Conflicted: Keegan's Chronicles

Copyright © 2011 by Julia Crane

By Valknut Press

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment
only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
If you would like to share this book with another person, please
purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for
respecting the hard work of this author.

For my husband who never doubts and always supports
me.

A special thanks to my family for putting up
with me while I write. I would also like to thank Claire Teeter and
Cheryl Bradshaw for their editing skills which make this book
readable. Kadri Umbleja for the wonderful illustration, Christine
DeMaio-Rice for finding the perfect font. Talia Jager one of my
beta readers whose insight is invaluable. Last but not least I
would like to thank Heather Adkins who has been a mentor to me on
this writing journey. Heather beta reads, polishes, and formats;
she has played a huge role in making this book what it is.

Keegan unpacked her things, her mind on the
photos of the weekend she was told she had with Rourk. She wished
she could remember him and the time they spent at the cabin from
before their journey to Ireland, a trip that had changed her life
and erased her memories of him. The two of them looked so happy. So
in love. She picked up the pile of dirty clothes to toss into the
laundry and a piece of paper fell out and drifted to the floor.

She stared at it a moment, an inoffensive
square of paper at rest on the floor. Curious, she reached down and
picked it up, her brow furrowed over her bright blue-green eyes.
She opened it, smoothed the creases, and read:
Keegan, I am sorry I could not spend
your special day with you. I will make it up to you. Forever Yours,
Rourk.

First the pictures and then the note
undeniable proof that she did, at one time, have a relationship
with Rourk.

Keegan sighed and dropped the laundry to the
floor without a thought and then flopped onto her back on the bed.
Her pillow still smelled like her shampoo, despite the fact she’d
been gone for just over a week. The cool October breeze ruffled the
sheer purple curtains at her window, making her shiver. She could
smell the pine trees from the forest. It was good to be home.

A thought struck her, and she leapt to her
feet, rushed to her desk and grabbed her phone. It sat by her bendy
desk lamp, between her camera and a couple of school books. She
scrolled through the list of contacts and was annoyed to find
Rourk's number was not on it. Strange.
Why wouldn't they have texted if they'd
already met?

Before she could talk herself out of it, she
sent her father a text and asked for Rourk’s number.

***

Rourk was miserable.

He hadn’t bothered turning on the lights in
his bedroom before he fell onto the bed, not even taking time to
remove his boots. Her stared at the ceiling with his hands under
his head and thought about Keegan.

The battle in the fight for his kind was
over, but it seemed yet another had just begun. He couldn't accept
the fact that his relationship with his chosen was over before it
began. There was no one else for him. Keegan was the only one.

He had to win her back.

Rourk ran his options through his head and
realized there were only two. He could do nothing and hope Keegan’s
feelings for him would return, or he could take the human route and
try to win her affections. He was not one to sit around and do
nothing, so the choice was obvious: option two.

His phone dinged on the nightstand. He
reached over to grab it and flipped it open. It was a text from
Keegan:
I'm sorry I
don't remember you. I was looking at my photos, and it looks like
we had a gr8 weekend.

Rourk sat up in bed and stared at the screen
that held her message. His heart beat just a bit faster. He wracked
his brain for the right words. The fact she had reached out to him
first gave him hope.

He texted back:
It was the best weekend of my life. Would
you like to go on a date this weekend?

Her response was almost instantaneous.
A date? What did you
have in mind?

Rourk dropped his phone to the bed and
groaned, shoving both hands through his hair as he stood. He
glanced around his room and hoped for sudden inspiration to hit
while he thought of something to say that didn't sound lame. He
paced a couple steps, and hated how awkward he felt. It had been
much easier when the bond was there and no thought was required.
But he knew anything worthwhile took effort, and Keegan was worth
it.

He paced back and forth three times in his
small bedroom before he picked up his phone and tapped out his
response:
I know
it's not original, but how does dinner and a movie
sound?

Almost as soon as it left his screen, she
answered:
GR8 :
)

I'll pick you up Friday at 6. Goodnight
.

Night,
Keegan wrote.

Texting would take some getting used to.
Rourk wondered how she texted so much and so fast. Before the great
battle, when he watched Keegan to keep her safe, she was always
attached to her phone. In his opinion, picking up the phone and
having an actual conversation would be easier.
The things you do for love
, he
thought, and grinned.

He could do this. After all, he was a fierce
battle warrior.

***

Back in her room, Keegan laid her phone down
with a smile.

This could be fun; after all, he was
cute.

It was strange for her to go back to school
after so much had happened. She had battled and she had
died!
How does a girl go
back to normal after that?

Keegan walked through the front doors of the
school—it felt surreal. Her classmates mingled at their lockers.
They chatted and laughed like average students, and Keegan felt
disconnected. She was almost positive they’d never taken part in a
battle, watched men and women die in the fight for their race or
killed others to save themselves.

Keegan’s brother, Thaddeus, had filled her
in on the outcome of the battle, so she was aware now that many of
her friends were also creatures of the light. They weren’t elves,
but they weren't human either. She wasn't sure if she felt relieved
by that fact or upset. Before she thought she was the only special
one among all the humans.

Walking down the fluorescent-lit hall,
Keegan felt like everyone’s eyes were on her, but she convinced
herself it was all in her head. She smoothed her auburn hair and
tugged at the hem of her school skirt. When she got to her locker,
she was happy to see things looked like they always did, and for
the first time since she arrived at school, she felt like
herself.

Lauren, Anna, and Katie were gathered by her
locker, books in hand while they gossiped, and the boys messed
around next to them, like usual. Keegan couldn't help but steal a
glance at Donald when she walked by, and noticed his eyes were on
her as well. They both laughed and looked away, and Keegan’s face
flushed. Was it just her imagination or had he gotten even hotter
since she saw him last? He was tall and lean with a runners build,
and his orange hair was just so cute. It stood up all over the
place. The craziness was punctuated by the fact his white Oxford
shirt wasn’t buttoned right. His eyes were a wild shade of blue.
What am I
thinking?
She thought to herself.
Forget about Donald, he's not even
interested in you.

Keegan managed to run late for school. No
sooner than she had opened her mouth to greet her friends, the bell
rang to signal the start of classes. “We’ll talk later,” Anna told
her. Keegan pouted, but she’d just have to wait. Her best friend
rocked her individuality with a purple and lime green striped scarf
over her school sweater, and white tights. Her pretty, oval face
was perfect, and shimmered with lavender eye shadow and pale pink
lip gloss, her cat-like eyes lined with silver. Keegan leaned in to
give her a quick hug before she strolled off to class.

Lauren squeezed Keegan’s arm. “It’s good to
see you.” Keegan noticed her friend had gotten her long, dark hair
cut; not much, but noticeable enough that her curls landed a little
higher on her torso. She was in her cheerleading uniform, her long
legs still tanned from the summer. “We’ll meet you at lunch,”
Lauren said. Katie gave Keegan a shy wave and they headed away.

Homeroom passed in a blur. Mrs. Harris had
to repeat her name three times at the start of class during
attendance. The student seated next to her, a slight girl with
mocha-colored skin and huge, dark eyes, had to elbow Keegan to wake
her from her thoughts.

Donald cornered her in the hall before first
period so they could talk in private. "I never got a chance to
thank you for saving my life," he said. He looked down while he
spoke and scuffed the floor with the toe of one of his Chucks.

"It was my mother that really saved you,”
Keegan shrugged. “I was just the foolish one to rush into the
middle of a battlefield."

His incredible blue eyes moved to hers. "So
you really died, huh? What was that like? Did you see the other
side? Do you feel different now that you are back in our
world?"

They were the questions she knew everyone
wanted to ask, but didn't dare.

"I don't recall it at all,” Keegan told him.
“I know that’s not the exciting answer everyone would like to hear,
but if I hadn’t been told I died, I would have never known. I do
feel a little different. My body temperature seems lower now, and
I’m always cold. And I guess my bond to my chosen has been broken.
Other than that I feel like the same old Keegan."

Donald stepped back, his eyes widened.
Did he just hear
right? The bond was broken?
All of the sudden his palms felt
sweaty. He didn't even trust himself to speak.

Keegan frowned. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“You don't look so well.”

"Sorry, I need to go. I'm glad you are
alive, and thanks again for saving my life." He stumbled away.

Donald shoved his hands in his pockets, his
eyes focused on the dirty linoleum floor while he hurried down the
hall. He’d dreamed of this moment; a chance with Keegan. Yet, when
it stared him in the face he ran away like a scared, lovesick
loser.
Real smooth,
Donald.

Chemistry class went by slow and Keegan sat
and watched the second hand go round and round. She wondered what
in the world had gotten into Donald. Usually, Chemistry was her
favorite class, but she just felt antsy today—there was so much on
her mind. She needed to catch up with Anna and Lauren because it
seemed like forever since they last talked to each other. They
always sat together at lunch and she was eager to reach them. After
she suffered through a boring history lecture, it was finally lunch
time.

She ran for her locker to get rid of her
books and slammed into Spencer and Sam in the hallway. “Whoa, slow
down Keegan. I feel like I’ve been hit by a bulldozer.” Spencer
rubbed his shoulder. He was a skinny guy whose long limbs made him
seem tall, with a head full of black hair and bright green eyes,
which he crossed at her. Sam, a good-looking blonde, laughed.

"Hey guys, I can't talk right now, I’m in a
hurry,” she told them. She waved and dashed off once more.

They watched her sprint toward her locker
down the hallway while other students parted to make way. Spencer
and Sam glanced at each other and shook their heads.

Once at her locker, Keegan waited for Anna
and Lauren. She drummed her fingers on the beige metal and looked
at her watch.
Where
were they?

Anna got there first. She gave Keegan a
cheesy grin when she walked up.

"Oh thank God, I didn't think you were ever
going to show up," Keegan said with a sigh. She leaned against her
locker wearily.

Anna looked at Keegan like she was crazy and
responded, "I got here as soon as I could; the bell just rang.
Chill out.”

Lauren sauntered down the hall a second
later. Anna and Keegan laughed at all the guys who turned to stare
at her legs when she walked by. Lauren shook her hips in a
deliberate manner and smiled at the girls. She loved the
attention.

"Let's go outside to eat so we can catch up
in private," Keegan said. She grabbed them by the arms and pulled
them toward the door.