eat?â
âYes. Great stew. Thank you.â1
He nodded, smiling. âRest well, then.â
âYeah. Good night.â
I went in the room and closed the door, feeling like Iâd been herded. Sat on the bed and noticed I still had Caeranâs cape wrapped around me. It was the deep blue of early evening, I saw by the bedside lamp. I buried my nose in the collar and inhaled, reveling in the smell of him.
His cousin, Nathrin, apparently disapproved of me. Madera seemed to want to keep us apart too, or maybe he was just being a proper host, officially giving me my own room but willing, in the spirit of Miss Manners, to ignore nocturnal comings and goings in the hall.
There would be some of that, if I had anything to say about it. Iâd have to find Caeran, though, and I should probably wait a bit. He might be talking with his friends.
I collapsed backward onto the bed with a sigh. This whole day had been weird. Too many mysteries, and I was too tired to puzzle them out. Instead I indulged in reliving Caeranâs kisses.
I woke up cold, with my bladder insisting on relief. Sat up stiffly and looked around. My room had one door besides the front one, obviously a closet. I dug in my pack for the toothbrush Iâd bought, then went out into the hall.
Had we passed a bathroom on the way to my room? I retraced my steps, looking at each door. One stood open to a dark room smaller than my own. I reached in and fumbled for a light switch, then noticed a glint of metalâthe weight at the end of an old-fashioned string pull hanging from a ceiling light.
I pulled it, lighting up the welcome sights of a bathroom. Bingo.
A few minutes later, much more comfortable, I returned to my room and dug in my pack for my cell phone to check the time. It was almost eleven, and there was no signal so I turned the phone off so it wouldnât run the battery down trying to roam. Iâd forgotten to bring the charger, of course.
I poked around in the pack some more and turned up a couple of condoms Iâd picked up at the Student Health Center at the beginning of the semester. Stuffed one in the back pocket of my jeans, and decided to go in search of a glass of water and whatever else I might find.
The living room was dark, though by the time I got there my eyes had adjusted well enough that the faint starlight coming through the windows was enough to keep me from tripping. I went through to the entryway and on to the kitchen, also starlit through windows. Señor Madera didnât seem to believe in curtains, though to be fair there wasnât much need for them out here in the middle of nowhere.
The dish drain was empty. I got out a glass and filled it with water, then walked over to the table where Iâd sat with Caeran.
I missed him. It was like an ache, and I knew that probably wasnât healthy, but it was how I felt. Short of going down the hall knocking on doors, though, I didnât know how to find him.
Had he really read my mind?
I shivered, not just from the chill of the night or the cold water Iâd drunk. Things Caeran wasnât telling meâthings they were all hiding from meâmade me worry. It wasnât my imagination; I was sure of that. Too many weird things had happened. Who were these people, anyway?
I sat down and took a long swig of water. I could walk away. Couldnât I?
No. I didnât want to. I closed my eyes.
Caeran. I want you.
I listened, and only then noticed how silent the kitchen was. A tiny hum from the refrigerator, that was it.
Caeran, come and find me. Please.
I felt foolish. Spent a few minutes slowly drinking the rest of my water and realizing Caeran wasnât going to rush to my side.
Finally I got up and refilled my glass. Before going back to my room, I decided to see what else was in this wing of the hacienda. I went to the far end of the kitchen and opened the door on the west wall.
A hallway, its courtyard side a wall of
âYes. Great stew. Thank you.â1
He nodded, smiling. âRest well, then.â
âYeah. Good night.â
I went in the room and closed the door, feeling like Iâd been herded. Sat on the bed and noticed I still had Caeranâs cape wrapped around me. It was the deep blue of early evening, I saw by the bedside lamp. I buried my nose in the collar and inhaled, reveling in the smell of him.
His cousin, Nathrin, apparently disapproved of me. Madera seemed to want to keep us apart too, or maybe he was just being a proper host, officially giving me my own room but willing, in the spirit of Miss Manners, to ignore nocturnal comings and goings in the hall.
There would be some of that, if I had anything to say about it. Iâd have to find Caeran, though, and I should probably wait a bit. He might be talking with his friends.
I collapsed backward onto the bed with a sigh. This whole day had been weird. Too many mysteries, and I was too tired to puzzle them out. Instead I indulged in reliving Caeranâs kisses.
I woke up cold, with my bladder insisting on relief. Sat up stiffly and looked around. My room had one door besides the front one, obviously a closet. I dug in my pack for the toothbrush Iâd bought, then went out into the hall.
Had we passed a bathroom on the way to my room? I retraced my steps, looking at each door. One stood open to a dark room smaller than my own. I reached in and fumbled for a light switch, then noticed a glint of metalâthe weight at the end of an old-fashioned string pull hanging from a ceiling light.
I pulled it, lighting up the welcome sights of a bathroom. Bingo.
A few minutes later, much more comfortable, I returned to my room and dug in my pack for my cell phone to check the time. It was almost eleven, and there was no signal so I turned the phone off so it wouldnât run the battery down trying to roam. Iâd forgotten to bring the charger, of course.
I poked around in the pack some more and turned up a couple of condoms Iâd picked up at the Student Health Center at the beginning of the semester. Stuffed one in the back pocket of my jeans, and decided to go in search of a glass of water and whatever else I might find.
The living room was dark, though by the time I got there my eyes had adjusted well enough that the faint starlight coming through the windows was enough to keep me from tripping. I went through to the entryway and on to the kitchen, also starlit through windows. Señor Madera didnât seem to believe in curtains, though to be fair there wasnât much need for them out here in the middle of nowhere.
The dish drain was empty. I got out a glass and filled it with water, then walked over to the table where Iâd sat with Caeran.
I missed him. It was like an ache, and I knew that probably wasnât healthy, but it was how I felt. Short of going down the hall knocking on doors, though, I didnât know how to find him.
Had he really read my mind?
I shivered, not just from the chill of the night or the cold water Iâd drunk. Things Caeran wasnât telling meâthings they were all hiding from meâmade me worry. It wasnât my imagination; I was sure of that. Too many weird things had happened. Who were these people, anyway?
I sat down and took a long swig of water. I could walk away. Couldnât I?
No. I didnât want to. I closed my eyes.
Caeran. I want you.
I listened, and only then noticed how silent the kitchen was. A tiny hum from the refrigerator, that was it.
Caeran, come and find me. Please.
I felt foolish. Spent a few minutes slowly drinking the rest of my water and realizing Caeran wasnât going to rush to my side.
Finally I got up and refilled my glass. Before going back to my room, I decided to see what else was in this wing of the hacienda. I went to the far end of the kitchen and opened the door on the west wall.
A hallway, its courtyard side a wall of
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