8. Kenrid
When Lorna stepped out of the bathroom with her head held high, she looked like a completely different person. Her clear hazel eyes had no trace of her dhampir. The blood was gone, but dark circles shadowed her eyes. A slight quiver in her lip betrayed her determined facade. It would take more than twenty minutes to recover from what she’d been through, and we didn’t even know the extent of it yet. Maybe we never would.
I picked up the duffle bag at my feet and the garbage bag full of wet clothes.
“We ready?” I asked, not taking my eyes off Lorna.
“Yes,” she replied, but she shook her head no. “I … I can’t go out there.”
All the determination she’d gathered in the bathroom drained away. She squeezed her eyes closed, and the tears she’d been holding back streamed down her face. I started to drop the bags in my hands, but Elliott shook his head.
“I got her,” he mumbled.
I didn’t want to be jealous of his sudden closeness to her, but it burned hot in my veins. I’d been the first to win her over, yet he’d been the one to comfort her. I was pretty sure Elliott saw it, but for once, his wolf didn’t react.
“I can carry you out,” he offered, stepping in front of Lorna.
She huffed and wiped away her tears. “I shouldn’t need to be carried.”
“We can’t be strong all the time,” he said. “Except maybe Damon. I’ve never seen that bastard need help with anything.”
Lorna’s frustration didn’t vanish, but a tiny smile gave me some hope. “He does seem rather indestructible, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, it’s not good for my ego,” Elliott deadpanned.
Damn shifter. As much as I hated his humor, Lorna needed it right now if her faint smile was any indication.
“How about you just hold my hand and lead me out?” she suggested. “I plan to have my eyes closed the entire time.”
Elliott chuckled and grabbed her hand, then headed for the door. I followed behind them like the good little soldier I was. Most of the time, I didn’t feel like the weakest link in our group. I was fae. We’d practically invented arrogance, but spending too much time around three strong alphas made me feel inferior.
I hated feeling insecure. I needed to get back to New Orleans and my regular routine. I almost snarled at the ridiculous thought but caught myself. I could never go back to the other Exiled fae. Not unless I was willing to bring Lorna with me, and I wasn’t.
I would not put her at risk. Even if we successfully convinced everyone she was not a dhampir, I couldn’t stomach the thought of another fae touching her, and they’d definitely want to. She was beautiful even though she was only half-fae. No, she didn’t have our eyes or ears. Yes, she lacked some of our magic. But she drew people in with her beauty and kept them there with her dhampir’s thrall. I was pretty sure she never realized she was doing it.
Just like I’d told her before she was stolen from us, the fae were very sexual. They had no problem sharing partners unless they found their soulmate. Then they became like any other supernatural. Except the chance of an Exiled finding their soulmate didn’t even warrant a statistic. It just didn’t happen.
Until I met Lorna.
I was pretty sure her soul called to mine, but she also called Elliott and Damon. I suspected Nathan was in it too; he just hadn’t had an opportunity to reveal himself.
We were halfway across the lobby when Lorna’s legs gave out. It surprised me that she made it that far. The smell of blood still hung heavy in the air and was now mixed with gasoline. It wouldn’t take much to set it ablaze. Which was the whole point.
Elliott scooped her up in his arms and raced for the door. I jogged after him. Nathan and Damon waited by the truck. Elliott stopped several yards away and set Lorna on her feet. Her body tensed as she took in the vampire and the demon.
“Will we be okay in one vehicle, or do I need to steal one of Conrad’s?” Nathan asked as I stepped up to Lorna’s side.
A heavy silence fell between us, and I looked over at Lorna. She chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes focused on the pavement beneath her bare feet. I was about to suggest we take separate vehicles when she finally raised her head and met Nathan’s gaze.
“Can we try?” she asked. “I think I’ll be okay if Elliott and Kenrid sit in the back with me. I also think I’ll know right away if we can’t do it.”
I wasn’t the only one surprised by her suggestion. I didn’t think the ‘we’ in her statement included the males standing around her. She was talking about her dhampir.
“I’ll be right back,” Damon grumbled. “Nathan’s driving.”
I tossed the bags in the bed of the truck and closed the tailgate, then opened the back passenger door. Lorna crawled in first, and I followed her. Elliott laughed and walked around to the driver’s side. We’d have to talk about everyone’s claim sooner or later.
As soon as we were settled in, Lorna sighed. “I need to do this,” she said. “We have a lot to talk about, and I can’t get answers if I can’t be around Nathan and Damon.”
Once again, she surprised me. I’d expected her to retreat into her own mind, yet here she was, ready to talk.
“Let me know what you need,” I said. “If you start to feel out of control, tell me. I can’t speak for the others, but I’ll do what I can to make this easier for all of us.”
I glanced over her head at Elliott, hoping he would read into my words. I was fairly certain he’d finally stopped lying to himself about Lorna being his mate, but that didn’t mean his wolf would allow him to share. I couldn’t deny my attraction to her, but I was willing to do what was necessary to make it work. I truly hoped Elliott would be able to do the same.
Elliott’s eyes darkened for a moment, and a swirl of his shifter magic churned around the cab. It settled just as quickly as it rose. Elliott winked at me, then said, “What Kenny said.”
I rolled my eyes at the asshole. He hadn’t called me Kenny in ages. I hated it and he knew it, which was probably why he did it. Lorna’s short burst of laughter pushed aside my annoyance. Damn shifter making her laugh again.
“One of these days I’m going to make you explain why you want to help me, but I don’t think I can process that today,” Lorna said, smiling up at me.
Everything bad in my world melted away with her smile. If she could manage a small trace of happiness after everything she just went through, then so could I.
“I can’t promise that someone else won’t spill the beans,” I said, letting a grin escape.
“I’ll punch Damon in the throat if he even thinks about it,” Elliott said.
Gasping, Lorna twisted around to face him. “You two aren’t still fighting, are you?” she asked, with genuine concern in her voice.
Elliott laughed, and I shook my head, knowing exactly what he was going to say.
“Damon and I always fight,” Elliott replied between chuckles. “If he refused my challenge, I’d think he didn’t love me anymore.”
The baffled look on Lorna’s face was hilarious. Not that I could blame her for being confused. I didn’t want either of those muscled-up idiots hitting me.
“Men are morons,” Lorna mumbled, making both me and Elliott chuckle again.
The front doors opened, cutting off Elliott’s fragile attempt to lighten the atmosphere in the truck. Damon jumped into the passenger seat in his human form. Nathan watched Lorna but didn’t get in. Well, we all watched her, but her eyes were glued on Damon, shifting from hazel to green to black several times. He draped an arm over the back of his seat and met her gaze without an ounce of fear. Of course.
The rest of us held our breaths. Lorna’s internal struggle was so obvious. Without consciously thinking about it, I moved closer to her and pulled one of her hands into mine. Elliott did the same from her other side until all three of us were pretty much pressed into the center seat.
Lorna blinked several times, then pressed her back against Elliott’s chest, almost scooting into his lap. It was like she was trying to get as far from Damon as she could. It wouldn’t help when Nathan got in on the driver’s side. She’d have nowhere to run.
“Little d’laej,” Damon said, keeping his voice calm and low. “I can give you what your dhampir needs, but only if you show me the control I know you’re capable of.”
A deep black consumed Lorna’s eyes, and we all froze. I knew that look. It was the same one she had when we first arrived.
“You would feed me even after seeing what I did?” Lorna’s voice held a sharp edge, the same as when her dhampir spoke before.
“I would feed my mate,” Damon said, “but only if she proves herself worthy.”
Lorna scowled, baring her fangs. Elliott’s arm slid around her waist, but she didn’t act like she would fight him.
“And what do you consider worthy, demon?” she asked. “I will not be controlled by you or anyone else.”
Damon leaned over the center console, nearly putting himself in the back seat. Elliott’s grip tightened, and Lorna dug her fingers into his arm and my hand. At least she wasn’t trying to get away from us.
“Will you let your hunger control you?” the demon asked.
Lorna blinked again, then her eyes closed for several seconds. “No. I want to live.”
“So prove to me you want to live,” Damon said, then moved back to his seat.
Neither Lorna nor her dhampir responded. She didn’t release my hand, but she did peel her fingers from Elliott’s arm. He loosened his hold on her ever so slightly. I couldn’t help noticing that she didn’t mention Damon’s claim on her.
“Can I get in the truck?” Nathan asked, voice harsh. He was still standing at the open door, scowling at the rest of us.
Lorna nodded, but Nathan probably couldn’t see her now that she was tucked behind the driver’s seat.
“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s go.”
A few minutes later, Nathan had the truck turned around and driving away from the burning building. It hadn’t taken long for it to catch fire. Flames poured from the downstairs windows, and several on the second story had already broken. Black smoke billowed into the night sky, barely visible in the dark.
The local fire department wouldn’t arrive before the building and everything in it was gone.