Lessons Learned (The Gifted Realm Book 2)

by Jillian Neal

  “I’ve got you, baby,” he kept his cast surrounding them. He considered the fact that none of her brothers had anything to say about the green glow coming from Rainer’s bunk.

  Life just wasn’t quite as untroubled or carefree as it had been even twenty-four hours earlier, when they all would’ve harassed Emily mercilessly for having Rainer cast her as she fell asleep, and Rainer for agreeing to do it.

  Soon she was fast asleep in his arms, and he dropped the shield as he drifted off, still holding on to her.

  “This really wasn’t what I had in mind when I assigned you to separate rooms,” Governor Haydenshire’s weary voice woke Rainer the next morning.

  He’d come to awaken the boys and found everyone in their room. To everyone’s relief, he was chuckling and shook his head with a wry grin.

  “Hey, Daddy,” Emily drawled sweetly. She was clearly hoping to ease her father’s discovery.

  After giving her a knowing grin, Governor Haydenshire laughed. “Good morning, baby girl. Please tell me you’re both completely dressed under there. I’ve had a hell of a weekend, Emily.”

  Emily laughed and rolled her eyes. “Of course, Daddy.” She threw back the covers and showed her father that she was dressed in one of Rainer’s t-shirts and a pair of knit lace trimmed shorts with the drawstring still tied tightly.

  Rainer had pulled his hand away from between her legs before she’d thrown back the covers. She shot him a quick mischievous grin as he pretended to yawn deeply.

  Soon everyone was up and packing to head back to Arlington in shifts.

  “Rainer,” Emily approached. She looked concerned as Rainer inhaled a bowl of cereal.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” he mumbled through his Fruit Loops. Emily giggled at his cereal choice. “What? They’re still my favorite.”

  “I know, I just think it’s cute.”

  Rainer washed his bowl out and turned all of his attention to Emily. It was still early, as the Governor had awoken everyone a little before six. He pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Now, what exactly did you need from me?” He rubbed his hands from her shoulders all the way to her backside and squeezed it before they made the return voyage back to her shoulder blades.

  “I was wondering if you’d walk with me on the beach, for a little while, before we go home?”

  “Of course. But you know we won’t be walking alone.”

  “I know, but I just want to see it again before we leave.”

  Understanding immediately washed through Rainer.

  She needed to walk along the ever-changing, but ever-present, shoreline. She needed to stare out at the endless ocean, to let go of a piece of her childhood before she became a married woman.

  “Come on,” Rainer guided her towards the back door. He slipped on his sunglasses; she did the same.

  He decided that they would walk for as long as she needed, and that he’d wait on her forever.

  Everyone deserved those fleeting moments in time when you watched your former self drift away and drown in then restless tide to be replaced with more knowledge, more maturity, and sometimes more pain.

  HE felt that he’d never been given the opportunity to let his childhood wash away to be slowly replaced by his adult life.

  In one afternoon, Governor Haydenshire had come to the middle school they’d all attended together, and Rainer had been called from his eighth grade Algebra class.

  He’d never forget the long, ominous walk alone down the corridor. He’d known something was wrong since that morning.

  Emily had clung to him at lunch. She’d just started really being able to fully access her powers, and she felt everything very strongly, especially when it came to Rainer. She’d known as well.

  Rainer had almost run into Mrs. Haydenshire as she’d rushed through the front entrance of the school. Governor Haydenshire had flown there from the Senate, and Mrs. Haydenshire hadn’t been called until the Governor had arrived.

  She was sobbing, and Rainer knew as she pulled him to her and wrapped him up in a motherly embrace that Rainer hadn’t experienced many times in his life.

  There, in that moment, in the principle’s office with the school counselors standing prepared to tell him about his father’s death, Emily burst in. She’d run out of class. She’d sensed Rainer’s anguish and had rushed to his side.

  He’d spent the rest of the afternoon lying on a quilt, letting her soothe him. He’d shut out the rest of the world that was spiraling wildly out of control all around him.

  In one afternoon, at fourteen years of age, he’d watched his childhood slip away. He wanted Emily to have the opportunity to let hers go slowly and delicately, at her own pace and in her own time.

  He wrapped his arm around her and walked her towards the sand in the hazy morning sunlight. They steadfastly ignored the cameras clicking feverishly as they walked. Reporters rushed forward as they edged further down the beach.

  “Emily, tell us what you felt facing Keaton’s kidnapper.”

  “Rainer, explain your part as an Elite Iodex officer in taking down Roberto Vasquez.”

  “Emily, how do you feel this will affect your father’s campaign?” The reporters rattled off the same relentless questions.

  Rainer narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw. He kept Emily wrapped under his arm.

  “Miss Haydenshire and I will not be answering any questions this morning. Please, I’m begging you to respect her privacy and mine.”

  To his shock, the reporters backed away slightly.

  Rainer and Emily let their feet feel the foaming tide and the sinking sand. They were photographed constantly, but the reporters did give them a fairly wide berth. Rainer held Emily’s hand, watching her stare out at the mighty Atlantic.

  She stopped walking suddenly and threw her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his chest and hid from the world.

  “I’ve got you, baby.”

  Her energy was spinning in tightly wrung, nervous twists.

  After a few long minutes with Rainer kissing her tenderly and whispering how much he loved her and that he would always take care of her, they walked on.

  “I guess we should go back,” Emily lamented with a heavy sigh.

  “Not until you’re ready,” Rainer wasn’t going to rush her back to the beach house, to the election, to the world that was threatening to consume her at every turn.

  They walked further. He kept her hand tightly in his own. His thoughts turned to all of the things he could do to make the election easier on Emily and on all of the Haydenshires.

  Eventually, with one farewell gaze out at the sea that had raised her, she turned and led them back to the house.

  Rainer and Logan packed the Hummer. They avoided reporters and photographers at every turn. Around noon, the four of them headed back to the farm, with Emily and Rainer in the front this time.

  It was surreal to leave the beach house before Labor Day. Rainer couldn’t recall ever leaving early. They would arrive back at the Haydenshires’ just in time for dinner Monday night and then all begin school the next day.

  There was no school to return to this year, Rainer realized thoughtfully as he drove. They were grown, and life had definitely begun.

  From the Author

  Thank you for reading Lessons Learned. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, and you would like to know more about The Gifted Realm or my writings, there are several ways for us to connect.

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  Turn the page for a preview of Every Action, the third book in The Gifted Realm series.

  Every Action

  The plane taxied away from Reagan International and climbed into the sky. Twenty minutes later, the Angels jet was touching down at Logan International.

  Bellmen rushed out of the front doors to load the luggage onto carts, and to welcome the team to the Orangegrove Suites.

  “Okay,” Chloe called. “For any of you who might want to see outside of your hotel room and have a little fun, after I get to my room and put on lipstick, we’re,” she grabbed Fionna’s hand and jerked her closer. Fionna’s eyes rolled dramatically, “heading out to party with the Harvard guys down in Cambridge. Just text me if you want to go.”

  Rainer took Emily’s hand as they made their way to the concierge’s desk.

  “So, are you going to party with Harvard guys?”

  Emily giggled and shook her head.

  “Nope. I was kind of hoping to have a party for two with this really good looking guy from Venton.”

  A broad grin spread across Rainer’s face as his heart picked up rhythm.“Venton, huh? Anybody I know?” He handed the envelope containing their assigned Angels passes and room information to be checked by the concierge.

  “You’d probably recognize him, if you saw him.”

  After taking the envelope back from the concierge, Rainer guided Emily past the grand staircase that led to the hotel bar and towards the elevators.

  “Well, be careful. I wouldn’t want anyone to take advantage of you, sweetheart” he shot her an extremely cocky grin.

  She gave a slight shiver. It set Rainer on fire as she tugged him into the elevator.

  “Actually,” she whispered in his ear, as some of her teammates followed after them, “I’m really hoping he will.”

  The hot breath of her challenge caressed over his neck in heated swirls.

  With his mind full of the many different ways he’d like to take advantage of Emily, Rainer was startled when Chloe moved in front of them as the elevator halted on the top floor. “So, are you coming with?”

  Emily shook her head. “No, I have to get a bunch of stuff done for the security check tomorrow, before the party, then we’re heading to bed.”

  “Oh, come on, Em. Just come have a few drinks first.”

  “I can’t. I just have too much to do, but you have fun.” She pulled Rainer towards their room and away from Chloe.

  “We can go if you want, baby,” he offered kindly.

  “I don’t want to go. I’ve learned my lesson, and I would much rather spend some time with you. It’s been a while, you know?” She looked mildly uncomfortable.

  “I know,” Rainer pledged. “Believe me!”

  “Besides, she just wants me to come because she’s hoping that I’ll tell Garrett about the guys she’s going to hang all over and bring back to her suite.”

  As this hotel catered to Gifited and Non-Gifted alike, Rainer lifted the key card to open the door to their suite. Before he could slip it through the reader, the door sprung open and a maid stepped out.

  “So sorry, Mr. Lawson. I was just restocking your towels,” she cooed sweetly, before pushing her cart out of the room. Emily smiled and thanked her for the towels.

  She started to step into the room, but Rainer grasped her forearm, halting her.

  “Do not go in that room…”

  About the Author

  Jillian Neal is a New Adult author with a passion for passion. She writes strong, character-driven stories told from the male perspective. Her guys aren’t afraid to let us inside their minds or their bedrooms. Young love comes to life inside the author’s Realm, along with sinister crime-fighting, mixed in with a hearty dose of family. The engaging adventures will stretch your mind and keep you coming back for more.

  Jillian lives outside of Atlanta with her husband and children.

  For more information on the author and her stories, check out her website at http://jillianneal.com