by Laura Lee
He placed a kiss against my knuckles. “You look beautiful, my love.”
I smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself. I take it your closet had fresh clothes as well?”
He nodded. “It did. I was a bit surprised everything fit though; I’m not exactly an easy man to clothe off the rack.”
You could say that again. Leo was not only ridiculously tall but he had at least two hundred and fifty pounds of stacked muscle. Hmm…that was strange. Did someone secretly take our measurements or something?
“So, what should we do now?”
“Any word from Vance yet?” he countered.
“Nope.”
“Are you hungry? We could walk around and see what we can find.”
I shook my head as I blatantly checked him out. “Not for food.” God, I thought my hormones were out of control with this man before, but now that I’d actually slept with him, they were unstoppable. I didn’t give a rat’s ass about taking a break right then. His wet hair instantly made me think of our sexy shower, which in turn, made me want to drag him back into one.
He smiled. “You’re not exactly making this companion thing easy, my dear.”
I bit my lip, knowing that it drove him crazy. “I’m not trying to.”
“Clearly.” He leaned in and kissed the throbbing pulse on my neck.
I gasped as his tongue darted out. “Oh, God!” I grabbed his shirt in my fists, half because I needed to steady myself, half because I wanted the damn thing off. Someone started banging on the door right as I felt him giving in. “This better be good,” I grumbled as I threw the door open.
Ty stood outside, looking past my shoulder and scowling. I glanced behind me and could see Leo righting himself. You’d have to be an idiot not to figure out what had been about to happen. Ty’s expression told me he definitely wasn’t one of those.
“You’re needed at the council,” he snapped. “Your grandmother has requested an audience.”
Leo joined us and took my hand. “Let’s go, my love.”
Ty glared at him. “I didn’t say your presence was requested. Ornessa made it very clear that Karli is needed. Not you.”
Leo smirked. “Well, then I will walk with her and wait outside. You can run off and play now.”
“I will do no such thing!” Ty bellowed. “My instructions were clear. I was to retrieve my fiancée and return to the council.”
Leo growled. Oh, lord, this was not going to end well if I didn’t put a stop to it. “Leo, why don’t you stay here? I’ll be fine with Ty.”
Ty grinned. “Yes, Vampire, I’ll take good care of her.”
“Whoa, I can feel the testosterone brewing from a mile away,” Naela interrupted. Where did she come from? “Leo, Karli will be fine. Vance is with Ornessa at the council. It’s best if you sit this one out. I’ll stay here with you.”
Okay, I didn’t exactly like that solution either, but I needed to separate Leo and Ty before tempers flared any higher. I had a good feeling that Leo didn’t give a damn about the ticking time bomb inside of him right then.
I placed my hand on his chest. “I’ll be fine; I promise. I’ll meet you back at your place as soon as I’m done.”
He leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon and we can pick up where we left off.”
I shivered. “Okay.”
“Can we go now?” Ty asked irritably.
“Lead the way.”
Ty and I walked a while before I spoke. “How do you feel about this whole engagement thing?”
His eyes leisurely roamed my body. “I’d be honored to take such a beautiful bride.”
“But isn’t there anyone else you’re interested in? Someone you could see yourself settling down with?”
He looked perplexed. “My duty is to my people. To our people.”
I sighed. “I’m not marrying you, Ty. No matter what Ornessa says in there, I’m not being forced into this.”
He smiled arrogantly. “You’ll change your mind.”
I rolled my eyes as we entered the council’s building. Ty knocked on the door to Ornessa’s office.
Ornessa opened the door and greeted him warmly. “Thylus, thank you for being so prompt.”
Ty smiled. “Anything for my favorite elder.” He walked into the room and glared when he spotted Vance. “Why does the mongrel have to be here?”
Ornessa swatted him on the arm. “Mind your manners, young man. My godson is welcome anywhere within this village.” Godson?
Vance pulled me off to the side and whispered, “You need to watch what you say in here. Above all else, this woman is your family and only wants what’s in your best interest. Remember that.” Well, that was cryptic, I thought.
Ornessa assessed me. “Vance tells me you’re opposed to marrying Thylus.”
I stiffened. “Of course I am. The thought of an arranged marriage is ludicrous.”
“Please do not insult our ways,” Ornessa requested. “It is uncommon, yes, but not unheard of under the circumstances. It was foretold this day would come.”
“Oh yeah?” I challenged. “Well, who was the genius that said that? Because obviously they were wrong.”
“Your mother!” she exclaimed.
I gasped. “No, she would never do that to me.”
“She didn’t do anything to you,” Ornessa argued. “You weren’t even born. Neither was Thylus for that matter. She had a vision when she was young. I only allowed her to follow Vance onto Earth when she promised me that she would return to our land when she became with child. I thought it would be good for her to see other cultures…to explore. I had assumed the car accident that took her from us came first. Little did I know, she had orchestrated a web of deceit.”
“She had her reasons,” I grumbled.
“I’m sure she did,” Ornessa agreed, “but for the life of me, I can’t begin to imagine what those might be.”
“Well, I know why she did it! She made Irina promise to raise me in Vegas. She had a vision; she knew that’s where I would meet the love of my life.”
“Whoa…what?” Vance asked. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Because she didn’t give a name. She didn’t say who my soul mate was, only where I’d find him. I didn’t want you reading into it.”
Vance grabbed my hand. “Karli, she said something similar to me. I told you that. The last time she and I spoke. She saw you as the key to my future happiness.”
“No, she didn’t,” I argued. “She didn’t mention me by name, which is exactly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to go into all that fate garbage when we both know it’s crap, especially after what happened. Fate doesn’t exist.”
“Yes, it does!” he shouted.
“Enough!” Ornessa commanded. “Your bickering is getting us nowhere!”
Vance shrugged. “It’s what we do. We fight, and then we make up. Preferably naked.”
“You will not make such implications about my betrothed again!” Ty bellowed.
“Gah!” I screamed. “Quit talking about s-e-x with my grandmother in the room!”
Exasperated, Vance looked at Ty. “She’s not your betrothed, buddy. Get over it.” He looked at me. “As for you, I don’t give a flying fuck who’s in the room. I’ll mark my territory any way I see fit.”
“Mark your territory?” I shrieked. “Why don’t you just hit me over the head with a club?”
“Don’t give me any ideas,” Vance muttered.
“Stop being so infantile!” Ornessa slammed her hand on the desk. “All of you!” She released a breath and turned towards me. “Is this why you took the vampire into your bed? Because you thought he was your soul mate?”
“What did you say?” Vance’s voice was so quiet that I barely heard him.
Mother fucker! I fell to the couch, crushed by the weight of his emotions. Anger, betrayal, sadness, and defeat all warred for first place. I looked over at him. “Vance, I—”
He held up h
is hand. “Spare me the details, Karli. I’ll see you later.”
I remained in Ornessa’s office for at least a couple of hours. After Vance stormed out, she asked Ty to leave so we could speak in private. She told me that my mother had had dual visions before. She explained that when that happened, she was seeing two possible outcomes of the same situation. She begrudgingly admitted that my mother likely kept me hidden from her so I could make my own choices…be my own person. She repeated something Vance had told me before; that my mother believed in the Fates wholeheartedly. Ornessa believed that my mother had trusted the Fates to lead me down the right path. The ironic part of that was that I had never felt more directionless in my life.
Ornessa paced back and forth for a few long seconds before stopping and regarding me with heavy consideration. “I’ll agree to withhold expectations of a wedding for a little while, but only if you agree to spend time with Ty.”
When I began to object, seeing where she was going with this, she held her hand up.
“This is not a ploy to force you into a romantic setting. I only mean to, ah, what’s the saying? Kill two birds with one stone?”
I raised a brow but said nothing.
“Ty could teach you things others cannot. Although he’s a young immortal, his abilities closely mirror your own, and he’s learned to harness them.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “And after this training period when I still don’t want to marry him, then what?”
Ornessa shrugged. “Time will tell.”
I didn’t exactly like that answer.
“Of course,” she continued, “you’ll have to remain in Faerie, without argument, until the Winter Solstice. Thylus will need at least that long to make any progress.”
I did a mental calculation. “That’s three months away! I can’t walk away from my life for that long.”
With a reprimanding look she said, “Are you in disagreement with our terms then?”
My jaw clenched, but in an effort to calm myself, I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes. “No, I’m not saying that. But I have responsibilities back home.”
“Such as?”
“My job…bills…my friends. I can’t just disappear for three months without notice.”
She brushed her hands together. “Not to worry. I will send word to the guardians and they will take care of everything. You have my promise.”
“And you’ll allow me to return to Vegas after the solstice?”
Her expression revealed her internal struggle. “Of course.” I felt the sincerity in her words, but this couldn’t conceal her hope that I’d change my mind.
After leaving the council building, I headed back to the guest cottages to discuss everything with the guys. Ornessa had said they were welcome to stay as long as I did, but I wasn’t going to ask them to put their lives on hold for that long. I didn’t feel like I belonged here by any means, but I knew without a doubt that I was safe with these people.
I knocked on Vance’s door first, hoping to have a few moments alone with him.
“Vance, please open the door.” I knocked again when he didn’t answer. “We need to talk.”
Leo poked his head out of the adjacent cottage. “My love, I don’t think he’s there. I thought he was with you.”
“He was but he left before I did.” Dammit. Apparently he needed some time to cool off before he was ready to speak with me.
Leo opened his door wider. “Would you like to come in?”
“Sure.” I went inside and saw that he had a covered basket and folded blanket stationed by the door. “Are you planning a moonlight picnic or something?”
He smiled. “Naela got these for me.”
I scowled at the mention of her name. “Why’d she do that?”
“I asked her for some help. You said you’d watch the sunrise with me.” He looked at his watch. “We have about two hours. She gave me directions to a great viewing spot. I was hoping you’d still like to join me.”
I smiled. “I can’t wait, Leo. Are you excited?”
He laced his fingers with mine. “I’m mostly looking forward to spending it with you. I can’t think of a better person to be by my side.”
I tucked the blanket under my arm. “What are we waiting for?”
As we walked along the cobbled streets, I could see how extraordinary this place really was. An ethereal forest surrounded the entire village. Between the tall ferns and pines—taller than any I’d ever seen—were rushing streams on all sides, their banks heavy with roots and moss. While there was no typical pattern of what I’d term a neighborhood, I spotted many stone cottages tucked away in the forest, connected only by the pine needle paths or cobbled stone.
The massive ferns and trees drew my gaze upward, and I paused a moment so I could spin in a circle and take it all in. The stars crowded each other for space, and as I gazed at them, I could almost swear they grew brighter, as if each one competed for my attention. And the moon’s rays, while a soft glow among so many stars, sliced through trees and branches, spilling across the land and water.
Once my gaze returned to land, I noticed that Leo and I had drawn an audience of our own. Unlike on Earth, where deer and other commonly hunted animals had learned to fear people, the animals here seemed friendly. Comfortable. Deer moved about with their noses in the grass, and one passed within reach of my hand, allowing me to graze the coarse fur on its side. Squirrels and rabbits and critters unrecognizable to me scurried about, without a care that a vampire and meat-eater graced them with their presence.
“Wow,” I said in a breathy voice, “it’s like a Thomas Kincade painting come to life.”
Not many people were out at this late hour, but the few we saw seemed in no hurry to be anywhere. They were simply out for an evening stroll, enjoying each other and what life had to offer. Such a foreign concept, I thought. The entire city of Las Vegas was built around someone’s desperate need to fill a void within. Whatever it was they were searching for—money, love, sex, power, etcetera—there was always someone, somewhere, wanting more. I’d never really noticed how prominent that was before, until I saw how completely content the people of Faerie were.
After walking for quite some time, Leo pointed to a tunnel made entirely of twigs. “It should be right through there.” We stepped beneath the branches and came to a clearing with low rolling hills on both sides. He led me up a small mound on the left, spread the blanket out, and nodded to the other side. “She said the sun rises just over those hills.”
I sat down and looked around. We were only about twenty feet high but I could clearly see the village below and the horizon directly in front of us. “It’s perfect.”
Leo began unpacking the basket. “Are you hungry, my sweet? For food?” The emphasis on the last word was obviously in reference to my foiled seduction attempt from earlier.
I gave him a flirty smile. “If that’s all you’re offering, I could eat.”
He chuckled. “We have fruit, cheeses, and dried meats. Which would you like first?”
My stomach growled. Okay, maybe I was hungrier than I thought. “All of the above?”
He laughed as he set each dish in the middle of the blanket. “Dig in.”
I bit into a perfectly ripened peach. As the juices exploded in my mouth, I realized this wasn’t a peach after all. It looked and felt exactly like one, but it tasted like something much more exotic. The closest comparison I could think of was a blend of pineapples and mangos. “Mmm, this is delicious. Any idea what it is?”
He shook his head. “No. She said they have the same basic food groups as we do on Earth, but the offerings are quite different. They grow their food magically here…she said the final result is essentially a product of their imagination. Over half the village has lived on Earth at one point in time so any familiar tastes would have come from them.”
Ah, good ol’ Fae magic. If you imagine it, it will come. I peeked into the basket. “Got anything to drink in there?”
He
pulled out a sizeable growler. “Wine. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please!”
He laughed at my enthusiasm as he poured some into a small cup. “How was your meeting with your grandmother?”
I took a healthy sip before answering. “Eh.”
He scrunched his brows in confusion. “What does that mean? What happened?”
“Before or after she announced to the entire room that you and I slept together?”
His brows lifted. “You told her?”
“No! She just knew. She figured it out earlier but I didn’t get a chance to tell you. She put two and two together with the blood exchange.”
“Speaking of,” he interrupted. “How did she sense your blood inside me?”
I shrugged. “Don’t know…I was too irritated at the time to ask.”
He contemplated that for a moment. “Was Vance in the room when she made her little announcement?”
“Yep. As you can imagine, that didn’t go over so well.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing…he just walked out and I haven’t seen him since. I could feel his emotions though. It wasn’t pretty.”
He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “How are you feeling? With everything being out in the open now?”
I bit my lip. “Honestly? I’m sorry it happened the way it did. I wish I had better control over the situation so I could…soften the blow. I’m not sorry that he knows though. I don’t want to hurt him—I never wanted to hurt him—you know that. But I also think leading him to believe in the possibility of reconciliation is even worse. At least now he can move on.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I have to be.”
He frowned, obviously not satisfied with my answer. “What else happened? After Vance left?”
I recapped my discussion with Ornessa about my mother’s visions and my agreement to work with Ty until Winter Solstice.
“So you’re staying for the next three months?”