Page 90 of Anywhere

When she said it again, she said it with my accent, which made me smile. I watched in fascination as she concentrated on the word I was pointing at and then proceeded to slowly copy it down on the pad she was carrying. She kept re-writing it and saying “the” over and over again. A few minutes passed before she held it up to me. “Cannie ya write how da word is ta sound, so me dinnie firget?”

“Sure or yes, which would be aye for you,” I said and smiled.

She smiled and looked away from my eyes, but I’d seen a glimmer of real emotion before she turned her head.

“Wat it mean, the?”

“Oh…um…” I tried to think about how Rhys would use it in a sentence. “Da dog ran out in da rain.” She tilted her head and looked at me. “I would say, ‘the dog ran out into the rain’.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip, and I couldn’t stop staring and wanting to taste her mouth. The little connection current felt delicate, like this moment between us, but it was there every time she moved. It travelled up my knee from where her leg softly brushed against me, slowly diving me crazy.

We were at it for hours, and normally, something this mundane would’ve made me go insane and lose interest long ago. There was something about showing Elewyen something new that intrigued me. The excitement in her eyes with each new victorious word made me never want to stop. If she wanted to sit here forever, I would.

It was well past dinnertime when we both began to yawn. “Do you want to go grab something to eat? There is always a ton of food in this place,” I asked.

“Aye, I be starvin’.”

“You’re understanding me a lot easier,” I said.

She blushed again, the red flaming her cheeks and making her look sexy and fucking cute as sin all at the same time. “Aye, I’ma… I’m a quick learner.”

My brow cocked upward. “That you are.”

The necklace around her neck began to glow and then stopped. She quickly grabbed the stone and stared at me like I would try to take it away.

“Why did it glow?” I asked. “I’m not going to take it. I’m just curious.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip and closed her eyes. A soft glow emanated from the stone, shining through the narrow gaps between her fingers. “I dinnie know if I should say.”

Placing my finger under her chin, I forced her to look at me. “I know you don’t know if you can trust me, and I don’t blame you, but neither Rhys nor I would do what Mari was talking about. Do we like sex rough? Sure, but…I’m talking too fast again, aren’t I?”

Elewyen nodded. Sighing, I tried again. “We will not hurt you and will not take your necklace. What does it do?”

She released the little gem, and it once more lay dormant against her skin. “I’z ‘ave someone back home dat I care about,” she said, and I had to stop myself from growling at the thought of another man in her life.

“I thought your coven was all women?” I asked, barely managing to keep my voice calm.

Elewyen scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brow. “Aye. Da someone is a wee lass. Keeva be like me sista. Dis lets me know she be safe when I’ma travellin’ in search of da babes.”

It was my turn to look at her like she’d lost her mind. “You do what?”

Elewyen hopped off the bed and began walking around my large room with her hand over her eyes. “I look for da babes…that get left in…the woods,” She said slowly and making sure to pronounce each word carefully.

She peered over the couch and looked around, then continued to walk as she demonstrated out what she was talking about. “I protect dem from dose dat wanna kill ‘em or eat ‘em.”

My mouth fell open. “You mean when Mari said that the villagers cast out the babies, she literally meant small infants are just left in the forest?”

“Aye, what ya tink she meant?”

I didn’t know. I thought it had been a figure of speech. “You know, I think I’ve had enough learning for one day. Let’s go get that food,” I said.

Elewyen placed her hands on her hips. “Aye, ya really are no from around ‘ere, are ya?”

I shook my head. “Overseas is very different. We have lots of modern technology and television shows, and I sing music on large stages for thousands of people,” I said and slid off the bed to join her.

“What is tech-nooo-loo-gy?”

I knew on this side of the world the Factions like to keep everything as anti-modern as possible, at least from those who were not part of the Faction, but I hadn’t realized until now just how much had been kept from the people who lived here until my talk with Mari. How did they explain what a car was, or if they saw a plane or cellphones to each new generation? Did they just never see them, or was it something that they saw, but never had so didn’t care? And how the heck did I explain this to Elewyen? My appreciation for my tutor just went up.