Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) by Machelle Hanleigh (interesting novels to read txt) 📕

She tried to return his smile. She felt something off between them. He was there, but he wasn't. He certainly hadn't responded the way she expected him to, when she admitted to being afraid of her talisman. She wasn't exactly afraid of the stone itself, but what it represented. She had a hard time accepting that she possessed abilities. How was she supposed to learn to control them? She couldn't deny that she did, not after what she did to Moto, but still it seemed so surreal to her, even now. She glanced back at him. He stared at her as if he were trying to memorize everything about her. She wanted to ask him about his feelings for her, talk to him about her feelings for him, and everything else that she and he were leaving unsaid. Instead, she sipped her tea and turned her thoughts inward.

She thought back on what he said about their telepathic connection. If they could just get that connection back, it would make communicating with him so much easier. She could see what he was thinking for sure, and not just react to a perception that she felt which may or may not be reality. He said her mind had shut down at the training room, and that he wasn't the one to close the tie between them. So, if he hadn't been the one to shut his mind to her, did that mean she shut him out? If that was true, how was she going to open her mind to him again? She didn't even know that she was the one to shut down.

She was so lost in thought she didn't notice Moto get up until he was placing a steaming bowl of vegetable stew in front of her. "I should get that."

He shook his head. "I don't mind. It didn't feel right letting you do all the work."

She snickered. "Old habits?"

He shrugged, "something like that. Is there anything else you would like?"

She shook her head, "No, this is good. You?"

He shook his head as well. "No, I'm good." He sat and handed her a spoon.

"Thank you," she accepted the utensil. "Is all this strange to you?"

He glanced around. "A bit. No stranger than my village must have been to you."

"True." She took a bite. The warmth of the broth warmed her insides. It wasn't so cold out as the weather was warming up, but after being in the Kahoali forest it felt cold to her.

"Very good, my compliments."

She blushed. "Thank you." They talked about her life there as they ate, nothing of any import, just stories of growing up and her favorite things about the village she lived in and the people in it. She had always thought of herself as a loner but reliving the stories of her time there with him made her realize how much the people she grew up around meant to her. She had been far more home sick than she realized. He listened patiently to her stories and asked questions here and there, but for the most part he seemed content to listen to her ramble. When they finished, he helped her put the left overs away and clean up. After, she changed into warmer, familiar clothing, and then showed him around the gardens outside and they spent part of the afternoon lounging in a hammock that Mr. Ferguson had strung up for her in the garden. She offered to bring a blanket for him since she didn't have a jacket large enough for him, but he refused saying her warmth pressed against him was enough. She dozed in the hammock and he held her tight as if he would never let her go. It was a perfect afternoon.

The Fergusons, true to their word, stopped by in the evening to spend some time with her. Mrs. Ferguson even went so far as to make some veggie pasties. Kaily probably should have told Moto that they might contain animal by product, but she couldn't bring herself to spoil the effort that Mrs. Fergusons made for him. She consoled herself with the fact that it wasn't the same as eating the flesh of the animal. After they ate, they taught Moto a card game that the three of them often played in the evenings. He caught on well and by the end of the evening even Mr. Ferguson was coming around, sort of, which is to say he wasn't grousing as much at Moto. She wouldn't say that he liked Moto, but it was getting closer, at least she hoped that tolerance was closer to liking. Moto was good natured about it and seemed not to notice.

She and Moto walked them to the door and said their goodbyes. Moto offered to walk them home, but both declined saying they walked the path often enough that they would be fine. Once they left, Kaily closed the door and leaned against it. "You have the most unusual accent when you speak my language."

He picked her up.

She squealed.

"You should talk. You haven't heard your accent when you speak my language." He said.

"Put me down." She said, laughing.

He shook his head and took her to the bedroom. "Where's the light?" He growled into her ear as he entered the room.

Still laughing, she pointed to a switch on the wall by the door. "Put me down, I'll get it." He set her on her feet.

She switched the light on and turned to face Moto. "Do you want a night cap?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Depends what that is?"

"Now, look whose lacking trust." She cringed the moment the words left her mouth. She almost forgot the uneasiness of the morning.

"Touché," he said, mimicking her word from earlier. He sat on the bed and watched her move around her room.

She was grateful that he let it go. The afternoon and evening had been so perfect, she didn't want it to end. She grabbed one of her sleeping t-shirt and shorts, and then went