“You’re a complication I just don’t need in
my life.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He raised both hands in the air in an
exasperated gesture. “Do you see me hanging around girls like you?
Girls who can barely take care of themselves, let alone know what
to do with a guy? I’m not sure exactly what you’re thinking fată.
That because we shared some life threatening experience together we
were going to become best friends?”
He snorted. “Sorry Trin, not gonna
happen.”
Shocked and hurt I could only stare at him,
unable to do anything about the tears that were forming.
“You…you…are…” I choked on my words as the
tears began to fall.
“Yeah, I know what I am.” He gave me a
humorless smile. “Now go find Gerik. He’ll give you a hug and make
it all better. Probably should go before he see’s you talking to me
anyway.”
His reaction to me, his hurtful words,
suddenly made some sense.
As Xan turned to go, “He threatened you,
didn’t he?” I asked quietly.
Xan paused.
Feeling bolder I continued, “He threatened
you to stay away from me and you’re listening because you’re afraid
of him!”
It was absolutely the wrong thing to say to a
guy like Xan.
He closed the distance between us quickly,
his dark eyes blackening with anger, the kind of anger only a guy
like Xan knew. Anger that grew heavy and deep in between years and
years of resentment, festering like an infected wound until the
flesh was so decayed there was no going back, no healing from the
pain.
“Fată,” He growled, leaning close to me. “I’m
not scared of anything, just didn’t want my mamă to have to bury me
is all. Probably would upset her.”
“Oh,” I whispered, swallowing hard. “Yeah, it
probably would.”
“So what then, Trin?” He asked, his voice low
and his body close enough that I could smell the scent of wood and
sweat on his skin. “You want to go fuck somewhere?”
“What!” I sputtered. “No! I only wanted you
to teach me how to fight!”
His eyes widened and he took a step back.
Amusement spread across his harsh features.
“And”, I continued, “shoot a gun.”
“Shoot? As in shoot a real gun? Why?”
“I don’t ever want to feel that helpless
again,” I told him, referring to the night we were attacked.
A look of in intrigue lightened his features
and I could’ve sworn he was fighting a smile.
“Okay,” He finally said.
“Okay?” It couldn’t be this easy.
He made a face. “Yes, Trin, I said okay.”
He came forward again and I tensed at his
nearness. “Do you know why I’m gonna do it?”
I shook my head, unable to speak.
“Because fată, I’m not afraid of Gerik.”
Then he kissed me.
My shoulders hit the nearest RV with a loud
thud as he pushed me backwards. When I gasped in shock, he used the
reaction to force his way into my mouth, not caring whether I
responded to him or not. He continued to trespass, taking what he
wanted, giving nothing in return.
It was a kiss meant to show dominance. He
wanted me to know how much he didn’t care about Gerik. How much he
didn’t value his life.
There was nothing exciting or sexual about
it.
That wasn’t even the worst of it. I could
have dealt with Xan’s impulsive display of control, his reckless
need to prove that Gerik’s strength or magic wasn’t a concern of
his. It was the wrongness of the kiss that truly shocked me. It was
the revulsion that shot through my senses and the pain that
prickled my nerve endings, all because of one kiss.
I instantly recoiled from Xan, trying hard to
end the kiss. My mouth was like one of two repelling magnets
desperate to get as far away from the other as quickly as possible.
Eventually he pulled away from me, wiping the back of his hand
across his mouth. I almost fell over trying to get away from
him.
“Next week after your chores. Front lot on
the opposite side of the creek. If you’re not there Trin, don’t
come near me again.”
I watched him stalk away, while I stood stock
still, still reeling from the kiss. Had Gerik done this to me? Had
he cast some sort of guy repellent spell?
Having never kissed any other guy aside from
Gerik, and as of two seconds ago, Xan, I wouldn’t know. I’d
suddenly wished I’d taken advantage of all of those guys who had
asked me out on dates.
I found Becki sitting on the front steps to
our trailer staring forlornly at a patch of grass in front of
her.
She looked up as I approached. “Bad day?”
I shrugged. “More like painfully
educational,” I said. “You?”
“That about sums it up.” She went back to
studying her grass.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Hungary, 1070 A.C.E
Treime felt him before she saw him, smelled
the sweet perfume that was Emilian and her stomach fluttered in
anticipation. It was the perfect ambush. He never spoke to her
anymore. He even went as far as to purposely avoid her at times, so
she was determined to get him alone and rekindle their
friendship.
“
Treime! Treime get your skinny butt back
to camp!”
She giggled. God how she missed him. She was
shivering, not because of the snow but from the knowledge that she
just might get to touch him tonight. It had been so long since
she’d felt the warmth their skin could create by just a mere
touch.
Shifting purposely in the tree branch, she
caused a lump of snow to drift to the ground. Emilian looked up
immediately and scowled at her.
“
Get down right now, brat!”
She stuck her tongue out at him.
“
Get down Treime!” He growled. “Everyone
is exchanging gifts tonight for Yule and I don’t want to be stuck
out here in the cold with you.”
Treime sniffed, insulted by his cruel
words.
No matter how hard she tried, he refused to
pay her any attention. He paid other girls lots of attention. She
watched him sneak off with them all the time. Had even caught him
kissing other clan girls, while she got nothing more than glares,
dirty looks and lots of lectures.
At 10 and 4 years she was dreaming of her
first kiss, had even had several boys try to kiss her but she had
been repulsed by the prospects. It had to be Emilian. There’d never
be anyone else, but there must be something wrong with her since he
seemed to hate her so much.
“
TREIME!” He roared.
“
Okay, okay.” She jumped down, falling
hard on her bottom. Emilian laughed as Treime tried desperately to
wipe the snow off her kirtle.
“
You’re soaking wet now,” He
scolded.
“
What do you care?” She threw back at him,
defiantly crossing her arms.
He threw his arms up in the air and shook his
head causing his long brown hair, now damp from the snow, to fall
in his eyes. “You’re right. I don’t. Now go.” He pointed in the
direction of the camp.
Tears stung her eyes. She never understood
what she had done to deserve such treatment?
“
Treime! Start walking!” Emilian grabbed
her arm. “Get mov-
Treime? Oh, Treime, why are you crying? I
didn’t mean…”
She looked up at him through watery eyes.
“Why do you hate me?” She whispered though chattering teeth.
“
Hate you?” He laughed as he captured her
cheek in his palm. Both of them instantly felt the heat their touch
caused. Treime gasped and Emilian closed his eyes. When he opened
them again he took a moment to swipe a few of her tears away with
his thumb. “I don’t hate you.”
“
But…but you never play with me anymore.
You never talk to me, we never run. You just yell at me
and–
“
Treime, stop.”
Treime looked up at him. His brown hair was
covered in snowflakes and his breath was coming out in short little
white puffs. His brown eyes had turned gray and what she saw in
their depths made her want to weep.
Emilian had once been her playmate and her
best friend. He’d always be the most handsome boy she’d ever seen
but now… he was what? Emilian was a man now, full grown, who
thought her still a child. She knew she didn’t belong in his life
at all.
Emilian sighed, a deep heavy sigh, and Treime
knew this was the moment where he would tell her to leave him alone
for good.
“
I wanted to let you have your childhood
for as long as you could. For as long as I could stand it…”
“
I don’t understand?”
“
Puţin o, it’s simple. We are betrothed.
We have been since you came into this world as a red faced
babe.”
Treime’s heart stopped beating. Betrothed! To
Emilian? This was the best Yule gift she could have gotten! Emilian
smiled seeing her face light up and gathered her in his arms.
Suddenly she needed more of him. She wanted to be… even closer to
him. She was burning from their contact in a way she had never
experienced before. Grasping frantically at his furs, she tightened
her hold on him and aligned her body with his.
Emilian stiffened at the intimate
contact.
Treime flushed, embarrassed at his rejection
of her.
“
All of those girls Emilian!” She accused.
“You can kiss and touch them, but not me! Don’t even try to deny
it! I have seen you!”
She screamed when he tried to reach for her
again. “God only knows what else you did with them!”
“
I am one and twenty, Treime and you are
seven years younger than me. A child! I…I just…” When he didn’t say
anything else Treime stomped her feet and turned away. Tears formed
again in her eyes.
“
You were betrothed to me! And you…with
them! You are a liar and…and you are IMMORAL!”
I had to!” Emilian bellowed, startling her.
“You were and still are a child!”
“
I’m not a child!” Treime yelled. “And I
will never marry you!” Even as she said the words she knew they
weren’t true, there was no one else she would ever want but the man
in front of her.
Hurt and angry, she took off fleeing through
the woods.
It didn’t take long for Emilian to catch up
to her. He was still faster, still bigger and much stronger. He
swooped her up from behind and swung her around through the
air.
“
You’re acting like a child,” He said,
breathing heavily as he placed her gently on the ground, still
clutching her from behind.
“
I’m not a child,” She whispered, on the
verge of crying again. Treime hated herself for feeling so
vulnerable and for being so weak. It had felt as if Emilian had
possessed her very soul since the first day she could remember, but
it had never been the same for him. She ached so badly inside she
wanted to scream, to beat the earth from the unfairness of it all
until it bled with understanding.
“
You will marry me Treime. I have waited
for you and will continue to wait until you are old enough, but
then you will marry me.”
Emilian spun Treime roughly around and shook
her. His eyes were dark, his anger hot and thick around them.
“
You have no say or choice in the
matter.”
“
And you always get what you want, don’t
you?” Treime thought of the Gaje girl at the well so long ago when
she’d felt the touch of Emilian’s magic. She wondered how many
other girls he’d used magic on to get what he wanted.
Emilian’s eyes widened.
“
Little one, I didn’t force her,” He said
gently. “All the magic did was intensify what she was already
feeling.”
Treime started. “How did you know what I was
thinking?”
Emilian smiled. “We’re special Treime, but
you… you were special before you were even born. The Baró and all
the elders knew that you were coming and that you were to be
mine.”
“
You’ve known about us since before I was
born?”
“
I did. I was terrified of you at first.
Then I saw those big green eyes of yours and you smelled so
beautiful and…”
He tilted his head smiled at her again, a
different kind of smile, one that made her feel not so childish and
caused a warming sensation low in her belly.
“
And what?” Treime’s cheeks heated under
his gaze.
Emilian’s lips met hers in a soft kiss that
was slow and sweet and achingly tender. When he pulled away Emilian
cupped her cheeks in his hands and their eyes locked.
“
I kissed you puţin o. And I knew then I
was forever lost.”
CHAPTER NINE
And I thought learning how to use a gun would
be challenging. Xan wanted me to learn how to breathe. But not
before he gave me a speech about it.
“Stress is gonna screw you up. Breathing
correctly will help you with both fighting and shooting. It’s gonna
relax you and get your blood flowing properly.”
He had me lying down on the grass inhaling
deeply through my nose and exhaling twice as hard through my
mouth.
“Focus on ridding all of the tension in your
body, especially your hands.” He kept repeating. “Your hands need
to be steady, that’s the most important thing. Steady hands.”
Steady hands. Steady hands. He said it so
much I was afraid I would be saying it my sleep.
“How do you feel fată?”
I yawned. “Fine.”
“Good. Let’s get started then.”
Xan didn’t hand me a shotgun like most of the
guys carried. Instead he gave me a small gun, a smooth black
semi-automatic. His reasoning for this?
“I give you anything with a higher caliber
fată and your delicate little self isn’t going to be able to
operate it.”
I kept my mouth shut. I wanted to learn how
to use a weapon, not fight with Xan about what kind of weapon I
should use or what a sexist pig he is. I was a little disappointed
though, I’d seen the bigger ones blow huge holes in those
creature’s. That was the kind of power I was looking for.