Horse Stone (Book 1 of Ilyrian Series)

Chapter 40

"Hey, Serena," I said when I stepped into her office, knocking on the door. I smiled at the female at her desk, watching me with eyes filled with worry. "Is it still ok for me to change in here?"

Serena nodded. "Yes," she replied. "It is." She stood and cleared her throat before she shifted on her feet. "Ummmm...." She trailed off and cleared her throat again. Serena looked uncomfortable for some reason, as if she had no idea what she was doing but wanted to do it anyway.

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I studied the female before me. "What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Is it ok if I gave you a hug?" she asked. "Adrian contacted me and told me what had happened..." Her eyes went wide when she caught me wide eyes, and her cheeks turned red. "He didn't tell me everything," she blurted out. "He just told me to keep an eye on you and make sure that you didn't do anything stupid."

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again. I had a feeling that he told her something else, but I didn't know if I wanted to know or not.

"He told me that the Headmaster had scared you again."

"How many did he tell?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt very worried about the Headmaster for some reason, even though he had been nothing but rude to me.

"Not that many," she replied. "He didn't tell Anthony if that is who you are worried about."

I hesitated but nodded, feeling relieved that Adrian didn't tell him. "He'll kill him," I said, knowing full well that Dr. Wilson would kill him if he found out that the Headmaster continued to harass me even after his warning.

Serena shrugged, and I could tell that she was nonchalant about what happened to the Headmaster or not. "Or curse him," she replied. "He has done that before."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head. "Why?" I asked, and she smiled apologetically and shook her head.

"Can't tell you," she replied. "But, can I give you that hug?" She gave me a look that told me not to push it, and I had a feeling that it would be in my best interest not to push her.

I bit back a sigh and nodded, knowing that I should drop the subject because she was still under the king's order to watch out for me. "Ok," I whispered. I licked my lips and cleared my throat. "You... can give me a hug."

Serena nodded, and she stood and walked over to me. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. She placed a kiss on the side of my head, and a shiver went down my spine when magic filled my body.

I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her the crook between her neck and shoulder. Comfort filled my body, and a lump appeared in my throat because it had been so long that someone outside of my family hugged me, and I forgot how much I liked it before him.

"Don't tell anyone that I did something to you. Ok?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I won't be able to tell you what I have done, but I am sure that you'll be able to figure it out. You are a very smart female, smarter than your father had thought would be possible.

The lump again appeared in my throat, and I nodded while I cleared it, hoping that it wouldn't appear for a second time. "Ok," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I will not tell anyone that you had done something to me."

Serena didn't say a word and squeezed me tighter.

"Thank you," I whispered. "For everything."

Again, Serena didn't say a word but smiled. She rubbed my back and gave me the comfort that I needed, that I craved. She silently promised me that she would watch over me in anything that I did, making sure that I stayed safe during these changes that I was experiencing with my life.

***

Vanar had his head over the fence when I made my way to him. His ears were pricked, and he whickered. "Well, it took you long enough to get here," he said. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Had to change," I replied. I walked to the fence, near but not near him, and stopped, not entering his pasture until he allowed me to. "What else would I be doing?" I leaned against the fence and turned my head so that I stared at the stallion before me.

Vanar huffed and walked closer to me. He rested his head near my arm and stared at me with his big brown eyes that were filled with knowledge and annoyance. "I don't know," he said sarcastically. "That is why I am asking you."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "I was hugging Serena. Is that a crime?" I asked, becoming a little sarcastic, and he snorted and rolled his eyes. "That is why I was "late" coming over here. I was getting some comfort."

He huffed again and moved his head until I could feel his breath on my shoulder. "Comfort from what?" he asked. "What are you hiding?"

I bit my lip and turned my head until I wasn't looking at him. I didn't reply about what I was hiding because I was hiding a lot from him and my father. I couldn't tell them. I couldn't tell them what had happened to me and why I was so quiet.

Vanar huffed and nuzzled my head. "You know that you can tell me anything, right?" He flicked his tail and snorted. "We're supposed to work together, unfortunately."

I closed my eyes, and my bottom lip quivered. I had no idea if Vanar cared about me or not, and it hurt. I knew that we would have to work together, but I didn't know if I wanted to work with someone that would put me down farther than I was.

I had to keep strong and keep strong for my family and the world that I was slowly going to learn about. I couldn't break. I couldn't allow myself to break because I knew that something bad would happen if I did.

If that meant not telling Vanar or anyone how I was feeling, then I wasn't going to do it. I'll slowly die on the inside before I tell someone what was going on with my mind.

No one could change that, not even Vanar.