Page 16 of Taken By Fury
“You tested her then?” Aimee asked.
“I did, but only for confirmation, since I already knew.” He gulped the demon whisky, enjoying the burn as it went down his throat and to his gut.
“Of course, you knew,” Greydon replied. “Question is, did she?”
“She did.” Zander went on to explain what Sheila had told him and he included how she had been drawn to a nearby home. The last occupants looking very much like her ancestors.
“Interesting.” Greydon rubbed the dark shadow on his chin. “How does she feel about this?”
“Don’t know. Confused, I suppose. I warned her that after our journey, she would be turned over to you for a hearing.”
“Zander!” The tone in Aimee’s voice made clear her dissatisfaction at his treatment of who she considered thegooddoctor.
“She committed treason,” he shot back with more of a snarl than he should have.
“I’ll remind you to watch your tone when speaking to your queen.” Greydon leaned forward, ready to kick his baby brother’s ass.
“I apologize. Please forgive me.”
“Of course, I do.” Aimee grinned as if she had just concocted a crazy scheme, and knowing her, she likely had. “How about while you two are away, I do some research and see if I can learn anything about those who occupied that home. I’m sure I came across some records when I was looking for something else.”
“That is an excellent idea,” Greydon offered. “I am fairly certain we won’t be trying the doctor for any crimes, but I will speak to her.” His gaze narrowed. “I fully expect you to be on your best behavior while away. It is up to you to school her on our society best you can and treat her as one of our own.”
“As you wish.” This trip was going to hell faster than he cared for.
“Are you certain you don’t want me to send any of the others with you?” Greydon asked as any good king and brother would.
“No. I think right now, the fewer who go in, the better. Once I find what we need, then you can send in the others to search. Too many of us in there might alert the locals, and that is the last thing we need.”
Greydon nodded in agreement.
“I’m off to get some rest so we can get an early start. I shall see you upon my return.” He rose and left the room. It was going to be a long sleepless night, of that he was certain. As he walked to his suite, he stopped short of his door and stared down the corridor. At the end was her room, and he felt the pull of his bond with her. He had meant to ask his brother how he had dealt with his own blood bond when Greydon had performed the ritual in order to find and save Aimee. Except, he saw how that had turned out. His brother had married his blood bond and there was no way in hell Zander was jumping into that fiery pit. He wasn’t even sure why he had kissed her earlier, other than he had been extremely close to her and she had been so distraught that it had seemed like the right thing to do. Even now, he wanted to march down the corridor and shove her door open, hoping to find her naked in bed. Instead, he snarled and pushed open his own door and stormed into his room.
“What the fuck is the matter with me?” He paced while running his fingers through his hair. It was going to be a long night, and while he required little sleep, he needed to be at peak performance in case they ran into trouble. What he needed was to clear his head, so he slipped out of his room through a door that led to a private garden where he sat cross-legged on a patch of grass. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind of all things, including the bond that seemed to pound at him like he was a punching bag. Once his mind was still, he sunk into a deep meditation and hoped the ancestors would help guide him.
* * *
Sheila would liketo say she awoke refreshed and ready for a day of adventure, but that was nowhere close to the truth. She had tossed and turned all night with small fits of sleep here and there. Her life was a mess and for the first time since those early days when she had been abducted, she thought of Jeff. She wasn’t even sure why she hadn’t thought of him before. Maybe it was the trauma of her situation and the fact she had slipped into survival mode. Now, she felt safer than she had in the past couple of years, and she wondered if he had moved on with his life. Had he found someone else? She would expect that he would have given up on her by now and while she couldn’t blame him, it felt like a stab in the heart. They had only been six months away from their wedding day. Now, she wasn’t even the same species as him. There was also no denying the attraction she felt toward Zander and that too was like a stab in the heart. The kiss, while brief, had been akin to being struck by lightning. Her hair had never stood on end when Jeff kissed her. Sure, the sex had been great, and he was always attentive to her needs, but there was something about Zander. Something dark, demanding and downright bad about him that led her to believe he could take a woman to heights she had never been to before.
Yeah, it had been all those thoughts that had kept her up all night and now, as she dressed, she dreaded this journey they were about to take together. Something told her she would not come back the same as when she left.
A knock on her door jerked her from her deep thoughts. When she pulled it open, she was surprised to see Aimee on the other side. The queen smiled at her.
“Morning. I hope you slept better.”
“I did, thank you.” There was no reason to tell her otherwise.
“I just wanted to let you know that while you are away, I plan to research the family who lived in that home.”
Suddenly, things looked a little brighter. “Really? Why would you do that for me?”
Aimee’s brows furrowed. “Why would I not help you find out who your ancestors are?”
“I’ve not exactly been kind to everyone.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you out to meet Zander.”
Sheila nodded. “Let me grab my pack.” She moved away from the door, slipped on her hiking boots, and collected her pack. “Thank you.”
