by Bonnie Lamer
“Wow,” is all I can manage when he lets me up for air.
Pressing his forehead to mine, his face sobers. “I was afraid to tell you about Xeniaa. Afraid that you would not want to be with me if you found out.” The intensity in his eyes speaks to the truth of that. It’s so hard to remember that he’s as insecure as I am in this new state of love we’ve found ourselves in.
I smile and put my hand on his cheek. “Thanks for all that confidence in my love for you. I appreciate it,” I tease. From the bottom of his throat, he growls before kissing me again, which is awkward because I’m laughing.
“Am I forever going to find you two in an embrace?” Kegan asks sourly from where he’s leaning against the door frame to the living room.
“Go away,” Kallen growls, barely taking his lips away from mine.
Still laughing, I press against his chest. “Be nice,” I admonish. But I have to admit, I’m disappointed that Kegan showed up again as well.
Instead of being nice, Kallen pulls me tighter against him, dragging my lips back to his. My eyes pop open when Kegan shouts, “You bloody bastard!”
Kegan’s being propelled backward as he swings his arms like a windmill, trying to maintain his balance. He loses the fight and ends up on his butt; still being dragged away by magic. I’m laughing so hard now, it’s pointless for Kallen to even try to kiss me. Instead, he puts an arm around my shoulders and turns to watch Kegan as he goes back through the door leading to the kitchen. He briefly tries holding onto the doorframe, but that only lasts for a couple of seconds. Then, he’s gone.
“He’s going to get back at you for that.”
He shrugs. “Probably.”
“Isla sent him out to get us, didn’t she?”
“More than likely.”
“Come on.”
I grab his hand and start pulling him back to the kitchen, but he resists. “I could still be kissing you if you were not dragging me back in there.”
“And have Isla be the one that comes out to get us next? I don’t think so.” I keep pulling him until we’re back in the kitchen.
Alita and Tabitha look amused and Isla only looks mildly annoyed. Kegan looks pissed. I can feel him starting to pull magic.
Giving both of them the evil eye, Tabitha says, “Boys, that is quite enough. You will not be having one of your wars in my kitchen. Kallen, apologize to Kegan.”
It’s so weird hearing someone treat Kallen like a little kid. I always feel like the young one when we’re together. It’s kind of nice seeing him have to answer to someone.
He places his hand over his heart and with mock sincerity, says, “My honorable cousin, it pains me that I have wronged you in such a way. I beg you to accept my humblest apology.”
I’m pretty sure that if Isla wasn’t here, Kegan would have a few things to say about that apology. I’m impressed by the way he’s biting his tongue. Any minute now, I expect blood to gush out of his mouth from the effort. I can tell he’s going to come up with something really good to get back at Kallen.
“Are you boys about done with this nonsense?” Isla asks with more affection in her voice than scolding. Kallen grins and Kegan scowls, but she must take both as a yes, because she continues. “Xandra, I have arranged for you to meet with Dagda first thing in the morning. After that, you will begin your training.”
My brows scrunch together. “Training?”
Isla nods. “Yes, your training. We cannot have you going about almost killing people, now can we?”
I guess I can’t really say yes to that. “What kind of training?”
“It will vary. I have enlisted Tabitha to work with you on delicacy. She has the gift of serenity, so she can help you relax and focus better.”
Huh? “What do you mean by ‘gift of serenity?’”
“That means that my touch has a calming effect on the minds of others,” Tabitha says. “You may have noticed that earlier.”
So that’s why I felt more confidant and didn’t worry so much when she was trying to teach me how to use my magic earlier. That’s so cool. I wish I could do that. I tend to put people on edge. Looking back at Isla, I say, “What other type of training will I have?”
“Kallen will be working with you on offensive magic, as you requested.” Good, they were listening when I said I wanted to learn that. “Kegan will be working with you on honing your reflexes and hand to hand combat.”
“Um, what do I need to learn that for?” I’m magical. I don’t need to learn to punch someone in the face when I can burn them from the inside out. Wow, there’s a sentence I never would have thought I’d have to use.
Isla smiles patiently. Or condescendingly. Depends on your point of view, I guess. From my point of view, it’s condescending. “Because not all wars are fought with magic. Sometimes, the easiest way to defeat a foe is to not use magic. A well placed sword can do the job very nicely.”
“Oh,” is all I can think to say. I guess I hadn’t thought about someone walking up to me and just stabbing me in the back with something. That sucks. Now I have yet another thing to worry about. My brain is getting awfully full. Pretty soon, I’m going to have to start picking and choosing what I’m going to worry about because there’s just not enough room for all of it in my head.
“I am able to teach her those skills. Kegan need not be bothered with the task.” Is that jealousy in Kallen’s eyes again?
“It is no bother. I will be happy to assist,” Kallen says with a grin a mile wide. Maybe this will be his revenge, trying to make Kallen even more jealous. I’m not liking being in the middle of their competitive natures.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Alita asks. She has been quiet throughout this entire conversation.
“Yes, dear, there is. You would be excellent as a companion to Xandra. I am sure it will be nice for her to have someone around her own age to talk to and spend time with while she is here.” By around her age, Isla means in Fairy years. Time moves differently here than in my realm. So, in my realm, Alita may actually be three hundred or so years old just like Kallen. “I do not want Kallen monopolizing all of her time,” Isla continues with an accusing look in Kallen’s direction. He tries to look innocent, but he’s not very good at that.
So, in other words, Alita is my new chaperone. I guess I’m okay with that. She seems awfully nice, and I’ve never had a friend to hang out with. Mom and Dad kept me pretty sheltered in the mountains to try to keep the Witches and the Fairies from finding me. That worked out just great.
Alita inclines her head towards Isla. “I would be honored.”
Tabitha rises from her stool. She still has her eye on both Kegan and Kallen to make sure they don’t start at it again. “I was going to offer you fresh fruit, bread and cheese for lunch. That is, until my best fruit was used for target practice.” Now, I’m getting the evil eye. I try to look contrite, but I don’t think I pull it off. “Now, it will have to be sandwiches.”
Tabitha starts bustling around the kitchen, getting enough food ready to feed a small army. I ask if there’s anything I can do to help, but she shoos me back to my stool. Kallen sits down next to me. Isla is due in court, so she says her good byes and leaves again. Apparently, she had only come home briefly to make sure everything was alright after my little Rhiannon incident. I’m guessing she found out about it through a vision; I can’t imagine that word got out already.
“What does it feel like; being such a powerful Fairy, I mean?” Alita asks shyly. I’m beginning to suspect that she’s not a very powerful Cowan Fairy. That makes it even more impressive that she stood up to Rhiannon and her friend to try to save me.
I shrug. “I don’t know. I just feel like me, I guess.” That was a lame answer. I try again. “I haven’t known about magic for very long, so it’s all kind of new to me. It’s frustrating that I can do things like what I did to Kallen when I’m mad or upset, but I can’t do basic magic without blowing something up.”
Kegan grabs an apple from th
e bowl and takes a bite. “What’s the most impressive thing you’ve done with your magic?” he asks with a mouth full of apple. Yuck.
“She created an imbalance and set the air on fire.” Alita looks shocked and Kegan about chokes on his apple. That’s what he gets for talking with his mouthful.
“Really?” he says around the apple.
There’s a teasing twinkle in Kallen’s eyes as he continues telling them about my most embarrassing goof ups, despite the glare I shoot him. “That was after she buried us in an avalanche. And almost crushed us with a rock slide.”
“Are you done,” I ask with my arms over my chest.
Apparently, he’s not. “Oh, and there’s the time she almost threw her grandmother out the window with all the furniture. She also ripped open the realms and threw Maurelle and Olwyn back here at Dagda’s feet.” He actually looks proud when he says that last part.
Alita’s hand covers her mouth as she gasps. Kegan lets out a low whistle. And my cheeks are getting redder by the second. “You forgot about the times I took away your voice because I wanted you to stop talking.” I hope the look on my face conveys the fact that I’m seconds away from doing that again.
Kegan snickers and takes another bite of his apple. Swallowing, he says, “No wonder Kallen does not mind that you have Witch blood running through you. You are about a thousand times more powerful than he is. I bet you can kick his ass anytime you want.”
“Kegan, I will not have such talk in my kitchen,” Tabitha warns with a no nonsense look. I don’t care how powerful I am, I don’t want to be on Tabitha’s bad side. I’m guessing she’s a lot tougher than she looks.
“Sorry,” Kegan mumbles.
A smile creeps onto my face and I respond to his statement. “Yes, I can.” Kallen’s eyes narrow, but there’s not a lot he can say. I can.
“Enough chatter, now,” Tabitha says as she distributes the sandwiches she whipped up. Not with magic, just really fast hands. “Eat your lunch and then skedaddle. You are all going to be busy in the near future, so enjoy the beach and the sun while you can.”
Ugh, I hope all my training isn’t inside. But, I guess it doesn’t make sense for me to train out in the open. I don’t want my enemies to know what I don’t know.
The rest of lunch passes with very little conversation. We’re all too busy eating Tabitha’s delicious sandwiches of what I think is turkey and some sort of sauce that vaguely tastes like cucumbers. A weird combination, but really yummy. When we’ve eaten all we possibly can, I ask, “What should we do now?”
Kallen gives me a look that tells me exactly what he wants to suggest. Stupid blushes, I wish there was a spell that could prevent them. A little color floods into Alita’s cheeks as well. I wasn’t the only one to guess Kallen’s unspoken message. “What else is there to do?”
Kegan chuckles. “Sorry, cousin, Alita and I are your shadows ALL afternoon.” Hmm, I guess Isla did put him up to following us around.
Alita looks uncomfortable. “If you would rather be alone…”
I laugh. “That’s not going to get you the chaperone of the year award.”
“I do not want to impose,” she says softly.
“It is not your company that we find objectionable, Alita.” Kallen’s looking at Kegan when he says that.
Taking pity on her, I say, “How about you and I go looking for those coconuts you were after earlier.” I nod my head towards Kegan and Kallen. “They can work out their hostility without us.”
The beginning of a bright smile touches her lips. “Okay.”
She slips off her stool and I follow. We walk out of the kitchen and it doesn’t take long for Kallen to be next to me. “Like looking for coconuts, do you?”
“I adore it.”
“Uh huh.” I don’t believe him at all. Regardless, I slip my hand in his and follow Alita outside.
Chapter 10
We spend a pleasant afternoon enjoying the sunshine and sea shore as Tabitha suggested. Alita’s sweet and funny, and I like her a lot. Kallen and Kegan exchange barbs constantly, but it’s all in fun. It’s obvious they care about each other.
Dinner is much more formal than lunch. I have to try several times to dress myself appropriately with Tabitha’s help, and I finally get it on the sixth try. Try number three was the one that really bothered Kallen. It wasn’t the dress so much as the three inch heels that he got to him. Kegan has a much better sense of humor about it.
Alita politely declines staying for dinner. I think Isla may intimidate her. Understandable. I would imagine she intimidates a lot people. I’m trying not to let her intimidate me, though.
After dinner, I’m beat. It’s been a really long day. I must look as tired as I feel because Isla suggests that I turn in early. Alone. Yup, she said that.
Kallen walks me to the stairs so he can kiss me goodnight. Pulling me close, he pushes a strand of hair from my cheek. “We have not talked about tomorrow. Are you ready to meet Dagda?”
I shrug, trying to appear more nonchalant than I am. The man does want me dead, after all. “I’ve already met him, remember?”
“You do not have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Pretend like you are not scared or angry. I would be both if I was in your shoes.” I doubt he’d be scared, but it’s a nice lie. In truth, I’m more angry than scared; but knowing that half the population of this realm wants me dead has definitely put ‘fear for my life’ on my to do list.
“I’ll be okay.”
He smiles. “Yes, you will.” He leans down and gives me a sweet, lingering kiss. Standing back up, he steps back. “Good night, Xandra. I will miss you this evening.”
Guess that answers the question of whether or not he’s going to try to sneak into my room tonight. “Good night.”
I make my way up the three staircases to my room, but, as tired as I am, I can’t crawl right into bed. I need to unwind a little bit. I wander out onto the terrace and the view of the sun setting over the ocean is beautiful. The sky is shades of orange and pink that I’ve never seen before, and the way it sparkles against the water is amazing.
Something else comes into my field of vision. A paper flying in the wind. Gently, it floats down towards me and I reach my hand out for it. As soon as it’s in my grasp, the gown I wore to dinner becomes a beautiful, pale pink nightgown of the softest silk. I smile as I read the note.
I wanted to make sure that the only one of us wearing a nightgown is you. I am sure you look beautiful. Sweet dreams
I laugh softly. He really is a nice guy, no matter how much he teases me.
Finally ready to turn in, I climb into the humongous bed and pull the covers over me. The comforter has no traces of the blood from my leg wounds earlier. Tabitha must have taken care of that. Closing my eyes, I don’t have time to think another thought before I am deep asleep.
Sometime later, I wake up to find myself entangled in Kallen’s arms. I guess it shows how tired I was that I didn’t wake up when he came in. Or, I am so used to him sleeping with me now, his arm across my body is expected, not cause for alarm. I don’t wake him, I just snuggle closer. He pulls me tighter against him in his sleep and I doze back off.
Kallen’s shout of “Ow!” wakes me up. Rolling over, I see him holding the back of his head and Tabitha standing with her hands on her hips next to the bed. I’m guessing she gave him another smack to the head.
“If your grandmother found you in here, she would have a conniption.”
“We are sleeping, nothing more,” Kallen says, still rubbing his head.
“You are darn lucky I believe you. Otherwise, we would have the hand-fasting set by this afternoon. Now, you get on out of here. Xandra has a big day, and she does not need the likes of you distracting her with your moon eyes and wagging puppy dog tail.” I can’t help giggling, but I try really hard to stop when Tabitha turns her glare on me.
Kallen climbs out of the bed and gives Tabitha a wide berth as he goes around her.
I’m pretty sure he thinks she’s going to smack him again if he gets too close. I think he’s right. She glowers at him the entire time it takes him to walk to the door and leave. I’m not glowering at him. I’m enjoying the view of his bare, muscular back and broad shoulders and how good he looks in his pajama pants.
Turning back to me, Tabitha says, “I will give you half an hour to bathe and then I will be back to help you get ready. Presentation will be important today. You need to walk into that palace with your head held high like the princess you are.” With that, she turns on her heel and leaves me sitting stock still on the bed for a moment.
