Druidess Found (Druidess Trilogy Book 1) Machelle Hanleigh (best ebook reader under 100 .TXT) 📖

Why did he ask her to stay? What had been the point? Sorrow overwhelmed her and anger followed the sorrow. She felt the anger rise from within the center of her soul. It started as warmth that spread throughout her entire body. As it spread the warmth increased until it became a white-hot anger which consumed her sorrow. The tears ceased. She pushed herself up, so she sat on her heels. She wiped the last of the tears away and looked around. Night fell and there was very little to see in the clearing. There was faint glow from the planet she knew was in the sky, but the canopy overhead prevented her from seeing the planet itself.

Anger continued to grow until it became a living thing moving through her veins. She felt as if her blood boiled. She had never been so angry in all her life. She had been a fool. He made a fool of her. Why? She possessed no answers. Nothing made sense to her. Why hadn't Shimani warned her? The three of them, Moto, Shimani and Sari, welcomed her, and all the while they knew Sari and Moto were meant for each other. Was she naive? Kaily closed her eyes and pushed off the ground to stand in the middle of the clearing.

She turned in a slow circle. She had been a fool. She had never let anyone get close to her the way she let him get close to her. She didn't want anyone the way she wanted him. Curse him to hell and back, she thought. She stopped turning and stared into the darkness. She stood still for a long time in the center of the clearing. The time passed without notice. Time no longer meant anything to her. She looked out into the forest, but she saw nothing. Her surroundings were no longer in focus. All she could see was her life in turmoil. She burned from the inside out. Anger, her companion now, slowly turned to rage. Her tears were long dried up. She would spare no more sorrow for him in her heart. The heat of rage increased. She knew she was going to be consumed by it and she didn't care. She held her arms up and screamed. Everything which happened to her from the time she stumbled through the doorway to wake up on Ki surfaced. She continued to scream as the rage burning inside her flowed outward with her screams. She felt the exact moment the rage broke free from deep inside her. It was as if her rage were a living beast flowing outward to encompass her, and then nothing. Blackness consumed her, and she collapsed in a heap on the ground beneath her feet.

Chapter Fifteen

 

Moto sat in silence next to Sari. The ceremony finished. The feasting and celebrating began. From the looks of things, the celebrating would not wind down any time soon. As the guests of honor, he and Sari, were given a sturdy two-person cushioned seat in the same tent where the Queen performed the bonding ceremony. There was a low table on Sari's side covered with food and drink for them both. Ceremonies, such as this one, were one of the rare occasions where the males and females ate together. Since they were newly bonded, and the reason for the time of celebration, they were served first, and given their own tent from which to enjoy the festivities. Moto was glad for the privacy, with one exception. Niele sat on Sari's lap, but he didn't mind.

He smiled at the child. Niele returned his smile. She was a happy child, and very fond of Sari. Sari adored her. If he didn't know better, he would think the child belonged to her. The two of them were inseparable when Sari was not away from her village. Niele lived in Sari's village and was the youngest and only child in the village. Fortunately, the villagers were birthing children again, but it was slow going. None of the villages were overrun with children. Nonetheless, all the other villages had more than one child. Niele being the only child in a village made her a bit spoiled, not in a bad way, but still she got her way more than not. She was a loving, caring child, and always happy. She brightened everyone's day. Moto, for one, was grateful for her presence, and innocent joy. Truth, he adored the child as much as Sari. She was a welcomed distraction from the turmoil inside him and the celebration that surrounded them. It should have been a happy occasion, but it wasn't.

He didn't know when Kaily left. He kept his mind closed to her and focused on not feeling her emotions or presence. Perhaps it'd been selfish of him to close her out, but he couldn't afford to react to her in any way that would worsen her position with the Queen, not that it could get worse. Kaily would be sent to Celtan, the Druid home world, at dawn. If that happened, he would be powerless to protect her from the cursed Druids. He silently cursed his failure to protect her. He failed her, plain and simple. Too many 'should of' scenarios in regard to Kaily passed through his mind. He thought about the events leading up to the present circumstance too many times. He couldn't see where he made any right decisions and she would suffer for his choices.

"You're frowning again," Sari whispered in his ear.

Moto attempted to smile at Sari and relax his facial expression.

Niele jumped from Sari's lap to his and reached up to touch his furrowed brow.

Moto let out a sigh and gave the child a hug. She was too perceptive for her own good, even at her tender age of three. "Do you think you could find us one of those fruits that Sari likes so much?" He asked, setting the child on the ground.

Niele nodded, and dashed off towards the