Page 309 of Knox Academy Omnibus
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I ask dubiously, looking around into the pitch black.
“I’m sure.”
I take his proffered hand and Sawyer carefully leads me into the trees. I grip his hand tighter, almost sure this is where the shoe drops and I die here in the bloody cold where no one can find me.
Lights flickering up ahead catch my eye as we round a slight bend. I gasp at the sight before me. Tealight candles in mason jars line the dirt path.
“Wow,” I whisper.
We come to the end of the path and I’m lost for words…fairy lights are strung up around the trees and a massive glamping tent sits underneath them. Sawyer leads me to the tent and pulls the door open. Warm air filters out, hitting me. I look around at the pink and white interior filled with fluffy blankets and throw pillows. A large picnic basket sits to the side, and I smile.
“This is beautiful.”
“You like it?” he asks cautiously.
“I love it.”
He lets the door flaps fall closed behind us and helps me out of my jacket. I don’t wait for him, I make my way to the pile of pillows and flop down on them, rolling to my back to watch Sawyer move around the space.
“How did you manage to get all the candles set up?”
“Frost and the new guys.”
I snort at the thought of Frost having to set up something so romantic. I wonder how he had the time when he was watching over me before Sawyer picked me up. He must have sped all the way here.
Sam Hunt lightly plays in the background, and I’m quickly taken back to the first time we met. A giggle escapes me. I may have gatecrashed his pub date to fuck with Monty and Laura that night, but the attraction was instantly real. Oh how far we have come since then.
“What has that smile on your face?”
“I'm thinking about the first time we met.”
His lips pull up into a smile. “I’m still fond of the kitchen at Dad’s, when I was very conflicted about you being my student and my step-sister.”
When he pressed me against the door and squeezed my throat. Fuck. That was hot.
He comes to sit beside me, placing the basket down in front of us and pulling out different meats and cheeses.
“You do know I’m so sorry about you losing your job over me?” I say earnestly.
“I'm not. Honestly, I love teaching but I love you more. And I have a full plate with Order stuff. Plus, teenagers are annoying as hell.”
“I'm pretty sure that I’m still a teenager,” I say, batting my lashes at him, trying to distract myself from the way my stomach still twists with guilt despite his reassurances.
“Yes, but you're special. You only annoy me ten percent of the time.”
I laugh. “Only ten? I might need to work on that.”
“I'm sure Kalen can give you some pointers.”
We both laugh and dig into the amazing cheese platter he’s arranged. I don’t come from a family that serves fancy meats and cheeses. If I put this down in front of Smalls or Aadi they’d die of starvation. Sawyer pours us both a wine. The bottle looks expensive but wine just tastes like wine to me.
We end up lying back and talking about our week. I’m grateful for the one-on-one time. He asks how my training is going, and I tell him that the physical stuff is okay. I hadn’t realised there’d be a reading list.
Some old guy that looks like he has one foot in the grave already dropped off a nice stack of books at Sawyer’s for me. Half of them, I can’t even understand. Sawyer suggested that maybe I could ask my uncle Dirk for some support with it all, but I’m honestly not sure if I'm ready to get to know him. With Debbie resurfacing, I’m considering reaching out to her. But I’m unsure of who to trust with the information that she’s alive and under the protection of my grandmother in Australia. It’s all a bit of a mess to be honest.
It makes sense that she would be in the one country The Order isn’t welcome to run in. The hatred my grandmother has towards The Order is justified, and she built an empire on that.I don't know much about my father’s involvement. Sawyer has mentioned they have records on everyone and I’m able to access all of them, but that I should be very careful because once you know something you can't take it back.
Do I really want to know all of my father’s sins? Would that make me view him differently?
