“I don’t understand.”
“That toast is ready.” Lorien grabbed the stick, setting the bread down on a metal plate, then replaced it with more another slice. “Dain didn’t want to go into the forest or near the lake,” he explained. “Tried to get Kael to let him go hunting, though the man couldn’t hit a rabbit if you painted a bloody bulls-eye on itsside. He’s always a grumpy bastard, but he was ten times worse, if that’s possible, when he got told to go and look for firewood.”
Lorien’s knife rose, pointing to the trees behind us.
“He went that way. The exact opposite direction of the lake and yet that’s where he ended up? That’s the way with Dain. What he wants and what his visions dictate are two different things.”
“Visions?”
With a shake of my head I snatched the bread back. It’d gotten a little more burnt than it should’ve, so I turned it around and set it back against the fire.
“Dain sees the future.” I searched Lorien’s face, looking for signs of mockery, but he was uncharacteristically quiet. “Not just what will happen, but what could. It’s why we were over the bay that morning.”
It felt like I was hearing his words spoken down a hollow tube. They reverberated in my head, bringing back the terrible memory of my fall.
“He saw you die, Fern. Woke the two of us and made sure we ignored the class schedule for the day. Had us following him up into the sky on our dragons, making for the bay. Didn’t think it was possible to change fate, but Kael? That bastard never lets anyone tell him what to do, so he insisted we try. Our dragons watched Auren the entire time, caught the moment when the corp’s beasts lost control. We were there, streaking through the air, trying to get to you.”
My bread was dropped onto the plate because my grip on the stick was slipping. Something Lorien noted with a nod.
“The man did everything he could to save you, Fern. He’s not going to spy on you from between the trees. My brother wouldn’t steal glances of your naked body. Kael…” His head tilted from one side to the other. “Wouldn’t put it past him, but Dain? If I know him at all, he wants to earn that honour.”
Chapter 40
Kael
“You know I’d never sneak up on a woman bathing,” Dain growled from where he sat on a large fallen log. Argent was arranged behind him, watching the proceedings with a steely gaze.
“Wouldn’t you?” He’d snapped his journal shut the moment I got close and then tucked it into his jacket. “No, I guess not. But the lady doesn’t know that. You might want to make that clear to her if we don’t want the lieutenant stabbing us in our sleep.”
“I can’t go back to the campsite.”
That mulish expression, I knew it well.
“That so? Sleeping out here, are you?” I glanced around at the cold clearing. “And in the morning, what then?” For all his visions, Dain was conspicuously silent. Made me think what he was seeing, he didn’t like much. “You’ll lock eyes with Lady Fern at some point as we ride out.”
I watched his jaw work.
“I’ll head to the estate,” he growled. “Stay with Elsie and Barry until this whole thing is done with.”
“Good idea.” I made a show of nodding. “Seeing as we are all headed to my parent’s estate. Think we could all fly together?”
That animal sound, it was dragged from the depths of Dain, but when Argent lumbered to his feet, I knew I’d won.
“Fine,” my brother ground out.
“Think you can apologise to the lady then?” I followed him as he went crashing through the undergrowth. “You might not have meant to see her naked, but Fern doesn’t know that.”
“If I have to.”
“But before we get back to the camp, tell me the truth. Was the sight glorious? Because I’ve seen hints of those curves under her clothing, but guessing at what’s there and seeing her in the flesh is a whole other thing.”
I didn’t even see his hand until it was buried in my tunic, used to haul me close.
“Shut up.” In the darkness of Dain’s eyes, there was a madness that I hadn’t seen before. “Shut the fuck up, Kael, or I swear to all the gods, I’ll chase visions until I find the perfect way to end you, then put that plan into place.”
“Fair enough, brother.”
With a smirk, I pulled away. Would I have liked a very detailed description of what Dain saw? Of course, but that wasn’t the point of my comment. When he was mad, the paralysis that came from endless analysis was shoved to one side and he was free to act. Fern and Lorien looked up from where they were munching cheese toast by the fireside, but there was no sign of Lance.
