“Any idea who?”
“I’ve no idea. Lana hasn’t said anything about coming and I can’t see anyone else coming here.”
“I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”
She smiled over at him as she left the room. As instructed, she was going to take a really quick shower before heading down to the reception area. Whoever it was that was there to see her wouldn’t appreciate her going down as she was. She stank!
Running down the stairs with her hair still damp, Ash peered into the reception area, trying to see who had come to see her. As she spotted Lana, a grin broke across her face and she ran towards her friend.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“I wanted to surprise you.” Lana giggled. She loved coming to the academy. It not only gave her a chance to see her best friend, it also gave her the chance to ogle all those hunky warriors! Ash was so lucky!
“Hello, Aisline.”
She turned around to see her father standing behind her. “Dad? What are you doing here?” They spoke every so often on the phone, but he didn’t often turn up to see her. It was usually only with bad news that he came to the academy.
“Shall we sit down?”
Ash knew that it wasn’t going to be good news. As she sat down on the plush sofa next to Lana, she braced herself. “What’s wrong?”
Her father sat down and straightened the creases in his trousers. “Your sister is getting married.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. If she was truthful, she didn’t really care. Even though they had been close when they were younger, the two of them had nothing in common and were completely different people. Why her father was acting like this was bad news, she had no idea. Her mother had been waiting for the day to plan a big wedding. This should be good news.
“You’ll have to pass on my congratulations.”
At least that meant her mother would get the chance to plan an elaborate wedding she’d been waiting for. That was what she wanted from her daughters and knew she’d never get it from Aisline now. If she and Jackson ever got that far in their relationship way in the future, then she’d want something very simple and her mother wouldn’t be in attendance anyway.
It was sad to think that she wouldn’t be seeing her sister getting married. The warriors would have allowed her time off to attend, but she wouldn’t be welcome. As far as her mother and sister were concerned, she was no longer part of their family. Plus, it wasn’t really her kind of thing. She’d never been a girly girl who liked getting dressed up in frilly dresses and getting plastered in make-up. Now that she was living this life, it was another step away from all that.
“She’s pregnant.”
Ash burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. A shot-gun wedding? She could imagine her mother having a complete fit over the situation. That was not something she would have been proud of.
“It’s not amusing.”
“It really is! I’m not the only black sheep in the family.” Ash grinned at Lana who was hiding a smile behind her hand. Lana knew exactly how her family had treated her over the years, especially since they’d dumped her at the academy.
“Anyway, that isn’t what I came to tell you.”
Ash tried to calm herself down. That news had really made her day. Her sister had sex before marriage? Really? Little Miss Prim and Proper?
“So what news is going to top that?” she grinned. She couldn’t help it. It was the funniest thing she’d heard in a long time.
“Your grandmother passed away last night.”
All the humour left her face. “Granny Ivy?”
“Yes, Grandmother Ivy.” He always hated it when she shortened his mother-in-law’s title.
She couldn’t believe it. Granny Ivy was the only person in her family that really understood her. She may have been her mother’s mother, but they were nothing alike. Granny Ivy was always the one to encourage her to chase her dreams and look for the next adventure. She’d always said she wanted to live a life of fun but had been put into the role of the lady of the house, having to take on the responsibility and drama of being the head of a house.
As much as she loved her family, Granny Ivy had been her favourite person. She was the only person that understood what she was going through at the academy. Admittedly, they hadn’t spoken in a long time, but that was because she didn’t want to cause waves with her family. But even though they hadn’t spoken, she knew that Granny Ivy thought of her and loved her. It was a hard blow to know that she wasn’t going to be there for her.
Her graduation was coming up in a few years and Granny Ivy had promised to attend, no matter what her mother said. Now she was going to be alone at one of the biggest times in her life. The loss of her grandmother was going to leave a gaping hole in her heart.
“When’s the funeral?” she asked, her voice croaky as she tried to bite back the tears.
Her father shook his head.
“What?”
“You’ll be staying here at the academy.”
“They would let me go. I’d probably have to have someone with me, but –
“No Aisline.” His voice was stern.
“I can’t even say goodbye?” she couldn’t believe they’d keep her away from the funeral.
“Your mother doesn’t think it would be appropriate for you to attend.” He stood up from the arm chair and smoothed down his jacket.
“That’s it? You’re leaving?” She couldn’t believe it. He’d defied her mother by keeping in contact with her, so why wouldn’t he fight her over this? Surely he knew how much it meant to her? They say you can’t choose your family, but she would have chosen Granny Ivy every time. It wasn’t fair.
“I wanted to tell you in person. I didn’t think this news should have been delivered over the phone.” He picked up his briefcase and started to move away. “I’ll call you with news of your sister.” And with that, he left.
Ash and Lana sat in silence as she tried to process all he’d told her. Granny Ivy was dead? She was never going to see her again? It was hard to believe.
“Are you okay?” Lana asked, putting her hand on Ash’s arm. It was a useless question but one you asked at times like this.
“Not really. I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“Granny Ivy was the best.” Lana smiled. “Do you remember when she threw your mother out the house?” They had a lot of good memories.
Ash smiled through her unshed tears. “My mother hated her siding with me on anything.”
“I’m sorry you can’t go to the funeral.”
“Will you be going with your parents?” Their families had always been close and she knew that Lana’s parents would want to go and show their respect for a woman that had brought much light to all their lives.
“I should think so.”
“Will you say goodbye for me?” Her voice cracked and the tears started falling down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe this was happening now.
Lana pulled her close, hugging her tightly. “Oh, Ash. Of course I will.”
They stayed like that for several minutes. Everything that Ash was feeling came out in floods of tears. She’d lost so much. Since the warrior mark had appeared, she’d lost her family. She’d had to stop speaking to her grandmother so as not to make her life difficult. Her mother would have constantly given Granny Ivy grief if she knew they were in contact. Ash regretted the time she hadn’t been able to spend with her.
Her mother wasn’t a harsh woman, but she was set in her ways. She was very old school, believing that women should be seen and not heard, always standing behind their man. Aisline wasn’t like that and Granny Ivy always encouraged her to be the person she wanted to be, to never give in to her mothers’ ridiculous demands.
The last time she’d spoken to Granny Ivy was the week she first came to the academy. She’d been so proud of her, knowing that she would be doing something great with her life. That was the last contact she’d had. All other messages had
been passed via Lana so her mother wouldn’t find out.
It wasn’t fair.
So many lives lost. Even if it wasn’t in battle, so many people were leaving her. It was hard to take.
“I’m okay.” She said sadly as she wiped her cheeks, trying to control the tears. She wasn’t alright. Far from it. But there was nothing she could do. She wasn’t even allowed to attend the funeral. It was going to have to be something she lived with. Granny Ivy would know she was thinking of her.
“Visiting time is nearly over.” Master Warrior Raine said quietly, obviously seeing how upset Aisline was.
“I wish I didn’t have to go.” Lana said sadly as she put an arm around Ash again. She didn’t like leaving her like this. Ash was so strong and to see her falling apart cut Lana to the quick.
“I need to get back to training, anyway.” Ash hoped that she’d let some aggression and anger out sparring with the boys. It was worth a try anyway. She wanted to have some time to not think. With what she just heard, she couldn’t process it yet. “Will you let me know how it goes?”
Lana knew she was talking about the funeral. “Of course I will.”
They hugged one last time and Ash watched Lana walk out of the main doors.
She felt lonely. Even in this place full of people, she was alone. Granny Ivy was one person who believed in her all her life. Now, she had no one.
Walking back up to her room, she knew that the feeling was ridiculous. She wasn’t alone. There were plenty of people that believed in her. Lana stood by her through thick and thin and she had the guys at the academy. She wasn’t alone. It was just such a blow to lose someone so close to her, someone who she’d been denied contact with, and to not get to say goodbye. That was one of the hardest things she was going to have to come to terms with. Right now, it didn’t feel real and she wouldn’t get that closure. That was hard to accept.
Changing quickly, she raced back down to the training room. She needed to do this. She needed to do this to make Granny Ivy proud. When they boys tried to talk to her, she hit out harder. By the time they were finished, she was ready to drop and too tired to think about anything.
Life wasn’t fair.
Chapter Thirteen
“Can I have your attention please?” Kelton bellowed and the trainees in his group automatically fell silent, turning to him expectantly. They’d been called to the training room for an announcement and they all waited patiently, hoping that it wouldn’t be more bad news. They couldn’t take much more.
“Thank you.” Kelton cleared his throat. He’d make his way to the other trainees soon enough, but this was his main training group and he wanted to address them first. “I know that we usually get stuck straight into our training, but today is slightly different.”
The trainees were all deadly quiet, wondering what was going on now.
“Today is the day that I introduce the newest member of the Sons of Satrina to you.” Kelton couldn’t help but beam out a grin as Kayleigh walked into the room with their son in her arms.
There were several murmurs among the trainees and a quiet round of applause so as not to scare the baby. They’d all heard the good news that the little boy had been born with the warrior mark, but none of them had seen him yet.
Ash rushed forward, all but elbowing the other guys out of the way to get a look at the baby.
“Oh my God! He’s beautiful.” She said, looking at Kayleigh with tears in her eyes. Even though they hadn’t really known each other for long in the grand scheme of things, they felt as close as family. And here she was, meeting a new member of that family for the first time.
“He is, isn’t he?” Kayleigh grinned, proud to finally be showing him off. She’d wanted to do the right thing and wait until he had been introduced to the twins’, but meeting Cala had been enough. If Rhian didn’t want to be a part of their lives, that was her loss.
The rest of the guys milled around, congratulating Kelton and Kayleigh, but you know what boys are like around babies. Generally, they don’t know what to do or what to say. Kelton got their attention again and told them all to start getting warmed up and they jumped to it.
Walking out of the room behind Kayleigh, he made sure to shut the door before kissing her. They may be awkward as to know what to do around a baby, but that kind of thing they would have whooped it up.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Kelton smiled. “Do you feel better now?” He knew how important it was for her to see and reconnect with Aisline, no matter how brief the moment. She’d been looking forward to showing her Elias and they’d finally done it.
“I do. I just wish I could see more of her. She’s like another child of mine and I’ve missed her so much.” With the pregnancy and birth, she’d had to relinquish the role of mentor and she missed having that connection with her.
Not wanting anything to upset her, Kelton held up a finger and walked back into the training room. “Aisline!” he called in a stern voice.
She ran over to him. “Sir?” Honestly, she couldn’t think of what she’d done wrong and if the expression on his face was anything to go by, she was in deep trouble.
“Get your things together.” And he walked back out of the room without another word.
Oh crap. She glanced nervously over at Jackson as she grabbed her bag and water bottle.
“What’s going on?” he asked her.
“I’ve no idea.” After the news she’d received from her father, this interruption worried her greatly.
“Oh dear. Is the little star in trouble?” Rhian sniggered.
“Bite me bitch.” Ash snapped.
Walking out into the corridor, she was surprised to see Kelton, Kayleigh and the baby all waiting for her.
“Have I done something wrong?” she asked.
“Not at all.” Kayleigh chuckled. “Kelton thought that you might like to spend some time with me and Elias.”
Ash felt her shoulders sag in relief that she wasn’t in trouble. “But what about training?”
“You’re right up to date with it all. I don’t think missing a few more hours is going to do you any harm.” Kelton smiled.
“Really?”
“Really.” Kelton confirmed.
“Let’s go have a girly chat or something!” Kayleigh laughed, pulling on her arm.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Ash said, “I can’t believe you got me out of training.”
“That’s what mentors are for, or at least ex-mentors.” Kayleigh laughed. “Do you fancy a walk? I’m getting sick and tired of being stuck indoors all the time.”
Aisline nodded and they made their way to Kelton’s office which was where they were keeping Elias’ stroller. It looked totally out of place in such a manly room, but they hadn’t had the time to find a suitable place yet.
As they walked outside, Ash smiled as the baby drifted quietly off to sleep again. He was an adorable little guy and she’d been dying to meet him. She’d wanted to wait for Kayleigh to bring him to her, not wanting to intrude on this special time. It had been hard for her to stay away.
Throwing her head back, Kayleigh paused to soak up the sun. She’d been dying to get out of those stifling four walls. It seemed she’d been stuck inside at Mira’s and then stuck at the academy and it had actually been Kelton that had suggested she spend some time with Aisline. Honestly, she didn’t think he’d allow the girl the entire day off from training, so this was a bonus.
They walked on in silence, happy to be spending time with one another. It had been quite a while since they’d spent any real time together and it was good to feel things starting to get back to normal.
“How are you? How’s the training?”
“It’s been hard. Especially after the attack.” Aisline didn’t want to talk about such morbid subjects, but it was inevitable.
“Kelton’s very proud of how everyone handled it.”
Ash nodded. “Caleb’s still hasn’t been training.”
“It’s not an easy situation for anyone.” Kayleigh knew that Kelton was going to be finding Caleb and Rees today to have a talk with them. It wasn’t common knowledge that they’d cut ties with their pack and Kayleigh wasn’t about to say anything. They weren’t handling things very well and Kelton wanted to try and make it easier for them somehow.
They carried on in silence, each lost momentarily in their own thoughts.
When she mentioned taking Elias out for a stroll around the grounds Kelton hadn’t been too happy about it. He would rather they stay inside where they would be safe and properly guarded, but she had forced him to make a compromise. Kelton had placed a couple of warriors to stay with her at all times. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best they could come up with. It would do the baby good to be outside in the fresh air, even if she could feel the shadow of the guards with every step she took.
Aisline nodded politely to the warriors that were tailing them. It actually helped her to relax a little. It was good to know that they weren’t out there on their own.
It had been a hard time for them all lately and it felt like they were constantly on guard twenty four/seven. Gone were the easy days of training, even though that hadn’t felt easy at the time. Nowadays, training was an around the clock kind of thing, always on guard and fully aware of their surroundings. There was no way on earth they were going to fall to another sneak attack.
This was the most relaxed Ash had felt in days and she felt herself smiling.
“So, how does it feel to be a mother again?”
“It feels so different this time around.” Kayleigh smiled down at the sleeping babe. It was a relief for her to be able to speak to someone who knew about her past. It had been quite a risk telling Aisline, but something inside her told her that this girl could be trusted, and that instinct had been spot on. She’d told her when Aisline had first come to the academy after receiving her warrior mark. Everyone had their own problems to overcome and by sharing her story, she helped Ash to see that there was some light even after the darkest of storms. It had bonded them, in a way. She’d wanted the young girl to know that she was not alone in the monumental changes that had been thrust upon her. Ash had never revealed her secret to anyone and their friendship had grown stronger.
End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4) Page 14