Scarred Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance #7) - Brenda Trim Page 0,64

closely they fought together.

Rising above the windowsill, she peeked through the clear glass and saw part of her family gathered in the living room. She was lucky that they hadn’t yet pulled the heavy drapes that offered protection from the sun’s lethal rays. Her mother was playing a card game with her Aunt Shelly and Uncle Keith. A sharp pang in her chest brought tears to her eyes because normally, she would have been playing with them. She loved the time she spent with her family, but deep down, she didn’t feel like she fit here anymore.

She heard her brother, Austin calling out to her mom from the back of the large house about a lost shoe or something. She smiled. Austin was always losing his stuff. More than likely, her father was whipping up something delicious for their last meal of the day while her grandmother sat in the kitchen talking to him. It was a normal scene in her house and she couldn’t stop one of her tears from escaping.

She wondered if her grandfather was home from work yet. She had imagined their lives had stopped while they searched for her. But, here they were as if she wasn’t missing at all. Wild and crazy thought raced through her mind and suddenly she wasn’t so sure this had been a good idea. Hell, they may have given her room to her aunt for her office. They might not want her back at all.

Pale rays of sun hit the ground beside her, freezing her breath in her lungs. She hadn’t survived the past seven months of hell to be burned to death by the sun. The imminent sunrise made her decision for her and she ran to the porch, ringing the doorbell.

Her mother answered the door and screamed. Before she knew what was happening, she had been pulled into a hug and was surrounded by her mother’s familiar rose scent. She gripped her mom tightly and let the tears fall. She heard the others in the house run to see what the ruckus was about, but didn’t pull away from her mom.

“Kay, you need to back up before the sun reaches the both of you,” her dad said trying to tug her from her mother’s grip, but her mother refused to let her go. Shae felt them being led into the house as her dad cried and grabbed them both. “Oh, Goddess. I can’t believe you’re finally here. Where have you been? What happened? Are you okay?”

“That’s a long story. I missed you dad.”

“What is it, Matthew?” her grandmother, Philomena, asked coming into the room. “Goddess, child,” her grandmother cried out and rushed towards them. The familiar mint scent of her grandmother joined the menagerie of her parents as her small arms worked their way into the embrace. “We have missed you.”

She sobbed harder hearing that and they stood in their huddle for several minutes. She felt her brother and aunt and uncle hovering near the edges and knew they wanted to join the group. When she lifted her head, she met Austin’s gaze. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks and she nodded her head to him. She understood what he wasn’t saying. They may irritate each other, but they loved each other more than words could say.

“Let’s sit down,” her dad said, crossing to take a seat on the sofa. Shae’s mom didn’t let her go and Shae didn’t try to extricate herself. It felt too wonderful to be home and in her arms. Her aunt and uncle each gave her a hug where she stood in her mother’s arms and told her they loved her and then her brother nearly squeezed the life out of her, bringing more tears to her eyes. Finally, she and her mother sat together on the other sofa and her grandmother sat on her other side and grabbed Shae’s hand.

“You have no idea how good it is to see you and be home. I can’t believe it’s all the same, even the throws on the couch,” she said, looking around. They had the same faded, mismatched furniture they’d had for several decades. The stuff needed to be replaced, but it was nice to see the red chair and green couches as well as the purple recliners.

It was all ridiculous, especially after seeing the lush leather furniture in the King’s home, but it was perfect for them. Her eclectic grandmother had chosen every piece and hadn’t seen anything she liked to replace it,