Chapter 14
fourteen
AVERY
After we ate, I managed to doze a little on the couch. I was only half asleep when Talon adjusted my position a little, taking the pressure off my neck and lifting my legs up so they wouldn’t go numb. It didn’t wake me up. It just made me feel warmer.
He woke me gently when it was time to go, and I rubbed my eyes before letting him guide me out to the balcony of his room. There was a beautiful dragon whose colors were nearly the same as Talon’s, but far more pink than red, already waiting for us in the sky.
Talon nodded at her—it had to be Stella—before he lifted me smoothly onto his back. He was holding more of my weight than he had been when he shifted, and he waited until I was steady before he changed.
I held tightly to his back as he grew, a monstrous dragon replacing the man. I carefully touched the edge of one of his scales. Even though he’d told me they were smooth, I was still surprised that they didn’t cut me.
I pressed harder, trying to find any sharp edge at all, but everything was rounded.
He hadn’t been kidding.
I realized he was waiting for me to tell him I was ready, so I leaned up and pressed my cheek to his scales without resting my sore torso against him.
Somehow, he seemed even hotter than usual. The heat of his scales seeped into my skin, and I carefully wrapped my arms around his gigantic neck, hoping like hell that I could stay on without too much pain.
He took off more carefully than he ever had before. The motion was smoother than I expected—and the pain I felt from it was minimal.
I let out a relieved breath and leaned more of my weight against him.
Stella flew circles around us, making me laugh a few times with the aerial tricks she pulled. By the time we landed, I hated Talon even less.
But I couldn’t just forgive him.
Could I?
No. He had lied. I couldn’t trust him.
Even if I wanted to.
My sisters were all chatting on the edge of the lake, with their gigantic mates sprawled out on lounge chairs around the pool.
Talon landed and shifted, easing me to my feet. My sisters were already rushing toward me, and he growled at them.
“Careful. She’s hurt.”
“How hurt?” Blair asked, concern creasing her forehead.
“I’m fine,” I said, stepping around Talon. He caught me gently by my hips, and I winced a little.
“She wasn’t kidding about nearly dying, was she?” Izzy asked, as Clementine pulled me in for a careful hug.
“No. Her heart fucking stopped.”
“Then you’re the one who deserves a hug,” Zora tossed back.
I could feel her glaring at me. She’d hold a grudge against me for risking my life, undoubtedly.
Stella was still in the sky, surveying the situation. I figured she’d probably stay up there until Talon gave her the nod.
“We’re on Avery’s side, remember?” Clementine teased, releasing me with a whispered, “We missed you.”
The rest of them hugged me too, one by one. And all of them were careful.
“I’ll be completely healed after we swim for a while,” I added. “No reason to worry about it.”
“Then let’s go.” Blair grabbed one of my arms lightly, and Izzy took the other.
“Are you sure we can’t kill him?” Zora muttered, her and Clementine right behind us.
“I’d like to see you try,” Talon drawled from behind us.
I looked backward, and saw Zora flip him off over her shoulder. I nearly snorted. Clementine did snort.
They blocked their mates’ view of me while I stripped, which meant they got to see my healing wounds.
Gasps and chastisement went around the group.
I dodged all of their questions, and finally dove into the water. It felt so amazing against my skin, I sighed.
Everything was going to be okay, somehow.
Eventually, my wounds were fully healed and my sisters dragged me to the surface of the water. We were far enough from the men that we could still see them, but couldn’t hear them.
And one of them had brought an extra bikini for me, so I pulled it on without pause.
I noticed Stella sitting on the lake’s beach next to a guy who looked like Evan, a good distance from the kings. The kings were all still sprawled on the lounge chairs. I couldn’t tell if any of them were talking, from where I was, but it seemed likely.
“Spill it,” Clementine ordered.
I sighed, but told them everything that had happened since we’d been apart, minus Sylvester. I was vague about what the dragons needed me for, not including enough details for them to put it together. They tried to get it out of me, but I kept it quiet.
“What are you going to do about him?” Blair asked as I finished, her expression more curious than anything.
“I have no idea.” I leaned back, the base of my palms digging into the sand to keep me upright.
“He treats you well,” Zora said, though her voice was grudging. “You can’t ignore that any more than you can ignore the way he saved your life.”
“Or that you’re fated mates,” Clem put in.
“Or that you love the castle, and want to keep living there,” Izzy added.
“So you can’t leave,” Blair said. “Even if he would let you. Which he won’t.”
“I guess not,” I admitted. “But he still lied to me.”
“You could try the sex war thing,” Izzy suggested. “To really get back at him.”
“No. He would win.” I bit my lip. “He’s not going to let me stay in my own room anymore. Or do anything alone anymore, probably.”
“If you want revenge, you can agree to live with him, but tell him he’s not allowed to touch you until he’s proven himself trustworthy.” Clem smiled wickedly. “Think of all the ways you could make him regret lying.”
“Something tells me none of them involve clothing,” Zora drawled.
Clem’s smile widened. “Of course not.”
“The best way to get revenge wouldn’t involve nudity,” Blair said, glancing at the men in the lounge chairs. “He hid what he wanted from you by letting you call the shots. If you detach from the relationship, and let him decide everything, he’ll get frustrated. Fast. These guys think they want to dominate their women, but there’s no fun in dominating someone who doesn’t care or have their own opinions.”
“That’s a good point.” Izzy’s expression was interested. “But the real question is, do you want revenge?”
“I don’t know. I just want…” I trailed off, staring at the lake. I didn’t have to raise my eyes to the dragon shifter in the lounge chair to know that he was watching me intently. He had been, since the moment I surfaced. “I guess I just want things to go back to the way they were before. When I didn’t know the truth.”
“Because things were casual?” Clem asked.
“Because things were safe.” I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. “It’s not the relationship that I don’t want. It’s the risk. The uncertainty. I don’t want to put him in a position to hurt me.”
“He already was though, wasn’t he?” Zora asked. “His lies wouldn’t have mattered if you didn’t feel anything for him.”
My chest ached.
I hated that she was right.
“I was wishing for a way I could keep him just before everything with Stella and the injuries. It all just feels hollow now. Fake,” I murmured.
“He wasn’t faking ,” Blair said. “He was an asshole for keeping the truth from you, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t being himself.”
“He sat outside your room every day for a month instead of sleeping,” Clem added. “It’s hard to fake that kind of dedication. Kai would’ve just hauled me into his bed and told me to get over it.”
I tried not to snort, but failed.
“Given the situation, it does seem like he was damned no matter what he did,” Izzy agreed. “If he told you right off the bat and tossed you in his bed, you would’ve shut him out from the beginning.”
“Lying about it was a shitty call, but really, what was the alternative?” Blair asked.
I sighed. “Stop talking so much sense. I’m trying to hate him.”
Zora snorted. “Not very convincingly.”
I swatted at her, and she grinned.
“Let’s talk about something else,” I said, leaning back again. “Zora, you decided to try for a baby after your period started?”
She made a face. “Yeah. I’m deep in the pit of testing urine and learning about timing everything. I feel like it shouldn’t be this complicated.”
“I’m sorry.” I draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her in close.
“I’ll survive.” She tilted her head against mine.
“Do you think sirens have a hard time getting pregnant?” Blair asked. “I remember asking my mom about siblings, and she dodged the question. She didn’t seem against it, though.”
“My mom never wanted more kids,” Clem said with a shrug. “So I’m not sure.”
“My parents definitely didn’t,” Zora said.
“Mine either,” Izzy agreed.
They all looked at me. My throat swelled.
My mother and I had been close. Too close, maybe. A little codependent.
But I still missed her, badly. And loved her, fiercely.
“She tried on and off to have another one,” I admitted. “It just didn’t happen, and she and my dad weren’t close, so they weren’t constantly trying.”
“Fuck.” Zora made a face.
“You were an accident, though,” Clem pointed out to Zora, wincing when she realized how that sounded. “Not in a bad way. Shit. I just mean that you weren’t planned, so it is possible for sirens to get pregnant fast.”
Zora nodded, relaxing a little. “Good point. And honestly, even if it takes a while, Bane and I need the time to get to know each other. Everything happened pretty quickly.”
“You, making your mind up fast?” Blair teased. “Never.”
Zora grinned. “I know. I’m ridiculous.”
“You guys are cute together, though. And he’s clearly obsessed with you,” Clem pointed out.
“An imprint will do that,” she said, though her gaze drifted over to the monster king, softening immediately when she saw him.
“ Love will do that,” Blair corrected. “I can’t believe I was afraid of it.”
“Not all love is healthy.” I looked back at the lake, my mind flashing back to Wendell.
Sometimes, it was downright deadly.
They’d just gotten lucky.
Or maybe they’d just found the right guys.
I wasn’t there yet. I didn’t think so, at least. I’d fallen right into my pattern of being ensnared by someone who pretended to be something they weren’t. Talon had acted like he would let me call the shots, while suppressing who he really was and how he really felt.
I didn’t want revenge.
I wanted to go back to the way I felt before I knew he was lying to me.
But there was no going back. No getting out.
Which left me…
Well, stuck.
I had to live with him.
He wasn’t going to let me go.
Which meant I had to figure out who he really was.
“I don’t want revenge,” I said, and immediately had everyone’s attention again.
They lived for my life’s drama at the moment. We all knew it. As much as we didn’t like drama in our own lives, we loved hearing about it.
“But I need a way to figure out who he really is, before I can trust him,” I admitted. “If he was pretending this whole time…”
“Then you might need a way out,” Zora stated.
I nodded. “But if he wasn’t…”
“Then you’re pretty much in love with him already,” Clem said, her lips curving slightly.
She was right.
I had feelings for him. Strong ones.
So I didn’t want to use a devious plan like some of them had with their mates. I didn’t want a sex war. Or a game that existed to convince a stubborn vampire to feed on me.
I just wanted my friend back.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it?
Because he wasn’t my friend. Not really. He was my fated mate.
And that was so much bigger. And so much scarier.