2. To TrustNot
two
LUCA
I hate the idea of splitting up, but I know that my objection will be overruled. I’m just as desperate to find Red as Ryland and Orym are. I think it’s better to stick together. I’ll be a good soldier and follow my alpha’s instructions, though. We can have a private talk about it later, even if it won’t change anything.
I’m not convinced that Amber has Red. We didn’t even know that Amber had escaped when Red disappeared. I’d put my money on our Fae friend stepping in for some reason. I can’t figure out why, but the important part is that Amber does not have her. We can figure the rest out. I wish I had a way to contact him.
But, like everything else lately, he’s not very cooperative. The silence around me becomes oppressive, and I realize that I’ve lost sight of the group I headed out with. Fuck. Ryland isn’t going to like this.
Ryland? Where are you?I call out through the bond, searching for hints of his location. I’m still not used to this connection and I don’t really know how to work it.
Luca, are you okay?I hear his voice in my head. It still makes me jump because of how new all of this is.
I’ve lost my team. I don’t know what happened.I wait for his response, ducking behind a tree at the next noise I hear. While I wait, I watch as a small group of witches creep past. They don’t seem to see me.
I’m heading your way with my team. If they disappeared, that’s a problem.Ryland’s voice echoes in my head.
Wait! There’s a group of witches passing by. Five of them. I’m not sure if they’re responsible, but they don’t see me.I strain myself to hear their hushed conversation so I can relay it to Ryland.
“There was another one. Where did he go?” one of the witches says.
“You’ve lost your mind, Rachel. We got them all. Let’s just go home now. Amber will be happy with the six wolves we’ve captured for her,” another responds.
“What about the other one? Doesn’t she want us to search for her stupid niece, too? We haven’t found her yet,” Rachel counters. They bicker for a few moments more, then the second one convinces Rachel that they can go home.
I hold myself perfectly still, even my breath, until they’re out of range to hear me. Once I’m certain that I’m safe from being captured by Amber’s people again, I reach out to Ryland again. The witches confirmed that they took my team. I hid while they talked. They claim to be heading back to base to give the wolves to Amber. They also said they were searching for Red. That means Amber doesn’t have her.
Fuck. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Head back home. I’ll meet you there. If Amber doesn’t have her, this is pointless.
RYLAND
Luca’s voice in my head makes me pause. His team disappeared and there are witches hunting us. This is not good news. I send a quick text to the team leads and let them know to bring everyone back home. I won’t lose any more wolves than we already have.
Once I’m certain everyone is heading back home, I shift and race toward our cabin. If Amber and her people don’t have Red, we may have bigger problems than missing wolves. I can’t let my emotions get in the way of finding her. As the territory alpha, I have to remain in control. It’s hard, but I know I can’t lose focus.
The minute I step inside the cabin, I know that something is wrong. Grammy turns toward the door, her expression nearly unreadable. “What is it?” I ask, crossing the room to stand in front of her.
“The healing brew didn’t work as well as I’d hoped it would. The infection is spreading. If it reaches his heart, that might be the end. I’ve never dealt with anything like this before, so I’m not certain. It could just change him,” she explains.
“Change him? Into what?” I ask, my eyes searching her face for answers.
She meets my gaze before turning to look at James. “I don’t know.” It’s not good news at all, especially since Red isn’t here. If he dies, it’ll break their bond, and she’ll suffer. Without the rest of us near her, it could kill her. I have to keep that from happening.
“What can we do?” I hate how helpless I feel right now. I’ve grown to care about James too, and don’t want to lose him. We have to find Red, and we have to save James. Those are the two things I want to focus on right now. I can’t defeat Amber without Red, and she won’t be strong enough without James.
“I’m working on it. He’s stable for now, though that can change at any moment. Have you made any progress in finding Red? I’m going to need her help.” Grammy stares at me, as if I’m hiding something from her.
I shake my head. “No, but we learned that Amber doesn’t have her. That’s all we know.”
Before she can say anything else, Luca walks in. “Where have you been? You should have beat me home.”
“The witches circled back around. Amber must have sent them out to look for more wolves. Did everyone else make it back okay? Where’s Orym?” Luca asks, looking around the room.
Fuck. I check my phone and see confirmation that the only group unaccounted for is the one Luca was with, but the group Orym left with hasn’t seen him. “Looks like he’s not with his group.”
I call to him through the bond, hoping that Amber’s people didn’t take him, too. Orym, where are you? We need you at home. Amber’s people are taking wolves from the forest.
GARNET
“No, I don’t know exactly what my magic will do. I didn’t even know I had magic until recently. It’s not like I’ve had help figuring it out.” I look at James and wince at the hurt in his eyes. “At least not from anyone who knows about magic.” His expression softens and I feel a little better. I hate that my words hurt him, but I hope he understands that I didn’t mean it that way.
“Well, you have someone who knows about magic now. I will help you, but you have to listen to me. Do you understand?” Trevan seems irrationally upset by me using my magic, and I don’t understand what’s going on here. He’s hiding things. I know it.
I nod and glare at him. I’m pissed and want him to know it. James squeezes my hand. It’s surreal to me that he feels so solid here, when I know that this is just a manifestation of his soul. His body is back at home, probably dying. My heart aches because I’m here instead of there helping Grammy find a way to save him.
“It’s okay, Garnet. She’ll figure it out. Grammy is good at what she does, and the guys will help her,” James comforts me, obviously reading my emotions through our bond. I hate this entire situation more than I could ever explain.
“How can you be so calm about the fact that you’re dying?” I wail as he pulls me into his arms and holds me against his chest.
“Because I know I’m not actually going to die. It’s pretty easy to stay calm when you know the people you care about won’t let you go without a fight,” he says against my temple. I know this isn’t the time, but I melt into him and soak up his positive energy. I need this embrace as much as he does.
We stand there like that until Trevan clears his throat. “Not that this, display of emotion, bothers me,” he begins, “but we have things that need to be discussed in private. So, if you don’t mind, we need to get moving.”
I want to punch him for being a dick. My mate is barely hanging onto his life, and this guy is worried about someone hearing our conversation. It’s ridiculous. I have bigger things to worry about than his issues with privacy and affection. Who the fuck does this guy think he is, my dad? That’s a ridiculous idea. Isn’t it?
James and I follow Trevan into the palace. Now that one of his subjects, servants, people—hell, I never even asked who Miriam was to him—knows that we’re here, I guess we don’t have to worry about sneaking in. I stare at him as we walk, letting James lead me. The more I watch this Fae man, the more convinced I am that he could be my father. How crazy is that? It would explain why he claims he can help us, and why he spent time with Luca and me when we were kids.
But if he is my father, why wouldn’t he just tell me? What does he have to hide? Is he ashamed of me? Questions fill my mind and I realize that if I don’t stop this train of thought, I’m going to start blurting out what I’m wondering. Of course, none of it will be in order or make any sense. Then I’ll be even more embarrassed than I was at being cornered by one of his people.
James, can you hear me?I wait for his response. Nothing. Fuck, why did I think that our bond communication would work here? Maybe Trevan is right, and I don’t know enough about my powers yet. I’ll have to talk to James after we’re left alone for the night.
Our Fae host leads us to a large corridor with so many doors lining each side that I know I’ll never figure out which room is ours if it’s on this hallway. I can’t even count how many doors we’ve already passed.
“Where are we going?” I ask. Trevan doesn’t even pause at my question. Nor does he respond. Frustration bubbles up in me, and at the moment when I expect I’m going to explode at him, he stops in front of a door.
“Here we are,” he says, throwing the ornate wooden door open and gesturing for us to enter. “This is your room, Fae child. Your gentleman will be right across the hall in his own room.” He closes the door behind us, and I turn on him.
James wraps an arm around my waist to keep me from jumping on Trevan. “No, he will not. James will stay here with me. You cannot separate us. I won’t allow it.”
“It’s okay, Garnet. I can sleep across the hall if our host requires it,” James offers quietly. I shake my head and struggle in his hold.
“No. I won’t stay here if he tries to separate us. And I think there’s more to his offer of training me than he wants to admit. So, either James and I stay together, or I will find a way back home. Do I make myself clear, Father?” I don’t mean to say it out loud, but from the look on his face, I’m right. Trevan is my father. Fuck, this just keeps getting more complicated.
“How did you know? No one here knows who you are. I’ve kept that secret for so long,” he answers. Relief washes over him, and for some reason, that pisses me off more.
“You could have just told me, instead of trying to toss your weight around about my fated mate staying in my room, you know. It would have been a lot easier.” I refuse to answer his question, since he’s avoided so many of mine already.
“I never meant to hurt you, daughter. I didn’t know how to tell you,” he claims.
ORYM
I make it to the waterfall without anyone realizing that I’m gone. After spending a few minutes searching for Garnet, a branch cracks and I duck behind a tree. Multiple foot falls tell me that I’m no longer alone. I can’t tell who it is, but they’re coming up fast. I can’t risk getting caught, so I climb one of the larger trees and hide in the leaves. Hopefully, whoever it is won’t see me.
“I thought you said one of the wolves came this way,” a voice carries to my hiding spot. Shit, that’s not one of our people. I lean back further, pressing myself against the tree trunk.
“One of them did. That’s why I said we needed to follow him. But you lost him already, didn’t you?” another voice answers.
“Just keep looking. He has to be around here somewhere. People, or wolves, don’t just disappear.” This comes from a third voice. I can’t see them from where I am, so I can’t be sure if there are only three of them or if more are waiting silently.
“I bet he shifted and ran off once he caught our scent,” the second voice insists. Which is what I would have done had I caught their scent. But the wind blows in the opposite direction, making that impossible. New information makes me happy, though. These witches don’t know anything about tracking, meaning they won’t be able to find me as long as I stay still and quiet.
Ryland’s voice nearly messes that up when it echoes through my mind. Orym, where are you? We need you at home. Amber’s people are taking wolves from the forest.
I’m safe, for now. Hiding from a group of witches. They don’t know how to track, so I should be good. I’ll get back as soon as I can.I know that Ryland will probably want to head this way and chase the witches off, but I can’t let him know where I am. He’ll be pissed that I didn’t stay with my group. Unless he already knows and is already pissed. It never looks good when the second in command disobeys an alpha’s orders.
I wait for his response, hoping that no one else realizes that I took off. Where are you? Luca and I can get some guys and head your way.
Don’t. I’ll be okay. They’ll give up soon, since they can’t find me. Arguments are already starting. It won’t be long now.Maybe it’s stupid to ignore his question twice, but I can’t tell him where I am. I won’t risk him or Luca getting taken. I’ll wait this threat out, then head back home.
Why do I feel like you’re avoiding telling me where you are because you did something stupid? The annoyance in his voice is evident. I know that I’ll pay for my insubordination later. And that will be okay. For now, I have to ignore him and stay hidden to survive.
JAMES
Trevan is Garnet’s father. How did I not see that coming? It explains why this Fae man intervened to save my life, and why he helped Luca escape from Amber’s torture. I’m not sure how my girl is taking that revelation, though. She seems pissed and set on making him suffer for it.
“Maybe we should all take a breath and calm down,” I suggest, earning dirty looks from father and daughter. “Okay, bad idea. Noted. What if the two of you just take a beat before this comes to blows?”
“I would never strike my daughter. That is a ridiculous idea,” Trevan insists.
Garnet’s cheeks flush. I know her well enough to know that she wants to throttle him, but she’s also embarrassed by the thought of doing it. “Exactly,” she claims.
“Now that we know who you are, maybe you can answer some questions for us,” I offer, still trying to make peace between them.
Trevan sighs heavily and sinks into a chair. “Fine. I guess there’s no point in trying to hide it any longer. I’ll tell you what you want to know. Please be aware that some things may put you in danger, even here.”
Satisfied with the compromise, Garnet flops onto the love seat near the chair. I take a spot next to her, positioning myself between the two. It seems safer that way, as long as neither of them tosses out any magic.
“Why did you hide who you were when I was a child?” Garnet begins.
“To keep you safe. I knew that your mother made a deal with Grammy to protect you, and part of that was me staying away. The old hybrid would kill me if she found out I’d managed to spend time with you anyway.” It sounds like a valid explanation, but Garnet does not look pleased.
“What’s the deal with my magic?” she asks.
Trevan stares at her for a moment before he speaks. “There was a binding spell,” he begins, but she cuts him off.
“Yeah, we already dealt with that.”
“The witch spell, yes. But the Fae spell is still there. It’s causing your magic to react strangely and be inconsistent. If I can remove it, you’ll have all of your abilities unlocked. It will make defeating Amber less of a challenge.” Another reasonable explanation, but Garnet’s reaction proves that she’s skeptical of him.
“Look, I understand that all of this is difficult to process. For both of you…but we have to figure out a way for the two of you to trust each other. If not, Amber will win. And since she wants to kill the woman I love, I’m going to do everything I can to prevent that. I need you both to get on board,” I order. I’m not usually so outspoken, but this is Garnet’s life we’re talking about. And I value that even more than I do my own.
“But we need to focus on saving you,” she insists.
GARNET
James makes a face at my comment, while Trevan simply looks disinterested. I hate that his lack of interest bothers me, but it does. I tell myself that I don’t need his approval, and I know it’s true. I don’t need it, but I want it. My heart aches at the thought that he doesn’t care what happens to one of the men I love.
I want his help, but not at James’ expense. If I have to take Amber on by myself, I will. And I’ll find a way to defeat her, even if it kills me. As long as my mates survive. I don’t want to leave them, but I would rather give my life than sacrifice one of theirs.
“We don’t have time to debate this. Please, Garnet, let Trevan help you with your powers. Then maybe he can help us get back home and you can save me.” James’ plea grips my heart. I want to argue with him, but I can’t. The pain in his eyes is too much for me.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” I turn to my father. “It would mean a great deal to me if you would help me learn to use my powers so I can fight Amber and save James. Please.” I’m not above begging, but I hope it doesn’t come to that.
Trevan stares at me for a long moment. “I always planned to help you. I wanted to explain everything once you had a chance to learn more about me and this land. It was never my intent to lie to you. I kept the secrets that your mother wished me to, but only to protect you. There were forces searching for you even as a child. We had to make them believe that you were gone like your mother. It was the only way.”
I don’t know how to feel about his confession. Is he being honest with me? I have no way to tell. I’ve just met this man, and he’s asking me to trust him. I’m not sure I can. There’s no choice in working with him or not. I must work with him, or I’ll never learn to control my magic. I can’t risk the wolves, vampires, and even humans that way. It’s up to me to rescue them and keep them safe. If only I knew how.
“I can’t force myself to trust you. I want to, even though I don’t understand that pull. But I don’t know you. I hope that doesn’t offend you. I will work with you. I’m smart and learn quickly. When I’m trained enough to take Amber out, I do trust that you’ll send us back to deal with her. And if you can help us save James, I’ll expect that as well.” My words sound cold and calculated, but they aren’t meant that way. I just can’t express myself here, not to the father I’ve never known, not in a strange place that oddly feels like home.
After a few more minutes, Trevan excuses himself, leaving James and me alone for the first time since we arrived here. “Thank you, for being civil to him. I understand that you’re upset. You have every right to be. But I think he’s being honest. He just wants to help and doesn’t really know how.” James speaks softly, then pulls me into his arms.
I sink into him, enjoying how real and permanent he feels against me. I know it’s only because we’re in this strange reality, but I let myself believe that he’s going to be okay. Here, I can pretend that we’re just taking a vacation. It’s easy to ignore the fact that at this very moment, people who care about us are worried that I’m never coming home and James is dying.
The thoughts come unbidden, ruining our perfect moment. I want to push them away again and focus on us, but I can’t. Tears start to fall, and he wipes them away. “Garnet, it’s okay. I’m sure they’ll figure out how to save me. Please just focus on learning about your magic. I’m not going anywhere.”
Even as he says the words, I know they’re lies. I can sense it along our bond. Even though it’s weak and we can’t communicate with it, I can still feel his emotions. He knows that this doesn’t look good for him, but he’s encouraging me to stay here, with my father, and work toward our original goal. We have to defeat Amber. I understand the desperation of it.
I feel the same as he does, but I cannot sacrifice him to get there. I won’t. I’m tired of fighting, so I don’t say anything. Instead, I press my lips to his and kiss him, pouring my emotion into the connection between us. I can’t lose him. I’ll fall apart if I do.
Panic grips my heart, even as James’ love nearly drowns me. I kiss him as if this is the last time I’ll ever have the chance. I want more, but when I reach for him, he backs away. “Not like this. Not to say goodbye. I’m not giving up.” His words cut me, and more tears fall.
I can’t argue with him, because he’s right. If I make love to him now, it’ll be me saying goodbye. I don’t want that any more than he does. “I agree. This isn’t goodbye. And if I have to wait until we save you, then I will. I’m not giving up, either.”
With our vows made, we sink into a comfortable silence. I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow. My dreams are strange, but not the same as usual. I don’t dream of the forest or the witches’ circle. Instead, I dream of playing in a field with my mates. Where I expect darkness, all I see is light. I can’t help wondering if the Moon Goddess is trying to give me a sign.