Chapter Nine Ryland

“Ryland, you need to start talking to me. Everyone seems to know what’s going on, except me. I mean, I know my brother is gone. We just left my parents in the middle of nowhere and now we’re in the truck, on a trail up a mountain I didn’t know existed.”

I hate that she’s been kept in the dark, but to be honest, we all have been, to a point. Her tears are what’s breaking me. So much has happened in a couple of days. Scooting over to sit beside her, I take a deep breath and ready myself for everything I need to tell her.

“Tresia, listen. We don’t know everything. I wish we did. It might make whatever’s coming easier to handle. I’ll tell you what we do know, so bare with me.

First of all, everything you were taught about the last Veil Mistress is a lie. Well, except the six mates. That part is true. The Elders at the time became threatened by her and her men. The reason she’s only referred to as Mistress is because her name was stricken from all records. Your six’s parents were told her men's names by Dreamwalkers. Each of us are named after her men.”

I was expecting Tresia to look shocked at the bit of news she was just told, not the horrified expression I currently see. “You mean to tell me that not one of you owns your name? You were each named after someone else who was killed for crimes against City Central? And you’re all just accepting and alright with this?”

“Whoa Mate, you need to hear everything before you begin spouting the bull crap the City Central Elders have brainwashed you with. A lot is riding on the line for the seven of us, including all of our parents, siblings and siblings' futures. So how about you listen without spewing the holy that thou shit.”

Well hell. Jace just had to pop off at the mouth. I understand how he feels but he has to remember we’ve all been on this side for some time, Tresia hasn’t. She’s gone through a whirlwind in less than forty-eight hours. Rubbing my hand together, over my face, and through my hair, I clap them together, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Jace, stop. You’re not helping and you’re forgetting that she’s just learning all this. Learning that everything you’ve been taught about one’s history isn’t easy. I remember you having a hard time with it. So, let up and give her time. To be honest, I never gave thought to not owning my name, as our mate so eloquently put it. What I did was consider it an honor to be named after the hero that gave his life trying to protect Outland from the attack that the Elders ordered.”

“We don’t have time for Missy here to go through all her feels about what’s real and what’s not. None of us want to be the bad guy pertaining to our reality, so I will.”

We’ve stopped and all but Jace and Tresia have unloaded from the truck. I don’t know if I’m annoyed or impressed with Jace at the moment. He’s told her everything, not sparing a single detail. Brutally telling her of how people were killed. How the Elders killed every child under the age of five out of a made up story. Scare the population enough they will flock like sheep to anyone that cries and shouts loud enough of salvation. The Elders became the unquestionable leaders. What they held and no one dared to question them, until now.

When they begin to exit the bed of the truck Tresia reaches out for me and without hesitation allow her to grab onto me. With her arms wrapping around my neck, her legs wrapping around my waist, I damn near cover her entire body with my arms. Her tears are soaking my shirt and I couldn’t care less. We all understand that her world has been flipped upside down and the best way to relieve stress is to cry.

Carrying her into the house through an already open door, the door closes behind us. I know Jace is the one that was following behind us, as he’s the one that walks around the two of us asking if we’d like some tea.

“Do you have any peppermint tea? It’s my favorite.”

The smile that takes over Jace’s face is contagious. I see the same smile on Arlo, Jeremy, Reggie, Gavin and myself. “Gorgeous, that is not a problem as it’s all of our favorite tea as well.” 

Giving Gavin the credit for smiling is something of an inner joke. He doesn’t smile. Not in the average description of both ends of your mouth turning up into a smile. He more…smirks. Only one side of his mouth turns up. I think we’d all hit the ground if he were to give a full smile. He was born smirking and that’s all he’s ever done. Even his parents back that up.