Chapter Fourteen
Tor
“Ally, I’m home!” Mia called as she took off her shoes.
I followed suit, making sure to put them neatly on the mat near the door. Although I knew how the situation looked, I hadn’t intended to stay the night. I was, however, glad that she’d made the offer. That way, I could ensure Mia was safe.
She motioned me toward the living room off to the left while she headed back, likely going for her room or to find her roommate and let her know a strange man was in the house.
I, meanwhile, busied myself by going around and peering out of the windows, looking out into the night. She was out there, somewhere just out of sight but close enough to send a bolt of lightning through the car.
Rica. My sister.
Exiled from our home nearly twenty years ago, she’d found me, just as Ty had warned. I doubted she would straight up attack the house, not when it was full of humans and me. No, Rica was announcing her presence, reminding me that she was alive and that she didn’t want us on Earth.
Too fucking bad, sis. We’re back, and this time, we’re not going anywhere. My mate is here, and I will find her. And if you touch a hair on her body, I will stuff a bolt of lightning so far down your throat you—
“Tor, this is Ally.”
I turned, my internal diatribe cut off by the return of Mia and another woman, a taller blonde.
She wore loose sweats that many new moms favored.
The baby was nowhere in sight, but I recognized the look of “I’m too busy and tired to give a shit what I wear right now.
” While I’d never been a parent myself, I’d seen the results of trying to raise dragon children.
I could only imagine humans were just as tiresome at the younger ages.
“Hi, so you’re the guy who hired her to clean for twelve grand?” Ally said, sticking her hand out.
“Ally,” Mia hissed.
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
I grinned, taking the hand and giving it a firm shake. “That would be me.”
Ally looked me up and down. Then glanced at Mia.
“What?” Mia asked, frowning.
“Are you sure you’re cleaning and he’s not a sugar daddy? Like, look at him.”
“I’m right here,” I said dryly as Mia went bright red.
Ally faced me. Like Mia, she had to look up at me, but the five or six inches of extra height made it easier. Still, it was amusing to see one so small try to be so stern.
“Are you trying to use my friend for sex and paying her to ‘clean’?” Ally asked.
“No,” I replied immediately. “She’s cleaning my house, and in return, I’m giving her a discount on the car she wants so badly. We both get something out of it, but there’s nothing sexual in that agreement.”
Ally’s eyes twitched at my wording. It was true, in that particular agreement, that there was nothing sexual. That wasn’t to say that there was no sexual tension at all between us, but I most definitely was not paying Mia for it. Why pay for something when if I tried, I could have it for free?
“You’re right. He’s attractive,” Ally said.
Mia looked ready to die. For her benefit, I held back a chuckle of laughter. So Mia had been talking about me, had she? That was most interesting to know. I wasn’t surprised she found me attractive, but it was revealing that she’d said so to Ally.
“So, Tor is going to be sleeping on the couch tonight,” Mia said, trying to get ahead of her unruly roommate. “We had some car trouble.”
Ally snorted. “That sounds convenient.”
Mia, flustered, walked to the door and pulled it open. I stiffened, wanting to dart over and close it, but I knew I had to act like nothing was wrong. If I gave away that I knew what was out there, that there was a potential for danger, it would open up too many questions.
Still, I quietly called some of my powers to hand, just in case Rica decided to make her entrance now as opposed to later.
“What would you call this, then?” Mia said, gesturing out the door at my truck.
Ally went over, and a visible shock ran through her. “What the hell happened?”
“Tor thinks the battery blew up.”
I shrugged when both women looked at me, and I gestured for them to come back inside. “I have no other ideas what it may be, but there was a burst of bright light and a loud bang. Did you not hear it?”
“I thought I did,” she said, nodding. “But I was back there talking with Timothy while he changed Axel, so we weren’t entirely sure. I’m glad you two are okay.”
“We’re fine,” I assured her, peering past her out one of the windows. Was that movement I saw in the shadows? “Thank you for the hospitality for the evening.”
“It’s not a problem,” Ally said, settling into the recliner in the middle of the living room while gesturing for Mia and me to sit on the full-length couch.
I couldn’t help but be hyperaware of the seating arrangement. Had it been a conscious decision on Ally’s part? I sat in one corner, giving Mia the option of where to sit. It was no surprise when she ended up on the far end instead of the middle. Ally might have smirked, but she hid it well.
We chatted for a bit about nothing. All the while, Ally looked back and forth between us. I could tell she was practically willing Mia to move closer, but her looks and mental insistence had no effect. Eventually, her baby started crying, so she reluctantly bade us goodnight.
I settled back into the couch, aware that it was now just Mia and me. In her house. Nobody else around. Searching for a topic, I saw a picture on the end table that had to be of Ally, Mia, the older man from the auction who must be her father, and another woman.
“Ally’s mom?” I asked, pointing.
Mia’s face fell.
Fuck. I was an idiot. Mia had told me at the auction about her mother, but I hadn’t paid much attention to her then, and I’d forgotten.
“No, that’s my mother,” she said, crestfallen. “A few months before she died, the four of us went to see a musical here in town. Ally’s parents are hours away, so mine sort of adopted her when they left town. We often did stuff together. She’s basically a sister to me.”
“I saw that during the interrogation,” I said.
“Oh, my god,” Mia sighed. “That was so embarrassing. I’m sorry about that. She’s a bit protective of me.”
Protective wasn’t the vibe I was getting. It had seemed to me like Ally was pushing Mia toward me, but I kept silent.
“It’s fine.” I paused. “I’m sorry about your mother, Mia. I feel like an idiot, bringing that up.”
“Don’t,” she said, biting her lower lip and staring straight ahead. “It’s fine.”
I stared at the space between us, wishing I could move over, wanting to put my arm around her to help her out in any way I could.
“What happened?” I asked softly.
“We were going to go to the craft show,” Mia said softly, her voice taking on a distant tone.
“She came to the apartment where I lived at the time. Was going to drive us over there. So full of life, she couldn’t wait to pick up some more yarn.
She’d just recently taken up knitting and was still building her collection.
She had plans to get all kinds that day. ”
I watched her face as she spoke, my heart crystalizing with a mixture of shared heartache at the loss of our mothers but also frustration at my inability to console her.
Despite the tension between us, she made it quite clear by her position that she wasn’t too interested in being closer to me. I had to respect that.
“We sat down on the couch to have tea before going,” Mia continued. “I was just about to take a sip, when she made a joke. I laughed, and almost spit it all over me. My mom was big about laughter, she believed it was the best thing for you.”
By that point, tears were streaming down Mia’s face, and her voice had fallen to a whisper. I could tell it was the only way she kept it from breaking down entirely.
“I turned to her and fired back with another joke just as she was about to drink. She started laughing so hard. Then she stopped, and looked at me funny. At that moment, she knew. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was when she knew.
She said ‘I love you.’ I reached out to hug her and say the same.
But she was already gone. She died right there, in my arms. I … ”
I could no longer just sit there and let her suffer alone. The consequences be damned. She needed support, and her friend was busy. I’d opened the can of worms, and I would deal with the consequences.
Sliding across the couch, I pulled Mia into my arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mia. I can’t begin to imagine what that was like.”
She shuddered but didn’t pull away from me.
“I lost my parents, too,” I said, trying to empathize with her. “Not … like that. It was expected, but I miss them. Every day.”
I recalled my dad’s booming laugh and my mom’s loving smile. They were gone, but I would always have those memories. I held onto them tightly.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Thank you.”
The sniffles and tears slowed, but she kept her face hidden in her arm until they were well and truly done. I didn’t care. I was perfectly content with her body pressed against me, my arm around her, holding her close, doing my best to ensure she felt safe.
“I’m going to clean up,” she said eventually, slipping out from under me and heading toward what I presumed to be the bathroom.
I let her go, and once she’d closed herself in, I went to the front door and opened it, looking out into the night. I couldn’t see any sign of Rica, no movement in the dark, no sound of wings swooping in the sky.
But I could sense her. The air had a freshly ionized tingle to it. She was nearby, but so far, staying out of sight.
I was going to have to deal with Rica, soon, if I wanted to keep Mia safe. She might “just” be a human, but she intrigued me greatly, and I was quickly coming to think of her as mattering. I wouldn’t let Rica hurt her.
And I knew from experience that my sister would have no hesitation regarding harming others. The only reason she didn’t attack now was a combination of my presence and the fact that doing so would raise the alarm of other humans. She wanted to stay below the radar.
“Is someone there?”
“No, no, I was just getting some air,” I said. Instead of turning to look at Mia and opening myself up to a cheap shot, I slowly backed up, closing the door and locking it once more. “How are you doing?”
She looked better, her face was clean of tears, and her eyes were less red.
“Better,” she said softly. “Thank you. I …”
“Don’t sweat it,” I said, waving off whatever she was going to say.
We stood there, looking at one another. Brown eyes versus pale. Short against tall. We weren’t facing off, but rather, each one was waiting for the other to decide what to do next.
And somewhere in that murky area between us, things changed. Embarrassed glances became curious looks. Nervous lip bites became minor seduction.
The tension grew, and the vibes between us were different.
Very. Very different.
“Tor,” she said breathlessly.
Against my better judgment, I went to her.