Page 44 of Heron's Flame

“Just don’t sit on it too long. When you feel that never-ending scream clawing at your throat, the one that won’t be silenced, let it out and come find me.”

“It’s still brewing in my gut,” I whispered.

“And it will until you’re ready.” She released my hand and smiled. “You’re never alone. Reach out. It’s good to know you have a lifeline.”

Truer words were never spoken.

Chapter 14 Heron

The conversation with Brax repeated in my head as I sat with Rebel in our room, informing her of Brax’s idea.

“So you want to meet with Cerys? Alone?”

Yeah, Rebel didn’t like the idea. I could tell by the way she scrunched her nose. “To apologize and clear the air,” I explained. “We ended on a bad note, and that’s my fault. It wasn’t fair to her. She never got closure.”

“But,” she paused, “alone?”

“It’s to help her relationship with Brax.”

“How does you meetingalonewith Cerys help her relationship withhim?”

Shit. My ol’ lady was getting riled up. I could see it in her sky-blue eyes. They darkened a shade before narrowing.

Fuck, even pissed she was beautiful.

“Babe, I want to make this right. That’s it. There’s no other motive here other than I want to help them work through their shit so you and I can do the same.”

“What shit do we have?”

Fuck. That wasn’t what I meant. “Spark, I just mean I don’t want anything coming between us. No secrets. No exes. Nothing.”

She blinked. As fast as her ire ignited, it fizzled out. “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip, glancing at the floor before her gaze lifted to mine. “Am I coming with you?”

“Of course. Brax offered to take you for coffee while I talk to Cerys.”

“Coffee,” she mirrored back, “with Brax.”

I snorted. “Yeah. Should be fun.”

Her lips twitched. “Uh-huh.”

The following weekend, I dropped Rebel off at a little café in Needles, California. Talon, Claw, Carrion, Falcon, and Hawk offered to come with us and keep Rebel company while I rode to Cerys’s place with Brax. Technically, Cerys lived with her grandmother, Twyla. It benefitted both women, and they had always been close.

I parked my bike beside Brax in front of Twyla’s place and shut down the engine. A part of me felt hesitant because I wasn’t sure if Cerys wanted this. The last thing I wanted was to make things worse.

Brax and I approached the door and knocked. Twyla opened it, gave a little wave, and left us standing on the front step.

Cerys seemed surprised.

Brax noticed. “Cerys, may we come in?”

She stepped aside, and we entered.

Before it could get awkward, I greeted her. “Hi, Cerys. I hope we’re not interrupting anything.” It smelled fucking amazing inside. She must have been baking. The sweet aroma of chocolate, sugary dough, and cinnamon permeated the house.

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