Page 79 of Awakened and Betrayed
I laugh, having forgotten all about their shit talking to each other and the subsequent bet that ensued.
“Well, maybe that will keep your mouth from writing checks your ass can’t cash.”
Bastien’s eyes fill with mirth.
“Let’s blow off this meetup with douche and his asshole coven, and I’ll cash your ass right now.”
I roll my eyes at him. “We’re training, Bas, not having a tea party. I thought you lived for all that training and paladin shit. That’s all this is. Well better, because now you get to be a badass Sentinel, and let’s keep it real, that trumps paladin any day.”
“Don’t let Paladin Ender hear you say that,” Valen teases.
“I don’t know; I think I could take him.”
All the guys chuckle, and Bastien tweaks my nose.
“Now who’s writing checks her ass can’t cash?” Bastien exclaims.
“What, I got the drop on him before.”
Knox pats my knee. “Vinna, that man is a machine. I’ve never seen anyone do what he can, not even you or your sweet little ass.”
We pull up in front of the house and Enoch, Nash, Kallan, and Becket walk out to greet us. It gives me a sense of deja vu and pulls me back into the memory of the car ride with Pebble and his coven right after they forced me away from my Chosen. It’s a weird full circle moment, and something resonates inside of me, making me feel like something about this is important or pivotal.
It’s a strange feeling, like somehow I should be seeing something that’s right in front of me, but I can’t bring it into focus and catch the needed details. It’s that annoying sensation when you know a word, but it sits on the wrong side of your tongue, and you just can’t speak it into existence.
The light-hearted atmosphere that just filled the car evaporates. The guys get their game faces on, and there’s a collective deep fortifying breath taken before everyone climbs out of the car and faces off with Enoch and the others. There’s a long awkward pause where it seems no one knows what to do or say. Like we’re standing on opposite sides of a line and can’t decide if it’s worth crossing or dangerous in some way. Instead, both groups stand there taking each other’s measure.
I cross the invisible divide first and head right for Enoch’s door. I lived here, sort of, so I decide that means I can just walk into the house and right past whatever the fuck these guys are silently yelling at each other about, as they square off, arms folded over chests, and glare at one another. I walk through the house and out the back doors, heading straight for the training pit.
The dick measuring contest ends sooner than I thought it would, and Enoch catches up to me. I can practically feel the debate going on inside of his head, about what to say.
“I’m glad you called. I didn’t know if you’d want to hear from me or us,” he rubs the back of his neck, clearly searching for a way to make this interaction less awkward. “How are things going?”
I stop mid-stride, surprising him, and stare at him for a beat.
“Enoch, I’m not sure how to answer that.”
His face fills with confusion.
“You can tell me anything, Vinna. You can trust me.”
“That’s the thing though, I don’tknowif I can. I’m trying to, but you ask me a simple question likehow is everything going, and instead of just telling you the truth about all the crazy shit that’s going down, I debate if I can tell you anything. Right now, I’m weighing the risks in my head about whether you or your dad can use what I want to say against me somehow, or if I’m being set up for something I can’t see coming.”
Enoch runs frustrated fingers through his blond hair and takes a step towards me. As Enoch moves closer to me, I see Sabin out of the corner of my eye move to intercept him, but I give him a small wave to wait and let whatever is about to happen, happen.
“He made a power play, Vinna; it doesn’t make my dad evil, or me untrustworthy.”
“I’m not a chess piece, Enoch! Do you not understand that?”
“I know that...now. I didn’t knowwhoyou were when I saw you at the lake. I just knewwhatyou were and what that could mean for me,” he gestures to the rest of his coven. “For us, if you were open to it. But then I started to get to know you, and it wasn’t all about the power and the politics anymore, because I started to seeyou. You are what’s important to me.”
“To us,” Nash chimes in.
“But then why not tell me what you knew. Why not just be honest?” I ask, frustrated and confused.
“Because you didn’t seem like you wanted anyone to know,” he points to where Sabin and the guys are gathered. “I didn’t know that they knew, or that your uncle and his coven knew. When Faron called you Baby Sentinel, and you looked more panicked than confused, I realized that clearly, you knew what you were, but I didn’t want to freak you out by bringing it up.”
I go to argue with that point, but Enoch beats me to it.
