Chapter 16 #2
“What?” he asks, furrowing his brows. He is already smiling a bit again.
“Nothing,” I breathe out. I just never fought anyone before who stayed friendly with me afterwards, but decide to keep this to myself. “You are just still friendly.” I shrug, deciding to give him something at least. I grab his hand and he helps me up, handing me my sword again.
“I bet I am your first,” he announces, putting his hand on his hips. He has a smile on his face. “No wait, that sounds gross. What I mean is, there is a first time for everything.” He chuckles. I interrupt him from saying anything else.
“Why are you being nice to me?” I question him.
“Because having a friend here seems necessary. And you seemed like the perfect candidate.”
Friend.
Nobody ever called me a friend, and I am not sure how to feel about that. A flash of white blonde hair appears in my sight.
“I don’t want to interfere with your little teatime, but Caleb, let’s go,” Gwen announces. He stares at her, blinking his eyes a few times in confusion.
“Where did you come from?” he asks, stuttering and looking around in perplexity.
“From the woods, duh. Now let’s go. Because we—” she points her finger between Caleb and herself, giving me a side eye, “—we need to win.” She presses her hand on her hip, rolling her eyes at me in annoyance. Or not, because that is not what Caleb told me. I give him a nod in encouragement.
“See you later, friend.” He waves his hand at me.
He is a bit strange, huh? First, he slaps a ball of iron against my head.
After that, he is being friendly, then he fights me, and now he is being friendly again.
Is he trying that good cop-bad cop kind of game?
I chuckle. At the end of the day, he called me his friend—again.
Friend.
It is one of the few words that doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste in my mouth anymore.
All alone, I’m searching through the forest again, looking for Eliane. In the distance, a light shines above a small lake. That’s when I know it.
I have found her.
It took me a bit longer than fifteen minutes, but there she is.
Chatting with Kailey, her long golden hair shining bright as they sit on tree stumps next to a lake.
A ball of light dances above their heads and a small campfire burns between them.
They look like they are all settled. It is almost dark, so I can understand that she hasn’t seen me, but I would have thought she would have felt my presence by now.
“Turn around,” I command. I see her stiffen from where I am standing. I stroll closer as she turns around. I am maximal 50 feet away. Her face lights up as she sees me. She jumps up and bolts toward me.
“I knew you would find me!” she gushes, and her face softens. Her arms wrap around my neck as she crashes into me.
I freeze.
She must feel me tense because she lets me lose and takes a few steps back.
She narrows her eyes, holding her head tilted.
Her golden blonde waves are up in a long ponytail that bounces around.
She is wearing an all-black outfit, with leather details.
A belt is wrapped around her leg, keeping her daggers in place as usual.
A nasty feeling fills my stomach. Her outfit and hair aren’t the things that make me worry.
One of her eyes is starting to get blue and is swollen.
Under her nose are still little pieces of dried crust of blood.
The person who did this has a death wish.
Her eyes scan me, and she has this silly look at her face, probably trying to figure out what I am thinking. Well, I will tell her what I’m thinking.
“What the fuck happened to you?!” I groan, worry spreading all across my face. She backs up. Her expression changes.
“You’re one to talk, look at you! Your arm is bleeding, and you look like you’ve been held hostage!
Two can play this game, Braxton. Don’t act like you care about me when you really don’t,” she hisses.
She turns around and sits next to Kailey again.
Maybe I should start writing a book ‘How to not make friends.’ I could draw it better, Eliane is the one to write.
I stomp toward her, a growl raising in my throat. No one can touch her, not like that.
“Let’s go,” I demand. I turn around, making amends to walk away. I look over my shoulder. Eliane doesn’t move. Come on.
“I said now,” I snap.
She lets out a sigh.
“You’re not my boss, and I am not your prisoner, ” she shrieks out. She exchanges a look with Kailey. I know what is going on. She doesn’t want to leave her friend.
“Kailey isn’t your mate—I am.” I bite back. I recognize my younger self in my voice, desperate for love.
Not anymore.
But I still hope she doesn’t hear my voice break a little.
A raw sound escapes my throat.
“You’re my duo or partner or whatever in here, not my mate.
Again, we aren’t fae,” she argues, way cockier than normal.
“And by the way, that is not what this is about!” she yells.
She points her finger at me angrily. She is actually a little fiery thing under her sunny, sparkly, and bubbly side. Or maybe I woke that side in her.
I stroll towards her, giving Kailey a thankful nod.
“We will see you at the top. Thank you for helping her.” I grin at her.
Kailey smiles at me, packing her things, making amends to leave.
Eliane looks like she is going to explode.
Before she can say anything, I wrap my arms around her waist and throw her over my shoulder.
I stamp away holding her legs tightly as she dangles over my shoulder.
I hear her yelp and am begging it isn’t in pain.
She isn’t that small, but in comparison to me she is.
She weighs as much as the weights I train with.
“Let go of me, you self-centered prick!” she spits out, kicking her legs frantically, slamming her fist into my back. I growl loudly, the sound coming from the back of my lungs.
“Stop growling at me!” she screams, smashing her fist harder into my back.
“I will if you stop acting like a little brat, Honey,” I grumble.
Sweat drips in my eyebrow and my hair sticks to my face.
At once, Eliane stops moving. She doesn’t react and I can feel her shiver in my arms. Before I can realize what is happening, I put her down.
She doesn’t react. A few seconds ago, she would have stamped away from me, but now? I don’t think clearly, and my hands cover her cheeks.
“What is wrong, Honey?” I ask worryingly. Her skin feels soft and a bit sticky from her sweat. Her eyes turn glossy, and she stares blankly into the air. She folds her arms together.
“Nothing,” she whispers. She presses her lips firmly together, she is holding back the tears. She acts like she doesn’t care, but she is a sensitive person.
“That isn’t true, I am sorry. I didn’t want to make you sad,” I apologize. I can’t stop myself from wiping a tear away from her cheek. She shivers under my touch, but her eyes wide and she looks deep into my eyes.
“No,” she interrupts. “It is not you.”
Her voice breaks.
It looks like she has something more to say so I let her.
Tears roll softly off her cheeks, her lips holding onto all her emotions, trying to stay big.
I can hear her scream in my mind, but as I look at her nothing comes out.
I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into me.
She presses her face into my shoulder and with my fingers I brush her hair that is slicked in a ponytail.
“I remember,” she whimpers.
I can’t look at her, but I can feel her mind.
She remembers what happened to her. Maybe Delilah didn’t hurt her? I slip in her mind, looking for the answers I desperately need. I can feel it. I can read her thoughts and memories.
The king.
Anger bubbles up in me and I am surprised steam doesn’t fly out of my ears.
“The king did this to you?” I spit out, I am still holding her firmly and I can feel her shiver from the crying.
I am glad she doesn’t see me right now, because I already hate the king, but right now I’m on the edge of killing my father.
She takes a step back and looks to the ground.
She sniffles her nose and I can hear she is still crying. I need to make her stop crying.
“Yes.” She sniffles. Her hands cover her eyes and she shakes her head desperately.
She doesn’t need to say more. I can feel her fear as I sail along on her memory.
She got dragged away and tried to escape.
I can feel her fear as someone punches and kicks her, and she sees the king his face before she closes her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Honey,” I whimper. She wipes her tears away and her face looks all red and puffy.
“It is not your fault,” she whispers. I watch her as she finds her strength back slowly. But I know deep down she is still hurt. That’s why I make her a promise.
“I will make sure that the king will get what he deserves.”
She looks at me with funny eyes and I can feel her in my mind.
“He is your father, Braxton,” she states. Biological yes, but I will never call him that again. She starts speaking loudly again. “And besides, he isn’t the one who kidnapped me. Someone else did. They lifted me the same as you did. I think that’s why I remember. So, thank you.”
I am not sure that is something she should be thankful for.
“He still is the one who gives them the order, Honey,” I speculate. I ball my fist and wander a few leaps.
“Well, I’m already over it. So let’s go.” She claps her hands, making amends to take the lead. She looks over her shoulder and gives me a somewhat uncertain look. “Or what is the plan actually?” She lifts her shoulders in doubt, and a small grin appears on my face. She points at my face.
“I knew you could smile,” she teases. I swing my hand to act like it is nothing, but she runs towards me.
She lifts my hand so she can see my face.
All I can think about are her plump lips.
Her freckles and wrinkled nose look cute and her honey brown eyes invite me in her warmth.
Her eye is still swollen, and guilt fills my chest. I couldn’t protect her.
She looks up at me with those doe eyes and goosebumps appear on my skin as she lays her hand down on my arms.
“Now, let me see those dimples again. I have waited long enough, don’t you think?”
I can’t help but give her what she wants.
The corner of my mouth lifts up. A smile appears on her face, showing off her perfect, cute, white teeth and a laugh escapes her throat.
I love the sound of it. She looks satisfied as she turns around, taking the lead again.
Apparently, she had made up her own plan already.
I can still hear her chuckle as she strolls in front of me.
If this is what I get for smiling, it won’t be the last time I smiled.