Blood of Half Gods (13 page)

Looking Quinn in the eye, Kallen says, “She speaks the truth that diplomacy is not a trait she can call her own.”

My brows slam together.  It’s one thing if I say that, but it’s something completely different when he says it.  “I can be diplomatic,” I argue nonsensically.  I really can’t.

Quinn’s face is hard when he says to Kallen, “Your concerns regarding Xandra’s ability to act as arbitrator are noted.  Forgive me if I choose not to heed the advice of a Fairy raised to think of Giants as an inferior race.  I find her honesty refreshing.  I would appreciate it if you would send an official notice to the King that I have invoked this right under the Charter of Uluru.”  Then, with a healthy dose of snarky in his voice, he says, “I am assuming you are a strong enough Fairy to have the ability to communicate over great distances?”

“Your request has already been sent.”  Kallen looks pissed.  Is he mad at me, or Quinn?  Probably both.  I’m amazed at my ability to get myself into these things. 

I sigh in acceptance.  “I think you’re going to regret this.”

“Anything is possible.”

I’ve noticed that the other Giants have been silent.  As I scan my eyes around, I can see that they don’t look any happier than Kallen.  Great.  “What am I supposed to do now?”

“As arbitrator, you will hear the facts as put forth by each tribal Chief, and then you will make a recommendation to the King.”

“And he can choose not to take my advice?”

Quinn nods once.  “If he feels your advice is detrimental to the realm, he may.  If your recommendation is reasonable, and will bring about peace, then he is obligated to agree to your recommendation.”

Dagda’s going to love that.  I wonder if I can teleport into the past.  I think really hard about going back to half an hour ago.  Nothing.  Time travel isn’t possible through teleporting, apparently.  “Do we have to start tonight?” I ask.  I’m tired and I want to go back to bed.  It is the middle of the night, after all. 

“The King has already pushed back the discussions.  Time is of the essence in this situation.”  In other words, no, I don’t get to go back to bed.  I shake my head.  I hope he likes snippy, tired, sarcasm.

Kallen must be reading my mind.  “Xandra has had little rest.  In the interest of giving her all to arbitration, a good night’s sleep will go far.”

“I am tired,” I say. 

I don’t think he’s going to agree, but finally, he acquiesces.  With the slightest of bows, he says, “Forgive my impatience.  Of course you should have the opportunity to rest.  If you will be ready at sunrise, I will send an escort for you.”

“I will be escorting Xandra,” Kallen says.  She’s mine came through loud and clear in that sentence.

Quinn cocks his head and the smallest smile touches his lips.  “You are protective of your cousin.”

“Oh, he’s not my cousin,” I say quickly.

Now, Quinn looks confused.  “Your father is his uncle.  In our tribes, that would make him your cousin.”

“True, but we’re not blood related.  His aunt is married to Dagda.”  I wonder where his wife is? 

“I see.  Then his protectiveness is of a more personal nature?”

“We’re left hand-fasted,” I explain.

I didn’t expect him to laugh.  “So, you have not made up your mind as to whether he is the one to spend your life with.”

From the look on Kallen’s face, I can tell this is about to get ugly.  “We are only left hand-fasted because my parents feel I’m too young to be right hand-fasted.”  So do I, but at the moment, I think it’s more important to save face for Kallen’s sake.  “As soon as they say okay, we go ahead with it.”  Or as soon as we have sex.  It’s kind of looking like that’s going to happen sooner as opposed to later.

Quinn’s face sobers some.  “I see.”  With another small bow, he says, “Until sunrise.”  Then he turns and walks away.

Chapter 11

When Quinn walks away, the other Giants continue to glare at us.  Looking up at Kallen’s face, I almost hesitate to ask him what we do now.  I don’t have to.  He grabs my hand and starts pulling me in the direction he wants to go.  I have to take two steps to his one because he’s using his long legs to walk as fast as he can. 

When I can no longer see the Giants behind us, I pull my hand out of his.  This makes him stop.  And glare at me.

“What’s your problem?” I ask. 

He crosses his arms over his chest and says, “I have no idea what you are talking about.  But, I would like to get at least a few hours of rest before you begin arbitration with the Giants.”

I sigh.  “I didn’t mean to become a part of that.  I’m sorry.”  It’s Dagda I should apologize to, but I’m too tired to argue. 

Kallen runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath.  “I know.”

“Then why are you acting like this?”

“Because I am worried for you.”

“Why?”

“You have seen how strong the giants are.  You successfully took on one, but you will be among many.  You will be in danger.”

I narrow my eyes at him.  I think there’s something in there that I’m supposed to read between the lines, but I don’t know what it is.  And frankly, I’m too tired to try to wriggle it out of him.  I’ll leave it for the morning.  “Are we close to Dagda’s?”

He nods.  “It is about a mile in that direction,” he says, pointing north. 

“Are there a lot of trees?”

He gives me a strange look.  “No.”

“Good.”  I take his hand in mine and I close my eyes, imagining us a mile to the north.  When I open them again, I can see a large stone mansion that must have belonged to Giants at some time, because all the doors and windows are positioned proportionately to their height as opposed to that of a Fairy.  Or Dagda simply accommodated them in its design.  Nah, that doesn’t seem like something he’d do.

Kallen smiles down at me.  Putting both hands on my cheeks, he leans down and kisses me. A sweet, soft kiss.  “Thank you,” he murmurs against my lips.  Leaning his forehead against mine, he adds, “I am ready to drop and am happy to have avoided that walk.”

“Me, too.”

“You know I love you, right?”

My brows draw together.  That was an odd way to say it.  “Yes.  Do you think I have doubts?”

He grins as he stands up.  “Well, if you did, I could have a lot of fun convincing you.”

I snake my arms around his neck.  “It never hurts to have affirmation.”  I stand on tiptoes to kiss him.  Not a soft, gentle kiss this time.  A kiss that tells him that I have no doubt in my mind that he wants me as much as I want him.

He groans from deep within his throat.  “I want to be lying next to you in a warm bed as I was not that long ago.  Though, I do find that I am not nearly as tired as I was a moment ago.”

My turn to grin.  “Me, either.”

Stepping out of my embrace, he laces his fingers with mine.  “Then I suggest we hurry inside.”  I am definitely with him on that.

The door to the mansion is huge; tall enough for a Giant.  I can’t even reach the knocker.  Good thing Kallen can.  It doesn’t take long for the door to open, and we’re greeted by an ancient looking Giant who is so bent over, he’s no taller than Kallen.  Good lord, I can’t believe the man’s still walking let alone working. 

“Dad, you know you are not supposed to answer the door,” a very harassed looking, stocky Giant woman says from behind him.  “You go on back to bed.  I will see to the door.”  The old man grumbles something under his breath that I can’t make out, but he shuffles off to somewhere really, really slowly.

As for us, the woman looks us up and down.  She’s quite a bit taller than Kallen, but not as tall as Quinn.  She has bright red hair and piercing blue eyes that have not dulled as she edges past middle age.  It’s obvious that when she was young, she was beautiful.  Her face is beginning to line, and her skin probably isn’t as taut as it used to be, but she is still very pretty.  “Kallen, you have grown since the last time you were here.”  She doesn’t say anything to me.

“Hello, Breena.  I am assuming you received my communication.”

“Yes, and it is still ringing in my ears.”

Oh, no wonder she’s such a sourpuss.  Kallen sent her one of his painful telepathic messages.  “Hi, I’m Xandra,” I say, holding my hand out to her.

She takes my hand indifferently.  “I am pleased to meet you, Princess.”  I wonder if she would sound more enthused if it wasn’t the middle of the night and she didn’t have a Kallen induced headache.  On the other hand, I don’t think I want to know.

“If you tell us where our room is, we’ll get out of your hair,” I tell her with a sympathetic smile.

She blinks a few times.  “As in a room that you will be sharing?”

Okay, here comes the blood to my cheeks again.  I keep forgetting how big of a deal things like this are in the Fairy realm.  In all fairness, for someone my age, it’s a big deal in my realm, too.  “We’re left hand-fasted,” I explain.

“Huh.”  She turns around and starts walking away.

I assume we’re supposed to follow her.  Kallen closes the heavy door behind us and we hurry to catch up to her.  She leads us through the large marble foyer, decorated in brown veined marble, to the broad staircase leading to the second floor.  There are a couple of doors and a hallway that shoot off from the foyer, but the doors are closed and the hallway is long, so I don’t get a feel for the house at all.  At the top of the stairs that dead end into a hallway, she turns left and walks to the end.  Several portraits line the walls.  I stop at one of Dagda and a gorgeous Fairy woman.  This must be his wife.  Wow, he cheated on
her
?  He must not have been thinking clearly.  On the other hand, if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here thinking this.  Kallen puts a hand at the small of my back to move me along the hallway to the very end. 

Breena opens the white double doors and stands to the side.  “The Princess suite has been prepared for you and your…husband.”

What?  Husband?  I’m about to say I don’t have a husband when Kallen grabs my hand and squeezes it.  “Thank you, Breena.”  She nods curtly and walks away in obvious disapproval. 

Watching her walk away, I grumble, “I’m the queen of first impressions, I guess.”

Kallen chuckles.  “I would not worry about Breena.  I do not believe she likes anyone except my uncle, if that gives you a clue to her persona.”

My turn to laugh.  “So, she’s not the best judge of character?”

He puts a finger to his lips.  “You should be careful what you say here about him.  Her loyalty is fierce.”

I think he’s kidding for a moment.  Until he doesn’t laugh.  Wow, he’s serious.  “What happens if I get on her bad side?”

He shakes his head.  “Your time here would not be enjoyable, trust me.”

“Great, more stress.”

Wrapping his arms around me, Kallen pulls me close.  “I know an excellent cure for stress.”

Both of my eyebrows ride up my forehead.  “Do you now?”

He nods solemnly.  “I do.”  He’s backing me into the room now.

“Care to explain this cure?”

He kicks the door closed with his foot.  “I believe some things are best explained by example.”

He’s backing me farther into the room now as I snake my arms back around his neck.  “I don’t know, I’m awfully tired.”

Swooping me up into his arms, he says, “Sleep is overrated.”  Then his lips are on mine as he walks across the dark room that I haven’t even had a chance to really look at, and he sets me down gently on the canopied bed.  The only light is the moonlight coming through the window.  Kallen’s lips never really leave mine as he stretches out next to me.  Suddenly, I’m not tired at all.

Kallen shifts me over on the bed so that I’m closer to the middle and then he covers my body with his.  “I love you,” he murmurs against my neck as he kisses a trail to the spot behind my ear that drives me crazy.

I gasp as he finds the right spot.  “I love you, too,” comes out as a moan of pleasure.

His hand slides under my sweater and traces my curves.  A trail of goose bumps follow his fingers as I revel in his touch.  I am just thinking about how frustrated I am that we have so many clothes in the way, when I’m suddenly wearing what I was earlier in the carriage.  A silky red camisole and matching sleep shorts.

“Not fair,” I murmur against his lips that have found mine again.  I use my magic to return him to the same state he was before as I slide my hand down his bare back.  I expect to reach the waistband of his boxers, but my hand only finds skin.

Kallen chuckles.  “Flattered that I am you have put me in this state; I believe it may be safer if I have something on.”  My cheeks are flaming, but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m embarrassed I removed all of his clothes, or because I’m disappointed he’s not going to stay that way.  Either way, he’s now wearing boxers and his lips are back on mine.

After a few minutes, he stops kissing me and pushes up on his elbows.  His thumbs are stroking my cheeks.  Opening my eyes in confusion, I stare up into his.  He is so beautiful.  His hair is mussed from my fingers running through it and his eyes are filled with a passion that heats my entire body and soul.  “I love you,” he says again.