snip-snip-snipping of pruning shears, and there was a somber quality to the air my spirit took comfort in.
The wind stroked my cheeks and loosed a few strands of hair free from my braid.
I will come for you soon , a voice said in my mind, startling me. It was that deep and timeless voice I'd thought was Cian, the wind elemental, but now, after all that'd happened with the dragons, I wasn't so sure anymore.
I was about to ask "Who are you?" and "When is soon?" but then I remembered I'd heard the voice in my head, and I didn't think it would be a good idea for any of the gardeners to catch the princess of Gaia—Danton's soon-to-be betrothed—talking to herself. The wind rustled through the hedges, but the voice didn't speak again.
My thoughts wandered back to Alex. What was he doing? Was he still in Karth? Or had he left the city? What would he do now? Probably set sail for the shores of Campagna with Sir Torren and his men. I wished I were there with him. I wanted to be there with him so badly, working beside him. Working together like we'd always done when we were little. Sometimes I still couldn't believe I hadn't realized I'd loved him back then, especially when it was so obvious to me now.
Like that time—what, was it four years ago? Sonya had phoned saying Alex had been in a bad riding accident. He'd been put in ICU but his condition was stable and we shouldn't worry—she'd just wanted to let us know. I'd had the car backing out of the driveway within minutes, with my dad running out the door yelling at me. I was only fourteen, so I didn't have a driving permit or anything like that. Minor, irrelevant detail. Alex was hurt and I was going to see him—it was that simple. And then I was going to beat Jinx's hind for hurting him. I knew it was Jinx's fault. Alex had recently bought the thoroughbred, and he'd been breaking Jinx in, but it'd been difficult. Jinx was about as docile as a wild bull with a flag waving in front of its eyes.
Since I wasn't getting out of the driver's seat without a slew of cross-your-hearts from my father, he soon succumbed to driving me three hours to the hospital where Alex was being kept. By the time we got there, Alex was no longer in ICU. They'd wheeled him to a double room he had to share with a very old man who snored like a bear. My dad stood in the hall with Sonya, but I could still see Alex lying on the bed with his foot in a cast, elevated in a sling hanging from the ceiling. There was a wrap around his temple, too, which made his dark hair stand straight up like he'd been electrocuted, and there was a nasty bruise on his left cheekbone, as well as a mesh of cuts on his cheeks and forearms. When he saw me standing in the threshold of his room, he grinned. It was a lopsided grin, because his bottom lip was swollen on one side, but his sentiment was undeniable—he was proud of his current incapacitation.
Men.
I'd rolled my eyes. "Oh, stop beaming, you idiot," I'd said, walking toward the edge of his bed. Alex's gaze followed me all the way, bright and alive.
"Hey," he'd said. "Good to see you too."
"You're lucky you can see me." I'd touched the bandage on his forehead before sitting on the edge of his bed, careful not to move the mattress too much, and I looked over the rest of him with a frown. "Do I want to know?"
Alex had looked away, suddenly interested in the pulley-system supporting his bum leg.
I knew it.
Angry, I whacked his cast.
He lunged for his cast. "Geeze, Daria!"
"You promised you wouldn't ride her yet!" I'd growled, ignoring his grunting and wincing.
"She was fine!"
" Apparently ." I moved to jab his cast again, but he grabbed my wrist. He'd grown a surprisingly strong grip in that last year. I glared at him and he just laughed. The sound, though familiar, was deeper and had a strange, hypnotizing effect on me I didn't understand. I wiggled my hand free. "All right, so what happened?"
Alex had gone into a very detailed monologue about his morning with
The wind stroked my cheeks and loosed a few strands of hair free from my braid.
I will come for you soon , a voice said in my mind, startling me. It was that deep and timeless voice I'd thought was Cian, the wind elemental, but now, after all that'd happened with the dragons, I wasn't so sure anymore.
I was about to ask "Who are you?" and "When is soon?" but then I remembered I'd heard the voice in my head, and I didn't think it would be a good idea for any of the gardeners to catch the princess of Gaia—Danton's soon-to-be betrothed—talking to herself. The wind rustled through the hedges, but the voice didn't speak again.
My thoughts wandered back to Alex. What was he doing? Was he still in Karth? Or had he left the city? What would he do now? Probably set sail for the shores of Campagna with Sir Torren and his men. I wished I were there with him. I wanted to be there with him so badly, working beside him. Working together like we'd always done when we were little. Sometimes I still couldn't believe I hadn't realized I'd loved him back then, especially when it was so obvious to me now.
Like that time—what, was it four years ago? Sonya had phoned saying Alex had been in a bad riding accident. He'd been put in ICU but his condition was stable and we shouldn't worry—she'd just wanted to let us know. I'd had the car backing out of the driveway within minutes, with my dad running out the door yelling at me. I was only fourteen, so I didn't have a driving permit or anything like that. Minor, irrelevant detail. Alex was hurt and I was going to see him—it was that simple. And then I was going to beat Jinx's hind for hurting him. I knew it was Jinx's fault. Alex had recently bought the thoroughbred, and he'd been breaking Jinx in, but it'd been difficult. Jinx was about as docile as a wild bull with a flag waving in front of its eyes.
Since I wasn't getting out of the driver's seat without a slew of cross-your-hearts from my father, he soon succumbed to driving me three hours to the hospital where Alex was being kept. By the time we got there, Alex was no longer in ICU. They'd wheeled him to a double room he had to share with a very old man who snored like a bear. My dad stood in the hall with Sonya, but I could still see Alex lying on the bed with his foot in a cast, elevated in a sling hanging from the ceiling. There was a wrap around his temple, too, which made his dark hair stand straight up like he'd been electrocuted, and there was a nasty bruise on his left cheekbone, as well as a mesh of cuts on his cheeks and forearms. When he saw me standing in the threshold of his room, he grinned. It was a lopsided grin, because his bottom lip was swollen on one side, but his sentiment was undeniable—he was proud of his current incapacitation.
Men.
I'd rolled my eyes. "Oh, stop beaming, you idiot," I'd said, walking toward the edge of his bed. Alex's gaze followed me all the way, bright and alive.
"Hey," he'd said. "Good to see you too."
"You're lucky you can see me." I'd touched the bandage on his forehead before sitting on the edge of his bed, careful not to move the mattress too much, and I looked over the rest of him with a frown. "Do I want to know?"
Alex had looked away, suddenly interested in the pulley-system supporting his bum leg.
I knew it.
Angry, I whacked his cast.
He lunged for his cast. "Geeze, Daria!"
"You promised you wouldn't ride her yet!" I'd growled, ignoring his grunting and wincing.
"She was fine!"
" Apparently ." I moved to jab his cast again, but he grabbed my wrist. He'd grown a surprisingly strong grip in that last year. I glared at him and he just laughed. The sound, though familiar, was deeper and had a strange, hypnotizing effect on me I didn't understand. I wiggled my hand free. "All right, so what happened?"
Alex had gone into a very detailed monologue about his morning with
Similar Books
