Hi All! Here's another installment. AND the long-awaited return of KELLAN! Enjoy.
This chapter is dedicated to all the SUPER fans of this series: -AwkwardPotato- AishaOlorAje Aisnagga AlternateBoom angelmlee83 annaforever416 Artsybri1234 beena21rocks . biganonymousdreamer BriAC7 chasitycollins Crystalshazy dancingElemental . Darshita185 DeniEnn . dionysiae . DreamingReality19 . ElusivForever ForevermoreLast . haregrocks . Heyhey3214 InvisibleTears1002 Jarinrifa04 . JessicaRigaud . kierraAllen6 . Kunama124 . lunaRoseStar . lynnfouad . Maddyjo07 . Manad2140 . Minerajones . miracole92 . mjones1216 . monicaangel2 . NilishaJoshi . nkefor . Nomskat . One_Green_Eyed_Girl PaulNTammyKrammer . Priscajayi . RachelBerry4 . RegalChris . remi511 RichardLandin . rlm1948 . saxophone_obsessor . sempiternal_paradox show530 . SimmyJ7 . sleepy_kaycee . sky_blue07 .snoowy_ . SnowBunny4 . somebody_nobody1683 sophieHeartifilia . spunkydamsel . staceysimpson3 . Steph_A teetoh . the_golden_virgo . thegreatwin . TheMaskedWritress . TiffanyPrater . TiffyRee whileurwidme . winthegreat99 . wrightstory . yashika999 . your-muse . yytaffs
Thank you all for your support! <3
Zane sloshed a rainbow-colored drink over the scarred wooden table. It didn't take a genius to figure out why the inn's name was Hunters with the stuffed, tusked creature staring at us from the head of our table. Of the seats left for dinner, the beast at this table looked least likely to eat me while we waited for our server. The table next to us had placed a hat over their creature's glassy stare, but if I'd been sitting there, I would've wanted to tie up its jaw full of razor-sharp teeth.
Aromatic scents of rosemary and thyme filled the room as a young girl stirred a large pot of stew over the fire. Jax drew invisible circles on the back of my hand with his index finger. The two of them were already into their third pint when Zane pushed one toward me.
"You have to try it. It releases your inhibitions and—"
Jaxon slid it back in his direction. "Like she told you earlier, it's not a good idea. Our drinks affect her differently than they do us."
Robin grabbed the pint from the table and took a swig. "Trust him"—Robin climbed over the bench and plunked down next to Zane— "we've already learned that lesson. And unless Jaxon wants more broken fingers, he wouldn't dare let her drink that."
Zane's eyes widened. "She broke your fingers after drinking one of these?"
"No, I did." Sage parked herself on the bench next to me and leaned back on the table with her elbows. "I'm happy to see you've learned your lesson."
"Thanks to the two of you, I learned it in more ways than one." He stretched his fingers, then pick up his glass and downed another long drink.
As they spoke, the pull of Kellan's ring got stronger, until ignoring it was nearly impossible. He was here. His ring stirred against my chest like a parched shore welcoming the incoming tide. My mouth went dry and my clammy hands stuck to the table.
"Isn't that right, Wren?" Sage nudged me.
"Hmm?" I said over the thrum of my heartbeat pulsing in my skull.
I could feel his invisible touch brushing across the ring's watery currents etched on my skin.
My cheeks warmed, and breath quickened. "Sorry, would you excuse me for a minute?"
"Are you okay?" Sage asked. "You look flushed."
"Long day. The washrooms are?" I looked around for a sign.
"That way. On the other side of the bar." Jaxon pointed.
"Wait up. I'll come too." Sage pushed to her feet, making her strawberry blonde ponytail sway behind her. We walked in silence until we reached the far side of the room. "Okay. I know you're not sick. What's up?"
"Kellan's here."
"Oh..." She pushed open the whitewashed, barn-style door. "What are you going to do?"
"There's nothing I can do." I ran the tap and waited for the water to chill. "I can't very well walk out the front entrance without our entire group seeing me." I dipped my fingers in the frigid water, then patted my cheeks.
"I can't." Sage grinned. "But you can." She turned off the tap. "Honestly. When are you going to stop thinking like a human, and more like the traveler you are?" She hopped up, dropped her butt down on the wet counter between the two sinks, and swung her legs beneath it. "So the question is, do you want to see him or not?"
The stupid, irrational side of me clapped and jumped up and down, screaming, hell yes. But then my rational side would shake me by the shoulders, with blaring alarms and sirens going off in the background, hollering it wasn't just a terrible idea, but a horrible one. "It's complicated."
She let out a burst of laughter. "Ya think?"
I groaned. Kellan brushed his hand against the ring another time, calling me to him. My skin tingled and flushed from his touch.
"Why do things have to be so hard?" I asked, not really wanting an answer. "If Jaxon finds out he's here, the word nuclear may get a new definition."
"Then don't let him find out. But one thing is for sure." She tapped her wrist with her finger. "You're running out of time." She shooed me away. "Get out of here. I'll wait here, in case someone comes to find out what's taking us so long."
I pulled the cold astral plane into me until the weight of my shoes no longer pressed the floor. When I rested my hand against the wall to steady myself, my fingers passed through the stone. I held my breath and stepped beyond the wall to the other side.
Kellan straddled a log facing the back entrance of the inn. He jerked his head in my direction as if he could see me. "You're here."
I pivoted to see what he was looking at. Nothing was there.
He swung a leg over the log, then walked toward me, and stopped with the toes of his shoes kissing mine. "Wren, even if I can't see you, I know you're here." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Please? Come out so I can see you."
I bent down and drew two capital letters in the dirt, NO.
"No?" His voice cracked. "Why not?"
I smoothed out the dirt as if I was erasing a chalkboard, and wrote, safer. I didn't trust myself not to do something stupid like kissing him.
"You think I'm going to hurt you? You're kidding me." He pulled his hands from his pockets and paced in a circle. "Would you just come out and talk to me?"
I licked my chilled lips. No way. I have a terrible track record of getting into trouble with him.
"Please? You at least owe me an explanation for all these bruises." He pointed to the dark purple area covering the side of his face.
My heart clenched with guilt. I undoubtedly owed him a reason, but I was sure he wasn't going to like hearing about the attempt on my life. I rested an invisible palm against his bruised cheek, then lowered my hand, letting the cold particles of the astral plane filter from me. His ring's call magnified a hundredfold the moment the astral veil dropped from my skin. I took a step back and clutched my chest.
"Wren!" He reached for my hand.
I waved him off, trying to catch my breath. With my heart beating wildly, I felt like I'd run a marathon to get here. "I'd ask how you knew I was here, but something tells me I already know the answer."
"It doesn't matter if you on this plane or another planet, I'll always be able to find you. Our hearts beat as one, each half seeking the other." His lips turned up into a lopsided smile. "Our bond strengthens the closer it gets to your birthday."
Strengthen? Dear God, help me. It was taking everything in me not to crush my lips to his and claim his kiss for my own. If I had to be around him for the next couple days, I had no idea what I was going to do.
He reached for my arm and his fingers feathered over my skin just as I stepped back.
"Don't." My skin tingled, begging for the warmth of his touch.
He grinned, then ran a hand through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. "So what this about you being afraid of me?"
Terrified more like. "You know darn well, why I'm trying to stay away from you." I hugged my arms to my chest. "Every time I'm near you, I only make matters worse."
"I can't help it if you're attracted to my rugged charm." He cocked his head to the side and looked up at me beneath his dark lashes. "I think you have yourself to blame for that. I'm just an innocent bystander."
"I can hardly call you innocent." I placed my hands on my hips, and the crimson fabric from my dress rustled around my feet. "You're the one who plastered this ring across me like a neon sign."
"Ah, but you don't remember all the time we spent together as kids." He moved a pace closer. "You always knew what to say to get me to notice you, even if you weren't trying. Even the practical jokes you played on me, left me thinking about you." He took another step closer. "Besides, it takes two to create a knotted ring, so I know you feel the same way."
"Don't you see? It doesn't matter how I feel." My skin flushed with heat, and I backed up against the wall resisting the urge to close the distance between us. "You need to leave before Jaxon finds you here."
"I can't."
I washed a hand down my face. "What do you mean you can't?"
Around the corner of the building, the tavern's back door squeaked open, then slammed shut. We both froze and listened to the sound of gravel crushing beneath someone's boots.
"Wren? Are you out here?" Jaxon called.
Holy crap. I could hear the rocks stir beneath Jax's feet. He was about to round the edge of the building.
I launched myself at Kellan and pulled the astral realm down hard around us, landing on top of him in the grass hidden from the rest of the world.
Thanks for reading! Love to hear your thoughts on what might happen next. :)