Page 26 of Rekindled Prophecy

“Dude, hand it over.” Kael held out his hand.

“Hand over what?”

“Your man-card, because you lost all rights to it with that cheesy declaration.” The whole group laughed, including Matthew who pouted with feigned hurt.

Kelly added mischievously, “You never will know the truth about those darts.”

These two were adorable. The way they teased each other, giving each other a hard time. They rarely took their eyes off each other. Normally, Greylyn would consider this kind of display off-putting and a charade. But no…they were the real deal.

“Can you believe she brought along a friend on our first date? Talk about throwing up obstacles!” Matthew rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Obviously not too much of an obstacle, as I recall,” Kelly added. “The real obstacle was you not letting us inside your house so we could use the bathroom after drinking at the fair.”

“It was a disaster! Come on, Kael. Back me up here. You’ve seen the inside of the house I shared with those guys. If she’d seen it that night, she would’ve blown out of there in a split second and never returned my calls.”

Grinning broadly, Kael agreed. “A quarantine of that place is definitely in order. How did you survive living with such slobs?”

As the story continued to unfold, Greylyn could not shake the feeling that she knew Kelly from somewhere. However, she was more concerned about the dark vision she had had.

I may be wrong, but I think Kelly knows she’s in trouble.

Then the young woman turned in her chair and Greylyn realized the truth. Kelly sported a slight baby bump. Not noticeable from a head-on vantage point, and barely evident from the side, but no mistaking it. There was even an electric white aura encircling her belly. How had she not seen that before?

Oh, no! I swear if Kael is after the baby, I will slice and dice him until he is stew meat.

“In conclusion, despite poison darts, third wheels, and messy roommates, it was very much lust at first sight,” Kelly blushed.

Matthew corrected her. “Love at first sight, babe.” He leaned across the small table and kissed his glowing bride full on the lips.

Greylyn had the decency to look away. Kael, however, seemed more interested in watching her reaction. He jokingly commented, “Hey guys, get a room, will ya? Wait, you have one already. Upstairs. Go!” He pointed up dramatically.

The lovebirds broke apart laughing. “Not yet, dude. She’s making me wait until the wedding night. Seems silly, considering.” Matthew delicately indicated his bride’s small baby bump with pride.

“Besides,” Kelly blushed, “I’m starving. Greylyn, you must join us for dinner. Please.” She pressed her hands together in pleading.

“Well, we can’t have both of you starving,” Matthew joked with a wink. To Greylyn and Kael, he added, “I learned fast not to make a hungry pregnant woman wait for food. It isn’t pretty!”

Gaelic Haven was a bed and breakfast inn, so dinners were not normally served. Last night’s meal had been an exception. The last thing Greylyn wanted was to spend more time around Kael; however, she accepted the offer to keep an eye on the couple. They decided to walk a few blocks to a nice bistro.

Matthew and Kelly held hands as they walked in front. She had seen the curious and mischievous look in the other woman’s eyes when Kael held the chair out for Greylyn. Kelly occasionally glanced behind them.

Oh no! Not her too.

She had enough dealing with Maureen’s aspirations of playing Cupid.

Strangely enough, the usually smug dark guardian did not speak during the entire walk. She was not inclined to speak to him either, so they continued the trek in uncomfortable silence. Inwardly, she fumed about the possibility of him meaning to cause harm to Kelly and the baby. It would serve him right if she yanked him behind the next grove of magnolia trees and diced him to ribbons. Instead, she tucked that anger behind the façade of a shy smile. But only for the moment.

The late afternoon air had cooled, but the humidity was still heavy like they had just stepped out of a sauna. It was a relief to feel air conditioning again when they arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later.

The small town had little in the way of entertainment and cuisine. Regardless, the building was not crowded, and they were seated immediately in a cozy corner booth adjacent to the stage where a band would play later that evening. The sign at the entrance advertised a cover band playing that night. The name flashed in Greylyn’s head as a memory emerged of a dimly lit bar bursting with co-eds from a small university in Alabama. If she recalled correctly, and if they were indeed the same band, this place should be rocking later. Too bad, she was not there for the entertainment.

The group found lots to discuss as they perused the menu and ordered their drinks. Kelly kept asking probing questions of Greylyn, trying to determine if she had a boyfriend, where she worked, how long she would be staying at the inn, etc. The woman was persistent in her quest for information. It became difficult to field all the questions thrown at her, but she did the best she could. “I travel a lot, so generally I’m not in any one place long enough to establish relationships. But I enjoy my work, so that’s my life for now.”

Matthew nudged Kael. “Dude, I have never, and I do mean never, seen you tongue-tied. What? You suddenly forgot how to talk to a pretty lady?”

Greylyn had thought it strange as well but not for the same reasons the others were thinking. It was an act, to make them believe he was interested in her. And he was convincing, but his silence had more of a brooding edge to it.

She plastered on a smile and redirected the conversation to the wedding. It would help her to know if any guests may also be added trouble. It would not be the first time demons used a family member to destroy someone. Inflicting pain at a special event, like a wedding, would be easy. Countless weddings and relationships had been eternally damaged that way.

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