Hunted Sorcery (Jon Oklar Book 2), B.T. Narro [digital book reader txt] 📗

and she and I should be allies. That’s just not the case, though. And why the hell is she so sad about Leon leaving?” Her voice rose in anger, but I noticed a wry smile. “I mean is there something I’m missing, Jon? It’s Leon. I don’t get it!”

I chuckled without humor. “I figured it’s because she likes the way he looks and that he’s been nice. I don’t know why he can’t behave that way toward us. I thought he was incapable until I saw him with your mother.”

“Right? All of this is too much at once. I don’t know what to make of any of it.”

“Did you come to a solution about your…about Luther?”

“What can we do? Neither of us will have any contact with him from now on. He might as well be dead.”

There was that suspicious voice in my head again, telling me this could all be an act. Aliana and her mother could be the real traitors. I wouldn’t let go of the suspicion, but I also wouldn’t let it prevent me from helping my friend in case I was wrong.

“I think that’s the best way to go about this,” I said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned through losing my father, it’s to let go of negative feelings rather than focus on them. Otherwise, a cycle starts that gets harder to break. If letting go of your father will achieve this, then you should do it.”

She nodded. “I’m going to take your advice and suggest we don’t speak about my problems anymore. So tell me something.” From the way she eyed me with a smirk, I could tell what she was going to bring up. “Who’s the girl who was so interested in you?”

“Greda, she works at Enchanted Devices. I removed the curse from her mother.”

“Oh, yes I’ve heard of her from Eden. So why aren’t you interested in her?”

“Well…” I couldn’t tell her the truth without betraying Kataleya. I felt like I’d left my heart in my room, and it would be gone when I came back to fetch it.

I sighed. Maybe I would get along well with Greda for a while and it would help me get over Kat. That wasn’t a good reason, though, as I might transfer my pain to Greda if I decided it wasn’t going to work out.

“Do you think I should be?” I asked, unsure how else to answer.

“No, you shouldn’t be anything you are not. I was just curious.”

I shrugged. “I just don’t have feelings for her in that way.”

“That wouldn’t stop most boys from starting something with her, only to end it whenever they wanted.” She spoke the words so callously, I wondered if something like that had happened to Aliana.

“I wouldn’t want to hurt her. I do care about her as a friend, like I do Callie.”

She stared at me for a while as if judging the validity of my statement.

“You don’t believe me?” I asked.

“It’s my instinct to call those words lies when they come from any boy’s mouth, but I’m suppressing this instinct very hard right now, Jon, because I know you’re telling the truth. I hope you can appreciate that. Yes, I do believe you.”

“I do appreciate that.”

We walked in silence. I realized then that I was comfortable beside Aliana. I once had strong feelings for her, and now I was able to notice her beauty without it stirring anything in my heart. I supposed the same would happen with Kataleya eventually. It would probably just take a lot longer.

That gave me hope that this pain would fade.

“I don’t think I’ve ever truly apologized to you,” Aliana said.

“For acting so cold toward me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think you have, either.”

She gave a laugh. “All right, well let me do so properly now.” She touched my shoulder to stop me. I set down the sack and faced her.

But she seemed to have trouble getting started.

“I think I want to tell you something first if you won’t share it with anyone else.”

“You think?” I wondered.

“Well, I could regret it later.”

I held up my hand. “I promise I won’t share it. I’m good at keeping promises.”

“Yeah, you seem like you are. All right. We might as well walk as I speak, though. It’s not a long story, but two people standing still in the street in the city are more noticeable than those moving.”

There were a couple people who’d passed us with curious looks, and Aliana seemed very private about this.

“His name was John, like yours,” she said. “And he was a horse’s ass. I thought you and he had a lot in common when I first met you. He’s older, though, and I was younger…stupider.”

“You don’t have to say more,” I told her as I could picture the rest.

She looked at me with a bit of shock.

“Unless you want to?”

“I do not,” she said, her tone adamant. “Anyway, I’m sorry for misjudging you so severely. You are…very different than I thought.”

“I appreciate your apology.”

I noticed her still watching me as we walked.

“What?” I asked with a nervous laugh.

“What’s your deal exactly?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why does it seem like you don’t care about undressing me as much as every other guy who’s approached me?”

I had a breath, a little frustrated. I’d thought we were getting somewhere.

I was about to answer her, when she spoke again. “Oh wow, I just heard myself,” she said to my relief.

“Yeah, I think the issue is that you’ve never had a male friend before, someone who is more interested in you than—”

“My tits.”

Shocked, I said, “I was going to say your looks.”

“I grew up in the heart of the city, Jon. I’ve dealt with many vulgar men. I even had to serve the worst of them at Red’s Tavern, as I’ve already told you. I’ve heard disgusting things about what they wanted to do with me, and I can still feel their hands on me when I think back to it. Keeping your tone mild around me is patronizing. It’s like