House Of Gods 9 - Samantha Snow Page 0,76

on a walk for the afternoon. There was no way that he could know about the passage of time they experienced without their memories. Wait…. time.

Brenna’s mouth dropped open as she looked back at Jerrik.

“Everything okay?” Leif asked when he saw her strange expression.

“Yeah,” she said as she gathered her composure and closed her mouth again. “Everything is fine. And no, nothing out of the ordinary in the city except for the dragon. But I think he was actually a gift to me.”

“A gift?” Erik asked. “From whom?”

“We’re not sure,” Brandt answered. He had also noticed Brenna acting strange and wanted to find out what she had noticed that had caught her off guard. “We’re gonna head to my room for a bit,” he said. “Keep track of the dragon for us, will you?”

Colby, Erik, and Leif had no idea how to “keep track of a dragon,” and Jerrik just laughed as he turned and walked back down the hall. Norna, on the other hand, was ecstatic to watch over Prophecy, and she sat down beside him and gently stroked his back as he slept.

“Why are things always getting weirder and weirder around here?” Erik asked.

Colby just shrugged in response.

“What is it?” Brandt asked as soon as he and Brenna got behind the closed doors of his bedroom.

“I think Jerrik knows.”

“About taking his memories? That’s impossible. Besides, we’ve been keeping tabs on them off and on all this time. He even saw you through the window of the coffee shop the other day and didn’t recognize you, remember?”

“Or maybe he just acted like he didn’t recognize me.”

Brandt shook his head. “Nah, there’s no way. I was careful to make sure I got everyone and every memory, and I was equally as careful when I restored them. I think you’re just paranoid.”

“Maybe.”

A knock on the bedroom door interrupted them, and Brandt opened the door to find Jerrik standing there.

“Can I come in for a minute? he asked.

“Of course,” Brandt said as he stepped aside. “That dragon causing trouble already?”

“Nah, not at all. He’s pretty cool actually.”

“So, what’s up?” Brandt asked. He was trying to be as light and casual as he could, but it was difficult for both he and Brenna not to want to squeeze each and every one of their friends in a big hug from having missed them while they were away. That would definitely seem like odd behavior, though.

But Jerrik didn’t have the same reserve, and he reached both his arms around Brandt in a giant bear hug before Brandt knew what hit him. When he finally let him go, Brandt stood, looking at Jerrik with genuine surprise on his face.

“What was that for?”

Jerrik looked between Brandt and Brenna with a deep sigh. “I missed you both.”

Brandt’s face turned pale, and Brenna’s eyes lit up. “I knew it!” she shouted as she ran over to hug Jerrik herself. “He knows!”

“How is that possible?” Brandt asked him. “I wiped your memories and restored them perfectly intact as though nothing had happened.

“Yes, I know,” Jerrik answered him as he smiled. “Your power is impressive. But so is mine.”

Brandt thought for a moment about what Jerrik had said. “Time? You used your power over time?”

“Yep,” Jerrik answered as though he seemed proud of his cleverness. “I knew you two were up to something; I just didn’t know what it was. But when I left that Chinese restaurant, I felt all those memories pulling out of my head.”

“Yeah, I only did that for you,” Brandt said. “The others I just wiped clean, but I thought I owed you that moment. You have always been there for us, and it was hardest for me to take yours.”

Jerrik nodded. “And because of that, I was able to pause that time and step away from it until you were finished thinking that you had taken my memories.”

“So you’ve known all these months and have just been acting that you didn’t around the others?” Brandt asked.

“Yep.”

“And that time we saw each other at the coffee shop?” Brenna said.

“Yeah, I knew it was you.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” she asked.

“You guys needed your time. I understood and respected that.”

“But this whole time, you had to pretend that you didn’t know,” Brenna said with watery eyes. “That had to have been so hard for you.”

“I managed. I’m just glad you’re both back now.” Jerrik made a small sniffing noise and then shook his head as though he were trying to clear his emotions off. “Don’t make me