Page 27 of I Married Kayog
Chapter 7
Linsea
Shame burned my gut as I caught myself yet again glancing at the door. It was dumb of me since Kayog often attended class remotely. But I couldn’t help hoping he’d show up against all odds. I still didn’t know how to feel about the event that went down yesterday.
“He’s not going to come,” Tala said in a soft voice after I peered at the door again.
My cheeks heated with embarrassment that I’d been so obvious she noticed.
“Ugh. I’m so pathetic,” I muttered.
“No, you’re not,” Tala said firmly. “You’re very drawn to Kayog, and it’s clearly reciprocal. Shit happened, and it’s only fair that you would be confused about it. But he’s not a violent male.”
“Huh?! You didn’t witness what went down!” I exclaimed disbelievingly.
“I didn’t need to. Kayog protected Celeste from a group of bullies,” Tala said in a calm and self-evident manner that threw me for a loop.
“By dumping that idiot through a tree?!”
She shrugged. “It slowed the said idiot’s fall. His ego is a lot more bruised than his body. And he deserved it.”
I shook my head, unconvinced, a shiver coursing through me as I replayed the whole scene in my mind.
“There’s more to it, too. Kayog’s eyes glowed, and I think that his hands did as well. He was like…” my voice trailed off as words failed me.
“Like what?” Tala insisted softly. “Like he was possessed?”
I shook my head. “No, but…”
“But what?”
I heaved a sigh and shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. All I can say is that, for a brief moment there, he really scared me. I wasn’t really scaredformyself, but I didn’t know who I was looking at. Maybe possessed isn’t a bad word after all.”
“Talk to him,” Tala said firmly.
I scrunched my face, feeling torn. “Or maybe I should just listen to his advice and run while I can. And yet, another part of me doesn’t want to. Above all, I really want to understand what happened, what triggered that reaction, and why the fuck his eyes glowed. Temerns don’t have abilities like that. But he really feels like a lot of trouble that I might be wiser to steer clear of.”
“Girl, talk to your man. You owe both of yourselves to at least find out what’s going on so that you can make an enlightened decision. No one writes a song like this about a female they just met if they weren’t serious about her. Give yourselves a chance,” Tala said.
“Yeah, assuming he ever shows up again,” I said in a grumpy tone. “For all we know, he might have gotten expelled. Acadia has strict rules regarding violence.”
She made a dismissive gesture. “Nah, he won’t be. We would have heard about it by now. Plus, everyone hailed him as a hero. The school would have a lot of disgruntled people to deal with if they punished him for protecting someone in danger.”
“Hmmm, okay,” I said in a non-committal fashion, just as confused now as I was at the beginning of this conversation.
Although I expected it, I still felt utterly disappointed when Kayog didn’t show up. Focusing on the lecture rivaled the most grueling Olympian feat. By the time we were dismissed, I’d changed my mind on my next course of action at least a billion times.
“Excuse me! Are you Linsea Kenna?” a soft female voice called out the minute Tala and I walked out of the lecture hall.
I turned my head in the direction of the voice, stunned to see a slender, young human woman swallowed up in a long robe with runic symbols that I recognized as representing most of the main religions observed by the various species members of the UPO. She had long, dark blonde hair, olive skin, and dark green eyes that examined me with kindness. And yet, intense nervousness radiated from her, as if she feared my reaction to her approaching me.
“Yes, I am,” I responded, curious.
“Could you spare me a moment to talk?” she asked, her nervousness cranking up another notch.
“Sure,” I said, fully turning to face her.
“It is for a private matter,” she added, casting an apologetic glance at my friend.
