His father quirked a brow at him. “You mean if she returns?”
“Aye. She’ll return. I know not her purpose in wanting to go back to that place, but I’ll discover it one way or another.”
“There’s only one other lad who has the same temperament as we do, the type who would both enjoy and understand this place.”
Jake was puzzled, unable to think of anyone at the moment.
“Do not think too hard. I believe he’s almost here, ahead of Ashlyn. We missed him before.” Alex tipped his head toward the path beneath them, closer than the one Ashlyn had been on.
Jake yelled, “Uncle Logan!”
His sire smiled and said, “He’ll fit right in.”
Chapter Fifteen
Alex knows when to give in to his dear Madeline…and Maddie knows when to speak her mind.
The lads all stood outside the chamber talking, mayhap sensing that Maddie wanted a private word with her husband, but Alex was already inside the room and behind the desk. Maddie walked into the room with Jake, then shut the door before moving in front of Jake, facing Alex. He expected his mother had followed his sire’s cardinal rule—never question him in front of the clan. He would listen to all she had to say behind closed doors.
“Maddie,” Alex said. “I know you wish to clean his wounds…”
His mother held her hand up to his sire, lifting her chin a notch. With a smile on her face, she spoke with a strength Jake recognized, and his sire listened, as he always did. Jake could feel a weakening starting in his legs, so he locked his knees to stay upright.
“Husband, may I take this moment to remind you of what we both went through to bring this lad into this world. I would also wish to remind you of what your dear mother’s firstteachings were to your sister, and…” Her breath hitched with emotion, and she stopped speaking for a moment to regain control.
Jake’s sire moved out from behind the desk, his gaze on Maddie. “And?” He brushed a stray lock of hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear before his thumb rubbed her cheek.
This is when Jake had learned the most from his parents. Their respect for each other amazed him. Alex Grant would stop speaking for only two people—his wife and his king.
“And I’d like to remind you of dear Kyle Maule’s sire, bless his soul.” She leaned toward her husband and he caught her, one hand on her hip and the other on the back of her neck.
Kyle Maule’s father had died from complications from a wound that had never been cleaned.
His sire settled his lips on her forehead, then leaned back and said, “I see no reason why we cannot converse with him while you cleanse his wounds. We shall follow you.” And just like that, Alex Grant changed his plan, giving in to his wife’s tender needs. He explained the new circumstances to the others, and then Maddie pivoted and led them into another chamber used for healing.
Chapter Twenty-One
And here is the sign that Jake has matured. Alex’s response surprises him
but is a terrific example of true love.
“Why did you stop Mama from hitting us that night in the stables? I almost wish she had.” If she had, he may not have been so foolish out in the rock field.
“If I had been worried about you, I would have let her hit you. You deserved it. But I was worried abouther.”
Jake turned sideways to look at his father. “What? Why?”
“Because if she had connected with your face, she would have had to deal with the guilt of becoming violent. She would have considered herself no better than an abuser. I couldn’t allow her to go through that.”
“You thought of all that in such a short time?” Jake was astonished at his father’s insight.
“When you love someone, you understand how their mind works. She only cried twice foralmosthitting you. If she had hit you, she’d probably still be crying from the guilt.”
Ashlyn
Book 5
Ashlyn becomes the archer she always wished to be,
