The Tainted (The Tainted Series Book 1) by Anna Hill Page A

says that if you both don’t come now, then it’s not her fault if there’s no food left for you.”
    As quickly as he’d appeared, Trysten was gone.
    After a second, Maverick coughed loudly and struggled to stand up, “I may love that little menace but, one of these days, that’s not going to stop me from giving him some payback.”
    As they made their way back to the house, Rebecca and Maverick attempted to make small talk with each other, but eventually drifted into silence. It wasn’t the same comfortable silence they’d shared in the woods. This time, it felt awkward, as if both had things they were reluctant to say. The few times they made eye contact, Rebecca noticed something different about the way Maverick looked at her. There was pain and confusion in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before.
    “I’ve got to get some things done before the end of the day,” Maverick mumbled as they walked into the house through the garden door. His face had gone hard and he refused to make eye contact with her. “The kitchen is in the other wing on the first floor. Etain will help you with dinner.” Then, without another word, Maverick turned and headed off down the hallway.
    “Thanks.” Rebecca muttered sarcastically, as her anger surged up in her chest. How could he be so rude to her after everything she’d been through?
    Rebecca spun around and marched down the hallway toward the kitchen, repeatedly clenching and releasing her hands at her sides. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Maverick had gotten under her skin. She stopped for a second as she approached the kitchen and shook her head, trying to throw away the rush of emotions he’d caused in her. She wouldn’t allow him to make her feel like this again.
    Inside the kitchen, Rebecca saw all the others, even Faolan, had joined for dinner. Somehow Etain had managed to pull together a delicious meal of eggplant parmesan and fresh green salad.
    The group ate unceremoniously, each perched in various spots around the kitchen, as they laughed and joked with each other. Owen was by far the funniest, making the others laugh so hard that they could barely eat their food. But he wasn’t the only comedian, as everyone took part in playfully berating each other, swapping stories of past antics.
    Although Rebecca laughed at the jokes, she stayed mostly silent, quietly watching them. They all seemed so happy and close, like they really were family. Rebecca felt touched that they’d accepted her so readily, brought her into their group without a hesitation, but she struggled to do the same. She’d spent so much of her life keeping people out that now she’d placed a distance between herself and others. As nice as the crew was, she wasn’t ready to fully trust them.
    After the meal, Rebecca thanked Etain for the food, said goodnight to everyone, and headed to her room alone. It was late, and it had been such a long, eventful day that all she wanted to do was lie down and pass out. But she’d barely made it into her room when she suddenly felt like someone was behind her.
    Rebecca turned around to see Faolan leaning up against her doorframe.
    “You gonna be alright tonight?” Faolan asked. Her face was always so straight that Rebecca couldn’t quite tell if she was concerned or just simply checking in.
    “I’ll be fine, I’m just tired.”
    Faolan looked at her for a moment before continuing. “I’m down the hall from you. If you need anything, feel free to come ask me. I don’t sleep much.”
    Rebecca chuckled cynically, “Nor do I.”
    “Because of your dreams?”
    Rebecca fell silent. As far as she knew, the others didn’t know about her ability. Had Maverick told them? And if so, how much did they know?
    “Don’t worry, the others don’t know. Only Maverick, Etain, and I. I sensed it in you the moment we met in the woods. If it weren’t for my own ability, I never would have known…but your power was almost overwhelming. You shouldn’t be