The journey back 'home' was awkward to say the least. Earlier that morning, they had decided to return to the cottage, and by they, it meant just her and Lucien because Leo was busy.
They had been riding for hours now, yet the constant feel of Lucien's hands around her waist or his breath fanning her neck still gnawed at her, making the silence between them all the more present. They would stop occasionally to give Maximilian reprieve, and when night fell, they booked an inn.
As if the whole universe found the awkwardness amusing, they decided to deal them another card, only one room available with only one bed. They had spent minutes debating how they would sleep, neither willing to accept the bed for the sake of the other. Lucien had stopped it by throwing some sheets to the floor and lying there, so she moved to the bed, but sleep seemed to be in on the joke because it evaded her, even though her body yearned for it.
"Can you stop doing that?" Lucien said from the floor
"Sorry"
She had been twisting and turning for a while, and the bed creaked with every movement.
Silence fell again before
"When I was younger, barely a teenager, I had this massive argument with my father, so I decided to leave the house. I took Max with me and left. We rode for hours until he was too exhausted to move, so we camped near a forest. In the middle of the night, I heard some rustling, so I slowly woke up and found a group of boys around my age rummaging through my bag. Unfortunately for them, I had nothing of value, and I was in a terrible mood; hunger and anger do not mix well."
He chuckled to himself.
"So I took it out on them, three boys, and I managed to take out two easily. The third one was the real problem; he seemed a year or two older than me, and for someone so young, he was incredibly strong and masculine. The way he fought was rough, like someone who had to teach themselves to survive. Long story short, he handed me my ass. His friends were long gone by then; the traitors had abandoned him.
While I lay on the ground, the boy sat beside me. He asked why I was so angry, why I was out there alone, and where I was going. I lied to him, of course, but he saw right through it, told me someone homeless didn't have such an expensive horse, and even if I claimed I stole it, he just knew I had a home. So I told him how fucked up it was to live with an overbearing father who cared little for his children, and that I had run away.
You know what he said? I thought he'd tell me I was a fool for leaving because I at least had a home, but no, he stood up, offered me his hand, and took me to a little shed he called his home. He told me to stay as long as I would like, and I did. I stayed for a month. He taught me how to survive on my own, how to take care of myself. He became the closest thing to family I had ever known in that short period, but one day, watchers came, hunting us down in the name of us being criminals.
My father found out about my arrest, and he came to fetch me, not because he cared, but because he couldn't have his son labeled a petty criminal. He dragged me out of the cells, seething, but I couldn't leave, not without trying to help the boy who had done so much for me. So I practically begged my father; I hated it, but I did it. He finally relented and had him released, and even went as far as employing him to work for us. It was the kindest thing he had ever done for me.
So, the boy and I continued our friendship even though life with my father was tough; we held on, for our sakes, because we needed to grow in every way. Then, one day, when we were capable enough, we promised to leave, and we did."
He paused for a long while before saying, "That day in the forest when that blue-haired and blue-eyed boy reached out to me, it changed me."
Lyla didn't know why he shared this truth with her or why she appreciated it so much, but she smiled as she said in the darkness, "So that's how you met Leo?"
"Yep"
"I wish I were there to see it, him beating the shit out of you," she chuckled, the sound filling the space.
"Hey, aren't you forgetting the part where I beat his two friends?"
"Yeah, yeah, you sore loser."
"I am not a sore loser," he chuckled as he said it.
"Sure, well, since I'm so nice, I'll also tell you something," and she did, she told him of how she met a dear friend when she was so young, and how it had changed her life.
"Wait, so you wanted to make her eat the food on the floor?" he asked, laughing.
"Well, she wasted perfectly good food."
"Such a wicked little thing," he sounded so amused and proud.
She yawned, "She deserved it."
Another yawn
"You should sleep."
"No, I just I…"
Goodnight, princess, he said into her mind as she drifted off to sleep
Goo…Goodnight Lucien
For the rest of the trip, conversation flowed easily between them; they would talk of the most mundane things or sometimes share little pieces of their lives. It was comfortable and free, even Lucien smiled more than he usually did, not those arrogant teasing smiles, but a full-blown smile, not to mention she was hearing his laugh more often. She liked it a lot more than she would care to admit.
They arrived to find Felix back from his mission and Mor healed. Livie, on the other hand, had found an antidote for the green liquid, slightly unstable but far better. The two explained what had happened in the den, leaving out the last incident with Atticus, and after they finished, it was time for Felix to fill them in.
He had found information about a caravan that would be transporting the drugs further north to regions that still didn't know of them.
"They're moving fast; soon Umbraeth will be filled with them," he finished
"We can't let that happen," Lucien started, "we need to stop that supply
"Obviously, they're leaving in a caravan in three days from Redhaven to Ashfield. We'll have to ambush them along the way. They'll be passing through Moon forest, so that will have to be the spot."
"You said they're moving in a caravan?"
"Yep, the bastards are probably using that as cover."
"You know which Wagon will be theirs?"
"That's the problem, I don't. We'll need to monitor them to know which one it is."
"That means we have to join the caravan," Lucien concluded."Then we need to prepare"
"So, who's coming?" Felix smiled, the prospect of taking them down lifting his spirit, "other than me, of course."
"Me," Lucien said
"I'll come," Mor announced
"No," everyone present said in unison, making her scowl
"I'm fine."
"It's not up for debate Mor" Lucien asserted leaving no room for argument even though she clearly wanted to, "Livie you'll also stay, keep doing your research find out as much as you can about how the drugs are made and how to stop their effects as for the antidote you already have, keep refining it, I'm sure we'll need it soon. We'll bring you more samples."
"I guess that leaves me," Lyla offered
"I guess it does, but if you're not…"
"Oh, I'm comin'"
He nodded, "Okay. I don't know when Leo will return, but if he gets here after we've left, fill him in."
They rested that day, but the next two days had them preparing. Swords, daggers, and knives were sharpened, a wagon was found, food, drinks, and clothes were fitted inside, and two horses were hired. Everything they needed to make them ordinary travelers
When the day arrived, a simple farewell was all they could allow themselves, no lingering. Lyla understood just how hard it had been for them to say goodbye as one of them went off, not sure what their missions held.