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 grandmother 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!
Afte
r 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.
Then his lips softened into sensual caresses. Hands molded to my hips over the small terry cloth towel that barely covered me.
He dragged his lips from me to lean his forehead against mine. “With a kiss like that, to hell with them. I don't care if you're my step-sister. Can you feel how I feel? Don't you know how hard it was each time to see you go? You come back into our lives in the most unexpected way.” His hand combed through my hair and tilted my chin up. “Making us fall in love with you each and every time, and then leaving again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should have talked to us. To me.”
“I couldn't,” I told him, pressing my back against the wall for some distance. “I couldn't. They were going to send you off for the Warrior assignment.”
“We wouldn't have gone. Not now. We would’ve stayed.”
I pushed against his chest, but he didn’t move. “You can't. The mark—”
“Doesn't matter.”.
“Zander…”
“It doesn't fuckin’ matter.” His head dipped, and lips touched my breastbone. “I love you,” he whispered against my skin.
“I love you, too, but—”
He bit at my neck, causing a jolting reaction. “No.”
“Zander.” I gasped, clutching his shoulders as my whole body throbbed. “Your dad said you had another chance. That you had a mate.”
He kissed my skin. “All we have is a chance, but we don’t have another mate, yet. All it’s done is give us empty promises. We're not waiting for something to come our way, Carly. We already have what we want, and we’re taking it. To hell with them,” he said again.
I moaned and the back of my head hit the wall. “We don’t have the same mark,” I reason breathlessly.
His lips met my ear. “There's no more pretending." I shivered when he bit my earlobe then sucked on it. “You know who you belong to.”
My fingers dug into his shoulders as I begged, painfully aware of his words as my heart hurt. “Please.”
His caresses stilled. “Say it,” he demanded, lifting his head to catch my eyes.
A soul of desperation stared back at me. His light peered out through his sea-green eyes and projected warmth and love. His light was beautiful.
“You!” I gave in, my heart full. “You, and them.”
His gaze dark with passion, he spoke in a deadly voice. "Don't lie again. Not to me."
He kissed me once again, but softer. “Now you know,” he whispered against my lips. I ducked my head into his shoulder. “Now you know we’re not standing aside.”
I lifted my head. “And you speak for them? Why aren’t they here?”
He snapped his fingers and a stylish dress covered me down to my knees, along with coordinating high heels. My dry hair hung straightened down my back. “Because it takes more than just one to keep our parents busy, and only one of us to make you see reason.” He smirked. “I got lucky.”
My mouth popped open, shocked at what he said. “What?”
He took a hold of my hand. "Your stuff is coming to our house. You’re moving in.”
My brows drew together. "Huh? Wait a minute!”
“We gotta go."
I was still coming to terms with what he revealed with me, and he wanted to go somewhere? “And just where are we going?"
“To set things straight.” Then, he shimmed us away.
Chapter Thirteen
We shimmed into the council room amidst a flurry of activity. A whole mob of people read through papers, and a glow projector-thingy hung in the air. At least that’s what it looked like, with a white circle of mist hanging in mid-air and what seemed to be a video playing in the center of it. Or maybe it was real-time? Who knew?
Everyone paused at our arrival.
Hale, Baxter, and Colten scrambled away from the group and rushed over to where we stood.
“You're here. You're okay.” Relieved, Baxter pressed me into his chest.
Did they think I’d been taken? My arms circled his tall frame, and I leaned in. “I'm okay.”
We stayed like that for a brief moment before he passed me to Hale, whose grip tightened around me. His gaze raked over me, reassuring himself I was here and unharmed.
“Don't leave like that again,” he demanded, sounding like his younger brother.
Again, another set of arms swept me up. Colten. While I was desperately happy to see him, I worried about his talent and what lies he might pick up. It wasn't like me to be so scared of him, but ever since I found out what he could do, it worried me a bit. No surprise birthday parties for him.
“Where were you?” he demanded.
I straight up told him. “I was at a hotel.”
My mom stepped forward, along with the stepdads, her gaze questioning. “Why? You know you have a place to stay with us.”
I stepped back from Colten and folded my arms around my stomach, insecure under everyone's inquisitive stares.
“Carly?”
I glanced at my mom.
“You shouldn’t have left,” Henry stated, clearly upset. “You had us all in an uproar, trying to find you.”
Kenneth and Patrick didn’t look happy either.
“No.” Hale stepped in front of me, hiding my view of everyone. Colten’s palm met my back while Zander stepped next to his brother. “We’ve had enough of everyone deciding what’s best for us. Who we can and cannot love.”
“What do you mean?” Colten’s mother asked.
I leaned around Zander and caught a glimpse of her surrounded by her husbands. They were big guys. Wide. Lydent Warriors who did everything they could to protect their human mate.
She stared at us. “What is this about, Colten?”
Colton’s hand burned against my back. “We’ve chosen our mate, Mother.”
Gasps and murmurings filled the room.
“Is this true, son?” one of Baxter’s fathers asked. “You’ve picked Carly as your mate?”
Baxter stepped to my side, and I straightened. His palm brushed against mine before enclosing my hand in his. I sighed. He made me feel tiny. “It doesn't matter if she has a mark or not,” he answered. “It doesn't even matter if she receives one, and it doesn't match ours.”
“Marks are sacred,” Patrick stated.
“As are our feelings about Carly,” Zander defended. “Everyone in this room knows as well as we do that not every Lydent bond group, despite having a mark, will have a mate.”
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