Bittersweet (Book #1 Evening Wings Trilogy)

Chapter 13

13

The Naida girl smiled sweetly and descended, her small feet landing on the snow. A sharp tear ran through the clearing—the sound of her retracting her wings.

“As I said, long time no see.” She said charismatically. “Why Xander you haven’t changed one bit.”

I could hear her tiny Irish accent. I envied her a little. Everyone Xander knew was wonderful and foreign and I was just a normal person, who hadn’t stepped out of this country a moment in my life.

“Neither have you Naida.” Xander smiled tightly. There was some tension going on here, I could feel it. Its presence made me feel better in a way because Xander wasn’t as warm to her as he was to me.

“Immortality.” She only said, ignoring the apprehension with a beautiful smile.

“Why are you in New Hampshire Naida?” Xander asked casually, but I could hear an inferior curiosity flaring behind his words.

“We’re just passing over.” Naida smiled. “There’s a festival in Scotland, but we’re making stops in the courts along the way. You know, socialization, meeting people you haven’t seen in a while.”

“Oh,” Xander smiled an easy smile, though it was as cold and icy as an Arctic night. “That’s nice, I guess.”

“Are you still rebelling against the courts Xander?” Naida asked suddenly, tilting her head.

“I’d hardly call it ‘rebelling’, Naida, don’t make things sound so anomalous.” Xander disagreed.

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.” She said, but she didn’t sound apologetic at all. “Who’s this?” she said, finally acknowledging me with a sneer on her face.

I cringed at her callous expression.

“This is Elizabeth.” Xander said. “She’s my girlfriend.”

Naida’s eyes ran over my body scrutiny glinting in her pupils. “Your girlfriend, Xander? She stinks of Seelie blood!” she exclaimed as she took in my massive wings.

“That’s none of your concern Naida.” He replied with sudden loathing.

I didn’t understand what that meant, but I said nothing, preferring to be silent. Naida struck me to be a very nasty female. I didn’t mind Xander being so uncouth to her now. She deserved it.

“It is my concern if an Unseelie takes a Seelie as a romantic interest. It could mean war Xander, especially as you are still unprotected by the courts.” Naida said as if she was a mother speaking to a small, unknowing child.

Xander gritted his teeth but said nothing. It seemed the nasty girl was correct.

But how could it be wrong for me and Xander to be together? We were perfect together. Just now, I’d been this close to getting him to admit his feelings to me before that callous girl dropped in on a scene that was none of her business.

Naida shook her head. “You would have yourself killed, for her? How dim!”

Once again her eyes painstakingly raked over me, from my messy hair, to the thin membrane covering my skin and the huge green butterfly’s wings that jutted out from my weighed down vertebrae.

“My name is Elizabeth.” I sounded, trying to sound defiant. It didn’t exactly come out like that.

Naida cackled. “Well you are nothing but an inexperienced child! Xander I would’ve thought you would pick somebody a bit less brainless and immature!”