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

piercing eyes, and that body that is going to keep me up at night thinking about it .
    We walk on in silence.  A s we ascend th e mountain , I wonder how am I going to keep my hands off from her .   I have never had such thoughts before, about anyone.  Yes, s he is beautiful, at times witty, but there is something else and I do not know what .  B eautiful Fairies back home have tried to catch my eye, but not one has had this effect.  I feel as if I am in over my head with Xandra , and I cannot fathom why.   Whatever it is, I need to figure out how to stop it.
    We walk quite a ways without a peep from her about the trek.  I wonder how much longer she will hold out?   I am getting rather hungry.
    As if on cue, she calls my name.  “I need to take a break.  I’m tired and I’m hungry.”
    I consider insisting that we walk farther, but my own hunger wins out.  I had noticed a place just up ahead that will be a go o d place to stop.  When I tell her that, she smiles at me.  A real smile.   One that makes my heart skip a beat or two.   I turn away from her quickly, before my face shows how rattled I am.              
    When I reach the small overhang I had seen, I drop both backpacks and stoop to take out the two small chair things that were packed.  The only purpose being to keep our butts from getting wet in the snow.  Xandra sits on one and begins to take food out a pack.  I try to sit on the other chair, and it is awkward, to say the least.  They were definitely not made to fit someone of my six and a half foot stature.
    When I am finally situated, she tosses me a small pouch.  Am I truly to eat this?  T abitha was right, t here is nothing appealing about it, whatsoever.
    Obviously, my confusion shows on my face, because she says, “I take it that you don’t have wrappers in your realm?”
    I do believe she is laughing at me.  “No, our food is prepared more naturally than yours.”
    Showing me how to open it, she takes a bite of the small bar of what looks like granola , stuck together by some sort of press.  There are little bits of nuts and blueberries amongst the granola bits.  It is so hard, I fear I may break my teeth on it.  I wait for Xandra to take a bite of hers before trying mine, just to be sure it is actually edible.  When I finally do try it, I find it to be inoffensive .  Certainly not for those with discerning tastes, but it will do for sustenance .
    After another few minutes of silence, Xandra looks up at me.  “Can I ask you something?”
    I am tempted to say no.  Things are so peaceful at the moment; I do not want her to ruin it.  But, I do not.  “Yes.”
    “What did Maurelle mean when she said that you were the Fairy King’s favorite nia and that you had turned Brathadooer . ”
    There it is, the moment of peace ruined.  “The term is Brathadóir , which means traitor.  I am the king’s nephew and have often been accused of being his favorite regardless of our differing philosophies.”
    She looks horrified for a moment.  “Does that mean we’re cousins if he’s my father?”  
    Does the idea of me being related to her seem so unpleasant , or is she disappointed at the thought we may be related ?  I know I would be disappointed.  Though, when I was in this realm in the past, people did seem to marry their cousins a lot.  “Not by blood, simply by hand-fasting. ”  Another antiquated term, apparently, from the look on her face.  “Th at is equivalent to what you call marriage.  My mother’s sister is the king’s queen.  We do not share the same ancestry.”
    Is that a tiny bit of relief I see in her eyes?  “If you’ve been branded a traitor, what will happen when you go home?”
    If only she knew how much that question pain s me.  I will not show her.  “That is of no concern.”
    “How can that be of no concern?  Surely the king’s going to be really pissed at you.”
    She will not let anything go.  “Perhaps you should eat