Horse Stone (Book 1 of Ilyrian Series)

Chapter 81

My sister grew relaxed when I entered the car, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "You took too long," she said, and I dipped my head in apology and mumbled, "sorry." "I thought something happened to you..." She trailed off when she saw the Headmaster at the door and pressed her lips into a thin line while she looked at me. "Did he hurt you?" she asked in a tone that sounded so much like our father that I had to do a double take just to make sure that I had called my sister instead of him.

I shook my head, no, and she kept staring at me with lips pressed into a thin line. "He hadn't said anything rude to me during the time we were together," I said, which was the truth because he hadn't.

"Hmmmm," Dani replied, and I could tell that she didn't believe me. She started the car again and started to drive off somewhere, but I didn't relax just yet because we were still close to the building, and I knew that I could see Ethan if he decided to show up.

"He didn't," I said again, not knowing why I was defending him so much when all he had been was rude to me. "He wasn't rude to me, which was weird, to be honest." I made a small face, praying that Dani would relax and get away from the subject.

Dani slowly nodded and relaxed a bit more. "If he ever does become rude to you, then let me know. I'll teach him a lesson or two." She tapped her finger against the steering wheel, and I could feel this small bit of magic that I hadn't felt before coming off of her.

I gave her a small weird look before I again looked out the window. I watched the school grow smaller and smaller the further we left, and I slowly grew more relaxed because it meant that I was safe.

Well, as safe as I could be with a male that could be out to kill me because of who I was and what I meant to a place that I had never stepped foot on.

There was a bit of shuffling in the back and then something touched my arm, so I jumped with a loud shriek of fright while I twisted that way, my heart leaping into my throat while panic started to set in. I flung my arm back and shoved whatever had touched me away from me, not knowing what it was.

Dani flinched in fright and swerved the steering wheel. She muttered a soft curse under her breath while she parked the car after she brought it under control and stared at me. "Really?" she asked. "What was that for, Hadley Rose? You could have gotten us killed!"

"Something touched me," I said and looked in the back, trying to see what had touched me but couldn't. My heart was beating hard in my chest, and it took all of my self-control not to burst into tears and go into a blind panic. "Something touched my elbow, and I-I don't know what it was."

Dani groaned and rolled her eyes while she relaxed as if she knew what had touched me. "It was Tig," she soothed and touched my arm. She didn't retreat when I flinched and rubbed my arm while I tried to calm my beating heart. "She heard our conversation and wouldn't let me leave without her."

"Ya, and I am a talking horse," I said, sarcastically because I had no idea if what she said was true or not. I kept my guard up while I kept looking for the thing that touched me, but I couldn't. "How would Tig have heard your conversation?"

Dani sighed and shook her head, pitying me. "Tig, come out from under the seat," she said, not answering my question. "You are safe. I thought I told you to stay in the front seat so that she wouldn't jump."

There was a slight growl before there was movement again, and sure enough, Tig poked her head out from under the driver's seat. She had her ears pressed to the side of her head, and she looked at me unimpressed about being thrown into the back seat.

I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, even though my heart still pounded hard in my chest. "I'm sorry, Kitty," I said and wiggled a few fingers to urge her to come towards me again. "I didn't mean to elbow you into the back seat. Come here."

"Mrow," Tig said, showing her dissatisfaction, but like I had hoped, she hopped onto the arm rest in the middle and then walked onto my lip while I sat down correctly. She lay down and purred, and my breathing slowly grew normal again.

I breathed a sigh of relief and scratched her behind her ear, happy that one of my protectors was with me. I stayed silent and stared at this cat, not paying attention to anything but her because she was what I needed at the moment.

Dani stayed silent and started to drive the car again. She didn't say a word to me while I petted my cat, relaxing in a way that only she was able to get me to relax.

Finally, after a few minutes of me petting my cat, she cleared her throat, and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Her whole body was tense again while she looked at the road, and her knuckles were slowly turning white. "Did Ethan talk to you?" she asked, and I stopped scratching Tig because I didn't think Dani would be that direct with me.

"Mrow," Tig said, dissatisfied and nipped at my fingers. She huffed and rubbed her face on my hand, and I slowly started to pet her again.

I shook my head, no. "He didn't," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm scared that he'll talk to someone else, though," I said. Especially to Izzy, I added silently while I kept petting my cat.

My other hand started to shake while I grew nervous for my twin, praying that both Inen and the Headmaster would make sure that she stayed away from him and stayed safe. I didn't want her to go through what I did, to fall in love with a monster that wore sheep's clothing in disguise.

Tig moved her body until she covered my other hand and continued to purr. This purr was different from the others, and I slowly started to relax again while that thought left my mind.

Dani glanced at us from the corner of her eye. She didn't say a word, and I had a feeling that Tigra said something to her because my sister slowly nodded and looked back at the road.

"Where are we going?" I asked, changing the subject and praying that she would do the same and change it with me. "Are we going home?" I asked, dreading about going home so early again because I knew that my father would have questions about why I didn't call him and called Dani instead.

Dani shook her head, no. "And I'm not telling you where we are going," she said. She flashed me a small smirk, but that didn't hide the worry in her eyes. "It's a surprise, and I know that you will like it."

I huffed and leaned my head against the glass window, knowing better than to push her. I knew that she wouldn't answer my questions and prayed that it wouldn't be something bad.

Instead, I closed my eyes and started to doze a bit because I felt exhausted about my whole experience with seeing Ethan and talking with the Headmaster about a past that was slowly molding with my future and becoming one again.

I just hoped that I didn't lose myself again because I knew that the next time that happened, then I didn't think I would survive...