Chrysocolla Read Free

events such as children. This was too much. I felt my legs giving out before I could even think another thought.
    Kye’s arm snaked around me as my world blackened. The warm tingles followed his touch. It was just too much to understand. My head was on overload and shutting down.
     
    Water trickled near my head. It wasn’t the sound of the river, but it was still water. I was comfy and felt like I was lying on a pillow in the sun, just like a cat. I could smell flowers that fragranced the air around me. It was nice. It was refreshing to be comfortable, but soon reality set back in. I remembered what I was thinking before I passed out. I wasn’t just taking a nap. I needed to open my eyes and find out where I was now. Slowly I opened my eyes and decided right away to shut them again. I wasn’t in direct sunlight, but it was surely mid-day. Water continued to run nearby, and I had no clue where I was. That was motivation enough to get my eyes open. I cracked them a little at a time as I adjusted to the bright day. Even the shade I was lying in was bright. Thoughts raced through my mind, but I concentrated on the bright sun instead.
    “I’ve been wanting to tell you all along, but Logan forbid me. He said it would be too much for you to handle,” Kye said from beneath me. He was the cozy pillow beneath my head. “Was it too much?”
    Kye’s voice was laced with concern. I felt bad for making him worry. I was fine, just shocked.
    I sat up slowly and tried to ignore the throbbing in my head. It was a bit much to grasp, but it made more sense now that I had time to think a bit. From the moment I met Kye, there was some sort of connection. I wondered how no one else saw it, either.
    Now that I looked at him, he was physically a blend of Logan and me. With his deep red hair that matched my mother’s more than mine, and his purple eyes, it was easy to see him now. He looked very much identical to Logan in height and facial structure and maybe that was enough for everyone to overlook his similarities to me. I doubt that if anyone else—for even a second—had thought Kye was who he was, they would have gone along with his plans. Kye wasn’t betraying his brother, but his own father.
    “This isn’t a set-up, is it?” I asked cautiously. I trusted Kye. I didn’t trust Logan.
    “No. I’m not setting you up. I really want you to end up with Seti, not Logan.”
    Kye leaned back into the sun comfortably now that I was off his lap. He looked relaxed, but his voice said otherwise.
    “But Logan is your father, right?” I asked.
    I now understood why Kye was worried. Because just being alive meant that I would end up back with Logan at some point. The part was that I didn’t understand why Kye was taking a side against Logan. Logan was his own father after all. And I didn’t know anyone that wanted to disappear. Kye wasn’t just going to die if we changed fate. He was going to have never existed at all. I was confused.
    “Father? Sure, by blood, but that’s where it stops. Trust me. He’s never been anything more than a sperm donor in my opinion. That man was never a father in any capacity to me. He couldn’t win father of the year if he tried,” Kye replied bitterly.
    There was much behind his venom, and I wanted to know more but was unsure of how to ask. Did Kye hate me, too?
    I stood up cautiously, and Kye quickly moved to help me stand. Concern laced his face. All of the anger he had when he talked about Logan was gone. I waved off his help and took the couple steps to the ledge in front of me. I sat down across from Kye and looked into the pool at my side. I hoped he didn’t have any more shocking news, as I would end up wet this time. I dragged my hand in the water a little and felt the refreshing touch of cool in the hot air. Big, yellow fish swam lazily around.
    I had a son. That was still hard to grasp. And he was pretty cool. I mean, I was friends with my son. That was even stranger. Logan and I created a