Page 84 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

I stepped closer and ran my fingers over the beautiful bike, and then turned back to the guys.

“This is…amazing. But…I can’t ride this,” I said, and Theo laughed.

“I knew you were going to say that, so…” He handed me an envelope. Myles and Blake chuckled as I eyed it suspiciously. “Just open it,” Theo grumbled.

Tearing open the top, I pulled out an adorable card with a group of puppies wearing Santa hats and reindeer antlers, except for one who wore a crown.

They’d taken the time to write their names above the one that suited them.

I laughed and covered my mouth, unable to stop staring at the cuteness.

Myles had apparently identified with the pug that had its tongue hanging out.

This was the best card, and I was keeping it forever.

Inside the card, they’d all signed and drawn something small, like a heart or wings. Liam had done a cartoon bunny face. When I opened the folded piece of paper that fell out, I found a gift certificate for two months of motorcycle driver’s training.

“Once you’re done with that one, I found a class that teaches a more in-depth and dangerous situations training. By the time you’re all healed, you’ll be ready,” Theo said.

“It looks scary, but you will master it like you do everything else,” Liam said, and I blushed.

“Besides, I’ve already got money down on you winning in a race against Myles,” Blake teased, making me laugh.

“Aye, you would bid against me…jerk,” Myles grumbled, but smiled.

“Do you like it,” Nash asked. He was the only one who looked as worried as I felt.

“I love it…just scared to try,” I admitted. It was one thing hanging onto Theo, and letting the world pass by, but controlling the bike…seemed daunting.

It was a very generous and thoughtful gift, so I gave them a reassuring smile and walked over to the bike.

I gripped the handlebars and swung my leg over to sit down.

It wasn’t even running, but there was a feeling of power that emanated from the sleek machine.

I could picture the open road, the pavement disappearing under the wheels, and following Theo through beautiful landscapes for a relaxing ride.

The corner of my mouth curled up, and a flood of excitement filled me. Hopping off, I jumped on each of them, one at a time, and kissed them hard.

“Thank you…all of you…this is incredible,” I said.

“Naw, yer the incredible one, Snowflake. You deserve the world, but we are gonna give it to ya one little piece at a time. We wouldn’t want that ta be goin’ to yer head,” Myles teased, and kissed me again.

So many things had happened in such a short period of time that laughing with them in this moment felt like a gift. Each day with them was special, and I would never take that for granted again. We’d almost lost one another forever, and that made me appreciate the people I loved all the more.

8:13 PM

NASH

Ren touched my shoulder, and I jerked as if waking from the fog I’d been trapped in since I found out what happened to my son. I dropped my gaze to her and realized that I’d been standing by the window long enough that the sun had set.

“What time is it?”

“Eight-thirteen. You didn’t come to eat,” she said, worry etched in every feature.

I touched my knuckles to her cheek and dragged them softly over her skin.

“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t hungry.”

The truth was that I was drowning, and I didn’t know how to pull myself out of the depths of despair choking me.

I’d always been able to fight back, to push my emotions aside, and focus on the larger enemy.

But since going to my mother’s house…I’d felt hollow.

Images of my son and what his last moments were like tore at the very fabric of who I was.

I’d never held him. I never got to be his father for a single minute and had thought he was dead long before he was senselessly murdered.

I’d not only failed Mya, but in the end, I’d failed them both in a more grotesque and horrifying way than I ever could’ve dreamed up.

All day, I’d been seeing a phantom running around the house and opening gifts, his laughter filling the air. It was the sweetest of nightmares.

“I wish I could help you,” Ren said.

She didn’t even notice that the sentence was perfect, but my lip twitched.

“You are. I’ll be okay,” I said, but I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever be okay again.

Ren took my hand and led me to the couch by the fire. My legs complained, reminding me that I hadn’t moved for hours. Once I was seated, Ren walked over to a table and came back with a steaming mug and the gift I had yet to open.

Sniffing the drink, I smiled. The Kahlua and mint chocolate concoction wasn’t what I normally gravitated towards, but it felt perfect for the moment.

And who could say no to someone who added whipped cream and a candy cane?

The first sip warmed me as it went down, but it was how Ren leaned in and licked the bit of cream off my lip that sparked feelings in my chest.

“Careful, Princess…I’m not sure your father wants to find us in here naked on the couch,” I said, and she cheekily rolled her eyes at me. “I wasn’t joking.”

“I know,” she said, smirking, and then held out the flat present. “It’s not much…but maybe this will help a little.”

Taking the gift, my fingers worked at the pretty paper. I knew it was a tattoo, but finding out how Ren saw me was unnerving. Just as I removed the last piece of tape, Ren placed her hand on mine.

“If you don’t like…it’s okay,” she said.

I took a moment to study her. She was nibbling her lip, and her eyes were trained on my hands like she was as nervous as me. There was something oddly comforting about that. Her eyes darted up to mine when I didn’t move.

“You’re beautiful, Princess,” I said as the firelight danced at her back and the warm glow made it look like her hair was aflame. A deep, rosy blush spread across her cheeks, making me smile as I opened her gift.

A majestic wolf wearing a king’s crown sat on a compass. The beast radiated power and protectiveness. Tattered wings stretched wide from the animal’s back while a mist curled around the compass. My heart stopped when I saw North etched at the top, with an arrow pointing.

Opening my mouth, I tried to speak, but no words came out.

A strangled howl brought tears to my eyes and set free the pain that I’d tried to lock down.

Ren took the drawing and set it aside before climbing into my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck.

She held me, and I squeezed her so hard that I feared I might hurt her, but I couldn’t let go.

The first sob rocked my body, like the agony was trying to crawl right out of my chest.

I clung to her, and my body shook. Ren was the only thing keeping me from being pulled under the waves of sorrow.

“I’m sorry,” Ren whispered in my ear. “I’m sorry for what Lawrence has done…

what Mya has done…but most for what your mother did.

” She kissed my neck, and my muscles trembled.

“This isn’t your fault,” she said, and I cried harder.

“It’s not your fault.” She repeated it until I had nothing left to give.

Even when I closed my eyes and held her, unmoving, Ren murmured those words. “It’s not your fault.”

Ren might never know how much I needed the lifeline she’d tossed me.

She had just pulled me back from a darkness from which there was no return, and I would be forever grateful.

Whatever force had brought Ren into my life…

whatever wheel of fate had turned in our lives that guided us to this moment… was everything…she was my everything.

“I detest how much you make me feel. I can’t escape it.” I struggled to get the words past the tightness in my throat. “I hate you for that, but I love you. You’re the air that I breathe.”

She kissed the side of my neck. “Ditto,” she said, squeezing me tighter. “I love you, too.”