“Is that van yours?” she asked, confirming my suspicion.
“It is,” I replied, not offering more information.
“Any lady with you?” she asked, leaning against the wall confidently. She wasn’t batting her lashes or giving me doe eyes, no, she oozed confidence in a cool way. I wasn’t interested, but I was impressed.
Not wanting to offer more information, I simply answered, “no.”
“Then let me keep you warm tonight,” she grinned, proving again to be truly confident. If me and Niam ever had any girls, Ihoped they’d be this confident. Small girl bosses. Oh my god, how adorable would that be?! A tiny girl version of Niam bossing us around. I would need to talk to Niam about kids. Not that I was desperate to share him with anyone else just yet, but damn, did I want to make him a daddy.
Before I could kindly tell her no, she flew back and landed hard on her back, her nose bleeding out of nowhere.
“What happened?!” I asked, looking around, then I heard Leon make a sound and I swear it sounded like a hiss. Damn. Leon had karate kicked her straight in the face.
The woman looked terrified as she looked around. I was glad that I was too far away to have done this myself, so she wouldn’t suspect me.
Niam chose that moment to appear, taking in the sight of the bleeding girl and the still hissing Leon. He raised a brow, looking pointedly at me. “What did she do?”
I decided to answer, because the woman didn’t seem in any hurry to get up, and I wasn’t about to face Leon’s wrath and help her. “She offered to keep me warm during the storm.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t even shit in peace without people hitting on you!” I just shrugged. It wasn’t my fault that he hadn’t allowed me to come in with him. He just shook his head at me. “Well, at least Leon fights for my honor,” he huffed and turned for the van. If the intended push against my side was to be trusted, Snowflake had followed right behind him. I sighed and hung my head. Somehow it was now my fault she’d hit on me.
I waved goodbye to her and hoped she would find someone else she could keep warm. She was still sitting on the ground when I closed the van doors and locked them. Two minutes later, the storm hit, and pebbling raindrops hit the roof, a comforting sound as we snuggled up together on our mattress, enjoying this moment of peace while it lasted.
Chapter 25
Niam
We left the campsite at the break of dawn. The storm was still roaring, making the roads leading out of the campsite muddy, but we needed to get out of there. There were fifteen cars when we woke up, and even if it seemed paranoid of us, we simply didn’t feel safe with so many people around our van. We were in search of a restaurant, or any place really, that offered breakfast.
“According to the map, there aren’t any restaurants in the area,” I said, pouting. I really wanted waffles, or pancakes, I wasn’t picky,either would do. But with the rain coming down in waves and empty roads ahead, it seemed like it wasn’t in my near future. Sadly.
“Maybe we should camp in the forest and wait for the rain to stop?” Xari suggested.
I sighed and slumped back in my seat. “Yeah, it seems like the best option right now. It just sucks. Silver is out there, and maybe in danger because of what we’ve started.” I hated thinking about him being ambushed without having done anything wrong. I couldn’t help comparing myself to him. Had he been lonely before being shunned, too? Had his start here been awful? Was he happy now?
“Check the weather app.” I did as he asked and saw the storm should clear in four hours’ time. I told him and placed the phone back between us. “Then let’s park for three hours before hitting the road again.” I nodded and we drove until an opening came to our right, just a small space for parking, but it was better than nothing. I would use the time wisely, by reading.
“That was amazing,” I sighed, slumping back in the seat. We’d stayed in the van during the storm, just reading and snuggling up together, and as soon as the three hours were up, we’d driven an hour to the nearest town.
“I completely agree,” Xari said, starting the van. We’d just eaten a late lunch at a pizza place, stuffing our faces with the amazing cheese coated dough. Now, we were determined to close the last miles between us and Silver.
We drove in silence, both of us tired of being on the road and trying to stay awake even if we both desperately wanted an after food nap. I knew I could doze off, but it still didn’t feel right leaving Xari alone.
“Can I see the locket?” he asked. I took it out and showed him the glow. “I think we’re only hours away now.” He sounded so elated, so relieved. I was, too, feeling the need to protect another shunned mage.
“There’s a lake coming up in an hours’ time,” he said, pointing to the GPS screen. “Want us to camp there for the night?”
“Yeah, I think Snowflake would love to catch some fish.” I longed to have a sweet moment with our familiars. Little did I know, it would turn bloody.
We left the van and called our familiars out, this time allowing them to be seen. I’d forgotten just how big Leon was.
“Lake’s this way!” Xari called, walking ahead while I walked next to Snowflake, pleased to see him again.
The lake was beautiful. Surrounded by trees, it looked like a fairy tale, with ripples in the water from the wind and birds swimming around in it.
Snowflake was gone in a flash, chasing said birds and ruining the calm vibe the place held before.
Xari stripped off his clothes and suddenly I felt the peace and beauty of the place again. I stripped, too, and together we jumped into the water, giggling like we were doing something naughty.
