Secrets Intertwined

XVIII

Aislyn reemerged from the same tree she had travelled through the day before.

As the last of the wirey vines gradually unwound themselves from her, she leant her back against the trunk of the tree and slowly sank to the ground, her shaky legs struggling to withstand her weight any longer.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and propped her weary head against them, closing her eyes and finally letting her body sag and unravel.

Drawing in a raspy breath, she tried to ignore the stench of fermenting blood she was covered in.

After a few minutes of trying to regain her composure, she could hear someone making their way towards her so she sat up and lifted her head so that it rested against the trunk of the tree.

Sitting there with her head raised to the sky Aislyn was enjoying the warm autumn breeze caressing her face. It was one of the things she had missed when she was locked up, the warm coastal air was blissful.

She waited until the noise gradually reached to where she was sitting and, she cracked open one eye to look at the formidable man standing in front of her, casting a shadow, blocking out the sunlight she had been soaking in.

Galen squat down in front of her and shook his head, "Look at the state of you."

Huffing out a laugh, she looked down at herself. She was covered with splatters of fae blood. She held out a trembling hand, stained with the light green blood- sap- of a dead creature and asked in a shaky voice, "Can you give me a hand up please?"

A looked of compassion flashed across Galen's face, softening his hard features. He reached down and with one hand, grasped her outstretched one, and with the other one, he circled her waist and gently lifted her to her feet.

Keeping a soft yet firm grasp around her middle, Galen supported half of her weight as they began the slow walk back to her house.

"I feel like death," she groaned, dragging her feet along the forest ground.

"You look it too."

"Oh wow, thanks."

With his arm around still around her waist, he swung his other arm under her knees and lifted her bridal style. "We'll miss the meeting if we carry on at this rate," he laughed, hoisting her up.

"Shit! I forgot about that!" Letting out a quiet snigger she leant back to look Galen in the face, "Alpha's going shit himself when he sees us."

"I'm betting on it."

"To be fair to him, he kept his secret well hidden. I only found out that he had become a Leader when Serilda told me."

"Hmm. It's strange that she allowed him to return to his Community even though he hadn't paid off all his debt, don't you think?"

"It's Serilda. She has a reason behind everything she does."

"I suppose. Hells," she exclaimed, slapping a hand to her forehead. "I almost stabbed myself yesterday when I said 'don't interrupt'. If I ever sound like her again, kindly kill me where I stand."

"Oh, you don't have to ask me twice."

After walking a few minutes in silence, Galen asked, "So what did Minerva want you to do?"

"Interrogate a fae who 'apparently' had committed treason. Their traditional methods weren't working so I had to use some unconventional techniques. Turns out there were three of them that were involved and they were trying to kill Minerva and take the crown seeing as she doesn't have a successor anymore."

"Looks like you got a little over-excited. You got a scratch on your cheek," remarked Galen.

"No one thought to strap the idiot down properly," she grumbled.

"And it took you a whole day to do it?"

"No. It took me two hours to get it out of the guy but before I could sneak off, Minerva got carried away showing my all of Nikolas' stuff."

As she was talking, her voice progressively got quieter and she struggled to get out the words.

Galen looked down at her and was shocked to see her chin trembling and tears threatening to spill from her eyes. He gently lowered her to ground and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, placing a kiss on the top of her head and tucking it under his chin. The pair stood there for a long few moments, no words being said yet an understanding following between both of them.

It was the first time since his death that Aislyn had willingly talked about him. No. It had been the first time since Aislyn had to break the news to a mother that her only son had been murdered.

Even when Galen trailed after her, all those months, helping her out when she got into trouble; Even when he sat across from her in his own prison cell, begging her to talk, she hadn't said a word. He thought it would help, talking about what had happened, but Aislyn preferred to keep it all locked up.

"You never talk about him," muttered Galen.

"It- it, ugh... it hurts to even think about him. I don't really remember the good times. I only remember what happened that day."

"Maybe talking about him would help?"

Aislyn quietly answered, "maybe."

Pulling away, Aislyn looked up at Galen and gave him a watery smile, "Thanks."

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for me."

"Huh?"

"You're an ugly crier. If I hugged you, it meant I didn't have to see your face," he explained with a smirk plastered across his face.

Letting her head fall back, Aislyn let out a laugh. Even though Galen maintained his casual façade, he was secretly relieved to see some of the load she carried constantly on her back lighten even if it was just for a fleeting moment.

Letting out a playful growl, he swooped down and hoisted a protesting Aislyn over his shoulder and began jogging back to her house. A trail of bickering and snide remarks followed them all the way home.

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