Kimmy decided that she wasn’t going to speak to Rance anymore.All he did was snip at her, and she wasn’t in the mood to listen to him complaining about her being a human.She’d been born that way, and the sooner that he figured that out, the better things would be.She didn’t much care for him in the first place.Secondly, he didn’t seem to like her all that much either.Which she was happy about.
“When was the last time you took some meds?I have some things to talk to you about, and I don’t want you laying there in pain while I do it.”She said it had been an hour, but she was fine until he came in.“Don’t be childish.If you need the medications, then take them.We have the rest of our lives to get things organized between the two of us.”
“I don’t want to be organized with you.Whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.I have my life just the way I want it, and you’re not going to be coming in here and changing things up because someone decided that we’re mates and there is nothing I can do about that.I wouldn’t have picked you for a friend, much less someone that I’d have to spend the rest of my life with.You’re not nice.”
“I’m nice to people that I like.”She didn’t like that either, but didn’t say anything to him.For some reason, when she spoke to him, he’d get nastier to her, and that would hurt her feelings.She asked him if he liked her.“I’m stuck with you.There’s a big difference.”
“Why don’t you go lie in the sun until you’re nothing but ash?”He told her that the sun didn’t bother him so much anymore, as he was an ancient.“You’re something all right.I don’t want you here.”
“That’s too bad.You’re going to do as I say and not have anything to say back.If you’re going to be my mate, which I can’t believe, you’re going to do what I say when I say it.”She decided that he was a bastard and she couldn’t stand to be around him.After telling him that, he just laughed.“Like it matters now.We’ve all but bonded, and I don’t want you around any more than you do me.But as I said, we’re stuck with each other, and we might as well make the best of it.”
“You know that I’ve gotten around in this world pretty good so you might well remember that when you’re spouting off rules that I have no intentions of following unless they make sense to me.I can’t stand to be around you.”She watched his face for any signs that he was going to change into his beast or monster, whatever he called it, but he only smiled at her.It was an evil smile and one that she didn’t trust.“Why don’t you just forget that we met and go on with your life.As I said, I’m doing just fine without you hanging around all the time.”
“Do you remember that you nearly died, and without me, you would have.”She told him that she wished that he’d allowed her to die, as he wasn’t being nice to her.“You don’t mean that.Don’t say things that you don’t mean, or I might have to take you to task.I’m not above beating your bottom for being rude to me, either.You’ll learn to obey me, and that’s final.”
She didn’t speak to him for the rest of his visit.Kimmy decided that if he told her once more that she had to obey him, she was going to remove his head.Talking to Calla had given her a great deal of information on his kind and knew that was the only way to kill him.Not even a stake through the heart could do much to him.
When he finally left, telling her again she was being childish, she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes.The swelling had gone down a great deal since she’d been in here, and she was glad.Seeing his face when she didn’t speak to him or answer him was good.He never lost his temper with her, but he did get frustrated.Good.He did the same to her.
Dozing off and on the rest of the evening, she was glad to be alone.It’s what she was used to, and with Sir Pain in the Ass gone, she could rest easier.When she woke up for dinner, she decided that she didn’t much care for being on a liquid diet and couldn’t wait until she could have some real food.At least anything she could chew.
Just as she was dozing off again, she saw something out of the corner of her eye.When the little creature landed on her knee, she knew just what it was.Again, Calla had come to the recuse on knowing what the little man was.
“My name is Tall.I thought that if I named myself that, I’d be taller than the other faeries that were around.Sadly, it didn’t work that way, and I’m just as tall as the others.Your name is Lady Kimber.”She told him it was just Kimmy.“His lordship said that your name was Kimber and that is what he is going to call you.But I shall call you Lady Kimmy if that’s what you wish.”
“It is.But it’s just Kimmy.I’m not a lady.”He explained to her that she was indeed a lady, as Lord Rance had a vast estate and castle.“Does he now?I guess that’s something else that he neglected to tell me.Not that we’re speaking to each other all that much.I don’t much care for him and his bossy ways.”
“He is very old and is said to be set in his ways.I agree that he can be bossy, but he’s my lordship.I, however, work for you.I am your companion and helper.I am to teach you how to use your magic.You have a great deal of it, too.”She asked him what she could do.“The simplest thing you can do ischange your clothing at will.Just think of whatever it is you wish to be wearing, and you’ll have it.I don’t know how it will work with you having a gown on from the hospital, but you can try it.”
“It worked.”She changed her clothing from the gown to a nice, pretty sundress.With all the things on her, it wasn’t even difficult for her to be wearing them.The cast on her leg and arm even matched the dress in that it had pretty flowers on them, like her dress did.Once she changed back into the gown, she felt giddy with this newfound knowledge.“What else can I do?I’ve already figured out that I can bring things to me.Like, sometimes the table gets too far away, and I can make it closer.What else?”
He taught her how to talk to someone through a link.Since she was friends with the queen of vampires, she had a connection to Calla.She didn’t speak to her but knew that if she needed someone to talk to, she could easily talk to her without her being in the same room with her.She thought that was the greatest thing in the world to be able to speak to someone without anyone else knowing.
Tall taught her how to make things appear for her, too.Like if she wanted a cup of tea, it was just a matter of her putting her hand on her table, and it would appear.There were other things that she could make appear as well, and she enjoyed making cookies for the two of them to share.
“That’s the first solid thing I’ve had since I’ve been hurt.”He said she needed to be careful not to make herself ill.“I only ate the one even though I wanted the entire plate of them.I’ll be careful of that in the future.What I wouldn’t give for a nice meat sub right now.I’m not usually one who eats meat all the time, but it sounds so good right now.”
“Perhaps you should talk to your doctor about changing things up for a while.You might not be able to eat a sub, but perhaps you could have some more solid food.One time in my life, before my life with you, I worked for a doctor.The vampire was a good woman, but she missed her mate and decided to die in the sun.It was a shame, really.The woman was a good doctor, too.”
“That’s so sad.”She didn’t tell Tall that she wouldn’t miss Rance at all but decided that he was being so nice to her that she’d just let it go.“Tell me about yourself.I’m betting that you’ve been around for a long time, too.I’m only twenty-seven.I know that Rance is a great deal older than that.”
Not only did Tall have a family, but he had two children of his own now who were grown up.They helped the faerie queen in the gardens as they should be, and he was proud of them.He and his wife had a nice place in Rance’s home.She wondered why he’d so willingly share his home with faeries and not her, but again didn’t ask.She was trying to work on her mood.
When the nurse came into the room, she didn’t notice that a small man was sitting on her belly, so she didn’t mention it either.She remembered to ask her if she could have something more solid, like some pudding or mashed potatoes.The nurse said she’d put in a call to the doctor in the morning before rounds and for her to remind him that he needed to update her file.Kimmy’s mouth was watering when she thought of having something so simple as a scoop of mashed potatoes instead of clear broth.
Tall told her about Rance and how he’d had a terrible childhood growing up, and she had to admit that she’d not had the best of lives either.He told her about how he’d been abandoned as a child and that an older couple had raised him.The same with her own childhood, and she couldn’t believe how similar their lives had been.The only difference was that she’d not let it jade her to all people, and he had.But then he’d had a lot longer to be jaded than she had.
After she yawned for the second time, Tall told her to rest.She really was exhausted; it had been a lot longer day than she’d thought it would have been, and she just wanted to sleep.Tall told her that he’d be nearby if she needed him, and she slept better just knowing that.He was quickly becoming a good friend, and she thought that she could use a few more like that.Someone to talk to and to show her the magic that she had, along with reminding her to be careful when she did things.While she couldn’t get out of bed on her own, she was able to sit up in the chair in her room and look out the window.It was a nice treat for her at the end of the day.
By the time she was back in bed, she was beyond exhausted.Settling into the bed, she was just getting comfortable when she realized that she’d not had anything for pain today.That to her was a big accomplishment, and she was happy that she remembered.The nurse came in to ask her if she neededanything, and she told her no.She was just fine.
“The doctor called in.Tomorrow, you can have semi-solid food.I’ll make sure you have a variety so that you can pick at things, but be careful not to eat too much.I’m more worried about your teeth than you getting sick, but you don’t want that either.”She promised that she’d be careful.“I know you will.Oh, before I forget, Mr.Smith called in, Rance, and wanted to know if you need him to bring you anything from your home?He said that he’s going to go by there to check on things and wanted to make sure that you didn’t need anything right away.”
“I don’t.That was nice of him.”She said that all the Smith’s were nice and she bit her tongue so as not to say anything negative about him.She realized that she didn’t know the others and hoped that they were kinder than Rance was.He was the meanest man she’d ever met and didn’t know why the fates or whoever had decided that they’d make a good pairing.When she left, Kimmy settled down to sleep.Just as she was dozing off, she heard from Rance.
“Don’t make yourself suffer just because it was I who asked you if you wanted anything.”She said she’d love a good book, but he said she couldn’t read yet, and that was final.“Oh.I never thought about that.I’ve been around your house today.The landlord let me in because I told him that I was your new husband.He didn’t seem shocked by that.Do you entertain a great deal?”
“I work.And I’d like to go to sleep now.So if you don’t mind, could you leave your wit for tomorrow?I’ve had a really good day, and you’re fucking with it.Again.Why do you insist on being mean to me all the time?It’s not my fucking fault that I’m your mate.I could have gone about my whole life without you in it.”He asked her about her being beaten up.“If I have to put up with you throughout all eternity, I wish they’d have killed me.Or that you wouldn’t have been able to get into my place.Christ, why don’t you just leave me alone?I know that I’d be better off without you in my life right now.”
