Page 48 of The Bones of the Cursed
“Why?” I ask her.
“It is not your time to die,” she says in a surprisingly soft voice. “Besides, I have a fondness for your sister.”
“Is she…” I trail off, scared to ask.
After a moment of apparent consideration, she raises her head to meet my gaze. “She is safe…for now. She is doing all she can to get to you. I am cursed to obey his orders, but I will do everything in my power to help you. Your sister is the kindest person I think I have ever met; the world needs more like her.”
Before I can react or even thank her, she disappears.
20
- ALANIS -
WELCOME BACK
It takes five days of nonstop travel to get back to Percius as quickly as possible. My ass is numb from the countless hours on horseback. Worse still, they’re hours spent pressed up against Malakai. With each day that passes, the hurt from Kailu leaving me fades a little more. I didn’t know him long, but in the short time I did, he came to mean something to me. The fact that I didn’t mean as much to him still stings.
Malakai and Kailu are similar, yet so different. Both protective down to their very core. But where Kailu is rigid and strict, Malakai seems to be wilder. He reminds me of a forest fire, all-consuming.
I’m sitting on a rock watching him get a drink from the stream. He’s been shirtless for the past half hour due to the abnormal heat wave in mid-autumn. Sweat glistens on his chest. I can’t peel my eyes from the black tattoos that swirl across his chest and down to his stomach. My particular favorite is the one that leads towards his V and disappears into his trousers.
I might actually be drooling. What is wrong with me? Here I am, just ogling him while he is unaware. I’m no better than a perverted man catcalling a woman. Guilt seeps in because I wasjust looking at Kailu like this not long ago.
I try my best to look away, I really do. But my eyes find him again and again and I can’t help but wonder where else he has tattoos. At the moment, he leans over, splashing his face with water, his perfect ass on display. Is there anything about him that isn’t annoyingly perfect?
My thoughts are thrown off track by the clearing of a throat. I turn and see Hannah. I give her a bright smile as she sits down.
She smirks. “Sorry to interrupt. Quite the view, huh?”
I shush her. “You know how these Fae are with their hearing.”
Hannah giggles. It feels good to have this time with her. I didn’t realize how badly I needed girl time.
“What’s up with you and Siveral?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes, but I can tell she wants to smile.
“Do you like him?”
“I do,” she says, peeking at me with bright eyes, “but it’s complicated. Right now, I’m fine just getting to know him and spending time with him.”
I nod in understanding.
“How are you with everything?”
I take a deep breath and vent about Kailu, letting all my frustration out, and in that moment, make the decision to leave the hurt behind. I am going to hypothetically bury it on the bed of this stream and move on. I don’t have the energy to allow it to fester inside me anymore.
Hannah gives me a reassuring hug accompanied by a sad smile. “I’m sorry he did that to you. I wish we knew why. I thought he really liked you. My Gods, he always seemed to be keeping an eye on you. Although, there’s another Fae who hasn’t been able to look away from you for long since the second he laid eyes on you, either.” She nudges me with a wink.
I roll my eyes, even as my cheeks grow warm. “He’s different. I have no doubt he’s used to getting what he wants,but underneath the bad boy looks and hard exterior he shows everyone else, he’s really sweet.”
She scoffs. “Sweet? That’s not how I would describe him. He just swindled half the group out of a month’s pay on a game of dice with no remorse. Not to mention he’s scary as hell.”
“I haven’t noticed that.”
“Probably because you’ve been too busy noticing other parts of him.” She waggles her eyebrows at me.
“Hannah!” I laugh.
