He had been watching me, his gaze already trained on my face. I felt a little off balance. And then I wondered if Ruby had drugged me again because, without a conscious command to do so, I found myself moving toward him.
He was sitting near the end of my bed on the stool where Ruby often watched me sleep. I felt how small the room was as I slid down to sit next to him in the dimness. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to be near him, no matter how wrong it seemed. It was so confusing, like I knew him, like he was part of my life, but at the same time, it was like he was a stranger, mysterious in every way. Forgotten were all those feelings of betrayal that had been so strong as I sat, inches away from him, looking into his eyes.
He was staring back at me, expectant. But all I could see was a memory, a similar situation when his face was filled with something else. Sadness or... disappointment? I couldn’t seem to pull it to mind, couldn’t find the clear, solid memory, and I found myself forgetting my need, overcome with frustration. My hands came up, knotting in my hair as the base of my palms pressed against my temples. I could feel myself rocking back and forth again but I was too overwhelmed to be embarrassed.
And then, suddenly, I was jerked from the bed to standing. At first, my eyes shot to his hand on my wrist, surprised at the tightness of his grip; it was almost painful. But then, when I realized he'd pulled me close to him, our bodies nearly touching, they slowly trailed to his face. But he wasn't looking at me. I opened my mouth to speak and he reached up, placing his fingers on my lips to still them. His head was turned away as he listened intently, and so I concentrated to hear what had his attention. It was distant and slightly muffled, a strange noise, and then the pitch rose and I realized it was animals. And then a clearer sound, the wolves. A warning cry.
I was jerked from the tent so fast I could barely keep my footing. I tumbled forward, losing my last step and I was airborne, pulled off the ground completely as Chevelle carried me. He was running, away from the temple. Panic seized me but I couldn't see behind us. I looked at his face but he was only watching forward, intent on his path. We kept moving but I had to know, what was behind us? After us?
I used the only tactic I could think of, jump to the wolves to see what they were seeing, why they were calling out, warning us. I searched, locating one but, though I could sense where it was, I could not find its mind, could not enter it. Confused, I sensed the second wolf and tried again.
Nothing.
I didn't understand.
"Frey." Chevelle's voice brought me back and I opened my eyes to find his face in front of mine. I realized we had stopped as he looked down at me, still in his arms. "Are you all right?"
I stared back at him. Nothing had happened to me. Had it? I took stock but aside from the frantic beat of my heart and labored breathing, I could find nothing wrong. I nodded to him in reply.
He put me down and I started toward a nearby rock to sit when it hit me, the wolves. I couldn't get to them. Was it council, had they bound me from the animals now?
Chevelle must have seen the dread return to my face as I stepped away because he grabbed my arm and pulled me back to face him. "What is it?"
I couldn't answer. I knew my face had paled.
"Frey." He shook me a little as he waited for a response.
A small squirrel jumped from a limb in my peripheral and I felt it, falling into its mind with ease, satisfied I'd not lost the ability. But just as I started to relax, my vision went black... when its neck snapped. I opened my eyes in time to see its body tumble to the ground.
I was standing with my mouth hanging open in disbelief as I saw Chevelle look back at me, only then realizing he'd been watching the squirrel. He had been distracted at first, worried about my agitation, but the noise had alerted him and he'd focused on the squirrel a breath before it had dropped.
"Did you kill that squirrel?" I sounded outraged in my accusation.
He looked confused. Now I waited for an answer. His expression smoothed and he finally answered in his careful tone, "Frey..."
I was instantly angry. "Tell me now."
He was indignant. "Did you have a personal relationship with that squirrel?"
He'd never spoken to me that way, it threw me off for half a second. And then I was incensed. "Tell me right now."
"Tell you what?"
We were suddenly arguing. "Tell me whatever it is that you're hiding from me. What now, what else?"
He was tight-lipped for several moments but my expression must have finally convinced him. He sighed and began, "We are simply taking every precaution. To protect you."
It infuriated me. "To protect me? How many times do I have to hear that? Oh, it's just to protect you." I wanted to strike him but arrested the perverse thought. "What is it now? What are you doing to protect me now?" I spat.
He just looked at me.
I waited.