Timeless

23

"Very well. I'm sorry Grey, but I can't give her more time. I can't give you both more time." Jaylen says sadly.

"You're giving me, us this time together and it's more than I had hoped for. Thank you." Grey says with tears in his eyes.

"Anna," Ari says opening her eyes. Anna looks at her. "When I die, take care of Alexis, give her my dresses so she can sell them and have some money of her own. Find her a good mistress."

"I'll find her the best. And I'll make sure she gets the dresses." Anna says fighting the tears.

"Thank you all. Grey let me down, I need to talk to Taren privately." Grey isn't happy about that but lets her down. Ari is careful to keep the blanket over her for Grey's sake, her lack of clothes doesn't bother her in the least.

She takes Taren aside and sets up a shield at least as strong as Grey's. "I think I know what you're going to say tomorrow."

"I don't want to say those things. I won't mean any of it." Taren says agitatedly.

"Shh, I know Taren and deep down Grey will know as well. He'll forgive you."

Taren just shakes his head, "No, he won't. He'll die hating himself and hating me for it all. But he'll not have time to forgive me." Ari gives him a hug before returning to Grey's side.

The others leave except for Jeshua. "What was that all about?" Grey demands once the door shuts.

"I was making an assignation with him." Ari says just to see his reaction. When she sees the anger she says. "You really need to calm down Grey. You really don't trust me or Taren do you?"

At that Grey calms down super fast. He trusts Taren with his life and he knows that Taren doesn't have any desire for his wife. As for Ari she wouldn't do that to him period. "I'm sorry Ari. I do trust you both. It's just when it comes to you I get very protective. You've been hurt so much."

"Stop right there Grey. You want to talk about being hurt, why don't you tell me how you got those scars you sport on your back. Don't tell me it's from fighting. I know whip scars when I see them." She sports a few of those on her body as well.

Jeshua listens closely. As the son of the Lord Captain Commander he shouldn't have received any whipping scars unless there was an infraction. And Grey didn't do infractions.

Grey speaks reluctantly. "This doesn't go beyond this room. Those responsible are mostly dead and those that are still alive have already been punished. I got those scars from just before being raised to an officer. I stopped the whipping of some newbies that hadn't gotten mentors yet. Sons of servants so they had no protection.

"I didn't have the rank to stop the whipping that way so I stepped in front of the boys and took their punishment. As soon as they saw who they whipped they dropped the whips and took off. It didn't help them of course. When my father saw the whip marks he had them lashed twice as much.

"The lashes were so deep that had it hit the boys as they were would have severely harmed them. As you can see, they left scars on me and I was protected.

"Shortly after I was promoted and took on Taren to protect him. Sadly the other boy wasn't so lucky in his mentor. He died a few months later." Grey says lightly touching the scar that wound from his back to his front.

"So that's why you've never doubted Lord Taren's loyalty." Jeshua spouts off without thinking.

"I wouldn't have doubted his loyalty anyway. He's a good man." Grey says not saying anything else.

"And he's devoted to you." Ari says smiling. She knew that Grey was a good man and he has his own battle scars proving it.

And inside she cries for the betrayal he'll feel tomorrow.