Finding Elora

Chapter 35

ABBY

Kie's annoying.

Not the usual annoying I've come to associate with him, but the kind of annoying that makes you want to rip your hair out.

"Abbyyyyy," he sings, nudging my shoulder with his.

I step to the side, voluntarily placing myself closer to Mason than Kie. It's a decision I never thought I'd make, but I'm being left with no choice.

"There's no wrong answer," Kie continues, pretending not to notice my desperation for him to shut up.

It's like he's made it his personal mission to be as much of a bother as possible, and he's doing an excellent job. He's made it quite clear he's trying to lighten the mood, but I'm happy with where our mood is currently at.

I'm sad and angry, and I fully intend to remain that way.

Mason doesn't seem particularly eager to change his temperament, either.

He's been ignoring Kie just as aggressively as I have, but he's lucky that Kie gave up trying to get him to speak about an hour ago. I wish Kie would do the same to me.

"These next few days are going to be dreadful with you two acting so miserable," Kie says.

When's he going to realize he's talking to himself? Or that what he's saying is absolute bullshit? He may be looking forward to getting to the portal and getting the gods' blessing to become king or whatever, but I don't share that same excitement.

My fate isn't as favorable as his, and it's all his fault.

I'm not excited to be given away as some fucking gift, and these next few days will be dreadful for me, no matter what.

Kie inches closer to my side, and I resist the urge to groan as I step over a rock and pretend not to notice. I'm going to be brushing shoulders with Mason if I move any further away, and every attempt I make to speed up or slow down is matched by the insufferable pair.

I still don't understand why they insist on walking on either side of me.

"Would you like me to tell you about mates?" Kie offers.

Despite my refusal to answer his questions on what I know, Kie's correctly guessed that I don't know much, or anything, about them. I think my asking how long he and Mason have been together gave it away, which is why I've decided to stop speaking altogether.

I don't know enough about this world, and everything I say shows that.

My best bet is to remain silent.

"Are humans familiar with the term 'soulmate?'" Kie asks.

I pretend I can't hear him.

"Are they?" he continues, staring at the side of my head.

I can practically feel the heat of his gaze, and I wish he'd look where he was walking instead of at me. My irritation grows, reaching peaks I didn't realize were possible as the seconds tick on and Kie doesn't let up.

Eventually, I give a curt nod, confirming humans are familiar with the term.

From the corner of my eye, I watch Kie's lips split into a wide smile. This is the first time in a long time that I've acknowledged him, and I can tell he's feeling good about it.

"That's good," he says. "So basically, faeries and shifters have them," he continues, launching into an explanation I didn't ask for. "We're connected to our mates through something called a bond, which is ignited by touch. That's why we wear gloves."