Page 40 of Veil of Shadows

He placed his hand on my shoulder and stroked his thumb softly against my neck. “Delilah’s attack on us that killed Voss’s parents?”

My heart sank. “Oh, no.”

He sighed heavily as his hand fell away from me. “Dad and I did our best to get Mom out of there. And, we succeeded. But… at a great cost.”

My stomach dropped to my toes. “You don’t mean…?”

Ronyn nodded slowly. “Delilah’s attack killed my father. I got the scar across my eye trying to save him. But, I didn’t make it on time.”

“Ronyn, I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I reached out and took his hand.

He unfurled his fingers for me, and I watched as the whole of my hand settled into the palm of his. His thick, callused fingers wrapped around my small grip, and his warmth alone shivered me to the bone.

“We’ve gotten by,” Ronyn said, his voice gruff with emotion, “Mom and me. But, Voss isn’t the only one with a personal stake in this fight.”

“What about Dom?”

As if he knew we beckoned him, his voice wafted from beneath our feet. “Fifteen minutes until I need all of the musicians!”

I couldn’t help but giggle while Ronyn snickered and shook his head.

“It’s not my story to tell,” was all he offered.

I squeezed his hand. “Very well. Just know that I’m here for you, okay? You don’t have to carry shit around like that alone if you don’t want to.”

He released my hand and cupped my cheek. “You’re a breath of fresh air, Bumblebee.”

“As are you,Ronybug,” I said teasingly as I used his mother’s nickname for him.

His face fell flat, which only made me giggle. His voice held a sense of warning to it. “Bumblebee…”

“I know, I know,” I said as I turned my attention back to breakfast. “Mom only.”

He nodded as if punctuating a sentence. “Yep.”

“It’s a cute nickname, though,” I said, cutting into my pancakes.

“Don’t tellherthat,” he murmured.

Laughing while cutting up my pancakes, the door to Dom’s bedroom whipped open, revealing a very smiley Dom with a very sweaty forehead.

“Hey,” he said breathlessly, “sweet girl. You wanna come listen to the musicians with me? Auditions will take place for the next couple of hours.”

“Ugh,” Ronyn groaned.

But, I grew excited as I ate my breakfast more quickly. “Let me finish and I’ll be right down.”

Dom smiled brightly. “Perfect. I’ll get another chair set up. Ronyn, you in?”

“Piss off,” he grumbled.

Dom pointed a finger gun at him. “I’ll save you a seat just in case. Bexley?”

I swallowed quickly. “Yeah, Dom?”

He winked at me. “See you soon. We hold auditions at Voss’s place. He’s got the larger living space for it.”

And as I practically shoveled the food into my mouth, I couldn’t help but realize Ronyn watching me like a hawk the entire time I ate. Clocking my movements. He watched my jaw while I chewed. He grinned every time I hummed with satisfaction over the absolutely marvelous meal he brought me. He watched my fork travel to my plate and back up to my mouth in almost a rhythmic fashion.

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