“You’ll call me as soon as you find out if she can come back, right?” he worries.
“I will, and she’ll be able to. Clay is a damn good commander who trusts me with new cadets. I’ll bring her back, and I’ll bring Grayson with me. Are you prepared to make him a part of this place?” I ask curiously.
“I am. If he’s somehow a piece of my daughter now, then he has a home. I swear though, if he harms-”
“He won’t,” I say in interruption.
He nods hesitantly, and then his eyes move to mine again. I’m almost worried he notices the faint hint of violet that not even Brazen has mentioned.
“What about your counter? Did he hurt you?”
Brazen shifts uncomfortably, his breath intake becoming sharper. My eyes drop to the ground as I shrug.
“Never physically. Don’t worry about Angelica. We need to get going. It’s a long drive, and we need to try to beat the dark. Unaligned full bloods hunt at night when they can see better than hybrids, and I don’t feel like killing anyone today.”
He smirks a little, but he’s not the least bit worried about his daughter’s safety now that he’s seen what I can do, along with Grayson. I haven’t told him his daughter barely has a few weeks left until her change. I’m sure there are going to be some fireworks with her gift as well.
“I’ll call you later,” I murmur softly, and I turn back to face Brazen. “I’ll call you later too. Be careful.”
“You too. I mean it. Call me if there is any trouble at all. I can abandon this detail at any second if you need me,” he mutters gently, and he jerks me to his body before kissing me passionately.
I smile against his kiss, and then I pull back while shaking my head in exasperation. Angelica and Grayson climb into the backseat, and Brazen opens the driver door for me. I don’t know if I’m excited, nervous, or in agony right now.
Hale. Fuck.
“How much farther?” Grayson groans.
I have to steady the nerves in my stomach as Seminole comes into view just before the dark hits.
“About seven minutes,” I rattle out.
“Thank fuck,” he gushes while demonstrating a fist pump into the air, and I roll my eyes.
“There’s travel involved with the United. You might as well get used to it,” I lightly scold.
“So are you and Brazen getting married?” Angelica asks out of nowhere.
“No,” I answer with startled surprise. “We’ve got history, but we’re not together anymore.”
“But you still love him?” she muses.
“You don’t just stop loving someone because things end. It’s complicated.”
She seems worried now, and her eyes drift over to Grayson as he leans against her very casually in his surly teen stance. His agitation for the long drive surprises me since he travels all the time.
We pull up to the gate, and a familiar guard walks up to greet me.
“Ms. Crush. It’s good to see you. I’ll alert Captain Banner to your presence.”
Oh fuck! He really is here! Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I thought I was ready for this.
I take a deep breath to steady my inner panic attack, and then I shake my head as he picks up his radio.
“I’d rather it be a surprise,” I say misleadingly, and he lets a devilish grin slide across his blushing face.
“Of course, Ma’am,” he murmurs bashfully, and I give him a wink as he opens the gate for me.
“You know the captain here?” Grayson pries as I park the car.
