explained a lot of what he’d been living with his whole life.
Emmett glanced in her direction and smiled. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, which meant she wasn’t the only one with misgivings about this meeting with the leader of the Paladins. Still, if Devlin Bane was the man with the answers, she wanted to hear what he had to say.
She scooted her own chair closer to Emmett’s so that she could hold his hand. He might not need that small connection, but she did.
“You seem to be handling all of this amazingly well, Jana. Better than I am, I think.”
“Don’t forget that I had the whole time you were unconscious”—dead, actually—“to get used to the idea of men who can heal even mortal wounds.”
The lines bracketing his mouth looked deeper than they had only a few days ago. He might have come back from death, but the experience had changed him. He offered her a small smile. “And that doesn’t freak you out? Because I’m telling you right now, I’m still struggling to get my head around the concept.”
“Personally, I’m having a harder time accepting that there’s only a thin barrier separating our world from another one, and the fact that we already have aliens living among us. Did you know Trahern and some of the other guys have actually spent time in that world? How weird is that?”
“Wow, he hadn’t told me that part.”
Before Emmett said more, the door opened, and Devlin walked in. All of the Paladins Jana had met so far were big men, but Devlin stood out even in that crowd.
“Ms. York, Emmett, thanks for meeting with me.”
He sat down at his desk and gave each of them a long look. “Let me start by saying how sorry I am that your introduction to our world was such a rough one, Ms. York. There’s a reason that we try to operate under the radar of the civilians out there.”
She got that. However, if Emmett was going to be part of Devlin’s world, it would need to be her world, too. At least she hoped so. She and Emmett hadn’t yet talked about where they stood when it came to their relationship now. Considering everything he’d been through, she hadn’t wanted to press him.
Soon, though.
“Please call me Jana, and none of this was your fault. If Trahern and the others hadn’t come running, Emmett wouldn’t have been the only one killed in that alley.”
“I’d like to say that wasn’t true, but I try not to lie to friends.” Devlin leaned back in his chair and turned his attention to Emmett. “So, now we come to what happens next. Trahern tells me you’ve been having some problems lately.”
Emmett nodded. “It’s been like the night you guys came into the bar. I get this restless feeling and an ache in my chest that I can’t explain. I’m guessing it’s that Paladin affinity for the barrier you warned me about. It’s also getting worse, just like you said it would.”
Earlier, Emmett had shared what had been going on with him lately. It was as if they were both living in a science fiction movie, but there was no denying the truth of what the Paladin leader had told him. They’d both seen the effects firsthand.
“You know that doesn’t leave you much in the way of choices, Emmett, because it’s only going to continue to get worse. If you were to lose control . . . well, let’s not let that happen. Understand that I’m not saying you have to immediately pick up a sword and start fighting. I am saying that you need the discipline that our training will give you. For now, you can keep your job at Dan’s if that’s what you want, or even finish that college degree I noticed you’d started working on in prison. Regardless, you’ll be on our payroll, and you’ll have all the time you need to figure things out.”
Emmett looked more relaxed than he had a few minutes earlier. “I appreciate it. I’ve already asked Trahern to set me up with a training schedule starting as soon as your wife releases me from her care.”
Devlin’s smile brightened
Emmett glanced in her direction and smiled. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, which meant she wasn’t the only one with misgivings about this meeting with the leader of the Paladins. Still, if Devlin Bane was the man with the answers, she wanted to hear what he had to say.
She scooted her own chair closer to Emmett’s so that she could hold his hand. He might not need that small connection, but she did.
“You seem to be handling all of this amazingly well, Jana. Better than I am, I think.”
“Don’t forget that I had the whole time you were unconscious”—dead, actually—“to get used to the idea of men who can heal even mortal wounds.”
The lines bracketing his mouth looked deeper than they had only a few days ago. He might have come back from death, but the experience had changed him. He offered her a small smile. “And that doesn’t freak you out? Because I’m telling you right now, I’m still struggling to get my head around the concept.”
“Personally, I’m having a harder time accepting that there’s only a thin barrier separating our world from another one, and the fact that we already have aliens living among us. Did you know Trahern and some of the other guys have actually spent time in that world? How weird is that?”
“Wow, he hadn’t told me that part.”
Before Emmett said more, the door opened, and Devlin walked in. All of the Paladins Jana had met so far were big men, but Devlin stood out even in that crowd.
“Ms. York, Emmett, thanks for meeting with me.”
He sat down at his desk and gave each of them a long look. “Let me start by saying how sorry I am that your introduction to our world was such a rough one, Ms. York. There’s a reason that we try to operate under the radar of the civilians out there.”
She got that. However, if Emmett was going to be part of Devlin’s world, it would need to be her world, too. At least she hoped so. She and Emmett hadn’t yet talked about where they stood when it came to their relationship now. Considering everything he’d been through, she hadn’t wanted to press him.
Soon, though.
“Please call me Jana, and none of this was your fault. If Trahern and the others hadn’t come running, Emmett wouldn’t have been the only one killed in that alley.”
“I’d like to say that wasn’t true, but I try not to lie to friends.” Devlin leaned back in his chair and turned his attention to Emmett. “So, now we come to what happens next. Trahern tells me you’ve been having some problems lately.”
Emmett nodded. “It’s been like the night you guys came into the bar. I get this restless feeling and an ache in my chest that I can’t explain. I’m guessing it’s that Paladin affinity for the barrier you warned me about. It’s also getting worse, just like you said it would.”
Earlier, Emmett had shared what had been going on with him lately. It was as if they were both living in a science fiction movie, but there was no denying the truth of what the Paladin leader had told him. They’d both seen the effects firsthand.
“You know that doesn’t leave you much in the way of choices, Emmett, because it’s only going to continue to get worse. If you were to lose control . . . well, let’s not let that happen. Understand that I’m not saying you have to immediately pick up a sword and start fighting. I am saying that you need the discipline that our training will give you. For now, you can keep your job at Dan’s if that’s what you want, or even finish that college degree I noticed you’d started working on in prison. Regardless, you’ll be on our payroll, and you’ll have all the time you need to figure things out.”
Emmett looked more relaxed than he had a few minutes earlier. “I appreciate it. I’ve already asked Trahern to set me up with a training schedule starting as soon as your wife releases me from her care.”
Devlin’s smile brightened
Similar Books
