Chapter 25

Dylan

I didn't remember falling asleep so when I woke up in the bed, I had no idea when or how I had even gotten here, but I was very familiar with this ceiling by now.

Still, it was new to find how easy it was becoming to feel comfortable in this place, this room, this bed. The scent of Tristan that had lingered here was faint, but it was now mixed with cinnamon, apples, and fresh tilled grass.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to stay still and listen to the sounds around me. I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling that my senses were starting to sharpen and were becoming more heightened as time passed, but it could just be my imagination.

A soft "huff" sounded somewhere in the room, and I felt Rae instantly pinpoint where Lecia and Nico stood with their heads flush to the door of the bedroom.

I sat up slowly and I was about to call out to them, but I couldn't help but watch how cute they looked crouching in such awkward positions.

Rae even laughed a little and I felt the smile start to appear, but then I heard the voices from beyond the door and stilled.

Tristan's voice was instantly recognizable, but it's not that I didn't know who it was that he was speaking to, it's what they were talking about that made me quickly get up off the bed.

Moving towards Lecia and Nico, I didn't want to startle them, but I also wanted to get out of the room and join the conversation that sounded like it had been taking place for quite some time.

When I placed my hands on their shoulders, I saw them react at the exact same time and in the exact same way and it made me instantly recall the way that Nico and Cruz used to do that exact same thing.

The twinge of pain thrummed quickly through my chest as the thought entered my mind, but I pushed it down and tried to cover that broken piece as quickly as I could.

Unable to look at them, the moment that they realized that I wanted them to move out of the way, I swung the door open wide and with a little more force than I was intending.

When the light from the living area filled the doorway, it took a second for my eyes to adjust since the bedroom had been so dark. I quickly found Tristan and then found the other voice was that of Mr. Winters.

I noticed that they were both in different clothes than they had been in the last time that I saw them, but they were standing right beside the door of the suite, and I wasn't sure if they were coming or going.

Tristan turned and looked at me with a look of concern, then immediately the genuinely happy smile that he carried every time I was with him appeared.

Words kind of just slipped out of my mouth the moment that the thoughts had filled my mind, "I hope you were not planning on doing anything without talking to me first."

Tristan's smile didn't falter, but I felt Mr. Winter's stare on me and for some reason I did not want to look in his reaction.

Quickly I turned towards the kitchen. Sometimes these little bursts of confidence fill me, and I speak up, but once they disappear, I feel nervous.

Busying my hands helps so I went to get something to help me with that. The scent of fresh coffee hit me as I walked closer, and I couldn't help the smile that had started to spread.

I still didn't know much about my brother, but I knew that he had made this coffee for me. While it was such a small gesture, I couldn't help but feel touched.

When he had made me a coffee yesterday, I had seen where he grabbed the cups and spoons, and I followed his exact movements. Letting my mind think through what I had heard and what I was feeling, I let the thoughts flow.

In that moment, I recalled what he had said that first night we had talked. He had asked if I had wanted to see pictures of our parents, but I hadn't been ready just then.

Right now, as I felt the comfort that his smile brought me, I considered asking him to look at a few of them. I wondered if his smile came from our mother or our father, but that would have to come later.

Rae snickered, "do you feel their eyes boring into the back of your head?" I did, but my nerves were still getting the best of me, and I wasn't ready to turn and face them just yet.

This was probably the longest I've taken to make a cup of coffee, but I needed the time. As I stood there stirring my half cup of sweet cream into my coffee, the only sound that could be heard in the room was the clink of the spoon hitting the mug.

After a good minute of stirring, I finally brought the mug up to my lips and took a nice big swig of the sweet and warm liquid.

I savored the taste and feel of it as it hit my tongue and ran down my throat. The coffee was warm because of the amount of cream I used so I gulped down a few mouthfuls quickly.

Finally, I turned around and leaned against the counter. Sure enough, the four of them had all seemed to gravitate towards the same part of the bar style counter and were just standing there looking at me.

If I was being honest, it was a bit impressive the way that they all seemed to be waiting on me and that little boost to my ego did not hurt in the slightest.

"So, do you wanna tell me what you were talking about," I asked looking between Tristan and Mr. Winters.

In the short time that I had been awake before coming out of the room I had only picked up the fact that they were talking about something that involved me and that they seemed to be arguing about it, but not much more than that.

But it was the way that Mr. Winters looked away from me quickly before looking over to Tristan that I knew he wasn't going to say anything.

Rae seemed a little frustrated by him and even though I hated to admit it, I did as well. It was obvious that there was something that he was hiding, but I couldn't tell if it was from just me or from everyone.

Glancing at him for another moment, I had this sudden urge or feeling to make him look at me, to make him tell me what it was that he so desperately wished to keep hidden.

It was almost like a string that I felt rather than saw and I had a feeling that if I pulled it, then I would get the answers from him, but I decided to wait on that for a moment.

Tristan started running his big rough hand through his still damp hair. His hair looked dark russet with the remnants of water still clinging to its ends, and it stayed slicked back in some places even after his hands fell to his side.

"Did we wake you, I'm sorry. Roane came by because I wasn't answering my phone and he was just talking to me about something that his assistant sent over to him."

Crossing my free arm around my belly, I brought my other hand that still held my coffee cup to my mouth as I took another gulp from my mug.

There was truth in his words, I could feel it, but he had worded his explanation to give me the bare minimum of information and we all knew it.

Lecia and Nico were looking at him with accusation clearly written across their faces, but I was glad that they were holding it in.

"I see," I replied, "so what was the information that he had to come over and tell you so urgently that he couldn't even let you finish your shower?"

To my surprise, Mr. Winters grinned when he looked at Tristan before looking anywhere else in the room except at me.

Seeing Tristan get flustered was actually a bit funny because I knew by the way that others spoke to him and even looked at him that this was something others probably never saw.

Tristan watched me intently for a moment then let out a deep sigh. "We are meeting with Blane and Ezra tonight at seven to finalize the plan from last night, but it seems that Noel has already reached Blood Mist."

As soon as he spoke those last two words, I felt my entire body tense. Last night hadn't felt real or maybe it had felt real but hadn't fully computed in my still sleepy head.

Regardless, there was no way of stopping the reaction I knew that they could all clearly see from me.

Tristan quickly came around the bar and into the kitchen towards me. "That's why I didn't want to say anything yet. I didn't want you to get upset and you know," he said pointing to the large wall of windows.

Confusion must have shown on my face, but then Nico and Lecia jumped in to help clarify his meaning.

Nico made a noise that I was assuming was supposed to sound like thunder, "boom" and him and Lecia had their hands up and their fingers fluttering quickly as if they are playing Pictionary.

"Oh. Ooh," I said as I realized what they were trying to say. He hadn't wanted to upset me in case I caused another storm.

Well, that did make sense, but it was still really hard to think that I actually had the ability to do something like that.

Rae seemed to be agreeing with Tristan's words as if it was so natural an explanation that she understood why he was being so cautious with his answer.

Still, I needed him to be honest with me regardless of what may or may not happen. If I need to learn how to control my emotions, then I will work on doing that now that I am aware that I may actually be the one causing those storms.

When Tristan reached out and grabbed my arm, I hadn't even realized that I was shaking until he took the mug out of my hand, and I felt little drops of my coffee that had found its way onto my fingers.

"Dylan, relax and take a deep breath. I'll tell you everything that he told me as long as you promise not to get to upset. Can you do that?"

Tristan stood there holding my arm with one hand and my coffee in his other, but the look on his face wasn't one full of fear or deceit, but of honestly and promise.

"Okay, I can do that," I said looking at him while nodding my head in agreement with my words.

"Good, then I'll tell you everything he said, okay?"

Nodding again, he smiled and then handed me back my coffee which I gladly accepted.

The mug was still nice and warm, and I grabbed it with both hands and wrapped my fingers around it trying to let the warmth of the mug seep into my palms.

"Sometime after Noel got back to Blood Mist, Xavier, Roane's assistant, received an email from Rogan that he wants to meet tomorrow at Aspen's offices."

I was still standing there leaning against the counter and even though what he said sounded bad, it was essentially what they had wanted when they had agreed to the idea that Lecia had come up with.

Unfortunately, when I turned to look at Nico and Lecia, I knew that there was still more to the story that he needed to tell me. 

So, when I turned back to Tristan, I took a deep breath and steadied myself. "I know there's more, just tell me."

Standing to his full height, Tristan took a deep breath of his own and then said, "when Rogan sent the request, he demanded that you be brought along to the meeting as well."

Nico and Lecia were both standing from their seats and in unison screamed out, "no f*cking way!"

Tristan stood there looking at me and I was forcing my body to relax and my lungs to breath in and out slow and steadily. As I kept my focus on Tristan's face and maintained both my breathing and the rush of fear that had surged through me.

Reminding myself that this is what we had wanted. That this was the only way that we knew that we could get him away from the pack lands was the one thing that I had to keep telling myself over and over.

And after a few seconds, it worked. When I looked to the windows in the living area, the sky was still nice and clear out.

It was then that I realized it was probably still early morning and I used this information to help keep myself grounded to the here and now.

Of course, though, it was now when Roane finally spoke up, "Tristan and I were also discussing who would be going out on the trip to Blood Mist now that we know when Rogan will be coming. Of course, he is determined to be one of the ones going."

I wasn't' sure what type of reaction that he was wanting or expecting me to have, but I knew that it was the complete opposite of what he had planned when I saw the look on his face as I spoke.

Too bad my attention was pulled from him before I had any more time to decipher his reactions when all chaos seemed to break loose from the others as well.

"As he should. I would have expected nothing less from him since I know that there is no way that he will let me go alone."