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Chapter 11
Nayome reflected on her evening with Balfor while she tucked herself into the Old Stone Inn’s cozy Queen room. As she settled into a comfortable position under the crisp white comforter, she felt a thrill course through her as her head sank into the pillow.
She didn’t know if she believed what he had said about her being a long-lost daughter of the line, but she couldn’t deny she had experienced something unexplainable while she was in the forest. Something magical. Magic, though, in her opinion, was just something science had yet to explain.And isn’t that just the most exciting thing ever.
Maybe this was what she had been waiting for, to light a fire under her. Give her something to sink her teeth into, focus her research on. Humans, capable of transferring energy. It must boil down on an anatomical level. She could feel the drive in her igniting, the need to figure out the how and why of it.
It was incredible. It was insane. No one would believe her.
She could understand their secrecy. If the world found out they had healers. Actualhealers. They would be overrun by the media, at best. Studied in labs, at worst. How far could it go? Balfor had made a cut disappear that had required stitches, and probably would have taken a month to fully heal up on it’s own. All in mere seconds. Could he cure cancer? Alzheimer’s? Reverse aging?
The possibilities were dizzying.
And that was just Balfor. What was everyone else capable of? He had said there were different lines following ancient descendants of what he calleddruids, and he suspected she was of theearth singers. That her father was someone named Graeme, who had done some traveling through the United States as part of his role as a peacemaker.
Pulling out her phone, she flipped to the picture she had taken of his parchment, resting her hand over the last name in a long, beautifully drawn tree. Graeme, son of Shorcha. Shorcha, who had been able to call the fireflies. Anearth singer.
Either she was starting to go completely insane, or Balfor was making some fair points.
Nayome had one burning question as she tried to calm her mind down enough to sleep. Why was he trusting her with all this information? And better yet, why was she trusting him?
They were meeting again tomorrow, and God help her, she was looking forward to it.
As Nayome started to drift off, she tried to tell herself the excitement was only because of the unanswered questions, and a new world that was being opened up to her. It had nothing to do with the way she turned liquid whenever he flashed her one of his rare smiles.
* * *
The next morning, Nayome drove her little blue rental across the partially cobbled, but mostly unfinished dirt road leading down to Loch Sween. There was a local campground down here, and Balfor had recommended they meet somewhere more private so that they could try to test out what Nayome could do.
Nayome was holding fast to her rule about only meeting in public, so they had settled on this campground. It would be busy this weekend, but it was on a large span of land. They could keep their distance from the campers if they needed some privacy, but could remain within shouting distance of other people at all times.
She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. But her instincts were screaming at her to continue down this path. Maybe it was the scientist in her needing answers, maybe she had a stupid crush on the man. Either way, she wanted this.No regrets.
Bones rattling as she hit another pothole, Nayome grit her teeth as the small car weathered the final bumps in the road leading to the parking lot. She was happy to see the lot was almost full.
This area certainly looked remote, she thought as she took in the sweeping view of the rocky bank leading down to a long expanse of lake. Rolling green hills were visible across the other side of the water. The trees were sparse here, and didn’t reach higher than six feet tall, so the views of the lake were uninterrupted. She could see the campground clustered in the distance close by the lake, sheltered from the wind behind a squat cluster of boulders.
Checking her watch, Nayome glanced around. She was right on time, so he may already be here. It wasn’t long before her eyes were drawn to a man walking by himself along the banks. Nayome gave herself a moment to stare freely, before he realized she had arrived. A tingle of anticipation worked its way down her spine as she took in his impressive silhouette.
He was wearing a black t-shirt again, Nayome was beginning to think he didn’t own any other clothes, and a pair of dark wash blue jeans that weren’t tight, but clung just the right amount in certain places, showing off his perfectly sculpted assets. Nayome felt warm, despite the cool breeze blowing off the lake, as her mind flashed back to the kiss they had shared in the forest. Her breathing picked up as she recalled how hot his skin had felt as she had slipped her hand under his shirt, right above the belt line.
Get a grip, Nayome.
Balfor turned to face her as he heard her approach, pebbles shifting noisily under her footfalls. Nayome glanced around at the overcast sky, which had washed out the colors of the landscape, creating a slightly Gothic setting that made Balfor look like a statue, caught outside his time. He had an ancient quality to him. He belonged here, Nayome thought, in this natural setting with the lake to his back as he watched her progress along the bank. He looked out of his element at Agatha’s yesterday.
“Nayome.”
Trying to shove aside the sensual thrill she felt at the sound of her name, spoken in his deep gravelly voice, Nayome’s lips parted for a second before she could catch herself. Balfor’s sharp gaze tracked the movement of her mouth, his eyes going hooded.
“Balfor.” She said weakly, trying to hide her reaction, chewing her lower lip nervously.
“Are you comfortable if we work here today? It’s far enough from the campers, but not so far.” Balfor asked, lips ticking up in a smile that had equal amounts of heat and irritation coursing through Nayome’s body.
“Yes, this works.” She said shortly, lips pursed. “I appreciate your understanding.”
“You will need to be at ease for this to work.”
Clearing her throat, Nayome wondered if that would be possible with him at close proximity, but kept silent.What’s gotten into me today?“What’s in the basket?” She asked instead, spotting a large wicker basked set down on a cluster of stones behind him.
