Ava stood in front of the bonfire for the first rain. It would be her first since becoming Luna and she felt so unmoored yet at peace. The conversation with Adrian had been all she had needed even if she had been unaware at the time.
Now watching him give the opening speech at the bonfire she wondered about their relationship and where they were at now. She didn’t know yet but she wanted to.
“Hey.”
She turned to see Jenny. She remembered the conversation she overheard when she had gone to her for advice. Thinking back on it now it hadn’t been so bad but she had been in a terrible head space at the time.
“Hey.”
It had been too long since they had spoken so it felt awkward like trying on a favourite shoe only to discover that it didn’t fit as it once did. This wasn’t what she wanted, Ava suddenly realized.
Jenny was her oldest friend and she would be damned if she let their relationship die like this.
“I wanted to talk to you.” Jenny spoke before she could.
“Me too.”
“Can I go first? I… when you left I realized that I didn’t know why or where you had been because we hadn’t spoken in a while. I haven’t been there for you as a friend.”
“It’s not just your fault, Jenny. Friendship is a two-way street. I am at fault as much as you are. I should have reached out as well. I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
The two friends embraced, tears in their eyes as they reconciled after what felt like a long time.
“It seems like a good omen that this happened just after the first rains. Do you remember your last bonfire here?”
How could she forget even if she wanted to? The bonfire she and Adrian had played the game that had set her body on fire. The night his father had collapsed out of nowhere only for him to assume power and send her away.
“Of course, I do. We’ve come a long way since then in so many ways, haven’t we?”
“I can’t believe it’s just been three years. It feels longer, to be honest. But it’s been wonderful.” Jenny smiled. “Will you forgive Adrian?”
The truth was that Ava didn’t know. Seeing him cry had done something to her and she wasn’t sure how the next phase of their relationship would be but she was more than ready for it.
She had spoken to her mother the other day about going to Spain for her next trip, she’d seemed very enthusiastic about going. Ava didn’t tell her about Gabby. Let it come as a pleasant shock to her.
They needed more pleasant shocks in their lives.
Maybe this was a turning point in a new era. Ivy was gone with Elder Elvis, the Monarch Elect was already working to ensure their safety everything would be good and just maybe she and Adrian could even–
As though he could hear her thoughts and feel her eyes on him, Adrian raised his head and met her gaze. He smiled at her slightly and she found herself smiling at him back.
Then his smile froze then disappeared completely as he seemed to see something behind her.
“Ava, what is…”
Jenny trailed off and turned around with her to see Ivy walking into the clearing as if she belonged there.
“We should just execute her and be done with it.” Ava said offhandedly and Adrian stifled a laugh.
“Sure. Any more unreasonable requests you would like to add?”
Ava mock glared at him but a smile peeked through. She was surprised that they could even joke about this. The moment she had seen Ivy she had frozen thinking about the last time they had seen each other.
Ivy didn’t try to attack them or even struggle. She just turned herself in and allowed herself to be detained. Ava and Adrian had been shocked to hear that she had lost her pregnancy and that she was willing to sell her father and his moles in their pack out in exchange for her freedom.
“Why did you even bother coming back? You could have just stayed in Europe. There is no way we would have tracked you down.” Ava asked her still suspicious about her return and willingness.
Ivy locked gazes with her. “I don’t fancy being a fugitive for a murder I didn’t even commit and I refuse to be used as a chess piece in my father’s political game.”
Somehow that made sense. Of course, she wouldn’t want to be manipulated by her father when she was the master manipulator herself.
“I’m serious, Adrian. We can’t fully trust her words are as she says and I’d be damned if she pulls one over us again.” Ava said seriously this time.
“I understand you, Ava. I also don’t trust a lick of what she says. We will keep a strict watch on her.”
There was a knock on the door and their hands separated, the moment broken.
“Come in.”
Calvin entered.
“Oh, Calvin what a pleasant surprise, you finished up quickly. Any updates from Cynthia?”
“She has told me the truth about what happened.”
Calvin told them everything and Ava had to stop herself from gasping a couple of times as he spoke. Cynthia had been more cunning than she had given her credit for.
“So what do we do about her now?” Ava looked to Adrian for his decision.
As much as Cynthia had done, the truth was that there was Calvin’s feelings to consider. Even if he seemed good now, she knew he still loved Cynthia and there was Cole barely two months old. He needed his mother.
How could they punish her to the film extent of their law with all these technicalities to consider?
Calvin cleared his throat.
“I know she has done so many wrong things but I sincerely believe that she has begun to change. She is not who she once was. If we give her. Time to reintegrate, she will become a better person.”
And what if she didn’t? Ava hated to be the pessimistic one but once bitten twice shy and all of that nice stuff. She would be a fool to not consider the fact that Cynthia would return to her old ways.
But she didn’t speak. This was Adrian’s shot to call.
Adrian looked at Calvin.
“Do you still love her?”
Calvin looked startled at the question truth be told Ava was as well.
“Yes, I do.”
Adrian nodded as though that was all he needed to confirm.
“We will suspend all the charges against her but she will need to make up for the damages she has caused. She will be on community duty for an extended period of time.”
Calvin blinked like he couldn’t believe Cynthia would be getting off so easily.
“You will have to take responsibility for her though. If she does anything, you will have to beat the consequences.” Adrian warned.
Calvin could have cared less. He embraced Adrian wholeheartedly. “Thank you. Thank you. I can’t… thank you. She won’t do anything, I promise. I’ll take responsibility for her. Please don’t worry about that.”
Adrian smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. What are friends for?”
After Calvin left, Ava looked at Adrian.
“Why did you do that?” She was genuinely curious. There was no hate between them but there was no lost love between Adrian and Cynthia. Wasn’t he the one who had initially kicked against bringing her into the back?
“Do what exactly?”
“Save Cynthia.”
“Because of you.” Adrian flipped another page in his report unconcerned.
“Me?” Ava echoed. That made no sense whatsoever. “How? I never interceded for her. If you will remember I got her arrested myself.”
Adrian looked up from the report.
“She was your close friend before all this. I refuse to believe that you would throw away all your positive moments with her to focus on only the bad parts. She is still your friend. That’s why I did it. At least one of them.”
Adrian massaged the bridge of his nose like the issue had tired him out. “The second is that I understand him. When you were missing, I couldn’t think, much less function. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else. To worsen matters he knows that every moment away from him, she is being tortured. How could I not grant his request? So yes, I did it for you.”
Just like that Adrian has melted her heart. He might not given a particularly eloquent speech but had touched her heart anyway and she fought the insane urge to push his reports and books down the table, climb on it and pull him–
She couldn’t however. She couldn’t because she didn’t know what to do about their relationship yet so how could she give him those types of mixed signals?