The Swarm Trilogy Read Online Free PDF Page A

me. He told Mags if she didn’t dismiss me then he would deal with me himself. He thinks I’m too close to the princes, that I might kill them. He said she has to send me away.”
    The words tumbled out of my mouth, my voice rising in pitch with each word. I sounded hysterical, but I didn’t care anymore. I needed someone to take care of me.
    Kellan’s eyes darted, but no one was around. Peasants hated us and seeing one of us upset would only fuel their belief that we were privileged brats. We were brought into wealthy families and given positions they could never aspire to reach. It wasn’t fair to them, but it wasn’t our fault either. We were only babies when we were brought here. We had no say in our lives any more than they did.
    “I can’t lose you,” Kellan said. “You’re too important for him to just do away with. Sending you away would ruin everything. You need to be here. You need to be with me.”
    The caring words he’d used for the last month were there, but something wasn’t right in the tone of his voice. What was going on?
    “I don’t understand,” I said. “Ruin what?”
    Kellan sighed, shaking his head. His hair flopped across his forehead, sticking to the sweat that accumulated while he’d been at the forge. I reached up with the tips of my fingers to move it out of the way, but he pushed my hand away from his head.
    I stumbled backward, out of his embrace.
    “What’s going on Kellan? You have to tell me. I don’t understand.”
    “It’s too soon,” he said, but I didn’t feel like he was talking to me. It was more like he was talking to himself.
    “Too soon for what? Damn it, Kellan. Tell me!”
    I balled up my fists and punched him in the chest. He’d never beaten me in a fight, despite the height and weight he had over me, and I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I only wanted his attention. His blue eyes lowered to mine and he stared at me.
    “Tomorrow,” he said. “Tomorrow on your birthday you’ll understand everything. But I can’t be the one to tell you. It’s dangerous to find out too soon. Something could go wrong.”
    “My birthday?” I asked. “That stupid surprise you keep teasing me about? What does that have to do with any of this?”
    “It has everything to do with it.” Kellan put his hands on my shoulders, but I shrugged them off. I didn’t want him to touch me. I didn’t want my insides to melt into puddles or for my body to ache to be held in his arms. The last month, since he turned sixteen and decided he wanted me for a girlfriend as much as I’d wanted him for as long as I could remember, we’d spent more time kissing than sparring.
    “Does this have anything to do with those three men from our homeland who were hung this morning? The king thinks they are planning something, trying to destroy the kingdom. This is why he doesn’t want me around his sons.”
    “Are you sure?” Kellan whispered. “Is that the only reason he gave for wanting you dismissed? Because he doesn’t trust our people or did he say something else?”
    “What am I? Your spy? I’ve been threatened and all you want is to get information out of me? I need your help, not be grilled by you.”
    My stomach twisted, my heart dropped. Maybe I had come to the wrong person. Why hadn’t he lifted me into his arms and carried me to safety? My fantasies were obviously reaching far beyond reality.
    Now he had expectations of me, secrets concerning me he’d been withholding. I hadn’t seen it before. I assumed he’d finally realized how much he’d loved me. Obviously there was more to it. More to us.
    “I’m sorry, Lianne. I can’t tell you anything, but I can help you hide. Until tomorrow, until you know more, that’s all I can do.”
    I stood my ground, legs firm. My fighting body took over when my heart broke. Maybe Kellan didn’t love me. Or maybe it was something else. Was he only trying to stay close to me for whatever would happen on my birthday?
    But I did need a place