See How She Falls (The Chronicles of Izzy #3)(16)
“Um, anyone care to explain?” Molly asked, getting up to move toward the door.
“Apparently, Ian was raised by the Order. And I need to find them.”
“Well that explains why he is so weird. I’m going to go find him. You know who will have the answers, Izzy.” Molly gave me a look before turning to find her Guardian.
“She’s right, you know?” Kennan muttered.
“Shut it, you," I groused before getting up to leave Molly’s room. It felt weird to be there without her or Ian. “I guess I better get this over with. I’m going to go outside to call for him.”
“There’s two feet of snow out there, woman. Why can’t you do it inside?”
“Because, I’m still irritated with him. I hope he shows up unprepared and freezes his eternal buttocks off. It would serve him right.”
“Whatever you say," Kennan snickered as he moved towards our room to grab my heavy coat.
Chapter Eight
I walked out into the frigid Illinois winter, the snow crunching beneath my shoes. There was something disarmingly peaceful about the winter. Everything was at rest, waiting until the cold passed to wake up in the spring. I wished I could do the same, just cover myself in a blanket and wait out the storm. I sighed, causing a puff of smoke to form in the air. I’d wasted enough time. Exhaustion was once more creeping in, and I’d yet to find where the Order was.
“Aberto, I need your help," I whispered to the air. I stood in the garden hedges alone, in the same spot he’d confessed his feelings only months before. Kennan had told me if I wanted to be petulant, I had to do it on my own. He was waiting inside the warm office, where he could still see me.
“Are you done?” the wind whispered. I’d found out recently that Aberto could be on both planes simultaneously. He thought it was hilarious the first time he talked without actually being on this plane. He’d scared the living daylights out of me. I almost felt like Alice when the Cheshire cat would pop in and talk without being there.
“This isn’t about that. It isn’t even about me so much as information that I was given. I was told to ask Abe for directions," I snickered remembering Sena’s nickname for Aberto.
“I abhor that name. Why she cannot call me by my given name, I will never understand.” Aberto appeared before me, wearing a dark wool pea coat, buttoned up so that the collar slightly flipped up, framing is ridiculously gorgeous face. I guess my plan for freezing really didn’t work out.
“I need to find the Order. Can you help me? Kennan says they move a lot, but Sena told me they have information that may help me.”
“Yes, I know where they are. We can go through the dreaming to get there, or we can travel with a large party. It is up to you. I prefer the first, so that we may get there more swiftly. I leave the decision to you, Milady.” Aberto turned and walked down the hedges. Something had shifted between us. Since I’d spiked his anger the last time I’d seen him, he’d become cold with me. On the one hand, it might be nice to have the intensity turned down a bit. On the other hand, I was getting sick of moody men in my life. Between Kennan and Aberto, I felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of hormonally imbalanced women. I was getting ready to hand them both their own carton of ice cream and a box of tampons and tell them to both suck it up. Even I didn’t get that moody. “Izzy?”
“Right, sorry. Let me go discuss it with Kennan. If you would like to follow me, you are more than welcome to. We might be able to leave faster if you don’t poof off again.” My feet followed the winding path back up to the house and the French doors of my office. I stepped inside to find an incredibly handsome Guardian waiting by the fire. Oh wait, it was just Kennan.
“Can he help?” Kennan asked, not turning from the flames.
“Yes, he can,” Aberto’s voice rumbled from far too close behind me.
“So, we have two options. We can all go, posse style. Or, I can go with Aberto on a soul walk into the dreaming to find them. I wanted to see what you thought before I made my decision. I’m leaning more towards the soul walk.”
“Wait, you are actually asking for my input before jumping into something? Is this April first? Am I on some reality show right now?” Kennan’s face titled up in a half smile which made me want to smack him all the more.
“You’re a regular comedian. Now tell me…what do you think?”
“Personally, I would rather be with you when you go. Practically, I think it would be best for you to go through the dreaming. Even if I hate the idea of soul walking, it is the best option.” Kennan turned to look Aberto in the eyes fully. “Just try not to get her killed again, okay?”
“I will do whatever it takes to make sure she fulfills what is asked of her," Aberto responded coldly.
Kennan raised a brow in my direction to which I shrugged my shoulder. I didn’t have time for his man-drama.
“Welp, let’s get a move on. Shall we?” I settled down into the couch, ready to pull my two halves apart. “See you soon.”
“Promise me you will be careful this time. No risks, Izzy. I mean it. You take care of yourself.”
“Promise, promise!” I muttered.
“You better,” were the last words I heard as I pulled myself in two, leaving my corporeal form to lie on the couch as I walked into the dreaming with Aberto.