Inquest Read Free Page A

to be ready to see them. They just showed up. It wouldn't be a problem if all he had to do was rest and focus on getting better. Saving the world was being put on his shoulders, though, and that took a lot more of his mental energy.
    I need to figure out how much information I can give Denver and how much information I should . Just because I could potentially tell him everything, doesn't mean it's a good idea. The world is going to be changing enough as it is, and life is a surprise, right?
    And so much of the future would devastate Denver. How did Teague explain to him that the woman he was most in love with was no longer around? Until he'd come to the past, Teague had never met Cheyenne before in his life. She was another reason he traveled through time.
    Jewl stirred and wiped at her eyes. "Ugh, sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep. It's been a long few nights."
    "It's okay," he said softly. "You didn't have to sleep here."
    "I didn't mean to, but I also didn't want to wake you up when I came by to see how you were doing," she said.
    He nodded. "Thanks for sticking around then. It's nice to see a familiar face when I open my eyes."
    "Sure," she mumbled. "Not sure what compelled me to stop by and see you. I'm tired of hospital wings and people getting hurt in general. Hopefully this is the last of it."
    "Hopefully." Since Teague's arrival alone, both Anj and his twin brother Zes, as well as Jewl and Cheyenne had all been injured. He hadn't been there for longer than six months. Too much had indeed happened in too short of a time.
    There were a lot of things he wanted to say to Jewl. Most of them weren't appropriate. When he got back home, he was going to give her a big hug and not leave her side for a while. As childish as it was, he wanted his mother — his real mother. The woman who knew he existed and loved him and didn't see him as nothing more than a chore. And then he would find his dad and do the same thing with him. Seeing so much annoyance in Anj's eyes whenever they were together was hard to handle.
    Jewl leaned forward and fidgeted with her hands. "So are you feeling okay?"
    "I'm fine," he insisted. "All of this observation stuff isn't necessary. I was fine after the attack too."
    "You were unconscious," she pointed out.
    "Right, but I mean when I woke up again. I was fine. No headache, no pain. It's okay."
    She nodded, biting her lower lip. "What's going on? Anj is tense and worried. He won't say anything, but I know he knows things because he...just knows things. And Zes is a wreck, but you know how he is — he always refuses to talk about much of anything unless you're ripping out his fingernails for answers. Even then, I think he'll keep his mouth shut."
    "R-right," Teague said. He didn't know Zes all too well, so he couldn't agree or disagree with her. His interactions with his uncle were limited to just those few moments they'd had together in the past. Most of them involved lunch time, and Zes didn't talk during meals. The two only had one moment alone together, and Teague got the impression Zes thought he was crazy — an opinion that a lot of people seemed to have of him, actually.
    "So can you...can you tell me?" she asked, and he noticed tears pooling in her eyes. She must have realized it as well, because she wiped them away immediately. "Shoot, I've been trying hard to keep it together. Don't tell anyone I'm scared. They'll have a meltdown."
    Always trying to be strong. That was her way. "I won't say anything."
    "Okay, cool." She frowned. "Or do you mean you won't say anything, period? Like, no answers?"
    He shook his head. "I won't tell anyone you're crying. Though, you shouldn't have to hide if you're sad. From anyone, but especially from people who love you. They might feel better knowing you're sad, because then it'll show them they can be sad, too."
    For a moment, she stared at him, and he couldn't get a read on anything she was thinking. I didn't say something out of character, did I?