Page 67 of Of Serpents and Ruins
He guided me forward toward the foothills. The fresh air filled my lungs, rich and powerful. Rose clover, hop grass, valley sage—all cleansing scents. My head still thundered, and the pain throughout my body hadn’t diminished, but there was a merciful clarity up here.
Kine led me to the top of a low hill. As we crested it, a familiar lowing greeted me.
My eyes widened. "Buttercup?"
Buttercup raced up to me. She honked and hopped, shaking her head. The ground shook beneath her feet, bits of grass and earth kicked up.
I dodged a thrust of her horn and embraced her with one arm, feeling a little more like myself in her presence and Kine’s. "Did you miss me, baby girl?"
She huffed. Her breath steamed my hand as I scratched her favorite spot.
Kine scratched the base of her jaw. "Yeah, of course she missed you." He dipped his head forward as he lifted my chin and examined my face. "You’re not looking as bad now that you’re up here. Feeling more like yourself?"
I nodded. The pain and need to be with Brandt remained, but my own awareness had been restored. Whether this was anaspect of the curse or the mating bond or a combination of the two, I’d narrowly escaped death.
"Yeah. Thanks for helping me back there." Thanks to him and Candy.
"It’s my job." He started to give my elbow a playful swat, then caught himself. "Come on. Let’s get you home."
He helped me up onto Buttercup’s back. This time, he climbed onto the back of her neck and situated himself behind her crest. After directing me to put my good arm around his neck, he urged Buttercup forward.
It didn’t take us much time to get there. By the time we did, my whole body ached and throbbed. I’d become so stiff I practically fell off Buttercup’s back.
Kine caught me and lifted me down. "I think you need a hot bath and a long sleep."
"Is there any way I can get confirmation that Brandt is all right? Surely they’ve gotten him out of the cavern by now," I said, cradling my injured arm to my chest.
"We’ll get you inside and get you fixed up. Then I’ll ride out and see." He slowed as we neared the entrance with Buttercup trailing behind us. With a sweeping bow and elegant motion of his arm, he opened the door.
Loud voices echoed from inside Auntie Runa’s peaceful sanctuary.
"I had no other choice," Elias shouted.
"It was a violation," Auntie Runa countered, her voice startlingly sharp, almost shrill.
I froze, rooted in place at the entrance of the home. What had happened while I was gone?
STELLA
Ihalted at the edge of the hall, uncertain how to proceed. To hear either of them yelling was strange. Especially Auntie Runa. It felt like an intrusion that was made all the worse because of the subject. Kine’s raised brows and startled gaze also suggested this was rare.
Auntie Runa and Elias faced off in the main room, Auntie Runa gripping her sapphire-topped cane and Elias standing with his arms folded over his muscular chest. His dark-blue eyes blazed, yet a defensive air surrounded him.
"You had no right to invade my private sanctum." Auntie Runa’s voice was tight with anger. She brought the cane down with a hard crack, her fingers gripping the rounded handle so tight her knuckles whitened.
"I only went in there because I saw a lizard slip under the door. I was trying to catch it before it could get lost in all your things and ruined your materials. It could have contaminated your paints." Elias’s usually pleasant mouth twisted, a muscle leaping in his jaw. "I never intended to see the representations of your visions, especially the last one. The last thing I want is a burden like that. Just because I’m not a full-sighted seer doesn’t mean I don’t understand the responsibility of those visions."
"The sanctum is forbidden for a reason," Auntie Runa snapped. "Its protections are not to be trifled with, especially not in times like this."
"But the lizard—"
"You should have left the lizard in the sanctum. It couldn’t have been a large one if it got under the door. You could have told me about its presence. You could have asked, but you didn't."
He bowed his head. Two more muscles in his jaw twitched, and the pulse in his neck leaped. "Forgive me, please. I Intended no harm. I never intended to intrude upon your privacy or the purity of your sanctum."
"The harm is done." Auntie Runa drew in a long breath, shaking her head. "You will show your worth and the cut of seer you are by how you handle the knowledge you obtained."
My mind flitted back to the conversation I’d had with Elias earlier this very night when he’d admitted he’d seen part of the vision. Was that what Auntie Runa had just discovered, or was it a second encounter? Had he entered the room after I left?
