A Matter of Heart Read Free

he leans
     back; it surely wasn’t created to seat men nearly seven feet tall. “Sucks that
     Jonah wasn’t here for today’s meeting.”
    At the mention of my fiancé,
     I let loose a giant sigh. Also a member of the Council, and also recently
     required to join at eighteen, Jonah Whitecomb was sent off on a day mission
     back on the Human plane earlier this morning. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I
     miss him like crazy already and he’s only been gone seven hours.
    Karl smirks. “I can only
     imagine what he would’ve argued. How much do you want to bet that he’s going to
     find a way to come on the mission with us?”
    At this, I perk up some.
     “You think he can?”
    His eyes roll toward the
     ceiling. “Chloe, this is Jonah we’re talking about. The dude is one of the two
     most powerful Emotionals to ever be born. If there’s anyone who can ensure he
     gets his way, it’s Jonah.”
    Okay. This makes me feel a
     lot better already. If there is any person in the worlds that can always see me
     through something, good or bad, it’s my Connection.
    I love Jonah Whitecomb so
     much it’s ridiculous.
    Karl’s fingers drum against
     his jeans, which is a good thing, as they could break the chair, weapons as
     they are. When he speaks, his words are careful. “You do realize that part of
     why Astrid Lotus went to bat for you today is because Jonah wasn’t there to do
     it, right?”
    Stupidly, I hadn’t really
     considered this until just now. I’d just assumed she’d done so because she’s
     incredibly kind. But it totally makes sense. Jonah’s mother died when he was
     five, and Astrid Lotus has been his surrogate mom ever since. Her sticking up
     for me was probably because I’m Jonah’s Connection.
    But, Astrid is also Jonah’s
     ex-girlfriend’s mom, so there’s also the possibility she might also hate me,
     so. . .
    Ugh. Why is my life so
     messy? Why does it constantly feel like I’m in the middle of a soap opera?
    “You’ve got that look where
     you’re overthinking things again.”
    Yeah. I’m prone to doing
     that a lot.
    “It was nice she tried,” I
     offer. Does Astrid like me, though? I really haven’t interacted with her much
     since Jonah and I moved to Annar, but that’s been more my choice than hers, I
     think. I was uncomfortable and insecure, especially after what happened a
     couple months back between Jonah and Callie, and Jonah knew I needed the space
     so he never pushed.
    And here Astrid went to bat
     for me when my own father didn’t. Now I feel like utter crap.
    Breathe, Chloe.
    “My dad.” I clear my throat.
     Karl is watching me closely. Unfortunately, he’s seen me break down way too
     much over the last year. “He didn’t look at me today when all this was going
     on. Didn’t even look at me when he said I’d do what I was told.”
    Karl snorts. “It only goes
     to show he doesn’t know you at all. Like Chloe Lilywhite ever does what she’s
     told.”
    A genuine smile pushes
     itself through the doom and gloom I’ve tried to bury it in. “I listen
     sometimes.”
    “Listen to this, then. The
     Council is never going to baby you. It’s never going to take into consideration
     if you have a bad day, or a cold, or if you have too much homework, or your
     parents suck. The Council is going to demand things of you that you may never
     have even considered in your wildest dreams. There are going to be people who
     are against you. But there’re also going to be those of us who will always have
     your back.”
    Not a lot of people know it,
     but, despite his gruff exterior and frequent behavior, Karl has one of the
     best, loyal hearts around.
    “I’ve got your back, Chloe.
     Jonah’s got it, too. So does Moira, and Zthane, and . . .” he pauses, but says
     the name I know he’ll say anyway, even though I don’t even know if I want to
     hear it, “Kellan, and a whole bunch of other people. You’ll get through this
     assignment, and the