House Of Legions (The Angel Descendants book 1) novel Chapter 58

Clare threw herself onto the soft lively grass, and faced the bayou waters, it was as soft as she imagined, and smelt of musk, the strongest kind.

A tree moved toward her, shading the sun from her face, a few minutes before Kalbreal left to fetch them something to drink while she stretched out her aching legs.

She placed her hands under her neck, lying on her back and stared up at the tree kind enough to shade her, watching the dance of its leaves as it provided her with entertainment as well, moving to ballet in her mind.

She bent her neck forward, chin to chest, looking toward the water, as an image played up in her mind,

Phillip,

She wondered if he was ok, did he try calling her, she wouldn’t know because she left her phone at the castle. She thought of her mother’s death, it had been just a day ago but felt like a week by the way the Lightwatchers carried on like none of it mattered. She couldn’t fault them, life went on for them, they were born to die, killers. Death was not the end because their souls lived forever, wow, she couldn’t get her head around this crap.

She replayed the ceremony in her head, what could have gone wrong, and that man, William, his faceless body, those unique eyes penetrating right to her very soul, as his hands wrapped around her, she remembered breathing in his very air. She rubbed her fingers together, remembering the feel of his cheek moving against her palm, as her fingers brushed his flesh.

“Princess,” she whispered the endearment, the thought made her face heat up and a silly smile tickled her lips. It was the biggest brightness in her darkest hours and she would hang on to it, for as long as she could.

Kalbreal stood in front of her, blocking her view of the lake, holding two big cups of juice. “You shouldn't think so much,” handing one to her, he said with a smile, “It ages you.”

Clare grabbed a small stone and flung it lamely at him, which he missed, laughing, “Your brother said to meet us here, the meeting’s in a few hours.”

She sat up, taking both cups out of his hands, and put his own on the grass, which was now flattened like a coaster, so Kalbreal can sit next to her.

She jumped in shock, when another tree joined them and spilt some of the juice on her pants, luckily, it was leather. The tree dropped pears. Kalbreal picked up four, rinsed them in the lake and threw one at Clare, “You did not just wash the fruit in a lake full of dead people’s ash.” He bit into it, her jaw dropped, “Nothing mixes with the lake, you could drink from it.”

“If you say so but if I get infected, it’s all on you Angel-boy.” The tree turned and dropped a pear on Clare’s head, she scowled, as it returned to its original position.

It was ten minutes later when she lost the battle of silence, curiosity spurred her, “What happened with Luela and her husband?”

Clare got up and threw the juice on him, he could probably crush her like an ant but she didn’t care about that in the heat of the moment, she just wanted to get as far away from him as possible. She didn’t even understand or make sense as to why it bothered her so much, but it did, it grated her that life was so cruel, that her cousin would become a mother and a ‘divorced’ woman on the same day.

It was like Luela was given a gift of life but lost a part of her soul, nothing about it seemed right to Clare no matter how you put it.

Kalbreal stood up and stepped in beside her, his eyes locked onto hers, she knew her face was red and her lips pursed, as she scowled at him, but her anger seemed to just brighten his mood. She looked at him, his face transformed into the sun itself as he smiled so radiantly, like if the sun had a face it would be his. She felt her furrowed brow drop at his amused lips and found it harder to hold her annoyance at the infuriating creature.

“Fine.” He lifted his hand, wiggling his fingers, a what-ever gesture, “If it upsets you that much I’ll see what I can do, ok.”

Their eyes stared into one another’s for minutes, though it had felt not long enough when she lowered her gaze. She didn’t want to give him the wrong impression, she had no romantic inclinations toward him. She saw him as a friend, an Angel who was pleasing to the eye.

Where was the harm in that, surely Kalbreal didn’t really feel anything for her, he said so himself? He was married, she just reminded him of his wife, it wasn’t the end of the world, but part of her, as sick as it sounded felt like she was betraying William. With one touch he’d claimed her, he was her compulsion, her secret slice of decadence, tainted and she hadn’t even seen his face.