Tears began to stream down my face during my rant, but they’re not tears of sorrow. They’re of frustration, and helplessness, but more than that, of a burning rage that feels like it will consume me if I don’t do something to release it soon.
Seeing how upset I’ve become, Kendric doesn't run from my hysterics like I think he will, rather he continues forward and then sinks to his knees, one leg not bending quite as smoothly as the other.
“I’m not really sure what to say, Princess. I normally leave the hand holding up to Daruk, or even Arius, but I’ll say one thing.”
I pause as I wait, my breath barely escaping while I search Kendric’s face, disbelieving that he actually has something nice to say.
Peering directly into my eyes, I find that I should have known better. “And that is, suck it up, buttercup. You may not have material things, but you’re no longer being held by the man that took you from your family. And besides a few bumps and bruises, you’re perfectly healthy. There are much worse things that you could be facing. Now, get up, get ready, and find that spark that drew me to you when we were kids. All giving up now will do is let him win. And I for one, refuse to let him take anything from me ever again.”
Jaw hanging open, I don’t even move when Kendric gets to his feet and turns to leave. The way he spoke to me is different from anyway anyone has ever before, but as much as I want to lash out, to call him an egotistical bastard, I resist. Because below the attitude he’s shown me since bursting into that trailer and my life, he’s right. There are worse things than borrowed underwear and a broken heart. I’d say that Catrine would agree, but she’s dead.
With the door to the van open, I spy Kendric already inside, headphones in his ears as he listens to whatever it is playing on his phone. He doesn’t try to speak to me, and I don’t try to speak to him.
One foot in the door, a warm hand on my arm halts me, and I turn to see Sal. A nervous look to her face that has her mouth pinched at the corners.
“Hey,” I say, moisture rising in my eyes as I pull her into a hug. This may be the last time that I see her for a while. “I tried to find you earlier, but Arius said you had gone somewhere with Nissa. You two seem close…” I trail off, fishing for more information while trying to hide how I’m really feeling and the fact that I’m going to miss her dearly.
Pulling back, I see that mention of Nissa chases a few of the shadows from her eyes, and a blush blooms on her cheeks.
“Yeah, she needed some things from town before we leave for the new safehouse. I’m sorry about springing that on you by the way, but I really want to help. Ever since I was abandoned as a kid, I knew that I wanted to find somewhere to call home. To be safe. I thought I found that at the circus, but Barney fooled us all. What if this safe house is a way to do that? Not only for me, but for every person that passes through and needs a safe place to rest. You don’t think that’s foolish, do you?”
Her eyes are bright and determined by the time she finishes, and I can’t stop the pride that fills me at her impassioned words. I’ve never realized how strongly she felt about this, but seeing her find a purpose, I know that I’ll not try and persuade her otherwise. Regardless of how much I want to.
“Sal,” I say instead, and some of the excitement dims from her eyes. She already believing the worst, but when I smile, I see the tension leave her shoulders. “I think that’s amazing, and I’m sure Nissa will be happy to have your help. Just promise me that you’ll stay in touch, okay? You’re my sister, and wherever I’m at, you’ll always have a place to call home.”
We hug again after that, her hanging on even after I drop my arms, and this time when she pulls away it’s to quickly swipe at the tears that have slid down her cheeks. I pretend not to notice though. She’s always hated showing her emotions.
“Of course I’ll stay in touch! Besides, if you’re really going to be queen don’t think I’m not going to come see your castle. Imagine the parties that we’ll be able to throw!”
After our laughter subsides, and one last hug, I finally climb into the van, ignoring the rain that has once again begun to fall. My wings are wet and my borrowed clothes soaked, but I ignore it as I press my hand against the window.
Sal holds hers up as well, and as we pull away, Nissa walks up to join her, wrapping an arm around her waist as we continue to wave goodbye.
With the distance growing between us, and tears tracing salty paths down my face, I don’t look away until she disappears from view and all that’s left are rain-soaked trees and the hope that we’ll be able to keep those promises.
Chapter Eleven
It’s a beautiful day to be outside, and because Kendy is with me, Mommy says I can play for a while. “Only an hour, Lorelei, or you won’t have time to finish your studies,” she says for the fifth time, making sure she talks loud enough for me to hear with my good ear.
I’ve been practicing lip reading, but so far, haven’t gotten the hang of it. I blame Kendy, because I’m pretty sure he mouths random words on purpose sometimes to mess me up.
Nodding that I understand, I make my way out to the gardens and find Kendy already waiting for me there, his brown hair sitting like a mop on top of his head. I want to reach up and mess it up like I’ve always done, but he’s grown taller this year, and I can no longer easily reach it.
Deciding to just punch him in the arm instead, I laugh when he cries out in feigned pain. “Ouch, Princess! What did you do that for?”
When his face reddens, I wonder if I hit him harder than I planned, but my eyes widen when he tenses up, a sparkle in his sharp brown eyes. “You’re gonna get it now!”
Squealing, I run from him, my wings tucked close to my back so that they don’t slow me down, and I feel him reach out, fingertips brushing along the black feathers too late, as we go down in a tumble of limbs.
“That wasn’t very nice, Kendy! Don’t you know I’m going to be queen one day? Then you won’t be allowed to tackle me. You’ll have to kiss me instead,” I say, teasing him.
The red spots that appear on his cheeks make me break out into giggles. Shaking his head, he looks me directly in the eyes. “I’m not going to be kissing girls! Besides, I’ll be too busy guarding you. I can’t take care of you if I’m always kissing you.”
I think about what he’s said for a minute, and decide he’s wrong. Daddy takes care of Mommy, AND kisses her. So I know it can be done. I go to tell him that, but then another thought hits me. Maybe he just doesn’t want to kiss me?
When my lips turn down, Kendy sits up quickly, eyes scanning around us to find out the trouble before looking back at me. “What’s the matter, Princess? Why are your wings all droopy?”
Meeting his eyes as tears gather in mine, I can’t hold back the truth. I always tell Kendy everything. I won’t start keeping secrets now. Lips trembling, I say, “You just don’t want to kiss me. You think I’m ugly and hate me.”
Sighing, Kendy takes my small hand, and moves his head so that I’m looking directly at him. Seeing that he has my attention, he gives my hand a gentle squeeze.
“You’re not ugly, Princess. You’re perfect and will be the most beautiful queen Aviary has ever had. But I don’t get to kiss you. Even if I want too. My daddy told me only the queen’s Mate gets to do that, and yours will be the heir of the Frost court. I just get to be your guard, and I’ll guard you with my life.”
His words are fierce, and even though he’s only eleven, I believe them. He may be right about the Frost heir, but he’s wrong too. “I’ll be queen, so I’ll write my own rules. Then I’ll be able to kiss you anytime I want.”
Happy to see a smile stretch across his face, I turn back towards the garden in time to see a man approaching, and my blood runs cold.
`His face is the one that haunts my dreams, and when his hands begin to glow a dark red with magic, eyes focused on Kendy, I react without thinking and push Kendy to the side.
My heart breaks when I hear Kendy’s pain filled cry, but when I
turn to go to him, a binding spell wraps around me, rendering me unable to speak or move.
Grabbed from behind, I feel the air rush by me as Mr. Augustus runs, taking me further and further away from my home, but all I can do is cry as I stare at Kendy’s prone body on the ground.
I fight the arms holding me, images of Barney and his glowing red hands flashing through my mind, as my chest aches with the pain of seeing Kendy lying motionless on the ground.
It’s not until I hear a grunt of pain that I open my eyes to see the brown eyes from my dream. The eyes of the little boy who once held my heart, and protected it with a fierceness that defied his age.
Still half asleep and distraught from the memory I’ve re-lived, I don’t even think. I just throw my arms around Kendy, catching him completely off guard, as I hold him firmly within my grasp.
“Kendy!” I cry, tears soaking his shirt as I press my face into the curve of his neck, breathing in his scent. It’s wild, like the forest after it rains, but I don’t release him. He was dying and I hadn’t been able to do a thing.
Feeling him tense at the hug and nickname I used to have for him, I start to pull back. Before I can though, he relaxes against me. “Shh. Princess. I’m here. You’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
I’m not sure if he’s speaking quietly so that only I can hear, or if it only sounds that way. Either way, I don’t care. I had forgotten so much. Some of that was what the man who holds me now had meant to me, and it makes me hate Bailey all over again. He’d stolen more than just half my life. He’d stolen the people that I cared for too.
As Kendric continues to whisper into my hair, awareness begins to creep in, and with that, the realization that I’m somehow in his lap. Though not a complete stranger, he’s someone I haven’t seen in years. And more than that, he’s a bit of a jerk too.
Kendric must feel the change in me, as he pulls away and searches my face. Knowing that he must see how conflicted I am, his mouth tightens before he gently places me back in my seat before looking away, his chest rising and falling from the deep breaths he takes.
I want to say something, to fix whatever I just did, but movement in the front of the van catches my attention and I see that we are pulled off onto the shoulder of a road. Arius and Daruk watching me with thoughtful looks on their faces.
“Sorry,” I mumble, wrapping my arms around my waist as heat rushes to my cheeks. I let my eyes roam over their faces at them having caught my breakdown, but if either is bothered by it, they don’t show it.
“Don’t be sorry, Lorelei. Was it a bad dream?” Daruk asks, and I can’t help cutting my eyes quickly in Kendric’s direction, noting his jaw is still tight, but that he’s watching me too.
Clearing my throat I admit, “Not a bad dream. A bad memory.”
This time I refrain from looking to see what Kendric’s reaction to that admission will be. I don’t need to though, because when the words leave my mouth, he throws open his side door and climbs out. The van shaking from the force of him closing it again.
Guilt over upsetting him hits me hard and I reach my hand out to open my door to follow him, but Daruk’s hand on my wrist stops me. “He just needs some time. I’ll speak with him. Why don’t you tell Arius about what you dreamed? Often times, talking about them can be therapeutic in easing the pain and bringing clarity. I’ll be back shortly.”
Daruk doesn’t give me time to argue, and I wouldn’t anyway. I doubt Kendric even wants to see me right now, so instead, I lean my head back as I let the images float through my mind once more.
As I recount the dream, the vivid images and feelings of the day are so fresh it feels like it just happened. I can’t deny that the pain of that day, of losing Kendy and everything I had ever known is so strong, it threatens to cost me a thousand tears.
When Daruk returns, Kendric reluctantly trailing behind him, I hide my wince when Daruk climbs into the back beside me, leaving Kendric to sit up front. He doesn’t even glance in my direction, and I can’t help but wonder what I’ve done to make him hate me so much. We had been so close in my memories, my child mind recognizing him as important, but something had changed. And since I’d been taken almost a decade ago, I have no idea what.
“I don’t know if Arius told you, but we’re about two hours away from a small, private airport. We’ve already called ahead to make sure a jet will be waiting for us. I don’t anticipate any further problems, not since we left the safe house, but the sooner we can get into the air, the better.”
I let that sink in, and wait for the nerves to hit about my impending meeting with my parents, and although the butterflies are there, they’re buried beneath all the other questions I have. Angling my body toward Daruk to show I’m not ready to end the conversation, he gives me an encouraging nod.
“Thank you for telling me. Arius didn’t say much while you were… taking a walk.” I hesitate on what to call Kendric storming off, but when he doesn’t turn around to correct me, I forge on with my questions. “I’m glad we’ll be off the road soon, but how did Bailey even find us? I thought the safe house was spelled so that it couldn’t be found? If he was able to somehow find me there, then how do we know he won’t find me again?”
Suspicion worms through me when they share a look, but don’t immediately answer. So I lean forward and see Arius catch my eyes in the mirror before quickly glancing away again.
Growing angry, I narrow my eyes, scanning all of them. “Somebody needs to start talking. This is my life on the line here, so spill!”
At my demand, Arius gives a tiny shake of his head, before meeting my eyes. He doesn’t hold them long, since he’s driving, but it’s enough for me to see that whatever he has to say won’t be something I like.
“We’re not positive about how Bailey found you, but we have to consider that someone sold you out. And besides us, there are only two other people who knew you were at the safe house.”
The implications of what he’s suggesting, of who he’s suggesting, doesn’t sit well with me. Not when one of those people are my best friend, and my anger simmers below the surface at the thought they’d even suggest her.
“Sal would never sell me out. She’s my family. The only family I’ve ever known.”
Kendric visibly flinches when I say that, but I don’t try to take it back. It may not have been my family's fault that I was taken, but it’s still the truth.
Kendric whips his head around to face me, his eyes hard, but I don’t back down from his glare. “Listen up, Princess. Sal may be the ‘only’ family you remember, but unlike you, the rest of us remember just fine! You ever consider that while you were gone, that we looked for you? Or that, countless, countless, lives were lost trying to retrieve you from that damn circus! We looked for you. We remembered you. I remembered you. So don’t for one second pretend like the only person that has ever cared about you is the Phoenix!”
“That’s enough, Kendric. It’s not her fault she doesn't remember. Imagine how she feels at discovering she has a whole life that was stolen from her,” Arius says, and gives him a hard look before moving his gaze to me again. “And Lorelei, I know you care for Sal, but our first priority is seeing you safely home. That means we have to consider every possibility, and every person. It’s not to hurt you.”
He sounds sincere, and Daruk gives me an encouraging smile, but the idea still doesn’t sit right to me. I know Sal.
“I understand that. And I apologize if I made it seem like my family doesn’t matter. But you said there were two people that knew, and that means Nissa might be responsible.”
Saying this brings on a whole new set of fears about how Sal is with Nissa. I want to demand they turn around and take me back to check on her, but stop myself. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself.
“Let's put this discussion aside. We don’t need to figure it out right now. We’ll be at the airport soon, and then it will be a straight shot to Aviary. Don’t worry, Lorelei. We’ll keep yo
u safe.”
I’m sure Daruk’s words are meant to be soothing, but he misunderstands my silence. I’m not worried about myself. I’m worried about every person that will be around me from this point on. Bailey had gone through great lengths to kidnap me and keep me away from my family, and I have no doubt in my mind that he won’t stop until he gets me again.
Sitting there with my necklace feeling like a rock in my pocket, a sense of foreboding comes over me, and I feel deep inside of my bones the truth of my thoughts. It’s not over. Not for me at least.
Chapter Twelve
“Are you sure you told them the right address? The jet should be here by now,” Kendric says, voice hard. He hasn’t spoken to me since his blow up in the van, but he glances in my direction periodically, just never long enough for me to actually say anything.
“I spoke directly to Snype. He said he knew where this airport was, and that they would be here an hour ago. Let me find some reception and I’ll call them again,” Arius says, brows furrowed as he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and begins to walk around the area, holding it up into the air.
Bored and with nothing to do, I walk over to where Daruk leans against the van. When he sees me walk up, he slides his phone back into his pocket and gives me a smile.
“I’m sure you’re tired, but don’t worry, the jet will be here soon, and it is fully stocked with drinks and snacks. Sorry we couldn’t stop earlier to pick up some food.”
“That’s all right. I’m not that hungry anyway,” I say with a shrug, but the rumbling of my stomach betrays my lie, and I smile sheepishly when he looks at me with a smirk. “Well, I mean, I wasn’t that hungry before. I am now.”
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