Page 35 of Into Ember

And he goes through us. Both of us. One shoulder each, no ceremony, a man who has been walking through his son’s defenses since before his son could shift — up the steps, across the porch, and the front door swings wide.

Gunnar closes his eyes.

“I tried,” he says.

“You stood in a path.”

“I tried in a path.”

The door slams behind Vick.

This is not good.

Chapter 13

Elara

The front door shuts behind Brock and takes most of the air in the kitchen with it.

Nothing in you minded me there.

That’s what Gunnar said. Low, right into my ear, in a room where I swear everyone hears everything, and then he walked out before I could tell him exactly how wrong he was. Which I could have done. Easily. Because here’s the entire truth about Gunnar and that bed — he was tired, the bed was comfortable, I made it comfortable on purpose because that was the whole job of the bed, and comfortable beds are hard to leave. It’s why alarm clocks are violent. A man who fought getting in and then didn’t want to get out the next morning isn’t evidence of a nest. It’s evidence of good pillows.

Erik never fought getting in.

Erik pulled me in with him.

That little detail is not helping, so it isn’t in the argument. Motion to strike. Granted. Moving on.

Except now Brock’s gone too. Out the same door, after one look through the window and one nod from Leif. That feels weird and I know weird.

And nobody in this kitchen is reacting.

Not in any way and that’s not right. Clearly something is going on and I can’t be the only one that sees it. I know I’m not because Leif and Brock made that very obvious and obvious shouldn’t get past anybody. But Erik is still holding that towel like the dishes are important and Rayner has drifted conveniently between me and the window. Nothing is happening, and all of it is happening very carefully. These are not relaxed men. These are men doing an impression of relaxed men.

Leif says something to Erik. Low. Too low for me to hear but I hear it just like when Gunnar…

Nope.

“This isn’t going to be good.”

Erik doesn’t answer. The towel starts moving again, slower.

“It’s going to be great,” Rayner says, grinning like a child that just got his wish.

It’s extremely suspicious and I am not willing to let it go.

Who is outside?

Why did Brock leave like that?

What isn’t going to be good?

Why is the biggest one delighted about it?

I need to know dammit. This is a need to know basis and I am the one out of everyone that needs the Cliff’s notes version now. Not the tomorrow that always seems to be the deadline.

The deadline is now.