When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,35
so open and big, it made my heart warm.
As we drove back to Miles’ house, we talked about other times I would want my privacy and explained why. It was the first real talking we had done since Hades turned into a human in front of me a month ago.
Asher
“Watch my waist, Kayley,” I instructed as I put my arms down. “My hips will tell you if I’m changing direction, my shoulders will tell you what arm I’m going to use.”
Kayley dropped her arms and stepped back from me. She blew the long strands of pale-yellow hair out of her face. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m a kindergarten teacher, not a fighter.”
I sighed. And that was the problem. Kayley was a kind person with a good heart who wanted nothing more than to work with kids, and she was stuck in the middle of a war for her species.
The tall woman shrugged her slim shoulders. “I’m trying.”
“I know,” I said as I picked up a towel off the bench and wiped the sweat from my face. “And you’re getting better.” It wasn’t that she was a pushover—the woman could hold her own—but she wasn’t aggressive in fighting. She always defended. “One day you’ll have to take the offense.”
She blew out air, puffing up her flushed cheeks. “I know.”
The door to the weight room opened. Ally walked in. When she spotted me a brilliant smile spread across her face. Damn, it was good to see her. With everything going on lately, getting one on one time was almost impossible. “We’ll call it a day.”
Kayley looked over her shoulder and spotted Ally. “Um-hmm.” She turned back to me with a grin. “Does she know you want her to be your bonded?”
My face caught fire. “I do not.”
Kayley smiled. “Sure. Whatever.”
I threw my towel at her.
She caught it with a laugh before heading out the door.
Ally raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask as she came towards me.
“Hey, how’d your conversation with Rory go?” I asked as she reached me.
She sighed. “Better than I expected. I thought he’d have a fit, but it looks like he was thinking the same thing we were. Only, he wanted me to go with him too.”
I cringed. “You’re not, right?”
“I convinced him that I needed to stay here, but he’s not happy about it.” She tilted her head back to look up at me. “How’d Jessica take the news?”
I let out a breath. “Better than I thought she would.” I stepped closer to her and set my hands on her hips. “She argued with me over it.”
“Of course.”
I smiled down at her. “But she knows it’s for the best.”
“How are you holding up?” she asked.
I leaned down and brushed a kiss against her cheek. “Do you care if we just have a night in for our date tonight?”
Those emerald eyes sparkled as she met my gaze. “Not one bit.”
“Good.” All I needed was Ally to myself for a few hours and everything would be right again. We could manage that.
The door to the gym opened. Isaac stepped just inside the door. “You guys might want to get upstairs. Miles is telling Uma about what his dad did.”
Lexie
Oh shit. I pulled away from Asher and ran for the door. Asher got there first and rushed ahead of us.
When we reached the walkthrough for the living room we skidded to a stop. Blocking the way were the other guys standing silently. I slipped between them and got to the front of the group. Uma, Brody, and Miles were in the living room, sitting in a tense silence.
Uma sighed. “This certainly explains a lot.”
“Why they suddenly started going after you kids makes more sense now.” Brody pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I know,” Miles said. “And I’m sorry about my actions.”
Uma shook her head. “I understand why you did it. But it wasn’t your decision to make.”
“If you had shared the location, we could have attacked in force,” Brody stated in a clipped tone. “This could have been over a month ago.”
Miles hung his head. “I’m aware.”
Uma shook her head and turned her gaze to all of us standing in the doorway. “Since it’s become obvious that Jadis is aiming for you boys, no one is allowed to leave this property without a bodyguard. Is that clear?”
Yeses and nods circled the room.
Brody turned to Uma. “We need to rethink our strategy.”
“Agreed.” Uma got to her feet and followed Brody out into the hallway.