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“And?”
“Nothing, I guess.” She relented, rolling her eyes at him.
“Will you man reception today, Ce? I am going to survey for any trail maintenance we need done before the close of season.”
“Sure thing, brother.” Ceana flicked the long length of shining red hair over her shoulders, and glanced at Bal with a knowing glint in her sea green eyes.
Huffing, Bal grabbed his jacket and headed outside, starting his way down the trailhead with his clipboard. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with people today, least of all tourists. His sister enjoyed interacting with them though, so he knew she wouldn’t mind.God knows why.
Bal tried not to think about anything except mundane task he had assigned himself. He made diligent notes on the various branches that were at risk of collapse, logs that should be cleared, areas of the path that were pooling water—basically anything that could trip up an under prepared city dweller along the main trail network.
His sister and himself pulled most of the weight at the park office these days. It could be boring at times, but it was important to be able to keep tabs on anyone exploring the terrain near their home.
While he could do without the consistent stream of human interactions, his sister seemed to thrive on it. She had a way about her that attracted people, they were excited to share their stories with her. Bal had to scare off the occasional overconfident male who got it in their heads to pursue her.
He hoped he would catch a hopeful suitor loitering around today, Bal thought with a dark smile. Striking fear into the heart of someone for glancing sidelong at his sister, that would be just the thing he needed to compliment his dark mood.
Glancing at the time, Bal frowned. Nayome would probably be at the airport by now. Last night had been…so much more than he had expected. He was still reeling from the wild, uninhibited vision of Nayome that he got last night…and this morning. Closing his eyes in frustration, he tried to focus on something else as he felt his body hardening in response to his train of thought.How did I let her get under my skin so quickly?
She had left though. He understood her choice, of course, but he felt unsettled. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were treading on dangerous ground. Maybe he shouldn’t have given her his contact information. If they were caught, things could get very bad for both of them.
Not to mention the fact that he was risking the exposure of his race. He knew Nayome must be one of them, and had decided to trust her, to help her explore her magic. And her gift…it was what thedruidshad been missing since Schorcha’s passing. Someone who could call theteine, pull the magic from the forest itself and share it with the community. No one had manifested that ability since, and they were all weaker for it.
But Nayome hadn’t grown up in the community, Bal reminded himself as he jotted down the coordinates of a fallen tree that would need to be moved. She didn’t have the loyalty bred into her that was ingrained in his people. She didn’t understand the devastation they had faced in the past, that they always needed to vigilantly protect themselves against.
Running a frustrated hand through his hair, Bal felt sick, disgusted with himself for how selfish he was being. He should have let her go when she sent him that message.Thank you, goodbye.That had been the moment to make a clean cut. But he hadn’t been able to stay away. His appetite for Nayome should have been satiated after last night. Instead, he wanted more.
