The Silver Siren (Iron Butterfly, #3)(9)

“No I heard them; they said I was a monster, Kael. I know what I heard.” I used my hands to cover my face in horror.

Kael tore a band of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and dipped it into the cold river. He began wiping away the dirt and ashes from my face.

Jerking from the coldness, I tried to pull away. Kael held me firmly but gently. “How am I supposed to tell you what you look like if you are covered in ashes?”

Keeping my eyes closed, I let Kael wipe all of the dirt and soot from my face. The act was in itself kind, sensual, and completely out of character for the SwordBrother.

When he finished, he ran his fingers down my face and cupped my cheeks. “Thalia, open your eyes.”

“I’m scared to.”

“I’m here, remember? I’ll keep the bad things away,” Kael said softly. “I’ve kept my promise so far haven’t I?”

He had.

Besides, if my eyes really were that grotesque, he could handle it.

I opened my eyes, keeping my head down. I raised them to focus on Kael’s knees and slowly, ever so slowly, worked my way up. This was the first time that I had looked at him since last night. He was covered in soot and ash as well. One arm was bandaged, and blood seeped from a wound on his bicep. His neck had a large scratch on it and his chin was burned.

My eyes froze on his lips as I remembered the kiss we’d shared, and a longing came over me to kiss him again. But I pushed it aside and traveled higher until I met his eyes.

Kael’s eyes widened in surprise and his breath caught in his throat.

I had startled the SwordBrother.

My hands started to tremble and I grasped his shirt for dear life. “Tell me.” My voice shook. “Tell me what you see.”

Kael started to breathe again, though his gaze never left my eyes. His thumb gently rubbed my cheek.

“I see you, Thalia. You.”

“What else, Kael? What’s wrong with my eyes?”

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s beautiful.”

“It?” I cried, confused.

“It’s silver. One of your eyes turned silver.”

I didn’t believe him.

“Thalia, one is blue and one is silver.” He chuckled still holding my face.

“Eww!” I scrunched up my face at him in disgust. “How horrible.” I would have said more, but Kael’s eyes turned stormy in disapproval.

“I think I’ll be the judge of that.”

He was mere inches from me and I couldn’t help but reach out to him and touch the burn mark on his face. A powerful current raced through my arm, overwhelming me as I healed the blister.

“Ouch!” Kael jumped and stood back. Reaching up he touched his face and found the burn gone, along with the scratch on his neck. In disbelief, he checked his arm and the wound was gone.

“I’m sorry.” I winced when I realized the power had rushed from me and shocked him.

“This could be useful,” he grinned.

Have you noticed that power is starting to draw to you? Faraway spoke up. It comes to you almost naturally now. You hardly ever have to pull from me.

Unfortunately, yes. And I’m scared about what it might mean. That I’m still changing, still transforming? I thought as I mounted him.

Kael swung himself up behind me and took the reins from my hands.

“He’s my horse,” I grumbled, pulling the reins back from him.

“Do you know where we are going?” Kael argued, a little more stern than he had been.

Looking around me, I couldn’t even tell where we were.

“Um, no,” I said sheepishly.

“That’s what I thought,” Kael said. He tugged the reins back from me and steered Faraway onto a northerly route. Embarrassed, I had no choice but to let Kael wrap his arms around me and to lean into his broad chest. He kept a quick pace and we seemed to make good time.

Unfortunately, I fell asleep against him and woke up a few hours later. The sun was starting to set and I had yet to see Fanny, Joss, Hemi, or Darren. I tried to clear my throat but it was dry and scratchy. Kael handed me my water bag. After taking a drink, I wiped my mouth and asked him about them.

“I don’t know. I told them to take Mona and head immediately for Haven. I took your horse and went after you, promising that if I found you, I would do the same.”

“You mean you left them there to fight off the Septori alone?” I gasped.

Kael scoffed at me. “When I left, there were no Septori remaining. Except for the girl. They didn’t even try to rescue her or take her.”

“What happened at the cave? I saw you enter and I tried to warn you. Why in the world would you walk into a trap?”

Kael’s eyes hardened and the muscle in his jaw line twitched. “They’re dead. Well, not Talbot, but he ran at the first sight of me.”

“But how? You were outnumbered.”

Kael refused to speak for a moment. “It was a trap and a poor one at that.” He looked at me sideways. “I doubt you really want to know how, do you?”

The look he gave me sent chills down my spine. I had seen him fight; I had seen Kael kill ruthlessly. I didn’t need any gory details.

“We couldn’t save the farmer and his wife. By the time I got there, I was surrounded by an army of Septori.” Kael’s fists clenched and I reached out to touch his hand. My touch instantly made him relax.