DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS

30

“Can we take a quick break?” Calvin said, pulling Devon’s attention. The little boy patted his throat. “I need some water.”

“Me too,” Selina said.

“Sure.” Kianna held her fiddle tight. “Five minutes.”

The kids dashed up the hill, toward the house.

Kianna stayed seated beside Devon under the cherry tree, clutching the fiddle.

The damn curiosity was back and Devon couldn’t help it. He said, “It’s obvious you used to dance, and you’re good at the fiddle too.”

The young woman laid the instrument in her lap and stared at it as if it was a forgotten lover. “I used to take lessons. Dancing, singing, music, painting. I wasn’t good at them all, except for dancing. I loved it so much. I think that’s the reason I was a decent dancer.”

Decent? From the way her hands moved, her neck elongated, her chin jutted out, and her back arched, she had been a lot more than just a decent dancer.

“But you’re good at the fiddle too.”

She shook her head, her blond hair falling over her shoulders. “I could follow a rhythm and play simple songs, but I was never really good at it. But when the kids have to follow a rhythm, it’s enough.”

“What about the festival? Will you play for them, then?”

“No, goodness, I would never.” She chuckled as if that was funny. “There will be a band playing for the contestants. I’m sure they will play the full song and sound much better than me.”

But Devon doubted any of them would be as gracious and beautiful as Kianna.

Devon frowned.

Mission. He had to focus on his mission. Nothing else.

“If you say so,” he said, his voice suddenly cold. He rose to his feet. “I should get back to work.”

Kianna looked at him, her delicate brows curled down. Was that disappointment in her gaze? No, it couldn’t be. “Sure. You should.”

After a slight bow of his head, Devon stomped up the hill. Cursing himself for the stupid feelings stirring inside his chest, he stopped in front of the barn and served himself a full cup of chilled water. But instead of drinking it, he threw it over his head, hoping his senses came back to normal.

But as he brushed a hand over his face, he knew it had been a waste of good water.

His senses had been askew since he had first seen Kianna, and until the gods liberated him from this mission, he was convinced he would be more and more enthralled by her charm.

His chest squeezed.

One day, this mission would come to an end, and he would have to leave Kianna and her family behind.

Devon didn’t want to think about that.

Present

Kenna

Studying for the GED always gave me a headache. There was so much I missed, so much I still had to learn … I wondered if I would ever catch up. It was normal to graduate from high school at eighteen or nineteen. If I continued like this, I might get my GED when I was twenty-two. And then I would go to college too? How old would I be when I graduated? Thirty?

Of course, I was exaggerating, but it felt like that for the most part. Carol would graduate from high school next year, while I felt like I could be in the same class as Sabrina.

I took a Tylenol for the coming headache, picked up the book from the kitchen island, and headed outside. It was early afternoon and the heat was picking up, despite being spring, but I sat on the grass at the cherry tree’s roots and cowered under its shade.

For some reason, I really liked this spot. I inhaled deeply. It was probably because of the tree’s scent, which reminded me of my cherry perfume.

I cracked the book open and began reading. The headache faded—it wasn’t studying. Reading was fun and relaxing—and I fell into the story world.

In the back of my mind, I couldn’t forget that Devon had given the book to me. Why had he done that? Because he had seen me burn the other one? That wasn’t a good enough answer. I had almost died of surprise when he gifted it to me, which in turn had fueled my powers. The lights of his porch flickered, and he had thought there was something wrong with them. At that time, all I wanted was to thank him properly, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control my powers, so I fled.

The other day, when he had come to check why Kevin was sneaking into my house and ended up staying for dinner, because Lia insisted, I opened my mouth several times to let him know I was enjoying the book, but couldn’t do it.

What was wrong with me?

I shook my head and went back to the book.

I read and read, not really paying attention to the time, until Sabrina and Kevin walked into the backyard, back from school.

“Still reading that book?” Sabrina asked.

Smiling, I shot to my feet. “Yes, I’m trying to take it slow.” Although, I had only read fifty pages. I would have to slow down or I would be done with it in no time. “Hungry?”

“Always,” Kevin answered. He dragged his backpack across the yard and kicked up the porch steps.

“Something wrong?” I asked as we entered the kitchen.

Sabrina threw her backpack on the floor and sat on one of the island stools. “He almost got into another fight.”

Sabrina had told me about the fights. Kevin was a small boy for his age. Instead of nine, I had guessed he was eight, but most people thought he was seven. Apparently, there were some big kids in his class, and one boy who was already eleven—he was repeating the grade—liked to pick on Kevin, since he was half his size.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked, trying to remain calm. I didn’t care if his foster parents didn’t give a damn. I did. And if this continued, I wouldn't stay quiet. I would go to the damn school and teach that boy a lesson.