Wucaii

Chapter Eight

Aelana and Dek stayed in the field all day. They spoke little and spent the time lying against the earth, absorbing and being comforted by her presence. Aelana's discomfort about being around Dek lessened slightly. She had a better understanding of him, though something just below the surface made her nervous. It was probably his fear and concern about the world coming to an end, but she couldn't be sure. She would keep him close, keep an eye on him.

They walked slowly back to town as the sun sank below the horizon. Dek's hand swung next to her body, occasionally brushing against the back of her hand. An overwhelming desire to fold her arms across her chest flowed through her, to keep the electricity from zapping her, but she didn't. It was odd, but it was comforting knowing he was that close. They did have a lot in common, and she felt obligated to be in contact with him.

They headed toward the bar. As they approached, Aelana noticed lights flashing at the end of the street. Two police cars blocked traffic, and officers spoke to a group of people. What was going on? Fear and anger pulsed through the earth. More than likely, whatever happened had to do with the impending apocalypse. When the end was near, people started acting crazy, doing things they wouldn't normally do, mainly because they could. Experience told her that particular incident would be the first of many, and probably not the worst of what was yet to come.

Dek pulled the door open for her, and she stepped into the dimly lit room. The bar had customers, but not nearly as many as there had been the first time. Immediately, her gaze fell on Kalen standing at the back of the room. A smile spread across her lips and her heart skipped a beat. She fought back the urge to run to him and throw her arms around his neck. He glanced up as the pair approached. A scowl covered his face. Her excitement faltered.

"Hey, Kalen." Dek smiled.

"Dek." He focused his gaze on Aelana. "You got a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Of course."

He grabbed her arm and directed her to a corner on the other side of the room, away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears. He glanced around the room before sticking his face inches from hers.

"I tried to call the hotel this morning," he hissed.

She stared at him, blinking.

"They said you've never checked in. They've never heard of you."

Crap! She had been so focused on Dek the night before, she forgot Kalen was going to get ahold of her. In the scheme of things, it didn't matter. The end was close, but Kalen didn't need to think she'd lied to him in that short amount of time. She wanted to be with him, no matter how limited the time was.

"I'm sorry," Aelana said. "I'm not staying at the hotel. I found a cheaper place to stay."

He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "But you came out of the hotel the other night. When we went to the ceremony."

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings. You were kind enough to take me there, and you had the ulterior motive of making it close to the bar . . ."

"You wouldn't have hurt my feelings. Why didn't you say you needed a cheaper place?"

She placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head to one side. "You don't need to worry about my financial situation." It was uncomfortable perpetuating the lie, but it was better than him discovering she was a hybrid and walking away from her in horror.

He held up his hands. "You're right. That's none of my business. But will you at least tell me how I can get ahold of you? The world's going to end soon, and I kinda want to spend time with you." He flicked his gaze to the ground, his courage leaving as soon as the words were out of his mouth.