The Ice Diamond Cuff (Custodian Novel #4) Read Online Free

put them to good use. Yes,
Faedra was going to be a very attentive student this afternoon.
     
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    "Hi, Dad," Faedra said, as she and Faen
materialized in the kitchen at the Bennett cottage, compliments of
the ruby staff. She wandered over to where her dad stood at the
counter.
    Henry stopped what he was doing and turned
from where he was preparing dinner. His face lit up with a smile
upon seeing his daughter. He put down his knife and wrapped his
arms around Faedra.
    "Hello, darling," he said, pulling away to
hold her at arm’s length. He gave her a quick look over from head
to toe. "How are you?"
    Faedra smiled at her dad's gesture. He was
acting as if he hadn't seen her for weeks, when in fact, she and
Faen had stayed for dinner the evening before last.
    "Good, thanks," Faedra replied as she plunked
herself down on one of the dining chairs and rested her arms on the
table.
    "Good afternoon, Mr. Bennett," Faen greeted,
seating himself beside his fiancée.
    "Afternoon, Faen. And it's Henry. How many
times do I have to tell you...?” Henry shook his head and shot Faen
a warm, knowing smile. "...never mind."
    Faedra raised her eyes heavenward. She
doubted that Faen would ever call her dad by his first name. He was
just too proper. Maybe when they were married he would relax his
manners just a tad. But, then again, maybe not.
    "How's 'princess school' going?" Henry
asked.
    "Urgh, don't," Faedra said, dropping her
forehead onto her arms. She looked up again, a martyred expression
in her eyes. "Today I learned that prince so-and-so from
somewhere-or-another doesn't like apples, and if I am ever to
invite him to a banquet, I must be certain not to serve anything
containing apples for it would be..." she air-signed quotation
marks with her fingers, "...tantamount to a declaration of
war."
    "That bad, hey?"
    "Worse."
    "I'll put the kettle on then, shall I?" Henry
said.
    That put a smile on Faedra's face. She gave
her hands an odd look before sending some energy there to warm
them. She rubbed them together, a human gesture that stuck with her
even though she never needed to rub them together again to get them
warm. She had a raging furnace locked inside her; all she needed to
do was open the 'door' and direct the heat where she wanted it.
"It's a bit chilly for this time of year, isn't it?"
    "Now that you come to mention it, the weather
has been a bit odd the past few days," Henry shot over his shoulder
as he busied himself with the tea kettle. He opened a cupboard
above his head and reached up to grab three mugs. "But this is
England, so anything goes. It'll probably be sun-bathing weather
tomorrow."
    Faedra instinctively touched the amulet that
hung from her neck. It was still there, safe and sound. She relaxed
a little and gave her paranoid self a quick inward pep-talk. No one
was controlling the weather. The amulet and the book were safe,
and, without the amulet, no one else, to her knowledge, had the
power to control the weather. But after hearing Zaven's comment
earlier that day, it had put her senses on alert. Her dad had a
good point, though. England was hardly the most predictable place
on the planet when it came to atmospheric conditions.
    "Anything wrong?" Faen asked after noticing
his charge rubbing her thumb over the surface of the amulet. A
gesture he had become aware of her doing when she was worried about
something. To add to that, her face was stoic, contemplating.
    Faedra broke from her thoughts and turned to
her Guardian. She held his concerned gaze for a moment, taking
solace in the calming serenity of his energy. "I hope not," she
whispered.
    Their connection was broken by her dad. "Here
you go, darling," he said, handing her a steaming mug of tea from
across the table. She smiled back at him as she took it.
    "Biscuit?" Henry asked after handing Faen his
cup.
    "Yes, please," Faen said.
    "Oh, go on then," Faedra responded. "I doubt
if a couple of biscuits will make a difference to me fitting