Red Sun by Raven St. Pierre Page B

softened as he drew closer and extended his hand to me.
                  “Elan,” he said, introducing himself.  “You are?”
                  “Solei,” I replied nervously.
                  He nodded with a faint smile on his face and then walked past me to get to the kitchen.  “Thirsty?”  He asked, looking back over his shoulder from the sink where he now stood.
                  Truthfully, I felt like my throat was on fire from breathing in the heat, but I didn’t feel right accepting a drink in the home of my nemesis.  “No, thanks,” I replied, wishing I could’ve said otherwise.
                  Elan didn’t respond with anything more than a shrug and I turned my eyes straight ahead again, still waiting for Jolon to come back to say whether or not to order more of the sample.  Beads of sweat were running down my back beneath my tank top, soaking the material and making me even more self-conscious now that I had to worry about the wet stain I was sure had formed there.  On top of the heat, it was beginning to feel like the walls were closing in on me as I stood there. 
                  “Come on.  Come on,” I whispered to myself, hoping Jolon would hurry up so I could go.
                  As if he’d telepathically heard my anxious plea; “It’s fine.  Let Ruthann know she can place the full order.”  I heard Jolon’s voice a few seconds before I saw him coming down the hall.  I nodded and did an about face to get to the car as fast as I could, walking sideways a little to keep him from seeing the back of my shirt.  Blocking my way, was Elan, as large and wall-like as his brother.  He’d obviously ignored my decline to the drink he’d offered, because in his hand was a glass of water he’d poured for me, filled to the brim with ice cubes. I wanted to take the glass so bad, but not as badly as I wanted to get out of there.
                  “Thanks, but I really should get back to the house.”  I took a step toward the door.
                  “You know, dehydration sneaks up on you kinda quick in heat like this.”  Elan laughed to himself.  “If it weren’t for the fact that we only have four cups in the house, I’d just let you take it with you.”
                  “Elan,“ Jolon snapped.  “She said she doesn’t want it.  I’m sure someone’s waiting for her to get home.”  His jaw was clenched when he spoke, but his intensity didn’t intimidate Elan.  Instead of cowering away, he rolled his eyes and held the glass out toward me one last time. 
                  I could feel more sweat forming at the base of my hairline and had a change of heart.  Cautiously, I took the glass from his hand and emptied it without taking a breath.  When our eyes met again, Elan was still smiling.  “More?”  He asked.
                  Droplets of the cool water were still on my lips and I had to say yes.  When I accepted Elan’s offer, he paced to the kitchen and a few seconds later I heard the faucet turn on.  Jolon stood still, staring in the direction his brother had just disappeared, with his fists balled up.  He turned and looked me up and down slowly, letting me know that I was at least as out of place as I felt.  I folded my arms over my chest and a small part of me hoped that he regretted ever insisting that I come by in the first place.
                  “Come on in and have a seat,” Elan offered.  When I saw that my being here was beginning to make Jolon uncomfortable, I felt vindicated.  Finally, I was the one getting under his skin which was a nice change if I might say so myself.  But as much as I enjoyed annoying him, I wasn’t sure joining Elan in the kitchen was a good idea.  Then I envisioned the cup of water with the condensation on the outside and decided to stick around for just one more