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Four
Callum
Kelia tilted her head but said nothing. I shouldn’t have acted like such a fool, but I had never enjoyed heights, and being locked in a prison for so long . . . I had yet to adjust to the openness around me. My body reacted on its own and I was helpless. Thankfully, my captor didn’t seem bothered by heights or anything for that matter.
“There’s an old shack not too far from here. We can reach it by nightfall. Can you hunt?”
“If I had a weapon, but you’ve left me unarmed.” I held my palms out. “Feel free to remedy that.”
“You haven’t earned a weapon yet. I’ll grab something on the way.”
She patted the goat and pushed him forward. I walked behind her, watching the way her hips swayed. Even in my moment of panic, I could feel the curves of her as I foolishly hung onto her like a newborn babe. What did she look like under all that lace? A tiny waist for sure, thick thighs, and a plump backside that I could curl into . . .
I shook the dangerous image out of my mind. My emotions were all over the place. Before my imprisonment, I had been popular with females, no matter the race. Never once did I need to coerce or pay for a woman’s touch. If this was any other situation, I’d find out what Kelia hid underneath that frilly garment, but I wasn’t with a normal woman, and this female held my freedom in her delicate hands.
Ignoring the storm brewing in my thoughts, I focused on what Kelia had said about the possibility of war in Starlit City. My homeland had enemies both above land and below. Fighting wasn’t something new, and there were plenty of powerful mages and warriors in the city. The queen had no need for me. Something wasn’t right. Things had to be pretty terrible for her to call me back, especially after she exiled me. Either the magi lied about the real reason of our journey, or my homeland was in danger. Both explanations bothered me.
Kelia stopped short, causing me to bump into her.
“Quiet,” she whispered, holding a hand out for me to stay still.
My chest pressed against her back. Her long blonde hair held the faint scent of oatmeal and not the kind they served in prison. No, it was a scent that reminded me of lazy mornings and warm blankets. This close, I could feel the thickness of her hips against my hands. If Kelia was bothered by my closeness, she didn’t show it. I had to fist my hands to keep from touching her, the urge to be with a female, taking over any good sense.
Did Kelia not understand I had been locked away? Did she know nothing about the hunger of a male? Taking a deep breath, I contained myself. I couldn’t give her the advantage of knowing I was attracted to her, no matter how long it had been since I had been with a female. Kelia was cunning and already knew of my fear of heights. If she knew I wanted her how much more could she manipulate me?
I waited, squinting at the waning sunlight pouring in between the greenery. The leaves shook and instinctively, I shifted to move Kelia behind me. I may not have had access to my magic, but I could still fight, and do it well.
Kelia grabbed my forearm and shook her head.
“What?” I mouthed.
She turned toward the forest and slowly headed in the noise’s direction. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but I sensed something there.
Blue light shot out from Kelia’s fingertips like a whip. I jumped back, giving her distance, not wanting that magical lasso of hers to touch me. She flicked her hand at the bush. Leaves shook, and a massive rabbit came tumbling out of the brush with a blue magical rope tugged around his neck.
Glancing at Kelia, I noticed she had no emotion, not a smile, no regret for needing to kill something so gentle. She rolled her hand in an arc and with acrackthe rabbit stopped moving. The blue light disappeared and Kelia bent down to inspect her kill.
“Carry it with us. We’ll cook it at the shack.”
Normally, I’d complain about being ordered around, but her magical display was reminder enough that she wasn’t lying when she said she was the weapon. A fact I didn’t want to further test. I grabbed the rabbit, wincing at the soft fur, and feeling guilty this poor creature would be our dinner, and tossed it across my shoulders. Rabbits were native to the surface, and I found them quite enjoyable little creatures.
“How much farther?” I asked.
“We’re not far.”
The path we walked led to an old wooden shack. A firepit and long log sat outside off to the side near a well with a few missing bricks around the top. I dropped the rabbit on the ground as Kelia checked the front door. She turned the knob and the door swung open with a creak. I was surprised about the size of this shack. From the outside, it seemed little larger than a room in an inn, but the back of the structure extended out creating a massive room holding enough space with a kitchen and sitting area, mostly covered in a film of dust.
“At least we’ll be safe from the elements tonight.” I breathed in the air, relishing in how it didn’t have any putrid odor. “Smells like rain.”
Kelia shut the door. “Then we better cook fast.”
I glanced over at the rabbit. “If you can start a fire, I’ll take care of turning that beast into a delicious meal. We’ll need a knife to skin it.” I held out my hand.
With a glare, she leaned over. “Nice try.”
Blue light left her fingertips and reached out like spindly fingers to the critter in my hands then in a disgusting, yet impressive display of power the magic seeped into the fur andrippedit out. The mass of speckled gray landed on the grass with athump.
“Go wash it off with the water,” she said.
