Page 75 of Cloud Storm

“I don’t know what you’ve done to Lancelot,” she begins. Her voice is like a whip cutting the air. “My brother looks…” She gestures as if she’s struggling to find the right word. “He looks happy, Ariel, and for that I will thank you for the rest of my life.”

She almost throws her body into mine and I appreciate having the refrigerator behind me, otherwise we would’ve ended up on the floor.

Her statement takes me by surprise, but I like the way it makes me feel, I like it a lot.

“My brother thinks he has to be strong for us. Has he told you about our parents?” I don’t get a chance to reply, just a quick nod before she continues. “Our mother faded away in front of our eyes after my father left her, she lost her appetite, her desire for life. She didn’t cook for us, she just lay on her bed, barely existing. So Lance had to take care of us, and her too. And to get through that, he built a wall around him, making him impenetrable to any emotion. That’s why it’s so wonderful to see him like this. I haven’t seen my brother smile this much, well, in forever.”

My knight has rusty armor and a battered soul.

Before I can say anything, she turns around and storms out of the kitchen with that proud walk.

I’m speechless, completely stunned. Leaving me silenced is no easy task, but she has left me more than silent, she’s blown my mind with that disclosure.

The Hills siblings may be physically similar, but their personalities seem to come from different planets. Adrik isn’t actually related, but I can tell that he’s considered one of the Hills litter as he jokes around with them, and Lancelot says he’s like another brother, they’ve been friends since childhood.

Percival is charming, a joker and even a bit of a charlatan, he has an overwhelming and very particular sense of humor, acidic and ironic. Morgana, well, she’s the kind of woman who walks the world knowing what’s on the sole of her designer shoes. She’s confident, observant, and a little distant. However, since she spoke to me, I see her differently. She wears a mask, just like the rest of us. Lancelot, well, he’s Lancelot. However, today I’ve been able to witness just how much he loves his family and how protective he is with all of them, even if he doesn’t make it obvious.

They talk a lot about his aunt and just as Lancelot told me a few days ago, she’s a retired teacher from a high school near Tucson. They talk about their names and their mother’s love for medieval literature.

They tell me some things about Druids, witches, and fairies until my head is ready to explode from information overload and I want to remember every single word. I listen to them, dumbfounded, while they explain things about the priests who were the leaders of the clan. I keep asking Morgana questions and she never tires of answering, we look like two old friends gossiping about the latest trends.

“Are you staying in the city for a while?” Lancelot asks Adrik when we move from the dining table to the living room.

If I were an author, Adrik Houston would be the perfect villain for a romance story. He’s devastatingly handsome in an unconventional way. Tall, broad and has a gladiator aura, making him seem mysterious and dark.

If I ever got the chance, I would introduce him to Michelle, my friend from a nearby bar I met a few years ago. She needs to expand her horizons and send to hell the bastard she has as her boyfriend. I hate him fiercely.

But that isn’t my story to tell.

“I have orders to go to Hawaii for a while,” Adrik replies.

“That sounds like a nightmare,” Percy intervenes. “The beach, the weather, beautiful women wearing skimpy bikinis…”

“I’m being sent there for work, you whacko,” Adrik defends himself. “I’m a navy officer, Percival, and I take my duties very seriously.”

I want to thank him for his service. Living on the streets, I met a few veterans struggling with PTSD, which really saddens me. War isn’t a child’s game.

“Pardon me,” Percival says, standing to give an exaggerated salute, making Adrik and Lancelot snort. “What are you now, an admiral already?”

“There you go again, can’t you be serious for once?”

“Why? That’s boring,” Percival states. “Plus, Hawaii, bro. You’re a lucky bastard.”

“It’s called work, idiot. Don’t you have a job?”

Percival blatantly ignores his question. “So, what should I call you? Officer?”

“Commander,” Adrik replies proudly. “That’s the reason I’m in the city right now. I got promoted to a new rank and with that comes new responsibilities. Now I’m commanding a vessel and I have to take it to Hawaii.”

“Shouldn’t that be a national security secret or something?” Morgana asks.

“I’m not giving any details, so you’re safe, civilian… for now.”

Adrik stands and walks toward the kitchen. “Who wants a beer?”

“Taking antibiotics, just water for me, bro,” Lancelot replies. We’re sitting side by side on the dark blue loveseat in his living room.

He has his arm extended behind me, his fingers tracing figure eights on my shoulder.

---