Kenna
Night falls, and Evander and I haven’t said a word to each other. In fact, he’s been pretty much unseen for most of the dozen or so miles we hiked today, all of which were done with me blanketed in my shadow and him running somewhere in his fox form.
Or wolf form. I honestly have no idea. All I know is that whatever happened between us last night has made us both unwilling or unable to even look at each other.
I know better, which is the worst part. I know better than to kiss a friend and think everything will go back to the way it was before. That’s like, a cardinal rule in friendship between opposite sexes, right?
Maybe it did go back to the way it was before, actually, because now we’re not speaking, and I have no idea where he is or what he’s up to.
I let my shadow fade and huff out a breath as I come to a full stop in a moon-soaked clearing, my legs aching and feet blistered and sore. “I’m done, Evander. I’m not going any further.” My voice carries in the cool night air.
‘You’re out in the open, Kenna. Keep moving. I found a cave.’
“Great,” I grumble, swinging my new leather satchel. It’s laden with herbs and supplies for our journey. Little treats like cake and sandwiches, a few packages of dried meat and oats. All of which I plan on eating myself and not sharing a crumb of.
I edge through the clearing back into the dense forest we dropped into a few hours ago. The forest was, at least at first, a welcome relief from trying to navigate the rocky cliffs and winding trails down the mountains, but now I’m wading through chest deep heather following Evander’s distracting scent.
Clouds roll in, sending a stiff, cool breeze through the trees. I’m a little cold when I finally break through the trees again and find myself walking along a large rock face where a soft glow is visible around a corner.
I round the corner and find Evander–dressed in his leathers–crouching next to a fire.
“It looks like you’ve been here for a while,” I grumble, shrugging off my satchel before sliding onto my ass. I let out my breath and briefly close my eyes.
“You weren’t in much of a hurry,” he says, annoyance lacing each word. “I had to do something to pass the time after I found this place.”
“For someone who was tasked with stalking me back in Crescent Falls, you seem to not care enough anymore to stick close by.”
“I was close by. You have powers, Kenna. Have you forgotten how to protect yourself?”
I glare at him and reach for my bag, pulling out one of the sandwiches. He doesn’t even bother to look in my direction as he says, “Rest for three hours. We’re leaving again before dawn.”
“What’s the rush?”
Now he’s looking at me. I take a bite of my sandwich, holding his gaze. I want to say something, anything, about the kiss we shared back in Tiscoln, but after today, that feels like it happened a lifetime ago, and I can’t come up with the words I need to ask him what exactly happened between us.
Because I’m sure kissing someone isn’t supposed to feel like that.
A blush prickles across my cheeks at the memory of his lips on mine, and then his lips lower down, and heat immediately pools between my thighs. His eyes scan my face, then his nostrils flare, and I wonder if he can tell that….
He looks away, murmuring something about shifting again to patrol our camp, but I stick my foot out to prevent him from moving toward the cave mouth.
“Are we friends or not?” I ask hotly.
“No, we are notfriends.”
“Then as your princess, I demand to know what your f–freaking problem is.”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“You haven’t said a word to me all day.”
“We’ve been busy.”
“Was it not good for you?” I ask, immediately wishing I hadn’t said anything.
“Kenna–”
“You're the only person I’ve ever kissed,” I say, unable to stop the words from tumbling out. I’ve been thinking about it all day. Every minute, every hour, wondering what the hell I did wrong. Wondering why he ran off. I went to an all-girls school. I know what my friends were up to… the things I was too tight-laced to participate in. I think I understand men, and most men wouldn’t just turn down an opportunity like the one presented to me and Evander last night, which means…
“Stop,” he growls.
“Stop what?”
“Whatever you’re thinking…. That’s not why I left after kissing you.”
I pick at the brown paper wrapping around my sandwich.
“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” I ask.
He grits his teeth.
I shrug. “I just want to know.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Have you ever… you know?”
“Kenna, please–”
“I just want to know, okay? I haven’t… I’m a princess. I never really dated, so I don’t know what this means or how to feel….” I almost say he’s my first in almost everything. First friend. First crush. First kiss…
“No, I haven't.”
I choke. “Really?”
“I’ve never slept with anyone, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Why not?”
“That's a very personal question, and I’m–” He cuts himself off, probably noticing how intently I’m staring at him right now. He sighs heavily. “Ghosts take a vow of chastity. At least, some do. The higher ranked agents do. It’s to keep our heads focused on our work and not out chasing women.”
“But some do?”
He tilts his head in consideration. A very brief smirk touches his lips, like he’s remembering something. “Yeah, some do. I’m not giving you details about what my friends got up to.”
“I’m not asking about your friends.”
He meets my eyes. “Have you ever…?”
I scowl, scoffing, “Of course not. I’m waiting for my mate.”
The look on his face when I say it breaks something inside of me that I hadn’t realized could be broken.
“I know. I know,” I huff out, waving a hand at him. “I can’t feel the mate bond, and it’s a stupid thing to hold out for–”
“I don’t think it’s stupid. It's noble of you.”
“It’s not,” I admit. “I’m not enough of a wolf to find my mate, so I’ll be alone forever.”
“You’ll find someone who likes you enough, I’m sure,” he says as he puts another bundle of dry sticks on the fire.
I grind my teeth, stopping myself from saying anything stupid that I’ll regret, like, “What about us?”
It would make sense if we got together. Sure, he’s no Alpha’s son, but he’s the son of my father’s Beta. Granger is the second highest ranking man in our kingdom, and when it comes to princesses getting married, that’s exactly the kind of guy the public would assume I’d marry.
Plus, he’s supposed to rule with me in Veiled Valley. We’re already going to the same place, at the same time, to do the same job…
I open my mouth with every intention of asking if he’ll just marry me, for Goddess’ sake. It would have nothing to do with love and everything to do with convenience, but Evander has a mate out there still–somewhere.
But Evander raises his head and furrows his brow, and I go silent.
When he turns to look out over the forest beneath us, I feel a prickle of fear lick up my spine, and my powers roil.
“Stay here,” he says, and I obey.
Because I’m a coward.
I watch him slink away, his body masked by near total darkness as another storm rolls in and shields the stars from view.
I search through the satchel and pull out a few of the small cakes I was given and unwrap a chocolate one, picking bites from it with my fingers.
It starts to rain. Minutes pass, and the rain picks up to a thundering downpour that sprays mist into the cave and causes the fire to sputter.
I throw a few more sticks on the fire, but it doesn’t do much to keep the flames lit.
I pop the last bite of chocolate cake into my mouth and scoot closer to the fire, letting my powers prickle to life and surge to my fingertips, which begin to glow with a shockingly bright silver haze.
A massive fire erupts in the fire ring Evander built, and I grin as my powers stoke the fire back to life.
But ten minutes go by, then twenty, and now I’m getting a little worried.
I rise and dust off my pants. I edge toward the cave mouth, squinting into the darkness.
Suddenly, a man blocks the entrance of the cave, and I jump back, raising my hands in shock and maybe even surrender as the figure steps into the firelight.
I drop my hands and fight for breath.
Evander steps into the cave behind Flynn, followed by another man I don’t recognize.
Evander looks me over for any signs of harm before his eyes sweep over the fire I built with my powers. The fleeting look of pride in his eyes is enough to warm me through and through, but I turn away from his gaze before he can see me blush.
I keep telling myself there isn’t anything between us, but I feel…
I feel strange. I feel off balance and hazy in his presence. It’s the kiss, I’m sure.
But now I’m in a cave full of handsome men, and all three of them are staring at me.
Flynn looks smug as he sits beside me in his leathers–the same onyx black scales Evander wears. “Good to see you safe and sound, Princess Kenna.”
“You too. I haven’t seen you since you jumped out of a moving car.”
“I landed on my feet.” He grins and winks at me.
Goddess be damned, I am blushing like an idiot.
Evander clears his throat and glares at Flynn, who doesn’t seem to care about what Evander thinks, let alone has to say, about his proximity to me.
“Kenna, this is Agent Connor,” Evander says as he motions to Connor, who is also an extremely good looking man with short dark hair and striking blue eyes. Connor gives me a quick nod in greeting and sits down beside Evander.
So, what now?
That question is answered quickly, and I find out that Connor and Flynn have been traveling in the forest for two days looking for us. My jump to Eastonia happened right after my dad put up wards along the border, and his powers notified him that someone successfully breached the wards and gave him a vague location of where it happened.
“There’s a village roughly four hours from here on foot. Flynn and I stayed there last night and asked around,” Connor says to Evander as they pour over a map.
“One of the Alphas of this territory sent scouts out to spread the word that the two of you were traveling and to leave you be. We caught up to a few scouts and headed your way a few hours ago,” Flynn adds.
Evander nods absently as he keeps his eyes on the map.
I hand Flynn one of the cakes in my satchel, and he gives me a grateful smile before eating the entire thing in a single bite.
Connor, however, seems sterner than Flynn, and all business. He points to a spot on the map and tells Evander, “Commander Artyom is stationed here, and Alpha King Ryatt is supposed to meet him there in two days' time. That gives us enough time to get out of these mountains and into the Roguelands if we keep moving.”
“She won’t shift,” Evander says, and I frown. “She’ll ride on my back. We can cut the journey in half that way, bump up our mileage.” He rolls up the map and hands it back to Connor. “Any word on the Rebel situation?”
“They’re out here, for sure. We didn’t run into any, but every group we came across was dripping in weapons and had tales about the coven. It sounds like they’re spreading out, breaking into factions of five or six people. The Alpha Kings of Tarsian and Crescent Falls say the rebel activity in their kingdoms has been silent since the princesses were dispatched.”
I listen intently, watching Evander’s face. He’s so good at being stony and expressionless, but I know him better than most. Over the past couple of days, I’ve seen how expressive his eyes can be. It’s the only thing that gives his true feelings away, but the average person couldn’t tell just by looking at him.
But I can. I can see the hint of fear and concern in his eyes as he stands and stokes the fire, which they’ve let burn down to embers.
When he looks at me, he holds my gaze, and for a moment, I think he can see right into my mind. Is he picking through the questions there? Is he seeing that I’m thinking about that kiss, unable to banish it from my head?
Can he see how ridiculous I feel right now?
I’m twenty-one. I’m desperate for even a taste of domestic happiness. I’m terrified of being the ruler I was born to be because I know, deep in my bones, I don’t have it in me.
I am just a witch. Just a lovesick witch, and I’m surrounded by wolves.
I know what he’s going to say before the words leave his lips, so I use my satchel as a pillow and lie down beside the fire, pulling my legs against my chest.
I close my eyes but don’t sleep. I listen to the three men–three friends, from the sound of it–talk well into the night.
Against the rhythmic patter of rain, I hear Connor ask, “So, this is her?”
Flynn replies, “He won’t admit it. Don’t waste your breath, Connor.”
I wonder what they’re talking about as I drift into a fitful sleep and wake to Evander gently gripping my shoulder.
“We have a long day ahead of us, Kenna. It’s time to get up.”