“I know my sons, and I know they will find a way around this. We’re all worried about you and them. It wasn’t like this with their mother. We were never matched with anybody, but Laney knew what she wanted. She and her bond mates were a strong family unit. Not only was our race becoming extinct, but we fought wars against the Wolvens.”
I folded my arms. “Who are they?”
“It’s hard to explain. We’re not the only different race here. There was a time of unrest between the two races, and Laney and her husbands were all about defending our people, who were already an endangered race. Her bond group fought with the Warriors, and there was a bomb. She lost all of them. My brothers and I were very close friends with them. After their deaths, we took care of her. When bond mates are meant to be together, their bond is indestructible. We were fond of Laney, but we love your mother. If she left, it would destroy us. Despite not having a mark, she’s ours. If you have any idea of how that feels and if that’s what you’re feeling, then I understand. It was never our intention to let love grow between the five of you. Baxter’s family would be thrilled. So would Colten’s, as would I. And there was a point we thought you might end up together, but things changed.”
“How?” I asked, moving away.
“I’m sorry, Carly. My sons have another chance at a mate.”
A tremor of fear stole my body. “You’re serious? What does that mean?” He didn’t answer my question. “Patrick, what do you mean they have a chance at another mate?”
“They found—”
“A mate? They have one?” I breathed, not quite believing it.
“It’s a chance, Carly.” He shook his head. “It was all so sudden. They didn’t know what to think. We didn’t...We never expected this, but it happened. I thought things would be different, but now I’m not sure.”
“You thought things would be different?” I scoffed. “Well, so did I.”
Not waiting another moment, I shimmed away into the foyer of the council house and gasped, trying to catch the breath that had been stolen from me. The guys—my guys—had a chance at another mate. My heart twisted in my chest. Tear it out and throw me in a casket. It hurt too much. I couldn’t have them, and someone else would. I could have dealt with not having them and them being alone. I know, selfish of me. But for them to find a mate, someone they could love, was too much for me. I needed to get a grip. I had to think.
I leaned against the wall, trying to compose myself, when an old woman rushed over to me. The same one who greeted me when I first came to the council. Worry lines etched her face as she touched my arm gently. “Honey, are you okay?” A sob finally tore out of my throat as I collapsed into her arms. She patted my back like I was baby. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Nothing can be that bad, child.”
I hugged her tight and let my troubles fall from my lips. “Kenneth hates me because I’m in love with his sons, and they are with me. I couldn’t be with them before and not now either,” I cried in despair. “My body still hurts. It hurts on the inside. My own dad doesn’t care about me, and neither do my mom’s husbands. The only one who does is my mom. She’s willing to give up her home and husbands to defend me and what she thinks is right, but I can’t do that to her. They adore her, and she needs them. My whole life changed because of the light. Because I stupidly thought I had a chance. Now all I have is guys I don’t even like chasing after me and a man I want to find who seems to be a ghost. What should I do? What can I do?”
She sighed while she rocked me. “Ah, child, rarely does life give us what we want. But when something good comes along, we need to hold onto it or let it go. I know your plight. It’s not easy being a Lydent female. But there are certain exceptions.” She pulled back, wiped my tears away, and peered into my eyes with a kind smile. “I should know.” She patted my face. “We girls have to stick together. And Myra being my daughter, we’ve learned a few things along the way.”
I wiped my damp cheeks. “You’re Naylor’s grandmother?”
She nodded. “Yes, and while I wish you could mate with him, I understand.”
I gave a half-hearted sob. “I can’t with the others, either.”
She took my hand and patted it. “And why not?”
“Because my mark doesn’t match theirs, and I’m not ready to find out who it does match to.”
“Okay, then.” She nodded as she came to a decision. “Come with me.”
She shimmed us away to another room and left my side to pull a wooden box off her dresser. “I know a little bit about heartache and disappointments. Families don’t always act how they should when they need to”
I took the box in hand and stared at her in awe. “Why?”
She patted my face. “Every Lydent man has his talents, but every Lydent woman has her secrets. Heal while you’re gone. Think things through. After you’ve gone through every possible avenue of reason, come back and choose your fate. Don’t let it be decided for you.”
I hesitated and then nodded. “I will.”
A pink hue of ribbons twisted between us. “Your word is a bond,” she replied. “As is mine. Carly Gail Phillips, this is my promise. Shall you agree to take it, I will provide you solace in your time of heartache and trouble that you might follow the right path for your soul. Because when the body fades, the spirit stays. This is the wisdom I grant you, in the Spirit Whisperer’s name. Lydent.” She pulled away and smiled. “Heartache hurts. Give it some time. Shim someplace you know, then look inside the box. Be safe, heal, and remember when you’re ready, make your way back home. I’ve put a blocker on your shim trail. You’re hidden. Now go, child.”
I gripped the box to my chest and shimmed away to the only place I could think of; the Aquatic Center. Disappointment filled me to find it closed already. My car still sat in the empty parking lot; I was surprised it hadn’t been towed. I remembered what the old woman said, but I needed it for just a bit.
Debating on what I should do, I finally decided I could quickly shim in and out without any trouble. My things were in the locker room where the business didn’t install security cameras.
I walked to the far side of the building, out of the security camera’s view, quickly shimmed inside, gathered my things, and shimmed back out.
Hurrying over to the car, I unlocked it and shoved my bag inside, tossing the box into the back seat. I slid into the driver’s seat, then slammed the door shut. It was late and who knew what kind of monsters were out at night. I locked the doors.
Comfortable to be back in my car, my thoughts wandered. Why couldn’t my life be different? Not the mess it had become. My chest hurt. The emotional drain taxed on my already-broken heart.
Kenneth was going to send everyone away, at least the guys, because of me. Because, for some reason, he assumed my mark wouldn’t match theirs. And it was different. Even though he didn’t know if our marks would or wouldn’t match, Kenneth based his decisions off Lydent history. He knew our marks weren’t going to match despite my blood not being the same as theirs.
While my stepfathers desperately wanted what was best for their sons, their efforts to do what was best for them completely overlooked me. My dad did the same thing. I didn’t even want to go back to his house.
I drove randomly, unsure about what to do. I needed a place to go, to stay. I needed to finish my Lydent training. The light wasn’t something to joke about or to play around with; I could seriously hurt someone. Possibly without even knowing it. Or at least I assumed so.
I finally parked on the side of the road and stared out the windshield as the last ray of light fell. With a depressed sigh, I turned to the back seat and grabbed the box. Straightening, I looked inside.
It contained postcards with real photographs on the fronts from different places. A sunny beach in Hawaii, a hotel in the Bahamas, and a spa in Florida. There were a million of those postcards inside and at the bottom, a bundle of cash and a note.
The sweet woman who I only knew as Myra’s mother and Naylor’s grandm
other had given me an escape. I couldn’t take her money, but I would borrow it until I could pay it back.
I took everything out of the box and shoved all but one postcard into my bag with my wadded-up clothes.
When it came to picking a place and not wanting to deal with customs, I chose the spa in Florida. It was far enough away, and I needed some pampering.
Memorizing the photo, I shimmed out of my car with my bag in hand.
I was now off the grid.
Chapter Twelve
I landed outside a fancy pearl-white hotel. It was huge and curved in the shape of the letter “C.”
It was night, and the saltiness in the air that came off the coast teased my senses. The area I shimmed into lacked people, but I still felt exposed, unsure if there were cameras nearby.
Bag clutched to my side, I made my way toward the front doors of the building, nervous about being in a new place.
Would they take cash? Glancing around, I didn’t think so. Maybe I should have gone to Hawaii. At least there I could still use US currency and a lot of people there used cash on stuff.
Straightening my spine, I decided to head inside and at least ask. The worst they could do was tell me no and turn me away.
I walked through the front entrance. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and only two people worked at the concierge desk, one man and one woman. I paused, debating for a second which of the two would be better to ask—beg— to allow me to pay in cash instead of credit card.
Initially, I thought the man might be better. I could maybe flirt a little with him. But the woman might see me as a desperate woman who had her wallet stolen and only her emergency cash with her.
Desperation made me willing enough to lie and judging by the woman’s current customer, she was going to be a hard sell. I settled on the guy with the same sordid story, in the hopes he would be moved by my distress.
I waited in his line but groaned when the female receptionist’s last customer left, and she glanced to me with a practiced smile. “I can help you over here, Miss.”
I grunted on the inside while plastering on a humble but hesitant smile. “Hi, my day has been horrible. My wallet was stolen out of my purse on the way from the airport and all I have is my emergency cash. Is there any way I could pay for a room with cash? I already had all my cards cancelled.”
She gave me a suspicious stare before asking, “Do you have a reservation?”
“I did, but now it’s not going to go through because my cards were cancelled,” I lied.
The receptionist gave me a sympathetic smile. “Well, let’s see if you’re in the system at least.” Knowing I wasn’t in the system, I gave her my name, and she turned and gave me a bright smile. “It seems like you’re in luck, Miss Phillips. Your grandmother called and arranged the room for you.”
My brows furrowed in brief confusion, then lifted with realization. The old woman made me a reservation? How did she even know... Shaking my head in wonder, I decided not to even go there. That woman was a mystery.
With an expression of relief, I put my hand to my chest. “Thank heavens! Don’t you just love grandmothers?”
“Grandmothers are wonderful,” she confirmed as she typed on her computer. After a moment, she pulled out my room cards and swiped them in the reader, activating the magnetic strip for my door. Handing the cards to me, along with a map, she gave me my check out date, which was a week from today. As I took it, she said, “Have a nice evening.”
“Thanks,” I replied before heading off to the elevator.
Up on the third floor, I found my room and sagged with relief. I dropped my bag on the bed and stared out at the panoramic view from the window. It wasn’t a scenic view, not while it looked out over the parking lot and street, but I was grateful.
Turning to the bed, I took out my old, wrinkled clothing that I had exchanged for my lifeguard swimsuit the first day at my new job and thought back. Had it only been ten days? Ten days of living a totally and completely different life? It seemed longer.
I laid my clothes on the dresser next to the television, hoping the fabric would breathe and the wrinkles would come out.
Making my way back to the bed, I toed off my shoes and slipped between the sheets.
Tomorrow, I would deal with life. Tonight, I just wanted to forget and go to sleep.
Grabbing one of the many fluffy pillows that lay against the headboard, I curled my arms around it, buried my face into its softness, and drifted off into dreamland.
~
The next day, I woke up slightly refreshed, but with a heavy heart. I decided it was time to spend some of that money and grab myself some odds and ends I needed for my stay.
With the amount of cash my self-proclaimed grandmother gave me, I had enough to shop in some upscale stores, but I settled on Target.
At the store, I bought new clothes and things I needed for the week then went back to the hotel. After putting the stuff away, I walked down to the beach. I didn’t know what to do with myself, but the thought of letting Florida’s ocean water run over my feet sounded like a good place to start.
I spent the rest of my first day at the beach. Even though I tried to distract myself, throughout the day my thoughts wandered back to the guys. Had they left for their warrior assignment? Had they even considered searching for me? Did my dad or my mom worry? Did my step-fathers?
Was there some rule about what I could and couldn’t do being a new Lydent and all?
It didn’t matter; I had already run away.
The second day there, the need to touch base with home made me antsy. I wanted to come up with some kind of plan. Maybe I wasn’t good at this running away thing. I took the easy way out. But when my thoughts drifted to the guys once more and their possible new mate, jealousy crept up, and my heart ached.
I filled the rest of the day with sightseeing to bury those feelings.
On day three, to get out of my funk, I splurged on a spa day. I mean, who could stay at a spa hotel and not do one? And it was luxurious. Cucumber mask peel, sugar scrub, and mud bath. Who ever thought a mud bath could be fun!
After my mud bath, I found myself in my own separate shower room. Relaxed, my body felt smooth and soft as the mud washed away. I could now see why people paid to have one.
During my spa day, I made up my mind to go back and deal with everything like an adult. The decision brought peace to my soul. I needed to accept the fact, as hard as it was to swallow and as much as it hurt me, the guys weren’t mine. They belonged to their mate.
I turned off the shower when I was completely clean and stepped out, grabbing the white, fluffy towel and wrapping it around my body. While soft, the sheet of fabric barely covered me. Good thing I was alone. I walked toward the exit that lead to the next step of my spa day, but my head jerked up when a knock sounded at the door.
Nerves skated along my bones. My mind went wild with who it could be. The old lady, my stepfathers, or even… no. I shook my head. No one knew where I escaped to; they couldn’t.
And logically, I knew it was probably the hostess, there to direct me to the next area.
Unsure what I should do, I tightened the towel around myself and quickly made my way to the door, peering out through the peephole to make sure it wasn’t someone else.
“Carly?” Zander’s voice vibrated through the door as he stood on the other side, hands in his pockets as he glared.
I jerked back, my heart thundering with apprehension. How did he find me? And in here.
I debated on whether I should open the door. I knew he could get in here, and I wasn’t exactly dressed. While I waffled with indecision, he took it upon himself to shim inside.
Unease prickled up my spine and words died in my throat when his predatory gaze found me. He looked ready for the next Lydent war. His eyes skimmed my body before meeting mine.
My breath caught. “Zander? H-how did you find me?”
“You left,” he growled, his body tense. “You left and didn’
t tell us. Someone blocked your shim trail, but luckily, I’m a possessive bastard. I marked you, *the very first time you left us. *It took me awhile, but I found you, Carly. I needed to know you were okay. You shouldn’t have left.”
I stepped back as my mind whispered a warning. “You marked me? Like a d-dog?”
“You can’t leave like you did before, Carly. You could then, when you were human, but not now. Not from us.”
I swallowed and tightened my towel, painfully aware of how naked I was underneath it. “From who?”
He advanced toward me, and I stepped backward until my back met the wall. Nervous knots swirled in my stomach. What was he doing?
His frame hovered over mine as he planted his hands on the wall above my head. “There’s no more pretending.” His voice softened, his eyes boring into mine. “I know what’s going on. I understand how you feel,” he stated, making sure to accentuate each word of his confession. “I know how you feel about me. About us.”
My mouth clamped shut, locking away my secrets as I shifted my gaze away from his and to his shirt.
“And I say to hell with the mark.” His palm slipped down beside my head, his body hovering over my wet one. His mouth just above mine, he demanded, “Tell me.”
My heart skipped, and I chanced a glance up. What I saw broke something in me.
“Tell me I’m not wrong.” His eyes pleaded with me, despite his hard words. He was hurting, too.
I lifted a hand, the one not holding my towel, to his cheek. “I can’t help it,” I said with the barest whisper. “I can’t help how I fe—”
I didn’t finish the sentence because his hot mouth met mine and pressed against me, telling me without words how tortured he’d been. My trembling hands curved around his neck, anchoring me to him. He had every right to be angry. It wasn’t fair.
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 106
