Her gaze slid away as a smile formed. “Older than I look.”
“Yeah, same here.”
“How old?”
He sighed. “Four hundred eighty-nine years old.”
She blinked. “Well shit. That’s a bit older than I expected. I’m a hundred and one.”
“Now that is older than I would have guessed. I thought closer to thirty.”
“I’ve been around awhile. Look, maybe you should talk to her. Even if it’s only to explain to her what happened.”
“Perhaps.”
“You still feel something for her. You could fix your friendship at least. Maybe more.”
* * * *
Jayde pulled her collar tight as she slipped from the stool at the counter and hurried out of the diner. Her heart raced as she considered everything she’d overheard.
She walked briskly back to her home on Queen Anne Hill. Once safely away she let her glamour drop. Endiscott wanted to speak with her. He still felt something for her, not the blond.
Reminding herself he was a nymph, and what they required to survive, his attention to the new woman made sense. Hope crept into her heart, but fear held it prisoner.
So much time had passed she wasn’t sure they could find their way back together. Jayde couldn’t decide between running to keep the remains of her heart intact, or seeking Endiscott out so he could attempt to explain. She didn’t believe words would be enough to mend more than a century of hurt.
Not to mention one glaring problem. Kellan.
Could he really love her? Not that she experienced more than the occasional desire for him. Same story as Toryn, if she was being honest with herself. At least Toryn was happy now.
Someone stepped into her path and caught her shoulders. “Jayde. Wait. I need to talk to you,” Kellan pleaded. His emerald eyes bored into hers, hair in disarray. As usual, he was gorgeous.
Knowing he felt something real, or at least hoping it was real and not all a game like his mother, she nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.”
He moved beside her but didn’t reach for her hand. “I saw you in the diner. Watching him. I get it. You bonded to him, didn’t you?”
“Shit, Kellan, can we get inside before we have this discussion?”
“Sure.” He dropped his gaze to the street.
She looked over and found a sad smile on his stricken face.
With a huff, he said, “Last night I was an asshole.”
“Yeah, well if your mother is who you say she is, you could have been a lot worse.”
“My father isn’t much better. Never met him, but I’ve heard stories about Aeremaius. Mother, as far as I can tell, is worse. I couldn’t do what she wanted though. I couldn’t even do what I wanted to last night when you left me standing there.”
Her eyes lasered in on him. “If you do anything to Endiscott, I will kill you.”
He looked straight into her eyes and vowed, “I won’t. Not after seeing how you care for him. I could never hurt you like that.”
“We still need to talk.”
“Hmm, we do. About a lot.”
She led him through her gate and into the house. Only after shutting and locking the door did she drop her glamour.
* * * *
Kellan watched Jayde move to the kitchen. Placing the kettle on the stove, she turned it on. When she finally faced him, her hazel eyes locked on his. “Saressa is your mother?”
He nodded. “Unfortunately. Look, I’m not like her. Very few people even know I exist. She didn’t want Aeremaius to learn I was his.”
“Why?”
“Have you heard of a Storm Master, maybe a Storm Mistress?”
She nodded, her eyes wide. “Oh shit. So she wants to use you to gain even more power?”
“Maybe. My first assignment was you. She didn’t care if I killed you or merely kept you away from Endiscott.”
Her eyes closed. “You’re a good friend, but I don’t love you, Kellan. I heard what you said last night. Be thankful you aren’t bound to me. I can’t be that for you.”
The words sliced through him. Truth or not, they hurt. He couldn’t stop his response. “I could still love you. Love you enough for both of us. I could give you what he never did.”
“Wouldn’t be enough. I’ll never stop loving him. Even after spending more than a century away from him. If I could have accepted love alone, I would have settled with Toryn.”
“Toryn?” He laughed, then froze when her expression never faltered. “Wait, you’re serious?”
She nodded.
“He’s bound to the princess of Air and Earth,” Kellan rebutted.
“He is. So it’s a good thing I didn’t try with him.”
“Humans love without a bond all the time. Why can’t we?”
“Because I have a bond, Kellan. I would never be completely yours. I’ve tried over the last hundred years. Trust me, I have.”
“If he broke his bond to my mother, can’t you break yours?”
Her breath caught, her head shook.
“Right. You were always meant to be with him.” He leaned against the counter, shoving his trembling hands in his pockets. “If only I were born a few centuries ago, and could’ve beat him to you. I would have given you everything, Jayde.”
“Your mother has other plans for me.”
“I’ll do all I can to stop her from ever touching you.”
A tear slid down her face as she looked away. “If things were different, if my heart didn’t belong to another, I could love you. I’m sorry, Kellan.”
“Wish I could be enough.”
“One day you’ll bond to someone, and whatever you’re feeling now will pale in comparison. You’ll forget all about me.”
“No. You made me see there’s a better way to live my life. You’ve made me a better man.”
“Don’t say that. Last man who did—well, I’m sure he regrets those words by now.”
“My mother forced his hand. She nearly destroyed him after his time with you. When she realized he made it to Earth, she let him go because he was miserable and alone. She believed he would come back to her.”
“Good. Maybe she’ll finally let him go.”
“Doubtful. When she learns the bond is snapped, she will come for him.”
“Then I’d better kill her this time.” She winced.
He closed the distance and took her face in his hands. Looking deep into her eyes he said, “I’ll help. She’s ruined too many lives. It needs to stop.” He’d seen what Saressa did to the Fire and Water Realms. He’d witnessed how she toyed with her playthings in the dungeon. Even before coming to Earth, he understood his mother did more wrong than right, especially when it came to Endiscott.
Drawing a breath, she sighed in defeat. “Even if you don’t get me in the end?”
“I’ve seen what happens when you force someone to have feelings that don’t exist. Nothing Endiscott felt for Saressa was real. Well, besides the hatred. That I’m sure was very real.” He did feel sorry for the bastard, but he had his chance to run, and he did, right back to Saressa’s wicked embrace.
Jayde wrapped her hands around his wrists. A small smile brightened her face. “You’ll find someone who loves you better than you love me now.”
“Forgive me for saying it, but right now, you’re the only woman I want.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped back. “Do you have a plan?”
“Part of me wants to run far away and forget he saw me. The other part wants to ask why.”
“Why what?”
“Why he made the choices he did.”
The kettle whistled and he moved to grab some cups while she readied everything else.
Chapter 19
Scotty parked his Escalade outside Shenanigans. He needed answers. His too-brief conversation with Toryn left his mind spinning. For too long he’d put off looking for Jayde, determined to keep her out of jeopardy. With the bond broken, he needed to find out if they had a future.
/> He hoped there was a future.
Toryn walked through the door and met Scotty on the street. “You mad?”
“No. How long has she been in Seattle? How did I not know?”
“She made it clear she didn’t want you to. She’s been hurt enough. If you go after her, you need to understand she’s not going to make it easy. Think about how long she’s been without you.”
“I won’t give up. I saw her and almost didn’t go home with Zoe.”
He scrubbed the back of his neck. “She has an on-again-off-again relationship with Kellan Storm.”
“Who?”
He shrugged. “He’s fae. Not sure where he’s from or who his family is. He hasn’t done anything to warrant suspicion though.”
“You don’t know where he’s from?” Scotty’s brow arched.
“No. I’ve only met him once. Can’t find anything definitive on him. Reance trusts him. That’s enough for me.”
“Reance?” Scotty sighed. He had a bad feeling about Kellan. But that might be jealousy talking. Normally Toryn dug into the background of every fae, and most Others, in the area as a precaution.
“Ask yourself this. Are you angry that another man is with the first woman you fell hard for?”
His chest heaved with a heavy breath. “Maybe. Shit, I remember being pissed at you when I thought you two would wind up together. Didn’t matter how much better you would have been for her than I.”
“Yeah, but I know what a mate bond feels like. Whatever I could have had with Jayde isn’t what I have with Isa.”
“True. You’re a lucky man. I would have had that with Jayde.”
“Still could.” Toryn looked over with a grin. “Don’t give up. Court her. You did it once, you can do it again.”
“Shit, that was centuries ago.”
“This time, don’t keep it in your pants.” Toryn slapped him on the back.
Pain lanced his chest, burning as poison raced through his system. His knees gave out as he looked down at his chest. “Fucking manticore spike?” The world went black.
* * * *
Toryn caught Scotty as he fell. He dragged him down the alley and into the back door of Shenanigans. His destination was the office.
Reese dropped the skillet he had in hand, his mouth falling open. “What the fuck, man?”
“Hey, can you give me a hand here?” Toryn asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Reese managed.
Toryn shifted Scotty’s weight and grabbed Reese’s shoulder, putting him under, and taking a few minutes from his memory. Then he rushed to the office, kicking the door shut behind him.
Lana gasped. “What can I do?”
“Gloves. I’m going to need those thick-ass, yellow janitor-duty gloves.”
“Right.” She left to get them.
He laid Scotty on the couch. Pulling out his phone, he squinched his eyes shut. Please forgive me for this. Both of you.
Chapter 20
Jayde couldn’t drink the tea. Instead she stared at the cup trying to squash guilt for not loving a good man. Kellan sat beside her, a comforting presence, while she longed for Endiscott.
Her phone rang, startling her out of her silent reverie. She reached for it, hoping Endiscott was on the other end, knowing that was unlikely. Then she saw Toryn’s number.
Kellan gave her a strange look as she pressed talk and put it to her ear. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Come to Shenanigans. I need your help.”
“Why?”
“Just fucking do it!” The phone clicked off and she sat there staring a second. He never raised his voice unless the situation was urgent.
“Could something have happened to Isadora?”
“Don’t know, but he wouldn’t ask for my help if he could fix it himself. The man can heal things many fae can’t. I’ve seen him do some amazing stuff.”
“Go. I’ll lock up.”
Leaning over, she kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
“You will.” He started for the front door.
She faded to air and floated up to Shenanigans, taking form in the alley. Seeing the blood-soaked street, fear raced through her as she stepped inside and found Isadora at the counter.
What in the abyss is going on?
“Hey, Toryn called?” Jayde frowned, realizing she phrased that as a question.
“Lana,” Isadora called, “take over the front for a few.” She indicated the hall. “He said to bring you back.”
“Can I ask why?”
Isa looked straight ahead as she led Jayde down the hall. “You’re about to see why.” She opened the door and motioned for Jayde to go inside.
Jayde made it two steps before she froze. Endiscott lay on the couch with a hole in his chest, between his ribs. The skin was melted, as if burned, but still oozing blood.
Toryn knelt beside him, wearing yellow cleaning gloves while trying to mop up the blood with a steaming towel.
“What caused the wound?” she asked in a whisper.
“Manticore spike. I’d be searching for who the fuck did this but I couldn’t leave him.” He shook his head. “I called Preston. He should be able to find out what we’re dealing with and track them.”
Jayde stepped closer. “If I do this, you need to take me home, without him. I don’t want him coming to me just because I healed him.”
“His bond to Saressa is broken,” Isadora snapped.
Jayde drew in a slow breath, turning toward Isadora. “So I’ve gathered. Look, you don’t know my story. You have no clue what I’ve been through. I thought I shared something real with Endiscott. It was taken from us. That was a very long time ago.”
“Fucking bitch.” Isadora stormed to the door and flung it open. She turned back, her eyes fading to silver. “You hurt him for any reason, and I’m coming for you. I don’t care what your whiny excuse is. He’s a good man and he deserves to be happy after dealing with a bitch who tried to warp him into something else.”
The door slammed shut and Jayde turned back to Toryn blinking.
“You can thank Isa for breaking the bond.”
Her mouth fell open. The only way she could imagine breaking such a bond was through sex. Her heart twisted at the thought that some random woman broke it when she couldn’t.
Irrational anger flashed through her. “You loaned your mate to Endiscott?”
He drew a slow breath. “We were both involved. She’s the one who broke it. That’s all you need to know. It was the only way without hunting Saressa down.” That wasn’t much comfort.
To protect her already damaged heart she demanded, “Swear to me you’ll take me from here and not let Endiscott follow.”
Toryn’s eyes went to Endiscott, pain evident on his features. “He needs to talk to you.”
“Swear it or I will walk out that door.” She wasn’t sure she meant it, but she needed to cushion her heart in case he chose her out of some damned obligation, or worse yet, walked away.
Toryn flashed her a glare. “I swear it. He doesn’t have much time. The spike was close to his heart.”
Moving to him, she pushed back the fear. She’d dealt with manticore poison once before. It was going to put her down for a day or two. No way around it unless she made good on her threat to walk. Looking down at Endiscott, she knew she could never leave him like this.
She sat beside him on the edge of the couch. Beautiful, chiseled, mouthwatering as always. She remembered his arms around her, the warmth that surrounded her. He loved her, but it wasn’t enough to make him stay.
A tear slipped down her face as she placed her hands on either side of the wound. She wished for the carefree days before Saressa took him from her.
With her heart thundering in her chest, she focused, avoiding taking any of his magic as she pulled the wound into herself.
She sucked in a breath as she felt the piercing sensation. Then the poison transferred to her, sweeping through her as she fell on his chest.
Strong arms wra
pped around her as everything faded.
* * * *
Honeysuckle filled his nostrils as the pain faded and consciousness came back. Love, overwhelming and powerful, wrapped around him, delving in and filling his heart till it was ready to burst. Her hair tickled his arm, then her soft weight landed on his chest.
Everything snapped into place and he felt whole for the first time in his long life.
His eyes flew open as he realized Jayde was there, in his arms. He could feel her heart beating, her blood rushing, burning with the toxin that no longer coursed through his veins. He sat up, cradling her in his arms.
Blood, her blouse was covered. He yanked it open, finding melted skin around an oozing wound. “No, no, oh fucking no. Why the fuck did you let her fix me?”
“Didn’t want you to die,” Toryn answered flippantly.
Tears welled in Scotty’s eyes as he looked down at the woman who still held his heart. With a gentle touch, he placed his hand between her breasts and pushed his love into her, sealing the wound. The poison he could do nothing for, but her body would burn it out of her system. He could only hope with one less thing for her body to heal, she could process the toxin faster.
He trailed his fingers down her stomach to make sure her body was whole. Letting his tears fall, he placed a kiss over her heart. “My destiny,” he whispered.
Toryn moved, reaching out to take Jayde from him.
Scotty shot to his feet, backing away with her held tight in his arms. “No. I’m not letting her go again.”
“She made me swear to take her away. You’re going to have to convince her another way.”
“No, please. I’m begging you.”
“I promised her, Scotty.”
His heart twisted as he looked down at her. His mind was racing. “The bond, it—shit. I’m bound to her. Without sex. What the fuck does that mean?” His chest heaved.
Toryn shook his head sadly.
A cry escaped his lips. “She bound to me all those years ago, didn’t she? This whole time she’s lived without me and she was fucking bound to me!”
Changing Destiny Page 10
