Page 85 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“That’s okay. I don’t really want to talk about it either,” I reply. I don’t want to think about any part of it, and remember that it was my fault. “I’m going on a short walk before I go back home. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course!” Skylar gets up and walks away.

I take a deep breath and head toward the forest. Maybe Kieran will be there this time. Maybe I’ll get to talk to him or one of his friends and see how he’s doing. That is, if they want anything to do with me now.

What if they are all angry at me because I was the reason he got whipped? I push that thought to the back of my mind. Positive thinking.

“You are really determined to see him, aren’t you?” A Fae woman steps out from behind a tree.

I take a step back. “I’m here to just walk in the forest. I’m not looking for anyone.”

She scoffs. “Don’t lie to me, Adeline. We all know who you are and what you mean to Kieran.”

My mouth falls open as I look at her. I was not expecting that.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just love nature and want to be out here,” I lie again, trying to recover from my slip-up.

The Fae woman takes a step closer to me. “Kieran told me to keep watch on this part of the forest in case you show up.”

Kieran told her that? Did he send her here to tell me he wanted nothing to do with me anymore?

“At first, I thought he was bluffing, but seeing you come here the past couple of days proved him right. Though I knew my High Lord wouldn’t lie to me about something like this. So I decided to take pity on you today and talk to you,” she continues to speak. “I’m Zahra.”

“Does he hate me? Is he mad at me?” I ask before I can stop myself.

Zahra looks shocked at my questions.

“I’m not mad at you,” Kieran announces, stepping out from behind the same tree.

Was he there the whole time? Was he going to see how long I was going to lie or last in front of Zahra?

“It seems like you are,” I reply.

For some reason, I can feel the anger rolling through him, and I just know it’s pointed at me. Who else would it be pointed at? The first emotion I feel through the bond is anger, and I don’t blame him.

“You can leave, Zahra. I’ve got it from here,” Kieran dismisses her.

Zahra waves at me before she leaves, and Kieran takes several steps closer to me.

“I’m not mad at you,” he replies.

I shake my head. “I can feel it. You are mad, and you are mad at me!”

“You don’t get it. I’m not mad that I got whipped for looking at you. I will get whipped a thousand times to look at you again and again,” Kieran says.

“Then why are you mad?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. “Why could you possibly be mad at me? It’s the only logical reason why I can feel your anger. It has to be pointed at me!”

Kieran shakes his head. “You really don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what?” I glare at him like he’s crazy. “You aren’t making any sense to me.”

“I’m mad because you almost put yourself in danger to try and save me. I’m mad because you had to watch me get punished. I’m mad because you cried tears for me, sad tears and I couldn’t do anything. I’m mad because I couldn’t comfort you after I got hurt.” He takes several steps closer to me. “I wish everything were different so I could have held you when you were in distress, but I couldn’t.”

I open and close my mouth several times as I try to come up with something to say.

“If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t not look at you. I would and I would take the whipping again. But one thing I wish I could change was you having to watch. I wish you didn’t have to see the cruelty of your people,” he calmly says. “There are so many things I wish I could go back in time and change so you would have a better life, so you wouldn’t have to watch violence. But what happened in the square isn’t one of them.”

I shake my head. “No.”