Page 68 of Treasured Secrets
Everett just nodded. "I can follow you if you're leaving."
Jared looked at me and winked, and then he turned back to Everett. "Yeah we're leaving, but where I'm taking her is completely safe."
Where was he planning to take me?
Everett was about to walk away when Jared called back to him. "Don't tell any of her family she left early. Her mom would be upset. And please, don't tell Iris that I torched the place."
Everett dropped a grin, shocking me more than Jared's pyrotechnics. I didn't know Everett even knew how to smile.
"Understood. No problem." Then he jogged back toward the party.
I rolled my eyes. "Why is he nice to you and not me? You might need to see if he hurt something after smiling for the first time ever."
"I've saved his life once or twice, so he tends to fancy me a bit. He isn't as bad as he seems. I promise," he said, sounding playfully haughty.
I shrugged. "I'll take your word for it."
He shut my door and quickly joined me in the jeep. "I think you'll like the place I'm taking you a little better than you liked this place."
I huffed. "It's not another party, is it?"
He laughed somewhat. "No, it's a little dead where we're going."
He placed heavy emphasis on the word "dead," which raised a few questions, but I just let it go. I was just grateful to be getting out of there.
I cocked my head to the side. "I thought a bodyguard had to cover my scent. Where are we going?"
He just smiled. "Trust me. I think you'll appreciate it. It's not too far, and it is heavily crested."
We drove to a place that was just a little ways down the road from the party. Jared hopped out of the jeep and flashed to my side to open my door for me. I hesitated slightly before putting my hand in his.
He noted my hesitation and spoke with reassurance. "Don't worry. Like I said, these grounds are very crested. You'll be perfectly safe here."
I looked around at all the old statues. Everything glistened under the moonlight. Most every statue had a fighting stance, anger in their eyes, and a feel that demanded respect.
There was only one that seemed to be at peace. It was a woman with one hand across her heart and one hand stretched out with the palm facing up. I wasn't sure where we were exactly or what all these idols stood for.
Jared walked up and leaned against the tree beside the statue of the woman that kept calling for my attention. "It figures you'd head straight to this one."
I raised an eyebrow at him curiously. "Why do you say that?"
He put his hands in his pockets as his eyes held mine.
"This is the statue of Isis. She was known for her compassion and mercy. So when they built the statue of her, they tried to incorporate that. It was why she was such a good leader for us. Despite her unimaginable depth of power, she was very modest and controlled. She never used force unless absolutely necessary. She believed in defending her family and herself, but she never set out to start a fight if it could be avoided."
I took a step toward him, letting my eyes fall back to the tranquil statue for a moment, analyzing her with a different gaze. Then I turned back to him.
"Isn't that the way all the good guys are?"
He laughed slightly as he closed some of the distance between us. "No. Your grandmother is though. Dramus's followers have made a lot of us want revenge. I personally would love to see their ashes spread every chance I get."
He started sitting down, and I felt warmth flowing to me despite the frigid air and snow all around. Before he got to the ground, all the snow around him melted and a beautiful green grass was revealed. Not only was the snow gone, the ground was also dry now.
Okay... That was a little impressive.
Then he patted the ground next to him for me to sit down.
I did as he beckoned and sat down beside him. "Why do you seek revenge? What did they do?"
