Gravity (50 page)

I sneezed into the pillow and rubbed my nose. “Do you guys ever stop talking?”

The mattress depressed beside me and a hand gently stroked my leg. “Did you sleep well?”

Logan asked.

“I slept a little bit,” I said, clearing my throat and rolling on my back. “How long are we going

to be in here for?” I stretched and Levi rolled on his side, facing the wall.

“How about forever?” Logan whispered.

“Levi snores, so I’m going to have to decline your proposition.”

“I hope that’s the only proposition of mine you decline, my sweet.” Logan purred as he leaned

over me. I pinched his earlobe and he stole a quick, minty kiss. His hand dipped below my jeans

and a deep growl vibrated against my chest as his fingers clawed in the spot of my tattoo. I gave

him a secretive smirk, as no one else knew about my tattoo aside from Christian and Finn, who

were both sworn to secrecy.

“Leo’s on his way back in,” Lucian said, touching a monitor with his finger. A second later, the

door to our secret room clicked open. Leo sat down on the sofa with a grim expression.

“It’s done. The Overlord has made an official statement.”

“What was said?” Levi sat up and rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand.

“The truth. Well, most of it. He emphasized the heroic deeds of the cop, and that will draw a

huge sympathy vote. Not many people liked Tarek, and Chitahs hold self-sacrifice in great regard,

even if he was only a human. I made a few calls, and there’s already talk about generating a fund

to donate money in his honor. Looks like something good might come of this, after all. The

Overlord has privately spoken with Tarek’s family, and my only guess is he’s offering a settlement

for their loss. The question will be if they take it or choose to pursue justice. They are continuing

their investigation and haven’t closed the case. The statement was just a formality.”

Logan cleared his throat and sat up straight. “What are they doing with his position?”

Leo stretched his heavy legs and crossed one ankle over the other. “I can’t even remember a

time in history where a Lord was assassinated. Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way, Logan. There’ll be

an open challenge, but none of his brothers want it.”

“You’re kidding me?” Levi marveled. “Jesus, they’ll never have that opportunity again, and that

speaks volumes about the kind of men they are.”

“True, but not everyone is a born leader,” Leo pointed out. “I don’t think I could picture Tobias

as Lord, could you?”

Lucian snorted and spun his chair around in circles. “Remember the party twenty years ago

when Tobias put dishwashing suds in the fountain?”

“He’s got to be at least a hundred years old and that shit never gets old for him,” Levi

remarked. “At least he’d bring a sense of humor to the Youngblood Pride.”

“So his family isn’t seeking retaliation?” I wondered aloud.

Logan rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand. “They disowned him years ago, so for them,

this is probably closure.”

It had slipped my mind that Tarek’s brothers cut him off from the family when they found out

he had raped his kindred spirit. I wondered why they allowed him to challenge for the position, but

maybe they were concerned that it would shame the family if his dark past were made public. Or

what if they had gained a newfound respect for him? The thought was unnerving. Time changes

people, and sometimes not in a good way.

Leo scratched at his short beard. “The Overlord’s word is good. Anyone who defies him and

acts out in violence will be shunned. Unlike some Breeds, we thrive on companionship. Family is

extremely important to us, and unity.”

“Leo?”

He dropped his glance to where we lay.

“Thanks for being here. All of you. For standing by Logan and protecting him. I know you’d do

it anyway because you’re his family. It just means more to me now than it ever did.”

Leo stretched himself into a standing position, as a man might who had been sitting for a very

long time. He slowly walked toward the door and briefly stopped, looking down at the two of us. I

knew our relationship was met with the most resistance by Leo. “We’re here for the both of you.”

He opened the door and joined Christian in the apartment.

“Logan?”

He leaned in and swept a few locks of hair away from my face, watching me with his rapturous

eyes. “Yes?”

“I need to see Sunny.”

Chapter 38

It was early sunrise, and we were all on edge from the previous night. Logan drove me to

Novis’s mansion, while Christian followed behind on his motorcycle. The closer we got, the more I

wanted to break down and cry. I hoped that she wouldn’t hate me for not staying with her the

whole time. Sunny needed rest and time alone to grieve—this I knew—but it didn’t make our

reunion any easier.

Logan sensed my nervousness and kissed my hand as he pulled up to the front. Novis had

instructed the guards to let us enter the grounds without stopping the car and performing a

search of any kind.

The inside of the house chilled my arms, but I allowed Novis to remove my jacket and put it

away. Logan said goodbye as we agreed Christian would drive me home.

“She’s locked herself away, and not even Adam could get through to her.” Novis hiked up his

jeans and paused on the landing of the stairs. “I don’t believe they had a close enough relationship

that she was willing to listen to him.”

“Listen?” Now I was agitated. “Listen to what? The man she loved was killed.”

Novis pressed his lips tightly and clasped his hands together. It took a minute before he said

anything. “Adam feels responsible for his death. He tried to offer an apology but she didn’t accept

it.”

“Where does your concern lie?”

A small line formed between his brows. “My Learner is always priority.”

“And Sunny?”

He shrugged lightly. “She is but a mortal and death is a fact of life.”

I stormed past him. “I thought you had a family?” When I reached the top of the stairs, I

turned around. Novis slowly walked up each step with contemplative thought.

“I don’t know how to feel about a mortal, Silver. What hope can I offer one who is fragile like

glass? I have vague memories of this life, and have distanced myself from humans for this very

reason.”

“We’re not immortal, Novis. We’re all going to die someday. She might outlive us all. How can

you deny yourself love because you’re afraid of losing it? How can you deny yourself friendship

because you’re afraid of it severing? There’s a woman in there who needs to know life is going to

get better, and that she’ll have people she can depend on to get her through it. You won’t give her

this comfort because she’s human. I’m not even sure you can give anyone comfort. Adam is more

than a Learner; he’s a son. He looks up to you and respects you, but none of it matters if you’re

cold and distant when it comes to his needs and feelings.”

I was certain that my nerves were taking hold and that’s why I was venting to an ancient

immortal who just so happened to be my boss. Perhaps not the best move.

My fingers wrapped around the doorknob to Sunny’s room and I left Novis in the hall, closing

the door behind me. The bed was to my left and straight ahead, a lacey white curtain veiled the

morning sun.

I crawled on top of the white quilt and wrapped my arms around Sunny, careful not to touch

her bandaged arm.

“Thanks for coming,” she said in a weak voice.

“Did I wake you?”

She threaded her fingers through her blond waves and moved to sit up. I propped a pillow

behind her back and then we held hands. She looked tired, as if she had cried out every emotion

left in her body. I took a deep breath, knowing we were about to have one of those conversations

that you never forget.

“Did Novis tell you?”

I shook my head. “Tell me what?”

“We’re not having a funeral. He suggested an honorable burial, but Knox didn’t want that. He

told me once that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s where he grew up as a boy.” She reflected for a moment and gazed out the window. “We

talked about stuff like that,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

My heart broke. In that moment, we didn’t speak, but wept for the loss. I couldn’t imagine how

hollowed out she felt, but I could see it in her eyes.

Sunny wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. “Adam tried to apologize, but it’s not

his fault. He was angry, but none of us could have done anything differently. We never saw it

coming. Knox died saving my life, Silver. Did they tell you that?”

I shook my head, allowing her to continue.

Her blue eyes glittered with pain and love as her lip swelled up a little. “He leapt on top of me

and took the bullets,” she said in a shaky voice. “All for them.”

“Who?”

She looked up and smiled sadly. “The babies.”

I gasped and my heart did a number. “You’re pregnant?”

Sunny nodded. “Six weeks. I went to a Relic and found out that we’re having twins.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

“I wanted to surprise everyone,” she said in a broken voice.

We fell into an embrace and I cried against her shoulder.

She wiped her nose and sat back, grimacing at her arm. “Novis doesn’t know, but it’s why I

didn’t want any pain medication.”

“Knox knew?”

“He was so excited,” she said wistfully, shaking her head. “Since the night we found out, he

sang songs. Oh my gosh, have you ever heard that man sing?” She laughed through tears and

when her lip quivered, she took another calming breath.

Sunny was hanging on by a thread.

“When he was shot and lying on top of me, Knox told me that he loved me,” she said, losing

her voice as tears streamed from her eyes. “I could feel him all over me, but I couldn’t hold him. I

just wanted to touch his cheek and tell him how much I loved him.”

“He knew.” I leaned forward and wiped her tears away, letting her tell the story.

She licked her upper lip and took another deep breath. “After that, it was okay. I knew he was

going to die and then he started singing to the babies. He just rested his hand on my belly and

sang ‘Hush Little Baby’, except he switched the Momma line around to Daddy. His last breath was

singing about the diamond ring.”

Then her hand opened, one she had been holding in a tight fist the whole time. In the palm of

her hand was a diamond ring.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she said, sniffing a few times. “It was in his pocket; they found it later. Knox

was going to ask me to marry him… and I would have said yes.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, lacking the right words to make any of this grievous pain go away.

She smiled through the tears. “Don’t be. I’m not. I truly knew what it was to be loved hard.

Knox was my future, and I can’t imagine one without him. But I have to, because the babies need

me now. He gave me something I’d never imagined possible: to be in a relationship and to want

children. You know those things never mattered before, but he left me with a legacy of hope.

Maybe I’ll never have another man give me the kind of love and devotion that Knox did, but I’m

okay with that. He changed me,” she said, rubbing her belly. “He said that if we have a little girl,

we should name her Zoë.”

I held my breath. “Why would he choose that name?”

“I think he always felt bad you were forced into this new life. I still called you Zoë sometimes,

and he knew how much our friendship meant. If we have a boy, I’m going to call him Knox.”

“Wasn’t that his last name?”

“The children will keep my last name. Do you think I’d name my baby Knox Knox?”

We both laughed so hard that it eased some of the tension.

“When are you going to have the ceremony?” I asked.

She gazed out the window and wiped her cheeks. “I don’t know; when it’s right, I guess. I

need more time.” Then her face distorted into one of devastation. “I wanted to grow old with him,”

she whispered in a soft voice. “And call him old man. Knox would have made a tremendous father.

I don’t want our babies growing up not knowing how wonderful he was.” After a deep breath, she

finally erased the silence. “Will you take the trip to the ocean with me when it’s time?”

“You really have to ask me that? Sunny, I’d follow you to Hell if you needed me to. We’ll all be

there; Knox has a lot of people who care for him and you. I just don’t want you to get too upset.

I’m not sure how that would affect the pregnancy but—”

“Don’t worry,” she said, holding my hand. “I’m stronger than you think I am. Knox is still alive.”

She placed my hand on her stomach and smiled. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but he

left me such a beautiful gift. He left me love and hope. I couldn’t have had those things on my

own, and I want these babies to know just how special he was. Knox was a one of a kind, and the

love of my life. He gave up his life so that his children would live—so that I would live, and I owe it

to him to keep on living.”