Secrets of the Guardian (Waldgrave Book 3) by A.L. Tyler

the sake of it.
    She crossed her arms against the cold. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter…I don’t know why I’ve been so focused on it. I’m sorry, Dev.”
    A wind blew across the parking lot as Devin shut the car door and walked back over to her. He threw an arm around her shoulders as they walked back to the room. Somehow, she knew he was thinking about that night with Tab and Pepper, too.
    When they got back to the room, Devin muttered something about taking a shower before disappearing off to the bathroom. It was a decent room for a motel; the walls were a light yellow color with matching bedspreads that had floral prints on them, and the windows had been done up with blue drapes that matched the upholstery on the two well-worn chairs stationed at the breakfast table. Lena settled down to check her phone messages. She sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, trying not to wake up Cheryl.
    “Were you talking about me?” Cheryl asked, without a hint of having been asleep.
    Lena closed her eyes. She really did hate to admit it, but Devin had a point—Cheryl was shaping up to be a very talented Silenti. “Yes, we were. We’re just concerned about you, sweetie.”
    Lena heard the bed sheets ruffle against the comforter as Cheryl sat up. Her voice was very quiet, but still rang out clear. “Why are you so sad?”   
    In fact, Lena wasn’t sure why. She hadn’t thought about it up to this moment, but she was sad lately. She had been so perpetually sad recently that she might have even described herself as depressed, and she was sure it had all started with that damn semi back in Kansas and the ensuing call to Griffin. She was sad because he had moved on and because he had veritably incised her from his life. She was sad because Tab and Pepper were gone except for a few bright memories that illuminated their otherwise bleak outlook in her mind. She was sad because Devin was sad; because he was living a true tragedy, and because he just didn’t have a place in the world anymore—he was always welcome at Waldgrave, but he faced the same situation Rosaleen had in her youth. Even if you claimed full Silenti as your kin, you would never be one simply because of your birth. Your kin prevented you from being fully in one world, and your birth prevented you from the other.
    Lena felt Cheryl drape an arm over her shoulders. “It’s okay, Lena. It’s not all that bad.”
    Lena went back to her phone messages to distract herself. There were two from Howard saying something about needing her to check her email, and then one from a voice she barely recognized.
    “I heard you were in town and thought we could chat for a while if you’re available. I’ll be at the little diner on the corner of Fifth and Geraldine tomorrow night, around seven.”
    She felt her heart soar in triumph; through whatever means he had, he had found out.
    “Who was that?” Cheryl asked.
    “It was Warren Astley,” Lena said softly. “Your father.”
    Cheryl didn’t move, but Lena had the feeling that she wanted to. They sat on the edge of the bed, just being quiet and listening to the whine of the water in the pipes as Devin took his shower, until Lena heard an unmistakable sniffle issue forth from Cheryl. She looked over, and saw that she was crying.
    “Cheryl, what’s wrong?” Lena said, half in a panic.
    “It’s…nothing.” She said, pulling away and tucking herself back under the covers.
    Lena laid down next to her, hugging her through the comforter. “Shh…it’s okay. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”
    In the bathroom, Lena heard the water turn off. Cheryl was turning back towards Lena. Her eyes were already red and puffy, and held an air of concern far beyond her years. “I don’t want to go. It feels like the  end .”
    Lena paused. She had been expecting something like this, but not with this kind of emotion. She had been through the experience of reuniting with a long lost parent; but unlike Cheryl, she had