Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Eira … Eira?”
Again, her name being called lulled her out of her nightmare.
“You had another one again, didn’t you?” Ryu asked, taking a deep breath.
Now that the sun had gone down, she only knew it was Ryu because she had committed his voice to memory. It took her a moment to be able to see him, and once she did, she could read the growing worry on his features because she was dreaming these dreams that weren’t hers. Seeing the guilt, knowing he had caused it, hurt her heart that had already been won by him. Thankfully, the rest of his appearance gave her a chance to change the subject seamlessly.
“Why are you filthy?”
“I did some outside work for your grandmother.”
By the look of him and his clothes covered in dirt, she didn’t doubt it. Eira could only imagine the work his grandmother had put him to. She had been asking Grandfather to do some work on the outside of the house for years now.
Taking the hot tea he held out to her, she looked down at the gross steamy liquid. “How do you feel? Are you sick?” she asked, maybe a bit too hopefully.
Ryu laughed, his tenseness from her dreams finally easing up. “No, I don’t get sick.”
“What do you mean, you don’t get sick?” she asked, taking the cup away from her mouth and stopping before the liquid had hit her lips.
“I’ve just never been sick.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.
“Never been sick?” she reiterated in disbelief. “How does that even happen?”
Ryu smiled. “Magic.”
9
Who’s Kenji?
“Eira, you’re still sick. Get back in bed.”
She slumped down on the kitchen table in defeat. She was so tired but couldn’t stand her bed for another second. “Please, no.”
“Look at you; you look like crap.”
Gee, thanks. One thing about her grandmother … she was way too honest at times.
“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” she continued.
“I—ahchoo—couldn’t after sleeping all day!” Eira snapped, a bit from irritableness, and the sneeze didn’t help. Truth was, she couldn’t after that last dream she had about the man with those blue-green eyes. He was different than the first man she had dreamed about. That one had, for some reason, reminded her of the devil, like he dripped pure evil out of every pore and was just a straight-up psychopath with a knife. But this new one … was different altogether. He looked almost perfectly normal, alluring even, and definitely too handsome for his own good. It was like you wouldn’t recognize he was crazy unless he had a reason to show you. Those were the truly scary ones, because you’d go out of your way to cross to the opposite side of the street so you wouldn’t cross paths with the first one, but the one with the weird-colored eyes, you’d walk right past him and hope you caught his attention. That and the fact he beat a man in cold blood with a bat was what made him so dangerous.
It also felt as if she strangely knew him, or maybe he just reminded her of someone … She just didn’t know who or why she was having someone else’s dreams.
“Please don’t make me go back to that room. I just need …” Eira didn’t know what to say to get out of returning to her room, afraid that the next time she accidentally fell asleep, her dreams would be worse. “I need …”
“Some fresh air?” Ryu suggested, entering the room.
“Yes, some fresh air would be nice,” she agreed, grateful for the suggestion. And if she hadn’t been so grateful, she’d ask why the hell he was still here.
Grandmother shook her head, looking at the state of her, which made her only feel weirdly self-conscious in front of Ryu. “No, you need rest.”
Eira abruptly stood, ready to storm out.
“I think some fresh air might be what she needs. It’s sunny, and some vitamin D would do her some good. I can go with her and make sure she’s back soon.”
Grandmother thought about Ryu’s offer for a few moments. “Fine. You can walk to the market and get more root for your sleepy tea that I will be making for you as soon as you get back,” she scolded.
Already? Either Kenji really had been stingy this time, so she’d come back, or Grandmother had been putting it in her medicinal tea.
“Thanks, Grandma.” She picked up her tote off the counter, feeling better already to be released from the confines of the house.
She was almost out of the kitchen when her grandmother opened her too large mouth.
“And tell Kenji I said hello.”
It wasn’t necessarily what she’d said but how she’d said it. Her tone and smile felt awfully mischievous. There was something there that Ryu undoubtedly picked up on.
“Who’s Kenji?”
Ryu’s question appeared totally harmless as he led on to be cool, calm, and collected, but for some reason, she could feel the heat beginning to radiate underneath his skin. It was like a fire had suddenly been set ablaze in the room, and all Eira wanted to do was run from it.