I had to interject and stop the fight before it started. McKee was looking for any reason to turn my family against Tallis. My tone was slightly more scolding than I had planned on it being. It seemed as though my frustration with McKee grew as I spoke.
"Stop it, McKee. This is ridiculous. He takes care of me. I'm safe as long as I'm with him. There's nothing more important to my family than my safety."
Tallis had been there for me when I needed him most. I wasn't going to let McKee put him down without stepping in.
"Whatever."
McKee rolled his eyes and motioned for his sister to follow him as he walked away. He wasn't going to let this go easily though. I knew there would be more confrontations between the two of them.
Everett met us outside and walked us to the car. Tallis opened my door, and then we headed back to my house. The drive was nice with the wind in my hair. I looked to the right and saw a brilliantly white horse. I started to say something, but then I saw Tallis wave at the horse.
I playfully teased him. "Friend of yours?"
He smiled and started pulling over on the side of the road, and spoke in a bit of a mysterious sort of way. "He's more like a brother to me."
He hopped out, and then he bent over, sounding insistent when he said, "Stay in the car for a minute, please."
"Stupid essence," I growled.
I said it loud enough for Tallis to hear apparently, because he snickered. I hated having to stay confined by bodyguards or protective crests. I missed being able to just take a walk by myself.
Tallis walked back beside the horse. The horse snorted and suddenly started bucking. I was worried it was going to hurt Tallis. Tallis didn't seem afraid at all though. Of course, he was built to withstand almost anything, given that he was an immortal or an eternal or whatever.
Tallis's tone was threatening in a seemingly playful way. "Don't do it. I mean it." Tallis talked to the horse as if it could understand him.
Suddenly, the horse charged. It was running full speed directly toward the car, more specifically, me.
I screamed, "Tallis!"
But Tallis didn't move. It looked like he was rolling his eyes. The horse got to the car and suddenly changed into a solid white owl. I gasped very loudly. I couldn't believe it. I blinked at least a hundred times in less than five seconds.
Tallis rolled his eyes again and picked up a set of clothes lying on the ground. He threw them at the owl, knocking it into the backseat. I screamed again as I scrambled around in the car, trying to get away from the bird.
Tallis jogged over to the car. I heard a distinctively peculiar noise - like wind stirring in a barrel. I heard Tallis trying to warn me.
"Aria, don't-" It was too late though. I turned around before he finished his sentence. Tallis dropped his head, shaking it slightly as he uselessly finished his sentence. "Turn around."
I squealed, shocked and mortified. There was Desmond, stark naked in the backseat. I almost gave myself whiplash from jerking my head violently back toward the front with my eyes closed so tightly that it almost hurt. I could feel the red burning on my face. Desmond was laughing hysterically.
"Good to see you, Aria."
He wasn't the seething brute he had been to me before the meeting with my family. I almost wish he still detested me just as furiously as he had. Now he was scarring me for life. I could hear him pulling on his pants as the belt clanked around. He still chuckled at my embarrassment.
I kept the side of my face shielded with my hand so that I didn't see anything else as I replied with sarcasm. "It would've been good to have seen less of you, Desmond."
I heard Tallis laughing as he neared. Desmond was laughing at my little joke, too.
"It's better than anything you'll see on his body," Desmond playfully teased.
I heard a slapping sound. I could only assume Tallis had just popped Desmond for his crude comment. I certainly wasn't turning around to see if I was right or not. I wanted to wash my eyes out with soap.
My mind went to all the wrong places as I thought of the tidbits of Tallis I had seen.
"I've liked what I've seen of his body so far."
I was thinking about him with his shirt off the day before. He had such a perfectly sculptured, lean piece of art. Then I noticed that Tallis was blushing. My face paled when I realized I had said that out loud. I ducked down slightly in the front seat, wishing I had something to put over my head.
Tallis smiled at me bashfully. Then Desmond embarrassed me even more.