Betrayals of Spring (Forever Fae #2)(15)
“Not to this extent, but there have been occasions when…” I pause, not wanting to tell him the rest. “Well, there have been times when he’s been a little rough and not his usual gentle self, if that answers your question.”
“No need to explain, Princess. I really don’t want to know the details. Oh wait...look ahead, Meliantha. I think you have your way to escape.”
I look ahead and, yes, I see my escape plan. Little Merrick, Calista, and Ryder are in front of the log cabins playing in the snow and having a snowball fight. They all look so happy together and I can’t help but be envious of what they have. I honestly believed that Kalen was going to be the man I shared all of that with. Calista notices us first and then Merrick. The snow throwing stops and with a mischievous grin, Calista leans down to whisper in Merrick’s ear pointing straight at us. If I didn’t know any better, I would say Calista might be plotting a snow war. She’s not the only one in the family who can throw things and always hit their target. Merrick bends down to grab a handful of snow and charges off screaming in my direction with a huge smile on his face.
“Mel, Mel, Mel!”
I know he plans to bombard me with his snowball so I use this chance to pull away from Finn to run to Merrick. Luckily, he lets me go easily, but if he hadn’t we were going to have some serious problems. I’m running toward the squealing Merrick and I lunge for his legs. I scoop him up into my arms and over my shoulders. He squeals when I pick him up and he slams the snowball into my back, laughing and giggling the whole time. The coldness of the snow makes me cringe and now I can’t stop the shivering. I laugh it off and swing Merrick around and around in circles watching his fluffy blond curls sway in the wind. He wraps his arms around my neck and latches on when he squeals, “Miss you, Mel!”
I hug him tight and whisper in his ear, “I know, sweetheart, and I’ve missed you just as much.” I kiss his cheek and put him down. His eyes find Ariella, and he squeals while running off to her. Ariella beams at the sight of Merrick, and she kneels down to embrace him when he reaches her. She scoops him up just like I did and they laugh and giggle the whole time while running and playing in the snow. I steal a quick glance at Kalen and he still looks rigid and angry while Finn stands off to the side with a bored expression on his face. Elissa is staring at Ashur and is failing miserably to be nonchalant as she slowly migrates toward him. If I wasn’t feeling so uneasy right now I would find the situation humorous. I can tell by Ashur’s posture that he can feel the unease in my body. His body is tense and remains on full alert. My heart swells with pride, and I know that I couldn’t have asked for a better guardian than Ashur.
“It’s good to see you, Meliantha,” Calista says, capturing my attention. I turn to look at her and confusion is written all over her face. I can tell by the determination in her eyes that she plans to find out once and for all what’s going on with me. It quickly disappears as a new look crosses her face. Her body goes tense and she looks around the group hesitantly before settling her eyes on Finn.
The moment he meets her eyes everything around me changes. The chills prickling my spine ease and the menace I felt permeating the air earlier evaporates. It’s as if a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can now breathe easier. I think the whole group notices the change as well.
A look of worry passes across Calista’s face and she quickly peers over at Ryder. They nod their heads in some kind of silent agreement and then Ryder turns to Kalen.
“Let’s go, brother. We need to give Calista some time alone with her kin. She can give them the tour of the cottage while we have us some mead before the ball,” he says to Kalen.
I can tell Kalen is clenching his teeth by the tension of the muscles in his face.
“Very well,” he replies to his brother.
He gives me one last look and then turns around to walk toward the larger cabin that is beside the cottage. I guess that is the one where he stays. Ryder walks alongside him and I can’t stop my traitorous eyes from staring at Kalen’s retreating form. I’ve watched him walk away before, but this time it feels different. My heart is demanding that I follow him and the pull in my stomach is making it hard for me to stay in place. It’s as if I’m a magnet being drawn to him and the harder I fight it, the harder it is to stay away.
With a devilish grin, Kalen turns around while walking backward and has his eyes trained on Finn when he yells, “You might want to watch where you step. The ground can be quite…slippery!” Ryder rolls his eyes and grabs Kalen by the shirt to jerk him back around. Finn starts to move toward me when all of a sudden he slips on a patch of ice that miraculously appears under his feet. He goes down with a thud and lands hard on his back side. I can hear Kalen’s deep laugh as he makes his way onto the porch of his cabin. I give Finn my hand and he grabs it to pull himself up. Kalen stands on his porch and gives Finn a stare of pure anger. Finn stares right back at him with one of his own.
“What the hell is his problem, and why is he looking at me like that?” Finn demands. I look into his eyes, and yes, they hold anger from being laughed at, but I can see no trace of evil in them at all. The look he gives me is full of love and devotion, but also of confusion. He brushes off his clothes and lifts his eyebrows at me waiting on an answer.
“You have no idea why Kalen would be the way that he is right now?” I ask. Looking back and forth from me to Calista, he shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. Oh no! This is just like before when he would have his episodes of forgetting. It hasn’t happened in a while, so I was beginning to think it was over. He stands there looking confused when all of a sudden Calista gasps and brings her hands up to cover her mouth.