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We spent the rest of the evening in silence, enjoying our meal and the warm fire. When the first drops of rain fell, we gathered our supplies from George and headed into the shack. With a full belly, fuller than it had been in decades, I laid out my bedroll and relaxed. Things could be worse, and the magi did send an interesting companion. Yes, Kelia was odd, crazy, and mysterious, but she was also incredibly strong. I admired that.
She sat on her bedroll playing with a strange glowing ball. The more time I spent with her, the more fascinated, and a bit terrified, I became. Unlike most humans, she spoke her mind and didn’t seem afraid of anything, not even me.
I wondered if her immense power made her act the way she did, or the magi kept her so isolated she didn’t learn the proper social skills. There were many questions I had about this human, and chances are she would answer none of them.
Even though we weren’t under the stars, the fresh breeze coming in through the window eased the tension in my shoulders. I had spent so many years in that prison, I missed sleeping in a place that didn’t smell of piss and mildew.
Closing my eyes, I grinned at my luck. I’d play along with Kelia and this quest, until she removed my dampeners. I’d gain her trust, and once we were in the Underground, she’d have no choice but to let me loose. Monsters in the Underground were far more dangerous than the beasts on the mainland, but thanks to my little secret, nothing was more powerful than me, and once the collar was off, perhaps a renegotiation of terms would be in order, especially about her returning me to a cell.
Something pressed on my legs.
I opened my eyes. Kelia sat on my thighs, head tilted, staring at me with a curious look . . . or crazed, they were hard to tell the difference.
“Go to bed,” I said and laid my head back down.
She slid on top of me as she straddled my waist. The action instantly woke me.
“What are you doing?” I asked and moved to get up before we entered dangerous territory. I didn’t have the willpower to say no to such a gorgeous creature.
With a flick of her wrist, my arms went above my head and that damned magical lasso held them in place in some bizarre attempt of control.
“Kelia, I am not some pet you leash,” I growled.The human was pushing my sanity.
“I find you interesting.” She leaned over, gazing at me with a weird intensity, somewhere between curiosity and hunger. “There’s something different about you.”
“Surely, you’ve seen fae before?” My voice lowered as my heart rate increased.
“Yes, but I can sense your power even with the dampener on.” Leaning closer, she tousled the top of my hair. “Dark fae don’t normally have reddish hair like this. It’s usually a shade of white or silver.”
The buttoned-up bodice covered everything which made my desire to see what she kept hidden intensify. “I’m not a specimen to be prodded and poked, little sparrow.” I tried to warn her away with my tone, but once again she seemed unbothered.
She pulled back and pressed her hands on my waist. “You keep calling me that. Do you mean in age or height?”
“Both.”
“I’m not little anything. That’s what you call children.”
“Isn’t that what you are?”
Her light eyes darkened. “No, I finished schooling years ago. Why do you refer to me as little?”
It was too late, and I was too tired to explain sarcasm to her. Closing my eyes, I put my head back down. “It’s just a nickname.”
She poked me in the chest.
“What?” I groaned.
“Are you feeling well?” She put a hand on my forehead. “You feel warm and you’re very fidgety. We cannot afford you to be sick.”
How could I explain that my fidgetiness was her? “Well, you are sitting on my stomach and I’m pretty full. It’s been years since I’ve eaten that much.”
With that, she slid off, moving to sit next to me. “Is that better?”
“Yes.” I didn’t need to open my eyes to know she was watching me. With a resigned sigh, I sat up and decided a nice conversation about proper prisoner etiquette was in order.
“Kelia,” I said, and propped an arm over my knee, keeping a barrier between us. “If you think I’m acting odd, it’s because I haven’t been around a female in decades, and I haven’t seen the sky in just as long. Remember where you took me from.I was beaten and mistreated by the guards. I’d go days without food and at times would have to drink from the dirty water buckets I cleaned the bathrooms with. I was humiliated and degraded. Now I’m some captive on a crusade to find a solution to a problem that cannot be solved, and here you are intrigued by my roguish demeanor because I’m unlike anyone you’ve ever met? How many fae have you ever spoken to? I’m an outcast even amongst my own people. What a marvelous spectacle to examine.”
“Do I bother you?”
