Huntress by J L Taft Page B

replaced it.
    “What are you doing in here?” she asked, pushing against his
chest. He let her go but he didn’t move far.
    “That was some nightmare you were having,” he said. Even
though he was sure it had been more than that.
    Her eyes widened and she drew back even farther from him.
“What happened?”
    Trent was torn. Did he tell her he knew she was telekinetic
and a witch? Or did he keep with the rules they had set that night and let it
go? Before he could change his mind he gestured to the books and things that
were strewn all over the place.
     
    Fiona looked around in shock. Her stack of books, clothing
and a number of other things were all scattered about the floor. She didn’t
remember doing it but she was sure she had given herself away.
    Trent stared at her and she was surprised to see no
accusation in his eyes. He wasn’t looking at her as if she was a freak. The
only thing coloring his features was concern. Nevertheless she still wasn’t
willing to risk it.
    “Fiona? Are you all right?” His voice was deep and gravelly.
    “I’m okay, Trent,” she told him weakly.
    “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked as he brushed the
hair back from her face.
    Did she want to talk about it? So much for their rules. But
after this incident she was sure they wouldn’t need them. He would be gone. She
shook her head, turning her face away.
    “Fiona? I know about what you’ve been hiding,” Trent told
her gently.
    “Know what exactly?” she whispered.
    “That you’re telekinetic.”
    She sighed, realizing it had only been a matter of time
before he found out and that time was up.
    “Does it matter?” she asked him, watching his face closely.
    He seemed confused, his forehead drawing together. “No,” he
finally answered, “why would it matter?”
    She didn’t see any of the reactions she had expected on his
face and she was suddenly so tired she couldn’t think straight.
    Fiona felt her eyes closing against her will. “Can we talk
in the morning, Trent?” she forced herself to ask.
    “Of course.” He helped her lie back down and tucked her in.
Her eyes were closed but she sensed him start to move away.
    “Trent?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Would you stay with me?” She scooted over on the bed to
give him room.
    He didn’t move for a full minute then came to the bed and
slid in next to her. She didn’t know what was going on but it felt good to not
be alone.
    Trent rolled and wrapped his arms around her. Just before
she fell asleep she heard him say, “Yeah, I’ll stay.”
     
    Trent held Fiona for a long time. He couldn’t sleep. He
didn’t know why he had even asked her about having an affair with him.
Especially after his granny had warned him to stay away from her.
    He didn’t like the idea that some choices were out of his
hands. But he was drawn to her in a way he had never felt before. She held her
secrets close, never letting anyone get under her skin. He hoped telling her he
knew she was telekinetic would ease some of her worries.
    She wouldn’t have to hide it from him if he already knew. He
got the feeling she didn’t tell anyone about her gifts. She had chosen a career
that left her alone and now he knew her better he understood why.
    If he was honest with himself he didn’t like that she hid
anything from him. He wanted to know her secrets. Which was exactly what she
didn’t want.
    The last few months he had used his scars to keep people at
bay. He didn’t want to see the pity and the disgust in their eyes when they
looked at him. But Fiona had done neither of those things. She had stared for a
moment that first night but all he had seen was curiosity and then the needed
lust.
    He thought he had ruined his chances for anything long-term
with a woman when that grenade had gone off. He wasn’t the smooth-talking
pretty boy he had been in his youth.
    The scars on his face were the only visible damage but there
was more to it than that. The events of the mission had shaken his