They got a seat at a restaurant, and he was studying her while she pretended to look at the menu. Molly already knew what she was getting, and she also knew that it wasn't going to taste very good, but it was probably the best thing on the menu. It was hard not to change the future, knowing what was coming ahead. She had tried in the past, but even if the littlest thing were changed like an order, it would come back to bite her later. It was best just to stick to the program and be thankful that she at least had a preview and could better prepare herself for what was to come next.
How was she supposed to prepare herself for her husband, though? She did not even know him, and that was one of the first things that she wanted to change. Molly wanted to get to know the man that was going to be her mate.
“So, what is your name? It would be nice if I could get a name to put to the face. I have a feeling that we’re going to be together a lot.”
He looked at her strangely for a moment and then decided that he wanted to tell her.
“My name is Tevin. You are right; we are going to be around each other for a while, so we might as well be on a first-name basis with each other. Your name is Molly?”
Molly agreed. Tevin was a fine name, and she said it a few times in her mind, liking the way it sounded. His name was just another piece of the puzzle, and she was dying to learn more.
“Don't you want to ask me what I’m doing here? You seem far too calm about this all.”
Molly did not want to ask anything. She already knew what it was all about. She told Tevin as much, and he just kind of looked at her like he did not know what to think of her. She mused to herself that, apparently, they were not going to be the love at first sight kind of couple. Their attraction was going to take some time to develop.
“Not really. I have a fairly good idea of why you’re here.”
“Well, that's good. I am glad one of us does. I was just sent to find you a little while ago. This isn't usually something I would do, so it makes me think that you're important to Cole in one way or another.”
“Cole?” It was an unfamiliar name to her, and she wanted to know who it was. It sounded like Cole was the one pulling the strings, although she had never heard of him. He was the one that she needed to reason with, get herself out of the mess she was in.
“Yeah, Cole is my boss. He runs the Syndicate. He's the one that makes the rules, and whatever you did, he is not too happy with you.”
Molly just nodded her head in agreement. “I would imagine that he's not, though it’s not really me that he’s mad at. I’m just collateral damage.”
She said it in such a way that made him wonder what she was talking about, and it showed.
“Do you want to tell me why?”
“I don’t think it’s a conversation for a place like this. Besides, the waitress will be out in a minute anyway.”
As she said it, the waitress for their table walked up and asked them what they wanted to drink.
“I am feeling like a free woman, so let us get something stiff to drink, Tevin. What do you think?”
Tevin frowned, and she grinned. She could see how easy it would be to fall for a man like Tevin. He was nice to look at, and he was so indignant, she could imagine hours of fun just messing with him.
He agreed, but he was obviously extremely uncomfortable about the whole situation. The waitress kind of gave him a funny look and he looked away. It was going to be an interesting few weeks for her.
When the waitress had gone away, he had a sharp expression left on his face. “You shouldn't say things like that.”
“Why not? She has no idea what we are talking about. Humans rarely do.”
“While that is true, what if she had known something? Or what if she would have gotten suspicious?”
At that point, all she could do was shrug. Molly was far too worried about her own future to have enough energy to worry about everybody else as well. She was kidnapped, with her next breath being dictated by a man she did not even know. Dreams be damned, it was still stressful to think about.
“Sorry.”
Chapter Three
Jessica was still trying to piece together her memories. She knew that most of them were gone because of a spell and a potion, but not all of them had come back. Now, Jamie had her focusing on trying to find out where Molly was. While Dominic had Jessica before she was under the spell, there was a good possibility that she would have seen it.
Jessica was having more trouble than she would have imagined. She wanted to believe that it would all just come back to her, but the truth was there was a lot missing. Molly, in particular, was missing, and she went to see the witches that had helped her the first time, just to see if there was more that she could do. Jessica was told to drink another potion, and this time, all of the memories would come back.
She did so with zeal, just so that she could piece it all together and help a fellow victim of the Syndicate. Everything that she did, beyond her time with her husband, was done to find the last of them and end their reign of terror. They’d sent her to a husband she didn’t know, erased her memories, and tried to take her child. Jessica had many reasons to want revenge and she was liberated to know that she would have it soon enough.
The potion was bitter, but she drank it down quickly and tried not to let it come back up. The taste was vile, and every taste bud on her tongue was lashing out at her for even trying to ingest it. She closed her eyes and hoped that the she would see something.
After a time, Jessica opened her eyes back to the world and saw Jamie staring at her. She had gone with Jessica for moral support, but also because everyone was eager to get the information needed on the Syndicate. The evil organization had plagued their lives for too long, and everyone wanted their freedom from them. They’d wreaked havoc in so many people’s lives.
Jessica smiled at Jamie. “I don’t remember much, but I do remember something that Dominic said. He said something about not worrying about Molly getting away because the dragon was going for her.”
Jamie was as puzzled as Jessica was. “The dragon?”
Jessica shrugged. She didn’t have any more information, though she wished that something would come to her and help her figure it all out. She was still remembering things, the potion working better as time passed. The dragon could be anything or anyone. She was just going to have to start there and see where it brought her.
Something else had come to her, but she didn’t want to go down that road just yet. Jessica had envisioned witches, and they were never any good to mess with. They were the last species that she wanted to get involved with, so Jessica kept that part to herself. She would say something later if the first clue didn’t work. Getting more help from a witch would mean more prices to pay. With witches, the price was almost always too steep.
All they had to do was find the dragon, and then they would find Molly and maybe the Syndicate that had taken them both. Jessica was focused on getting her revenge as well as finding her friend. It was all locked away in her brain; she was sure of it. She just had to find a way to get it out.
“So, let me get this straight: you knew that the Syndicate was going to take you and you just waited for them to come?”
Molly agreed. “You can’t change fate, so why fight it?”
Tevin just shook his head in exasperation. He had no idea what to think of his new charge, but Tevin realized that he was going to have to keep a close eye on the witch. She was more powerful than he was comfortable with, and he had to wonder if Cole knew.
“I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from trying. We aren’t supposed to know our future for a reason. We would spend all of the time trying to change the future and waste the present.”
Molly smiled. “Now you can imagine my dilemma.”
“If you knew this was coming, then why did you wait for me to come for you? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Because it was you. We are going to get to know each other real well, Tevin. I have a feeling.”<
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Tevin looked away and ignored the desire he had to believe her words. He wanted to believe that they were supposed to be together. He wanted that badly, even though he didn’t know why. She was pretty, sure. But she was also a witch, and that was something that he never desired before. Why did he want her? Why was she different?
“What do I have to do with anything?”
She just smiled and said that Tevin would get it soon enough.
“That’s why I’ve never cared for witches. You guys talk in circles and act like everyone else can see what you can see. We can’t, which means that we have no idea what you’re talking about half the time.”
Molly didn’t seem to mind him getting loud with her, but Tevin immediately regretted it. He didn’t talk to women like that, and he wasn’t going to start. Not to mention that he had no idea how long he was going to have to watch over her. The last thing that he wanted was for them to be at odds with each other the whole time. That didn’t seem like the best choice.
“I am sorry if my words bother you, Tevin. I will make sure to use less of them.”
Tevin should have been happy. It was what he wanted, after all, but he didn’t feel good about it. She had said it in a way that made him feel like shit. He didn’t want to yell at women. He didn’t even want the damn job. It wasn’t for him. He wasn’t delicate enough to deal with women and their emotions.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry, I just don’t understand what any of this is. You’re not supposed to know who I am because I don’t know who you are. Witches don’t seem to get that they always have the upper hand. It makes the rest of us uneasy.”
“And shifters never seem to get that they are just as magical as we are.”
“I doubt that. You’re both. That gives you a double dose. Is that what the Syndicate wants with you?”
She shrugged and smiled at the waitress bringing them dinner. “I was sold to them when I was much younger. They want me back in their grips to get their return on investment, I suppose. Don’t you even know why you’re here?”
He frowned at her answer, wondering if she was telling the truth or not. There were whispers among some of the lower levels about the Syndicate dealing in human assets, but he wasn’t privy to that information, which made him believe that it was a lie. Had she heard such a thing too, deciding to make it all up?
He wanted to believe as much, but Tevin didn’t. She was probably more trustworthy than Cole was. Cole was loyal in some instances, but when it came to plans, they were always shrouded in secrets.
“I don’t, and I don’t have to know. I’m here because Cole wants you with me. That’s all I need to know.”
Molly sighed, and he groaned inwardly. How long was this going to go on?
Chapter Four
Jessica took almost a week to get more of her memories together from the last potion. She was in bed one night and just jumped up and was fully awake. She had a name that came to her, one that she had heard before and knew that she had even met them. She remembered the name of the witches that had done all of it to her. The ones that had taken away her memory so that she would have to live a life that wasn’t hers.
A big part of her wanted to go there, burn the three Waverly witches to the ground, but she knew better. It wasn’t just that they were not going to go down easy; there was the idea that they might not go down at all. Just like the Syndicate, the Waverly Witches had a bit of legend attached to their name.
She’d hoped that the dragon clue could lead them somewhere, but it was too vague. There were at least four dragon clans, and each one had a few hundred in them at least. There was no way to narrow it down, and with no more to go off of, she had to use her information with the witches.
Her husband, Trevor, woke up when she snapped up out of bed. He wanted to know what was wrong and when she started to tell him, he sat up straighter.
“The Waverly Witches?”
Jessica agreed. She saw fear in his eyes, even though her husband was the strongest and bravest man that she knew. Secret shifter organizations that had been going for centuries were nothing compared to the power of three sister witches. Their power was known across the land, and everyone was thankful that witches usually didn’t concern themselves with the rest of the magical world. They were brought in for some heavy lifting every once and a while, but it was for the betterment of society that they didn’t usually choose sides.
“Yes.”
“I could have heard anything else and been happier.”
“I know it’s not ideal, but that’s who I saw. Dominic went to them for the potion. They are the reason that I forgot about you and us.”
He stroked her hair, pulling it from her face. “I don’t want you to think about that anymore. You’re safe here, and you will never forget me again.”
Jessica frowned. “It’s not enough. We need them to find Molly. She could be just like me, memory wiped and living with some guy that they sold her to. Don’t you want to help her?”
He agreed that he did, but Jessica could see the writing on the wall. He was worried about what came next, and so was she. It was something big and out of their control.
“Where are we going to stay?”
Molly had finished all of her dinner, saying that it was some of the best that she had had in a very long time. She had been stuck for a couple of weeks now, hiding from the Syndicate, and the food had been horrible. Tevin was still guarded, and she wasn’t sure if her visions were right or not. How were they ever going to get to a place where they would be together and married?
“I guess I will take you back to my old place. I haven’t been with my clan in years, but I guess it is as good of a time as any.”
“Your clan?”
“Yes, there are only a dozen or so of us left, and we live in the mountains. They won’t be able to come for you there, and we will be safe. No one knows that it exists, not even Cole.”
“I am sorry that your clan is so small. I heard about the Rosins. That’s who you are, right?”
He was surprised that she’d heard of them and wanted to know how. Molly just replied that she was taught about all the great families and the stranger and older they were, the more she had to learn. Her family always loved everything old and traditional. It hurt because Molly wasn’t the traditional kind of girl, and her family had found her lacking in many ways.
“I am shocked that you’ve heard of us.”
“You’re the first dragon clan. Everyone has heard of you guys, I think. I just don’t know why you would be working with the Syndicate, though. What does working with scum like them do to your family’s honored name?”
Molly knew immediately that she had said the wrong thing. But she didn’t like the organization, so she was trying to figure out why he was working for them. There had to be a reason, and Molly was hoping that it was a good one. Truthfully, more than anything else, she wished that she could see the answer like she could so many others. What was the good of seeing the future if she couldn’t see what she wanted to see?
“It does nothing to my name or the clan. I changed it when I left. My younger brother has taken over and I haven’t been back in years.”
Molly started to say something, but because it was a bit snarky, she decided that it probably wasn’t the best thing to say.
“So, you think that it is a good idea to go there now? With everything going on?”
“Because of everything going on, it's probably the safest place for you. Cole made it clear that he did not want you on Syndicate property. This is the place that I thought of and I know that they won't turn me away. Most shifters don't like witches is in their midst.”
Molly could hear the derision in his voice. It wasn't like she wasn't used to it, though. Many people didn't like witches because they had too much power. Her mother had always explained that it was just jealousy that made them treat her kind poorly. Molly was used to all the comments about what she was. It didn't change anything, though.
“Well, we don't like most shifters. I'm sure this is going to be a ball.”
She was being sarcastic, even though she told herself to be good. Every time he smirked at her like he knew more than she did, it made her want to push back harder. It was clear that Tevin was not trying to make things better for the two of them. If he wasn't worried about what sort of relationship they had, maybe she wasn't supposed to be either. Molly came into the situation knowing what the future held, but maybe she should forget about it for a little bit.
The man in front of her did not hold much for a mate as far as she was concerned. Molly didn't think she wanted a husband like that. She kept hoping that there was some kind of change that was going to come over him and make him more palatable. At present, Molly was rethinking it all.
Since they had quite a bit further to go, she didn't say much when they went outside and walked back to the woods. It took almost twenty minutes, but neither one of them said a word. Molly was wondering if her visions had led her astray. It wouldn't be the first time, but it would be the first time that it happened when she was so sure about something. She had been dreaming about this man for years, but now she had to ask why. Why was this cocky guy any different than all the rest of them?
They stopped again a few hours later so she could walk around for a minute and grab something to drink. Every stop took longer because they had to find enough cover to hide them. It was also getting bright outside, the sun coming up fully, and the shadows weren’t going to hide them flying anymore. He would either have to go extremely high or they would have to stop and sleep for a few hours.
Alpha Shifter Bride Service: (A Paranormal Romance Series) Page 44
