Kelton thought about his answer. “I would have put both your names forward. You are equally capable of doing it.”
“He would have done a better job of it.”
“You can’t say that.”
“He was one of the best warriors I’ve ever known.”
Kelton nodded. “But don’t let his death cloud your judgement of him. He wasn’t perfect.”
Verynai scowled, not liking a word said against his deceased brother. But, Kelton was right. Death has a way of wiping out all your sins, leaving a saint in your memory.
“None of us are perfect. That’s why we put so much emphasis on teamwork. Each member brings something to the table. That’s what you can do as the head of the academy, take someone from each of the people you work with and make it work.”
Verynai looked unsure. Thinking of his deceased brother put a downer on his thoughts.
“You can do this.”
“I don’t know if I want it.” Verynai replied honestly. He loved being a warrior and as much as he liked training the newbies, he didn’t want to take any more time away from the streets.
“They said they’ll want a trial period. That’s not just for them, it’s for you, too. If you don’t find it a good fit, tell them to find someone else. But, I know you can do it. You just need to believe in yourself.”
Verynai didn’t say anything. It was a lot for him to take in.
“We should get back.” Kelton turned to walk back to the main front doors.
“I think I’m going to stay out here for a bit. I’ve got a lot to think about.”
Kelton nodded. “You do that. I need to go and speak to Kayleigh.” He had to break the news to her.
Chapter Twenty Two
Making his way up the stairs, Kelton wasn’t sure how Kayleigh was going to take the news. She’d be pleased that he would be able to spend more time with her and the kids, but she wouldn’t be so pleased that he came to this decision on his own.
They’d talked a bit about it before Elias was born, but she didn’t think he was serious about stepping down. She knew that the warrior was in his blood, but that didn’t mean that he had to work twenty four/seven. As long as he went out on the streets, the urge would be satisfied.
And it wasn’t like he was giving everything up. He’d still keep the position as Head of the Sons of Satrina, he just wouldn’t be so heavily involved with the training aspect of it.
He was relishing the moment he’d be able sit back and spend more time with his woman. Over the years, he’d spent more time with the warriors and trainees than he had Kayleigh. That wasn’t right. Being a warrior was a calling, it was what he was born to do, but it didn’t have to rule every single aspect of his life. There had to be a balance.
Verynai would be the perfect replacement. The council wouldn’t appreciate his approach to training, but the results would be worth it. He had the utmost respect from all the trainees and would lead them in the right direction.
Opening the door to the suite, he called out to Kayleigh.
“I’m in the kitchen.”
He walked through to see her getting a bottle ready for Elias. He hoped that this change would make life easier for her as well. She had taken on unofficial roles at the academy to keep busy and still be as close to Kelton as they could manage. Since being pregnant with Elias, she hadn’t returned to any of her roles. Even being a mentor for Aisline had been shelved, and their friendship had blossomed.
Kelton hated to think that Kayleigh was lonely or bored. She was occupied with Elias, but that wasn’t always enough. She needed time to herself, and that didn’t mean going out to work at the academy. Hopefully, if everything went to plan, she’d be able to work out what she wanted to do away from the warriors and pursue that dream.
“What are you doing up here? Has training finished already?”
Kelton smiled as he put an arm around her waist, kissing Elias on the cheek. “It finished a while ago.”
“I didn’t realise what time it was.”
“Kayleigh, come and sit down. I need to talk to you about something.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked immediately. Lately, when they needed to talk, something else big had happened. It put her on edge immediately.
“Nothing’s wrong.” He took her hand and pulled her towards the living room. “Come on.”
She followed after him, picking up the bottle for the baby on the way. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“The council sent members to see me.”
She narrowed her eyes, knowing how much he hated dealing with the council. “What did they want? Couldn’t they have just rung?”
“They came to ask me to take the leadership role.”
Kayleigh rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? They really don’t like to take ‘no’ for an answer, do they? How many times have you told them?”
Kelton laughed. “They’re persistent, I’ll give them that. But I think they’ve finally got the message.”
“So they’ll be appointing someone else? Finally! Have they left now?”
“They’ve just left.” Kelton paused, staring at Elias.
“What is it? There’s something more.” Kayleigh knew him too well.
“I’ve resigned as Head of the academy.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I’ve resigned.”
“Really?”
“You don’t sound surprise?” He looked at her questioningly.
“I’m not. I’ve seen this coming for a long time. You’re trying to spread yourself too thin and something had to give. I knew you’d choose your family.”
He knelt down in front of her, watching her feed Elias. It was a beautiful sight. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“You do know that you should have spoken to me about this, don’t you?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.” She had enough going on and he didn’t want her to worry about anything else. This was supposed to ease her worries and stress.
“We’re a partnership, Kelton. If something is worrying you, you come to me. Would you like me to keep secrets from you?”
Kelton immediately thought about what had happened with the twins’ mother. He hadn’t told her what happened all that time ago as he didn’t want to upset her. Unfortunately, it had come back to bite him on the ass and turned his life upside down. Luckily, they’d come out of the drama the other side even stronger, and with a daughter to boot.
“I should have spoken to you. Sorry, Leigh.”
“So, what happens now?” She asked, smiling down at the baby suckling on the bottle as if he were starving.
“We look for a house. I want to get you out of this place.”
“There’s no rush, is there?”
“I want us to have a real home.” It was something he’d been dreaming about for a while now. A house. A home for his family. It was going to be perfect.
Kayleigh nodded, smiling. She loved the idea of having their own place.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do here, so it’s not all going to happen straight away. Verynai’s going to take over from me and there’ll be a lot he needs to know.”
“Verynai? Good choice.” She liked him a lot and knew that he’d be able to lead the trainees well.
“Anyway, I wanted to tell you so we can start looking toward the future.”
She smiled up at him. “A family home. I like the sound of that.”
Kelton kissed her, careful not to disturb Elias. “It sounds perfect to me.”
Chapter Twenty Three
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Kayleigh asked nervously. It was the first time she had left Elias with anyone but Kelton or Mira.
“Stop panicking. We’ll be fine, won’t we little man?” Ash cooed at the baby. “Anyway, it’s not like you’re going to be gone long or very far. If I need you, I can find you.”
Kayleigh nodded. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Aisline with the baby, she
just hadn’t left him much. It was a new thing for her.
“I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
“Take your time.” Ash called after her.
Kayleigh left the suite without looking back. She knew Elias would be well looked after and he wasn’t due a feed, had just been changed and she wouldn’t be long.
As much as she’d like to run through the mansion, Kayleigh slowly walked down the stairs. She knew that this separation time would be good for both of them. Elias would come to rely on her too much and that wouldn’t be healthy. They needed to both interact with other people, but it was still so hard to leave him.
At least this time, she was only going to find Cala. Ash had already agreed to babysit so she could go and see Mira and she would be gone much longer that time.
It had been a few weeks since she had last seen her friend even though they still spoke a lot on the phone. It was a hard time for her but Mira was pulling through the best she could. How were you supposed to get over something like that? Kayleigh didn’t know what she’d do if she ever lost Kelton. It was something she couldn’t even think about. After all they’d been through, she couldn’t lose him now.
Mira was trying to put a brave face on it. Kayleigh was her friend and had known her long enough to see through it, but if that was how she was choosing to deal with things, who was she to judge? All she could do was be there for her if and when she needed to talk.
Taking Elias around to see her seemed to help her. It took her mind off her troubles and her genuine smile shone through. She knew she was going to have to pop in and see her again soon. It helped. It was the baby thing. They were so small and innocent. Elias was very in-tune with other peoples’ emotions and you couldn’t be sad around him. His smile lit up the room, brightening everyone’s spirits.
As she walked through the reception area, she could hear muttered voices coming from Kelton’s office. She didn’t want to go in and interrupt. He was at work and had so much to do. It was possible that he was in there with Verynai.
They had a lot of work to do to get the academy handed over to him. Kayleigh thought that Kelton had made the right decision when he suggested Verynai as his replacement. He was a good man and a very competent warrior. The place would be in good hands.
She knew as well as anyone else that Kelton wouldn’t be able to just up and leave this place. As much as he wanted to simplify their lives and cut back the workload, she knew that he’d still be spending a lot of time at the academy. He wasn’t the kind of person who could just walk away, especially when he had put his heart and soul into the place.
Looking around, she knew how much Kelton had done to this place. He’d put his mark on it and even time wouldn’t change that fact. Master Warrior Kelton was a legend.
Popping her head into the nearest rec room, she saw Dylan playing video games with a bunch of his friends.
“Hey, Kayleigh. How’s Elias?” Dylan asked as soon as he saw her. They may all be training to be badass warriors, but even the toughest guy melted around that cute baby.
“He’s great, thanks for asking.” She smiled, loving the way the boys had taken to the baby. He’d be the most well protected baby in the world.
“What brings you down here?”
“I’m looking for Cala. Any idea where I can find her?”
Dylan smirked a little, “I saw her going for a walk with Caleb.”
“Caleb?” Kayleigh cocked an eyebrow at him. Cala hadn’t mentioned to her that she was making more friends. She was pleased for her.
“Yep, I think they went outside.”
“Thanks, Dylan.”
As she walked out of the room, she heard some of the guys muttering behind her something about not interrupting the love-birds. Well, that was certainly something she was going to quiz Cala about!
Not that she thought it was a bad thing, for she didn’t. Caleb was a good guy once you got past his harsh attitude. The two of them had a lot in common and could be good for each other. She just wanted to give the girl a bit of good hearted banter.
Moving to the front doors of the academy, Kayleigh jumped as Oscar, one of the warriors on security duty, jumped out in front of her.
“You scared me!” She held a hand up to her chest and laughed.
“Sorry, but if you’re going out, you need someone to come with you.” He smiled apologetically.
“Oh, I forgot about that. I just wanted to see if Cala was out there.”
“Let’s go.” Oscar nodded to another warrior before escorting her outside.
They didn’t have to go far. Caleb and Cala were just rounding the corner. Caleb didn’t change his expression when he saw them, but Cala blushed as bright as a tomato.
“Hi you two!” Kayleigh said brightly when they drew closer. “I was wondering if I could borrow you for a little while, Cala.”
“Sure.” She turned slightly and smiled at Caleb, who nodded stiffly before walking away.
As they walked back into the mansion, Cala asked, “What did you want me for?”
“It’s a surprise.” Kayleigh said cryptically.
She led Cala back up to the suite she shared with Kelton and smiled as she saw Aisline lying on the floor playing with Elias. They were both waving their arms and legs around with huge smiles on their faces.
“I don’t know which one of you is having more fun.” Kayleigh laughed.
Ash laughed as Elias giggled. He was such an adorable baby. “I’ll watch him anytime for you. He’s no bother at all.”
“Try telling me that when he wakes you up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache.” Kayleigh scooped up the baby, not meaning a word of it. Elias had slept through the night almost from the day he was born, so every now and again wasn’t any kind of hardship.
“So, have you got any plans now that you know you’re free?”
“I said I’d go and check in with the others after you came back. I think they’re planning on a gaming night.” Ash rolled her eyes.
She waved at them all as she left. Admittedly, she wasn’t big into gaming, but she could hold her own against the boys, which always made for an interesting evening.
Kayleigh wrapped the baby up in a blanket and grabbed her jacket and car keys. “Ready?”
“I guess so, even though I don’t know where we’re going.”
“I told you, it’s a surprise.”
She smiled to herself as they walked downstairs and out to the garage. She already had one of the warriors waiting in the car and would be meeting Kelton there. Strapping Elias into the car seat, Kayleigh sat up front while Cala sat in the back with the baby.
The warrior knew exactly where they were going although he didn’t know why. No one but she, Kelton and Verynai knew what they were planning. Cala didn’t ask any questions, but sat quietly looking out of the window, trying to work out what was happening.
Pulling up outside the large house, Kayleigh couldn’t help smiling to herself. It was perfect. This was the second time she’d seen the place and it was getting more and more perfect each and every time. This was hopefully going to be their home.
Kelton had been the one to find it. He had a good eye for property and had chosen wonderfully. Obviously, from his point of view, he was looking at the safety aspects, but the place had everything they needed.
The warrior stopped the car on the street, leaving the driveway clear. It was a good thing as it gave them an unobstructed view of the whole house.
It was a good neighbourhood in a quiet part of town. It was the perfect kind of place to bring up a child and they both knew Elias would have a good life here.
It was perfect. From the plush lawn at the front with the flowerbeds bordering it to the white stone fronted property. Kayleigh loved everything about it. It was the kind of place that she dreamed of as a child. A family home where she could live happily ever after.
“Where are we?” Cala asked looking around.
“Come on,” Kayleigh didn’t want to tel
l her just yet. “Let’s go. Kelton’s waiting for us inside.”
They moved up to the front door and it opened as soon as they walked up the steps. He smiled broadly as he saw them and bent to take Elias from Kayleigh.
Cala had never seen him looking so relaxed or happy. It was good to see. She knew how stressed he was with everything at the academy and the warriors and it made her happy to see him having some down time with his family.
“Come on in.” He nodded towards the warrior, who would stay waiting in the car.
Cala’s mouth dropped open when she stepped into the house. It was beautiful. There was something so lavish but so homely about this place. It was nothing like the house she’d grown up in. Everything about that had been about appearance only. There had been no comfort. But here? Whoever lived in this house was very lucky.
“Who lives here?” Cala glanced at the pictures on the wall, loving the simple sunsets and flower scenes. There was nothing pretentious about this place, it was large but homely.
“Come with me.” Kelton passed the baby back to Kayleigh and moved to walk up the elegant curving staircase.
Cala followed him up, running her hand along the cool, smooth wooden bannister, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor.
Kelton carried on walking down the corridor, bypassing several closed doors. He paused at one near the end and waited for her to catch up before opening it up.
She stepped into the room and looked around in wonder. This was the kind of room she’d always wanted when she was growing up. The room was decorated with soft off-whites and pale greens with silver accents. There was a large white four poster bed in the centre of the room with flowing drapes that moved gentle in the slight breeze from the open window.
Moving across the room, Cala ran her hand along the window seat that was covered in a pretty floral pattern in colours that matched the rest of the décor. She could imagine growing up in a place like this, sitting in the window and watching the world go by.
What would her life have been like if she’d known about Kelton? Would he have taken her away from her mother and sister and had given her a better life? It was hard to think what could have been.
End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4) Page 25