Page 154 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
“And even my bonded companion had secrets!”
I continued nodding.
“And I have secrets.”
I tensed, suddenly worried. Although, when was Inotworried? “You do?”
Bronwynn sighed, looking sheepish. “It’s one of the reasons I’ve completely separated myself from my family business.”
There wasn’t much I could do except wait for her to tell me. It took some time to gather her courage, but she finally whispered, “Rufus … when I was seven, I had a bit of an adventure with a grimalcat.”
Everything stopped as I stared at my bard with a mix of horror and understanding. Still, I didn’t interrupt her.
“I’ve never told my family all of the details because it happened when my cousin accidentally shipped me off to Drendil,” she started, slipping into storyteller mode as easily as she did breathing. Her emotions slipped away, and only the art of recounting the events remained, giving her voice strength.
“My aunt Persia on my mother’s side found me in the hold, but it was too late to go back.” She smiled. “My grandparents were only too happy to have me stay with them for a summer while Persia finished her trip east up the coast to North Sumbria.
“But Drendil isn’t exactly safe for nonhumans, and I got cornered by a gang of children trying to ‘show the giant that she ain’t welcome.’ There was an accident, and as I was running away, I reached a dead end. That’s when I met Momo. I’d been terrified, but the second he showed up, I thought that everything might be alright. He asked me what my dream was, and I told him. I told him I wanted to be a bard and travel the world, and how much music meant to me.”
She glanced at her lyre harp and then down at her hand, clenching it. I had to remind myself that the king and queen of Drendil—the ones responsible for creating a culture of hate—were already undead.
Bronwynn continued. “He asked what was stopping me. I told him I was supposed to grow up and help my family business. I was so much in shock from my wound that I added, ‘If I survive,’ and the grimalcat snorted.
“Then he sniffed my hand and said that if I was willing to follow my dream and abandon my family business, he would help me … and I agreed. Momo pulled out the knife in my side, and the wound healed with magic, and I was fine. But I’d made a promise.”
The song jumped right into my mind, and I spoke the ending to my bard.
Never betray you a grimalcat’s trust,
And never a lie pass your tongue.
The creature will hunt you until the blue moon,
And the damage returned or undone.
“Exactly!” Bronwynn put her head in her hands. “What if Momo thinks that my bonded companion completing my family’s quests is the same as me breaking my word?”
“You could ask Slake?” I offered; my free hand rose to play with the ends of her hair. “He would know.”
Her body shifted delicately on my lap, making me exceedingly aware of her. At least I didn’t have my tail to give me away as well.
She stopped, blushing at me, but not immediately running away.
“Icouldask Slake,” she agreed, her voice soft. She leaned closer, her breath tickling my neck. The sensation was heightened without my fur, and I shivered. Bronwynn pulled back, searching my face. “Later.”
The red tint in her dark eyes was like a fire. Her arms came up, one wrapping gently around my neck while the other was toying with the ends of my hair by my shoulder. I turned my face and kissed the hand. My arms were still holding her on my lap.
Looking up at her, I nodded. “Later.”
She leaned down to kiss me, but I spoke just before our lips touched. “Bronwynn?”
“Yes?” she asked, pausing.
“I love you.”
She smiled, pressing her lips to mine in a gentle exploring exchange. When she pulled back for air, she whispered, “Good. I would hate to be the only one.”
Chuckling at her teasing, I rolled her underneath me on the bed and kissed her nose. “Say it for me.”
