Author's Note:

Here's the ninth chapter. This is probably the longest chapter I've done, but it needs everything it has. Be warned it is a brackendra chapter (by the way, I am a fan of brackendra and major Kendra fan). Major fluffy chapter, but you have to read the chapter so the rest of the book is answered. Many questions are answered and the new questioned are posed. It has romance and filled with a mix of emotions. Hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

Hope you enjoy... –Evangeline

Tangent Argument

I smiled a little at the thought of arguing with Bracken. All my anger from the past few months came back to me and I sighed softly so no one could here. I really had like being so close to him. I scooted away, to see confusion on his face, but it let so quickly I marked it as my imagination.

"No, we can't do that," I told them all.

"Why not? The Fairy Queen would want us to take immediate action," Bracken replied with a bit of disbelief in his voice.

"No," I said timidly, "She wouldn't."

"What?" there was nothing but disbelief in his voice and a bit of pain.

"She doesn't want us to confront them," I said a little stronger this time.

"What! So we are supposed to just let these monsters hurt these fairies! Let them believe that we don't care! There not just some mindless creatures, they have feelings too and families." he was shouting now and was standing looking down at me. Rage covered his features.

Anger boiled in me. How dare he think that I didn't care about these fairies! How dare he think that the Fairy Queen, HIS MOTHER, think we didn't care about them! I allowed this anger and the anger, pain, and heart-ache I had been feeling for months over come me.

I stood up, stared right into his eyes; my face molded with rage, and said in a too calm voice, "Do you think the Fairy Queen and I don't know that? Do you think we don't feel any pain with this knowledge?" He didn't move, but his eyes betrayed him. Deep down he was afraid of me. Everyone I knew would rather have me shouting at them then have me talk to them calmly while I looked pissed-off.

"I didn't…"

I cut him off saying, "You don't get to stand here and tell me that the Fairy Queen… that I don't care about them. The Queen can see what is happening through their eyes, feel their pain, hear the cries. I can feel everything they feel, but to me it is ten times worse, because
I can't scream. Now, that I have had a vision of what is happening, I will feel all of the fairies that are hurt by Frankie. I won't get a restful night's sleep, because I will be living the life of those fairies he hurts. That won't stop until he does. So don't stand there and tell me about the pain their going through, because I have to live through it."

Bracken's face relaxed and his wyes showed no anger or fear, but only pain, worry, and… heart-ache? He took a step towards me, before softly saying,"I know, and I'm so sorry that I made you think that I don't know about what you're going through. I just got upset about what you said because I thought you forgot about the pain this will put you through."

My face and voice softened, much to my displeasure. "I can never forget about the pain this kind of thing puts me through."

"Then why can't we go off and stop these men." His face looked as if the thought tortured him.

"Because we don't have enough knowledge to stop them. We don't know who they are. We don't know where they're going. We don't know what their ultimate goal is. We don't even know why they're doing this."

"We know who at least three of them are, and you have seen where they have been."

"Yes, I've seen where they have been, but it will take us forever to find what forest they were in. By then they will be long gone. Besides, even if we find them what is going to happen when they don't report to their boss? We will have another war on our hands and we will lose the small advantage that we have. The moment we bring their men in, they will know we know about what they are doing to the fairies. Also, what are we going to do with the men? If we start asking them a million questions, they will know how little we know about their operation. And if they escape, then they will tell their bosses and they will be happy that they were able to fly under our radar and then scare us to bits. We will look weak. We need more information so we can save as many fairies as we can."

"And what happens to the fairies while we gather this information? They get hurt. This Frankie character is probably not going to stop torturing fairies either. So you will be in more pain with every victim he has."

"This isn't about me. This is about saving as many fairies as we can and stopping this group permanently." All my anger returned, I wasn't a child anymore. I could take care of myself.

"But it is about you, because the fairies aren't the only ones their hurting." He looked mad as well, and I saw pain and concern deep down in his eyes and that is what opened up the flood gates for me.

"What do you care if I'm in pain? You're never around anyway," I said in a very calm voice and he was startled. He looked as if I had just shot him and I was confused beyond belief.

"OK, everybody out. Let's give this two some privacy," I heard Liz say in a hurried voice. I had forgot that Bracken and I were not alone. However, I didn't care I was too mad as I stared into Bracken's eyes and he stared into mine.

Not a word was said by anyone, Bracken and I stayed silent for a while after the door shut.

He finally broke the silence, "You don't think I care about you," he chocked. He sounded so heart-broken that all the anger left me, leaving only my own heart-ache.

"Yes," I whispered as I sat on the couch, "I mean… ever since I became an Eternal and you my Protector things have changed. You are never around, and when you are you never talk to me besides to discuss something to do with our professional work. I never hear from you like I used too. I just figured…"

"That I didn't care about you," he finished sitting next to me.

I looked down at my hands that rested on my knees and nodded my head.

"Kendra," he sighed. He lifted my chin so that I was looking at him. "I care about you deeply. It's just…" He looked down.

"Just what? Please Bracken, I need to know," I said desperately.

He sighed and looked at me with heart-broken eyes that broke my heart. "I'm engaged."

Next Chapter:

Deadly Hope