” Xandra asks with a raised brow.
“That only counts if we get caught.” She shakes her head and laughs.
In the hall leading to the kitchen, Xandra stops. Looking up at me, she says, “Hey, I’ll catch up with you guys. I have to go take care of something.” Which means she is about to confront Dagda.
“I will come with you.”
“No, stay here with Alita and Kegan. This is something I have to do on my own. For me.”
I want to argue. I want to insist that she either come with us or I go with her. But I do not. I can only protect her from so much and this is something that she has to do for her own sake. With great reluctance, I nod and give her a kiss on the cheek. Then I let go of her hand and walk to the kitchen with Kegan and Alita hoping that there will be less bloodshed than I am imaging.
Chapter 17
“Where is Xandra?” Kegan asks as he opens the pantry door. Tabitha has left her kitchen unguarded.
“She went to talk to Dagda.”
Kegan looks at me in surprise. “Alone?”
I shrug. “That is how she wanted it.”
His brows rise to his hairline. “And you let her even though you think she should have backup?” He shakes his head. “I do not know what she did to you but you are one changed Fairy. Before you went to the Cowan realm, no one could talk you into doing anything you did not want to do and Xandra can accomplish that with just a word or two.”
“Are you going to grab something to eat or just stand there and wait for Tabitha to come back?” I growl. He is right but that does not mean that I have to admit it.
He chuckles. “Yes, I am going to get something to eat and then I will sit at the table and marvel over the wonder that is Xandra that she has made you a somewhat decent Fairy.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see that Alita has a somewhat pained expression on her face as Kegan speaks openly about his admiration of Xandra. Kegan is being an ass. Everyone knows that he and Alita care deeply for each other. It is simply the prejudice of Kegan’s father that is keeping them apart. That makes it cruel that Kegan is idealizing my relationship with Xandra who is also not a full-blooded Fairy. Catching his eye when he pokes his head back out of the pantry I tilt my head towards Alita and he at least has the decency to look chagrined.
“Um, there are cookies and some banana bread, what would you like?” he asks Alita who is back to pretending not to care about his crush on another.
She shakes her head slightly. “I am not hungry but thank you.”
My god Kegan is an ass. “Uh uh,” I say to her. “There is no way you are going to
pass up one of Tabitha’s cookies. You sit right there,” I say pointing to a stool at the counter, “and I will get you some milk and the biggest cookie in the pantry. Even if I have to pry it out of my cousin’s cold dead hand.”
She laughs. It is a small, barely audible laugh but it is a start. “Alright. But not the biggest cookie. I would feel guilty taking away something that you two love to fight over.” A teasing glint is starting to shine in her eye. “Besides, I have not seen bloodshed since you left for the Cowan realm. I believe I am due.” Something tells me that at the moment she would not mind me causing a little bit of Kegan’s blood to shed.
Kegan grabs the cookie jar and sets it on the counter while I grab some napkins. Leaving a trail of crumbs is almost as bad as stealing the cookies. There is very little talking for the next few minutes as we attack the chocolate concoctions that only Tabitha knows how to make.
We are on our last few bites when Tabitha walks in. Kegan does not see her and almost chokes on his cookie when she smacks him in the back of the head. “Those are supposed to be for dessert.”
“Sorry,” I say around a mouthful of cookie and with my best puppy dog look on my face. “It has been so long since I have had anything this delicious that I simply could not wait that long.”
“Flattery will not help,” she says sternly but I see the smile that is trying to curve her lips upwards. She is a sucker for flattery when it comes to her cooking. “You three need to scoot out of here now. Kegan, it is time for Xandra’s lessons. Get on with it.”
I forgot about that. I glower at the cocky grin on Kegan’s face. He ignores me. Rising from his stool, he says, “Of course, I would not want to anger Grandmother.” Even Alita rolls her eyes over that one.
Rising from my own stool, we both go off to find Xandra. We find her at the bottom of the stairs. There is no blood on her clothing so I am going to guess that things went as well as could be expected. “Everything worked out?” I ask.
She nods. “I guess so. Where are you guys going?”
I am glad to hear that Kegan is the only one counting the minutes until her lessons. “Your training is about to start.”
“Oh, okay.” She is not as gung ho about it as she was yesterday.
“Please, try not to get too excited about it,” Kegan says dryly.
I grin at him over her head. Slipping her hand in mine, we walk to the training room that was set up for Kegan and me many years ago. Kegan opens the door and with a swooping gesture with his arm, says, “After you.”
Xandra takes a step towards the door but I stop her with a hand on her arm. She looks up at me and I swoop down to kiss her. Snaking her arms around my neck, she deepens the kiss regardless of an audience and it causes me to pull her tighter with a low groan. I am tempted to whisk her away but she does need to learn defense. Perhaps the reason Grandmother wants Kegan to teach her is because she knows that Xandra and I would not make it far with the training. We would most likely spend the time doing this. With a last, lingering kiss, I step back. Xandra knows that part of the kiss was for Kegan’s benefit. I can see it in her eyes. But I hope she knows most of it was me not being able to keep my hands, or lips, off from her. With a smug smile in Kegan’s direction, I turn and walk away.
As I make my way down the hall, I hear Kegan say, “My cousin acts as though I find you attractive.” Because he does. I do not hear Xandra’s response.
In order to avoid thinking about Kegan and his wandering hands while Xandra is practicing, I decide to go for a run on the beach. Dressed only in comfortable shorts, I do some stretches before following the shore line. I pass by Alita’s house; a quaint cottage with a beautiful garden. I keep going until I am almost to town and then I turn back. By the time I get back, I will have run a good seven miles. My muscles are aching from lack of use but it feels good to be exercising like this again. I need to make more time for it. Maybe I can convince Xandra to take up running. Probably not.
As I approach the house, I find Tabitha tending her garden. She is picking fresh strawberries and placing them in a ceramic bowl. Since we ate her cookies, she must be making a strawberry pie for dessert.
I use my magic to make a towel so I can wipe the sweat from my face before talking to her. “How are you holding up?” I ask.
Her mouth is in a grim line when she looks up at me. “I am already sick to death of the man.”
Sympathy dominates the smile I give her. “I am sorry for my part in all of this.” At least, I am sorry for how this whole situation has affected those I love. If I had stayed in this realm, Xenia would not be doing all of this. On the other hand, I would not have met Xandra. I am not sorry for that.
Tabitha stands up and looks at me sternly. “You are not responsible for the sins of your mother, Kallen. She started this long before you were born. She was a good woman but she was led astray and I will not have you apologizing for the fall out of her actions.”
I know what she is saying is true but it is hard to believe that when someone is trying to start a war because I will not agree to be hand-fasted with her. I open my mouth to say that when the sound of a carriage door comes from the back of the house.
Tabitha wipes her hands on her apron as she starts to walk in that direction. “Now who has come to ruin my day,” she grumbles.
Rounding the back of the house, the carriage of Xenia’s father is parked near the door. Rhiannon is just stepping out of it. When she sees us, her eyes run up and down my body in a way that makes me want to put on a shirt. And pants.
“Hello, Kallen,” she purrs. “I have come to make a deal with you for my sister. Do you want to hear it?”
“It is doubtful that either you or your sister has something to say that I want to hear, but you may say whatever you would like.”
She looks at me expectantly for a moment and then says, “Are you going to invite me in?”
I was hoping to avoid that. Tabitha was as well if her disgusted sigh means anything. “Come on,” Tabitha says in what is practically a snarl. “Kallen, you go and get the others who are here and I will let Isla know we have an unexpected visitor.” It is clear that by unexpected she means unwelcome. Rhiannon’s eyes flash in anger but she holds her tongue.
At least this gives me an excuse to break up Xandra’s training session with Kegan a little early. I send him a message and smile to myself about how annoyed I am sure he is at the moment. Oh well, it cannot be helped.
I dress in jeans and a t-shirt because I do not want to be ogled by Rhiannon any more than usual. I lead her to the small parlor off the living room. She does not rate anything larger or more formal. I gesture for her to have a seat on the smallest chair and I sit in the chair farthest away from her.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
She laughs in a way I think is supposed to be sexy but comes off more donkey. “You know why I am here, Kallen. You are my brother by marriage and I have come to bring you home.”
I have to swallow back the bile that sentence raises in the back of my throat. “I am not related to you in any such way. Our mothers may have attempted an ancient spell. That does not mean that it was successful or that I am bound by it.”
She sighs. “Kallen, just deal with it. You and Xenia are married.”
I am not going round and round about this for the millionth time. “This is the same argument that has been going on for years. Why are you really here, Rhiannon?”
She gets a twisted smile on her face. Not sure what look she is going for with that. Frankly, I do not care. “Xenia is willing to offer you a deal.”
I know I am not going to like this. “What deal is that?”
“She will call off the rebellion if you agree to admit that you are hand-fasted.”
I cannot help but laugh. “She is crazy. I will not lie so that she can fulfill her delusions.”
“My sister is not delusional. If you want the rebellion called off then you will admit that you are the delusional one.” Her voice is starting to rise.
I am losing my patience. “This is not a negotiation. You can inform your sister that her offer is not accepted.”
The door opens and in walks Xandra as the last words leave my lips. She must have come right from the training room as her skin is gleaming and she is dressed in workout clothes. She looks so damn sexy that I almost forget about Rhiannon.
“What offer is that?” she asks.
Before I have a chance to answer, Rhiannon says, “You prefer that over my sister?” Stupidity runs in her family.
“What offer, Kallen?” Xandra asks again.
