Page 106 of Bruised MC Bear
5
Kiera
Kiera staredout the window of the carriage as the Regents guards returned her to the fortress. She was alone. Apparently, Coco had asked them to take her back after storming out of the Great Hall. The news of Coco’s departure was unsettling. It spoke volumes, filling Kiera’s mind with many more questions that she had about her meeting.
How could Coco just up and leave her there?
What was the source of Xander’s grudge with the Regent?
Why did he get under her skin so easily?
And where was all this heady desire coming from all of a sudden?
He was unlike anything she had expected. The man was not the big, brutish oaf portrayed by the Regent. He was intuitive, insightful, and his presence had filled the room. She could see why he was the alpha of his species. His men would likely follow him anywhere he asked. Of course, some of the rumors about him were true. He was blunt to the point of rudeness, holding nothing back, not even his accusations about the Regent. He spoke to her as though they were equals, which deep down, was refreshing. She agreed that he was her equal, even if he had to remind her of that a few times. Thank the stars that the Regent was not around, because he would have openly stated that Xander was a shifter. A polar bear. An animal. Not an equal.
One thing she did not anticipate was her own reaction to him. Goodness, she would have given anything for a basin of water in a back room somewhere to splash on her face and take her mind off of her attraction to him. After Xander had taken the seat beside her, she was ready to jump out of her skin. Either that or climb into his lap, the way heat pooled between her legs and lit up her insides. And that touch of his lips on her hand caused even more electricity to course through her. Coco had hit the mark when she said that Kiera was drawn to him.
For a moment, her focus turned to Coco again. Kiera needed to confront her familiar. Between the witch master and the familiar, there was an undeniable, indestructible, life-long bond for the witch. Their connection was soul deep, so if Coco knew anything about the death of the eight Chosen witches as Xander stated, she could not hide it. Her stomach turned. Was Coco truly offended by Xander, or did she return to the fortress to avoid confrontation?
Kiera’s mind would not rest until she knew the truth.
For a short, tense, seemingly unproductive meeting, it left her questioning everything. The only part she was not perplexed about was Xander’s recognition of her magic. It was true that she was the most powerful witch in Sector Two, but she hesitated to admit it to anyone. Regent Minassus saw things that way too, and he could not be wrong because he was the wisest person Kiera knew. Differences aside, she trusted the Regent. He had become like a father to her.
The Regent was the closest thing to family Kiera had since the Big Storm. As he was a strong clairvoyant, he had sensed her powers nine years ago, in that very instant that she became aware of the approaching winter storm and thus the ravagers. Right after her mother passed, her father brought word that the Regent had summoned her to report to the castle within forty-eight hours. Her father was killed by a ravager that same winter, which was when Regent Minassus took her in. In the months following her move to the fortress, the Regent had explained that her abilities went beyond simple premonition. He called it untapped cosmic awareness, and continually reminded her that her vision all those years ago was just the tip of the iceberg.
It occurred to her that Xander could have been lying about the eight witches. She usually sensed deception in people. Except, he was the first shifter she had ever met in person.
God!
She raised both hands to the sides of her head, running her hands from her hairline into her loose bun. These conflicting details, her out of control physical urges, and Coco’s departure turned the entire situation into complete frustration. It would take a full hour of meditative incantations to calm her mind. On entering the fortress, she made a decision. Reporting to the Regent should have been first on her list, but searched for Coco instead. She was not in the fortress, and had probably opted to take on bird form and fly somewhere far enough away that Kiera could not question her.
Frustrated, she headed for the laboratory instead. Her good friend and botanist, Reena, would be there. Last night at supper, she had made Kiera promise to give a full report on her meeting with Xander as soon as she had the chance. Well, now was as good a time as any, because all Kiera wanted to do was unburden herself. She could do that with Reena, so long as no one else was around—and only if the Regent was attending to other affairs.
Reena was too busy to notice Kiera entering the laboratory. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head and covered by a clear hairnet, horn-rimmed glasses were halfway down her nose, and she wore a white lab coat buttoned up over a gray calf-length tunic. As usual, she was bent over a long, wooden section of her research area, working on her plants. The woman was a rare breed of witch who was just as gifted at herbalism for magic as she was in science. Every fortress witch and most of the scientists turned to Reena when they needed information on a plant or herb.
During the cold months, she would cultivate most of the critical ingredients for spells in a tiny greenhouse off the kitchen, using ingenious tricks and spells to allow for accelerated growth indoors. In the late spring and summer, she would boldly venture to all corners of the island to source plants and herb. Reena was fearless, frequently going outside the boundary walls during the warmer months, at the frustration of the Regent’s personal guards and the Border Protection Unit.
“How are you doing today?” Kiera asked. Reena jumped and pivoted around, then the two of them giggled in unison. “Deep in your work as always.”
She placed her hand on her heart and narrowed her eyes. “And you scared me to death. You know what you need, woman? Bells around your damned neck! How do you ever get around so bloody quietly?”
“It’s probably magic.”
“No doubt you were a frigging stealth walker in your former life.”
“Goodness, you and Coco with all this profanity today. Is something going around?”
“If it is, it’s not contagious, or you would have caught it already, Kiera.”
Kiera grinned. “What are you working on today?”
Reena returned her attention to her work for a second, setting several beakers filled with clear and murky green liquids aside before turning to face Kiera again. She laughed. “Nothing near as exciting as your meeting with Commander Oslo. How did it go?”
Kiera looked around the room, craning her neck to see if anyone was in the adjoining laboratory. “Are we alone?”
She took Kiera’s hand. “We are, but let us go to the one room in this freaking place where the walls do not have ears.”
Kiera pointed back at the lab as Reena pulled her to leave. “But your work…it looks rather interesting.”
