“Check this out.” Kerry grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the sliding glass doors that led out to a spacious cedar deck. “Nothing beats the view, and it’s even better from upstairs in the master bedroom.”
“Wow,” Rena breathed. “You aren’t kidding. I bet the sunset is absolutely breathtaking. I can see mountains in Vegas, but somehow, it’s not the same.”
Lush mountains surrounded the property and provided a spectacular view from every angle. This sure as hell beat the world outside her windows in Las Vegas, which was mostly cement and blinking neon with a ridge of the mountains in the distance. Rena turned around to ask Zander what he thought, but the man was nowhere to be seen.
Son of a bitch. So much for not leaving her alone.
“Where’s Zander?”
Rena was about to head back into the living room, but Kerry hooked her arm in Rena’s and pulled her back to the slider.
“He’s outside.” Kerry tapped the glass of the door. “And by the looks of it, he’s putting up a tent.”
“What the hell?”
Rena tugged the slider and stepped onto the deck, the cool, crisp Montana air briefly stealing her breath. Sure enough, Zander was in the backyard, standing next to a brown, dome-shaped tent while Dante looked on.
“What are you doing?” Rena leaned both hands on the railing. “Did you not see this gorgeous house? Why are you putting up that damn tent?”
“Because I’m going to sleep in it,” he said flatly.
She gaped at him, and her cheeks heated. After everything they had been through, he would rather sleep in a stupid tent than under the same roof with her. Well, if that wasn’t insulting, then what was?
“You can’t be serious. It’s been rolled up in a bag on the back of your bike for ages. It probably stinks.”
“Nope.” Zander stuck his head inside the tent briefly. “Smells fine to me.”
“You’ll freeze out here.”
“Cold doesn’t bother me.”
“Oh really?” Rena narrowed her eyes at him. Care to tell our hosts why the cold doesn’t bother you?
“I’m hot-blooded,” he said with a shrug.
Rena let out a huff of frustration and folded her arms over her breasts. The man was infuriating and had an answer for everything. Unfortunately, none of them was the response she was looking for.
“You know,” Dante added, “it’s not a bad idea, sleeping under the stars…kind of romantic. What do you say, princess?”
“Don’t go getting any ideas, Tarzan,” Kerry said with a curt laugh. “You’ve been my mate long enough to know that I’m not a fan of the outdoorsy stuff. The human side of me really loves plumbing and electricity, but if you boys want to sleep in a tent together, knock yourselves out.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Rena muttered. “Ooohh. I hope he gets pneumonia.”
She spun around on her heels and stormed back inside the guesthouse with Kerry close behind. Fine. He could sleep out there, and she would stay in here. Distance was probably good for them, but even as the thought whisked into her mind, she knew it was a lie.
“Why are men so annoying?” Rena threw her hands in the air. “I mean, seriously. I could spend a hundred years with that guy, and I still wouldn’t get how his brain works.”
“That’s an age-old question of the universe. We want to know why they’re annoyingly stubborn, and they want to know why we overanalyze everything.”
“Oh.” Rena’s shoulders sagged. “I’m doing that, aren’t I?”
“Yup. But don’t sweat it. This is all part of the process,” she said with a wink.
Rena was about to ask what process she was referring to, but Kerry had other plans.
“Grab your bag, girl.” Kerry lounged by the banister. “I’ll show you the rest of the place, and then we’ll give you two a tour of the property.”
Rena shouldered her duffel bag and followed Kerry upstairs. She could have continued the conversation, but then she would have risked spilling all kinds of beans. Besides, Rena wasn’t great at making friends, and while she instantly liked Kerry, Rena was wary about saying too much.
There were two bedrooms and one bathroom, all of them decorated similarly to the first floor. Rena let out a whistle as she tossed her bag onto the king-size canopy bed. An entire wall of windows opposite the bed showed off the grandeur of the landscape around them. Rena strolled over and let out a sigh, which started out awed and rolled into a growl of frustration because she also had a great view of Zander and his stupid tent.
“He’s your mate, you know,” Kerry said with a chuckle as she lay on the large bed. She put her hands behind her head and crossed her ankles. “I saw it when I shook your hand.”
Rena spun around and stared at the woman, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water before finally regaining the ability to speak.
“How could you know that?”
“It’s a gift,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Most of the time.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean, but I’m afraid you’re wrong—at least that’s what Zander would tell you.”
“I’m never wrong.” Kerry folded her hands in her lap and quickly added, “Not with my visions, I mean. I saw you with him—he’s your mate. You guys even end up getting matching tattoos. You’ll get one on your back, and he gets one on his thigh. They’re pretty cool too—a pair of intertwined dragons.”
“Dragons?”
The word slipped from her lips on a shaky whisper as her mind went to the early sign of the mate tattoo on her back. Was Kerry right about Zander, or was she seeing his identical twin, Zed? The urge to press Kerry for clarification was strong, but her need to keep Zander’s secret overpowered everything else.
“Yeah. I mean, I would’ve expected a fox tattoo, you know? For the Fox Clan.” Her brow furrowed as she sat up and swung her feet over the bed. “That’s the only image in the vision that I didn’t understand. I mean, you guys being mates makes total sense. You’re obviously crazy attracted to each other, even though you’re both fighting it.”
“Am I that transparent?” Rena sat on the edge of the bed next to her new friend. “I am so out of my element. I have no game, as they say, at least when it comes to men. I don’t know what my problem is. I have never, and I mean never, been this screwed up over a guy. It’s like he knows exactly what buttons to push. One minute I want to punch him the nose, and the next…”
“It’s not just you, babe. That guy has it for you bad.” She jutted her thumb toward the window. “Did you see the monster emerge when you shook Dante’s hand?”
“M-monster?” Rena swallowed hard.
Holy crap. Had Kerry seen Zander’s eyes shift in the vision?
“Yeah.” Kerry laughed. “You know? The jealousy monster. The dude was totes jealous. For a second, I thought he was going to punch Dante in the throat.”
“Oh.” Rena breathed with relief. “Right. That monster.” She paused for a moment and asked, “Zander was jealous?”
“Oh yeah. I didn’t need to touch him to pick up that vibe.”
Rena flopped back onto the bed and let out a groan of frustration. “Then why the hell does he keep shutting me down, and why is the big jerk insisting on sleeping out in that smelly tent?”
You know why, she thought to herself. Because he thinks you should be with his brother. But you can’t tell her any of this, now can you?
“Now that I don’t know, but I’m betting, deep down, you know the answer to that question. This whole fated-mate business is trickier than I would have thought. I can relate. I fought it in the beginning too.”
“You did? But you and Dante seem totally perfect together.”
“Oh yeah, we are now, but at first, I wanted to push him as far away as I could. And besides, Zander isn’t Amoveo, so I guess I can understa
nd how he’d have a really tough time wrapping his head around the whole mate deal. After all, he might have some witch’s blood in him, but he’s not a shifter.”
“Right,” Rena said quickly. “He’s definitely not Amoveo.”
She sat up and gave Kerry an awkward smile, because she wanted nothing more than to change the subject. There was no way to talk about this topic honestly without bringing up Zed or the curse or the Dragon Clan.
Great. Screwed again.
“Can we take a tour of the property now?”
“Sure, but I thought you said you wanted to change first. I know you’ve been on the road awhile.”
“Nope.” Rena shook her head before rising to her feet. “If I do that, it will be too tempting to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. It’s better if I keep moving. Besides, I have too many questions for you, and sleep will probably be next to impossible.”
Not to mention unsafe. If Rena ended up in the dreamrealm, then there was a good chance she would disturb Zed. The notion of a pissed-off dragon descending onto this ranch was enough to make her nauseous. She had seen the kind of destruction the dragons were capable of in the dreams, and she couldn’t imagine it would be any safer in real life.
“You’re sure you don’t want to rest for a while?”
“Positive.”
“I gotcha.” Kerry slapped Rena’s knee playfully. “And don’t stress out about Zander. He’ll come around. After all, the universe has paired the two of you together, and if there’s one fact I’ve learned from this crazy, supernatural world, there’s no escaping fate. You can fight it. You can question it. Hell, girl, you can even tell it to take a flying leap…but you cannot escape it.”
Rena followed Kerry into the hall and downstairs to find Zander and Dante waiting for them on the front porch. When Zander’s pale-green eyes clapped on to hers, she couldn’t help but smile, and to her surprise, he gave her a small smile in return. He put her at ease. In spite of the craziness, simply seeing him made the knot of tension in her gut loosen, letting her breathe that much easier.
Every single ounce of Rena’s soul, every fiber in her body, told her that this man was supposed to be part of her future.
Not his brother. Him.
But if Kerry was right and fate was inescapable, then what Rena wanted would be of little consequence.
“Oh, by the way,” Kerry said, as she sashayed down the porch steps, “Dante and I are hosting a dinner party tonight in honor of your arrival. If Salinda were here, she would host it at the main house, but since she’s not, you’ll have to settle for our place.”
“My girl makes the best desserts.” Dante hooked his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek quickly. “Who would ever have thought a princess like her would love baking?”
“Watch it, Tarzan.” Kerry elbowed him playfully before linking her hand in his. “Keep it up, and you’ll be eating takeout for a week.”
“What time?” Zander interjected none too delicately.
“Around seven,” Kerry said casually. “But we’re flexible.”
“Seven is fine.” Rena shot Zander a look and touched his mind. You’re being rude. “Thank you, Kerry.”
I didn’t come here for dinner parties. I came to get my brother and introduce you to the Amoveo. That’s it.
Really? What about delivering me to Zed so I can be his concubine? Rena shot back. You forgot that part.
Rena knew she was being hard on Zander. Bitchy even. But she had to do something to make him understand her position. Pushing her away wouldn’t get her closer to being with Zed. All it did was hurt her, and that was the piece of information Zander didn’t seem to comprehend.
“You bet.” Kerry looked from Rena to Zander, and her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. “You’ll get to meet William too. Dom will be there with Tati, and you’ll see what I mean about him being a big pussycat.”
“They’re looking forward to meeting both of you,” Dante said with a pointed look to Zander. “After all, you’re the one who found Rena.”
“Yes!” Kerry’s voice surged with excitement. “We can’t wait to hear all about how you stumbled across each other. But save it for dinner. I wouldn’t want the others to miss out on what I’m sure is an interesting story. For now, let’s start with a tour of the property.”
Zander’s mouth set in a grim line. He nodded as though he was in agreement, but Rena knew better. As they followed Kerry and Dante along the driveway, she touched her mind to his, wanting and needing the intimate contact. She had to admit, communicating with him that way had begun to put her at ease.
What are we going to tell them?
I’ll think of something.
How about the truth? You know what they say, the truth shall set you free…or something like that.
When Zander didn’t respond, Rena shifted her focus to Kerry and climbed into the backseat of the golf cart. Zander slipped in next to her, and when his leg accidentally bumped hers, the man instantly moved away. Her heart sank as he adjusted his position, keeping his body as far from hers as the seat would allow. The thing between them, whatever it was or might have been, was over.
The dalliances they shared had been seemingly erased, and he was acting like none of it had ever happened. The man behaved as though he could barely stand the sight of her. Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she willed them away. She had never cried over a man before, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to start now.
Chapter 16
The group of Amoveo sitting at the rustic, wood dining table in Kerry and Dante’s house were surprisingly normal people. Kerry and Dante were at either end of the table. When Rena and Zander arrived for dinner, she was relieved when Kerry told her to sit on her left. Rena had never been to a dinner party before, and even though she had been nervous, her fears were unfounded. Most of the evening’s conversations revolved around how each of the couples had gotten together.
Rena noted that all of their pairings began with a shared dream…just like her and Zander.
And Zed.
Damn it.
Rena scooped up the last bite of the delectable vanilla cake with lemon and raspberry filling, doing her best to not think about her screwed-up situation. She glanced to her left and fleetingly noticed that Zander had barely touched his dessert. In fact, the guy had hardly eaten any of the sumptuous meal that had been prepared for them by their hosts.
At the moment, he was staring at Dominic with nothing less than a stone-cold glare, but to his credit, the guardian wasn’t taking the bait. He was sitting directly across from Rena. Kerry had been right about him—the man looked far less ferocious with his mate, Tati, by his side. William, a cool customer with long blond hair and a piercing, dark stare, was seated on the other side of Zander.
If anyone had happened upon their casual dinner party, they would never have suspected that most of the people at the table could shapeshift into animals simply by thinking about it. They were all at ease with each other and had done a damn fine job of putting Rena at ease as well, if not Zander.
Getting his brother safely out of hibernation was probably the only development that would improve his broody mood. But Rena was determined not to let him spoil this moment for her, because she couldn’t recall a time in her life when she had ever felt at home anywhere. Looking around the table at the smiling, welcoming faces of her new friends, Rena finally understood what other people meant when they talked about feeling at home.
“Rena?” Kerry’s concerned tone pulled Rena from her own thoughts. “Are you okay? You look like something’s bothering you.”
Silence fell over the group, and all eyes turned to Rena. Being the center of attention was never something she enjoyed, and she instantly became self-conscious. Rena sat up straighter and smoothed the skirt she wore. Jeans hadn’t seemed like an appropriate choice for a dinner party with their
hosts. Luckily, she had packed one black skirt that paired nicely with her favorite red cowl-neck sweater and her black leather boots.
“Oh, no,” Rena said quickly. “Actually, I was just thinking how nice this is and…” She let out a short laugh and quickly added, “Never mind. It’s silly.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” Tati interjected. She was a hybrid from the Wolf Clan, and her warm eyes, which always seemed to be smiling, crinkled at the corners. “Remember, we’ve all been down the road you’re traveling. I doubt you’d say anything that could shock us.”
Zander grunted something that was almost a chuckle and tossed his napkin onto his mostly full plate. Rena gave him the side eye before smiling at Tatiana. She may not have had tons of experience attending dinner parties, but she knew Zander’s behavior was rude.
“Right.” Rena knew that wasn’t entirely true but appreciated Tati’s efforts. Though her desire to make Rena feel comfortable wasn’t all that surprising, considering she was the Amoveo’s resident healer. “I want to thank all of you. I’ve never had a home, not a real one, anyway. And to be honest, I’ve felt more comfortable here over these past few hours, with all of you, than I have anywhere else in my entire life.”
Zander’s energy pattern ticked up a notch as he sat back in his chair. Rena sliced a glance at him and almost laughed out loud, because he seemed annoyed or insulted about what she had said. The irony was that he was the main reason she had begun to feel at ease, but the stubborn man couldn’t see it. If it weren’t for him, she would still be living only part of her life, not all of it.
“And I suppose that I have Zander to thank for that,” Rena added. “He’s the one who…filled in the blank spots and showed me what I am, what and who I’ve always been.”
“Hear, hear.” Dante raised his wineglass. “I think a toast is in order.”
Everyone gathered their wineglasses, including Zander, but he didn’t look too happy about it. His shaggy, dark hair drifted over his eyes as usual, and he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with everyone—including her. He obviously didn’t like being the center of attention any more than Rena did.
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