Burnt Devotion (Imdalind, #5)(53)

Okay, more than buddy-buddy, but I wasn’t going to tell her that, especially with what she had just revealed to me.

Suddenly, Thom’s outburst into her well-being in Italy all those months ago wasn’t so out of character.

A relationship. An assassin. A child.

I could only imagine how hard it must have been for her to tell me, how nervous she would have been about how I would react.

I needed her to know I understood that. She was still my friend, no matter what, no matter how hard it was to understand everything.

“Okay…” Or I could just say that.

I felt like an idiot the moment the word slipped out, something I was grateful that Wyn knew well enough to interpret the right way.

She only laughed with a rich sound that filled the confined space like honey as her arm draped over my shoulder the way she had done so many times before. The weight of her body and our differences in heights bogged me down so that my back arched uncomfortably.

“So, you’re a mother…?” That wasn’t any better than the dreaded ‘okay.’

“Yeah.” Her voice was dead and hollow, not surprising.

Leave it to me to pick out the most painful fact of her past to talk about.

At least I hadn’t chosen ‘you’re a whore’ or ‘how many people have you killed?’

Come to think of it, those might have been better, actually.

I stood up straight and looked to my friend as Ilyan’s magic filled me in a comfortable spiral that warmed me from the inside, the contact a steady reminder of his support, even if I didn’t feel I needed it right now.

There was something else I did need from him, however.

I looked up to where he walked several yards before us, his brothers at his sides as we all walked through the darkness, the cave feeling more like a tomb with each day. They walked and talked and laughed as though we weren’t traveling into certain death. The interaction seemed far too out of place given the situation.

Why didn’t you tell me about Wyn? I couldn’t keep the painful accusation out of my internal query if I tried.

It was not my story to tell, my love. I knew at once he was right, though it still irritated me. Wynifred needs to come to terms with everything that has happened and who she is. The fact that she told you is a sign that she is doing just that. It’s a good thing.

I tried not to roll my eyes at his acquiescence, but it didn’t quite work, a fact that was not missed by Wyn. She only chuckled slightly, the pain still evident in her voice as she pulled me back down to her level.

“Yes, I am a mother.” Her voice was soft, the pain that had taken over her quickly giving way to the playfulness I had always known from her. “And Thom is a father. And, together, we had a baby. And that’s as far as it goes. I am not going to be the one to give you the birds and the bees talk. But, dude, if you haven’t had that already, then we have bigger fish to fry.”

Nothing could stop the way my stomach sagged right to my toes, everything around me freezing in place. Despite the fact that I was still walking, I was positive I had stopped a few steps back. My entire body was far too heavy to have continued moving. We couldn’t be talking about this … could we?

I was lead, Ilyan was acting like he had choked on his own spit, and Wyn was laughing so hard I was sure this forsaken cave had turned into an insane asylum.

“Something you two wish to share with the group?” Thom asked with loud irritation from somewhere in front of me.

Maybe it was an insane asylum, and I just hadn’t gotten the memo.

Being trapped in a cave for days as we made a mad dash to a city that might or might not be under attack, forced to talk about marriage and children and everything else, had definitely addled our brains.

I don’t think the cave had felt so restrictive until that moment.

Even if Prague was already under attack, I would like my escape pass from this tube of peculiarity, thank you very much.

“No, thank you, not needed. From either of you.” I wasn’t even sure the words made it out all the way. They were only a squeak that get caught in my throat.

Wyn continued to laugh as Ilyan recovered; however, Thom still looked between us as though he had missed out on some epic tale.

Oh, Thom, you have no idea.

“Glad to hear it, all things considered.” Wyn smiled and tugged lightly on the golden ribbon, my back rejoicing at the loss of restraint.

I straightened quickly and moved away from her, my feet tripping over the uneven ground in my haste to get away, although from what, I wasn’t entirely sure.

I wasn’t certain I could escape my own embarrassment no matter how hard I tried.

Wyn’s expression flashed from the playful girl I knew to the saucy woman I had seen before so fast it was almost as if she had been slapped. I watched her for a moment, waiting for it to switch back, but it never did. She eyed me with this weird trepidation that made me feel uncomfortable. More than that, however, it was a stark reminder of exactly what had happened to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked in a desperate attempt to get the conversation back on point, glad when the angry overlay in her eyes had disappeared.

“About my past?”

I nodded.

“There was never a good time. I wanted to. I tried when I came to your room after your fight, but after that…” She stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans in much the same way Thom did. I smiled at the similarities, at the way she had already picked up on him or the way she always had. I wasn’t sure, but either way, it suited her.