would react like this, Bones, didn’t I?” Jasper said to him right in front of me.
The young man didn’t reply. He merely returned my glare.
“Hi, Bones,” Brie said with her usual breathy voice as she bounced over to him. Fluttering her eyes, she leaned to rest her hand on his arm, her lips curving into an inviting smile.
“Lovely to meet you, Brie,” Bones said, his gaze flitting back to me as he charmed her. He looked over to Sully, who was standing beside me.
“Sully, how are you?” He held his hand out.
“Yeah, good,” Sully replied, shaking hands quickly and returning to my side.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I’ve always been here.” He looked at me, the corners of his lips tilting up.
I glanced at Jasper, eyebrows raised for an explanation. He motioned us inside to the kitchen. “I think this is better discussed over tea.” It was his cure for every situation. Jasper bustled around, putting on the kettle while I stood against the door unsure of my next move.
“I think I’ll wait in the library, Jasper.” It was rude of me, but I had to get away from everyone for a minute. The air in the kitchen had suddenly become too stifling.
The fire was on in the library, and I walked over to it, holding onto the sill above and leaning my head on my hands. I felt tightly wound, ready to explode. Why was Bones here? And why did it affect me so much? I had no reason to dislike him like this; he had done nothing to me.
I let the warmth of the flames wrap around my body and slowly release the tension. I knew the moment he walked into the room. I turned toward him, watching him take a seat in one of the chairs by the fire. He crossed one foot over his knee and leaned back into the chair looking quite at home.
“There is no point in trying to run away from me, Nera. I have been with you from the moment you were born and with you I will stay.”
He watched my face while I tried to absorb his words. “Why?”
“Jasper has told you of what is your future. I am here to make sure that it happens.”
“That doesn’t explain who you are or why you are here really, does it?” I was being stubborn. Just because Jasper had told me of my new destiny didn’t mean that I would accept this stranger in my life.
“I can probably explain better than Jasper.” He flicked his hair from his eyes. “You have been told some of what happened in the past and that you are the next in line to break the curse. With each girl, there is a protector. Me.”
This was my life he was talking about, and I felt that I deserved more than a casual conversation. I headed for the door.
“Jasper,” I yelled, walking back to the kitchen. I met him in the hallway, bringing in a tray with morning tea. Brie and Sully followed behind him.
“Coming, girl dear. Just calm down, and we can explain it all to you,” Jasper soothed and walked past me into the library. He put the tray on the only table that was not covered with his projects and poured tea for all of us. When he had his cup, he went and stood beside Bones.
“How far have you got?” he asked, looking down at Bones.
“Not very, Jasper. Perhaps you should have a go. You obviously have more experience talking to teenage girls than I have.”
I looked at him in disbelief. How hard was it to talk to a girl? I went and sat down on the floor in front of Brie and Sully and leaned back against Sully’s legs. His hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I reached up and squeezed it. Bones’s hawk-like eyes watched every move I made.
Jasper cleared his throat and started to talk. “You know about the ‘every third generation’ deal. This is how it works. What I didn’t tell you was about Bones’s involvement. He is the protector.”
“Why?” I interrupted. “I mean, why would I need one?”
“Because, girl dear, evil is always out there—what we refer to as the Others—and you need to be protected. It was the only thing Mari was able to do when Edrith
The young man didn’t reply. He merely returned my glare.
“Hi, Bones,” Brie said with her usual breathy voice as she bounced over to him. Fluttering her eyes, she leaned to rest her hand on his arm, her lips curving into an inviting smile.
“Lovely to meet you, Brie,” Bones said, his gaze flitting back to me as he charmed her. He looked over to Sully, who was standing beside me.
“Sully, how are you?” He held his hand out.
“Yeah, good,” Sully replied, shaking hands quickly and returning to my side.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I’ve always been here.” He looked at me, the corners of his lips tilting up.
I glanced at Jasper, eyebrows raised for an explanation. He motioned us inside to the kitchen. “I think this is better discussed over tea.” It was his cure for every situation. Jasper bustled around, putting on the kettle while I stood against the door unsure of my next move.
“I think I’ll wait in the library, Jasper.” It was rude of me, but I had to get away from everyone for a minute. The air in the kitchen had suddenly become too stifling.
The fire was on in the library, and I walked over to it, holding onto the sill above and leaning my head on my hands. I felt tightly wound, ready to explode. Why was Bones here? And why did it affect me so much? I had no reason to dislike him like this; he had done nothing to me.
I let the warmth of the flames wrap around my body and slowly release the tension. I knew the moment he walked into the room. I turned toward him, watching him take a seat in one of the chairs by the fire. He crossed one foot over his knee and leaned back into the chair looking quite at home.
“There is no point in trying to run away from me, Nera. I have been with you from the moment you were born and with you I will stay.”
He watched my face while I tried to absorb his words. “Why?”
“Jasper has told you of what is your future. I am here to make sure that it happens.”
“That doesn’t explain who you are or why you are here really, does it?” I was being stubborn. Just because Jasper had told me of my new destiny didn’t mean that I would accept this stranger in my life.
“I can probably explain better than Jasper.” He flicked his hair from his eyes. “You have been told some of what happened in the past and that you are the next in line to break the curse. With each girl, there is a protector. Me.”
This was my life he was talking about, and I felt that I deserved more than a casual conversation. I headed for the door.
“Jasper,” I yelled, walking back to the kitchen. I met him in the hallway, bringing in a tray with morning tea. Brie and Sully followed behind him.
“Coming, girl dear. Just calm down, and we can explain it all to you,” Jasper soothed and walked past me into the library. He put the tray on the only table that was not covered with his projects and poured tea for all of us. When he had his cup, he went and stood beside Bones.
“How far have you got?” he asked, looking down at Bones.
“Not very, Jasper. Perhaps you should have a go. You obviously have more experience talking to teenage girls than I have.”
I looked at him in disbelief. How hard was it to talk to a girl? I went and sat down on the floor in front of Brie and Sully and leaned back against Sully’s legs. His hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I reached up and squeezed it. Bones’s hawk-like eyes watched every move I made.
Jasper cleared his throat and started to talk. “You know about the ‘every third generation’ deal. This is how it works. What I didn’t tell you was about Bones’s involvement. He is the protector.”
“Why?” I interrupted. “I mean, why would I need one?”
“Because, girl dear, evil is always out there—what we refer to as the Others—and you need to be protected. It was the only thing Mari was able to do when Edrith
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