Chapter Twenty-Three
Some time later, she woke from her nap to a tinkling on the bedroom window. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, but she turned her head and cracked them open. Above the tree line of the woods, the sun was setting and the sky was ablaze, but night was definitely on its way. For a minute, she laid in bed, staring at the sunset and wondering if she had just imagined the tinkling noise. When it came again, she forced herself into a sitting position, just in time to see another rock hit the windowpane.
She stared at the window, wondering who could possibly be outside at this time of night. She hoped that Gabe was inside right now, along with the rest of her family. If it wasn’t one of them, she had no idea who it might be. She slid out of bed carefully, crawling across the wooden floor until she made her way to the wall. She was crouched just beneath the window, trying to gather the courage to peek out. Cautiously, she tilted her head until she could just barely see over the window ledge.
A shadowy figure was lurking near the corner of the house, just in her line of sight. He was too close to the house for her to see his face, but she could tell that he was tall and muscular. She couldn’t see any of his features, but from the way he stood, she got the feeling that he wasn’t there to hurt her. It was too insecure for that, like he wasn’t sure if he should be there or not. Finally, it dawned on her who it must have been, and she cracked the window open a bit, feeling the warm night air against her face.
“Skyler?” she asked, her voice a whisper. “Is that you down there?” He stepped into the light of her bedroom, and she was relieved to see that she had been right. “What are you doing here?”
If she thought that he’d been nervous or uncertain, she was sadly mistaken. His eyes were narrowed and he looked like he was trying not to explode. “What the hell are you still doing here?” he whispered harshly, his voice louder than she would have liked. “I told the two of you to leave! You should have left with your mom earlier. If you had, you could have been out of Roman’s reach. It might not have kept him at bay for long, but it would have been a start.”
Gwen felt her stomach tighten at the mention of her mother. “How did you know our mom left today?” She couldn’t help the fear that crept into her voice.
“Don’t worry, she made it out of Brighton safe and sound,” he assured her. She wasn’t sure whether or not to trust him, but he sounded calmer and friendlier than he had just a minute ago. “She’s not the one Roman wants; he wasn’t gonna waste resources to chase her down and risk letting you slip through his fingers. We watched her leave and that was it.”
She sighed in relief, thankful that at least her mother had gotten free of their nightmare. “Skyler, were you the one that told my dad and uncle where we were gonna be?” He remained silent, and it was confirmation enough for her. “Thank you for that,” she said. “You saved us today, and I won’t forget it. But, how did you know?”
Skyler frowned. “Roman ordered me to keep tabs on you guys and report your whereabouts. I’ve been following you since you set foot in Brighton.” Even in the dark, she could see that his dark skin had turned lighter around the cheeks and knew that he was blushing. “I’m sorry for listening in on your private conversations, especially your grief over Ginny. I have no right; I know that.”
She swallowed past a lump in her throat. “You’ve been reporting everything back to Roman?”
He smiled mischievously at her, even giving her a quick wink. “Roman failed to specify who I was supposed to be reporting to. I’ve only told him the basics, along with a white lie here and there.”
Whatever answer she’d been expecting, that hadn’t been it. Instead of feeling furious at him, she felt a rush of gratitude and even happiness. Skyler was a total stranger, and yet he was going against his own kind in order to help her and Gabe. She didn’t know why he was so invested in helping them, but she was so thankful that he was on their side, at least for the time being.
“Thank you,” she said, touched that he would stick his neck out so far for them, knowing what was at stake if his betrayal was ever discovered. “It really means a lot to me that you’re helping us.”
He looked down at his feet, shuffling anxiously as he avoided looking at her. She could tell he was embarrassed by the way he shifted his weight from side to side, and it brought a smile to her face. But all too soon, he was serious again, staring at her in such a focused way it had the hair on the back of her neck standing straight up. “Gwen, you and your brother need to leave Brighton. I’m serious. I won’t be able to help you forever; Roman will find out eventually. And when he does, there will be hell to pay. I’ll be the one stuck paying the check, and you and Gabe will get caught in the crossfire.”
“Why should we trust you, Skyler? I mean, you’re a complete stranger to me in every way except for your name. You don’t owe me anything, and yet you’re not only going out of your way to help us, you’re putting your life at risk. Why do you wanna help us in the first place?”
“Look, I get that you’re skeptical or whatever, but Ginny trusted me, and that should be enough for you. I was trying to help her escape her fate, and since I failed, now I’ll do the same for you—at Ginny’s request.”
Gwen paused, her mind racing as she absorbed this new information. Ginny trusted him. Is that enough for me? Even with his help, she still died. Maybe he betrayed her and that’s what got her killed? Maybe he chickened out when she needed him most. How do I know he’ll come through for us when Ginny’s not here to vouch for him? I don’t know if I should trust him just yet…
“Gwen, I understand if you’re not ready to trust me. I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling right now.”
She sighed, leaning against the window ledge as she stared down at him. He was staring up at her with wide, earnest eyes. Understanding was written clearly on his face, but she couldn’t shake the slight feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach. There was still so much she didn’t know or understand about what was going on. She didn’t have all of the facts, and without them, it would have been dangerous to trust him, especially with something as important as her life. But he looked so honest and trustworthy, even though she didn’t know him very well yet.
Is having a questionable ally better than having none at all?
“Gwen, even if you don’t trust me yet, that won’t change my decision to help you. I promise. I swore to Ginny that I would look after you if she couldn’t do it herself. And I always keep my promises. Take some time to think about everything you’ve learned. Adjust to what’s going on. And if you need me, I’ll be around. Even if you can’t see me.”
“Thank you, Skyler.”
His eyes widened and his head snapped around, his entire body going tense in the span of a second. Before she could even ask him what was wrong, he was off like a shot, darting back into the dark. She could just barely make out the shape of his body as he disappeared into the woods, leaving her slumping on her windowsill in disappointment. She didn’t want him to go; she wanted him to hang around so they could get to know each other and she could start to trust him more than she already did.
It’s obvious I trust him a little already. I know I shouldn’t though. He hasn’t really given me any reason to trust him, she thought. And he hasn’t really given me any reason not to trust him, either…
She heard movement coming from the opposite direction Skyler had just gone, and she straightened, her eyes scanning the darkness. Grant stepped into the light of her bedroom, his eyes searching just like hers. He sniffed the air a few times, and his shoulders tensed. He glanced quickly from her to the trees where Skyler had vanished, and he took off at a mild jog in the same direction. She held her breath, hoping that Skyler was far enough away that Grant wouldn’t be able to catch up with him. She didn’t feel like explaining what he’d been doing here.
Grant returned a few minutes later, shaking his head as if he thought he might be going crazy. He had a look on his face that made her think he wanted to talk about it, but
she slammed her window firmly shut. She wasn’t going to give him the time of day until Gabe returned, and there was nothing that he could say to speed up her forgiveness. Even though she loved her father, after everything that to happen to them, she had come to the realization that he was a piece of human garbage in many ways. He wasn’t worthy of her forgiveness, and she wasn’t even the one that he’d wronged the most.
That would be mom.
Her heart ached for her mother, who was probably sitting home alone right now, crying and wondering how her life had gotten to where it was. She was probably missing her children more than anything, feeling their absence as an ache in her heart. Gwen wanted to be there for her, to comfort her and shelter her from her loneliness, but Geoffrey was right. As strange as it was, Brighton was the safest place for them, even though it was where Ginny had died and where they might die themselves.
She made eye contact with her father, and when his features began to crumple, she knew that he could see the anger on her face. It almost made her feel bad to turn her back on him, but her father’s feelings were the absolute bottom on her list of things to worry about right now. Even if she didn’t have someone trying to forcibly turn her into a werewolf to do only God knew what to her, his feelings still wouldn’t have felt important. Not after everything his selfish actions had put their family through.
Gwen quietly undressed after pulling the curtains closed. After turning out the light and climbing into bed, she remained awake for what seemed like hours, thinking about everything and everyone. She couldn’t bring herself to sleep while Gabe was still out in the woods somewhere, hating himself and furious at the world. There was no telling what he might do, or what might happen to him. I should have asked Skyler to keep an eye out for him in the woods tonight. He probably would have done it.
By the time she finally dissolved into a fitful sleep, hours really had passed, and Gabe still hadn’t returned. Even though she was worried for his safety, her exhaustion won out and she drifted off.
Revelations (Brighton Wolves #1) Page 39