CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Our walk back to the cottage is much more leisurely than my initial escape. I can feel Bastian sneaking glances at me. He’s still tense and on edge, but I think that may be stemming from his concern over my inability to tap into my powers.
He stops walking suddenly, looking like a guard dog on high alert, head cocked as he… listens?
I pause beside him, eyes darting around the forest but seeing the nothing amiss. “What’s wrong?”
His brows furrow as he concentrates. “There’s someone coming.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know,” he answers simply, an edge to his voice.
“You should get out of here. As much as I don’t doubt your abilities to glamour and appear human, there’s something about your physique that might still garner some curious and questioning looks.”
I could feel the smirk coming before it even passed over his lips. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll meet you at the edge of the forest once you’re finished and we can figure out what the plan is next. I won’t be far.”
I give him a nod. “Okay.”
He hesitates to walk away at first, seeming to argue with himself over something before he takes a step closer and cups my cheek. He tilts his head down to press a soft kiss to my hairline. It’s so quick I don’t know if I can even say it was a kiss, but it still causes sparks to shoot through me, nonetheless. As he pulls back, he tucks a piece of hair behind my glamoured human ear, fingers trailing softly along it until he lets his hand drop. “Just… be careful,staellara. Okay?”
I bite on the inside of my cheek to hold in the smile that threatens to break free at his clear concern. “I will. But you too, sunshine,” I say with a smirk throwing his new nickname in his face for the hell of it.
He rolls his eyes. “Oh, I’ll be just fine,” he says with a wink as he steps away and turns, disappearing into the thick foliage.
I shake my head at his confidence and continue in the direction of the cottage, turning that interaction over and over in my head the entire time.
I can feel the vast emptiness that creeps in with his departure. It’s a weird feeling to always want him nearby. Especially since I still don’t really know him. The silence of loneliness nearly consumes me. I reach to twist my ring and silently curse myself once again forgetting it was destroyed.
Not even a few minutes into my trek, I hear a branch snap ahead of me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. I knew it was coming but I’m still instantly on alert about who else would be in these woods right now, pulse spiking.
“Livi. Thank the gods you’re alright!” Tom shouts as he appears from behind a tree a few feet ahead. “Fleur and I were so worried.”
“So I’ve heard,” I mutter under my breath. “How did you know I was out here?”
He stops in front me. “I stopped in to check on Fleur and she said you’d come back but took off after a conversation. I knew this would be the one place you’d go to.” He lays his hand on my cheek in a gesture that suddenly feels too intimate coming from him. Too wrong. I can still feel the ghost of Bastian’s hand in the same place making my heart stutter. I take a small step back, but his hand remains firmly in place. “Are you alright? Did you two get into a fight? Did she say something to upset you?” He bends his knees enough to bring his face to my level. I can see the concern etched across his face.
I huff a humorless laugh through my nose. How on earth can I even answer that? She did upset me. Sheliedto me for years. But I can’t really bring that up. Or at least not the entire truth of it. That would only bring on more questions from him.
I let out a resigned sigh. “It’s fine. I finally got her to admit some hard truths and it was a lot to process. I needed a minute to myself to think.”
His eyes narrow. “What did she have to say?”
“Um, just some more details about my childhood that she never told me. And some more things about my parents.” There. I think that adequately side steps the answer, while still giving him a partial truth.
"That's good, isn’t it?” He tilts his head in question. “You’ve been asking about them for years and she’s always been so tight lipped.” His face takes on an inquisitive look. “What about your parents?”
I grapple for another half-truth. “More details about their relationship and why she was the one to raise me, basically. It was nothing, really. I’m fine.”
I start to pull out of his grasp and turn to head back to the cottage, but his free hand shoots up to grasp my elbow. The hand on my cheek moves under my chin, tilting my face back to meet his gaze. I’m momentarily stunned by the action.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks.
I groan in annoyance. “Yes, Tom I’m fine.” Gods, why is he behaving like this?
“Good, because we were both so worried about you.” He pauses for a moment, considering his next words. “Iwas worried about you.”
I furrow my brow. I assumed he would be concerned but I almost get the feeling that there’s something more he’s trying to imply, but I can’t put my finger on it.
