Free 1.5 True of Blood: Kallen's Tale by Bonnie Lamer Page A

of clothing.  Such a shame, because I have felt Xandra’s eyes on my body for much of the past couple of hours.   The only time she looks away is when I ‘accidently’ let a branch slip out of my fingers , allowing it to impede her way.  Mean?  Yes.  Satisfying?  Absolutely.  
    Her breathing is becoming more and more labored.  I am sure she is going to ask to rest soon, and I am going to wait until she does.  I am not going to offer.  Personally, I could walk another ten miles and feel fine.  It pays to keep in shape.
    Finally, she speaks.  “Shouldn’t we be going around the mountain instead of up it?  We’ll be like sitting ducks up at the top.” 
    That was not what I expected her to say.  It is much more annoying than her asking to rest.  “We are throwing the runners off our trail.  By going up first, we confuse their sense of smell , as the thinner ai r carries less of our scent.”  Obviously, she is not a hunter.  Or a tracker.   Or intelligent enough to figure this out on her own.
    Under her breath, she mutters, “ I knew he was lying about being able to shield us from the other Fairies. ”  I stop abruptly, almost causing her to run into me.  She catches herself right before it happens.  Disappointment seeps into my brain, but I squelch that as quickly as possible.  I am not going to let my physical attraction to her cloud my mind.   I cannot say that to myself enough times.  That is probably why my voice is sharp , as I say, “One of the first lessons that you should learn , is that you cannot rely completely on magic.  Learning to protect yourself using your wits is just as important.  Assuming that you have been blessed with any.”
    Letting the backpack drop from her shoulders and into the snow, she approaches me with her index finger pointed at my chest.  I will send her flying if she touches me with that damn amulet around her neck again .  I take an unconscious step backwards, immediately regretting the show of concern for my safety.
    “I am so sick and tired of you saying mean things about me!  You haven’t even given yourself a chance to get to know me.  You just assume that because I haven’t been taught any of this crap , that I’m stupid.  You need to back off , or the only thing you’ll be able to teach me is how to get mad enough to shove this amulet down your throat!”
    I open my mouth, but words refuse to come out.  I try again.  Nothing.   Of course , she is right.  I have not been fair to her, for no other reason than I am angry to be here.  I have completely forgotten the fact that she did not ask me to come, and that she just learned about her new life of doom yesterday , the same time I learned about my fate .  But, am I willing to be forthcoming about that realization ?  Not completely.  “I may have been a bit harsh in my judgment , based on your ignorance.”
    “May have been harsh?  You’ve been a giant ass is what you’ve been.” 
    She is absolutely stunning, standing there with her red coat that enhances the flush to her face caused by her anger.  I would love to kiss those full, red lips of hers.  Shaking myself to get that dangerous thought out of my head, I say, “What is it that you wish me to say?”
    “I want you to say that you’re sorry , and that you’ll stop being such a jerk , since we’re apparently going to be spending a lot of time together.”
    A lot of time alone together.   In the cold, where she may need my body heat to help keep her warm.   I am in so much trouble here.  “I apologize.” 
    She does not look like she believes my apology to be sincere.  She continues to scowl as she tries to lift the heavy backpack from the ground and put it back on her shoulders.  There is no way she is going to be able to do that on her own.  After watching her struggle for a moment, I take the backpack from her.  “Allow me . ” Anything to be able to stop looking at the fall of her black hair, her