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“And that required you to hit me in the stomach, why?” Shade arches a brow at her while rubbing his abdomen.
Liberty simply shrugs. “It seems as good of a reaction as any.” She smiles warmly at me. “You and I have a lot of catching up to do.” She seizes my hand and yanks me with her as she marches with determination up the path.
“Liberty,” Jules calls out, chasing after us. “Slow the fuck down. You’re going to overwhelm her.”
Liberty rolls her eyes. “No, I’m not. I’m just not going to coddle her like you are, little brother.”
So, they’re brother and sister. That explains why their eyes look alike.
“I’m not coddling her.” Jules rushes around and barricades the path, forcing Liberty to stop. “She’s been through a lot, and I don’t think it’s wise to dump everything on her at once.”
Liberty pokes Jules in the chest. “Maybe you should let her decide.”
“I …” Jules tugs his fingers through his hair, making the strands go askew. “Lake, do you want to go with her? She’s more than capable of protecting you and she has her own guard. I’d prefer it if you stayed with me, but it’s up to you.”
They both look at me, and I feel like answering is picking a favorite.
I’ve definitely been in this situation before.
“Um …” I glance between the two of them, wondering where her guard is since I don’t see one anywhere. “Honestly, I kind of do want to go with her. But not to get away from you or anything.”Lie.Being around him makes my brain dizzy and too unclear. I think a small break might be a good thing … Maybe. Besides, I’d really like to learn more about these werewolf traditions no one will tell me about, and Liberty seems like the wolf who will spill the beans. “It might be nice to catch up with an old friend.”
“Oldbestfriend,” Liberty adds, smirking at Jules.
Jules glares at her, but then sighs. “If you want to go with her, you can,” he tells me. “I’d never make or force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
His words trigger a strange wave of sadness.
Before I can even process what I’m doing, I wrap my arm around him and give him a quick, one-sided hug. By the time I pull away, worry has crammed into Jules’ eyes and Liberty is staring at me with her forehead creased.
“Anyway, yeah, we can go hang out or whatever.” I cough a few times, clearing my throat.
“Awesome.” Liberty snaps her fingers at Jules. “And you need to go clear the forest of any stray pixies. Dad’s coming home a few days early and wants them all gone before his arrival.”
Jules grimaces. “Why is he coming home early?”
Liberty gives a rigid shrug. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”
Jules bobs his head up and down, staring at the ground. “Okay, I’ll take care of the pixies.”
“You should take Shade with you.” I cover my mouth as I snicker the words. “Shit, I didn’t mean to say that aloud.”
“So, you’ve heard the story?” Liberty asks, and I nod, lowering my hand from my mouth. “I bet he didn’t tell you the whole story, though, huh?”
I shrug. “Probably not, since his version was about thirty seconds long.”
“Good. Then I’ll tell you while we walk.” She drags me with her as she dodges around Jules, but he folds his fingers around my arm, stopping me.
“Why did Shade tell you that story?”
“Um, because we were bored and waiting for you,” I lie, and not very well.
His gaze burrows into mine. “What did you two talk about while I was …” He squirms.
“While you were what?” Liberty prods curiously.
Jules targets a dark look in her direction, but his eyes soften as he concentrates back on me. “What other stories did Shade tell you?”
“Maybe you should talk to him about that.” I stumble as Liberty yanks on my arm.
