Abaddon's Gift

Chapter Forty-Two

Graydon knew he shouldn't have been surprised when he returned to Naena's room and found she was the only one there. With two meals in hand, he sighed and accepted her invitation into her room. He let out another little sigh and handed her one plate as he slipped past her and settled on Bo's bed. He watched her eat as he felt the little lump in the mattress and noticed how her mattress didn't quite line up with the bedframe any longer.

Two books she was trying to hide from him.

She likely thought Graydon would sit on Bo's bed, he often did. That led him to believe she wanted him to find the book he sat on, to divert attention away from the one she was sitting on.

He had enjoyed himself the night before, but he assumed nothing more than the fact that he had acted as a comfort to a person in distress. Grief could do funny things like that, and while Graydon had been taught about such a reaction, he had never been involved in it before.

And never thought he'd react before he remembered his training.

After they finished eating, Graydon took the dishes back to the kitchens where they belonged and returned as a grown man with an oddly familiar nose knocked on Naena's door. Graydon winced as Naena jerked open the door.

"I am Lord Belus," the man said. "I've come for my son's things."

"Oh, of course, please come in," Naena said, motioning inward as she pulled the door open wider.

Graydon stepped up to the door and leaned against the doorframe as Naena scowled at him.

Lord Belus, for his part, opened the desk and collected some items. They were the older items that Graydon had felt personal memories latched to. He hadn't bothered lingering in those memories because sometimes he shattered memories, which regular people could feel even though they didn't know that.

All they understood was that a sentimental object suddenly held no sentiment any longer.

The father turned, wary fear in his eyes as Graydon watched him, wanting to shout at the man, to make him do something else. To make the man see that Naena was also hurting and just one kind word from Lord Belus might have assuaged her guilt enough that she would make it through this.

"Problem, Lord Graydon?" Lord Belus asked, holding up his son's items as if in offering.

Offering to hand over the last remains of his son to save his own life.

Graydon bit back a growl as he reminded himself, desperately clinging to the sad, poor truth.

The only person protecting the Belus family was the lord standing before him.

He forced himself to see that point and to understand that Lord Belus was not a coward just because he offered up his son's last memories. The lord was thinking of his family, of the women he protected, and the daughters he desperately wanted a better life for.

"No," Graydon managed to make himself say. "You're free to anything in the desk, of course. Or his clothing under the bed."

"No, thank you, just these," Lord Belus said with a little nod.

Graydon gave a small nod as the man left.

"Oh!" Naena said quickly, all but flinging herself toward the desk, "I think Bo was working on a letter—"

"No," Lord Belus almost barked as he turned, his tone making Naena flinch the way Graydon had never seen her move before. The man's side went a little limp as if he realized who he spoke to. "Thank you, but no," he said in a much sweeter voice.