“Why does it have to be that part?” he retorted. “Did you not feel the same thing I did when we traded bites?”
Of course I had, but I wasn’t admitting it. “That’s my point,” I hissed. “I can’t do this with you. Let’s get past my looming death first. Then I’ll worry about my emotional constipation.”
He released his seatbelt and moved to the bar at the back of the plane. I rolled my eyes. Was he really pouting? Did I care? He probably took blood from me on a very regular basis and I never even noticed. Besides, I wouldn’t be spending all my time with him anyway. As soon as we landed, I’d be getting back together with Kellen. Maybe none of it mattered.
“If you think of any other part of my life that I actually can control, I’ll consider it,” I snapped. “So far, nothing else seems to be within my grasp.”
Braden mumbled a response, but I didn’t understand any of it. I needed to learn some new languages. Right after I learned how to trap everyone with those roots without killing them.
Why would Cedric not teach me that part? I wondered. Probably because he was planning to use me to kill the queen.
I sighed. My life felt like that whack-a-mole game. Every time one problem hid in its hole, another one popped up.
Even if we managed to imprison Jack and not kill him, there was no way I could survive this. I couldn’t see the fae queen settling for anything less than my death. Everything I learned about the fae only lead to one thing: the elimination of my magic. So death or a vampire.
I turned towards the small window watching the dark sky drift by. There was that black hole, beckoning to me once again. Could I really just run away from all of it? No. The elementals always knew where I was. Or did they? Dusha had to search for Logan and Kellen’s spirits in order to find them. But if that was true, how did he always come to me when I called? Niyol and Göksu were always in my head, no matter where I was.
I didn’t have the answers, and I didn’t feel like talking to the elementals right now either. I needed sleep. Maybe once I got to Kellen’s I could spend the whole day in bed. Yeah, right. If Ernesto hadn’t lied to me, we only had a week to get ready for Jack’s big reveal. I shivered and pulled my scarf from my head, wrapping it around my shoulders. Not that I was cold, but I needed its false comfort.
Braden dropped into the chair next to me, but I didn’t turn to him. Everything about him confused me. As much as I wanted to unravel that puzzle, it wasn’t happening today or even tomorrow. Maybe a few weeks from now, after Jack’s defeat and my week on the beach. Not likely. I had an oath to fulfill. I shivered again.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No.”
Silence filled the space between us again, but I kept my eyes focused on the dark window.
“You should warn Kellen about your ears,” Braden suggested, apparently not satisfied with the silence.
“I’ll just keep them covered,” I mumbled, thinking of Logan’s reaction when Braden had talked about my darkness. My vampire’s revulsion made my chest ache, even now. Kellen wouldn’t be any different.
“Do you not know how to disguise them?” Braden asked.
“That’s a dumb question,” I retorted.
“I suppose it is,” he laughed, and I turned to look at him. How did he go from mad to laughing so quickly?
My confusion shifted to surprise at his pointed ears. What the hell? The sudden urge to reach out and touch them was overwhelming. I forced my hands beneath my legs. That wasn’t happening.
“Being a vampire doesn’t change one’s physical anatomy,” he said, smiling at my dumbfounded expression.
“How do you hide them? And why the hell didn’t you tell me before?”
“They’re beautiful on you,” he replied, “but you won’t be able to hide them from Kellen. Your fangs won’t show themselves unless you let your precious monster loose.”
Precious monster my ass. “Tell me how to hide my ears,” I demanded.
“You don’t have to be so bossy.” He raised a hand towards my ear, and I leaned back.
“Don’t touch,” I whispered.
His hand fell away with his smile. “You have to want to hide them,” he said. “It’ll be hard for you because of your indecision. It’s just like your little mouse. I’m surprised you were able to hold it as long as you did.”
What did he know about my indecision? I couldn’t hold onto the mouse because my magic gave out, not because I couldn’t decide to keep it. I scowled at him as he closed his eyes and the pointed tips of his ears smoothed over. Just like that.
“How do you do it?” I asked.
“I just told you,” he replied, opening his eyes.
“No, I mean…” I paused, looking for the right words. “I thought you lost all your fae magic.”
“Most of it,” he replied. “If it requires a spell, it’s gone. Small glamour like this only needs my stubborn will.”
“Which you have plenty of,” I mumbled.
“Indeed. You should practice,” he suggested. “It takes time to hold it without conscious thought.”
I almost thanked him and changed my mind. He’d hid it from me for days. Damn vampire. I closed my eyes and thought about my normal human ears. My mind immediately drifted to my normal human life and the veil my father cursed me with for twenty-six years. It had done what he wanted; it kept me isolated and hidden. No one looked at me or sought me out for any reason. I hated it then but wished I had it now.
“Don’t do that to yourself,” Braden whispered. “You aren’t that person anymore.”
Had I recreated that image? I didn’t feel any different. “I wish I was sometimes,” I muttered.
“I wish you didn’t mean it.”
I opened my eyes to find him frowning at me, his pointed ears on full display. The desire to touch them seized me again. No wonder Gordon did it without even thinking.
“This can only end in my death, Braden, and you know it.”
“I refuse to accept that.”
“You think the queen will let me keep my magic?” I asked. “She’s wanted me dead from the moment I was born. According to my father, anyway.” I shook my head. “Regardless, it looks like she wants all of us dead. How do you think she’ll react when we imprison Jack and she finds out you can turn me?”
“It is a blood oath,” he replied. “She cannot act against it without losing her own life.” He looked away, his ears smoothing over once again.
I heard what he didn’t say. She wouldn’t kill me if he turned me into a vampire. Why was my life so important to him? Gordon’s visions had to be the key. It was the only answer that made sense, and I really wished I’d had the chance to talk to him before confronting Ernesto.
I released my seat belt and stood. “I’m going to the bathroom and locking the door.”
“Yes, I know,” Braden said as he rolled his eyes, “you want privacy.”
I managed to conceal my ears successfully as long as I looked in the mirror, but it didn’t last. The first distracting thought revealed those cute little points. It must take tons of practice, I thought. Time wasn’t something I had. Did it even matter? Kellen knew I was fae, and I had to tell the other mages, too. If I didn’t let my monster go, I’d be fine. I pulled my scarf back over my head and left the bathroom.
Braden’s long legs stretched from his seat to the one across from him. With his eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest, he looked like he was sleeping. I was pretty sure he wasn’t.
I stepped over his legs and sat down, curling my feet beneath me and looking out the window. “Should I have Kellen pick me up at the airport?” I asked.
“No, there’s someplace we need to go first,” Braden replied. “Then he can pick you up.”
“Where’s that?”
“You’ll see.”
“Do we really have to play this game today?” I asked, my frustration boiling to the surface. I already had enough stress.
“Yes, we do. Now try to get some sle
ep.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and leaned against the window. The cool glass felt good. I closed my eyes and somehow fell asleep. Even better, I didn’t dream.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Please fasten your seatbelts while we make our final descent,” the pilot’s voice echoed over the intercom, waking me up.
I stretched, then moaned. My muscles ached from having my legs tucked beneath me for way too long.
“How’d you sleep?” my traveling buddy asked.
“Not too bad, even if it wasn’t long enough,” I replied. “Did you have something to do with that?”
“No. You asked me not to.”
“And you listened?”
He smiled. “Of course I did.”
“Did you bite me while I was sleeping?”
His grin widened. “Of course I did.”
“Ass.”
“You’re impossible to resist, and I am a vampire.”
“Whatever.” I crossed my arms over my stomach and tried to be mad, but I couldn’t. He’d been honest about it when he easily could’ve lied. Not that I wouldn’t have recognized the lie. Again, it didn’t matter. He’d be out of my life in a few hours, and I’d be surrounded by people who liked me.
When the plane landed, I watched us taxi right past all the main gates and pull up to a small hanger. Even from my little window, I could see Gordon standing outside a charcoal-colored sedan with tinted windows. The rising sun beat down on him, and I frowned. He had to be uncomfortable.
I readjusted my scarf as the engines wound down. One of the pilots joined us and opened the side door.
“Welcome to LA, folks,” he said with another tired smile.
Chapter 17
Gordon stood sentry at the car, the wind catching his dreadlocks and dragging them across his face. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but he didn’t hide the smile creeping across his full lips. I stepped up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, forcing him to bend over and return my hug.
“It’s good to see a friendly face,” I whispered.
“I was going for fierce, not friendly,” he said, releasing me and opening the back door.
“You had me shaking right up until you smiled.”
He laughed as I slid into the cool interior of the car. I didn’t know what it was about Gordon that made me feel comfortable, but he just did. It was likely some weird vampire thing, but I didn’t care. It felt good to be around someone who was happy to see me without an ulterior motive. I also needed to pick his brain about his visions. Talk about ulterior motives. I should’ve felt guilty. Not.
Braden slid into the seat next to me and Gordon got behind the wheel.
“Lunada Bay, boss?” he asked.
“Yes,” Braden replied.
“What’s in Lunada Bay and why are we taking the time to get there?” I asked. “I need to text Kellen and tell him where to pick me up.”
“Did you get the keys?” he asked, leaning forward and putting his hand on Gordon’s shoulder, completely ignoring my questions.
“Of course.” Gordon dug around in the center console then tossed a set of keys into the back seat.
“And the paperwork?” Braden asked, catching the keys.
“On the seat.”
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, watching Braden stretch forward and grab a manila envelope off the passenger’s front seat.
“You need some place you can go,” he replied, planting his butt right next to me. “A home that is yours.”
He slid a pile of papers onto his lap and tossed the envelope on the floor. “You’ll need to sign a few pages, though.” A title company’s name stretched across the top of several pages and a bazillion little ‘sign here’ tags stuck out along the edges.
“What have you done?” I asked, my hands shaking as I picked up a picture of a sprawling one-story home set on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
“I don’t use the house,” Braden said, flipping through the papers. “I’ve been paying the taxes for years to maintain it. I’ll continue to do so, but it’s now in your name, not mine.”
I looked up at him but couldn’t see past the tears in my eyes. I wanted to know why. More than anything, I needed to know. No one gives someone a house without strings attached.
“I can’t sign these,” I whispered, wiping my eyes.
“Don’t be silly,” he said. “Just take the pen and scribble your name next to the tags. Oh, make sure it’s the right name.”
I looked down at the page he thrust at me. Alisandra Black. “Really?”
“Do you want it in your real name?” he asked. “I can make that happen, but not today.”
“You can’t do this, Braden,” I insisted. “There’s no way I can pay for this house.”
“You’re not paying for it,” he huffed. “I’m transferring it from my name to yours. I’ll continue to take care of the upkeep. All you have to do is stay there occasionally.”
He held a pen between us, shaking it at me. Was that fear of rejection or irritation coming from him? I couldn’t tell. Had he figured out a way to block his emotions? It’s not like he would share that little trick if he had.
“Why?” I whispered.
“I thought you didn’t want to know until this was done,” he replied.
I searched his face, looking for something to give away what he was thinking. “Someone told me if I knew, it would change the outcome,” I said.
“For better or worse?” he asked.
“Worse, or at least I think.” I thought back to my conversation with Dusha. Had he said it would make it worse or did I just assume it? I couldn’t remember.
Dusha? Will you tell me?
I waited for several seconds, but he didn’t reply.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled.
Braden glanced at Gordon and I followed his gaze. The other vampire looked at us in the rearview mirror.
“You need to tell her,” Gordon said, then directed his attention back at the road.
Braden scooped up the piles of papers and straightened the stack. “He saw your death and mine. At the time, I was only concerned with my life and how to stop what was coming.”
“You’re talking about the tree?” I asked.
“No, but I believe it’s connected,” Braden replied. “The tree doesn’t kill me. Gordon’s vision showed Jack’s death and then yours, immediately followed by mine. The queen was definitely pulling the strings.” He set the papers in the empty space next to him and gave me his full attention. “When I made my oath with the queen, the vision changed. She cannot kill you as long as I turn you after Jack’s death.”
“She’s sneaky,” I hissed. “That oath only works out for you if Jack is alive. I’m surprised you didn’t see that.”
“I didn’t care if Jack died,” he said, pulling his fingers through his long hair, something I’d never seen him do. “He’s done everything he can to destroy us. I assumed fae could be turned, myself and Jack being perfect examples. I didn’t realize the truth, but apparently the queen did.”
“And why does my life matter?” I asked, shifting in my seat. He was practically sitting on top of me, leaving me nowhere to go.
“Vampires are not incapable of emotion,” he replied. “We feel anger, resentment, and lust, but we also have a certain amount of loyalty. Some more than others, depending on their circumstance before being turned.” He glanced at Gordon for a moment, then turned back to me. “Those from the magical community tend to keep more of their emotions than normal humans.”
He sighed and leaned back, giving me some space. Those emotions he mentioned were all over the place. Whatever he’d done to put a lid on them earlier was gone. Or maybe he just wasn’t feeling anything before. I couldn’t tell.
“Anyway, I’ve kept mine bottled behind a façade of indifference for so long, I believed they were gone. With each passing decade, Jack’s resentment for humanity has grown stronger. I’ve played both sides of the line for years, try
ing to keep him from exposing us.”
His fingers ran through his hair again and worry crept along my skin. He needed to get to the point. I noticed he was now avoiding my gaze. Insecurity drifted towards me, and I wrinkled my nose. Braden was a lot of things, but not insecure. I bit my tongue, trying to remain silent.
“Gordon has seen you and I together in so many different scenarios.” He stopped and ran his tongue along his lips.
I couldn’t keep quiet. “Just spit it out before I stab you,” I hissed. “What the hell did you do with my Braden?”
He laughed and looked over me. “It’s your fault,” he said. “You’ve turned me into this.” He waved his hands over his body as if that explained everything.
“Oh bullshit,” I spat. “Are you trying to tell me that Gordon saw you fall in love with me? Is that it?”
He shrugged, and I rolled my eyes. “Wow. You can’t see someone fall in love. It either happens or it doesn’t.”
“I’m pretty sure the scene I saw was all about love,” Gordon protested.
“Was it love or sex?” I asked. “Because that’s two different things.”
Gordon howled with laughter, and I glared at him. Had he not been driving, I would’ve hit him.
“He willingly accepts the tree of death for you,” Gordon finally said. “No one does that for sex.”
I slowly turned my gaze back to Braden, who stared back at me. “You can’t love me,” I said. “I can’t see you suffer because of me.”
“I thought we agreed you would release me,” he whispered, reaching for my ear. I let him run his finger along the edge then down my neck.
I shivered. “I said I would as long as you didn’t do anything to piss me off between now and then.”
“I remember those stipulations,” he said. “Why do you think I’m giving you a house?”
“So we have privacy when I stab you a hundred times.”
Gordon snorted, and Braden laughed.
“Okay, fair enough,” he said. “But the house is still yours for all the reasons I stated earlier. Now sign.” Braden reached for the stack of papers, then handed them to me.
He honestly thought he loved me, but I suspected our bond manipulated his feelings as well as mine. Could I really take a house from him? I’d never owned anything, and a home wasn’t even on the list. Maybe in my little dream world I thought I’d have a house filled with kids, but that reality didn’t exist for me. I sighed. Stupid decision number five-hundred.
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