by Vella Day
“Do you think they can help my father?” Tory asked.
“My sister’s abilities are extensive. If anyone can help, they can. Usually, they need my third sister for certain spells, but she is stubbornly back home. Don’t worry. I’m sure your dad will be fine.”
Kenton hoped like hell he hadn’t told another lie.
Chapter Sixteen
Tory hadn’t wanted to need Kenton, but her father’s life had been on the line. If neither Greer, Declan, nor his own dragon could help him, her only choice had been to ask Kenton. He’d been able to cure her problems when no one else could, so Tory figured he could do this too. Turns out she had been slightly wrong, but at least Kenton had been kind enough to drag his sisters out late at night to help.
Her mother hung up the phone. “Ramsey and Stone are on their way,” her mom said.
“We should call Uncle Laird too,” Declan said.
“I will, but I won’t ask the Caspians to come over unless Dad’s health doesn’t improve.”
“That might be wise. Too many people might be a bit embarrassing. You know how proud he is,” Declan said.
Tory turned to Kenton. “I really appreciate you coming. I know things between us have been…tense.”
“I’m happy to help. Anytime.” He smiled, and the love in his eyes melted her heart. Focus, Tory.
“Was it pure luck that you happened to be at Wings tonight?” She worked hard not to infuse any accusation or any other emotion into her question.
“Honestly? No. I was worried about the demons getting to your family. If I had been in the forest, you might not have been able to find me.” He pulled two things out of his pocket and handed her one of them. “Fay made these bracelets for us.”
Tory studied the gift. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen a stone like this before. What is it?”
“It’s a green Orlandan stone. It’s found on Feyrion and is very powerful. Put it on, and I’ll show you how to use it.”
She slipped the bracelet over her wrist, and he put his on. Tory couldn’t help but smile. “It fits perfectly.”
He nodded. “If you press the stone close to your heart, something special will happen. Try it.”
She did as he asked. “Like this?”
“Exactly. It enables us to communicate telepathically without us having fully mated,” he telepathed.
Her heart pounded at the words in her head. His lips didn’t move, yet she heard everything. “How is this possible?”
“Try communicating with me,” he urged.
Once more, the voice came into her head. “This is remarkable.”
“I know.”
“I guess you don’t need a cellphone when you can have this.” Tory couldn’t help but smile.
“With the demon at large and possibly targeting you and your family, I thought you might need my help. I didn’t give it to you before, because I didn’t want to be so presumptuous to think that you’d want to be in contact with me.”
“I’m happy we can contact each other. Is this how people communicate on Feyrion?”
“No. This is special. For us.”
Before she could sort out her feelings about this, Fay, Meena, and her dad stepped into the kitchen. Everyone was smiling.
The family rushed up to her father. “Are you okay?” her mom asked.
“Yes, thanks to these wonderful ladies. It was like all of the colors became brighter and the air warmer. I feel better than ever.”
“I’m glad we were able to help,” Meena said.
“Did you sense a demon had done this?” Tory asked the sisters, wanting to double-check Kenton’s theory.
“Yes. Its presence was quite clear.”
While she had figured it had been a demon, she was hoping it hadn’t been. “It really scares me that I wasn’t able to tell it was that Kai person.” She shivered.
“At least you know what he looks like,” Kenton said. “I hope you will not interact with him in any way from now on.”
Kenton’s tone had suddenly hardened. “No. I most definitely won’t do that.” Tory stepped over to Fay and held out her new bracelet. “Thank you for making this for me. It’s incredible.”
“I was happy to do it. My brother doesn’t seem to want to embrace all that Tarradon has to offer, if you know what I mean. I figured you might need to speak with him. Mind you, you can only telepath with Kenton—not with us. And we won’t be intruding into your head either.” Fay glanced over at her brother. “Sometimes he gets into my head when I’m not in the mood.”
From her warm smile, she was kidding.
“I’m sure we will use our communication device effectively and wisely.” Tory turned to Kenton. She wasn’t ready to totally forgive him, but she was working on it. “Right?”
“Absolutely.” He turned to her parents and Finn. “My sisters and I will take our leave. If you need us, you know how to get a hold of us.”
“Yes, and thank you again,” her dad said.
Tory was tempted to give Kenton a quick kiss, but her head was spinning too much to trust herself.
Without any fanfare, Kenton and his two sisters disappeared. Her mom rushed up to her. “That was amazing that they came so fast and could heal Jamison. It was astounding really.” Her mother touched Tory’s bracelet. “If Kenton gave you something that enables you two to communicate, something must be going on between you two. Huh? Care to share?”
“Mom,” Tory groaned, so not in the mood to spill her guts about Kenton. Even she wasn’t totally sure what was happening between them. “It’s late.”
The front door opened, and a second later, Ramsey and Stone rushed into the kitchen. “Dad?”
Her father smiled. “I’m fine. Let’s head into the living room, and I’ll tell you everything.” Her father turned to Tory and nodded at Mom. “Be careful with this one,” he whispered. “Your mother will make you spill your deepest secrets.”
“I’ll be careful.” She leaned back. “Are you positive you’re okay? These demons still scare me to death.”
“You and me both. If anyone had asked, I would have said a demon had two heads or maybe more than two eyes. Little did I know they look like us.”
“I know, right? I can’t believe I was sitting next to one and never suspected anything.”
Her dad placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just thankful he didn’t get into either of our heads.”
Wasn’t that the truth. “If the only thing these demons can do is make us sick, we’re in good shape, though I don’t want to have to rely on Fay and Meena each time.”
“I agree.” Her dad kissed her cheek. “Have a good talk with your mom.”
Greer stepped over and hugged her. “I’m going to head out.”
“Thanks for coming.”
“Anytime. I wish I had been able to help,” Greer said.
Declan turned to Mom. “Now that Dad is good, I’m taking off too.”
Her mom hugged them both and then clasped Finn’s shoulder. “Thank you for bringing Kenton here.”
“I was happy to help.”
“I will stop over tomorrow to visit with Kaleena and Sapphire. I know she has been worried about her dad,” her mom said.
“She’d like that.” Finn hugged Mom.
Tory wasn’t sure what she was going to say to her mother. Her parents knew that she’d been in Feyrion to heal and for some reason decided not to tell her. But what was past was past. Right now, Tory could use some motherly advice.
Once they were alone, Tory sat at the counter and watched her mother make tea. “I saw the way Kenton looked at you,” her mother said.
The slight lift to her mom’s lips, along with the way her eyes twinkled, told it all. Even her mom could see the intense attraction, but Tory wanted verbal confirmation “What way is that?”
“Why, Tory Sinclair, you are intuitive, competent, and strong. I can see it in both of your eyes. He’s your mate.”
Shit. “Kenton claims we are.”
“I do, but I’m not happy that he didn’t tell me that he erased my memory of my time on Feyrion. Even you all kept it from me.”
Her mom handed Tory a cup and then picked hers up and sipped it. “You have to understand. We did what we thought was best for you.”
Why did everyone think they knew what was best for her? “Are you saying I’m being unfair to him?”
“Perhaps a bit. Maybe there are things in his home world that he didn’t want you to see. It might have affected how you treated him going forward. If you two are mates, Kenton would want you to judge him for who he is and not on where he grew up.”
Tory hadn’t thought of that before. “You might be right.”
Her mom set her cup down. “Putting aside the deception, do you like him?”
That was easy to answer. “I find him very attractive. And generous. So yes. I like him. In fact, he’s all I think about.”
“What’s the problem then? Besides the fact he kept something from you.”
She inhaled. What was keeping her from embracing this amazing man? “He’s powerful.”
Her mom’s chin tucked in. “Is that a bad thing?”
“He’s from another realm.”
“So?”
She didn’t know why her mother couldn’t see the issue. “What if we mate and he suddenly decides he wants us to live on Feyrion?”
“Would it be any different if you’d met someone from Earth? Like Kaleena did.”
“Maybe, but bottom line is that Finn moved here.”
Her mother placed a hand on Tory’s arm. “It’s only a portal jump away. Would I be thrilled you might live on another realm? No, but I want you to be happy. If Kenton makes you that way, I say go for it.”
“I’m a Guardian. I have duties here.”
“And from what everyone has told me, Kenton’s job is to guard the portals on Tarradon. Stop analyzing everything.”
She could see both sides, which was why she was more frustrated than ever. Tory pushed back her chair with a bit too much force, and it toppled backward. Just as the chair was about to hit the floor, she ran behind it and grabbed the back. She then righted it.
“Tory?” The blood seemed to have drained from her mother’s face.
She faced her mom. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to knock it over.”
“I don’t care about the chair. I’m talking about how you moved behind the chair in an instant, before it landed. That’s not possible.”
Yet she had caught it. “I don’t remember even doing it.” She looked around. “What is going on?”
“It was like you disappeared for a second and then appeared someplace else.”
She chuckled, probably because what she was about to say sounded impossible. “So I can teleport now just because I slept with Kenton one time?” Oh, crap, crap, crap. That just flew out of her mouth.
Her mom smiled. “You do like him. I knew it.”
Tory rarely found a man exciting enough—or trustworthy enough—to sleep with. “Yes, but that doesn’t explain my speed, though it has happened a few times already. I brushed it off to fast reflexes.”
Her mom sat up straighter. “Try teleporting to the living room.”
“I can’t teleport, Mom.”
“You couldn’t before, but maybe you can now. Just try it. For me.”
Tory thought it best to humor her mother, but no matter how much Tory pictured moving from one place to another, nothing happened. “See? I can’t.”
“I would ask Kenton about it.”
“I don’t want him to think I’m a wannabe Fey or anything. If something like this happens again, I might question him.”
“You do that, dear.”
Tory had a feeling that the life light Kenton put inside her might be affecting her, but surely it couldn’t turn her into a Fey, could it?
“Thank you again for helping out,” Kenton told both of his sisters once they were back home.
“I’m glad we were able to help him, but I’m not sure we will be able to a second time,” Meena said.
He didn’t like the sound of that. “Why?”
“Sometimes spells lose their effectiveness the second time around. The darkness inside him wasn’t anything I’ve dealt with before. Without Fay’s help, I’m not sure I could have cured him.”
That wasn’t good. “I’ll be sure to warn them. The scariest part is that Mr. Sinclair didn’t sense the demon. From what we know, the Guardians can detect a lot of things.”
“They never knew Malpan was a dark Fey.”
“True.” All the more reason Kenton needed to protect Tory.
Kenton hugged them each—something he rarely did—and then returned to his house where he found Bevon lounging on the sofa. “Welcome back, brother,” Kenton said.
“Thanks.”
“How did your trip go?” Kenton asked.
“Good. I had a nice chat with Mom.”
Kenton pulled a much-needed beer from the refrigerator and then sat in the living room, ready to give Bevon his undivided attention. “Tell me.”
“Apparently, these Gromleys used to live on Feyrion outside of the Royal realm.”
Kenton had no idea they had been anywhere on his home world. “Don’t tell me someone saw fit to boot them out, too?”
“Then I won’t tell you, but spoiler alert—we did.”
Damn. “They must have done something terrible to be evicted.”
Bevon tossed back his beer. “As a matter of fact, their little secret was discovered about six hundred years ago.”
“Before they arrived on Tarradon.”
“Apparently.”
“What was this secret?” Kenton asked.
“Back then, many of the Gromleys were sterile. Before you ask how they could still be around with such a problem, the little buggers figured out a way to circumvent this issue.”
In need of a small distraction, Kenton chugged most of his beer. Clearly, his brother was enjoying the telling of his findings in bits and pieces. “What was their solution?” Kenton asked.
“They stole souls of the humans who were either severely injured or dying and then implanted that soul in themselves. That added bit of human altered their anatomy just enough to allow them to reproduce.”
That was sick. “Out of curiosity, would all of the humans have died anyway?” Kenton asked.
“We have no way of knowing, but odds are, some would have survived. The Gromleys didn’t give them the chance to heal.”
Kenton studied his brother to make sure Bevon wasn’t making this up. The horror of it all made him sick to his stomach. “I can see why we booted them out.”
Bevon stretched an arm across the back of the sofa. “Me, too. Just so you don’t think I’m a cold-hearted person, I didn’t return here right away because it took me a day or two to process it all. I mean, this is a total nightmare.”
Kenton rested his elbows on his knees and dangled the beer bottle between his legs. “Remind me not to wish for that talent. Ever. This means they are very powerful.” He blew out a breath. “Do you think the Feys or the Fairies expelled them from Feyrion to Tarradon, where they continued their reign of terror?”
“That would be my guess. Who else besides our kind has that much magic?”
“No one.” Kenton told Bevon what Logan had found out about the five victims, and how they were related to those who kicked out the Gromleys from Tarradon. “What I don’t get is why come back hundreds of years later?” Kenton asked.
“Who knows? Something must have triggered it. They might think of themselves as victims, but they did kill five people.”
“I agree. These newcomers possess the ability to control minds and are, maybe, stealing souls once more.”
“I’m thinking we’ll never know if the demons took any souls this time, but you said those who died were not ill. That means this isn’t the same as what happened before.”
“They weren’
t ill, so this might be just for revenge and not have anything to do with reproduction,” Kenton said.
Bevon shook his head. “Part of me wants to meet this person so I can rip out his heart. The other part wants to avoid him. That, however, is not a viable option.”
Kenton huffed. “Agreed. One of them already tried to harm Tory’s father. Thankfully, he failed since Guardians possess enough magic to thwart his mind-altering abilities.”
Bevon sat up and set his beer on the coffee table. “Tory’s father was attacked? Is he okay?”
“He is now, but we believe he was merely touched. I was unable to help him, so I had to call on Fay and Meena. They succeeded in drawing out the demon darkness.”
“Is that where you’ve been tonight, trying to cure him?”
“Yes.”
Bevon tapped his fingers on his bottle. “Do you have a plan on how to stop these monsters? We need to eradicate them before they harm anyone else.”
“I agree, but no, I don’t have a plan yet,” Kenton said.
“Was Logan able to find anyone else who might be related to the original evictors?”
“Not that I know of, but if he does learn of who else might be related to these old families, I trust the Avonbelle Province Police will do their best to protect them.”
“When will you speak with Tory next? I hope she will warn her family about these monsters.”
“She already has, but I’ll see her tomorrow. She seemed less upset with me after I helped save her father. I’m hoping I can convince her to go to Feyrion with me so she will be safe.”
Bevon whistled. “Do you think she is ready for that?”
“She will have to be ready at some point. I want to show her that Feyrion isn’t a scary place. Plus, it will give you a chance to find this demon while we are safe and sound.”
“Me?”
Bevon was only kidding. He loved challenges. “Yes. I can send a few helpers back if you want.”
“That might be a good idea.”
“Great. When I approach Tory, I’ll suggest we only stay for a day or two. It will be just long enough to show her how amazing our realm is.”