Heartmate | ✔️

t w e n t y o n e

I pull my hood lower as we make our way through the village. My body had completely healed but I was exhausted.

We were now back at the market. Everywhere we turned, the conversion of the day was common.

The Conflagration in the North.

I didn't necessarily understand the term but Jase clarified that it meant a massive fire that posed as a threat to life. Animal or Person.

Hailey and I did look at him funny when he told us this happily. Like he was actually proud of himself for knowing the term. And knowing Jase, he definitely was.

"How much money do we have left?"

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Melissa ask Hailey in half a whisper. I tried not to eavesdrop since they probably didn't want me hearing the conversation. Or Melissa would have asked it louder.

I heard of series of jingles and rustling. And then,

"Just enough for four. If we could bargain something, then maybe some left for food. But I doubt we would get a discount. The winter festival is in two days after all. Almost all the money was with Nana. I only have the change after the purchases." Hailey muttered in a low voice, barely audible.

Four? Four what? Horses?

"We are here." Jase said, a little too happily. He even stopped to glance in my direction with this look I didn't think led to any good.

The wooden shack named, Joe's, looked big enough to hold three people. Hailey and Zach went in to enquire.

Aiden went back to being his quiet self, fiddling with his amulet and kicking stones away at intervals. I wondered what came over him after we got to this place. He seemed alright back home.

Home. I missed home.

I smiled thinking of Dad, Cole and Kyle. Cole would have gone back to Uni. Dad would be busy with work. But Kyle, I wondered what he was doing. He had taken a break year after high school. When we asked, he simply said,

"I want a break from all the stress. You know, just lay down and have some time to myself. To think. And plus, who's going to protect this little baby from the big bad guys, if not for me."

He had ruffled my hair, messing it up, after that and I remember scolding him and telling him that I wasn't a baby who needed protection. But all he did was smile at me with this faraway look in his eyes.

He had always known.

He had always known that someday, somebody would have come to get me. That I was never really his sister, biologically. But that didn't stop him from treating me like I was his own.

I had always been closer to Kyle than Cole. I thought that maybe it was because he was three years older than I was or maybe cause he always had his own group of friends and never really bothered much about us.

Cole was a good brother. He wasn't ignorant, he loved both of us equally. But it's always been Kyle and I. He will always be there to protect me and I will always be there to stand by him.

".....have to share."

"You okay girl?" Stella asked as she came to stand next to me.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." I smiled.

"You want to share with me?"

Both of us turned around to find Aiden.

"I'll see you inside." Stella said.

She gave me a pointed look and mouthed something as she passed behind Aiden. I gave her a confused look and got a wink in return. I rolled my eyes and pushed the hood back.

"What are we sharing?" I ask as we walk inside.

Aiden brightens up and flashes me a huge grin. It's like he's back to his old self again and not the broody person he was a few minutes ago. I raise an eyebrow at his bi-polar self.

"This is going to be interesting."

"You're scaring me with all the teeth you're flashing at my face."

Aiden laughs and throws his arm around my shoulder.

"Say princess, have you ever ridden a dragon?"