Smolder Chapter 8

She filled him in on everything: the tense meeting with the Conclave, her confrontation with her grandfather, the test they had set for her, and playing with the children in the park. She purposely left out any mention of Aiden the two seemed to clash, there was no need for him to worry about Aiden trying something because she would never let it happen.
“I think it actually went well,” he said after listening to her recount the day’s events.
She laughed into the phone. “What? How could that meeting possibly be described as a good one?”
“Look at it this way,” he continued. “You and your grandfather fought, right?”
She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. Somehow, he sensed it and kept going.
“Well, you only really fight with the people you care about people you love. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have gotten emotional. That fight shows he was a little nervous about seeing you and he lost control.”
“I guess,” she said, still dubious. She didn’t want to let herself believe that her grandfather’s anger meant he cared, but maybe he was right.
“Come on,” he prodded. “Think of all the people you’ve fought with.”
She paused for a moment mentally ticking through the list: her mom, her dad, Benjamin, and definitely Aiden. “Okay, I see your point. I just... I want them to like me. I don’t want to be the thing that got their daughter killed.”
“Jade,” he sighed, his voice softening, “I promise you they don’t think that.”
“You didn’t see the look in his eyes or the way he said he didn’t want to regret his decision,” she replied. The memory of her grandfather’s dark, weary expression lingered in her mind. “It was like he weighted the world on his shoulders.”
“I didn’t have to see it. You can weasel your way into anyone’s heart, trust me. Besides, it sounds like your grandmother is already rooting for you.”
She smiled, thinking back to the subtle but meaningful smile her grandmother had given her. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said, her voice a little stronger now.
“I know,” he said with playful smugness. “Haven’t you realized by now that I’m always right?”
She chuckled. “How could I forget?”
“Don’t feel too bad,” he teased. “You’re still young and naive. In twenty years, you might be able to start proving me wrong.”
“That long, huh?” she rolled her eyes, wishing he was beside her so she could give him a playful shove. “What about fifteen years?”
“If you’re lucky,” he replied with a deep, rumbling laugh.
Jade loved hearing him laugh like that free and unguarded. It was a sound she cherished because it meant he wasn’t thinking about what he was or the burdens he carried.
“Let’s play a game,” she suggested, shifting on the bed to get comfortable, nudging her duffle bag aside with her foot.
“Which one?” he asked, familiar with the routine. When she had been in the hospital, their options for entertainment were limited, so they’d become experts at passing the time with creative games. From turning soap operas into improv stories to board games that he usually won, they had kept each other sane. But one game, in particular, had stuck with them.
“Hum-guezing?” she asked with a grin. They had even come up with the ridiculous name together.
“Sure, you first,” he agreed, and she could imagine him settling in, ready for the challenge.
She thought and decided to hum something current that she knew he’d never guess. She started humming an Ariana Grande song.
“Oh, come on,” he groaned. “That’s not fair! If you’re singing Ariana Grande, I’m going back to the twenties for my turn.”
She smiled, keeping the tune going. He was always at a disadvantage with modern pop songs and she loved testing him with the latest music. “Taylor Swift?” he guessed.
“Nope,” she replied, still humming.
The game went back and forth for a while, with her picking more recent hits and he pulled out obscure songs from the past that she could never seem to guess. Eventually, the conversation meandered into laughter and casual talk until Aiden called her downstairs for dinner.
“I have to go,” she said reluctantly, wishing she could keep talking to him all night.
“Alright,” he said, his voice softening again. “We’ll talk soon. Don’t miss me too much.”
“Too late,” she teased, before saying goodbye.
As she hung up, she took a deep breath, a sense of warmth and comfort lingering from their conversation. She looked around Aiden’s room, the green walls and superhero posters now oddly familiar. She wanted to make friends and learn more about her Seraphina heritage to understand how to control her powers.
But more than anything, she needed to find out what was in those missing pages from the books about the Seraphina. There was something hidden in those ancient texts too dangerous for the Conclave to share, she could feel it and was determined to stay here long enough to find out the truth.
Yet, as much as she wanted to stay and learn, one thought eclipsed everything else: Benjamin still hadn’t found Skye. As soon as he did, she knew she’d have to leave here, rules be damned. Getting her mother back was her top priority. No matter what, she’d find a way to sneak out when the time came. No one, not even the Conclave was going to stop her from saving her mother.
Not this time.