Page 94 of Choosing Jenny
She smiled affectionately at the small man. “Surge is unpredictable and a man of many tastes.”
“Is that why you love him?”
She stiffened and cast a sharp glance at me. “What did you say?”
“I saw how jealous you were with Sam, Discord,” I said gently. “You’re in love with Surge, right? It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.”
She let out a long, tired sigh and went back to staring at him again. “Idolove him, Tiger. As my friend. Not as a lover.”
“Then why did you hate Sam so much?”
A harsh laugh escaped her. “Because she is not good enough for him.”
“He seemed to think so.”
She scoffed. “Even though she trapped him in the Vulaven cave?”
I hesitated a moment before revealing the conversation I’d had with Surge. “He told me he doesn’t blame her for that, since she was being blackmailed with her family’s lives.”
Her expression softened, just slightly. “He is annoyingly forgiving.” She gave the mattress a light nudge with her foot. “And kind. And cheerful. Even when he has no reason to be.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her voice turning quiet. “Malice, Longshot, and Surge are my brothers, Tiger. It’s not romantic between us. We may not be blood, but we are a family. Sometimes…I feel the urge to protect them from themselves. If I didn’t respect Surge, I would have just killed Sam before she had a chance to worm her way into his heart.Beforeeverything happened on Halla.”
“And now?”
“She is lightyears away on Enelorrk.” Discord shrugged. “She gets to live. For now.”
I smiled at her, since I was mostly sure she was teasing. “Well, I am off to bed. You?”
“I may sleep for a week after today’s business.”
I hesitated, before speaking my mind. “I’m sorry about Aphonic. I know you wanted her to—”
She held up a hand and shook her head. “The less said about that, the better. My disappointment threatens to crush me, and I refuse to give breath to it any longer.”
“To bed, then,” I said with a smile.
Once Surge’s bedroom door was shut behind us, she said, “There are times you remind me of Surge. I am now glad Malice and Jenny have you.”
“Nowyou’re glad I’m around?” I teased her as we walked down the hallway together. “Not before?”
Her eyes twinkled. “When we first met you, I debated on where would be best to stash your body.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You did?”
“No one is good enough for my brothers,” she said matter-of-factly. “Keep Malice happy, Tiger. I’ve grown fond of you. I’d hate to have to use the pit I dug back then for your body. Good night.”
She left me standing there with that threat disguised as affection, her footsteps fading into the darkness. I lingered a moment longer, listening to the hush of the house, the fragile calm after a night of chaos and blood and hard truths. Then I turned toward Mal’s room, a smile tugging at my lips.
Discord had a funny way of showing it, but she trusted me now. And that, more than anything, made me want to be the kind of man who never gave her a reason to regret it.
CHAPTER 31
Jenny
After brunch the following morning, Surge sighed at the table, staring into his coffee cup instead of at me. “I know you all waited for me to do this, Jenny, but I don’t know if I’m mentally and physically ready to collect the Illiapol ghosts.”
We had gathered for our usual group brunch, now complete since Surge was awake. I wasn’t sure if I had heard him right. “But with Omen on Halla, you had no trouble getting her into the orb.”
