The chilly breeze swept over me and I pulled the blanket tighter around me. I needed fresh air… and I needed to think. The sun was setting in the horizon, but my thoughts were too distracting and I couldn’t fully appreciate the beauty. Kalen had kissed me. I had liked it. I wanted him to kiss me again. Why couldn’t things just be that simple?

It should just be that simple, but I was making it more complicated than it needed to be. As much as I tried to deny it, I was still thinking of Andreas. Sure, I wasn’t quite ready to forgive him yet, but was I ready to move on? The ghost of his kiss still lingered in my mind, even now that I have experienced Kalen’s.

Kalen. He was a mystery all on his own. I felt extremely attracted to him, but not as much as I initially had toward Andreas. Was it because I was now too cautious? Too jaded to give him a chance? Every man I had met thus far had hurt me in one manner or another. Kalen was the only exception because he hadn’t yet gotten the chance. How did I give him a chance when my trust was already crumpled into a tiny little ball? Even when he could turn out to be exactly what I needed, how did I know he wouldn’t just end up being like Elijah?

I sighed, the cold air seeping into my lungs, burning its way down my windpipe. I didn’t care, I welcomed the frigidness; it reminded me that I was still alive. Too much of what I had been through felt like a dream. Perhaps I was still dreaming. Maybe I was still lying on my bed back on the Eleanor estate having this crazy nightmare because of my anxiety of meeting John. But even as I thought of it, I knew it couldn’t be true.

This was all too real to be a dream.

I would’ve woken up a long time ago had it simply been a dream.

I had to face the facts. My life was never going to be normal again. I was living with two dark sorcerers: one that had used me and then claimed he hadn’t. And one that I wasn’t sure I could trust anymore. The other actively pursuing me with no hidden agendas that had come into the open yet. And not to forget my parents still probably had people out looking for me, so they can murder me the next time they see me.

If only two dark sorcerers had been my only problem.

“You like being outside in the cold?” Kalen asked, his voice startling me.

“Kalen, you scared me,” I said as I tried to bring my frantic heart back to normal.

“My apologies.” That smirk of his was back on his face. Sometimes it startled me how many similar characteristics Andreas and he shared. “I came to ask you something.”

“Hmm…?” I asked, gazing back at the setting sun.

“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out. With me, of course. I really enjoyed our kiss and you seemed to as well.” Even though he seemed to ooze of confidence, I could tell by the slight tremble in his voice that part of him was afraid that I would say no. I liked this change even though it surprised me. For once I wasn’t the only one unsure.

If I said yes, it would be my third date… ever. And the previous ones didn’t end so well. Past experiences warned me to be cautious, no matter how much I wanted to believe Kalen was different. He had to be different, right? Not all men in my life could be cads, could they? Was I a magnet for men with bad intentions? I was beginning to think so. A look into Kalen’s green, green eyes tried to convince me he was different. He had to be.

“All the dates I’ve been on so far haven’t ended… pleasantly.” Understatement of the year.

“I promise you I am different. Those guys, weren’t me. I will treat you like the lady you are.” It was hard to deny him anything when he said things like that. I was the girl craving a chivalrous knight after all. Kalen was the closest to being the man of my dreams. Ignoring the fact that he had actually shown up in them.

After a moment of thinking, reasoning that if Kalen wanted to hurt me, he’d have done it by now, I finally replied. “Sure, I’ll go out with you. As long as it takes place somewhere outside this manor. I’m getting cabin-fever.”

Kalen laughed, the sound sending warmth through my body. “As you wish, my lady.”

***

His ash brown hair was the first thing that caught my attention as I descended the stairs the next morning. Kalen was waiting for me, I realized. He never did tell me when he was planning on taking me out. I wasn’t even dressed. He turned when he heard my approach, a bright smile lighting up his handsome face. It wasn’t fair to the female part of the species to have a guy as stunningly attractive as Kalen smile like that at them; it made me weak in the knees.

Kalen held out his arm for me which I reluctantly took, deciding there was no way I would get enough time to go change into something more flattering. My plain grey-blue dress would have to do. Before I accepted his arm, I tucked the pedant I received from Andreas for my birthday under the neckline of the dress. I had grown attached to it and even though I wanted to focus on Kalen; I didn’t have the heart to remove it.

“You ready?” Kalen asked, his dazzling smile not faltering.

“I was hoping to get a warning before leaving so I could get ready… but I guess I’m ready.”

Kalen snorted. “You look beautiful, Lana. Don’t let anyone ever convince you otherwise.”

I blushed.

We didn’t go too far from the manor, just to a small clearing up the hill near the edge of the woods. I was stunned once we got there. He already had everything set out. There was a picnic blanket laid out with different kinds of cheese, small buns, and slices of various types of meat. To the side there were two pitchers, one with water and the other with wine. In the center, between all the food, there were two unlit candles. He was planning on staying here all day? I felt my heart swell. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.

“You did all this?” I asked, my voice filled with the gratitude I felt.

Kalen looked slightly uncomfortable and scratched his head. “It was no effort at all, really. Just a few spells here and there.”

I didn’t even care that he was trying to be modest. What mattered was that he had done it. Without thinking it through, I slung my arms around him. He momentarily went rigid, but quickly relaxed into my arms and embraced me as well. “This is one of the nicest things anyone has done for me.”

He tucked my hair behind my ear. “You deserve nice things. And as long as I’m around, I will see to it that you receive them.” His lips brushed against my cheek.

After we had been seated a while and started nibbling on the food, Kalen started asking questions. “I want to know more about you. Tell me about your childhood. Did you have a happy one?” He looked genuinely interested in my story. Something else I wasn’t used to.

“Growing up I was taught that my role as woman wasn’t as important as that of a man. I guess you couldn’t say it was a poor childhood, I was just taught to be reserved, guarded, and submissive.”

“All things you don’t seem to be,” Kalen pointed out.

“I was never really good at following rules. I mean, I tried, but I didn’t like thinking of myself as less than anyone else. I only recently started being more outspoken. Before… I usually kept my opinions to myself.”

He looked thoughtful. “I like women who can stand up for themselves and don’t just take what is done to them. Like you,” he said with a small smile.

I took in a deep breath. “I wasn’t particularly close to my parents. My mother was usually cold or distant, but I always had the sense that she loved me. My father, he was over-protective and kept me very sheltered. He would have gone berserk had he known what happened within the last month or so. That is, if he wasn’t so ready to take me to my death.”

“I’m sure your parents didn’t really want to see you die. I think they were just terrified. It must be a great shock to suddenly discover your innocent child had magical abilities you didn’t know about, especially with the laws the way they are. I do not mean to excuse their behavior, I just understand them a bit.”

“You sound like you have experience in this matter,” I commented, noticing the way his eyes pulled away as if struck by a memory.

He looked off into the distance before turning back to me, blowing out a big breath. “I never knew my parents. They gave me up when I was born. I don’t know why, my uncle, the one who died in that first dream you saw, never told me the reasons. He just said that someday I’d understand. Back then I thought he meant that they gave me up in order to protect me from something, but this world has hardened me. It gets harder and harder to hold onto that belief.”

I placed my hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “I’m sure your parents did love you. I can’t imagine that they didn’t. There is always good, even within all the bad.”

“You are still very naïve to the ways of the world, Lana. You haven’t seen the things I’ve seen. Been through the things I have been through. I may act like none of it has affected me, but it has. I just hide my dark nature better than Andreas does, and frankly, I don’t blame him.”

It seemed like I was never going to truly get away from Andreas. Kalen’s words stirred things in my mind. I still don’t know everything that happened that made Andreas the way he was. Kalen had been more open about his past, but Andreas still remained a mystery. Perhaps I could get Kalen to tell me more about Andreas’ past if Andreas wasn’t going to do it himself.

I immediately shook the thought out of my head. I would not use Kalen like that. I was here to get to know him better, not Andreas. If Andreas didn’t want to let me in, then I wouldn’t pry.

“How many years have you known each other?” I asked instead.

“I lost count. It seems like forever. I mean, there has always been tension between us because of our different personalities. But in the end, I know we’d always help each other even when we can’t stand each other sometimes. We know too much of the other to just let it all go to waste.” Kalen emptied his water and poured a glass of wine.

It was then that I realized the connection that they actually shared. As much as they tried to deny it or convince people they hated each other, they were actually close friends. Like brothers almost. After spending so much time with them, it was easy to see why they were denying it. They didn’t think they deserved anyone. They thought they needed to be alone. I was going to mend that. Even if all I could do was make them see they were real friends.

A few moments passed in silence, but it never felt uncomfortable. Just sitting there with him was enough. “If you could do anything in the world, what would you do?” Kalen asked, his expression slightly amused.

Mine mimicked his naturally because of his line of questioning. “Really? Of all the things you could ask me, that is what came to mind?” I asked, a slight laugh creeping into my voice.

Kalen shrugged. “It seems as good a question as any. Not everything has to be deeply personal or dramatic. Some things can just be light and fun. I mean, you said not to lose hope, right?” he nudged me and I hit him playfully causing him to laugh that heartwarming laugh of his.

“Well, I have never really thought of it, but I guess I would try to help everyone. To erase all the horrible things that happened to them. I can’t stand the thought of children getting hurt,” I said, my voice going somber again.

“I wouldn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand the idea of children getting hurt either, but I wouldn’t want to erase all the terrible things. Our pasts shape who we are. Sure, I may have turned out dark because of it, but I wouldn’t want to change it. I would take the pain knowing that I will become this man sitting before you right now again and again because he can make you laugh. He can make you smile. And to me, being that man is worth every bad thing I had to endure to get here. It has made me a stronger person, and without that strength I would still be that little boy who couldn’t stand up for himself.” Kalen straightened himself out. “But enough of that, on to lighter subjects.”

He made a show of lightening his mood and I couldn’t help but smile with him. He was one of those people whose smile was infectious. You wanted to join him in his laughter.

We went on to random topics after that, keeping the conversation as light as he wanted. We were laughing and I had actual fun for the first time in a long while. Kalen knew how to make people feel good. Was it because he knew what it felt like to not feel well? We eventually circulated back to the topic of magic and I asked a question that had been nagging my mind since the moment Andreas told me that I was powerful because my eyes changed color.

“Do you know what the different colors mean when our eyes change for really powerful spells?” I asked after a sip of water.

Kalen shook his head. “I know they do have meaning, because every color does have meaning, but I haven’t been able to figure them out yet. I’m close to unraveling something, but I don’t want to share anything unless I’m one hundred percent sure. I’m looking into the history of colors, and so far my research hasn’t been as fruitful as I had hoped, but I haven’t been spending too much time on it.”

“Perhaps I could help,” I offered eagerly. I was so curious, and well… I still craved something to do on those afternoons that sometimes just felt like they dragged on without end.

Kalen grinned, teeth showing this time. “Sure. But before we go to that, there is something I must show you.” He got up and held his hand out for me. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

“Where are we going?”

“The town market has the best baker in the world. I always go and support his business whenever I am in town.”

The bread that always smelled so good when I passed his stall. Kalen started leading me in that direction and suddenly I was woken up from the spell. Elijah was still in that market. I had no desire to see him again. I didn’t think Kalen would let him hurt me, but I was still… anxious.

We reached the market and I was not expecting the sight I saw.

It was Izzy. And she needed help.