Chapter Twelve
Vera
“We’re so screwed.” After struggling against the rocks as a bear, I’d changed back into my human form. At least we could talk that way, although I was still deciding whether that was a good thing. The small amount of light spilling in through the ceiling made the confinement a little better, but I was still ready to get out.
“You think?” He exhaled loudly. “I can’t believe we screwed that up.”
“We?” I turned to him even though I couldn’t see a thing in the pitch blackness. “You were the one who pushed her too far.”
“I was trying to distract her.”
“Distract her? You were destroying her entire self-worth.”
“Self-worth? Because I said Robert hadn’t wanted her?”
“Woman work that way. They want every guy to want them, especially the guys we want. By the way, what’s with her wanting Robert? Is she talking about the former king? He’s twice her age.”
“She’s that age too. She’s taken on the appearance of an innocent human. It’s weird.”
“Very.” I shifted uncomfortably. Being naked wasn’t feeling very natural at the moment. Despite the darkness, I felt extremely exposed.
“We have to find a way out. We have no choice.”
“No kidding. I’d rather not die today.”
“It’s bigger than us.”
“Oh? Care to fill me in?” I didn’t like being kept in the dark.
“Tiffany has plans to kill Allie and Levi and use Casey as a literal puppet to take over The Society.”
“Uh, what?” Either he’d lost his mind or things were even crazier than I thought.
“She did something to Casey’s mind. She’s in control, or can be.”
“And she’s killing Levi and Allie so Casey becomes queen….” The pieces were starting to fall into place. I finally understood why the boss wanted her so badly.
“That’s pretty much it. We can’t let that happen.”
“Obviously.”
“Any brilliant plans? Your idea to move further back into the cave served us well.”
My mouth fell open. “I was leading us to the back entrance. You think it would have been better to head out the front? We would be worse than stuck—we’d be dead.”
“We’re only better than dead if we find a way out of here.” Jared was one of the must infuriating people I’d ever met, and considering I’d spent years living with a bunch of jerk bears, that was saying a lot. It’s like he lived to annoy me. To be fair, I probably annoyed him a lot too, but he deserved everything that came his way.
“There has to be a way out.” I felt around for the wall and started pushing. “There’s always a way.”
“Generally I’d agree with you except I’ve tried everything.”
“You have to get your strength back.” Pteron strength was nearly unstoppable. He’d normally be able to break us out in seconds.
“You make that seem easy.”
“The magic can’t be that strong. You’re a Pteron. Act like one.” I pushed him hard. I needed to make him angry. My sense was that the magic was only going to hold to a certain point. If I could push it hard enough, maybe the hold would break. And maybe I was delusional. Either way, I didn’t see any other choice.
“Oh yeah? It’s all on me?”
“You are the Pteron. Aren’t the rest of us supposed to bow at your feet or something?”
He laughed dryly. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want. And hell, I’m naked, so if you’re going to bow down, you might as well do something else.”
“That had better be a joke.” Was he trying to make me mad too?
“What do you think?”
“I think you’re an asshole, but you’re the asshole who’s going to get us out of here.”
“You curse too much.”
“And you don’t?”
“I’m a guy.”
It was my turn to laugh dryly. “Having a dick doesn’t give you an excuse to curse.”
“And we’re talking about my dick again. A little fixated?”
“First of all, I wasn’t talking about yours in particular. Second of all, you’re the one who brought up the whole innuendo crap.”
“Innuendo crap? You said you wanted to fall down at my feet.”
“I never said I wanted to. I was being sarcastic, idiot.” I stepped closer to him.
“And you are annoying the hell out of me.”
“Shift.”
“I can’t.”
“Try it.”
“I’ve tried hundreds of times.”
“Try again,” I demanded.
“Why?”
“Because otherwise I’m going to think you’re a wuss.”
“And I should care what you think?” He was so close to me that his arm brushed against me.
“Whether you should isn’t the question. I already know you do.”
“I don’t.” He huffed. “And I can’t shift.”
“Because you’re not trying.”
“Yes I am!” He screamed so loud the walls shook.
“Uh, do that again.”
“Do what?”
“Get angry. You need to get angry.”
“Okay, make me angry.”
“That’s easy. It’s easy to make weak, small dicked men scream.”
He laughed.
“You’re supposed to be screaming and not laughing.”
“But now I know what you’re doing. It’s not going to work.”
“Fine.” I happened to be pretty good at the whole pissing people off thing. “You want me to make you angry?” I took a deep breath. “We’re only stuck here because you fucked up. You couldn’t cut it. You couldn’t make it out. And now you’ve ruined everything. Everything is messed up because of you.”
“It’s not working. I know you don’t mean it.”
“I do mean it. I mean what kind of head of security gets stuck in a cave? Naked?”
“Did you have to mention the naked part again? I’m telling you, you’re fixated.”
I groaned. “Jared. You’re not getting angry.”
“No. I’m not.” He sighed. “New plan.”
“New plan.” I thought about it. “Ok. I can’t get you angry at me. Let’s get you angry at someone else.”
“I’m already pissed at Tiffany.”
“Of course you are. She’s about to kill your best friend and his mate.”
“I can’t believe I fell for that little act of hers.”
“I can’t either, but that’s beside the point.”
“She thinks she can mess with me. She’s got another thing coming.”
“She does. Prove her wrong. Break us out and save everyone. Be the hero.”
“If she even touches Allie…”
“You have a soft spot for her, don’t you?” I decided to follow a hunch.
“Not in any way you’re implying.”
Bingo. Here we went. I could do this.
“Oh? You don’t?”
“Of course not.”
“Are you sure?” I stepped closer and touched his chest with my hand. “Are you sure you don’t secretly fantasize about her. About taking Levi’s place and fucking his queen?”
“Shut up!” He pushed me off him. I stumbled back.
“What? Did I get you on a sensitive subject?”
“I don’t want Allie!” His yell was even louder this time, the entire cave started to shake.
“Yes you do. You want her to yourself.” There was nothing fun about pushing Jared like this, but it was working. We were so close.
“I don’t want her! I never have!”
Stone fell from the roof of the cave in large pieces, allowing tiny slivers of light to stream through. The plan was working, but maybe too well.
“We have to go.” I grabbed his hand.
“You’re a real piece of work.”
“It worked though. I made you mad.”
“Now let’s hope w
e can get out alive.”
“I’m going to shift into a bear. Stay with me.”
Something brushed against me. “Was that what I think it is?”
“My wing. Yes. We’re in business.”
“I guess I’m good at making men perform.”
“I’m not even going to comment on that, so we can get the hell out of here.”
Chapter Thirteen
Casey
We were greeted on the other side of the lake by two stern looking men. Their faces were fixed into scowls that made me wonder if they even knew how to smile.
Mom gave me an encouraging look, and I gave the same look back. I wasn’t sure which one of us needed it more.
The two scowling, towering men roughly secured the ferry to the dock. I held onto mom’s hand, not out of fear of what they could do, but out of fear of what I would do. My body was fighting to transform. I needed to stay calm, or I would have an even bigger problem on my hands.
“Who authorized you to transport these foreigners over here?” One of the two frowning men glowered at Maddock.
“Taliana. Mate of Gareth.” Taliana? There was that name again. Was that her real name? The two men stared at us with wide eyes.
The second man reached out a hand like he was going to touch her, but he dropped it before he did. “Is it really you?”
Mom let out a deep breath. She was trying to calm herself. I did the same thing. “Yes I have returned. This is my daughter, and we ask for safe passage to speak with Gareth.”
The deep breathing helped, and I felt the prickling sensation in my back lessen. Back in New Orleans, Hailey had taught me some good tips for staying in control. I’d needed them more frequently than I’d expected. I’d have to thank her sometime.
Calmed down, I focused on the conversation. What was this? I’d met plenty of paranormals since my run in with the wolf, but none of them acted even remotely like this. They were so formal.
“Your daughter?” The two men straightened. “By blood?”
Mom nodded. “She is my daughter by blood.”
They both smiled at me, like I was suddenly a heck of a lot more interesting. I’d learned that being interesting wasn’t usually a good thing in the paranormal world. It was far better to blend in. Too bad I never seemed to do that.
The first one leaned in closer. “And where is her mate?”
“She hasn’t taken one yet.” Mom squeezed my hand, and I assumed she was telling me to keep my mouth shut. The word mate was thrown around so much, but I didn’t completely understand it. What made it different than dating, or marrying someone even? I assumed someone would explain it to me eventually. Maybe Toby would. Whatever it meant, he was the only one I was interested in doing it with.
“No mate?” The other man seemed to be sniffing me. I leaned away. “But she is of age?”
“Yes. A few months over.”
“We will take you to Gareth immediately.” Both men reached out for my hand.
Daria laughed. “Easy there, boys.”
The second man glared at her. “You may return to the other side whenever ready.”
“I think we’ll stay here for a while. This might get interesting.” Maddock winked at me.
“That won’t be necessary. We will escort them to Gareth.”
Daria pouted. It was such a youthful facial expression that made it even harder to believe she was my mom’s age. “Fine.”
Mom once again took my hand. “We’ll see you soon.”
I was surprisingly reluctant to say goodbye to the twins. I had a feeling they’d be a lot friendlier than anyone else I met along the way. Daria grabbed my arm and pulled me in for a hug before she hopped back on the boat. “Don’t forget who you are and what matters.”
Before I could respond Maddock was already steering the boat away from the shore.
“Are you well?” One of the still nameless guys asked pulling my attention back from the retreating boat. I wished I were on it on my way back to Toby, but I’d come this far. There was no way I was giving up.
“I’m fine.” I certainly wasn’t going to let them know my weaknesses. I hoped mom gave me a hint of when to open up about things.
“Are you excited about your visit to Norco Island?” Evidently my short response wasn’t going to excuse me from the rest of the conversation.
“I’m ready for it.” I smiled at mom as I said it. I hoped that was an appropriate answer.
Her return smile let me know it was.
“Do you remember anything from being here?” the second man asked.
“I’ve never been here. At least I don’t remember it.” I glanced at mom.
She nodded. “Why don’t we wait and talk about everything with Gareth.”
“As you wish.” Again with the formal speech. This place was so strange.
As we left the shore of the island, we moved into the woods. Before long, the tree cover was thick enough to block out the sun. A sense of foreboding hit me, although I was getting that feeling so often now that I easily shrugged it off. The harder thing to shrug off was the prickling in my back. I felt so much safer with my wings out, but that wasn’t an option at the moment.
I was glad that Mom saved me from the uncomfortable conversation, but the awkward silence was nearly as bad. At least I didn’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing. I did have to deal with two giant bear shifters checking me out like I was meat. I wasn’t exactly sure who or what they thought I was, but it was something they wanted. Hopefully we’d get things ironed out quickly.
We walked for at least three miles. No one questioned whether I was tired, which was good on the surface, but bad because I was exhausted. The fatigue was back, and I didn’t have Toby to relax me. I had to stay alert and face all of this head on.
“Are you holding in there?” Mom whispered from beside me. She’d managed to slip in between me and one of the men. Either he hadn’t noticed, or he wasn’t going to argue.
“I’m fine. How about you?”
“Terrified.”
“I’m here.” I squeezed her hand this time.
“I know, and that’s what makes everything worth it.”
The sound of distant voices was the first hint that we were nearing our destination.
“Remember to follow directions. “
I nodded. “Please stay with me.”
“I’ll do my best, honey. I’ll do my best.”
We entered a clearing that was still covered by the thick canopy of the forest. I looked around at what at first glance looked like ruins. On further inspection I realized they were just well hidden buildings.
The men stopped walking. “Would you like to be brought directly to Gareth?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely.” The first man nodded and started walking.
My mom’s hand tightened around mine. I took slow, deep breaths. Now was not the time to flip out and transform. “Stay calm. It’s all going to be okay.”
We followed the men up a steep set of stone steps. Mom never loosened her grip, and I didn’t mind. Her tight grasp was a reminder that I wasn’t facing any of this alone. We walked into a large sitting area that held a number of simple cloth couches and a few more elaborately upholstered chairs. Mom gestured for me to sit in one of the chairs. She stood next to me holding my hand. It was strange to sit while mom stood, but I was sure she had her reasons. Her whole body shook. I wasn’t used to my mom being afraid of anything. There was only one exception I could remember, it was the night someone was snooping around our house. Mom made me sleep in her room for a week.
“I will get Gareth.” One of the men nodded at mom and left the room.
She let out several deep breaths. I wished I were feeling confident enough to comfort her, but I wasn’t. The exhaustion was worse, and all I wanted to do was curl up on one of the couches and go to sleep.
Footsteps outside the room had my mom’s entire body tensing. In response mine did the same thing.
; “Taliana?” A male called.
I glanced at the tall, dark haired man standing in the doorway.
“Taliana?” He remained in the doorway watching her like he didn’t know what to do.
“Hello, Gareth.” Mom watched him carefully.
There was an awkward moment where I wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but then he started taking long strides into the room. “You’ve returned.”
“I have.”
His face softened and he closed the distance between him and my mom. He pulled her into his arms, offsetting my hand. I watched in shock as he held her against him and started to cry. She did the same thing. What was going on? I was prepared for a fight, but not for this. I held onto the arms of my chair to keep a bearing.
After several moments, Gareth stepped away from Mom. “And is this our daughter? Is this Astrella?”
Astrella? Who was he talking about?
Mom shook her head. “No. She is not with me today, but she is well. This is my other daughter.”
“Your other daughter?” His voice rose. “You bore another daughter?” He walked over to me. “Whose is she? Who dared lie with my mate? Was it Chris? I will have him killed.”
“No! Chris is innocent, Gareth.” Mom grasped his arm. “I was never willingly with anyone but you.”
“Are you sure she is not mine?”
Mom nodded. “I’m positive.”
“Tell me. Tell me how that could be true.”
I wanted to know the same thing. Clearly she’d had sex with Robert. What was she getting at?
“I will tell you everything if you’ll give me a chance.”
He nodded. “I would give you a million chances.”
My chest tightened. Was he for real? He reunites with his mate and finds out she has an illegitimate daughter, yet he’s all lovey dovey?
Mom sat down on a couch and he sat down next to her. Nearly on top of her. I just watched, feeling like a voyeur watching something I wasn’t supposed to.
“Ok, Taliana. Tell me everything.”
She nodded. “I’m glad we’re all sitting.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jared
As soon as Vera shifted back into a bear I started pushing the rocks out of the way. I’d successfully broken us out of our little prison, but we still had to find an exit. I hoped Tiffany had really left us for dead. Even with my strength back I didn’t feel like getting into a fight just then. I had no clue what magic she’d used against me, but I was determined to never experience its effects again. When I got to Levi I’d have to talk to him about wiping it from existence.
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