Burning Embers (book 3)

Chapter 10

I felt lightheaded, more so than ever before the other times my eyes had changed color. At least this time I only lost consciousness for a brief time. Although I was worried what this could mean, I was not about to let on to that fact. As far as everyone else was concerned, I was fine. I stayed outside a while after everyone else went back inside. The fresh air was good for me and I wanted some alone time. Time to think.

My back leaned against the fountain as I gazed at the stars. The night was cold, but peaceful. I breathed in deeply, savoring the moment, and let out the breath slowly. Nina... the Fae who would be helping us... she sure was something else. But I wasn't sure if we could trust her. Roxi and Leita's warnings still echoed in my mind. From what I could see, she liked Casian and Andreas, not the rest of us. What if she ended up doing something to us instead? Fae were, after all, known for their trickery.

I pulled my legs into me, wrapping my arms around them as a cold breeze swept over me. My hair blew wildly in the wind and for a moment I was transported back in time. Back to when I was sitting in a cage in a very similar position, frightened for my life. So much, too much almost, had changed since then.  The sound of a branch breaking startled me out of my own thoughts. My eyes scanned the area to try and locate where the sound might have come from, but nothing seemed suspicious. If there was in fact someone out here with me, they were very well hidden. Not that I really had the strength or determination to find them anyway.

The cracking of leaves and twigs again caught my attention, just as I was about to shrug off the previous sound as my imagination or a wild animal. I was suddenly more alert. There was definitely someone outside with me, but I still couldn't locate them.

"You'll get sick if you continue sitting in the cold dressed in only that," a deep voice startled me from behind as he placed a blanket around my shoulders. My gaze found him as he started walking away again.

"Andreas," I called, pulled the edges of the blanket tighter around me. He stopped, but remained with his back turned to me.

"You should get some rest. It's getting late and it has been a long day."

"Why do you keep doing things like this?" I asked, ignoring his comment. "Your actions say you care, but your words do not."

He didn't move. "My intention was not for you to ever get the impression that I do not care. Nothing could be further from the truth."

"Then why do you continually insist to pretend like you don't?"

Slowly, he turned, his eyes distant. "I am merely gifted in hiding my true feelings, and sometimes that might appear like I have different feelings all together."

"You care about me, yet still insist on pushing me away."

"It is for your own good. I'm bad for you, Lana. Nothing good can come from us being together."

"If you tell yourself that for long enough, perhaps even you will start to believe it."

"It is the truth."

I shook my head. "No, it's an excuse. Because pushing me away is easier."

Suddenly he was right next to me, kneeling down so that we were eye level. "You think it is easy for me to keep my distance from you? That I want to keep you as far away from me as possible?" His eyes were burning a brighter blue, the intensity in them spreading heat all throughout my body.

"You keep doing it, so how difficult can it be? I'm not a fragile doll, Andreas. I think I have more than proven that."

He shook his head, his eyes closed. "You have no idea." He rose to his feet and started walking away from me again. What I found interesting was, that he didn't simply flash himself away.