Abaddon Summer

Chapter Three

Naena spent three nights in Graydon's room. She only really needed one. They had some fun but nothing serious. Exploratory and hesitating. He knew she enjoyed herself, but he ended up frustrated in the bathroom, taking more showers than necessary.

Easier for her to enjoy herself, which only emboldened him.

All that came to end the fourth morning when she joined him behind the estate. He had let his guard down. He remembered thinking he heard something, but then dawn's light hit her just so. She was flush, bright red, and breath hitching when there was a scuff on the walk around a hedge.

His father came around, eyes on papers, tea almost to his lips, as the pair separated. He settled in his seat, grunted, stiffened, looked up over the back gardens, then slowly turned to the pair of them sharing the only other seat. Large enough for them to almost sit side by side.

"Can't have you standing," Graydon said.

His father looked away, back toward the hedge. He saw the little jerk of his father's chest before the man went limp and turned back.

"Wouldn't do well for my mood," his father murmured. "Thank you. Hello, Naena."

"Morning, Lord Pan."

She rarely said good morning. There was nothing good about a morning in which she had to greet others.

They spent their quiet time out back. Naena started spinning her wheels with worries and concern and where she'd spend the summer, so Graydon took her down to Theon's place and was pleased to find Theon already in residence.

Since Theon was her guardian, all those questions needed to be answered by him.

"My key," Theon demanded.

"Haven't got one," Graydon said. "And those locks are unpickable. Oh... Oh, no, Theon, I don't have a key."

"Nor do I," Naena said.

"I must have given you a key."

"No, Theon, never," Naena protested. "I'd remember receiving a key."

Theon swore. Then he got a look. Then he turned to Graydon, who sucked in a little sound.

"Teach your parents better," Theon said. "He was a sword. He certainly knows how to get in and out of my home without alerting me to the fact that he's having sex with my sister on my couch!"

"His couch," Naena corrected. "I told you, anything his—"

"Yes, I learned that after replacing my mattress, thank you," Theon responded. "They're worse than mages with their school lover. By Mason. Get in here, Naena. From the look of him, Graydon hasn't spoken to his father yet."

Graydon said goodbye to Naena and headed back to the estate. The walk back to the estate was twenty minutes of him going over everything he had done wrong that year. He was sure he was going to be called out on that morning even, as he stepped into Lord Pan's study.

"Ah, Graydon, sit," his father said as he raised his head and frowned. "What's that about?"

"Theon said that I obviously hadn't spoken with you," Graydon responded.

"Ah, he meant petulant," his father muttered as he sat forward. "Graydon, your performance this year has been unexpected. You showed softness, heart, emotion, planning, conniving, manipulation, and even a keeping of secrets that might be considered dangerous."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" his father demanded. "We weren't able to do this last year. You flew off in a rage as soon as I started."