Things went back to the way they were before Kaye met the Faye, except for the constant tension in the tent. It was unbearable—everyone came up with an excuse to get out. Kaye couldn't wait until spring and her chance to go home. Until then she helped Abigail when it was raining and looked for herbs when it wasn’t. She was always careful not to travel too far inland.

Today the storm clouds couldn't decide whether to rain or not, but Kaye went out to get away from Timin. She gave up trying to find herbs and walked through the woods to the South River—her way home come spring.

"Kaye."

It was whispered and she stopped. There was no one before her, and no one behind when she spun around. Her heart began to race until she heard it again and looked up.

Bryant waved from a tree branch.

She looked around again. "What are you doing? I know I'm not too far inland this time."

He dropped to the ground and she stepped back. It couldn't be good if the Lady sent Bryant this close to the coast.

"You've been very good about not coming inland," he said. "That's why I haven't been able to talk to you."

Her gaze flitted through the forest, wondering why she was in trouble and where the attack would come from. When he grabbed her hand, she jumped and held out her knife.

"Relax, Kaye. I'm not going to hurt you." He held her hand until she reluctantly put the knife away.

"Why are you here?"

"You say that as if I have hurt you." His eyes darkened. "I know things went bad, but I want you to know that I argued in your favor."

She took a deep breath—could she trust him? Then she chided herself. Bryant wasn’t one to follow orders if he didn't have to. "It doesn't change what happened. I’m dangerous. To you, to my tribe…”

"Stop being melodramatic."

She bit down on what she had been about to say as he grabbed her other hand. "Are you safe here? Are you happy?"

She was neither. She looked to the river. "No one knows except the Breens. So yes—I'm safe."

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "And happy?"

The side of her mouth twitched. "Happy as I can be."

He stepped closer. "But are you happy?"

"Are you?" She looked into his eyes. He had never been happy—how could he chide her?

"I was happier when you were in Aleda."

That wasn't what she expected, so she tried again. "Why are you here?"

His face softened into an expression she had never seen. It was the way Timin used to look at her, before the Faye. "To make sure you are safe. To see for myself that you are happy." He brushed a piece of hair from her shoulder. "And because I could not stay away. I should have known Timin would come. I should have been more careful."

Stolen novel; please report.

"You didn't know…”

"I knew he was Faye. I knew he was jealous. I thought fear would keep him away, but…" he shrugged and took her hand again. "It has not kept me away either."

"You shouldn't be here," she said. "If someone sees you…”

"I looked. No one is near."

Kaye was exasperated. She had taken every precaution when she'd gone to the cliff, and she was still found out. How could he be sure no one would see them? "You should go."

His eyes darkened. “You don’t want me here?”

“I don’t want you to be hurt.” Why would he risk his life like this? “If the Tarrin catch you, they’ll kill you. Cut your wings off, at the very least.”

“I will not let them.”

“You can’t stop them!” She pulled her hands away. Bryant thought he could be brave in the face of violence, but he’d never known true violence. He’d never seen the path of a spear half a moon later when the man lived on, and so did the infection.

“Kaye.” He waited until she looked at him. “I would only like to walk with you for a while. I miss you.”

She took a deep breath. She missed Celeste and Elett and, yes, even Bryant. She supposed if he was willing to risk being caught to spend some time with her, she couldn’t stop him. And honestly, she was lonely. Timin would barely look at her since he found out she was Faye. At least someone wanted to be near her.

“Fine, you can walk with me.”

A rare grin lit up his face. “Thank you. I can help you look for herbs.”

She didn’t have the heart to tell him she’d already given up, so she started walking upriver next to him. “How is Elett?” she said when the silence became awkward.

“She misses you, so Celeste is keeping her busy with new lessons in energy control. It has been a nightmare.”

That made Kaye smile. “I remember those lessons. Trust me; it’s even more of a nightmare for Elett.” Kaye had excelled at energy control, but she remembered going home so frustrated most nights that she would cry herself to sleep as Kindra ran her fingers through Kaye’s hair.

“I’m sure it is,” Bryant said. “Celeste has more patience than I do, but we have all been a little on edge since you left.”

“You were a little on edge while I was there.”

Bryant glanced at her and stopped walking. His face returned to its normal frown. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you. You have been nothing except friendly and kind, with the exception of that little knife.”

A soft blush warmed her cheeks. “I wouldn’t have hurt you.”

“I know.” His smile returned, but it did not reach his eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t stay, and it was easier to not care. But you have proven difficult to not care about.”

Kaye wasn’t sure that was a good thing. “The Lady said you don’t trust the Tarrin.”

“No Faye does.”

“But you hate them. I’ve seen it plain on your face when I speak of them. And you would have hurt Timin if you could have. No pledge to Aleda would have stopped you.”

“Timin.” Bryant nearly growled and she saw it again—a seething hatred in him that went far beyond a distrust of the Tarrin. He looked to the coast. “That has nothing to do with you.”

“But he didn’t know you. How can you hate someone who doesn’t know you exist?”

“He knows now.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Bryant crossed his arms, his mouth a hard line across his face. “Timin stole something from me.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter. He does not know that he stole it, nor that it was mine, and I can never get it back.”

Kaye couldn’t imagine Timin walking far enough inland to ever come across something of Bryant’s, much less take it home, but if Bryant wasn’t going to tell her more there was nothing she could do to help. She touched his shoulder hesitantly. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged her off. “It’s fine.”

It was such a Kindra statement that Kaye couldn’t help but smile to herself. The sky finally broke and large raindrops fell, breaking the awkward silence between them.

“I should return,” she said, unable to disguise the disappointment in her voice. She didn’t want to be shut inside the hut with the Breens.

“Will you be out tomorrow?”

“If it doesn’t rain. I try to come out whenever it’s not raining.”

He nodded. “I will find you the next time it’s not raining then.” He bowed and flew off.

How odd, Kaye thought, that seeing Bryant would become the highlight of her days.