Zephyr nodded to me, his expression softening as his eyes met mine.
I nodded back as a warm feeling graced me. The cold didn’t nip at me so bad anymore. I turned back forward as the minister finished his speech, feeling Zephyr’s hand slip down to the middle of my back as he moved to stand beside me.
I felt safe with Zephyr, even if things were complicated. Between my kiss with Sol and Theo’s absence, I felt like I was being split apart in so many directions. Zephyr was a constant in my life. I knew what to expect from him, or maybe Sol was right, and I actually didn’t know him at all.
I couldn’t spend that much time or energy worrying about Zephyr and his truth, though. I had to worry about the killer with a severe bloodlust and terrifyingly perfect aim that was still on the loose. It was only a matter of time before I came face-to-face with him. I was on borrowed time, and the clock was ticking.
“Time to go,” Zephyr murmured near my ear.
I blinked a few times, not realizing that I zoned out for the rest of the service. I wished I had paid more attention and given more respect for Amelia’s funeral, but there was so much on my mind. I couldn’t shut it off if I tried. At least Zephyr dulled some of the noise.
I turned and let Zephyr lead me out of the crypt, dark grey clouds looming over our heads as we faced a dreary November day. A chilly wind swept past us as Zephyr placed his arm around my shoulders, drawing me against his side and closer to the warmth of his black overcoat. I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. My throat still felt too tight.
“Are you hungry?” Zephyr asked me as he watched the other funeral visitors trudge toward the school.
My stomach twisted even more at the thought of food. I immediately shook my head, breathing in deeply through my nose in hopes that the fresh air would help my discomfort. No luck.
“Can we take a walk?” I asked him, not wanting to go back to the school just yet. At this point, that place was haunted with bad memories for me. Nothing was simple there. There was always some secret or drama or backstory. It was exhausting.
Zephyr paused for a moment, glancing around in almost uneasy manner. He then nodded.
“A quick one,” he said.
My face softened when I realized that he was worried about my safety with us being out in the open. I expected him to argue, but maybe he knew that I needed this. At times, he knew me more than I realized, but he had to be observant to be in his position.
“Thank you,” I told him sincerely as I peered up at him.
Zephyr met my eyes for a few moments, intensity crackling in the small space between us. His eyes almost seemed to search mine before slipping down to my lips briefly.
“Let’s go,” he finally said before leading me to a trail at the lower level of the mountain that was surrounded by trees. If there was a sniper trying to line up a shot on us, it would be hard for him to see us through all of the leaves at least.
Our boots snapped twigs and cracked dead leaves as we strode down the path together side-by-side. Silence surrounded us until we reached a quarter way down the path. It was like we were waiting for someone to be daring and jump out at us.
I didn’t feel this way when I first arrived at this school. I was reeling from my father’s death, but I didn’t fear dying. I was too focused on dealing with Theo and the Kings, who I steadily became involved with more and more. Each of our dynamics was different, but that was what made them so captivating to me.
Then, the killer flipped my world upside down, killing Gail and making me more stressed and nervous than ever before. The deeper I got involved with the Kings, the more drama and secrets came out. I learned that nothing was as it seemed, and then the killer took down Amelia.
Now, Theo was gone. Sol was in hiding. The Kings were on edge. Everything was different now, and I had to figure out how to establish some level of normalcy in my life. Hopefully, that was possible, and I wasn’t sure if Zephyr was the key to that or the opposite.
“This feels like the first moment we’ve truly been able to spend together since I got back,” Zephyr commented, keeping his eyes ahead.
“I’ve been meaning to come by and see you. It’s just been crazy with the police and the funeral,” I told him in an apologetic tone.
Zephyr shook his head.
“Don’t apologize,” he said as he glanced over at me. “I just… had you on my mind.”