Red Moon Rising(34)

“I’m so sorry!” She had gasped.

He’d grunted in reply and continued on his way without helping her up. She had been kneeling on the cold ground, gathering the spilled laundry up and blinking back hot tears, when Sophia had knelt beside her.

“Are you okay Bree?” She had asked kindly.

“Oh yes. I tripped over my own feet. I’m so clumsy.” Bree had smiled brightly at her.

“No you didn’t. I saw my brother run into you.” Sophia had replied.

“I ran into him. It was my fault entirely.”

She had stood and lugged the basket to the clothesline. Sophia had followed her and taken her arm gently.

“Bree, will you tell me what happened between you and my brother? You’re obviously upset, and everyone can see his coldness towards you.”

Tired and upset and desperately needing someone to confide in, she had told Sophia everything that had happened, her words spilling out in short bursts in between bouts of crying. Sophia had comforted her and had offered to speak to her brother, but Bree had begged her not to.

“I hurt him badly.” She had sighed miserably. “I said an awful thing to him that I didn’t really mean, and now I don’t know how to make it better.”

“Why did you say it, if you didn’t mean it?” Sophia had asked.

Without thinking, she had blurted out, “Because if Kaden knew – “

She had stopped and given Sophia a cautious look. “I was just frightened. His eyes were glowing and it scared me and I wasn’t thinking. But I swear I didn’t mean it.”

Now, she slipped the leather bag across her chest and adjusted it against her hip. She reached for the sword that was leaning against the wall. She had insisted that Nicky continue to train her on the sword and yesterday, under the pretense of practicing later on her own, she had taken it to her room.

She slipped it into the leather sheath belted around her waist, and then glanced around the room. She had moved out of James’ room and into one of the empty guest rooms the night she had hurt him. There was nothing left in the room that belonged to her, and she took a deep breath and smiled at the small dog sitting on the bed.

“Be a good girl Tia.” She whispered as she buried her face against the dog’s small body. “I love you so much.”

The dog whined a little and she kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry Tia but I can’t stay here anymore. I can’t stand that I’ve hurt him so badly, and I miss the way he used to look at me. Besides, I need to rescue Kaden.”

The dog cocked its head at her and she sighed softly. “Don’t look at me like that Tia. I might be back for you someday. And if I am, I’ll have Kaden with me. You’d like that girl. I know you miss him.”

The dog rolled on to her back and, tears slipping down her cheeks, Bree rubbed her belly for a few minutes before standing. The dog jumped to her feet, her tail wagging hopefully, and Bree wiped the tears from her cheeks and said firmly, “No. Stay Tia. It’s not long until morning and Leta will come looking for you.”

She walked to the door of the bedroom and, without looking back, slipped out of the room.

* * *



She had been walking for nearly two hours when she realized she was being followed. She continued to walk, her ears straining to hear the light rustling coming from her left as her hand dropped to her sword and tightened on it.

She took a deep breath and whirled around, pulling her sword free and holding it in front of her. With a bravery she didn’t feel, she called out loudly, “I know you’re there. Come out right now.”

There was nothing but silence in reply, and as the seconds spun into minutes she began to feel a little foolish. The noise had probably been nothing more than a deer. She searched through the trees, squinting in the dim light, and adrenaline flooded through her veins when she saw the figure duck out from behind a large tree. It stepped forward and she raised her sword threateningly.

“Bree, it’s me.”

Her mouth dropped open and she stared in shock at the young boy emerging from the trees. “Gods be damned! Evan, what are you doing here?”

He regarded her solemnly. “I was in the common room and I saw you leave. I decided to follow you.”

“What were you doing up at that hour?” She frowned.

“Why are you walking in the opposite direction of Vanden?” He countered.

She groaned. “Evan, do you know how stupid it was to follow me?”

He shrugged. “I want to know where you’re going. Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”

“Evan! This is madness! You need to turn around and go home right now.” She glared at him.