Run To Earth (Power of Four) (39 page)

“What are you doing, Aaron?” she asked.

“Chasing chickens,” Aaron panted as he straightened up. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Rose glanced at Kyran. “I see your training’s started up again,” she said to Aaron.

“I’m not sure,” Aaron said. “I think he’s messing with me.”

“Who hurt you so bad you can’t trust?” Kyran called.

“You need something, Rose?” Aaron asked, ignoring Kyran.

Rose held up her basket. “Eggs,” she replied. “We’re making cakes for tonight.”

“Give us ten minutes,” Kyran said, smiling. “He’ll have all the chickens rounded up and put back. He’ll get the eggs for you.”

Aaron groaned and immediately resumed the chase, knowing he had to stay within the ten-minute time limit now. Rose went to sit on the grass and watched Aaron as he scrambled around, trying to catch the chickens but he couldn’t get a grasp on them. She tried to stop the guilty amusement that came at Aaron’s loud exclamations and Kyran’s sarcastic comments.

A low whistle distracted her and she turned to see Ella walking up, grinning at Aaron and Kyran.

“The old chicken routine,” she mused. “Aaron’s not clicked as to what he’s supposed to do, has he?” she asked rhetorically. “Poor idiot.”

“Just out of curiosity,” Rose said, “what exactly should Aaron do?”

“Use his powers,” she said. “What else?”

“Yeah, I kinda got that part,” Rose said. “I meant,
how
does he use his powers to catch the chickens?”

Ella smirked and turned to face the two boys. Cupping her hands to her mouth, she yelled, “For Heaven’s sake, Adams! Tilt the ground, shake it, break it, turn it to mud –
do
something!”

Aaron stopped, red-faced and breathing hard, to stare back at her.

“Hey! Stop giving him clues!” Kyran shouted back. “Let him figure it out for himself!”

Kyran had Aaron’s attention back on the chickens. With a sigh, Ella sat down next to Rose.

“We’ll be here till next year,” she muttered.

“Which is technically only hours away,” Rose replied.

“True,” Ella mused. “Hey, you excited?”

“For the new year?” Rose asked. “Not particularly.”

“How can you not be excited?” Ella asked. “You made it through another year. It’s a cause for celebration.”

Rose shrugged. “That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.”

“It’s the only way of looking at it,” Ella corrected. “When you grow up in a world that’s being ripped apart by a war, you learn to be thankful that you lived through another year.”

Rose didn’t know what to say. She dropped her gaze to the ground. A few minutes passed in silence before they felt the ground tremble a little.

“Finally!” Kyran’s relieved voice sounded. “Ace, try to stay upright yourself, yeah?”

Ella chuckled softly. “Poor Aaron.”

“So,” Rose started. “Is there anything special mages do on New Year’s Eve?”

“There are a few small traditions.” Ella smiled. “Very different from humans.”

Rose frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you humans do that thing?” Ella asked. “Where you kiss the one you love at the stroke of midnight, so you’re ending and starting the year with them?”

Rose looked surprised. “How do you know that?”

“Spent New Year’s in the human realm once. We were hunting vampires,” she explained. “Man, that was a crazy night,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Did you get the vampires?” Rose asked.

“Yeah, but they weren’t the scary part.” She laughed, winking at Rose. “I’m only joking. Truth is, I kinda found all the kissing rather cute.” She stretched out her long legs and sat back, staring ahead. “I wouldn’t mind starting a new year like that, locked in a kiss.” Her eyes stared at something in the distance. “I even have someone in mind.”

Rose followed her look to the two boys next to the coops. She felt her heart drop. “Do you mean...Aaron?” she asked, hopefully.

Ella turned to look at her with a half-disgusted, half-horrified expression.

“What?” she asked. “Are you mad? No, not baby Adams!”

“Baby? He’s only three years younger,” Rose pointed out.

“He’s a lot younger mentally,” Ella said. “I can’t believe you would think...me and...and Aaron?” She shuddered.

Rose felt her mouth go dry. With great effort she spoke, keeping her eyes lowered to the grass. “So, you meant Kyran?”

“What?” Ella shook her head vehemently. “I’m not talking about
Kyran
! You know what? Just forget I said anything.” She scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “Seriously, you thought I was talking about Aaron or Kyran?”

“You were staring in their direction,” Rose said.

“I was just looking ahead,” Ella said. “I didn’t mean Aaron, and
definitely
not Kyran. Jeez!”

“Oh, okay.” Rose smiled. Then, inexplicably, she was annoyed. “What do you mean?” she turned back to Ella. “What’s wrong with Kyran?” she asked defensively.

“Nothing.” Ella shrugged. “Kyran’s nice and all, but he’s not my type.”

Rose snorted. “Right,” she muttered, picking at the grass. “Perfect’s not your type.”

Ella turned to look at Rose with a slow smile. “Oh?” She grinned. “The P-word?” She moved a little closer. “Have a little crush on our Kyran there, have we?”

Rose frowned at her. “What? No, no.” She waved a hand, a little too forcefully for it to be believable. “I just...I mean, come on.” She gestured to Kyran, who was explaining something to Aaron. “You can’t say he’s not good-looking.”

“Oh, I can say that,” Ella replied. “Kyran’s not good-looking. Kyran is freaking
gorgeous.
” She moved behind Rose, staring at Kyran over her shoulder. “Look at him,” she prompted. “With his dark hair and those mesmerising green eyes,” she said in a purposefully low and seductive voice. “Bet he makes you melt with just a look.” She grinned. “And what about that beautifully sculptured face? Those lips – perfectly kissable, no?”

Rose couldn’t help but stare at Kyran. She agreed with Ella, whole-heartedly, but didn’t say anything.

“Those broad shoulders,” Ella continued, teasing Rose. “You could rest your head against those, no problem. Those strong arms could hold you, keep you safe. Not to mention those killer abs...”

“Stop it.” Rose smiled, blushing.

“You know what? You’re right.” Ella grinned, moving to sit facing Rose. “Kyran is strong, talented and very,
very
hot. He’s perfect, as you put it, but take a word of warning.” She craned her head back to glance at Kyran. “When a boy’s
that
perfect,” she smirked, meeting Rose’s eyes, “there’s gotta be something wrong with him.”

***

Night had fallen. Lanterns were lit and floated in the air, rocked by the gentle breeze. The table was currently being set with dish after dish of hot, sizzling food. Mostly everyone was gathered around the table, chatting and laughing. The mood was so great, Aaron forgot all about his disastrous training session with Kyran and those blasted chickens. He sat with Sam, grinning at Ryan’s funny story about his first hunt.

Rose placed the last dish of roasted lamb and glanced around the table. She didn’t find who she was looking for.

“Where’s Kyran?” she asked Aaron, who was almost bent over, laughing at something Ryan had said. Rose had to shake his shoulder. “Aaron? Where’s Kyran?”

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Aaron looked up at her. “Dunno,” he said. “He might still be home.” He turned back to Ryan at once, dissolving into fits of laughter again.

Rose headed to the cottage they shared with Kyran. Sure enough, she saw the soft light coming from the living room window. She walked into the hallway but knocked once on the living room door before opening it. She found Kyran sitting on the sofa, an array of weapons laid out on the coffee table before him. She paused, staring at the blades and the dismantled pistol that Kyran was in the process of putting back together.

“Hey,” she greeted him. “What’re you doing?”

“It’s for Genius out there.” Kyran nodded at the window, but Rose understood he was referring to Aaron. “I’m going to drag him out of bed at the crack of dawn tomorrow and continue his training.” He shook his head. “He’s probably forgotten all the weapons training I gave him.”

Rose smiled. “Give him a break,” she said. “He’s trying.”

“He needs to try harder,” Kyran said. “A
lot
harder. The easy stuff ends with this year. It’s a new year – time for a new, super tough training regime.”

Rose slipped into the chair next to the sofa. “The end of the year,” she said. “Have to say, I never imagined it would end like this.”

Kyran paused, before slowly lowering the gun onto the table. “It’s also the start of another year,” he said. “A new year, a new hope.”

“Yeah.” Rose smiled. “A new hope. I like that.” She looked over at Kyran, studying him. “Do mages have new year resolutions?”

“Sure.” Kyran slid a short dagger into its sheath. “Resolutions are aspirations. Why wouldn’t mages have them?”

Rose leant forward slightly. “What’s your new year resolution?”

“That’s easy.” Kyran slid a magazine into the pistol, and slid back the rack with a resounding click. “Win the war. What’s yours?”

Rose grinned. “Just as important as yours,” she said. “Cook something that’s fairly edible.”

Kyran smiled. “Give yourself some credit,” he said. “You’re not as bad as you think.”

Rose could feel the blush heat her cheeks. “What about you?” she asked. “Anything you’re not good at that you want to improve this year?”

Kyran looked caught off guard. He narrowed his eyes at her. “You mean, like a fault?”

Rose’s heart skipped a beat. “Yeah,” she uttered softly. “What are your faults, Kyran?”

There was a spark of amusement in Kyran’s eyes. “I have too many to list.”

Rose was surprised. “I thought you were going to insist you didn’t have any flaws.”

Kyran shrugged. “What can I say? I’m brutally honest.” He raised an eyebrow. “Can that be termed as a fault?”

“No,” Rose said. “Honesty can’t be a fault.”

Kyran thought for a moment. “I don’t know when to quit and walk away,” he said. “If I think I’m right, I’ll fight to the death to prove it.”

“I have to say,” Rose said, smiling, “that doesn’t sound much like a fault to me.”

“No?” Kyran asked.

“No,” Rose replied.

Kyran smiled. “I’m a mean snorer too.”

“What?” Rose barely held back her laughter. “You snore?”

“Like a bucklebearer.”

“What’s a bucklebearer?” Rose asked.

“You don’t have bucklebearers in your world?” Kyran looked surprised.

Rose shook her head, laughing. “No, but they sound like fun.”

“They are the nosiest little buggers,” Kyran said.

“And you snore like them?” Rose asked.

“You probably snore just as loud,” Kyran said with a grin.

“Hey!” Rose stopped laughing. “
I
don’t snore.”

“How do you know?” Kyran teased. “You’re asleep. Maybe you do.”

“I know I don’t snore,” Rose insisted. “Trust me, Sam would never let me live it down.”

“Sam probably snores too,” Kyran said.

“Why are you so obsessed with snoring?” Rose asked, grinning.

“What? It’s true,” Kyran said. “If you’re asleep, how do you know that you don’t snore?”

“How do you know that you do?” Rose asked. “You’re asleep too.”

“I don’t know,” Kyran replied.

“What?” Rose frowned. “You just said you were a mean snorer?”

“I’m assuming I am,” Kyran replied, “but I’m asleep so I don’t know if I do or don’t. I’m just going with the fact that I probably do.”

Rose dissolved into a fit of giggles. “That’s the craziest assumption I’ve ever heard.”

Kyran watched her for a moment before smiling
. “You have a great laugh,” he said. “You should do it more often.”

A tingle ran through Rose.

“You need to have a reason to laugh,” she said.

“
Not necessarily,” Kyran said.

“You do know what people call others who laugh for no reason?” Rose asked.

“Happy?” Kyran offered.

Rose giggled, shaking her head.

Voices were heard outside, doing the countdown.

“Five...four...three...two...one...”

Several loud bangs went off, accompanied by loud cheery voices shouting, “Happy New Year!”

Rose didn’t even flinch at the sound of gunshots. She was too caught up by the vivid green eyes that were staring at her. At the back of her mind, Ella’s voice echoed,
Don’t you humans do that thing? Where you kiss the one you love at the stroke of midnight, so you’re ending and starting the year with them?