Page 36 of My Fated Minotaur Hero

I straighten up, my mind made up. "If that’s the case, then I'll go after her."

A chorus of protests erupts around me.

"Are you insane?" Nox exclaims.

"You can't just waltz into the human world!" Finn adds.

"At least wait for Elowen. We don’t even know if she did somehow go back." Koda pleads. "She'll be back soon. Or maybe Zoe will know something when she and Thokk return."

I shake my head. "No. I can't wait. I told you I can barely feel her. I don’t really fully get it yet. But I know she feels ... far away. What if she's in danger? What if she needs me?" What if she thinks I abandoned her?”

My chest is beginning to ache as I go down the line of possibilities.

"But Kalen," Whisper says, his young face scrunched with worry. "How will you even find her? I hear the human world is gianormous!"

I look at Whisper, his earnest features full of concern, and feel a pang in my chest. The kid's got a point, but ...

"I have to try," I say, my voice firm. "I'll head to the nearest human town. It's a long shot, but I can't just sit here twiddling my thumbs."

Koda steps forward, his furry brow furrowed. "At least wait for Elowen to return. Perhaps she could cast some sort of spell? Or perhaps Thokk’s mate Zoe will know something ..."

I shake my head. "No time.”

“But what if you are spotted? It’s too dangerous Kalen.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk. Humans see your kind all the time. You guys are sloppy as hell when it comes to hiding. You get a zero for stealth. When was the last time humans reporting a minotaur sighting?”

I wait a beat for dramatic effect.

“Never, that’s when. Cause we, unlike our overly furry friends, actually know what we are doing when we go into their world.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Koda says, smiling. He is used to this joke. It’s one of my favorites after all. But truth is, the thought of being apart from her for even one more second is tearing me up inside.

"I'm going," I declare, cutting off any further protest. "First thing tomorrow morning."

As I start making plans, my friends exchange worried glances. I know they think I'm crazy, and maybe I am. But for Olivia? I'd walk through fire.

CHAPTER 13

OLIVIA

Iwander the streets in a daze, my heart feeling like it's been ripped out and stomped on. How did everything go so wrong so fast? One minute I am feeling more alive, more me than I ever have in my life, and the next I'm back in my boring old world, alone and lost.

And there’s no charming minotaur Kalen.

What's the point of even trying anymore? I'm Olivia Reed, perpetual screw-up when it comes to anything outside of books and catalogs. I should just go home, curl up with a history text, and forget any of this ever happened.

Lost in my misery, and staring at the ground as I walk, I literally bump right into someone.

"Oof!" I stumble back, ready to mumble an apology and keep walking, when I realize who it is. "Mia?"

Zoe's friend – and my acquaintance - gives me a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, her usually vibrant energy somewhat subdued. "Olivia! Hey you, crazy, well, bumping into you out here. How's your weekend going?"

I open my mouth, then close it again. How do I even begin to explain? "It's...um, fine? Yours?" I manage, just managing to meet her eyes.

“By the way, what are you wearing?”

Ugg...

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