are you?”
Hmm. He honestly looks like he doesn’t know. Interesting. “Who do you think I am?”
“I had assumed that you were from the northern territory since I had never met you before. Someone brought here to be Kallen’s wife.”
What is it with everyone wanting to marry me off at seventeen? “No, I am definitely not here to be anyone’s wife. But, I would like to be alone right now.” Does the guy not take a hint? Maybe Isla didn’t ask him to spy on me and Kallen. Maybe, he just gets a kick out of following people around and annoying the crap out of them. “Kegan, look. You can leave or I can make you leave. Since I don’t have the greatest control over my magic at the moment, that could turn out very badly for you. Please leave.”
Holding his hands up in front of him, he says, “Okay, I can take a hint.” No, he can’t. “But, will you at least let me bring you some food? You said you were hungry.”
I’m about to shout at him, or eject him by magic, when my stomach growls loudly. Fine, I’m hungry. That doesn’t mean I need company. “I’m sure I can find something on my own, thanks.”
With a last assessing stare, Kegan give me a curt nod and finally leaves the room. Through the door, not the terrace. Good lord, it’s about time. Lying back on my bed, I try not to think about how simple my life was just a few short weeks ago.
It doesn’t take long for the exhaustion I have felt building up inside of me to pull me down into sleep, despite the pain in my legs.
Chapter 8
Something touches my face, which wakes me from the pleasant dream I was having in which no one wanted to kill me. My mind hasn’t quite surfaced to consciousness as I wipe at my face to get whatever it is away from me. What seems like half a second later, it’s on my face again. At this point, my brain has figured out it might as well wake up, because whatever this is, it isn’t going away.
Opening one sleepy eye, I’m startled at first to find two tiny, beady black ones staring back at me. I scowl and murmur, “Go away,” before I roll over and ignore him.
So, he pokes me in the back. Rolling back towards him, I swing my hand out at him. “Go away!”
He backs up a couple of feet on the huge bed and folds out his feathers to shake them off, but he doesn’t leave. Stupid raven. “Kallen, I mean it. You need to leave or I’m going to start using my magic. I don’t want to be around you until you’re ready to tell me everything.”
The air around him shimmers and he becomes his Fairy self again. Quickly clothing himself with a pair of shorts, he says, “Xandra, I want to tell you everything. But, I believe my grandmother should be here, as well. She has more current information on what is going on.”
“You could tell me what you know.”
He doesn’t quite meet my eyes, when he says, “I believe it is best to wait.”
“Then leave.”
“Xandra…”
With a frustrated growl, I stand up from the bed. “Fine, if you won’t leave, I will.” Kallen stays where he is as I walk to the door, open it and close it behind me. Maybe I’m acting childish, but I don’t care.
I find my way back to the beach and I’m happy to find the girl is gone. I spend a second wondering if she swam away or walked away. Then it dawns on me that I honestly don’t care.
Walking up to the water, I let it tickle my toes but I don’t go in. Not with these puncture wounds. They don’t really hurt anymore, but I’m sure the salt water would change that. It was painful enough the first time, I don’t need to repeat the experience. Closing my eyes, I focus on getting rid of them. It only takes a couple of minutes to pull the magic inside of me, imagine it healing me from the inside out, and then let it go as all
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