Pieces (Patchwork #1)

by T. Aleo

  “I’m sure we can hear her from there, huh?”

  “Depends how loud you are,” he says, and I cover my mouth, not only to hold in my laughter but also to keep from gagging. Double ew, but then they get up, rushing out of the room, and I decide I would be witness to that display of mating all over again just for this chance. Rushing into the kitchen, I go through the laundry room and then into the hall that has the bastille door. Reaching for the door, I pull it open slowly to keep the creaking to a minimum before holding it up and lowering myself to the ladder.

  But how will I open it when I come back?

  “Shit,” I mumble as I look around for anything to hold it open, but there is nothing. “Shit,” I say once more, but then I slide off my flip-flop, holding the door with my back as I reach for my shoe to place in the opening. As I go down the ladder slowly, I watch as I lower the door onto the shoe, leaving only a sliver of light. I let my breath out in a whoosh and then rush down the ladder, unsure how much time I actually have. I don’t want to push my luck. I want to get in and get out, but then, I won’t want to leave Ryland.

  Ah, I’ll deal with that later.

  When my feet hit the ground, I look around quickly, taking in my surroundings. It’s empty. I don’t know why I thought there might be someone down here, but I can’t be too cautious, not with Christiana Kelley asking questions. Or with the fact I’m not supposed to be down here at all. Reaching for the lantern, I light it quickly as my one foot freezes. Next time, I need to bring something to hold the door open.

  Next time?

  Crap. I’ll come back to that.

  Rushing down the other hall instead of the one that would lead me to my boys, I make my way to the room I discovered earlier, the one that holds Ryland. When I reach the long hall with the old wooden door at the end of it, I pause, my heart jumping up into my throat. For a second, I’m scared. Not of Ryland but of being caught. What if my family knowing I found Ryland leads to his death? His second death. I couldn’t live with myself. Maybe I should just ignore this, hope he finds a way out. But can I live with myself then?

  Before I can even think of my answer, I’m hurrying down the hall. Pushing the door open, I step inside, shutting it behind me as Ryland’s voice fills the room. “Bekka?”

  “Hey,” I say quickly, lighting the other lantern and carrying it with me as he leans up against the bars. As the warm light engulfs him, I’m breathless once more. Just like before, I’m stunned by his striking features, but most all, that he is standing in front of me. Alive. Looking away quickly, I set the lantern down as his voice melts over me like butter.

  “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

  “I had to come see you,” I say as I bend down, opening my bag and dumping the snacks into his cell.

  “Jeez, Bekka, I don’t need all that. I’m fine.”

  “You need to eat,” I say, putting my backpack back on. But before I can stand, he’s crouched down in front of me, his hands capturing mine. Swallowing hard, I look up. His eyes meet mine, and I still can’t believe this.

  He’s here.

  He’s really here.

  Watching me, he brings my hand to his lips, kissing my palm. A lopsided grin appears as he backs away only slightly, his gaze holding mine. “Still worry about me, do ya?”

  “Of course,” I gasp out, my heart knocking against my ribs. I know if I don’t get down to business, I’ll just sit here. Staring at him. Drinking in every single sweet thing about his face; the planes of his jaw, the curve of his lips, the thickness of his shoulders. But I can’t. I don’t have time.

  Flustered, I croak out, “I need you to tell me everything.”

  “Everything?” he asks, his fingers lacing with mine, and I wonder if I should let him do that.

  But I want him to.

  Damn it.

  “Everything.”

  I want to know, I do, but when he looks away, his shoulders falling a bit, I’m just not sure I’m ready for everything he has to say.

  “Where do I start?”

  Looking around for something to sit on since I’m sure I’ll be here for a moment, I don’t see anything. Dropping my backpack, I sit on it and realize my foot is freezing. Rubbing my foot, I tuck it underneath me before saying, “Start at the beginning. Why were you sent away?”

  Looking up from my frozen foot, his gaze is puzzled. “Where is your shoe?”

  “I had to use it to hold the door open.” Shaking his head, he pulls off his sock. “I’m fine,” I try, but he takes my foot from underneath me, his touch burning my skin before he slides on his sock. He then sits down and looks through the bars at me.

  “As you worry for me, I worry for you,” he says, and my heart jumps in my throat. His eyes are so dark, almost like night, as they hold mine. I thought this would be easy, that being around him would be like being around anyone else. But as before, his eyes, they get me. I was stupid to assume that my feelings were buried with him. Looking at him, being under his heated gaze, I know they weren’t, that they’re still very much inside me. I’m not sure what that means. “So much has changed with you. Your dad has been busy.”

  Self-conscious, I look away, hiding my face. I know I don’t look the way he remembers. My face is full of scars, new pieces. I had only been worried about my legs, when really I should have been worried about my face. “Yeah, that’s how it is in my family,” I say dryly as my teeth sink into my bottom lip.

  “Rebekah, look up at me,” he whispers, but I don’t. I’m too embarrassed. I hate the way I look, and I wish he didn’t have to see me like this.

  Before he can say anything more, I whisper, “Ry, tell me. I have to know everything.”

  When he doesn’t say anything, I look up, and he smiles. “I love how one eye is blue and the other is brown.”

  I shake my head. “Ry, please.”

  Chuckling, he nods. “Always straight down to business.”

  “Can you blame me?”

  He shrugs. “Guess not. I’m sure this is a lot to take in.”

  “Yeah,” I scoff and he grins.

  Taking a moment, he chews his lip as I drink in his beautiful, hard face. When his eyes meet mine suddenly, I’m stunned. His eyes are so serious, so intense, like they’re looking into my soul. “The night of the dance. Do you remember?”

  Swallowing hard, I have to look away as I nod. “Yes, of course. It’s the last night I saw you,” I say, my voice breaking, and he looks up.

  “It was the best night of my life,” he admits, his eyes burning into mine. “I don’t know why, but after the dance, I got home and I changed.”

  “Changed?”

  “Into a wolf.” My heart drops, my eyes widening as he swallows hard. “Tore up my room, tried to kill my da, my brother. It was bad. I woke up and my ma, she was crying, along with Christiana and Thomas. And my da, he was standing there, disgust on his face. He said I was the product of Kurt Conner and that I wasn’t a part of the family any longer. That I was dead to them because, as much as he hated what my ma did, he did love me, and he couldn’t watch me be killed.”

  Gasping, I cover my mouth. “What? Who would kill you?” I ask through my fingers.

  When his stone-cold gaze meets mine, I can’t breathe. “Your da. Since the rules are the rules, there is to be no mixing of the clans, and any product of any unlawful mixing would be killed.”

  “What?” I ask, breathless. “Are you sure?”

  “It’s true. He and Samuel have done it before, which is why the mixing is unheard of and people are so careful.”

  I didn’t know this. I knew there was no mixing, but I didn’t know the consequences would be the death of any child who was born. That’s insane. Brutal, savage, and it hurts to know my father is capable of something like that. But somewhere deep inside me, I know Ryland isn’t lying and that my father is capable of something that horrid.

  “Because no one wanted me dead, they sent me to Kurt’s family in a little town outside of Edinbu
rgh so I could learn about that side of my family.”

  “So Kurt knows?”

  He nods. “He’s always known, but they figured they could pass me off as a shifter only. Hoping I wouldn’t ever change.”

  “Why would they hope that, though? You’re part wolf?”

  “Yeah, which means I’m amalgam,” he says, his eyes cutting down to our hands.

  “Amalgam?” I ask, my voice breaking. I figured he was a mixed creature, or something along those lines, but hearing it from his lips makes it even more real. “Still doesn’t make sense why they didn’t think you’d change.”

  “They assumed my shifter side was stronger and I wouldn’t ever change into a wolf, but that isn’t the case.”

  “Which is why the silver didn’t work on you?”

  He scoffs. “It worked, hurt like a mother, but it doesn’t take me down. I’m quite the combination, ya see. Very strong, death doesn’t come easy, and I can shift like none other. Also, I’m able to keep my form which isn’t normal for shifters. Usually, my clan mates shift back to their original state as soon as silver hits them, but not me. No matter what. That’s why my ma thought I wouldn’t be able to change into a wolf unless I wanted to, that the need to change wouldn’t be there. But that wasn’t the case. I shifted without intending to, and Kurt thinks I was just so emotional that night I couldn’t control it.” He looks up then, his lips curving. “Had a lot on my mind. A certain someone who really made my heart go nuts.”

  I know this. I knew he cared for me and that I meant something to him. But if that was the case, why did he come after me? If he was “so emotional” that he changed, why did he come for me in malice? Looking up at him with my heart in my throat, I’m aware a part of me doesn’t want to know, but I know I need to know. Before I can say anything, his hand comes through the bars, reaching for me. “You. My Bekka. You.”

  Moving away, I shake my head. “But yet, you came after me? To kidnap me?”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re scared of me.”

  I shake my head hard. “I’m not scared of anything,” I say as his eyes challenge mine. “It isn’t that. You betrayed me.”

  He lips press together as he looks away, guilt filling his features. While I know I knew the truth, that he did come to harm me, seeing the look of pure shame on his face is essentially him stabbing me in the back. “I don’t think I did.”

  Anger bubbles inside of me as I go on. “You changed into a vampire to get close to me, to watch me. Did you plan on kidnapping me after we went into the back together?”

  He shakes his head. “No, Bekka. I was going back there to kiss the hell out of ya. I fuckin’ miss ya.”

  My stomach flutters, but I can’t give in that easily. This could all be a ploy. “I’m sorry, but I find that hard to believe. If that’s the case, then why come after me at all?”

  “Because I had no choice,” he says, frustrated, as he stands up with ease. Almost like he flew to his feet. Breathless, I look up and watch as he runs his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth as he lets out a heavy sigh. “I got word my da was dying, came back to see him. It was only for one day, just to say good-bye. This was before your da came to heal him and all. But after I saw my da one last time and said good-bye to him and my mom, Christiana started talking about how your family has the formula. She thought if we had a reason to force them to give it to us for da’s immortality, they would. Before I knew it, your name was brought up. And I thought, I could do this.”

  “Seriously? So you had no problem with the idea of kidnapping and killing me, using me as leverage?” I gasp, feeling even more betrayed. “I thought I meant more to you.”

  But he shakes his head. “No, never to kill you, I wouldn’t allow that. But I figured I could grab you. I knew how to get you to trust me, that it would be easy, but everything changed the moment I saw you.” He pauses, closing his eyes, his teeth pressing into his bottom lip. And then he’s in front of me. Moving at the speed of light, he has his hands cupping my face so fast I don’t even have time to react before he’s speaking again. “I thought when I saw you that I wouldn’t feel this overwhelming need for you. That I had moved on, forgotten about our time together or how you made me feel. But within seconds, you had me, and I knew I couldn’t put you in harm’s way. I couldn’t even use you to save my family.”

  He leans toward me, and I take in a quick breath as he pulls me to him. My forehead presses into the bars and onto his chest. “I had planned on telling you so many times. I told Christiana I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take you. But when she said, fine, she’d do it, I freaked. We got into a big fight, and she told me to just leave. Instead, I shifted into one of your guards, and I would watch your window at night, just in case. I couldn’t leave you alone. I had to make sure you were okay.”

  Staring into his eyes, I don’t know what to say. This is classic Ryland; he always wanted to protect me, no matter what, and I don’t dare call him a liar. I know he is telling the truth. I can see it in his eyes. I shouldn’t trust him, I should run, but instead, I whisper, “I always knew there was something about you, or Killian, I mean, that made me trust him. It was you.”

  “I know. I could see it in your eyes that you were comfortable around me, which is what I wanted. But I couldn’t do what I was supposed to. I refused to put you in danger, no matter what the cost. So I’ve bitched, I’ve moaned, and I’ve fought them tooth and nail to leave ya alone. I knew my brother and sister couldn’t send me back to where I’d been because my parents already thought I’d gone back. So what could they do? Kill me? No. And they can’t tell on me, so I’ll do what I’ve been doing until I guarantee your safety. ”

  “So, what, you were going to stay?”

  His nose moves slowly against mine, his breath on my lips as he whispers, “Yes, I had to protect you until I could convince my family to leave you be. But then things went shitty when Christiana came to take you. I stopped her, obviously, but she didn’t go quietly, and I knew I couldn’t go anywhere. I had to protect you.”

  “I have JJ, though,” I say, intoxicated by him. “I don’t want you risking yourself.”

  He scoffs. “Bekka, she came for you already.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, got right past JJ and all the other guards, but thankfully, you were in a meeting with your father.”

  “What?” I ask once more, my heart thudding.

  “She shifted into Samuel.”

  Gasping, I back out of his grasp, and his hands drop against the bars as he watches me. How did I not know? And has she done it again? “What?”

  “Yeah, just that one time, and I stopped her before she could get very far. You had no contact with her that day, only Jonas, but he didn’t know anything. I told her if she comes for you anymore, I’ll turn myself in. She loves me, doesn’t want me to be killed. We all know that it’ll happen if your da finds me. So I told her we’d find another way to save our da, and that I’d talk to you.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing, and I hate to admit it, but I’m scared to the core. If it was that easy to get in and almost get me, why should I trust these guards and everyone else around me? Anyone could be part of his family. The thought has me questioning my trust in him. “So is this all a ploy?”

  He looks stunned, and I realize I’m even surprised I said that. “Excuse me?”

  “A ploy,” I say, meeting his gaze. “Are you telling me all this in the hopes I’ll still trust you and then I can release you and you’ll kill me?”

  His brows shoot up. “Have you been listening to me? I’d planned to tell you who I was and plead to ya. But I messed up when I told you about Christiana and Oceanus, and now I’m here. If I’d wanted to kill ya, kidnap ya, or whatever, why would I change into myself? I won’t even change for your family, but for you, I’d do anything.”

  I watch as his arms reach out, taking my face in his large hands. “I’d never hurt you, Bekka. You know that. Deep down. Yeah, this sucks,
and we are in a shitty situation, but ya know in yer heart that I would never hurt you.” Moving his finger along my jaw, he smiles. “I’ve wanted to tell you from the moment I saw ya. Figured after we kissed, I would. I didn’t want to freak ya out beforehand, since I miss yer lips so much.”

  I want to laugh, I do, because this is information overload to the extreme. Do I believe my heart and trust him, or do I run? I don’t question what he has told me. As much as I don’t want to believe a lot of it, I know he is telling the truth. It blows my mind that all of this was happening while I was being a brat about being watched twenty-four seven. Obviously, I needed to be because some absurd shifter wanted to kidnap me. But even with that, and as much as my head is telling me to run, I’m not moving.

  I can’t.

  “I’m freaking out, Ry,” I admit, and he smiles, his thumb gliding along my jaw.

  “I’m so sorry, Bekka. I don’t want to scare ya or freak ya out or lose your trust. I just want to be honest with ya, and the truth is, I’m scared beyond belief because I can’t look out for ya. I don’t know that you’re safe, and that’s what has me in knots down here. Not the fact that they don’t feed me or anything, but that I can’t watch you. I know Christiana is probably looking for me, and since she can’t find me, I don’t know what she is going to do.”

  “She came in today, looking for you.”

  Unable to catch my breath or control my heart rate, I glance up to him as he slowly moves away from me, his eyes burning into mine when he stands. “What did you say?”

  “I told her you quit.”

  “Good, don’t ever tell her you guys got me. She’ll come after you again, and I can’t have that happen.”

  “Stop worrying about me. We have to worry about you, getting you out,” I press, but he shakes his head.

  “No, my love, I worry only for you. I will figure out how to get away, I’m not worried about that. But you, I can’t have my family taking you.”

  I had forgotten how stubborn he was, but this is classic Ryland. Protective and loyal to a fault. While I know he really thought he could help his family and be there for them, he couldn’t betray me. He cares too much for me.