A Crown Of Smoke And Ash - Sloane Murphy Page 0,117
else found out and that’s where they rushed off to?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I just don’t know why they both lied to me. When I met Archer a couple of months ago, he said we’d never met.”
“Maybe he figured you didn’t remember, that you probably wouldn’t, and wanted to keep their secret.”
“Yeah I guess that makes sense. God knows Bauer is private as shit about his life. Makes more sense now. Though, he said he liked women too. In my memory I mean.” I shrug, because despite this being news, with everything else going on, I’ve got other things to focus on.
I pull out my phone and shoot off a text to Levi, Roman, and Creek, telling them I’m home and that we need to have a word.
Creek: Be back soon. Shit is going off. Will explain once I’m there.
I don’t hear back from the other two, but I imagine they know exactly why I want to talk to them. I also want to know what updates they have with everything, finding Hunters, and trying to track down who the fuck is behind all of this, while Kain and I were gone.
“Did Creek get a chance to track any of the other Hunters?” I ask Fallon. We weren’t gone long, and with whatever this is that’s happening with the Hunters, I can’t imagine he’s had much time.
“I don’t know, I was helping Mama with a lot of stuff while you were gone. I came over here last night and discovered this,” she waves to the room around us. “I came in as Everly got home from doing a grocery run, hence seeing her go off. And Colt appeared not long after, which is when him and Creek disappeared. Sorry.”
I wave her off and stand. “I need food.”
She joins me as I head to the kitchen, honestly, all I want is the biggest bowl of pasta right now. We find Everly and Kain sat at the island, talking over a steaming mug of something which smells bitter.
“Welcome home, sweetheart,” Everly says when she sees me. Jumping off the stool she hurries to me and wraps me in a hug. I relax into her, something about her presence is just so soothing. “Come, sit. I imagine you’ve had a stressful few days from what your young man has been telling me.”
Kain booms a laugh and shakes his head. “It has been a long time since I was called a young man.”
“Well, you look like one.” Everly shrugs, ushering me into the chair beside hers, and Fallon perches next to me. “Would you girls like some hot chocolate?”
“I can make it,” Fallon offers but Everly huffs.
“Not in my kitchen, sit, let me do it. An old woman likes to feel useful.” She winks at me, and I smile softly. I hope she realizes that without her, we’d all be a non-functioning mess. And I probably wouldn’t have eaten in weeks.
“Thank you.”
“Of course, dear. Whipped cream on top?” I groan at her words.
“Yes, you know the way to my heart!” I reply. She laughs and gets to work heating the milk.
“I hear we missed some excitement,” Kain says, his eyes sparkling.
“So it would seem. They know we’re home, so I imagine they won’t be gone long. That or they’re avoiding Everly and her wrath over the sitting room.” I let out a deep breath and raise my eyes to the ceiling. “But we have updates for them, so hopefully it won’t be much longer.”
I hear the front door open, and a dozen sets of footsteps sound in the hall, along with a murmuring of voices. They head for the sitting room, so I get up to investigate, because there’s never that many people here.
The sight I come across has me stifling a laugh. A dozen or so humans removing the wreckage that was the sitting room, and replacing the broken pieces with identical items. It takes them less than ten minutes to be clear, they don’t even acknowledge my existence as I stand in the doorway and watch. If it wasn’t for the missing glass where windows used to be, you’d never know anything happened. Fallon appears by my side, an amused look on her face as four of the men take away the broken glass and put a clear sheeting over the holes where the windows are meant to be.
They leave, without even a word, and Fallon bursts out laughing. “They almost looked like they were in a trance. I’ve never seen