Chapter 207 Chapter 207
Leah rubbed her hand across her forehead. She hated waking up feeling like she hadn’t slept. Some mornings it felt that way because she actually hadn’t physically rested. It hadn’t happened in a while though, Evanna being up all night.
Lighting the stove, she placed the kettle on it and then went over to look in the journal they used to communicate.
Sitting down, she flipped to the last used page and scanned it. Okay, she wasn’t tired because Evanna had been up. The last entry was from yesterday afternoon. She read it again.
The man from the Alliance is staying in Aunt Tillie’s house for the night. It’s time to leave the mountain, Leah. I’m going to get some meat for dinner, make enough for Jesse too.
Ev
Closing it, she set it back on the table, then got up and went back over to the kettle. It’s time to leave the mountain. “And go where?” She grabbed the kettle before it had a chance to whistle loud. Pouring it into the teapot, she took down the mint leaves and put some in.
“I can’t just leave the mountain and not know where I’m going.” She frowned and went over to the window. “What about everything that’s here?” Hugging her waist, she looked around the room. “Everything would have to be packed and stored properly.”
Glancing outside, she watched Thera walk across the yard and sit down beside Jesse, who was sitting, leaning back against the fence talking—she assumed, on what was a phone. Something about the phone was vaguely familiar. When that happened, it meant Evanna knew something, and she’d been close enough to pick up on it too.
Leah wondered who he was talking to, and also why Thera was there with him when she usually lay outside the door waiting for her.
She studied the man. He seemed like a nice man. Dinner with him had been okay, meaning she hadn’t been a wreck through it and had managed to stay for the whole thing.
Evanna must be all right with him too, to say they were leaving the mountain with him. She’d been so shocked walking around the corner yesterday and seeing him stand there that she’d panicked and been unable to stay. It wasn’t surprising, really, the last time she’d seen someone outside the elders was over a year ago, and that had not ended well at all.
Leaning against the window frame she watched as he pet Thera while talking. He was quite a pretty man. Shaking her head, she grinned, that’s not the right word. Biting her lip, she tried to think of how Aunt Tillie would describe him. Ruggedly handsome? No, he didn’t fit that description. His hair was a dark blond, and very messy. She wondered if it was curly or just naturally all over the place. When he’d smiled at her last night, it made her heart do this little fluttery thing. He really did have a nice, infectious smile. He stopped petting Thera and lifted his hand, making her realize he could see her in the window now.
Feeling her cheeks heat, she lifted her hand in the same way as if to say ‘good morning’. Blowing out a breath, she moved away from the window and back to the teapot. Should she go out and say good morning? She had a terrible time facing him. His eyes were mesmerizing, and she couldn’t seem to not stare at them the whole time. They weren’t grey or even green, but a pale combination of the two. If beautiful was a word fitting a man’s eyes, then that’s what they were, not to mention very intriguing the way they seemed to change and reflect what he was saying. She liked that, there were no hiding things in those eyes and that was a very good thing.
Pouring her tea, she picked up the cup and started for the door. “I can do this.” She nodded her head slightly, trying to convince herself she could. Stopping before she opened it, she stood there. Leave the mountain? Her heart began to beat faster. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus and breathe through it. A feeling came over her, a steadying that had been her salvation as far back as she could remember. Evanna was close now. The fact that she didn’t take over meant that she wanted Leah to try to do this. “Just go out and talk to him.” She nodded. “I can do that.”
She repeated that over and over in her mind as she walked out the door. Just talk to him. “Okay.” She whispered and went down the steps. Thera spotted her and came bounding in her direction.
When she reached her, she rubbed against her leg, “Is that an apology?” Leah smiled down at her. Thera bumped her. “I know, he’s a pretty man.” Thera walked beside her, “I bet he’s a pretty man cat too, huh?”
Thera looked up at her and then took off to run back to Jesse. She circled him as he stood up. He was smiling by the time she reached him, and she had no choice but to smile back.
“Good morning.” Jesse nodded to her.
“Hello.” She huffed out a quick quiet breath, “did you sleep well?”
His haunting eyes widened briefly, “off and on.” He motioned to Aunt Tillie’s, “your aunt’s journals were very informative.”
Leah had read those before and hadn’t found them that informative, well she’d learned about the clan she’d never know, but the rest wasn’t anything she didn’t know. “Oh?”
“Yes.” He glanced at the cup she held.
“I’m sorry would you like some mint tea?” She felt like she’d failed again.
“No thanks.” He gave her one of those grins again, “I wouldn’t say no to coffee though.”
“Of course.” She’d tried coffee once, it was horrible and bitter. It bothered her more than she cared to share when she tasted it in her mouth after Evanna drank it. “I don’t have the knack for making it like Evanna, but I can make some.”
“As long as it’s caffeinated, that works.”
Turning to walk back, she glanced over at him. “Of course, it’s caffeinated, its coffee, isn’t that its’ sole purpose?”
Jesse nodded his head slowly, “Yeah, but with all the energy drinks out there now, coffee is struggling to keep its job.”
“Energy drinks? Like lemonade and mint?” That’s what she drank when she needed more energy.
“No, not quite.” His tone was respectful, she appreciated that. “I can’t even begin to explain it, you’d have to see it for yourself.”
She went up the stairs carefully, “will I? If I leave the mountain,” she opened the door, “see for myself?”
“If you’d like.” Jesse motioned for her to go in first, “I can take you to see as much or as little as you want.”
Studying him for a moment, she wondered what that really meant. “I’ll have to think about that.” She went over and took down the percolator. “Evanna says it’s time to leave the mountain.”
“Just now?”
She paused and watched him again, “no, she left it in our journal yesterday.” Leah motioned to it. There was something calming about him, she couldn’t explain why she felt that just that when she was near him she felt a peace inside.
“Do you agree with her?” He sat slowly in the chair and folded his hands on the table.
She wasn’t naive, she knew he was trying not to spook her. “I don’t know if I can leave.” Turning away, she busied herself getting the coffee ready. “What do you mean Aunt Tillie’s journals were informative?” She didn’t turn back to look at him. It was easier for her to talk to him if she wasn’t looking at him.
“I know where you were, where your clan was taken.”
She dropped the cup onto the counter and spun around. “How can you know?” She couldn’t even count the many times she’d read through everything there.
“The addresses your mother put on the back of her letter.” He held her look. “I know the city.”
Her heart accelerated. Placing her hand on her chest, she tried to catch her breath. He knew the city, the one she’d run from. The place where all her nightmares were from.
“Leah…” He stood up slowly, “it’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it…”
She side-stepped until she was at the end of the counter. The collar of her shirt seemed too tight, she tugged at it. “I-I,” she tried to swallow, and her throat felt tight, “we,” shaking her head, she backed to the other side of the room. Her skin was crawling, she couldn’t stay in here, the walls were confining her.
Turning, she darted out the door and down the steps. She ran to the back of the house, tearing her shirt over her head as she went. She needed to run. Needed to move. Pausing, she kicked her shoes off quickly, not caring where they went, and then pulled her skirt down and stepped out of it. Shifting before her next breath, she let Minn take over and run full speed into the trees.