“Still. He had no business doing that. I know you told Kyzen you were happy that he did, but I’d still be furious if I were you.”
“Oh, I am. He one hundred percent could’ve drugged them and left me out of it.”
“Yemi.” Rose and I gasp.
Rose’s, I believe, is serious, with some concern mixed in there.
Mine is definitely delighted surprise.
“Yeah, yeah. I know that makes me shitty, but I honestly can’t explain the strain it lifted on the house. I don’t know if Doren, Iric, and Nero thought I was gullible or what, but since the moment they’ve arrived, they’ve tried to only seem perfect. I don’t want perfect. I want honesty and yeah, a little selfishly, I’ll admit, I want it now, not later.”
“Damn. I’m all here for assertive Yemi.” I wink and she huffs at me. “So did you find out everything your impatient ass wanted to know?”
“Uh. I’m about to sound like a walking contradiction but a little more than I wanted to know right now.”
I fall into Rose’s side, laughing, and she grips my forearm as she attempts to compose herself.
Yemi throws a handful of grass at us that I swat away when I sit back up and wipe under my eyes.
“I’m so curious but feel so bad for wanting to be nosy. Poor Lambrit listened to me chatter about what I thought was goingon the whole walk home. I probably dosed him so much with my power, he had no choice but to be quiet and listen to me.”
“You’re too sweet for your own good, Rose. You and Lambrit. I’ll gladly ask her to tell us everything and not feel a shred of guilt about it.”
“There’s plenty I’m willing to share. I’ll go crazy if I don’t talk about it with someone. But first things first.”
She arches her brow at me and I fake ignorance.
“You don’t have to share everything, but I want to know what happened. One minute, we all left the Athenaeum together, laughing. The next morning, I wake up to being told the High Chancellor’s recorded a crime against you. Then I don’t see you for days.”
All the happiness gets sucked out of me and my body falls still.
Out of my peripheral, I spot Rose’s fingers twitching toward me, then she pulls them back to her lap. I run my hands down my thighs numerous times to chase away the chill bumps that litter my skin.
I knew this was going to be brought up.
I knew she wouldn’t just pretend nothing happened.
I told myself to prepare to be asked.
“I…uh.” I squeeze my eyes and shake my head.
A small sigh slips through my lips when Rose finally lays her hand against mine. I pat it with my other one and will my power to let her ability bleed through me.
Now or never.
Just get it out there.
“Harriseen finally carried through with that threat of locking me in a room.”
I don’t open my eyes one time while I recount the search of the house, the High Chancellor charging me with a crime, then the march to the healing villas.
Nothing about what actually occurred in the room spills out of me, but judging by their gasps, I don’t need to go into detail about it. They understand the severity of it enough.
“Thayla…I’m so sorry.”
I nod and my lips flap with my exhale.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Yem, but I appreciate it. Enough about that, though. While we’re on the subject of that fucking cocksucker, though, I need to warn you about something. Other than Riven apologizing, that’s why we asked you all out here.”
