He had not moved from when I left him earlier, and something in the way he was laying had the vision of a knight flittering through my mind. I wondered if he had ever been an actual knight.
“How old are you?”
The hand that had been reaching for me stopped and his eyes widened. “Where the hell did that come from?”
I shrugged. “You look like a knight. I don’t know why, but that’s what I thought of when I saw you sitting there. I wondered if you had ever been one, and that made me wonder if you were alive when they had knights everywhere… so how old are you?
“When they had knights everywhere?”
“Shush, I just mean you look noble and, well, knightly. That’s the vision that flashed through my mind. I just had a split-second image of you in armor. So how old are you?”
He reached out to pull me on to the bed beside him. “If I tell you, you must promise not to get upset.”
“Wow, you’re that old, huh? What are you, like two hundred?” I snorted out a laugh.
“Older.”
“How much?”
“I will just say: yes, I was alive when they had knights everywhere.” I stiffened at his declaration, and he tightened his hold on me.
“So, like, the middle ages?”
“Thereabouts, yes… please do not let this change what has just begun between us. I am still the same Ian; it is still me.”
I turned to look at him. He was hundreds, multiple hundreds, of years old? I couldn’t even comprehend what his life was like growing up all that time ago. I mean they had nothing back then, no electricity, and no running water. No toilets!
For some reason I tensed at that last bit. When I shifted, he tightened his hold on me. With a finger under my chin he lifted my head so I could meet his eyes again.
His gorgeous, grey eyes. Eyes that had mesmerized me with no need for his mind-meld power. He’s still the man I adore. No matter how old he is, he is still my Ian. He certainly doesn’t look old.
“Okay, it’s shocking. I cannot even imagine what your life has been like, or the things you must have seen or experienced. We come from different times, but it does not change how I feel about you. Your age has nothing to do with who you are, it’s just a number. In fact, I should worry that my age will bother you. I am much younger.”
I meant the last part in humor to lighten the mood, but when he still looked worried, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. I put everything I felt for him into that kiss. I tried to convey how strongly I felt about him with my lips and body. I felt him begin to relax an instant before he rolled on top of me and deepened the kiss. He suddenly tore his mouth from mine and turned his head to face the door at the exact moment Triza came barreling into the room.
“Ian, Juliana’s gone!”
“Dammit!” he replied as he jumped off the bed.
“What? No way, she wouldn’t leave on her own!” I yelled after them as they took off down the hall. I had no choice but to follow them.
“Seth and I saw her running on the beach. He called out to her, but she ignored him and went into the woods,” Triza was saying as we ran to the wooded area beside the house. “He went in after her.”
“Why would she leave? It makes no sense,” I said, thinking out loud more than talking to them. I was a little hurt that she’d try to get away. I thought we had started a true friendship.
Before we even entered the woods, Seth came out with Juliana in his grip.
“She said she was just going for a run, that she needed fresh air.”
“It’s true! I didn’t hear him calling me with my earbuds! I figured the woods have more cover in case someone tried to capture me.” She looked at Seth and then down at her feet. “Guess I was wrong.”
“Yes, you were,” Seth responded. “We have all risked our lives for you, and we are continuing to do so by keeping you here. Have respect for that even if you can’t respect us.”
“Seth!” I scolded.
“What? She called me a freak!”
“I was mad because you tackled me! That was on top of Ms. Fairypants over there showing me how weak I am. I am feeling a little humbled and embarrassed, so I acted out, sue me! I didn’t mean to call you a freak, you’re not freaks. They are,” she said referring to Gabriel and his henchmen. “I am sorry.”
“Ms. Fairypants, really?” I smiled when her lips quirked a little. “Come on, Jules, let’s go make dinner for our guests. Triza you want to join us?”
“Sure thing,” Triza said as she fell into step beside me.
“Jules? No one has ever called me that,” Juliana said thoughtfully. “I like it.”
The three of us left the men staring after us in confusion.
Just before we stepped back into the house, I heard Seth say, “Figures they’d hit it off, those two are just as stubborn as Kadi.”
********
It turned out Juliana was a vegetarian and had developed her own veggie-chili recipe, so that’s what we made everyone for dinner, along with corn bread and all the fixings. I was shredding cheddar cheese while she was dicing tomatoes, and Triza was chopping onions. When she finished, Juliana put the knife down and turned to me.
“What? Do I have cheese on my face?” I asked, rubbing my hand over my face.
“Well, you do now,” she said laughing as she reached over to remove a shred from my nose. “What is Kadi short for?”
“My name is Qadira Morrigana ó Cuinn, but I go by Kadi Quinn.”
“Qadira, it’s a nice name. Unique.”
“It was my great-grandmother’s name. My uncle tells me I look just like her.”
“Your parents?”
“Declan and Morrigana ó Cuinn. They died when I was an infant. My uncle raised me.”
My parents are a subject I do not like to discuss. My tone made that clear.
“Don’t want to talk about? I get that. I think my parents are dead… I’m not too sure. Anyway, I grew up in foster homes in Chicago. When I turned seventeen, I took off on my own. I was sick of being bounced around from family to family that treated me like an outsider… or worse, so I set out and made a life for myself.” She smiled at me. “When you’re ready to talk about it, you know where to find me.”
“Same here,” Triza offered with a smile. She had been very quiet while we worked. My instinct was to be suspicious of her, it was my default setting.
Still, I should be able to talk to Jules about my parents. We had a lot in common. But, chalk it up to all the terrible crap I’d seen, but I don't trust easily. I needed more time before I opened up too much. Still, their offer to talk was touching… and maybe a little uncomfortable.
“Thank you. I appreciate the offer. The chili needs to simmer longer. I’ll be back in a bit.” I left the room in search of Seth, one of the few I trusted unconditionally.
He’d always been the one I sought when I felt troubled. He was in the garage at the weapons station and in no mood to talk. He was brooding and seemed in deep thought.
“Seth, are you hiding?”
“Nope, just prepping our gear.” He was cleaning and sharpening the knives and swords. That was something we usually did for ourselves, but he had everyone’s weapons out of the cabinet.