Amongst the Order (Watchers of the Veil #1)

Chapter 22

Halfway through our drive, Alex and I swapped over to give my legs a break. To my own surprise, I didn't worry too much about losing control over my car. He didn't race down the road as I expected him to and I relaxed into the journey fairly easily.

After a polite conversation about his dad, the hunters and the music playing softly on the radio in the background, Nathaniel drifted off into a long nap and failed to notice us stop for a short while to stretch our legs and swap over drivers. Alex glanced over his shoulder, checking that Nathaniel was still asleep.

"Do you think something happened with him and Florence last night?" he asked.
I frowned. "What makes you think that?"
"I spoke to Alfie this morning and he said Florence didn't get back to her room until late last night. She made quite a racket about it as well."

Did he mean...? No!

My face contorted as I spotted Nathaniel's floppy blonde hair in the mirror and I spun around to open my mouth. Alex pushed me back down in my seat.

"What are you doing?"
"Don't you yell at him for this."
"He..." I gestured to Nathaniel, who still slept soundly, and stuttered, "he... and Florence!"
"And Florence," Alex echoed. "There's two people involved in this."
"And both will receive adequate scolding," I warned. Alex chuckled.
"Consenting adults, my darling. You can't control them both."

I scowled, folding my arms as I slumped further into the chair. "It's too soon. They've only known each other for a couple of days."
He laughed out loud. "You can develop crushes in a matter of hours."
"That doesn't mean you should act on them."
"Oh? And you've never act on a superficial crush? Not once?"
I scowled. Not inclined to give an answer to that question, I reversed the topic back to Nathaniel and Florence. "I just don't like the two of them together."
He laughed at the digression. "Why not? He likes her, she likes him. It's simple enough. If they like each other, why not act on it?"
"It's not that simple," I argued. "As a hunter, Florence has responsibilities. She has to think about her job, her training, her family. Compromising herself as soon as she starts her career isn't going to do her any good."
"And is this speaking from experience now?"
I blinked, shocked he'd even mention it. "Maybe it is."

He didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he trapped his fingers on the top of the steering wheel, creating a nervous beat on the leather as I turned to look out the window.

"Do you regret spending time with him?" he eventually asked.
I sighed. Dad taught me that relationships between hunters were doomed to fail. We were entwined in the supernatural world of danger and the unknown. Our jobs came first, at least during our earlier years. This was the decade I was meant to make my mark on the hunting world; I shouldn't waste my time with those who could damage that mark. "I should regret it," I replied.
"That's not what I asked."
I wasn't sure. The thought of never seeing Pete again made me sick to my stomach. I coped during the months we hadn't seen each other with little phone contact but I had the chain he gave me. We weren't entirely cut off from one another and I never wanted that to happen. "I don't know," I said. "I just don't."
He sighed. "I know I said it earlier but you're human, Erika. You're a lovely woman. Please don't give up everything you are for the sake of a job."

I pondered his last sentence until I remembered the one that came before it and smiled. "Lovely, am I?"
"I can take that back if you like."
"No! No. You're... lovely too, I guess."
He mirrored my smile, which faded as Nathaniel woke up. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"
I groaned. "The one time I try to be nice."
"No, really!"

Alex swore and swiftly pulled over as I warned Nathaniel not to harm the car. He glared as Nathaniel hopped out the vehicle, running over to a nearby bush.
"What?"
"You could try to be a little kinder."
"Do you want to drive around in a car stinking of vomit?"
He shuddered. "Not really. Might make the witches steer clear, though."
I sighed. "Always a silver lining with you, isn't there?"