I lean forward, placin’ my elbows on my knees and my hands over my mouth. I feel Flint rub a comfortin’ hand over my back as I take all of this in. Sable was seein’ things. How is a three-year-old a danger to anythin’?
I look up at Delta, and our eyes meet. “Her blocks must have not worked,” I say quietly, and she nods solemnly.
“That’s what I was thinking too.”
For a little girl to be seein’ demons and angels from the get-go and not havin’ anyone believe her...my eyes burn with the emotion that wells up inside of me at that thought.
“Is there anything else we need to know?” Rafferty asks, takin’ the lead when he sees Delta and I are too overwhelmed.
“No, sir, and I must get back.”
Rafferty nods. “Thank you for the report.”
The soldier bows to us and then does this fancy lookin’ pivot thing before he quickly strides out of the room, Strut now on his tail so he can show him out.
I feel like the messenger took all the air in the room with him when he left. I don’t even know what to think or where to begin, but I can’t help worryin’ that we might be too late for Sable. I hate the thought, but I can’t help feelin’ as though even if she wasn’t insane goin’ into a mental hospital, she could very well be when she comes out.
“What are we going to do?” Delta asks no one in particular as Crux rubs calmin’ circles over the back of her wing.
“We wait and see,” Alder tells us. “We won’t know what we’re dealing with until we can meet her and see for ourselves.”
I nod, and my thoughts drift to a million possibilities of what life must have been like for her.
“They’ll find her,” Rafferty announces, and he wraps an arm around Delta’s shoulders and pulls her into his side. “This is a good thing. They’ll find her, and then we’ll all do everything we can to help her heal.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t that,” she admits, and I nod absently in agreement.
“Do you think Nefta knows?” I ask Delta, and she shrugs hollowly.
I wonder what her reaction to that news will be. Based on the short amount of time I’ve known her, I don’t think she’s gonna take it well.
We sit in silence for a few moments, everyone just digestin’ this news, all of us probably thinkin’ about poor Sable and what kind of life she’s had. I can’t help thinkin’ that could’ve been Delta. Or me.
I already had blackouts as a kid, my tribulations made it seem like someone or somethin’ else seemed to surface out of me, protective by any means necessary. But I had wonderful parents who not only accepted me, but supported and helped me every step of the way. Parents who taught me to love myself for who I was. Sable was abandoned. Not only that, but she was called insane and thrown away, shoved into a psychiatric ward. Who the hell does that to a little kid?
I turn to look at Alder. “I need to call my mama and daddy later,” I tell him in a small voice. I need to hear their comfortin’ voices.
His eyes soften and lavender lips press against my temple. “Of course, Petal.”
I smile softly at him. “Thanks.”
A sigh escapes me as I slump back on the couch, my fingers runnin’ through my hair. “Can we talk about somethin’ else? I feel like I might throw up worryin’ about Sable. I hate that we can’t do more other than just sit here and wait,” I say honestly.
Delta puffs up her cheeks before lettin’ out a long exhale. “Yeah. We need to stay busy.”
“And ready,” I add, feelin’ a renewed conviction in my bones.
“Want to go train some more?” Jerif asks, fiery hair shimmerin’ in the gas-lamp light of the room.
Delta grimaces. “Ugh, no. I meant stay busy by doing something else. Like cleaning out a junk drawer or folding laundry,” she tells him. “Or sex.”
I snicker, her mates givin’ her bemused expressions.
“Careful, Jeter,” Crux tells her. “You’re getting gluttonous.”
“Yeah, you’re the daughter of Pride, not Gluttony,” Echo tells her, his shadows movin’ across his pale skin.
Delta shrugs, and then a thought pops in my head. “Oh, you mentioned somethin’ about Flint’s past,” I say, lookin’ over to my mate. “You were gonna tell her the story about how you first became a Guardian.”
Flint cocks a dark eyebrow. “You really want to hear that story right now?”
Delta and I exchange a look and both nod. “Yep.”
He seems uncomfortable under the sudden attention from everyone in the room. He moves a hand to the back of his neck and scratches at it awkwardly. “There’s not a whole lot to tell…” he hedges.
Delta snorts. “Oh, come on. My guys insisted I come talk to you that day to hear your story. They were convinced that it would change my mind about embracing the duty of becoming a Gate Guardian. Not that I technically can become a Guardian, but we didn’t know that at the time...” she trails off. “Sorry, not important. Tell us what happened with you.”
Flint straightens himself on the couch, and I move back until I’m settled sideways on Alder’s lap with my wings against the armrest so that I can face Flint while also givin’ him room to tell his story.
He brushes a hand over his smooth jaw, his eyes movin’ to the carpet as he gathers his thoughts. “I wasn’t supposed to be a Guardian,” he begins. “Alder...he was a legacy, and he always knew he’d serve next. Guardianship passes down through the bloodlines that Lucifer selected a millennia ago. But me? I never could’ve anticipated
