Page 84 of Rise of the Melody
His eyes widened and his nostrils flared slightly as he stared at me, then down at the plate. I suddenly felt stupid because he did not look happy. I naively imagined that I might get a smile.
“Why did you do this?” he asked harshly.
I shifted my stance and tightened my crossed arms. “I don’t know.” But I did know, didn’t I? I was trying to be freaking nice to a boy who’d been through hell.
“I know you can’t go into town,” I said. “Or maybe you can? I have no idea. I don’t know what you’ve been eating or anything….”
“You were worried for me?” His expression was still one of suspicion.
“I don’t know. Why are we analyzing this? Do you want the pancakes or not? Because I can put them back and eat them myself later.”
He studied me. “Your aunt was a master herbalist. That includes poisons.”
A silent gasp of offence filled my chest.
“You think I’d poison you?” I felt punched in the throat, and anger surged. “Fine. Watch.” I aggressively opened the syrup, poured it sloppily and snatched up the fork, cutting a triangle harder than necessary, spearing it, and shoving it in my mouth. I threw the fork back down with a clatter and re-crossed my arms, glaring at him.
He leaned a hip on the counter and dropped his eyes from me to the plate. And I mean, he staredhard. So hard that his eyes glazed, and I could tell he was lost in thought. For once, I stayed quiet, biting my lip.
After what felt like forever, he finally spoke without looking away from the plate.
“It was a siren who saved me. She got me away from the court. Brought me to the wilds of Elphame so I could be brought to the gates of the Scottish portal.”
My arms fell heavily as surprise overtook me. “What? A siren?”
He appeared abashed as he glanced at me. “Sirens are used as guards for the court. Were you aware?”
“No,” I admitted. “I thought they were all dead or in H’trae.”
He shook his head, and I suddenly understood his dilemma with me. He wanted to hate me because he blamed my mother for sending them into H’trae. But he also wanted to trust me because a siren had saved his life. All of his ambiguity made sense now.
“I often wonder what became of her. Was she caught?” He shook his head. “I’ve no clue.”
Wow. I had no idea what to say. This guy had been through it.
And because I was awkward and wanted to put us both out of this misery, all I could think to say was, “Are you going to eat the pancakes, or should I put them away?” When I went to reach for the plate, it quickly slid, all on its own, across the counter to Zar’s waiting hand. I bit my lip against a grin.
He also magicked the syrup and fork to himself and poured on a small amount in addition to what I’d added. I watched, feeling like some kind of perv, as he cut a bite and put it in his mouth, then closed his eyes and went still. I also went still, my eyes locked on his face, almost pained in his expression. And when a small moan rumbled from his throat, I swear I felt it through my whole body. I took a stuttered breath and looked away, rubbing my fingers under my chin.
“Gods,” he whispered, his eyes on me like my clothes had just fallen off.
So flustered, all I could do was nod, thinking I should probably let him eat in private because this was doing weird things to me. I hitched a thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll be back. Um, restroom.”
I left before he could respond, and closed myself into the half bath, leaning against the pedestal sink and trying to get ahold of my speeding heart. Zar was probably the most messed up person I’d ever met. I should not be feeling any sort of lusty way for him. Did that make me as bad as one of those horrible faeries? He didn’t even want to be touched. But I’d never wanted to know someone as badly as I wanted to know him. When I was around him, it took all of my self-control not to ask one thousand questions in a row. And something about me must have intrigued him, too, otherwise he would not be coming around so often or opening up about his trauma. Or it could be because I was the only person in Shehan who knew he was alive.
Whatever the reason, if I was going to get to know Zar it had to be at his pace.
When it felt like enough time had passed, I went back out, only to find the kitchen empty and Zar’s rinsed plate in the sink. My stomach dipped with disappointment. I guessed I wouldn’t be getting to know him anymore today.
* * *
After visitingAunt Lorna at the hospital, Ron dropped me back off at home with grocery bags of frozen pizzas and other easy foods. I sat quietly in my window seat until a car crunched its way up the driveway at dusk, going fast and coming to a halting stop, squealing the breaks.
What the heck?
I peered down from my window as Chrystamos climbed out of the electric car’s driver seat, leaving the door open, and marched toward my house like a man on a mission. Dread pooled in my belly, and my heart thumped sluggishly as I left my room and raced down the steps.
When I opened the door, he was leaned against the door frame on his forearm, his shiny black hair sticking up haphazardly like he’d just been doing God-knows-what. His lips were pursed, and I could honestly say it was the first time I’d seen him pissed off.
