I hum, watching at the pull of muscles in his arms. Like he too is trying to keep still.
“How do you know?” I mumble.
Keen stares at me thoughtfully and tugs at his ear. “My Father. He ignored the bond, and eventually, it went away, or so he said.”
Questions are alive in my eyes as I look at Keen’s clenched jaw. There’s a story there, and from the look of him, it’s not a happy one to tell.
“Are you coming with us?” Keen jerks his head in the direction the other two went.
I open my mouth to say no. I need to get far away from him. Prince bumps into me from behind, and I grunt, stumbling forward a couple of steps. It puts me closer to Keen, and his eyes widen, full of surprise, as he looks around me to the pain in my behind.
I turn around, glaring at Prince. “What in the hell?” I snap.
His thick tail flicks in the air, and he stares at me with his amber eyes. An impatient feeling flows from him to me, and I grunt again.
“No, Prince,” I say softly, watching his eyes as they narrow at me.
He growls softly and starts stalking towards me, and I take a step back for every step he takes forward.
I know Prince won’t hurt me, but with him stalking me and showing off all those fangs in his vast mouth, I stumble backward right into Keen. My heart is thumping with a hint of fear.
A shrill scream breaks past my clenched lips as Keen’s hands land on my bare shoulders. Fire and ice spear the soles of my feet, around my ankles and the back of my calves.
I jerk from Keen’s hands. I stumble away, bending over and panting. Tears gather at the corners of my eyes as the feeling disappears, and I straighten up. My breathing comes out harder, and I cringe. More Runes simply stamped themselves on my skin. I snarl at the air as a dull pain makes itself known.
“Are you okay?” Keen questions fear lacing around his words.
“I’m fine, and I’ll go with you.” I shot Prince a narrowed-eyed look and marched off in the direction of Bran and Rush.
I grit my teeth, and my hands grasp the straps of the pack on my back. More Runes. I shake my head. What is happening to me? If Keen touches me again, will more etch themselves on my flesh?
My feet stumble. Why would I even think of Keen touching me again? I don’t want these bonds. I don’t want any of this.
“Basil?”
“Huh?”
Are they almost complete? Will some sort of power manifest when they are? Who’s the fourth to complete this bond? Rylan, Derrick and now Keen. One more, and it’s complete. Will people know just by looking at me? Will power burst out of me in a gushing wave?
“Hey.”
I pause, “Yeah.”
“Are you sure you’re fine?”
I study Bindi sitting on Keen’s head. Her tiny hands are clutching his brown hair.
“Yeah. It sometimes happens.” I mumble and start walking again.
Prince brushes up against me, and some of my tension wanes.
◆◆◆
It was dark by the time the first lights of Rosewell reached us. I’ve never been so tired in my life. Keen pushed the pace all day, only stopping for a quick break to eat. I have blisters on my feet, my thighs and calves burn, and it only makes me realize how soft and lazy I am.
I yawn, stepping sluggishly behind the three men. Prince’s tail curls around my wrist, pulling me forwards and keeping me moving. If it weren’t for him, I would have sat down a long time ago.
“I know. I know.” I mumble at him and keep going. My energy is zilch between the walking, the Runes, and ignoring this tug, which has only gotten worse and more persistent. I’m drained to the bone. Even my excitement from finally witnessing a town for the first time can’t perk me up.
I stumble on, my eyes growing heavier with every step.
“Just a little further,” Keen says, keeping pace beside me.
His eyebrows are drawn down as he looks at me. “We’ll get rooms at the Wisp.”
I nod and just keep moving. I feel myself starting to lean towards Keen, and I strain my body, keeping my distance from him.
I trudge by undersized little shanties. The soft glow from the Glowen leaves offers just enough light to see by as I follow the dirt path into the heart of Rosewell.
The noise wakes me up more than anything. A flute is playing in the background with a songbird voice singing as I wander into the Wisp. I stay on Keen’s heels with Bran and Rush, keeping pace behind me. Prince vanished as we got closer to the heart of the city. God only knows what sort of trouble he will get into. I hope he doesn’t eat anyone.
My eyes close as Keen talks to the barman, and soon a soft voice has me following Keen through the room and up a flight of stairs.
“I got you a room to yourself,” Keen says, his eyes gleaming. “Make sure you lock the door.”
I nod, taking the key from Keen’s hand and shutting the door. I don’t pay the room much attention. I just lock the door and turn the deadbolt. My pack falls from my back, and my boots get kicked off.
I literally fall into the narrow bed and groan. My eyes close, and dreams or nightmares hurtle me into a world of fire, water, air, and earth.
CHAPTER SIX
A knock has my eyes flicking open. I groan and roll over on my back, looking up at the dusty brown ceiling. I jerk upright. My breathing is coming in hard pants as I look around the unknown room.
My boots and pack lay in the middle of the small room, and my breathing starts to slow. The inn. The Wisp. I chuckle at myself and get up.
I walk to the door and hesitate. I bite my lip, looking at the poorly made wooden door. It’s three pieces of wood stuck together.
The knock sounds again, and I stumble back.
“Basil.”
I breathe a sigh of relief at Bran’s soft voice.
I unlock the door and open it. My eyes flick around, looking for Keen. A small feeling of disappointment has me grinding my teeth. I don’t have time for disappointing emotions or any feelings regarding Keen.
“Keen and Rush had some errands,” Bran says, and I look back at him. “How bout we get some food and have a look around town?”
“Yeah. That sounds awesome, just let me grab my stuff.”
I leave the door open and scoot my boots closer to the bed with my foot as I pick up my pack.
I sit down on the low bed and pull on my boots. I look up and see Bran still standing in the doorway. I smile and start to lace up the boots.
“What kind of town is Rosewell?” I ask as I start to lace up the other boot.
Bran’s whispering voice floats to my ears, “It’s small, but like every town, it has a dark underbelly.”
Standing up, I shoulder on my pack and walk out the room, following Bran down a step of stairs that I don’t even remember climbing up last night.
“This underbelly. Is that where Keen went?”
Bran’s shoulder stiffens, but he doesn’t say anything.
Is Keen a criminal? A Crime Lord? Wouldn’t that just be my damn luck?
“Maybe,” Bran says, taking a seat at a rough-cut wooden table.
I raise my eyebrow, staring at Bran while he looks everywhere but at me.
Maybe Keen is a Crime Lord.
I snort at that and lean back in my chair, glancing around the room.
It’s not a huge place, but it’s full of people. I cross my arms as I take in everyone. Their clothes material varies from cloth to leather, but they all have something in common with each other. Their clothes are in shades of green, from pale green to a deep green where it almost looks black. I feel uneasy and look to Bran.