21. Chapter 21
Chapter 21
How much longer? Tessa stood at the motel window waiting for Eric and Marcus to arrive. She glanced at Ben, who rested his head against the wall with his eyes closed as if he was accepting his fate.
She on the other hand was more than confused. He was a liar, right? How could he not be. She was supposed to believe that he didn’t remember who he was or that he was a dragon? Seriously? But if he was playing a game, why confess to killing Adam? By now the story of Adam’s death had to have reached all the dragon clans. Why would the one thing he said he remembers be something that would have him arrested, or worse? She wasn’t sure what dragon justice meant for someone who killed another dragon. Especially one as important as Adam.
Her stomach twisted in knots thinking about what she was going to say to Eric. Hell, Marcus loved Adam like a son too. They were both going to be devastated. Even though they had stopped the other dragons from taking over the clan after Adam’s death, they still hadn’t found his killer. And now he sat calm as can be in a bed he’d willingly handcuffed himself to?
His face was pale, never getting the color back after she’d told him about Adam. And he had been so adamant about staying away from Lily. Afraid he would turn her into an angel when he should have sensed her dragon. If this was an act, it was a good one. God, what a cluster.
And to make things worse (as if they could be) she had really liked Ben. Thought he was a decent man. He had treated her with respect, as if she had a brain and could contribute. She could be Tessa and not what everyone expected Tessa to be. She hated to admit to herself that she’d started to think, What if? when it came to him. And now there was no future with him.
Her heartbeat picked up when she heard cars approaching and looked out the window. Two SUVs pulled up and stopped. Eric and Marcus climbed out of the first one, and two guards got out of the second.
“They’re here. I’ll be right back.”
She took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked over to the SUV.
“What the hell is going on, Tessa? Why are you here alone?” Marcus barked in lieu of a greeting.
“He finally responded to my texts and agreed to meet me, and I didn’t want him to change his mind so I came here from work. You can yell at me later.”
Eric stepped closer. “You said he’s a dragon?”
“Yes.” She swallowed. “He’s claiming that he doesn’t remember anything. He even claimed not to remember he was a dragon.”
“Seriously? This guy is a con artist. What does he hope to gain?” Marcus said.
“I don’t know.” She held up her hands. “Listen. There’s something I have to tell you both.” She hesitated before scolding herself to get on with it. They needed to know the truth.
“What?” Eric asked.
“He told me he does remember one thing. He remembers killing another dragon, and they were in a cave.”
It only took a few moments for the realization to set in for both of them.
“Fuck!” Eric screamed, and he took off at a run toward the motel.
“Eric, wait!” Marcus yelled as he and Tessa ran after him.
Eric kicked the door open and stepped into the room. Marcus and Tessa ran in behind him a few moments later.
Instead of attacking him, Eric just stood there staring at Ben, whose face was lowered. “Look at me!”
Tessa had trouble breathing as Ben raised his head and met Eric’s gaze. Ben’s solemn eyes and thin-lipped grimace told her he was ready to accept whatever Eric was going to do to him.
When Eric stood there frozen, Tessa moved so that she could see his face. Eric’s eyes radiated hate, but after a moment they changed. Confusion followed by recognition, and was that happiness?
What the hell was happening?
Eric stumbled forward a step. “Oh my God. Adam, is that you?”
Tessa gasped like one of the actors on the telenovelas she was addicted to. Was Eric seeing things?
Ben frowned at him and shook his head.
Marcus stepped closer. “It is you!”
What was happening right now? Were they under some sort of spell? Had this been the plan all along and the witches were involved?
She looked outside, holding up the Taser. She wasn’t sure if a Taser would take a witch down, but she would damn well try it.
“Guys, Adam is dead. This is some sort of trick.”
Ben gaped at them before turning to Tessa.
“Say something!” Eric demanded.
“What is happening?” Ben said.
Marcus nodded. “It’s him. I would recognize his voice anywhere.”
“Guys. Listen. It has to be a trick!” Tessa shouted.
Eric walked over to Ben. “Adam has a scar on his left elbow from when we were kids. It’s pie-shaped.”
Since Ben was still handcuffed, Eric pulled up his sleeve and examined the back of his elbow, grinning through his tears. “It’s there.”
Tessa dropped the Taser and plopped down onto the end of the bed when her legs gave out.
Marcus held out his hand to her. “Keys?”
Tessa blinked at Marcus.
“Tessa, where are the keys to the cuffs?”
She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out the key. Marcus unlocked the cuffs, and Eric hauled the man up from the bed and hugged him. Then Marcus pulled him in for a hug.
Ben was gaping at them like they were speaking a different language. “I don’t understand. I’m Adam?” He turned to Tessa. “You told me I killed him.”
Tessa didn’t understand either. Adam had died in the cave, and now the guy she had spent days with was him?
“Let’s get you packed up and back to the clan house,” Eric said. “We’ll figure this out together.”
Ben pointed to his duffel bag, which Marcus grabbed, and they walked outside. Tessa snatched her Taser off the floor and followed them.
“Do you want to ride with us and I can have one of the guards drive your car to the house?” Eric asked.
“No…I’ll drive. Um…someone will need to bring his truck though. What about Sienna?”
“She wasn’t home when we left. I’m going to have Marcus call her guard and get her home ASAP. I’ll want to tell her before she sees him.”
“And Ian should come,” Tessa said.
“Yes. Marcus is calling him next.”
Tessa climbed into her car and rested her shaky hands on the steering wheel. How had this taken a one eighty? Ben was Adam? The über-rich leader of the clan and head of their company?
When Eric asked her if she wanted to ride with them, she had panicked. He was Ben, a wonderful man who became a liar, and then a dragon, and then a killer in the span of a few minutes. And then, surprise! He was Adam resurrected from the dead. Her brain and heart were suffering whiplash.
The drive gave her some time to calm down. She pulled in behind the SUVs and parked in front of the clan house. As everyone climbed out of the cars, another car arrived and parked behind Tessa. Sienna got out of the car as well. Crap! She was sure Eric hadn’t told her over the phone what had happened, which meant she was walking into this unprepared. Tessa headed toward her and tried to stop her to explain.
“What’s going on, Tessa?” Sienna said, looking past her.
Before Tessa could respond, Sienna froze and a scream ripped from her throat. Tessa reached for her, but Sienna was on the move, running to Ben and throwing herself into his arms.
Ben’s gaze locked on Tessa. A host of emotions ran over his face. Confusion, pain, hope, and then back to confusion again.
It was a miracle Adam was alive. That’s what she had to hold on to. They would figure this out. And she would sort out her feelings for the lost man…dragon…who had no idea of the superhero shoes he would be expected to fill.