Free Kaleidoscope (Faylinn Series) by Mindy Hayes Page B

here,” the voice hissed. It came from the far trees. “There you go,” the voice applauded. “Come down.” The voice wasn’t a shout so I knew my hearing was getting even better.
    I wasn’t sure why I did it. It could have been anyone out there calling to me. I couldn’t really tell whose voice it was, but I had a feeling I knew and I wanted to see him again.
    The floor creaked beneath my feet as I tiptoed to the back door. I waited before going outside to see if one of my parents would wake up, but after a minute there was still nothing so I cracked the door and slipped outside.
    When I got out to the tree line I didn’t have to call out to him, his broad figure appeared and I nearly gasped. I was expecting him, but I wasn’t.
    “Declan, you scared me.”
    He chuckled quietly. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”
    “What’s going on?” I looked him over. His chest wasn’t bare anymore, which was only slightly disappointing. It was also relieving that he wore a cream woven top so my heartbeats wouldn’t race so swiftly. I hoped that wasn’t something they could detect. They weren’t vampires. It wasn’t as if they could sense the flow of my blood, but who knew?
    “I didn’t know you came. I thought we truly scared you off, but then tonight Kai mentioned that you came a few days ago and you didn’t come back. I wanted to check on you to make sure you were all right.” The sincerity in his silky voice was refreshing. I hadn’t felt truly cared for in quite some time.
    I smiled. “I’m still in one piece. No wings or ears though. Apparently that’s just appalling to Kai,” I said, shaking my head.
    “Oh, don’t worry about him,” Declan brushed off the comment. “He’s like that all the time. You get used to it.” His blue-green eyes nearly glowed in the dark.
    “I feel like he’s someone no one should have to get used to.”
    Declan chuckled again. It was such a happy sound. But he didn’t continue. He seemed content just watching me, the curiosity of the unknown. There were so many things we didn’t know about each other and yet, I felt safe. I was outside in the middle of the night, talking to a strange man in my jammies.
I was still in my pajamas.
Shifting, I folded my arms across my tank top, realizing that in a hurry to come outside I hadn’t thought to put on a bra to cover myself. The thought instantly made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t handle the silence. “Is that all? You were just checking on me?” I prompted.
    He shifted from one foot to the other.
Was he nervous?
“Well, yes and. . .and I wanted to make a meeting time so I didn’t miss you the next time you decided to wander in and visit us.”
    A smile tugged at my mouth. He wanted to see me again. “Well, tomorrow’s Friday. I can come after school.”
    “I’ll be in Faylinn again.” His shoulders slouched. “What about the next day? Sometime in the afternoon?” he asked, hopeful.
    “Okay,” I agreed. I was already looking forward to it. Where did my sudden change in attitude come from?
    “You promise?”
    “I promise.” I smiled when a pleased grin grew on his face. “I should probably head back to bed. I’ve got school in the morning.”
    “I understand. Have a lovely evening, Calliope.” He bent his head in a slight bow. “Get some rest.”
    “Thank you, Declan. I will.”
    He lifted a hand to wave, but didn’t head back into the trees. I scurried away on my tiptoes through the grass in my bare feet. I hadn’t even thought about shoes.
Where was my head?
When I reached the sliding door, I turned to wave. He waited by the edge, his tall form shadowed by the trees, until I was safely inside.
    That night I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
    • • •
    “Are we still on for tomorrow?” Cameron asked as I pulled some books from my locker after school to study over the weekend.
    I’d forgotten about our third-wheel date, but I didn’t dare let him see that. It wasn’t as if I’d