Page 47 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)

Lai

Lai was hovering over Lucy as Klein pumped her full of hot tea in hopes of stopping the poor woman’s shivering.

The trial had ended when the two emerged triumphant from the forest, their noses red from the cold and snow clumping around the hems of their clothes.

Lai was glad he could stand outside and watch from the comfort of a summer morning sun.

He’d be happy to never see a frozen forest again after trekking through one only a week ago.

Lucy was still distant towards him. He couldn’t blame her, not after last night’s display. Simple apologies wouldn’t be enough, though it wasn’t like he even had those. Besides, Lucy was in the wrong too, maybe not for telling his father on him, but definitely for not trusting him to have a plan.

He winced. Had he really told her that he couldn’t trust her?

All he could do for now was act like nothing had happened and try to be helpful in handling the mess she’d dragged them into.

Frustrated by the silence that was only broken by Klein’s huffing and pacing as he fussed over Lucy, Lai opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by the cottage door being kicked open.

He knew who it was, even before he’d turned around. Conventional manners were slim pickings around the village, but only one of the sisters was that rude.

Freya stomped into their house, clutching something in her hand, her pretty face twisted into a displeased grimace.

“Explain this.”She lifted the black device. Lai recognized Lucy’s phone when the screen lit up, activated by the sudden movement.

On it was a photo of her and Xim—nothing unusual—except for the matching pajamas. Yikes. Maybe he could make things up to her with another shopping trip to more fashionable stores.

Lucy was watching the intruder, confused. Clearly, she had no idea what had gotten Freya’s panties in a twist, either.

“That’s me and my friend, Xim,”Lucy said slowly, choosing her words carefully.

“So you admit it. You are friends with her.”

“...?” Lai frowned.

He wasn’t just drawing a blank. The name Freya wouldn’t come to his lips no matter how hard he tried, vanishing from his mind and his mouth at the same time.

Damned trials.

“Babe, why are you waving that phone around? Our...”

Fuck, he couldn’t say Lucy either. He tried a few times, the thought evaporating instantly with every attempt to pin it down.

“Our leader is allowed to have friends. Or did you two become a little too close in that forest?”

For now, it was an acceptable compromise on the name.

Both of them glared at him. Eventually, Freya slumped into an empty chair, shaking her head.

“You must know about the hunters. They’ve chased us all for centuries.”She handed the phone to Lai. He looked down at the photo, still not understanding the implications.

“White-haired? Curse Breaker?”The girl persisted anxiously.

Oh. That nonsense.

He didn’t want to laugh, but a soft chuckle escaped him all the same.

“There aren’t any hunters, but there are plenty of people with white hair out there, I wouldn’t worry.

I know you grew up with the stories; my mother and father chased me to bed with the same ones when I was a child.

I had to listen to my parents, or the hunters would get me.

”He mimicked his father’s harsh voice effortlessly, making Lucy jump.

“That was hundreds of years ago. If there are any left, they’re doing a pretty lousy job. ”

“Hey!”Lucy protested, but Lai ignored her.

“But she isn’t a hunter. She’s a rich, spoiled brat, but she helped us, and she knows what we are.

A hunter would never invite us into their home except to personally mount our heads on their dining room wall.

Don’t get me wrong, I have my own reasons for disliking Xim, but this one,”he gestured to Lucy, “trusts Xim, and I trust her.”

Lucy’s eyes met his, wide with hope.

Ugh .Lai sighed, not used to having to bear his soul. “Our miscommunications might have caused a few problems, but nothing worth giving up our friendship for.”

Freya sighed, folding her hands gracefully in her lap while Lucy looked ready to burst into tears beside her, clearly holding back the urge to leap onto Lai and seize him in a rib-cracking hug.

“My sisters still don’t trust you. I don’t know how to convince them otherwise.”

“The burden of that is on us, not you. We must prove our trustworthiness to them. And we will.”