Crystal Thief (1) (The Underground Kingdom)
Page 11
“Yes,” I enjoined. “We can’t let emotion interfere with business, now can we?” I smiled a little to take the sting out of the words.
Thorn blushed at my remarks. “Don’t be mean to me, Stephen,” she criticised. “You know I have trouble expressing my feelings.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologised, taking her hand. “I was only teasing.”
“You’re holding my hand,” she said.
“Well, duh! You’re very observant for a One,” I kidded.
“Why are you doing that?” she wanted to know.
“Because I like you,” I informed her. “And because I want to. It feels nice.” Thorn looked rather taken aback, but she didn’t take her hand away.
“Yes, it does,” she murmured, smiling hesitantly. “You know, I’ve never let anyone hold my hand before. Well, to be truthful, one has ever wanted to up until now.”
“In other words,” I grinned, “this is something of a special occasion then.”
“I suppose so,” Thorn agreed, down at our intertwined hands. She looked up at me again, almost pleading. “Do you really like me, Stephen, or are you just being polite?”
“For heaven’s sake, Thorn,” I exclaimed, becoming exasperated, “I like you! I really do. I think you’re a marvellous person, okay? Why are you insisting on it so much?”
Thorn snatched her hand away, almost angrily. “Because no one has ever said it to me before, that’s why!” she shouted. “I wanted to hear it, just this once, that’s all! Is that a crime? I wanted to hear someone say that they liked me, all right? Do you know what it’s like living with my sister? Everyone loves her. Day in and day out she’s surrounded by admirers. How do you think I feel when I have to see that every single day? Do you blame me for wanting just a tiny bit of that attention? I don’t want to sound like a jealous sister, but I want to be admired too.” She took a deep breath and continued to vent her emotions. Obviously, this outburst had been slowly bubbling to the surface over a long period of time.
“Okay, I am jealous!” she persisted, clenching her fists. “I admit it! Traculimna has always been the pretty one. Her whole life has been an unending string of boys telling her how beautiful she is. Not a single one of them would even look at me! They were besotted with her. Do you know what that did to my self-esteem? Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep? And that’s when I decided that I didn’t need anyone. That it didn’t matter what others thought of me. So I became a warrior. I put my life on the line every day, and I told myself that I didn’t care!” She stopped, and stared intently to my eyes.
“And that’s why, Stephen,” she said softly, “I was so desperate to hear you say that you liked me. Do you understand what I’ve been saying?”
Books by Steve Elliott:
* The Snurglepuss Doorway
* Vampire? (Part 1)
* Alien? (Part 2)
* Timing It
* Hog Mama
* Thief
*Depression World
* Picture Perfect
* Society Tart
*Betrayal
* Earth Angel
* Double Trouble
*Multiples
‘Soul Mate’ Series:
* Childhood.1(a)
*Dreaming.1(b)
* Rescue.2
* Lioness.3
* Wedding Woes.4
* Crossroads.5
*Daughter.6
* Endings & Beginnings.7
*Grandchild.8
*Final Chapter.9
‘Underground Kingdom’ Series:
*Crystal Thief (1)
* Dangerous Desires (2)
* Trix (3)
* Zenith (4)
* Pitfall (5)
* The Vile (6)
* Revenge (7)
* Retribution (8)
* Rosewing (9)
* Night Things (10)
* Blood Stone (11)
‘Diama the Destroyer’ Series:
* Diama the Destroyer (Vol.1)
* Sacrifice (Vol.2)
* Wizard (Vol.3)
* Finders Keepers (Vol.4)
* Sword of Destiny (Vol.5)
* Known Strangers (Vol.6)
* Deception (Vol.7)
* Time After Time (Vol.8)
* Return (Vol.9)
* Friend or Foe? (Vol.10)
* The Missing Mayor (Vol.11)
* Jigsaw (Vol.12)
* A New Beginning (Vol.13)
‘Vampire Curse’ Series:
* Vampire Curse
* Vampire Friendly
* The Orb of Rule
* The Haunted Portal
* Seeking Petals
* Tiger Doorway
* Hidden Motives
*Sings the Morning
* The Cave
* Blossom
* The Dagger of Serios
* Sky
* Fractal Finality
‘Survival’ Series
* Survival