Awakening Book One of the Trust Series - By J. E. Swift Page 0,45

know that it was alright, that they could both now pursue their relationship without any guilt about their current roles or any conflict of interest.

She walked out the door she came from, her mind processing everything that was just laid out in front of her and practically ran into the assistant. “I am so sorry! I did not mean to…”

Katie just waved it off. “No problem. It happens a lot when people are called into that chamber. You get used to it. Councilman McPherson had advised when you left for me to bring you to the Maple room. It’s this way.” She led her back down the hallway, taking a left, then a right to a large door. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“Thank you.” She gingerly opened up the door, slowly entering. The room was small but well furnished, and on a couch in the corner sat Declan, his head in his hands, obviously deep in thought.

“Hello.” It wasn’t a cheerful greeting, or a hostile one, just noncommittal. Caitlyn did not know how to feel about this change. She was frustrated, excited, and unsure, but strangely at ease about the prospect of a new mentor. It was maddening to feel so many conflicting emotions all at once and she knew her mood would not be a completely pleasant one until she figured it out.

Declan looked up, embarrassed. “Caitlyn. I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“I can see that.”

He stood up, shaking her hand before sitting back down. “I’m not sure if you remember me, I am Declan McPherson. We met at the party over a couple of weeks ago. Please, take a seat.”

She did as he instructed. “I remember.”

“I am sure you are bothered with this change. I can’t blame you. To restart the mentorship with someone completely new after all this time, it has to be annoying at the very least. I just hope that you can look at the big picture and what this could mean for you.”

“I can see the big picture.”

Declan pressed his lips to a thin line. “Okay. I understand that you are not going to like me in the beginning. I get that completely. I knew this would not be as smooth a transition as I hoped for. You have every right to dislike me.”

Caitlyn’s eyes shot up at him. “Declan, I don’t dislike you. I don’t even know you. I’m just not sure how to handle all of this. In less than a half an hour, I’ve gone from losing my mentor whom I am very close to, to meeting a new one whom I know virtually nothing about. It’s overwhelming. I am not going to lie and state that that I am not intrigued by the idea of learning more from you. But I feel guilt over feeling that way, like I am cheating on Garrett somehow.”

Declan shifted in his seat. “I can understand. I hope that I can come to earn your respect the way that he has earned it.”

“So where do we go from here?”

“Well, we spend the next few days together, getting to know each other. Then, we begin training. I plan long hours training, with rigorous demands on the mind and body. My goal is to push you, see how far you can go, and see how much you can truly absorb. It will not be all fun and games. Does any of this bother you?”

“No.”

Declan’s smile was genuine. “I somehow knew you would say that. I promise, I’ll take you further, make you stronger than you dreamed of. You just need to trust me.”

She trusted Garrett. She did not know how easy trusting Declan would be. “So when do we start?”

“Right now.”

Chapter 13

Caitlyn discovered over the next few days that Declan was more of a quiet soul than Garrett was. Her new mentor was not shy per se, but the flirtatious nature that she had gotten used to with Garrett was nowhere to be seen. Declan was reserved, observant, and determined.

She was cautious about her approach with Declan; she wasn’t rude, but she was not overly friendly to him the first several days either. She still reeled from the loss of Garrett and was hesitant to believe in someone else on the same level that she had Garrett.

It was the fourth day, and Declan had picked Caitlyn up at an insanely early hour. Caitlyn could only assume to remove her from the town that she associated with Garrett, was an attempt to make her