by Nicole Hall
Dru squinted at the bright sunlight shining through the window. Did they have coffee? She distinctly remembered him saying something about electronics not working there, but she might have made up the part about the coffee.
A quick search confirmed that she was alone in the apartment. While getting ready for the day, Dru reminded herself, several times, that Oren had other responsibilities besides keeping her bed warm. Or his bed, in this case.
Showered, dressed, and fed, she checked her calendar, surprised to find that Saturday had snuck up on her. Dru loved her job, but she refused to work on the weekends. Probably for the best since Oren had agreed to take her along to find Brianne today.
She frowned. Would he have gone without her? Nah. Dru shoved the doubt away. She trusted Oren, but if he didn’t get his fine ass back soon, she’d become the nagging booty call she’d always avoided.
Or…Dru eyed her phone. He’d said to be careful, but she didn’t have to wait around in the apartment for him to return. She could be careful and also helpful.
Jeff had delivered the deadly take-out last night—was it only last night?—and he was merely a short elevator ride away. Decision made, she tucked her phone into her pocket and grabbed the extra door fob from the console. Oren must have his on him. Good, she didn’t need to worry about locking him out, though had it been an option, she would have been sorely tempted.
Maybe next time he’d consider sleeping in next to her. Dru grinned. Next time. She liked the idea of next time.
Downstairs, the poor doorman had his hands full with a lady and her miniature demon masquerading as a dog in a purse. Dru slumped against the desk and tried not to make her eavesdropping too obvious.
Jeff spoke too quietly to hear, probably out of a misplaced nod to her privacy. The lady didn’t seem interested in being subtle, or in anything Jeff had to say. She called him a barbarian, turned on her ridiculously high heels, and walked toward the elevators with her nose in the air. Dru whistled silently. She’d never seen anyone literally put their nose in the air before. The fluffball dog yipped nonstop until the elevator closed behind them.
Dru raised a brow at Jeff. “Your job sucks, man.”
He pulled a handkerchief out of a hidden pocket and dabbed at the sweat on his forehead. “Yes, miss. How can I help you?”
“Can you tell me who delivered the Chinese food I ordered last night?”
His brow furrowed. “I can’t recall the name, but I believe it was a young man in a ballcap. He must have been on the approved list or I would have called up first. Was there a problem?”
Dru shook her head. No reason to alarm him. “Nah, I’m just trying to waste time until Oren gets back, and I was curious.”
Jeff put away his handkerchief and straightened his collar. “Perhaps I could suggest an alternative. Mr. Ashir mentioned you enjoy working with plants. There’s a community garden not far from here that could use a seasoned hand. The tomatoes especially need a good pruning.”
She smiled at Jeff’s obvious love of the space. “That sounds fabulous. Point me in the right direction.”
Despite their late night, Dru hadn’t slept in as long as she’d expected. As a result, the sun hadn’t yet come past the buildings into the community garden two blocks over. She walked through the rows of greenery and marveled at the ingenuity of city dwellers. Old lattice became trellises, rebar staked the plants in place, cut pieces of a fallen tree lay carefully scattered about as seating.
It wasn’t the wild growth of her backyard, but the spirit of the community shined in the healthy plants swaying in the light breeze. Jeff had mentioned that the lot across the street sometimes featured a farmer’s market that sold produce from the garden, but it must have been the wrong day because the place was empty.
Surprisingly, the garden was also mostly empty on a Saturday morning. Dru had only seen one other person in the corner tending to some seedlings. Despite the sun and the heat, the woman wore a heavy wool scarf, along with at least ten other scarves in various bright colors. It looked like a rainbow had exploded around her neck. At least her flowy dress would provide her some comfort.
The scent of sandalwood floated to her on the air. Dru located a small tool shed and searched it for gloves and a pair of pruning shears. None of the gloves fit her, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. All the tomatoes would do is leave a strong scent on her hands. The shears looked sharp and ready to go.
Dru took her time examining each plant before setting to work, and by the time she’d pruned the last vine, the sun had reached her spot in the garden.
“Those tomatoes are coming along nicely.”
Dru stood up and stretched, sore from hunching over for so long. The woman from before had come to examine her work, dusting her hands on her dress. Up close, she was younger than she’d looked from across the garden. Not young, but the abundant scarves added a few years.
“They are. This place has such healthy plants. I’ll bet the produce is delicious.”
The woman smiled. “My niece will be glad to hear you say so. She helps run the garden, but she’s been on bedrest for the last few months so I’m helping out.”
Dru really wanted to ask about the scarves, but she didn’t want to cause any embarrassment. The woman moved to the next plot, and Dru followed. “She’s lucky to have family so close and so willing to help.”
“Oh, I don’t live close. I’m visiting from Texas.” She sent Dru a sidelong look. “If you don’t mind my saying, you sound like you could use a little family help yourself.”
Dru started. “What makes you say that?”
“Oh, your tone and a little intuition. If Henry were here, he’d know for sure, but he doesn’t much like the garden. The cilantro gets to him.”
“Is Henry your husband?”
She laughed. “Oh no, honey. Henry is my iguana. He’s very perceptive.”
Dru pressed her lips together to keep the laugh inside. She would not be rude to this fantastic woman. “I am having a bit of a family problem at the moment. In that my family is the problem.”
“You have help though, don’t you.”
That hadn’t been a question. Dru took another long look at her. She’d bent over the zucchini to rearrange the spiky vines so they weren’t choking each other, giving off no indication that she’d said anything weird. “I do, but he just happened to show up at the right time. I can’t depend on someone who’s helping as a matter of chance.”
“Pish posh. There’s no such thing as chance, dear.” She straightened again, and smiled serenely. “The universe provides, you just have to trust the timing.”
“Dru?” She spun around at Oren’s voice. A lick of heat ignited inside her at the sight of him.
The woman chuckled. “That’s my cue to head home. Accept the gifts you’re given, and you’ll be just fine.”
She sauntered by Dru toward the street, patting Oren’s cheek on the way past. He gave her a confused smile, then wrinkled his nose and joined Dru in the garden.
“A friend of yours?”
Dru shook her head, not sure what to make of the woman’s eerily accurate advice. “Not really. We met here and talked for a bit. She’s strange and pungent, but she seems kind.”
Alone among the greenery, Oren gazed around them at the abundance of plants in a small area. “I like this place. It reminds me of your backyard a little bit.”
The compliment bloomed warm and fuzzy in her chest. Her garden represented a work of love that she didn’t dare pour into anything else. Why form attachments if she was doomed to her role among the dryads?
Her dark thoughts scattered when Oren turned back to her and took her hand. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there this morning.”
Dru blinked. Right. The reason she’d come out here. She shrugged one shoulder. “I assumed you had a more pressing concern.”
He tugged on her hand until she relented and stepped closer. “You could say that. I was trying to contact Keris, the leader of my clan.”
“Looking for more information?” Dru’s bland words belied her chaotic emotions. She wanted to slide her arms around him, wanted him to kiss her hello. The distance between them was her making, but the woman’s words echoed in her head. There’s no such thing as chance.
“Yes, but not about Brianne.” His thumb slid roughly over the inside of her wrist, and Dru shivered despite the warm sun on her back.
“Look, I understand. I’m not really a morning person anyway, so I appreciated that you didn’t wake me up.” As soon as she said it, Dru recognized the lie in her usual flippancy. She’d wanted to wake up next to him. That would have led to real appreciation. What she got was a sad reversal of her usual position.
She’d never been on the receiving end of the brush-off speech before. Dru stared over his shoulder, not willing to see the regret on his face when he explained that last night wouldn’t happen again.
“Kalia, I don’t regret last night.”
Dru’s gaze shot back to his face. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“I couldn’t hear your thoughts, if that’s what you’re worried about, but I can sense the spike in your anxiety about my disappearance. That’s why I left this morning to get answers. Our situation has changed.”
“Changed how?” This time, she noticed her trepidation came from two sources. Her own worries about her feelings for him…and a source outside herself that felt suspiciously like Oren.
“The bond I created with the marks became much stronger last night.”
Dru’s free hand came up to cover the mark on her neck. She could still feel the nubby texture of the magic there, but the underlying connection went deeper than before. “What does that mean?”
“At some point last night, we opened ourselves to the connection, and our magics forged a new bond. One I can’t easily remove.”
Dru’s eyes widened, and her tone went up half an octave. “Define not easily.”
He stiffened. “Death is the usual way to break it. My people don’t take this bond lightly because it’s damn near permanent. It’s also extremely rare. The magics in question have to be compatible and capable of merging. It’s almost unheard of outside of the clans. At least, until recently.”
She stalked away from him, pacing to the sunflowers and back. “This is exactly the thing I was trying to avoid. I thought you said the mark prevented any other bonds.”
“It does, but in this case, the mark facilitated the stronger bond between us.”
Her lips pressed together as Dru tried to control her mouth for once. A simple bond with Oren made her a smidge nervous, but if it became too risky, they could remove it. A permanent bond guaranteed Oren would be in danger from Ljos.
“What the hell, man? I trusted you, and now we’re tied together because our magics liked each other?”
He flinched back. “Your trust wasn’t misplaced.”
She felt the sting of her words as if she’d been slapped. Was this the result of a tighter bond? Did she get a sneak preview into his emotions too? Dru wanted to soothe the minor hurt she’d caused, but she wasn’t sure how.
“I know. I do trust you, but are you sure? Did your leader explain all this or are we guessing here?”
Oren ran a hand through his short hair. “I couldn’t contact anyone who would be able to confirm for me, but I know what I feel. Fehr agrees.”
Dru sighed. “Great. Well since your tiny dragon agrees it must be true.” She gazed up at him, feeling lost. “You can’t stay connected to me. We have to fix this.”
He framed her face, gliding his hands down her neck. His fingers grazed the mark, sending a shockwave of sensation down her body. “I don’t regret last night.”
His calm reassurance forced Dru to face what she’d been trying to avoid. Her fear for him. She’d become accustomed to risking herself, but Oren deserved better. Her heart froze at the thought of him dying next to her, but for the first time, she wasn’t alone. “This kind of bond puts you in danger.”
“And it protects you.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his chest. “It’s not fair. Ljos will destroy us both if I take my spot as the vessel. I can’t ask that of you. We need to fix it.”
“I plan to find a way to appease Ljos without anyone being destroyed. This is my risk to take, and I choose it willingly.”
Dru smiled ruefully, the cold inside her warmed by his words. “Damn stubborn man.” She stopped resisting and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. Amazingly, she believed him. “Fine. I accept the bond, for now, but this doesn’t mean I’m giving up on my plans to have a harem of superhero Chrises at my beck and call.”
Amusement poked at her, but his tone remained solemn. “Understood.”
She pulled back to stare at him with narrowed eyes. “And this doesn’t give you control over my life. The rules clearly state that one incredible night does not equal a relationship.”
Oren’s lips tipped up. “Incredible?”
“You heard me. As a side note, I’m on board for any repeat performances.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind, but we should really head out if you want to find Brianne today.”
Since Oren insisted on driving Seth’s car despite not being from Terra, Dru spent the majority of the drive alternating between making Oren play two truths and a lie and loudly singing along to whatever country station she could find. Oren winced when she started, but wisely kept his mouth shut. He only required that they keep the window down in case they happened on Brianne’s scent.
Dru, for her part, tried not to panic at the knot of magic that wasn’t hers, yet responded to her will. She’d always assumed the bond expected of her would subvert her intentions in some way, but the connection with Oren only provided her with more power. Would her super-healing be stronger now too, or did this bond supersede the abilities granted by the previous one?
The country singer on the radio crooned to a close, and Oren sighed as he turned down the volume. “I do not understand your taste in music.”
“You’ll come around.” Dru took pity and left the sound muted since they appeared to be coming up to a cute little town. “Are we here?”
“We’re somewhere,” he muttered.
The GPS announced they’d arrived in a perky Australian accent, and Oren slowed to a crawl. Dru gazed out the window at the small, run down stretch of main street they’d entered. Considerably less cute up close. Empty storefronts featuring rental signs sat side by side with boutiques proclaiming big sales. She didn’t leave the city much, but this place didn’t look like it was doing too well.
They passed through the depressing business district and turned down a residential street with huge trees lining the sidewalk. Dru had expected the houses to match the rest of the town, but the neighborhood looked like any other middle-class suburban locale, very much like where she’d grown up.
The street curved, opening up to a swath of forest on one side. Oren slowed and parked behind a nondescript sedan. When Luc had said Brianne lived near a forest, he wasn’t kidding. Thick brush blocked her view into the trees, but Dru could hear birds calling and the breeze brought the green smell of the woods to her through the open window.
She inhaled deeply and felt herself relax involuntarily. On her side of the car, a two-story house with white siding and dark blue shutters sat behind a large oak. Gardens lined the front walk and a porch swing moved gently in the wind. It could have been a replica of the house she grew up in.
“Is this it?” Dru glanced at Oren, but he stared past her at the house as well.
“This is the address I found for the Brianne we’re following.”
“What about your super smell? Are you getting eau de dryad?”
Oren smiled, but it didn’t last long. “Faintly, but not a lot. I don’t think she’s here, but she was here at some point.”
The place reminded her so much of her mom’s house in Connecticut that she almost expecte
d to see her mom rocking on the swing. Granted, white houses with blue shutters and porch swings were probably really common, but Dru felt weird knowing she and her sister had ended up in such similar homes.
Except, the street seemed oddly silent for the middle of a Saturday. Why weren’t there kids playing outside or people mowing their lawns? Her old neighborhood was in constant motion, and this one seemed to be frozen in time. Dru shuddered, hoping she wasn’t about to discover yet another disturbing truth.
Almost before she’d finished the thought, a car door opening in front of them drew her attention. The sedan hadn’t been empty after all. Dru watched with a sinking feeling as a man with dark hair and a smirk she’d recognize anywhere unfolded himself from the driver’s seat.
She slammed out of her car and stalked up to him. “What are you doing here, Nick?”
The smirk dropped off Nick’s face immediately. What the hell was he doing parked in front of what could potentially be her sister’s house? The sister she’d never told him about. Oren followed her at a more sedate pace, but that was fine. She could handle Nick on her own.
He ran a hand through his hair, and the two men shared a look, knotting Dru’s stomach. Oren wasn’t surprised to see Nick here, but then, he would have known with his super-nose. Dru propped her hands on her hips, and her gaze tracked back and forth between them.
“What’s going on?”
Nick still didn’t answer her, but he raised a brow at Oren, who shook his head. The silent communication was the last straw.
“If someone doesn’t start talking, and I mean right now, I’m going to think of a really sadistic thing to threaten you guys with.” She turned to Oren. “You want my trust? Earn it right now.”
He reached for her, but she side-stepped him. “Kalia, I didn’t know he was going to be here.”
Dru searched his face and only saw sincerity. The shiny new bond reinforced her instinct to believe him, so she turned her anger on Nick. “What the hell? You disappear over and over again, then show up here randomly. What have you been hiding from me?”
