Page 29 of Broken Lands

“Who was that?” I asked, a little baffled by his easy familiarity with me.

Colin laughed, walking the horses into the large tent. It was set up as a makeshift stable of sorts. He led them to an empty stall towards the back. “That was Bee’s father, Reardon. He’s a bit of a character, but he has a kind heart.”

“I’d be surprised if he didn’t. Bee has the kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.” I said, stroking Annie’s nose as Colin removed her lead and harness.

He nodded in agreement. “She’s always been available for Callie and I. She’d do anything for those close to her.” We exited the stall, closing a small gate behind us. Annie whinnied softly as we turned to walk away and I smiled as a stable hand made their way over to her.

“Callie?” I asked. I don’t think I’ve met her or heard anyone mention her name before. Oh fuck. Does Colin have a girlfriend? Am I fawning over a taken man? I subtly tried to put a little more distance between us as we made our way out of the tent.

“Callie is my little sister.” I let out an audible sigh of relief, and he glanced at me, raising a brow. The smile was back on his face. And fuck me, but I melted a little. He’d always looked young, too young for his role as an Army General. But the way he was smiling at me made him look even younger, lighter, more carefree.

“She’s just turned sixteen. Bee is two years older, your age, but she’s always been a friend to Callie, and as they’ve grown, she’s become a role model for her too,” He stepped closer to me, closing the gap between us I placed there only moments ago, and taking my hand in his. I didn’t want him to lose his smile again, so I didn’t protest as he led me toward the tower. Plus, it felt kind of nice. “I’ve got to check in with Colonel Stubbe, then we can head back to the fields outside Danann and see if your power is all it’s cracked up to be.” He winked at me then causing my breath to catch in my throat. Still holding my hand, he led me inside the guard tower.

I hadn’t been with the fae long. Had found no clues to lead me to my brother, and was no closer to finding out the truth about myself. But yet… I’d somehow gotten off track, feeling attraction towards three different men, for different reasons. I had the feeling that if I wasn’t careful, I might just lose my heart to them.

Chapter fifteen

Riley

Colinledmetothe top of the guard tower, his hand holding mine as we climbed the stairs. The ascent was shorter than I expected, and it wasn’t long until we reached the lookout and came face-to-face with Colonel Stubbe—a small man, not much taller than myself.

As soon as he spotted Colin, his posture stiffened. Standing up, he immediately saluted his commanding officer. His eyes were small and much too close together. They seemed to look right past Colin, to a spot behind his head. It was like Colonel Stubbe couldn’t bring himself to look the General in the eye. He dropped his arm, his gaze still focused on that spot on the wall. His behavior didn’t sit right with me. Something was off about him.

“General,” Stubbe barked. “We weren’t expecting you today. What brings you here?” His voice was rough and nasally, and a shudder rolled down my spine as I likened the sound to nails on a chalkboard. I glanced at Colin, raising an eyebrow as if to say, ‘What is with this guy?’ I’d never paid much attention to what kind of person is suited for a leadership role; I was probably the least qualified person to make any judgments. But something about Colonel Stubbe had me on high alert, my hackles raised, and my guard solidly in place.

“You failed to submit your activity report yesterday,” Colin stated, authority radiating through his tone and coating the surrounding air. “It would be remiss of me not to check in and ensure everyone here is safe and accounted for, and see what the delay might be.”

The effect his speech had on me was unexpected. My core clenched, desire for him flooding through me stronger than before. Gods, I was in trouble. Colin was older than me, around seven years older if Bee was to be trusted, but he was still young for someone in his position. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t questioned how he had secured the position of Army General at his age. But... holy smokes. He hadn’t raised his voice, but the authority and command in his tone had me ready to ‘Yes, Sir’ the shit out of him.

Down, girl.

My gaze dropped to where our hands were still connected, his thumb gently stroking up and down the side of mine—setting my skin on fire as my need for him grew within me. It took a great deal of effort to force myself to focus on Colonel Stubbe again, needing to distract myself from the desire running through my blood, before I lost control and did something silly like wrap myself around this mammoth of a man in front of an audience.

Colonel Stubbe appeared nervous, his hands clasped together as he swallowed hard.

“My apologies, General.” He hadn’t once looked Colin in the eye. I wondered briefly what Colin had done to cause this kind of fear and subservience from his members, or whether this was all about the sniveling man in front of him. “We were adding some last-minute activity from the tear prior to sending the report in. It occurred just as we were about to send Romero to you last night. Why don’t you head down to the mess? Johnson will have dinner ready for the night guards. Have some faerie wine, and I’ll finalize the report and deliver it to you shortly.”

Colin stared at him for a moment, as though he was assessing how true the man’s words were. I could almost hear his brain ticking over as he considered Stubbe’s explanation and decided whether it was worthy of trust. It was surprising to me that he would need to make that assessment. I’d have thought that every person under his umbrella would be someone who had earned his trust before their promotion.

After a moment, he nodded. “I appreciate that. However,” he looked pointedly at Stubbe. “A message takes only a moment. Send one next time.” With that, he turned in a clear dismissal and led me back down the stairs of the tower. I glanced back at Colonel Stubbe as he saluted, catching what might have been a roll of his eyes as we exited, but he was out of sight too quickly to be sure.

I definitely didn’t like that man.

The mess hall turned out to be a small tent set up by the fire we spotted as we approached. There were a few men outside, seated on the logs as the fire crackled beside them, chatting while they ate an early dinner. These must be the men about to start their night shift.

“Are you hungry?” Colin asked, nodding a greeting to the men as we passed by. He still hadn’t let go of my hand. Not that I was complaining. It was hard being in a new place and not knowing many people. Colin was attractive, and holding his hand brought me a level of comfort so far only matched by Stefan and Bee.

My chest tightened at the thought of Stefan. We hadn’t spoken since the incident in the library. I’d been hoping he’d reach out to me, my anger with him holding me back from initiating contact until he apologized for hurling me across the room like a rag doll. That same anger is currently being smothered by how much I miss him. I decided to confront him the next time I saw him and turned my attention back to the present moment.

“Are you kidding?” I said, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. There was a strong aromatic smell in the air. Onion, garlic, and many other spices. “Who wouldn’t be hungry when the food smells that good?”

“Wait ‘til you taste it, pure heaven.” An unfamiliar voice cut in and I opened my eyes to find myself face to face with a gorgeous young woman in chef whites.

She held out a hand to me, a friendly smile crossing her freckle splattered face. Her bright red hair was styled back in a tight bun, her blue eyes bright like the sky outside. “I’m Johnson, Amy Johnson.” Her gaze followed my arm to where my hand was still intertwined with Colin’s, surprise crossing her features. I quickly dropped his hand and shook hers, offering my own friendly smile in return.

“Lovely to meet you. I’m Riley.” Amy instantly reminded me of Sarie, causing a pang of homesickness to hit me right in the stomach. How was Sarie? I wondered. How was everyone at the orphanage? Had they been able to keep my tomatoes alive?

“Riley, as in the not quite human, not quite fae Riley I’ve been hearing about?” Her statement and tone were teasing, the smile on her face still friendly, but her words stung. It felt like I was constantly being reminded that I was not who I thought I was. That my entire life had been a lie.

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