The general is waiting for me this time when I reach the chamber. It looks like the same one as last time, so either it’s a replica or chambers in the dream realm magically repair themselves. Arantu grins as I hover above the ground at eye level with him. If his wide smile sends shivers down my spine, his bone-chilling words stop the blood flowing through my veins.
“Alinthia, it’s wonderful to see you again.” I snort, and the shine wipes off his smile. “We got interrupted last time, and I don’t know how long we’ll have before they awaken you, so I’m not going to mince my words this time. You need to know who you really are and to understand that your protectors haven’t told you the full truth.” He steps in closer, cupping my face as his eyes glow with unidentified emotion. I attempt to wrest out of his grip, but, like last time, I’m suspended in some kind of paralysis, and I can’t move a muscle. “You are the secret heir to the Nantor Dynasty, and I believe you are the subject of the prophecy, but your mother wasn’t entirely truthful with your father. She knew the real reason why I invaded Verron.”
“Because you wanted to take me,” I whisper. An icy-cold hand has a hold around my heart, squeezing tighter and tighter with every word leaving his mouth. A blanket of dread envelops me.
“Yes, I came for you. But not for the reasons everyone believes. I came for you because you are my daughter.” His eyes brim with emotion. “She knew it, but she still took you from me. I’ve lost years, but I won’t lose any more.” Grim determination is etched over his face. “Your place is at my side, Alinthia. It is time you returned home, Daughter of Darkness. You belong with me.”
CHAPTER 20
I wake up screaming and crying, kicking at the sheets tangled around my legs until I’m free and stumbling toward the bathroom. Coop calls out to me, but I slam into the bathroom door, crashing into the room and sinking onto my knees. I rest my head over the toilet bowl, cursing my stupid genes.
If ever there was a time to hurl up my guts, now is most definitely it.
My heart is careening around my chest, and a heavy weight presses down on me. No! It can’t be true. I can’t be his daughter … but I’m terrified I might be. Is that what’s been happening to me? Is that swirling, dark presence inside me a part of my genetic makeup? And how Arantu has been able to reach out to me in my dreams? Or is this a sick joke? Is he deliberately messing with my head? When I heard him calling me Daughter of Darkness in the vision, I didn’t think he meant it literally. Oh God, what if it is true? What if I really am born of the most evil overlord that’s ever existed? What does that make me?
The door slaps against the wall as Coop staggers into the bathroom, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel well,” I lie, resting my face on my arms over the toilet. “I think it must be the dinner we had in Zorc’s. My system isn’t used to foreign food.” I almost laugh at the irony.
He crouches down beside me, placing a hand to my forehead. “You do feel a little clammy.”
Yeah, ’cause I’m quietly self-destructing on the inside and making myself ill in the process.
“What can I do? How can I help?”
If what Arantu says is true, I’m beyond all help.
“Help me back to bed?” I push off the floor. “I think I just need to sleep it off.”
“Sure, and I’ll stay with you. It’s early anyway.”
It doesn’t take long for Coop to fall back asleep. While he is snoring, I slowly peel back the covers, slide out of bed, and quietly pull on sweats and a hoodie. Grabbing my sneakers, I tiptoe out of the room in my bare feet, silently descending the stars. I swipe the car keys off the hall table, toe on my sneakers, and slip out into the dawn. Dew shimmers on the recently cut grass, and mist hovers over the grounds as I trek across the gravelly driveway to Dane’s SUV. The sky is a vibrant purple-blue, the clouds a strange pink color against the first rays of the sun. It’s spectacular, and, at any other time, I might stop to take a photo, but I need to get moving before one of them wakes up and realizes I’m gone.
I park the SUV around the corner from Kylie’s house and jog to the rear of her property. Hefting myself up onto the giant tree with ease, I climb the branches like a monkey. When I reach the right height for her bedroom window, I crawl along the nearest branch, firmly but carefully rapping on the glass.
When we first started going to parties, I used to arrange a sleepover at Kylie’s and then we’d sneak in and out of her room via this tree, so it’s quite nostalgic to be back here like this.
Kylie is a notorious light sleeper, and she bolts upright the instant she hears my gentle knocking, clasping a hand over her chest. Her shoulders sag in relief when she spots my face pressed against her window.
She lets me in without a word, yawning as she pads back to her bed with me following in her wake. Diving back under the covers, she folds back the other side of the comforter for me. I kick off my sneakers and get in beside her, snuggling into the pillow, wishing I could just stay in this bed and ignore the outside world. We turn to face one another on our sides. “What’s wrong? Did one of them do something to hurt you because I swear to God, I’ll go over there right now and kick his ass.”
Her unfailing loyalty brings tears to my eyes, and a strangled sound rips from my throat. “They didn’t hurt me. This is nothing to do with them.” Tears trickle down my face. “I’m in deep shit, Kylie, and I don’t know what to do.”
She scans my face with concern, reaching out and holding my hand. “I’m here for you.”
“I know.” I sniff.
“Is this to do with your trip out of town?” I hadn’t told her where we were going, just that we had to leave town for a day or two. I’m not quite sure how one explains a casual trip to outer space and back.
“No. We got back in the middle of the night, and I had another one of those dreams.” I gulp. “With General Arantu.”
Her eyes widen in alarm. “What did he say that has you so freaked out?”
Tears cascade down my face like a waterfall. “He says I’m his daughter!” I blurt, and the words almost physically hurt. “What if it’s true, Kylie? What if I’m an evil piece of shit? What if I am the destroyer?” My tone is borderline hysterical as I struggle to contain my emotions.
She sits upright in the bed. “Hold on here a sec, Tori.” She gestures at me to sit up, and I oblige, resting against the headboard. “Firstly, there isn’t an evil bone in your entire body. I’ve grown up with you, and I should know, so put that notion out of your head right now. No matter what happens, you are still Victoria King, one of the sweetest, most kind-hearted people I know. No one can take that from you. No one. You got me?”
I nod, swiping at my hot tears. God, I’m such a mess.
“Secondly, tell me exactly what that turd said to you?”
Amazingly, she manages to pull a smile from me, and then I spill my guts, telling her everything Arantu said in my dream.
“He’s bullshitting you. Trying to mess with your head and doing a good job of it too.” She plants her hands on my shoulders. “It can’t be true. How do you have protectors and those light thingies if you’re his daughter?”
“He didn’t say I wasn’t the Chosen One. He said he believed I was the Chosen One, so that’s how.” I chew on a fingernail. “The only thing he’s saying is different is that he’s my father, not the esteemed leader of Verron who is the man everyone else says is my dad.”
Thinking the word brings images of my human dad to the forefront of my mind, and a layer of grief adds to the layer of stress I’m currently buckling under.
“Why would the guys lie about that? If they knew, I’m sure they’d tell you.”
I heave out a sigh. “Maybe it isn’t true, or perhaps it is, and they don’t know. Or … or they’re lying to me.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
I pull my knees into my chest. “I don’t want to believe it, but, it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve kept stuff
from me.”
“They didn’t tell you the full truth from the outset because they didn’t want to overburden you all at once,” Kylie reminds me. “And I believed them. I thought you did too. That you forgave them and had put it behind you.”
“I have, or I had.” I rest my head on the side on my knees. “My head is a mess, Kylie. There are so many different agendas at play that it’s hard to know who to trust.”
Except my bestie. I trust her with my life.
“I met Zorc this weekend. He’s the guys’ handler, and he told me something interesting.” I proceed to fill her in on everything Zorc said, and she listens attentively.
“Okay. I get why you’re confused.” She turns to face me. “There is only one surefire way of proving or disproving this.” She looks me square in the eye, and I know what she’s saying.
“I can’t talk to them about this, because then I’ll have to tell them about the vision I had that night at the barn.”
“What vision?” Her brow puckers.
I open my mouth to start explaining when she holds up a hand, stalling me as her ears perk up. “I think I hear my mom stirring. Let’s go outside and talk.”
She gets dressed quickly, and we tiptoe down the stairs and out the back door. We run across her backyard, hop the fence, and loop arms as we walk the path at the edge of the park that backs on to her house. “Okay, what is this vision, and why is this the first I’m hearing of it?”
“I didn’t want to tell anyone about it because I was afraid that it’d feel all too real if I acknowledged it out loud, but I’ve been deluding myself. I can’t shake it from my mind, and now I’m really terrified that what I saw is going to become a reality.”
She stops abruptly, tugging on my elbow. “You’re starting to scare me, Tor. Just spit it out.”
So I do. I tell her about standing alongside Arantu as I prepared to kill my protectors and how he referred to me as the Daughter of Darkness.
“Holy shit balls for dinner, Tor. This is an epic clusterfuck of disastrous proportions.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” I repeatedly kick at a stray branch on the path, channeling some of my frustration into the action. “I’m scared to tell them, Kylie. What if they turn on me? What if they stop believing in me? Dane has already told me he knows I’m keeping something from him, and he has always had doubts where I’m concerned.”
“All the more reason for you to tell them. Maybe he’ll stop doubting if you come clean.”
“Maybe he’s right to doubt me. Maybe his instincts aren’t wrong.”
“I still think you should tell them. I bet it’ll come out one way or another, and it’ll be worse if they find out from someone else. You need to be the one to tell them.”
I come to a complete stop. “Kylie, did you not just hear what I said? I may or may not be General Arantu’s daughter and I may be the one to fucking destroy my protectors and the universe. Even if they do give me the benefit of the doubt, it will raise more questions, and it already feels like we’re going around and around in circles.”
The snapping of a twig at our rear has us both spinning around. Blood thrums through my veins and pounds in my ears. We scan the path behind us but there’s no one in sight. There isn’t a sinner around this early on a Sunday morning, and I’m already on edge, without thinking someone is following us. “Fuck. I hope it isn’t one of the guys.” I check my watch. I’ve been gone for over an hour, and one of them is bound to have noticed by now. At least Beck never had the time to work up that monitoring device for me. I figure Dane let it slip with the funeral, and then I moved into the house, so there was less of a necessity for it. “I better go before they come looking for me.”
We turn and start walking back the way we came. “What are you going to do?” she asks.
“I don’t know. Stew on it for a bit, I guess.”
“I think you should tell the guys,” she reiterates. “I bet they won’t let you down.”
As we round the bend toward Kylies house, I spot movement on the left, out of the corner of my eye. “Hey!” I holler, squinting as I try to figure out who or what it is. “Can you see who it is?” I ask Kylie, pointing with an outstretched arm.
She cranes her neck. “I don’t see anything, Tor.” She pats my arm, pulling me over to the fence. “You’re antsy, and that’s completely understandable, but there’s no one around at his hour.”
Except, as I’m driving away from Kylie’s house, a shiver crawls up my spine, and all the tiny hairs lift on my arms and the back of my neck. I know Kylie thinks I’m overreacting, but, as I put the SUV into gear and floor it, I can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching me.
CHAPTER 21
Miraculously, the boys are all still sound asleep when I return. I take a quick shower in the downstairs bathroom, throw on a pair of cutoffs and a plain gray long-sleeved shirt, and pad to the kitchen in my bare feet. Twisting my damp hair into a messy bun, I start rummaging in the cupboards for ingredients. Maddox keeps the kitchen well-stocked, and I’m pleased to discover all the ingredients I need. I set about making my famous banana and honey muffins, along with some bacon, pancakes, homemade granola, and orange juice. Baking helps distract me, and I sorely need that right now.
By the time the boys wander into the kitchen, the muffins are cooling on a tray, the table is all laid out, and I have the pancakes and bacon on the warming plate.
“Wow,” Maddox says, sniffing the air. “Something smells good enough to eat.”
“I hope so.” I give him my best attempt at a smile, hoping none of them can see through my façade.
I carry the plate with the pancakes to the table, while Maddox places the one with the muffins at the other end. “Help yourselves while I get coffee,” I tell them.
Coop comes to help me. “You’re feeling better now?” he asks in a quiet voice.
“Totally fine,” I lie. “It was obviously a passing thing.”
He tilts my face up to his. “You sure about that?”
I gulp, nodding and smiling. “Sure. Don’t worry.” He doesn’t look convinced, and I don’t want to lie anymore, so I return to fixing the coffees.
“I could’ve sworn I woke a couple hours ago and you weren’t beside me. How long have you been up?”
“A while. I couldn’t sleep so I came downstairs in case I disturbed you.” I can’t look at him as I lie, so I take my time adding milk and sugar to the cups, stirring them for an unnatural amount of time.
He pauses briefly. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” He lowers his voice, reaching out to touch my cheek. “I would never judge you. Ever.” His eyes glimmer with sincerity and concern. “If something is troubling you, I want to help.”
Every muscle in my body locks up. I have a feeling Coop isn’t going to let this go, and I don’t think I can lie to him anymore. I touch his arm, silently praying he will drop it. “I know that.” I stretch up on tiptoes and kiss his cheek. “And I appreciate it.”
Tense silence follows, and I hate that I’m the cause of it.
“Are you still going dress shopping with Kylie later?” he asks after a bit, easing the strain, and I release the breath I’d been holding.
“Yep. I’m meeting her straight after the lunch at Mom’s house.”
“I’ll come with,” he says, floating the four mugs over to the table. I’d love to have tried moving them with my mind, but, knowing my luck, I’d probably have spilled steaming hot coffee over everyone.
“Go where?” Dane asks, taking a timid sip from his cup.
“Dress shopping with Alinthia and Kylie.”
“It’s Tori, Coop. Back on Earth, it has to be Tori,” I remind him.
“I won’t mess up, beautiful. We’re pros at playing this game.” He winks as he drops into a seat across the way from me, but the gesture and his words hint at hidden meaning.
I stare at him, and he holds a warm, sunny expression, but I’m not buying it. Great, now Coop is s
uspicious of me. Who next?
Deciding two can play that game, I plant my brightest smile on as I bite a chunk out of a muffin. “And no thanks to the dress shopping offer. You can’t see my dress before next weekend. I consider it bad luck, and we’ve already got enough of that to last a lifetime.”
“Don’t tell me you believe in all that superstitious nonsense.” Maddox pours half the jar of maple syrup on top of his bacon and pancakes.
I scrunch my nose up. “Dude, that amount will totally rot your teeth.”
“Dude,” he says, slathering even more syrup on top, “Do I look like I care?”
“You will when you’re toothless and date free.” I flash him a cheeky smile.
“So, you’re only into me for my looks, is that it?”
Coop throws a muffin across the table, hitting Maddox in the center of his brow. “Who said she’s into you, douche?”
I level a look at Coop. “I am into him. I’m into all of you,” I add, just so there’s no confusion or jealousy. Then I twist around in my seat to look at Maddox. “And I like you for way more than your looks, but that doesn’t mean I’d want to kiss your gummy, toothless mouth, so go easy on the syrup, okay?” I tweak his nose, and he gives me a goofy grin on purpose.
I laugh until I remember all the stuff I’m keeping hidden, and the grin quickly slips off my mouth. I disguise my reaction by stuffing myself with the rest of my muffin, hoping no one notices.
“Are you sure it’s safe for Tori to take it?” Maddox inquires a half hour later as I lie down on the couch with Beck kneeling beside me while he prepares to inject the cure.
“Yes. I wouldn’t give it to her otherwise.” Beck hides his exasperation well.
He’s already been quizzed by his other two brothers and me, yet he’s still able to keep a level head. The devil on my shoulder whispers taunts in my ear, but I push them aside. Beck wouldn’t inject me with something that would harm me. I’ve got to keep the faith and remember how much they’ve gone out of their way to protect me.
The Secret Heir (Alinthia Series Book 2) Page 15
