The Descendent Protectors

Chapter Thirty-Five

"He should've let us fight with him!" A familiar voice hissed angrily, making me stop dead in my tracks.

Later in the afternoon after Xavier had left and I was bedridden for a few hours due to my aching thigh, my stomach began to growl loudly which reminded me that I hadn't eaten anything since last night. I hopped down on one leg and limped my way to the kitchen for a snack; but the voices murmuring an angry conversation between each another from the inside of the kitchen brought me to a stop.

I backed up against the wall, my head slightly peeking over the end to glance inside without announcing my arrival. My eyes widened as I came to notice the two people who were having that conversation.

"He did the right thing." Elliot responded to Noah's earlier exclamation.

Noah scoffed. "The right thing? We're not a part of his stupid little "gang" so he has no right to order us around." He mockingly air-quoted the word gang. A deep frown was set on his face as he pranced around the kitchen, his hand tightly fisted around a glass of orange juice turning his knuckles pale white.

"He did it because he knows that if anything happened to us, Nora would never forgive us and would surely blame herself." Elliot went on. I frowned in confusion, then suddenly felt the heat of my blood boiling in my veins.

"That's bullshit. This is our decision to make. We're doing it for all of us, not just Nora," Noah reiterated.

"Noah, just drop the subject. And your damn tone; you might as well announce to the entire house what you're being so salty about." I could see Elliot rolling his eyes as he stepped away from the counter, reaching the sink to set in his empty glass.

"How can we even trust that he'll really end Darius?" Noah spat harshly, a deep crease set between his eyebrows.

I felt a bile rising in my throat.

"Are you out of your damn mind? He saved Nora's life. He's practically in love with her; do you seriously think he'll go easy on the man who hurt her?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I gasped involuntarily as soon as the words left Elliot's lips.

I strained my ears to hear better as their voices suddenly came to a stop. There was a slight tap, and when I sneaked a glance behind the wall I found Elliot's hand on Noah's shoulder, giving him a slight pat.

"Look, man. I know this isn't easy for you, but she's happy when she's with him. He's helped her break out of her shell. And what more could we ask for than someone who'd make her a priority, while keeping her both safe and happy?" Elliot spoke. My heart clenched at his words, and I could practically feel the warmth of his brotherly love engulfing me even from the distance. 

Noah scoffed. "Yeah," he whispered, unconvinced. 

I stood on the outside of the kitchen, hiding behind a wall, a soft smile grazing my lips as I stared at the floor. It suddenly hit me how creepy I must look to the outside world. 

Relaxing my features, I straightened my posture and prepared to make my appearance known. And although I was deeply touched by their brotherly affection and kind wishes for me, I couldn't forget the hidden messages in their earlier conversation. They knew that Xavier was after Darius, that he was going to find him and get to him, and not only did they hide that fact from me, but they were even planning on joining Xavier in his fight. That was beyond infuriating to think of.

Pushing myself off the wall, I erased the warm smile grazing my lips and the loving look in my eyes and put on a tough exterior. I stalked towards the kitchen, and through the open door.