“I’m impressed.” I said. “You used that smile of yours.”
Troy’s eyes rolled.
“Well, she is the persuader of the group.” Ruby smiled. “It’s what she’s best at. She can convince anyone of anything.”
“Bet you can’t do it again.” Darius said.
“Oh, yeah? You’re on. Something you want?”
Darius looked around with a clever smile.
“Darius, stop this.” Troy sighed. “It isn’t right.”
“It’s okay.” I said. “I won’t let it go on extensively. We just want to see what she can get.”
“Fine.” Troy muttered, still not liking the idea. I knew why but it was just for fun. She’d never go that far to get something.
“Okay, try to get me—one of those little cakes with the colored sugar sprinkled over it.” Darius said, glancing towards the cart that another man was tending to.
Jaylyn smiled and turned towards him. “I’ll be right back.”
She walked over like she was just browsing at everything and the man was first to address her with usual kind greetings and the typical asking if she needed help.
Jaylyn merely smiled and started looking at the cakes with stars in her eyes. She made a gesture that they looked tasty and acted hesitant to proceed in buying one and ruin her figure. She got a compliment in return and was handed one for her efforts. She smiled again and thanked the man for his kindness before walking away. “Here.”
She handed it to Darius and he didn’t waste any time to eat it by sticking the whole thing in his mouth and speaking while it was still full. “Thanks. This is great.”
“Well, you just inhaled that, didn’t you? You could probably put one of Ruby’s entire breasts in your mouth.”
“Probably.” He smiled back, working on getting it down and licked his fingers. “Not yours though.”
“No. Doubtfully not.”
“Okay.” Ruby sighed, folding her arms high across her chest to hide her breasts. “Let’s stop talking about breasts.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“No. You were just calling them little.”
He laughed. “I did not!”
“Yes you did! You called those cakes little and they’re about the same size.”
“Ruby, come on. They’re little for cakes.” He tried to explain with the humor in his voice still. “I don’t think your breast are little. They’re perfectly proportionate to your body. Guys, back me up here.”
I don’t know why I got involved but I did by nodding quite a bit while I tried getting a look at them still being covered. “They’re decent. I wouldn’t exactly say small either. Not too big, not too small but perfectly sized to fit right in a man’s hands where they should be.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Darius cut in. “That was a little extensive.”
“What? You wanted me to help. I was just telling you what I thought from another man’s point of view.”
“How about you not do it again?”
“Not unless you ask.”
“There. See?” Darius asked, turning back to Ruby. “Perfect.”
“Then does that make mine too big?” Jaylyn asked, looking down at hers.
“We’re not even going to get into that.” Darius laughed.
“Of course not.” I smiled, ignoring Darius to answer her question. “Based on your structure, you couldn’t have breast too big. Now, it’s a bigger woman where it’s possible to have breasts too big.”
“And I can’t believe you’re still talking about it.” Darius said.
“Well, she did ask.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Troy cut in, wrapping his arms around Jaylyn from behind and getting his hands on them. “They’re mine and I love them.”
Jaylyn laughed and turned her head to kiss him.
“It would be the five of you to stand around in a public place, talking about breasts.”
“Trever!” Jaylyn’s eyes found him and she ran to him, giving him a big hug.
“Hey, Jay.”
She seemed happy until she pulled away and started hitting him. “What’s the matter with you?!”
“What’s the matter with me?! Why are you hitting me?!”
“You missed the most important day of my life! That’s what!”
He grabbed both of her wrists so she was stop beating on him. “Relax, little sister. Like I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
She started to calm but he was still holding her. “You left on purpose?”
“What? You think I was ordered to do this job? No one orders me into anything. I volunteered for your own personal wellbeing. You wouldn’t have wanted to see me cry my eyes out at your wedding.”
“You’d cry?” She sounded sad while asking like she was ready to cry herself.
“Like a baby. I saved you all from witnessing that. Now, what are you doing here? You’re a few days late to be paying your respects.”
“Ah, no.” She took a quick glance back at the others. “We—ah—”
Ruby sighed. “He already knows.”
“Oh, yeah. You probably read if from us.”
“Didn’t have to. Red told me of Adele’s plan before she did it. Where is she anyway?”
“Back at the palace.” I said. “She didn’t want to come.”
Trever’s eyes opened a little more just the slightest and he pulled on Ruby and Jaylyn by their arms towards him. “You two get there now and don’t let her leave your sight.”
“Why?”
“Just do it. You know why.”
We all looked at each other to the urgency in his voice but they hurried through the people to get back to the palace without asking.
“What’s going on?” Troy asked.
Trever glanced around. “Not here.” He turned from us and started walking away. I didn’t know if we were to follow him but we did and Darius did it with a heavy sigh.
He led us through the streets to an inn where he went inside and brought us to a room.
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“Just a few days. We were stopping here anyway but I stayed a bit longer for the ceremony.”
“Okay, then what’s going on.”
“Thought it would have been obvious to you by now. Sedrik is psychotic and can’t be trusted. I wouldn’t have left Adele alone for a second.”
“How do you know him?” Troy asked.
“That’s a much longer story.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” I said. “I bet I can guess.”
Trever smiled. “Can you?”
“Bianca. You knew her.”
“Did I?”
“Don’t lie. We’ve seen how you were with her.”
“How very clever of you, Zayden. There’s just one problem.”
“And what is that?”
“She’s a little dead for it to be of anyone’s concern.”
“You don’t sound very upset in saying it.” I paused and watched Trever’s reaction like he was trying to hide his smile. The longer I didn’t blink, the more I started to figure out. “You’re going to bring her back.”
Darius and Troy widened their eyes, looking between us.
Trever just laughed. “And what would make you think that I could?”
“Tell me whatever it is you’re hiding.”
“I can’t do that. As long as Sedrik still breathes in this world, I’ve swore to complete silence.”
“Then why haven’t you just killed him yet?”
“Kill him just so I can tell you? That’s not the way it has to be. I’m sure you can understand that.”
“It’s not supposed to be you, is it? It’s supposed to be me.”
“You? You mean because he’s grown obsessed with Adele and would gladly go to war just to have her? I wouldn’t necessarily say that it would have to be anyone.”
“If that was his choice then it would be me.”
“Perhaps someday. Everything has their time. I j
ust hope you’ll be wise and know when that will be.”
“You’re basically saying not now.”
“I’m saying the people here have been through enough, don’t you think?”
“Like I care about that. If he’s going to try to take her, I’ll stop him.”
“Be careful of that resentment, Zayden. You’ve been away from home far too long. We wouldn’t want there to be any exposure accidents.”
“I’m controlling it.”
Trever just stood there and examined my face. “I guess you don’t really know what I mean. Funny. I thought he would have told you by now.”
“Who?”
“Him.”
“Okay, Trever, I’ve got your—” My eyes finally moved and Ryon was standing at the door with his full color. Rift, of course, skipped right to him and pranced around but Ryon didn’t much acknowledge it and he closed the door without turning to it. “You could have told me you had guests.”
“I would have but it’s harder to tell when you’re coming these days until you’re actually here.”
“What is he doing here?” I asked. “I thought you couldn’t bring him back again.”
“I can’t. This was his choice and it’s not permanent. He’s just helping keeping me sane. I really don’t have the time to start all over and obtain people that will do everything I say.”
“How noble.”
“Is Kole here?” Troy asked.
“No.” Ryon answered, stepping farther into the room. “He stays close to Ellie as often as he can so he can’t really come here or someone might make the connection and you’d all be doomed.”
“He rarely visits.” Trever said. “There’s more important things to think about.”
“Then what do you have to tell me?”
“What?” Ryon looked utterly confused and looked at Trever. “What did you say to him?”
“Just that you should have told him something. You know that thing you recently found out?”
Ryon’s eyes got wide and he came right to me with some level of urgency. He was moving around my head, looking me in the face very carefully.
“What are you doing? It’s attached to me. Thank you.”
“Have you felt any unusual hate or pain lately that you couldn’t explain?”
The question was odd but I answered anyway. “I have but not that I couldn’t explain.”
“Do you and Rift seem closer?”
I looked down, still confused with these questions and Rift tilted his head at me. “Closer how?”
“Can you understand him when he whines at you?”
“Like is he talking to me, you mean? No. I haven’t heard that.”
He nearly sighed in relief and backed away. “Then it shouldn’t be yet.”
“What?” I demanded my own question and sought immediate answers.
Trever and Ryon shared a classic glance at each other and Trever picked up a few bags, hanging the straps over his shoulders. “I’ll give you a minute. Just make sure you catch up in a timely manner.”
“Thank you.” Trever left and it was quiet for too many moments.
“What is it?” I asked.
Ryon sighed and sat down. Rift went to him and he began to pet him while he spoke. “I recently found my father in my world.”
His voice was low but I didn’t know if he was really sad about it or not. “And?”
“And after that I also found out that mother didn’t give me his name when I was born.”
“What do you mean his name?”
“Family name. He was my father but because he didn’t want anything to do with me at the time, she went against the very most important tradition and gave me her last name.”
My heart practically stopped for a few seconds when I realized. “Her maiden name is Wolfe?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean I’m a—”
“Yes and I would have liked to know sooner as well. I always felt grief for my father for not telling me about the wolf but he didn’t ever tell me because he never knew. Mother was born with it. It’s a part of her family and now a part of yours.”
My heart now fell into my stomach and I felt sick. I had to sit down. “So, I’m going to pass on this curse?”
“You may not. With your other gifts stacking up, the wolf is weakened. With Seth, you’d just be adding another gift to that from Adele so he may not have it at all.”
It was a relief to hear but I still had so many questions. “But why haven’t I changed? Trever said something about me being far from home.”
“The palace. You’ve been consuming a suppressant every day since you were born so you don’t change.”
“But what about the time I spent in Kalu? I was gone a while then.”
“It must take a while longer then. I would have warned you sooner if I knew but I didn’t. I only knew that we shared a mother and I was to give you the only thing I ever loved.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. It was mostly my fault. I got too involved. You should probably get back to her. I’ve got to catch up to Trever.”
He got up, ready to go but I wasn’t ready and sprung to my own feet. “Wait! You can’t go. I mean, what if something happens? What if I change? I have no idea how I’m supposed to get back.”
He smiled, finding my inner panic amusing. “If you need me, Zayden, I’ll be there. That’s what’s best about this form. I can get to you in an instant if I have to. Don’t worry about a thing. You’ve always been fine without me.”
I tried to calm myself. I didn’t feel anything different yet so it couldn’t happen yet—I guess. I had other things to focus on here.
“Now, get back. You’re going to need to be there when Sedrik starts in, if he hasn’t already.”
“He pretty much has. We’re leaving in the morning—hopefully.”
“And we’re leaving now. It’ll be awhile until you see Trever again at least so take care of yourselves and he wants to remind you most importantly about taking care of them.”
“Tell him not to waste his time worrying about that.” Darius sighed while he rose to his feet.
“He always hopes he don’t have to.”
Darius’s eyes narrowed on Ryon and he took a step closer. Their eyes were locked, tensions only raising by the second but Ryon obviously wasn’t intimidated by his fierce stare.
“Darius, what good would that do?” I said.
He looked away, ready to leave. “Hit him for me or something.”
Ryon laughed. “I’ll think about it.” Rift approached him and jumped up on his leg so he could reach his head. “You be good. Listen to Zayden.”
“He has.” I said.
“Good. Bye.”
I waved to him and he was out the door.
“Are you okay?” Troy asked.
I looked at him, unsure what I should even say after all of that. “I don’t know. Like I don’t have enough things I have to learn to control.”
“If you ever want to start trying it out so it doesn’t just spring on you, best wait until we get home.” Darius joked.
It put a smile on my face and was just what I needed. He didn’t want me to be mad about it or even ashamed and how could I be? I’ve seen Ryon and how proud he’s always been. I’d get used to it but Darius was right. It would be best done at home. For now, we had something else to do.
We left the room and started on foot back to the palace. I was eager to get back now, hoping that Ruby and Jaylyn made it in time before Adele would have started to wander and run into him but I was too late to be hoping that much. They were sitting in the room waiting for us with sorry expressions; no Adele.
Chapter 48
Adele
It was getting darker and they still weren’t back. I couldn’t stay in the room myself and just sit here. I had to get up and do something so I walked the halls with Sedrik as my company.
“Well, the cooks tell me you haven’t eaten yet.” He said.
“No, I haven’t.”
“If you’re hungry, I’d be honored if you and the others would join me in the dining hall this evening.”
I thought about it for a moment, keeping my eyes off him. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Zayden is still a little edgy. I’m sure the trip out didn’t help.”
“Well, if he can’t face me then he doesn’t have to come. He always has that choice.”
“You know, you’re right, Sedrik. I’ll be there.”
“Oh, good. Would you like to take a trip to the kitchen with me now and taste what’s on the menu? I’ve been preparing it myself.”
I smiled. I remembered that Sedrik has always had a passion for food like I have. “Sure but let me tell the others to meet us there in a few minutes. They might be back by now.”
“Wonderful. I’ll just meet you in the kitchen then? You know where it is.”
I nodded and we parted ways. I walked a little faster down the hall to get back to the room, hoping I would see them inside. “Oh, good. You are back.”
“Where have you been?” Zayden asked, standing up.
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t far. Who’s hungry?”
“We are.” Jaylyn answered with her usual smile to the mention of food.
“Good. Sedrik has invited us to dinner.”
Everyone got up slowly and looked to Zayden at the same time. “What? I can handle it. It’s just dinner.”
“But it will be a few more minutes.” I said. “Though I’m going now to test some of the menu items he’s prepared for us. You can plan to come by then.”
I was excited about it. Getting to work with fresh Leccan food with someone who knew what he was doing was a great joy. I didn’t want to be standing around with them for another second, wasting this valuable time.
Chapter 49
Darius
Adele left with an unusually happy demeanor. She seriously did change around Sedrik as we were warned before she came back in the room.
“Oh no, Zayden. You better do something.” Ruby said. “He’s winning.”
“What?”
“We forgot, Sedrik can cook. You know Adele has always been into it too. They share the same passion and he’s using it.”
“Well, it would have been nice if you got here before she left then none of this would be happening.”
Forgotten Days (Fate's Intent Book 6) Page 21
