by Vella Day
He wouldn’t lie. “No. I knew who you were.”
“Yet, you pretended as if we were strangers,” she said.
“If I had told you everything while you were doubled over in pain, I don’t think it would have gone over well.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Okay, I’ll give you that, but I’m overwhelmed right now. Please go.”
“Fine, but this is far from over.”
Knowing when he’d overstayed his welcome, he teleported back to his house. Damn, Fay. He should have known better than to tell Tory they were fated mates when her cousin had just warned her some maniac was out for revenge against the Guardians. If there was a class on how to be tactful, he’d sign up in a heartbeat. The big issue was how would she react when she learned what his mother had done to her?
Tory paced the living room, unable to understand it all. She and Kenton were mates. Her dragon had told her that several times, and her body responded to him so much that she had to believe it was true.
But Kenton put some part of himself inside her. Maybe that had made her believe they were destined for one another.
Nope, the sexual and emotional draw is there. No doubt about it, her dragon said with authority.
Her inner animal had never been known for her superior intellect. If he erased my memory once, what’s to say he isn’t compelling me now to believe him? Huh? Answer that!
Whoa. Calm down. If he compelled you to do anything, you wouldn’t be questioning it.
Maybe you’re right, she telepathed.
Damn. This kind of speculation served no purpose. Deep down, Tory knew Kenton and she were mates. Why wipe her memory though? Eventually, he’d take her back to his realm. She’d see everything then.
If she was going to figure anything out, Tory needed another drink. The fact that her family knew things, and had kept it from her, possibly pissed her off more than Kenton withholding information. Her hand went to her heart, wondering what exactly he had put inside her. Magic? Or was it some physical piece? He called it his life light. If it were truly light, would it even stay inside a person for long?
Tory looked around for her glass to see if she’d finished it. As much as she was tempted to call Greer and ask her to come over, her cousin had been involved in the cover up. She needed someone else. Someone rational and logical. Camden! The scientist would be level-headed and would tell her the truth.
She picked up her phone and dialed his number.
“Tory, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Where are you?”
“Huh?”
“Are you home?” she asked.
“Yes,” Camden said.
“Can I come over? I really need to talk to someone.”
He hesitated before answering. “Sure. I’m working in the basement. I’ll leave the front door open.”
Camden spent much of his time down there working on his projects. What that boy needed was a mate, but how would he ever find one if he didn’t venture far from his two labs? She inhaled. Matchmaking wasn’t what she needed to be worrying about right now.
After grabbing an unopened bottle of wine, Tory stepped outside, shifted, and flew to Camden’s home. He lived in a rather rundown house about five miles from town. He’d purchased it because the basement was huge, and it would allow him to do his experiments.
She must not have been paying attention, because she barely remembered flying. Once there, she shifted back and rushed up to the unlocked front door. Inside, she headed to the basement. The stairwell was barely lit, and the basement wasn’t much better, but that was Camden. Her cousin was a genius—and logical to a fault.
No surprise, he was bent over a microscope. Being a dragon shifter, he would be aware she was there, so she waited until he finished what he was doing.
Camden held up a finger. “Just one sec.”
“Take your time.”
Tory let him work. She walked around his lab, not making sense of most of it. He stood up and faced her. “What can I do for you? I don’t have any additional information about the Gromleys if that is why you are here.”
“I’m not here about that. Can we go upstairs and talk?” She waved a bottle of wine.
“Whoa. It must be serious. Let me wash my hands.”
He stepped over to the sink and cleaned up. Once he was done, he motioned they go upstairs where she followed him into the old kitchen. Not only could it use a good cleaning, it would greatly benefit from a major upgrade. Who was she to judge though? As long as he was happy, she was good with it.
Camden opened the wine without asking any questions. When he handed her the glass, he finally faced her. “Spill.”
“Can we sit?”
“Sure.”
Tory plucked a T-shirt from the chair and set it next to Camden on the sofa. “Did you know that Malpan had infected my body with a part of his soul and that your brother allowed Kenton to take me to Feyrion to be healed?”
Camden tossed back part of his wine. “I’d heard rumors.”
Yet he’d said nothing. “Did you also hear rumors that Kenton erased my memory of the whole event?”
Her cousin dragged a hand down his chin. “No, though I did find it odd that you seemed to have blocked everything out. I figured it was your way of coping.”
“Yet you never thought to say anything?”
One brow cocked. “It wouldn’t be my place. Plus, Kenton did you a favor—and us—by saving your life. Ask Danita. She watched you almost die right there in the woods.”
This was bad. “I didn’t know Danita saw what happened.”
“Yup. It was why Griffin was there. He was impossible to talk to during the time you were in Feyrion. He was convinced he’d sealed your death. He even flew to the eternal flame to demand answers. Apparently, Fay, or maybe it was another sister, told him that all would be well. Eventually, Kenton showed up and said you were back in your bed.” Camden smiled. “I don’t see what the big deal is. You’re here, and you’re healed.”
Camden was usually more sympathetic than that. “I get that, but everyone lied. I don’t even want to know if my parents knew.”
He held up his hands. “Did it ever occur to you that they believed you needed time to come to grips with the fact you’d been infected by a dark Fey?”
Now he sounded like Kenton. “Maybe. Or else it was the fact that I needed time to come to grips with the concept of Kenton giving me part of his soul to save me.” He had never called his life light a soul, but it seemed like a good name for it. If the dark Fey could implant part of his inner being into her, Kenton could do the same.
Camden’s eyes widened. “He implanted something inside you?”
“Yes. I don’t know how he did it, but part of him is in me.”
He grimaced. “I’d be a little squibbed out about that too.”
“Right?”
Camden drank his wine. “Just so you know, I wasn’t aware he did anything of the sort. I swear.”
“He might not have told anyone.” Her family might only be guilty of telling her who had healed her. “It gets better. We are mates.”
His eyes lit up. “That’s fantastic.” He quickly sobered. “From the lack of excitement, you don’t think it’s so fantastic? You seem really stressed out. Since you came here, I’m guessing you want a sounding board from someone who would use a clinical approach.”
“You’re right.”
He finished off his wine. Needing to keep up, she tossed back half the glass in two gulps.
“As I see it, everyone was right in keeping you in the dark. At the time, you weren’t able to handle being with a Fey,” Camden said.
Was that true? Tory was usually the one to stay calm, but now she was totally unglued. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I’m a scientist. I have to be right.”
That made her laugh. “Since when did you become so egotistical?”
“Ouch. I made you smile, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
C
amden swung his body around and plopped his feet on the sofa. “What’s your next move? It seems like your Fey man is good at giving you space. It’s like he trusts you to make the right decision.”
She wasn’t sure about that. Right now, her ability to make good decisions seemed to be lacking. “When he dropped the bomb about erasing my memory and then told me he was my mate, I don’t think I reacted rationally.”
“You think?”
She dipped her chin. “Fine. I didn’t handle it well. What would you have done?”
“I would have holed up in my lab and worked on something fun.”
“I can’t hide. Sure, I’d like to spend a few days designing jewelry for you to make, but that is not an option. There are demons out there killing people.”
Camden’s feet hit the floor so hard, the room shook. “You are to stay away from them.”
She held up her free hand. “I get it. They are dangerous.” She told him what Logan said about those victims being part of a family who drove the demons to Cargonia.
He whistled. “I might want revenge too. I don’t know much about Cargonia, but it might not be the nicest place to live.”
“I’m thinking you might be right.” Even though Finn’s friend Zane Barrows came from there, what good would it do to learn how hard life on Cargonia had been? The Gromleys might or might not have deserved such treatment, but she couldn’t do anything about it now.
A loud pop sounded in his basement, and Camden jerked. “Oh shit. I forgot I have something cooking.”
“Go take care of it.” She stood and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“You’ll do the right thing. Eventually.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Take care of your lab. You don’t need to burn down your house.”
Camden rushed off, and Tory left. She wasn’t in the mood to go home though. A good stiff drink would do wonders for her. Tomorrow, she’d deal with Kenton Forrester.
Chapter Fourteen
“She kicked me out,” Kenton told his brother. “I should have stayed, but Tory was not happy when I told her everything.”
“She was upset when you explained how you’d saved her life?” Bevon asked.
“I honestly can’t remember which upset her more—the fact we erased her memory without her permission, asked her family to keep my secret, put my life light inside her to save her, or that we are mates.”
Bevon whistled. “You told her all of that at once?” Bevon shook his head as he headed into the kitchen. Kenton followed.
In retrospect, he should have eased her into all of the deception. “I had to. She kept asking questions. At least I didn’t tell her what our mother did to her.”
Bevon pulled out two beers from the fridge and handed him one. “Thank goodness for small favors. What is your next move?”
“Tory seems to need time to absorb all this information. I’ll keep a watch on her without her knowledge.”
Bevon leaned against the counter. “You’re worried about the Gromley coming after her, aren’t you?”
“Yes. If any of these Gromleys are willing to kill five people whose ancestors harmed them, they won’t hesitate to seek vengeance against the Guardians.” Kenton tossed back some beer. “The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the Fairies were involved somehow. It might have been their spell that caused the Gromleys to be kicked off of Tarradon.”
“We usually don’t interfere with the running of this realm.”
“True, but it’s possible Gromleys once existed on Feyrion. We might have had a history with them—a not very good one.”
Bevon hopped up on the counter. “I don’t recall hearing much about them, but our mother would know.”
“If that’s the case, I should take a trip there. I need to explain how I messed up with Tory.”
Bevon hissed in a breath. “You probably don’t want to do that. Mom expects you and Tory to mate. If you tell her you might have ruined things between you two, she might lock you away for life.” His brother grinned.
“Don’t smile at me. If I’m not around, then you’d have to be king, and your fun, carefree life would be over.”
Bevon immediately sobered. “Good point. How about I go to Feyrion and ask around about these demons? I too want to know what we are up against.”
Relief poured out of Kenton. “That would be great. In the meantime, I’ll keep a low profile and see what my mate is up to.”
“If she catches you, you’ll never get Tory to change her mind about you.”
Kenton grunted. “I know I fucked up.”
“Royally. Pun intended.”
No proper Royal would make that kind of error. “I’ll be careful, and thanks for checking out the history of these demons.”
“Anything to get you mated and out of the house. I’m ready to be on my own after a few hundred years.”
Kenton gave Bevon his middle finger even though his brother was only kidding. They could have created another house at any time, but Kenton and Bevon enjoyed being with each other—or so he believed.
Once more the flight from Camden’s house to the top of the Wings Bar seemed super quick. Tory needed to focus on what she was doing. If not, she could possibly end up being harmed by some stupid Gromley demon.
Before she knew it, she’d landed, shifted, and then hurried down the two flights to the main floor. That was odd. Either someone had altered time, or Tory’s ability to focus had collapsed. She inwardly chuckled. It was like someone was erasing her memory on how she moved from one place to another.
Tory glanced around the bar. Even though it was a weekday, Wings was hopping. Good. The noise would help block out some of her swirling thoughts.
About five bar seats near the entrance were vacant. She sat down, placed her purse on the counter, and checked to see who was bartending. Seeing her sister’s mate, Finn, reduced her stress by tenfold. Unburdening to him, however, was not an option. He’d tell Kaleena, and her twin had enough to deal with considering she’d just given birth to Sapphire.
Finn looked up and smiled. As soon as he finished with a customer, he came over. “Hey. You’re here alone?”
The last time she’d been there, she’d been with Kenton. “Yup. Can I have a Light Kegger and an order of potato skins?”
For some reason, that combination sounded like the perfect pick-me-up.
“Coming right up!”
Tory wanted to drown her sorrows, but her dragon would never let her get sufficiently drunk for that.
“You look like you could use a drink?” said a voice she’d never heard before.
Not one to be rude, she swung around to face the newcomer. Whoa. His eyes were almost iridescent, and the slight scruff on his face looked good on him. Not that she was interested in anyone but Kenton but for some reason having a stranger to talk to might be just what she needed.
“You’re right. It’s why I ordered one,” she said with as much cheer as possible.
He slid his tall frame onto the seat and held out his hand. “I’m Malakai, but my friends call me Kai.”
“Hi, Kai. I’m Tory.” She liked that they didn’t exchange last names. Sinclair was too well-known around here.
Finn set a beer in front of her, and when he faced Kai, Finn’s usual happy go lucky attitude disappeared. Okay, that was odd.
“What can I get you?” Finn asked.
“The same as what Tory is having.”
While it was subtle, Finn raised a concerned brow, but she felt no need to explain why she was talking to a stranger.
“You got it.” Finn faced her. “Skins will be up in a sec.”
“Thanks.” She turned to the handsome stranger. “Are you new in town?”
Okay, it might be dumb to talk to a stranger at a bar, but it wasn’t as if she’d leave with him. Between her dragon skills, along with Finn’s, they’d be able to handle him, not that he seemed the violent type. It wasn’t as if he was one of the Gromley demons. She would have sensed som
ething if he had been, or so she wanted to believe.
His eyes turned a shade darker. “Yes.”
O-kay. She thought he’d elaborate, but since she wasn’t planning on divulging any of her secrets, she didn’t feel the need to press this guy for information. “What brings you to Edendale?”
“I’m trying to connect with some family. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around them.”
She sighed. “I wish you luck. Almost all of my relatives live here in Edendale. It’s nice to have them so close, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere else, where no one knows my name.” Tory almost chuckled. Clearly, she’d been watching too many television shows from Earth.
Finn delivered Kai’s drink. “Want to run a tab?”
“Sure.”
Finn turned to her. “Are you okay?”
He’d never asked her before. Surely, he didn’t think this guy would try anything. He wasn’t a shifter, so if she felt uncomfortable, all she had to do was head up to the roof top and fly home. She made an effort to smile. “Never better. Thanks for asking.”
As soon as Finn returned to the other end of the bar, Kai lifted his beer and took a sip. “The bartender seems upset over something.”
“He’s my twin sister’s mate. They just had a baby a few days ago. I’m betting he hasn’t slept in days.”
“Ah, a baby.” He sounded wistful. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a dad.”
“That’s far off on my horizon too.”
Kai held up his glass. “To Edendale and to family.”
That was a nice toast. “To family.”
He sipped his beer and didn’t say anything for a bit. “You seem sad, Tory.”
Was it that obvious? She thought her smile and upbeat tone to Finn had covered it up. “I just had a fight with my boyfriend. He lied to me, and I’m trying to figure out what to do about it. Walk out or forgive him?”
“Ouch. I understand lies. For years my family told us stories about my grandparents and what kind of people they were. When I learned the truth, I was enraged.”