Chapter Twelve
Kaspyn watched as Oz departed through the shrubbery, disappearing from view a moment later, while the human Brant moved off in the opposite direction.
She approached the porch that Thrasher and Tony stood on. “I have never met a Bracadyte with human blood in his veins. How odd.”
“Actually, what you just met was a human with Bracadyte blood in his veins,” Thrasher corrected. “And I don’t see anything odd about it all. A person’s bloodline or skin color doesn’t define who they are, Kaspyn. We all bleed red.”
Kaspyn couldn’t seem to look away from Thrasher’s eyes even though they were covered by those dreaded mirrored lenses. If she understood him correctly, he’d just suggested that humans and Bracadytes were the same inside. Which was utter nonsense. Wasn’t it? “Humans are everything that is wrong in the world, Thrasher. They maim, kill, and destroy everything they touch. That is not the Bracadyte way.”
“Really?” Thrasher shot back. “If not for the king’s intervention, I imagine that you and Zyen would have my head on a spike to take back to your father in celebration of my demise. You’re a hypocrite.”
Thrasher’s words hurt more than Kaspyn wanted to admit. She lifted her chin, not about to back down. “You are probably right about that. And had you not met the Bracadytes and come to know them, I would say the same about you. Only your people wouldn’t take my head until after you had a go at my body.”
“Whoa,” Tony interjected, dropping his bag onto the porch and holding up his hands. “Look, Kaspyn. There’s obviously fault to be found on both sides here. But change has to start somewhere. It’s already begun in Aukrabah as well as in the states. If we can learn to put our differences aside for the good of man and Bracadyte, then I think you should too.”
Kaspyn studied the human known as Vaughn, felt the sincerity in his words. “Perhaps you are correct, Anthony Vaughn. I will endeavor to put my feelings aside for the time being. As for the future of our two races living in peace, I suppose that only time will tell.” With that, she turned and strode off toward the dwelling Oz had pointed out.
It took everything Kaspyn had not to glance back to gauge Thrasher’s reaction to her words. Truth be told, she was more curious about his response than anyone else’s. Although, she couldn’t imagine why.
She could feel Thrasher’s gaze boring into her back as she bypassed the walkway and traipsed through the shrubs to her dwelling.
Pyre followed close behind. “Do you think there is any merit to the human’s words?”
Kaspyn paused at the foot of the porch with her foot on the bottom step. “Of course not. But we are here at Klause’s request. Which means that we must work side by side with the humans to destroy the land walker known as Reuben Howell. Once that has been accomplished, I hope to never see another human as long as I live.”
Something about her words sounded empty to her own ears.
“I have been taught to hate the land walker from birth,” Pyre began. “But something about Thrasher does not seem so bad. I sense a strength and character in him that I would not have thought a human could possess.”
Kaspyn had sensed it too. “Go rest, Pyre. I will see you at sundown.”
Pyre hesitated. “Are you certain that you feel safe by yourself? I can stay out here to be sure you are not disturbed.”
“I will be fine. Oz does not strike me as the type who would allow his mate to be in danger. And from what I hear, she is resting up only two dwellings down.”Kaspyn glanced over her shoulder. “Open your senses, Pyre. Can you not feel the eyes upon you? We are being watched from the trees. This is a good location with the water in front of us. The only way to reach us is through those trees behind us. I am sure there is a road into here as well, and I have no doubt that it is heavily guarded.”
Pyre nodded. “You are right. I will leave you to rest then.”
Once Pyre turned to leave, Kaspyn climbed the steps and entered the small bungalow.
Her gaze swept over the place, taking in the floral furnishings and the large television hanging on the wall. She loved the human television and would miss it when she returned home.
That wasn’t all she would miss, her mind whispered against her will.
Shaking off her unwanted thoughts, Kaspyn ventured into the bedroom before stepping into a bathroom far more luxurious than the one on the yacht.
Mindful of being burned, she turned on the water, plugged the drain, and poured some sweet-scented liquid into the tub.
She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, noticing the tangled mess of her hair.
A knock sounded, throwing Kaspyn’s senses on alert.
She inched her way to the front door, careful not to make a sound.
“Princess Kaspyn? My name is Carmen. Oz sent me.”
Kaspyn opened the door to find a young, dark-skinned human standing on the porch, smiling and holding a bag in her hands.
“What do you want?”
The girl’s smile faltered. “I was told to bring you some things and to assist you in whatever you need.”
Kaspyn narrowed her eyes, unsure of whether to trust the tiny land walker. “Come inside.”
The second Carmen stepped over the threshold, Kaspyn had her in her clutches. She gripped the young human’s head in her hands and opened her mind.
Kaspyn immediately saw an older man holding a strap in his hands while he lashed the young girl’s back. A female’s tears as she held a baby’s in her arms. Several male faces with lust in their eyes. Carmen’s fear, her desolation…her pain. Oz with an attractive woman by his side. A little girl’s hunger, finally filled. Happiness, devastation, and peace all melded together, slamming into Kaspyn at once, but none of them hinted at trickery.
Kaspyn pulled from Carmen’s mind, trying to piece together the scenes she’d witnessed there. The girl had been abused by someone she knew well. “You may sit.”
Closing the door, Kaspyn gestured toward the bag. “What is it that you have there?”
Carmen’s smile returned, but her eyes remained leery. Kaspyn supposed she would be a bit leery also if someone twice her size had accosted her the way she had Carmen.
“Some clothes, a brush, toothbrush, perfume, and—“
“Perfume?” Kaspyn interrupted. “What means perfume?”
Carmen’s shoulders relaxed. “Here, I’ll show you.”
Setting the bag on the table in front of the couch, Carmen pulled out a small bottle filled with liquid. “Hold out your hand.”
Kaspyn did as instructed, watching as the girl pushed the gold tip and a cool liquid sprayed along Kaspyn’s wrist.
And then the most amazing scent filled the air.
“Magic,” Kaspyn whispered, realizing her eyes were probably as big as sand dollars.
Carmen chuckled. “It’s not magic. It’s perfume. You put it on your pulse points after you get out of the shower.
Kaspyn started at the mention of shower. She’d left the water running in the tub.
Rushing to the bathroom, Kaspyn turned off the faucet, grateful the water hadn’t run over and wet the floor.
“Is everything all right?” Carmen called from the bedroom.
Kaspyn pushed open the bathroom door and waved the little human inside. “I am going to bathe. You may sit over there.” She indicated towards the toilet.
Once Kaspyn had undressed, she stepped over into the bath, noticing Carmen’s blush. “It offends you to see me naked?”
“Oh no,” Carmen assured her. “I’ve just never seen anyone without um…hair on their body.”
Kaspyn frowned. “We have hair on our bodies.”
Carmen turned another shade of pink. “That’s not what I meant. It doesn’t matter.”
Going about the business of washing her hair, Kaspyn kept an eye on the human female, wondering about her lack of hair comment.
Kaspyn finished her bath, grabbed a towel hanging from a rack and stepped from the tub.
“Oz’s mate, Maria, sent you some clothes to wear. I hope they fit.”
“I have clothes to wear,” Kaspyn argued, nodding toward her sharkskin vest and shorts.
Carmen slowly got to her feet and began pulling some items from the bag she held. She laid a pink top and matching bottoms on the counter next to the sink. “Maria thought this would be more comfortable, and it would also give you a chance to wash your own clothes if you so desire.”
Kaspyn grudgingly plucked up the top, drawn to the beautiful color of the material. “I suppose it would do no harm to wear them for a day.”
“It’s called a running suit,” Carmen advised her. “It was the only thing Maria had that would fall beyond your knees. How tall are you, anyway?”
Surprised by the human’s question, Kaspyn countered with one of her own. “How tall are you?”
“Five feet one.”
Kaspyn laughed, something she hadn’t done in a long time. “My, but you are a small one. I am six feet six inches tall.”
Carmen’s mouth fell open. “Hollywood would kill to have you.”
“I do not know this Hollywood, but he would have to kill me before he could have me.”
It was Carmen’s turn to laugh. “Hollywood is a place, not a person.”
Once Kaspyn had the running suit on, she turned to face the human. “It is rather comfortable.”
Carmen smiled. “Good. Now, if you’ll sit here, I will fix you right up.”
“Fix me right up?” Kaspyn traded places with the tiny land walker and took a seat on the toilet lid.
“You just close your eyes and relax. I will work my magic.”
Kaspyn narrowed her eyes. She’d known the female possessed some sort of magic.
“It’s a figure of speech,” Carmen assured her. “I’m only going to enhance your natural beauty.”
For some reason, Kaspyn trusted Carmen. She’d seen into her mind, experienced the hardships the girl had survived in her young life. There had been no malice in her heart, no evil lurking inside. Yeah, Kaspyn kind of liked her. Kind of.