Guardian of the Storm Read Online Free PDF

surface for a few moments and finally returned to the fire, settling on the opposite side from him and staring into the flames.
    She hadn’t fully appreciated the stupidity of following Kiran off until now and wondered what had possessed her to act without fully considering the matter. Her parents had often chided her for being impulsive, but she had learned better, or thought she had, in the time she had been alone, knowing her situation was so precarious that she couldn’t afford to act without thinking everything through very carefully if she wanted to stay alive.
    “I was … surprised, but grateful, that you were able to chase the grat off. This is strange. Ordinarily, they will turn and attack in such a situation.”
    Tempest merely shrugged. “Surprised me, too, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do.”
    “Perhaps the grat sensed that you were as ferocious?”
    He smiled when he said it and she realized he was trying to lessen her sense of discomfort. As much as she appreciated the effort, however, it didn’t particularly make her feel better. She had encroached when she had no right to, made demands by following him off when she’d had no business doing so, and he’d slapped her hands. It would have been easier if she could’ve just disliked him and felt that it was her decision to leave and go back, if she could have blamed him for being a hateful bastard, instead of having to accept the fault as her own. “I should have bashed its head in,” she said, willing to focus her anger on the animal.
    Kiran frowned. “I am glad you did not. It was a young cat, and most likely starved to desperation or it would not have attacked.”
    Tempest immediately felt diminished in his eyes. She shrugged, trying to thrust the sense away, but felt a sudden empathy for the creature that had frightened her and pity as she realized that it had seemed terribly thin. She had never seen one of the animals at such close range. She supposed it might be the thick pelt of orange-red fur that ordinarily gave them the appearance of being fat and round. This one had had more of the look of an earth fox than a cat, though, and a hungry one at that, and she couldn’t picture it as appearing fat and round even at a distance.
    The poor thing! It must have been hungry to take on something as big as Kiran.
    Now that she thought about it, it was strange that the animal had run right past her and focused on Kiran. Maybe, though, that had been because he was kneeling by the pool and had appeared smaller at that moment?
    “I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier,” she said, studying her toes instead of looking at him. “I think I will go back.”
    He frowned. “You said that you could not find your way.”
    Tempest shrugged, but refused to meet his eyes. “I lied,” she lied. “Nothing to it, really.” Not that she had any intention of going back. Regardless of what Kiran had said about this place, it was much better than the watering hole where she’d been, and she thought she might survive far better here.
    “It will be best if I take you.”
    “Not for you. And I don’t need your help,” Tempest said, keeping her voice carefully neutral with an effort. “You said you were on a quest.”
    Kiran frowned. “This is a matter of utmost importance or I would willingly take you with me.”
    Tempest nodded without looking at him. She was having a hard enough time trying to control her emotions as it was. “I got that impression. Look, don’t worry about me. I’ve been fine all this time.”
    Kiran shook his head. “You are not fine, little grat. You are not much more than bones. I will have no peace in my mind if I leave you to find your way back alone. I will take you. When I am done, I will come back for you.”
    Tempest couldn’t control the blush of embarrassment at his comment. The sense of hurt that had not diminished a great deal, flooded through her with a vengeance, bringing her closer to the urge to cry.