“You should come with us.” He smiles.
Should I? I don’t even know them. This could possibly be a horrible idea, but I don’t have any others. At least this way, I can learn about Elementum better. Get a better understanding of everything here.
“Was going to take her to the springs in the morning. The poor child is filthy,” Bran says.
Keen’s eyes widen, and he leans away from me, “How old are you?”
“Old enough,” I snap.
He climbs quickly to his feet, staring at me weirdly. He grunts, marching back to Bran and Rush.
I hide my smile within the folds of my cloak. If he thinks I’m a child too, he won’t touch me. Just the thought of it sent him fleeing. I wonder how long I can play this out.
“You should try to get some sleep,” Keen says, glancing at me.
I nod. I should, but can I trust them? Prince leans towards me, and I feel safe. Protected. He lays his enormous head on my lap, and I lean back on Rylan’s bag. If Prince stays like that, maybe I can sleep. What else is there to do?
CHAPTER THREE
A gentle shake on my arm brings me out of my dream. I groan and blink my eyes.
“A few more minutes,” I mumble, turning over on my side, wrapping my arm around a furry body.
My eyes crack open, and my breath gets stuck in my throat as I recall the last few days. My right arm is wrapped around Prince. A nervous feeling has made my hands tremble as I rise.
A pair of bare feet are standing right in front of me. I flick my eyes up and noticed Keen. I gasp. He is absolutely stunning. His skin is pale and smooth. His dusty, brown hair messily hangs over his forehead. Those pale green eyes stare at me in bewilderment. My head falls to the side, studying his body. He has a dark green vest that is open, showing off his smooth chest and his stomach muscles.
Keen stands up slowly, and my eyes follow the movement along his legs. Dark green leather molds to his legs, stopping just below his knees. The sides laced up, showing off Runes on the outside of his thighs. Honestly, he looks like he just jumped out of an anime show. The moon last night did not do him justice. He is breathtaking.
“Are you hungry?” His low voice, soft and sweet, pulls at my heartstring. It tugs at other places in me too. That I’m very much going to ignore.
I lick my lips and nod my head. He smiles, and I flush red. I’m staring at him, and I can’t seem to stop. Prince nudges me with his hip, and I snap my eyes away from Keen. What in the hell? The pull to him is more dominant than either Rylan or Derrick. Resisting, I curl my fingers into my palm. My nails are digging into my skin. I can not let this happen. I will not allow this to happen. My fate is my own.
“Here.” Keen holds out a brick bar that’s similar to what I found in Rylan’s pack.
I take it carefully, so as not to touch his fingers. He smiles softly at me and strolls back to where Bran and Rush sit close to the now ashy fire pit. My hands fall into my lap, staring at the brick of food as the tug tug of the Electus Bond pulls me in his direction.
Stupid damn bond.
I bite into the brick harshly. My anger simmers underneath my skin, like a blaze.
My muscles turn to cement as I feel the pull of the tug as it starts to turn into a gentle push. My eyes flick up, meeting Keen’s pale green ones as he walks towards me.
My lips pull up on one side as he shifts on his bare feet in front of me. I gasp as he sits down quickly in front of me, clutching his legs to his chest.
“I’m Keen,” he states. His head tilts sideways, a patient look on his face.
“Basil,” I mumble.
He hums, and I shift in place. I’m beyond uncomfortable. Does he feel the tug too, and if so, does he know what it means?
Sensing my tension, Prince wraps his tail around my waist. Keen’s eyes zero in on his tail. The tip of his tongue pokes out of the side of his mouth.
“Are you an Ignis Eligere?”
Crap. I shake my head, no.
Keen hums softly, looking thoughtful.
“How old are you, Basil?”
“Why?”
He hums again. His thumb is moving up and down on his knee.
“The pull you feel towards me. Do you know what that is?”
I squeeze my hands. “Yes,” I say calmly, wanting to hide the anger I feel. Guess he understands better than me.
Keen lets out a sigh, “I do not want to form this bond.” He whispers.
My stomach flip-flops. He surprised me. I feel relieved. I didn’t expect that type of response from Keen, and yet I feel upset at the same time. Which doesn’t make a damn sense?
“My life.” He hums again, looking in the distance, “It’s not a life I would wish for my Electus.”
My curiosity spikes. What kind of life does he live?
“But.” He gazes back at me, and a spike of fear brings my heart to a crazy beat. “I don’t want to let go of you either. What kind of man does that make me?” He hums again, staring at Prince, lost in his own thoughts.
“Like all of the others,” I muttered, grabbing onto Prince’s tail that’s still around my waist.
His head jerks back to me. A penetrating look comes into his pale green eyes. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” I say, glancing away. Why did I even open my mouth?
Rylan didn’t give me a choice; Derrick just assumed I’d form the bond, and Keen? Who knows what he is thinking?
He bites his bottom lip, eyes flicker across my face. "Would you like to travel with us a little bit?”
My eyes widen. Travel with them? Why? He doesn’t want to form a bond, yet he wants me to go with them.
"You've got that lost look about you," he mutters.
Is that what I look like? A lost, scared diminutive girl on the verge of a breakdown. Maybe I exaggerated a bit there. But still, who wouldn’t feel like they’ve lost their minds after everything that has happened to me?
He stands up. “Think about it?”
I nod. He sighs and walks away. The tug tug has me grinding my teeth the further away he gets.
I wonder if I leave, will this tug get worse? Can I withstand the constant pulling from three directions? Each one is pulling me at different strengths. Is this what all Electus go through? No wonder they give in.
I groan in frustration. I don’t know what to do? I want to go with them, but then again, I don’t. I do know I need to move, though. Rylan can’t be too far behind me, and I don’t want to deal with him anytime soon.
I climb shakily to my feet, Prince’s tail falling away from my waist. I can feel the others’ eyes on me, but I ignore them for the moment. I grab my boots and just stand there staring at the ground.
“Is this spring far?” I ask, finally staring at the three men on the other side of the fire pit.
“A bit,” Bran whispers.
I nodded and trudged back to Prince. I sit down and pull on my socks and boots. I don’t bother getting dressed yet. I’m filthy. Covered in dirt, sweat, and whatever other nasties that were in the creeks I wandered through.
I grab both packs as I climb to my feet. “Will you show me where the spring is?” I ask, not looking at them. If they see the rage in my eyes, I’m afraid everything will go to shit.
“Of course, Doll. Come along,” Keen whispers.