Chapter 215
When my professors have gone and it’s just the five of us left in the room, my father tuns and gives us all a sharp nod. “Good,” he says, looking between us Cadets. “That went better than I thought it would. It seems almost as if…at least Neumann was already aware.”
I give a little shrug, admitting it a bit with a small smile.
Dad huffs a laugh and then runs a hand through his hair, turning to Rafe. “Off to the room with you, Rafe,” he says. “You’re all finished here.”
Rafe’s mouth drops open for a moment. “But…” he looks at Jackson and I with a frown. “Where are they going?”
“Another meeting,” mom says with a happy sigh, her eyes crinkling up a little as she takes Rafe’s hands and pulls him forward for a little kiss on the cheek. “Not necessary for you. I’ll miss you baby, be good.”
Rafe sputters in protest, half torn between his desire to give mom a proper goodbye and protest that he wants to join the meeting. But dad just raises a single eyebrow at him, daring him to counter his decision, and Rafe scowls.
“Fine,” he murmurs, giving dad as much of a glare as he dares. Then he gives mom a proper kiss and dad a hug before heading out of the room.
“Take their bags!” dad calls, gesturing towards our backpacks. Rafe scowls again but does asa he’s told, taking our backpacks from us and using the chance to say a few stern words to Jackson, instructing him to escort me back to the room after whatever it is we’re doing.
Jackson smirks as if he finds it humorous that Rafe thinks he needs to be reminded.
But I don’t have time for any of that. “What are we doing?” I ask, frowning as I look between my parents. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing to be upset about, baby trouble,” mom says, slipping an arm around me and leading me towards the door. “Dominic? Where to?”
“Just down the hall,” he murmurs, starting out in the lead. Jackson brings up the rear, of course, and I frown over my shoulder at him, silently asking if he knows what’s going on. But he just shrugs, letting me know that he knows as much as I do.
“What is with all the secrets today,” I growl, giving my mom a poke in the ribs with my finger.
She laughs and scoots away from me for a second. “It’s not secrets Ariel – just not a great deal of time to give everyone a brief about our plans for the day.”
“We had an entire helicopter ride!”
“Yes, my love,” she sighs, reaching out to pat me fondly on the cheek. “But it was very loud, and I was very distracted by the magazine with all of its lovely pictures and hilarious theories, none of which actually matched the truth for true drama –“
I groan, shaking my head at her, knowing she’s lying but giving in to it. If mom wants to keep her secrets there’s no stopping her, and honestly she’s probably doing it for a reason so I give in, just following along. I trust her, after all. Jackson willingly follows close behind, quiet as usual, but down the bond I feel his utter trust in mom too.
We follow dad down the hall to a door that he pushes open. His face breaks into a huge smile as he steps into the room. “It’s been a long time, friend!”
Mom gives a little squeak of joy and rushes forward, tugging me along with her. I go willingly, even if I am baffled. I feel Jackson close behind me as I step into the room and see a man sitting on the other side of a small table, a laptop open before him – a human, and one I’ve met before.
“Hank!” my mom says, abandoning me immediately and dashing over to her old friend. “It’s so good to see you, I’ve missed you.”
Hank is lucky enough to stand in time for my mother to run past my dad and barrel into him. He laughs as he wraps his arms around her. “It’s good to see you too, Ella – you’re right, it’s been too long.”
Mom beams up at Hank as dad comes to shake his hand, perhaps the fondest gesture dad gives to anyone outside of the family.
“You remember our eldest daughter, of course?” dad says, gesturing towards me.
I step forward eagerly, my hand out. “Hi!” I say, laughing a little. “I remember you! You came once to the palace when I was younger.”
“Yes, younger and smaller,” he says, giving me a warm smile as he takes my hand in both of his, shaking it. “It’s a pleasure to see you all grown up, Ariel – and I’m glad to hear that you’re holding up your family’s tradition of keeping things interesting.”
I blush a little at this but laugh, knowing he doesn’t mean anything by it. “This is Jackson McClintock,” I say, half turning to gesture towards Jackson, who still stands awkwardly by the door. “Another…Cadet at the Academy,” I finish a little lamely, not knowing quite what to say.
“It’s all right,” Hank says with a happy sigh as Jackson comes forward to shake his hand as well. “Your parents already informed me of your rather unique situation. Two mates – it’s very interesting. I mean, I’m a physician, but I’ve long been interested in how magic engages with the lycanthrope body. Fascinating stuff.”
My mouth drops a bit as Jackson comes forward and shakes Hank’s hand. Jackson, stoic as usual, doesn’t say a word, edging a bit closer to me and starting to feel a little wary.
“Sit down, Ariel, Jackson,” my dad says, gesturing to two chairs on one side of the small table. He sits down in the chair next to Hank’s as Hank takes his seat as well. Mom hesitates and then takes a seat at the head of the table – between the two groups. I frown at her as she sits down, stepping closer to Jacks and slipping my hand into his.
Because something…something feels off about this.
“What is going on?” I ask, my voice a little snappier than I mean it to be. “Why…why are the five of us here?”
“We’re here,” dad says, folding his hands on the table and looking pointedly at the two open chairs. “To ask Jackson some questions. About his previous life in the Community.”
My spine stiffens and I squeeze Jackson’s hand. He squeezes mine back, suddenly wary. Down the bond, I feel his wolf’s hackles raise.
Neither of us say anything, both of us just staring stiffly at my parents and their old friend.
“Ariel,” mom says, her voice pleading. “Don’t get defensive, darling – it’s not –“
“Then why spring this on us?” I snap, turning to glare at her. “Why wait until now, why not ask questions while we were at the palace?”
“Because,” my father says, quite evenly. “This is the soonest that we could get Hank here – he flew in this morning. Had the timing been different, we would have of course met him at the palace.”
“Well, what does Dr. Hank have to do with it?” I ask, casting a hand out towards him. As the words fall from my lips I grimace, realizing that I’m being rude. I send him an apologetic glance and he nods to me, accepting my tacit apology, letting me know he understands.
“Because he’s from the North,” Jackson says quietly next to me, and I snap my head up to him at the sound of his deep voice. “Or,” he qualifies with a frown, tilting his head, “if not from the North, than recently there.”
“How do you know that?” Hank asks, leaning forward with a smile, intrigued.
“I can smell it on you,” Jackson murmurs, lifting his nose and giving another sniff of the air. “You smell like home. Cool winds, snow. Kerosine, which the fancier households use to heat their homes.” He shrugs.
Hank’s smile broadens, impressed.
“We asked Hank to come because we trust him,” dad says simply, raising an eyebrow at me and again looking pointedly at the chairs. “He knows more about the North than we do. We spoke to him this morning and he told us some things about the Community in which Jackson was raised that we found…concerning.”
I clench my jaw, still angry about being blindsided by this. I look up seriously into Jackson’s face. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” I say quietly, again squeezing his hand, letting him know that I mean it. “We can just…go to school.”
“No, it’s okay,” Jackson says immediately, nodding down at me, even though I can still feel a kind of anxiety twining with his stoicism. He turns his head to look at my parents and Hank. “I don’t have anything to hide.”
“We’re on your side, son,” dad says, looking seriously at Jacksons. “We just have some questions.”
Jackson nods once and takes his seat, not dropping my hand.
