Beast of the Damned #2

*Chapter Eighteen*

~ KINLEY ~

The forest sways, trees groaning and branches creaking as streams of a north wind send colorful leaves swirling into the fall air, warning of an approaching winter. Sunlight trickles in through the shedding canopy, the honks of geese starting their migration blending with the loud patter of my footsteps.

Glimpses of a slate gray shirt and black leather pants are all I can make out through the trees. "Zaidan, slow down."

"Catch me if you can, sweet little Kinley." His voice carries, whispers that seem to come from all directions.

I run faster, saplings ensnaring the bottom of my dress as I try my best to dodge twigs from low hanging branches.

"Slow down. I can barely see you," I yell out, blocking the branch set to smack me right in the face.

"Sweet Little Kinley running through the woods. Down came a spider while mud-caked her shoes." Zaidan's voice grows fainter.

"You better hope I don't trip on a root," my nine-year-old self shouts, the crunch of fallen leaves beneath my feet the only reply I receive. "You better not leave me out here. We aren't supposed to be playing hide-and-seek this far off castle grounds."

My wildly pounding heart gets a chance at rest when bushes tall as trees with three-inch thorns halt the chase.

"Zaidan, this isn't funny. You know I can't keep up."

The damp earth and moss-covered ground beseech me to sit on the fallen tree trunk nearby, yet a piece of gray fabric stuck to a thorn spurs me forward.

"When I find you, I'm going to tell Lucifer your cheating." I battle my way threw the thicket, arms barred across my face to shield me from the razor-sharp thorns. "I mean it, Zaidan. Slow down."

I push past the last thorn bush, pushing through time as I come out the other side no longer nine-years-old. I'm the age I am presently, nearly nineteen. My blue dress with hand-embroidered moon drops traded for an elegant gown embellished with lace and silk. The long train drags along the forest floor, catching the fallen leaves as I walk toward the unobstructed mountain view before me.

Lifting my face, I close my eyes, basking in the warm sunrays and crisp air freely flowing into my lungs. Winter may be tangled in with the fall breeze, but here the sun has no canopy to contend with.

The earth is no longer under my foot, my eyes fly open, the view of snow-capped mountains off in the distance cut off as hands cover my face, pulling me from the ledge I almost walked right off.

"Down came sweet little Kinley when the ghost went boo." Zaidan's husked voice drowns out the warmth of the sun, sending a tingling racing up my spine.

He removes his hands, leaving me standing toes dangling off the ledge as he keeps his body pressed to my backside. A spring with crystal clear waters lies beneath, capturing the reflection of the blue sky and trees that surround it for miles and miles. The forest stretches until it hits the mountains jetting up to meet the expansive blue above. This place is a hidden oasis. All that is to behold is the beauty of nature lit by the star in the sky. Leaves dance in the wind, soaring higher and higher until they find the place where the geese fly.

"You were going to let me walk right off the cliff, weren't you?" I turn around, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. I was mad at first that Zaidan ran off so quickly, but this place makes it worth the few rips in my dress and scratches on my arms it took to get here.

"Queen Kalista." The rocks beneath my heel slip, tumbling down the edge of the cliff before splashing into the spring below.

Zaidan is all that stands between his scowling mother and me.