“I'm not quite sure. Korina left me a note. That she’s done. Done with me. I hadn’t seen her all day either.” Worry layered his voice and permeated my nose.
My stomach knotted up as I remembered my dream. This vocation was starting to affect my friends. Korina was missing, and I had a feeling it was due to supernatural circumstances. Although I didn't want to believe it, there was just something nagging in my gut, pulling me in that direction. As much as I was happy that Korina was away from Nate, I didn’t want it to happen that way.
“Nate, it will be okay.” I did want to believe that the situation would be okay, at least for him, but a small bit of doubt crept over me, and a flash of heat from my fib made me feel nauseated.
He flashed me a stern look. “Why do you even try to lie to me?”
He was angry. Perhaps angry about his situation and Korina breaking up with him. I was probably one of the reasons she had broken up with him. So, of course, he was probably pissed at me. Pissed in general.
I shrugged, not knowing what to say. Whatever I would say would make it worse, I knew. I just let Nate brood for a while.
He closed his eyes and sighed. "I know you might not believe it, but I do care about Korina. Even if I don't love her."
“I’m not judging. In fact, I feel guilty about this.”
“I know.” His eyes were still closed. “Where is Meredith?”
“She said that she's going to meet us at Underhill later.”
With his eyes still closed, he gave a wry smile. "Mere's working on that spell isn't she?"
“Yeah, you know her, persistent. She’s going to get in over her head.” I walked cautiously to the chair next to Nate and sat down, relaxing my feet on the chair in front of me.
Nate finally opened his eyes and stared into mine. Again that intense studying sent a shudder through me.
“You’ve given her hope.” He leaned closer and took my chin in his hand. His eyes softened a little. “You’ve given us all hope. Hope that we can walk proudly in the supernatural community without fear. Without the council’s help.” His thumb rubbed the lower part of my chin.
I wanted to inch closer to him. To brush my lips against his. To really know what it felt like to be desired. I took in an unsteady breath.
“You guys have too much faith in me.” My voice came out shaky and husky.
He smirked but didn't move closer or farther away. Still holding my chin.
“No. We have your back. You have our support.”
“There should be other things in your guys’ lives besides this. A normal life. You deserve some sort of normalcy.” Or a girlfriend, I thought.
He dropped my chin and moved away from me. Sadness donned his face.
“Just like you, I will never be able to have a normal life. And I can’t concentrate while thinking about you.”
I felt my face warm with his forwardness. Inwardly, I was thinking, yes! Finally!
“I mean, I can’t stop worrying about you out there. Alone with very little knowledge of how the Mundus Noctis functions.”
I felt myself deflate. Okay, perhaps we may have had a moment, but damn Nate and his analytical thinking. For an Empath, it was frustrating that he wouldn't allow himself to feel.
“Nate, this is what I’m talking about. You’re eventually going to become numb or hollow.”
“It's okay. I have other things that will keep me from feeling empty. Come on. Let's go. We don’t want to have this Master of yours waiting for you.”
I groaned. “Zane can wait. And he’s not my Master. He’s more like a drill sergeant.”
Nate nudged my arm and stood up slowly, stretching his body. I followed, moping.
✽✽✽
While I trudged my way to the house, Nathan's movements were stiff. Really stiff. He was worried and stressed, but nothing he gave off suggested that he regretted his decision to align with me. For that I was grateful.
When we reached the gate of Underhill, I felt that familiar magical charge greet me. I heard Nate suck in a breath next to me as if someone or something was squeezing all the air from his body and abruptly some sort of connection between us was cut off. I hadn't realized that I could feel the magic of his empathy hugging around my body until it wasn't there. He started to shake, and I thought he was going to pass out or seizure. I grabbed his hand, which was cold and clammy while he stared straight ahead blankly.
"Nate?" My own voice was shaky but commanding, hoping to bring him out of whatever state he was in.
He exhaled loudly and gaped at me with both of his eyebrows raised, his body stilled.
“That’s quite a security fence there,” he drawled and shook his head. The emotional connection returned. I felt his body hum with energy and adrenaline.
“Why did it do that to you? I was told that it only attacks those that threaten to do harm.”
I knew for sure Nate was not there to do any harm. He was a pacifist by nature, and his family was a clan of healers.
He smiled approvingly. “Because I’m an Empath. It couldn’t trust my feelings. It couldn’t read me. So I guess it saw me as a threat.”
“And you are happy about this?”
He continued to smile. “I am happy that we are in a very secure facility.” He nudged my arm with his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get a move on. Don’t want to upset that drill sergeant of yours.”
I paused still, chewing my lip, thinking. “What about Meredith? Should we be worried?”
He considered it for a moment. “I don’t think so. She is not an Empath. She should be fine.”
I glared guardedly at the gate once more before Nate pulled me with him from our bound hands.
Before we even reached the door, Finn had it open for us, smiling.
“Caden, nice to see you.” His voice was as soft and gentle, putting on a thick act for the company.
“Sure, it’s all pleasantries until Caden brings the trouble,” Nate joked.
I furrowed my face in fake annoyance and unbound our hands ready to shove him. He moved away from me, anticipating the shove.
“Finn, this is Nate. He's one of my best friends and an Empath. Please be nice.” I gave Finn a glare. “Nate this is Finn.”
Nate stuck out his hand to shake Finn’s.
“It is a pleasure, Nate. Anyone looking out for Caden’s well-being is perfectly acceptable to me.”
I glowered at Finn.
“Not human.” Nate turned his head to the side analyzing Finn. “Not vampire either. You’re...” Nate paled considerably from coming to a conclusion of his analytical thinking without finishing his sentence, and instantly let go of Finn’s hand as if it was on fire.
“I am Fae,” Finn said aloud for the first time, confirming my suspicions. There was a silent challenge in his statement.
Nate shifted uncomfortably. Mischief gleamed in Finn's eyes as he studied Nate and Nate studied him back. Then Nate moved his stare at me, and then back to Finn; his face paling even further. I wondered what exactly he had picked up from his empathy.
“Shall I show you to what Caden likes to refer to as the ‘dungeon’?”
Nate quirked his lips. “Lead the way.”
Finn beckoned us to follow him and led us to the entrance of the basement. I watched Nate absorb the inside of the manor. His mouth hung open in awe, and I enjoyed his amusement.
Just as we were about to head to the dungeon, Finn gently grabbed my arm. “Caden, you need to be aware of someone before you head down.”
“Ok . . .”
"Zane has a guest with him. She should not be interfering with your duties, but I wanted to remind you about the pact on this house."
I only nodded. How could I forget, especially since I saw what it did to Nate?
“Sera will be here soon,” I told Finn at the foot of the stairwell. “And I have invited my other friend, Meredith, over.”
Finn's mouth thinned, and he didn't seem pleased.
“I know I should be keeping a
lot of this a secret, but Nate and Meredith…and their families apparently knew who I was before I did. They are also helping me navigate this world. I really feel like I need all the help I can get.”
“I don’t like it.”
I nodded, agreeing with him. “I know. But they are important to me.”
He inclined his head. “Very well. I will wait for them.”
“Oh, and if you can distract Sera for most of the night, that would be swell,” I continued.
He gave me a questioning look.
“She’s been overly worried, and I am concerned,” I explained. Again, I wasn’t lying, but the main reason had more to do with the spell that I knew would probably be coming and we were still keeping the adults out of the loop.
“Speaking of which, aren’t you supposed to text her?” Nate nudged me.
“Oh, yeah.” I pulled out my phone and texted Sera real quick that I had gotten to Underhill.
“Fine,” Finn huffed. “I will do as you ask.”
We descended the steps slowly, leaving Finn behind to let Sera and Meredith in. I allowed Nate to take in that eerie dungeon feeling. His mouth was still open, partly in awe, but I saw strains of anxiety.
“So . . . What do you know about Finn?” He still let his gaze wander around the stairwell as he asked me.
“What do you want me to know about Finn?”
He looked guarded.
“After all, the Fae are not to be questioned, remember?” I reminded him in a sickly sweet voice.
“You are something else.” He regarded me mischievously.
“I am,” I grumbled under my breath.
He nudged my arm, taking the last step to the bottom. Nate let out a breath that I didn’t know he was holding and we entered into the room to the right. My gym.
Nate walked around the room touching and absorbing the atmosphere. He picked up a dumbbell here and there, touched the punching bags that hung from the ceiling and tested the mats that we walked on. Another one of his astonished smiles lit his face.
“This is unbelievable. And the Fae had it done for you?”
I nodded.
“Unbelievable. Makes you wonder why, huh?”
It was at that moment Zane decided to materialize in the room, wearing his usual black.
“Show off,” I muttered under my breath. Although, I was pretty sure Zane had heard me.
It was the first time that he took the initiative to materialize for something as unimportant as an introduction. Almost like he was establishing his dominance.
“Nate, this is Zane. Zane, this is Nate, originally from the Mortalis council.”
Nate’s face suddenly pinched in an expression of pain. I grabbed his shoulder to offer comfort.
“Nate, what is it?”
He eyed Zane in confusion and asked him something in the Old Language. Zane's eyes widened in surprise, and he urgently interrogated Nate in the same language. This exchange back and forth seemed to last forever. Nate began to look like his usual confident self, but his face was severe and hard like he was struggling with his own emotions. Zane was the one who looked softened. There was no hint in verbal or physical cues to tip me off about the conversation until the end when Zane briefly leered at me and then turned his head whispering in that foreign tongue.
I whispered to Nate, sure that Zane would hear. “How long have you known the Old Language?”
Although Nate’s face was still severe from the conversation, one corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “My parents taught me when I was really little. All those that belong to the Mundus Noctis learn it.” Then his face dropped into a frown. “Well, we’re all supposed to.”
“What was the exchange about?” I asked.
Nate and Zane eyeballed each other, daring the other to break. Zane broke eye contact first, shaking his head. Nate turned his head toward me.
"Zane's emotions were a little overwhelming, and I wasn't prepared for them."
The last bit was aimed at Zane as Nate scowled at him. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. And it was growing thicker. Apparently, I had missed something more in the exchange between the two males. More secrets. I was so tired of them and irritated. I felt the irritation bottle within me, heading up like a pop can after being shaken. I tried to hold it down, but what escaped could not be captured.
I sighed to draw the attention of the two of them.
“I am so sick of this.” My voice was hardened, my face masked in anger and exasperation. “Why does this world have to be so secretive? Why can’t we all just be open? Lay our shit on the table and be done with it?”
There was clapping behind me like applause. I turned around to behold a sight so outrageous that I was ready to kill her where she stood.
“Way to go, my dear. This Venatrix is quite the drama queen,” the tips of fangs propped open big, red, pouty lips as she pursed.
She took a moment for effect, and then elegantly sashayed to stand next to Zane. Leaning on him really. She had a tall, lithe body wearing nothing but a dark blue button-down men's silk dress shirt. I found it hard to believe that Finn would be prancing around with a vampire. So I knew the shirt and the female belonged to Zane.
For a reason I couldn’t comprehend, my gut twisted in . . . jealousy? Yep, definitely jealousy. Perhaps it was the fact that her thin legs soared to the heavens and mine were a little short. Or her jet black hair was cut in a perfect bob that accented her sculpted, model, high cheekbones. Whereas my brown hair was long and frizzy from the humidity and my rounded, square face was not even worth being contrasted. Or those almond green eyes almost glowed wildly and mine were a dull, brown. Yep, model perfect. A pale, undead, and slightly evil vampire model since I could smell a slight staleness from her body, but she was a model no less. I would never admit aloud that I was jealous of the way she hung on Zane or the fact that he didn't bother shrugging her off.
“Who the HELL is she?” I screeched a little too loudly for comfort, disturbed by the unfamiliar sound coming out of my voice. Okay sure, I didn’t want to admit that I was jealous aloud, but my voice gave me away.
The guys shifted a little uncomfortably from the sound of my voice while Miss Perfect blazed haughtily at me.
“She is Zane’s partner,” she snarled at me, her arms wrapped around Zane.
“Partner?” I gaped, aware that my eyebrows were probably reaching the ceiling and my eyes were popping out of my head.
“Partner,” she whispered, pulling down the collar of her shirt, exposing two little puncture wounds at the soft juncture between her pale neck and shoulders.
Oh, partner. Blood partner. Would that also mean sex partner? My guess from the way she was dressed would be a yes. It would only be natural for Zane to have someone. He was good-looking, and she looked like his age in the human world. And then there was another stab of jealousy, which made that inner instinct of mine howl.
“Partner or not, you’re evil. I really should kill you.”
She pouted again and rubbed a hand on Zane’s chest. “Tsk, tsk. This house is warded. You can’t touch me.”
Her other hand went through Zane’s hair. Both guys stood perfectly still unsure of how to handle the situation. Zane didn’t look like he enjoyed the attention, but he also didn’t discourage it. He whispered something to her in that language that I didn’t understand, and immediately she removed her wandering hands and stiffened.
Rolling her eyes and sighing, she continued, “I’m not here to harm you.” She licked her lips and assessed me with her eyes. “Although, it might be kinda fun.”
Zane barked at her, and again, she rolled her eyes.
“Zane said he needed some help. So here I am.”
I'm sure help could be defined in several different ways, and I had the preservation not to ask about what type of assistance he needed. Instinctively, I knew.
“Holy hostility,” Meredith gasped as she reached the bottom of the stairs, halting in mid-step.
Everyone looked at her.
“You guys realize the house is pulsing with this hostility, right? It’s ready to pounce on the person who deals the first piece of damage.”
No one relaxed, but Meredith made it clear of the circumstances. The wards were waiting.
Meredith cleared her throat. “Hi, I’m Meredith, the local witch representative. You must be Zane,” she pointed to him and then to the woman. “And you . . . I don’t know you.”
“Well, since Zane hasn’t decided to introduce me . . . I’m Anahita, his partner.”
Meredith's eyes were as big as saucers, and she mouthed to me, Partner?
I closed my eyes and nodded.
Apparently, she had come to the same conclusion that I did, only faster.
“It looks like I missed some good stuff,” Meredith smirked.
Nathan walked over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"Nah. Just a catfight between Caden and someone who is not Korina for once.”
The moment the words came out of his mouth, he became somber, remembering the situation earlier. The room was in total silence. Meredith looked at me quizzically; the rest not looking at anyone. Meredith was right, the house was pulsating with the same hostility as we were holding in the basement. The ward was ready to pounce on the aggressor. My body ached with the rigidity of movements that I dared not to take to encourage further hostility. It was then that I noticed Zane looked at me from the corner of my eye and I heard him groan in frustration.
“What is it now?” I grumbled, the situation being defused by our interaction.
The tension dropped to a bearable level. I shifted to face Zane with my hands on my hips.
“I thought I told you to dress for tonight.”
I glanced down at my outfit. I had on the shitkickers with a pair of navy blue jeans with a long-sleeved purple shirt top that was generously stretchy under my jean jacket. I had no idea why he was complaining.
“I did dress. I’m ready to go.”
He shook his head. “How are you going to do anything in those jeans? They are rigid. There’s no flexibility.” He sighed and looked away.
It was embarrassing to be scolded in front of my friends, and Anahita. They had this look of apprehension but did not dare intervene. Anahita just leaned against the doorway smugly until Zane opened his mouth and said what neither of us wanted to hear.
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