Page 11 of Locked Souls
He looks brokenhearted, but who’s fault is that? Not mine. He may have needed to leave for an assignment, but he could have said goodbye, or left a note.
Closing the folder, I stand and walk over towards the door. Ash hasn’t moved, he's still staring off into the hall where Jonas just disappeared down the steps.
“He hates me,” Ash mumbles and I scoff, then yawn. I’m fucking exhausted, and I’m going to need some espresso grade caffeine to stay awake for this meeting.
I leave him and walk down the hall to the stairs, then meander to the kitchen. It’s late now, and all the students are tucked into bed like good little sycophants. I do not miss attending the academy.
Looking through the shelves in the pantry, I find Sister Marie’s chocolate-covered espresso beans. I pop a few in my mouth and hum as the bitter flavor explodes over my tongue, then move over to the coffeemaker and brew a pot.
I should fill some of the tumblers and bring them to the guys. I bet Levi is dead on his feet too. I haven’t heard anything from him since his dad dropped the whole ‘Jacob is your brother’ thing.
I was not expecting that when we followed Levi’s dad to the secret office of The Dragon. But now that I really think about it, it kinda makes sense. Chastity’s mom dated Levi’s dad. We all knew about that.
I’m digging in the fridge to see if I can make anything sweet when Ash walks in. I glance over my shoulder, expecting it to be one of the nuns. He looks around and then plops down onto a stool.
Ignoring him, I continue my search. I know Chas made a huge container full of lemon cookies for the Sisters. She has a huge heart, and wanted to include them in the festivities for Romeo’s birthday.
“Ah ha!” I shout, finding them all the way hidden in the back. Grabbing them, I place them on the counter, then search for a ziplock bag. I won’t take them all, just a few for the guys and me.
“Damn, I forgot how good these smell,” Ash groans, reaching for one. I smack his hand away, and he looks at me with a sneer. Damn, his new appearance, with the spider tattoo, makes him look vicious.
“These are for the guys,” I snap, and he rubs the back of his hand, glaring.
“If you think you’re just going to come back into our lives and we will act like nothing's wrong, you have another thing coming, Ash. You didn't just break Jonas and Chastity's heart. I thought we were family. We thought you were dead.”
“Bast, you don’t understand. I can’t tell you everything, or why I had to go, but I swear, I was protecting Jonas. He wouldn’t have survived what I went through,” he rasps, looking absolutely wrecked.
I can feel myself getting worked up, and we don’t have time for this shit right now. I grab some cookies, close the bag, put the container back in the fridge, and find a tray for the coffee, as well as the mugs.
Fuck, I feel all out of sorts, and I know I shouldn’t be doing menial things right now, but it’s the only thing keeping me sane, and from not stabbing Ash in the eye with a spork.
Yeah, the nuns got rid of forks after a gruesome fight in the cafeteria. Now they only have sporks, which, in my opinion, seem sharper.
God, I am losing my fucking mind. These thoughts don’t even make sense, which is exactly the direction of my life right now.
Grabbing the stuff, I leave Ash with his head in his hands and make my way down the spiral staircase to the hidden tunnels.
Levi is waiting for me when I walk up. Handing him the tray, I move around him to enter the room, but he holds a hand out.
“You can’t go in. Elder business only. I'm not even allowed inside,” he says with a sigh. The dark circles under his eyes match mine, and I nod.
There is no reason to argue.
“I said, leave me alone!” Jonas growls from behind me, and I turn to find him and Ash moving closer.
Ash looks like he's trying to talk to him, and yeah, Jonas ain't having it. God, this is going to be such a fucking mess.
Levi steps between them with a yawn. “No, I do not have the mental capacity for this shit. We’re going to settle this right the fuck now, the way we used to. Let's go!” he snaps, then walks away.
We all follow him, and I have to laugh when he reaches the gym. Just like old times. Though everything is fucked at the moment, I think I'm going to enjoy this.
JONAS
Bast laughs and I cross my arms, scowling. “You have to be kidding me?” I grumble, and Levi raises an eyebrow, then opens the door and nods for us to enter. “We aren’t in school anymore, Levi. You can’t expect for this to help.”
“I’m fucking tired of you two being at each other’s throats,” Levi says as we walk inside. The sparring room is the same as it always looked, the ring reminding me of the way Ash would piss me off until we’d beat the shit out of each other.
“I have good reason for feeling like this,” I grumble. “He lied to all of us by omission when he disappeared.”