Chapter 305

We don’t speak again until he are all parked at my mom and Isaac’s house and we walk inside.

Wyatt stands there, just inside the door, arms flexed and expression fierce, ready to defend the house. When he sees his father, he exhales a great big breath. His shoulders slump like a marionette with the string cut.

Isaac steps forward, wraps his arms around Wyatt’s torso, and pulls him into a hug. Wyatt slumps at once, dropping his head down to Isaac’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Isaac says. “I’m okay. I’m safe.”

While I’m glad that this father and son had been able to reunite, I would feel a hell of a lot better if I knew where my own mother is. And Mia, too.

I still didn’t fully trust Wyatt. For all I know, he could have done something to her and Mia while we were gone.

I stepped around Isaac and Wyatt and went into the living room. The brothers followed along behind me.

“Mom?” I called out. “Mom? Are you here?”

My heart thunders loudly in my chest. Three or four seconds tick by without a response, and then –

“Chloe?”

That came from the kitchen!

I dart forward and rush into the kitchen. Mom, holding Mia, stand by the sink. There’s a jar of applesauce open on the counter and Mom is holding a spoon. Mia has some globs on her lips.

Moving toward them, I don’t hesitate to pull Mom – and by extension Mia – into my arms. Mia giggles at my closeness. She grabs at the strands of my hair.

“Oh, honey. It’s okay. Everything’s okay.” Mom pats at my shoulder with the hand holding the spoon, careful to keep any from falling onto me.

“No one came by?” I ask.

“No,” Mom assures. “Mia and I were just having a snack. Wyatt has done a good job protecting us.”

I’m not sure I believe that. Wyatt has always been such a prick. But the results speak for themselves. Everyone here is alive and well.

My differences with Wyatt can be put aside for now, I suppose.

For a few more minutes, I stay with my Mom and Mia, holding onto both of them. The reality of all the things I had experienced, including how closely I had come to death, quake through me now, with the adrenaline wearing off.

Mom, noticing, sets the spoon aside onto the counter so that she can more fully hug me in response.

“I want to know what happened,” Mom says. “But you can tell me when you are ready.”

I should be braver. I should be able to talk about these things without feeling trepidation shake through my bones. If I want to be warrior, which I do, I need to be able to compartmentalize and deal with all of my near-death encounters.

Though, now that I think of it, many warriors returning from battle don’t relay any stories of what they had experienced. Perhaps, for some, the silence is how they cope.

For now, I hold onto my mother until I feel ready to face the world again.

When Mom, Mia, and I return to the living room, the brothers, Isaac, and Wyatt are standing there, in a half-circle facing Steven. Steven is holding his tablet. I can’t see the screen, but I imagine he is looking at where the recording is located in his files.

“We should post it at once,” Beau says. “Be done with it as soon as we can.”

“We need to think about this from every angle,” Isaac reasons. “Posting that audio will send shockwaves throughout the entire nation.”

“Shockwaves are what we want,” Beau says.

“We must consider the stability of the nation, and what might occur if we were to disrupt it,” Isaac says.

Beau scoffs. “You can’t be thinking of keeping our father in power? Why? Just to preserve some status quo? Then nothing gets solved!”

Wyatt starts growling at Beau and his sudden raised voice. Beau doesn’t handle that well, and turns toward Wyatt, growling all his own.

With a wolf fight about to break out, I step forward. “Whatever we do, we can’t argue amongst ourselves.”

“Chloe’s right,” Neil says. “We need to provide a united front.” Neil considers Beau. “But I also agree that we shouldn’t wait overlong to take action.” He nods toward Steven. “I want to post the recording, but we’ve had a long day. Let’s rest tonight, and discuss what we wish to do in the morning, with fresh minds.”

No one can really argue that. Since everyone’s adrenaline is running off now, we are all looking and acting tired. Personally, I really need a nap.

When Neil’s sharp gaze lands on me, however, I know that nap is a long way off.

“For now, we need to talk about Chloe,” Neil says.

“What about me?”

“Oh, Gods. I’ve been waiting for everyone to bring this up again,” Beau adds.

“Bring what up?” I say.

“You eagerness to put yourself in danger,” Archer says.

I roll my eyes at them. “We’ve already talked about this. In the heat of the moment, I wanted to do whatever I could to protect you guys. I wasn’t going to just sit there and let your mother shoot you, Archer!”

Archer tightens his jaw. “You should have. It wouldn’t be worth it for you to be killed instead.”

“Why not?” I ask.

“Chloe,” Mom gasps.

“I’m serious,” I double-down. “How is my life any more valuable than anyone else’s?”

Archer glares at me as his frown deepens.

“I made a strategic judgement in the moment and it paid off,” I say.

“She could have shot you!” Beau says.

They aren’t listening to me. They seem more upset by the fact that I wanted to protect them than by the reality that they were just as close to dying.

I shake my head. “But she didn’t. I’m not dead, and this is a ridiculous conversation that will get us nowhere.”

Neil stares at me hard. Beau tsks his tongue. Archer continues to frown. Even Steven looks concerned.

“We all need rest,” Isaac says. “Tempers are running high. Everyone needs a breather to calm down.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Mom says. “Separate corners, all of you. Go to your rooms and don’t come down again until dinnertime.”

I am far too old to be sent to my room, and the brothers aren’t Mom’s kids to scold, yet we all still obey her, each of us dipping our heads in shame.

“Yes, ma’am,” Neil says, speaking for all of us.

“Sorry, Mom,” I say.

Obediently we start shuffling toward the stairs.

At the door to my room, a hand tugs on my arm, stopping me. I look over my shoulder to find Archer there.

His gaze is hard, frozen like glacier ice. His voice is rough.

“Do not think that you are off the hook for how little you valued your own life. When we return to the Pyramid, I will teach you a lesson you need so valuably.”

There’s a dark promise in those words that makes a shiver run up my spine.

I swallow thickly.

Am I in for another spanking? Or something else?

I can’t wait to find out.