The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 06

Alex's POV:

Once Cody patched up my wound, he stood up and grabbed the car keys from the kitchen counter. I got up from the chair as well, examining the bandage on my upper arm.

“Let’s go,” Cody said. I looked up at him. He seemed exhausted, more since his brother appeared. The shadows under his eyes were darker now and I could tell he hadn’t exactly gotten enough rest after the battle in the warehouse.

I nodded and followed him out of the kitchen. As we walked outside, I felt the cold breeze wash away my tension, soothing my nerves. I took a deep breath as I walked over to the car and slid into the passenger seat.

He turned the key and the engine roared to life. In a minute, we were on the road.

Now that my wound was patched up, I could already feel the pain diminishing, and the gash slowly mending itself, but I was still exhausted. I knew that if I wanted to heal completely, I needed to get a good chunk of sleep.

As Cody drove, I looked out of the window, staring at the moon. The dark clouds were attempting to hide it, but I could still see it.

“Say something,” Cody said, casting a sideways glance at me. “Please.”

“Thank you for coming tonight.” My voice was barely a whisper, but it was genuine. He could’ve easily ignored whatever Ryan told him, but he still chose to come. Even though I told him I could’ve handled it, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to take all of them down if he hadn’t been there.

He nodded. “And I’m sorry for being…” he trailed off, seemingly not being able to find the right word.

"An asshole?" I offered.

He chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Apology accepted.”

We both fell silent after that. I looked out of the window again and stared at the moon. I did it as a reminder of what my mom used to say to me whenever we went out for late-night drives.

Stare at the moon for five minutes straight. Then tell me how much fun you’ve had.

I stared. I always did whenever I was out at night. The action served as a reminder of what I had lost almost thirteen years ago. I knew why Mom loved staring at the moon at night. It brought her peace and soothed her nerves the same way being in the wind always soothed my nerves.

I remembered climbing up to the roof and cuddling there with Mom to look at the stars. She always got lost in the night sky, and I fell asleep on her. I knew how she felt about the moon and the stars now. It was the same way I felt about the wind. Like it was a source of peace where all your problems could wash away.

This was a way my mother was different from others. She never, never drank wine or any other intoxicant. She never needed that stuff to get away from her problems. She always had the moon and the stars. The night sky was her wine.

“You okay?” Cody's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to him, realizing how stiff my expression had been when I was looking out the window.

“Yeah,” I answered, shaking away the thoughts swirling around my mind.

He opened his mouth to say something else but a loud crash overhead interrupted him. I winced, my supernatural hearing caught off guard. He slammed his feet on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt. He swore. I looked up, my instincts and senses heightened.

At first, I saw nothing but darkness. But as I focused my vision on it, the outlines of tall, dark figures began to appear. I immediately knew those were Ryan’s men. Cursing, I got out of the car and Cody followed suit.