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Red smiles at me, showing appreciation for me including her father in our plan. I know she’s hesitant about him, but I also know that he could be helpful to us. If he wants to be. I can’t tell if he means it when he says that he wants to defeat Amber or if he’s got something else planned. I’ll keep an eye on him and deal with it if I have to.
I make a mental note to discuss it with Orym later. He seems to be the only one besides me who isn’t sure about our Fae companion. Between the two of us, we can keep our family safe. I’m sure of it.
“Don’t we already have the basic plan figured out? We have to grab one of Amber’s witches, then we send our message back to the bitch. We can figure out details tomorrow, after everyone has had a chance to rest,” Red says.
“I’ll get dinner going, then,” Orym insists, heading to the kitchen. I exchange a look with Red, then follow him. I want to talk to him alone and can’t do that if she follows me.
“Can we talk for a minute, Orym?” I ask, walking up behind him as he pulls ingredients out of the fridge.
“Sure, Ryland, what’s up?” He turns to me and freezes. My expression probably tells him that this isn’t a joking matter.
“How do you feel about Trevan?” I keep my voice low, so that Orym has to take a step closer to hear me.
“I’m not sure. I don’t want to upset Garnet, because he’s her father. But I don’t know if he’s here to help or if he’s got ulterior motives.” Orym’s words confirm my own concerns.
“We need to keep an eye on him. I agree with you, but I don’t think Red, Luca, or James sees it that way. I’m not sure about Grammy. She may have invited him to stay with her for the same reason.” Perhaps I should talk to our pack elder and see what her reasoning was.
Orym nods and continues getting dinner prepped. “It’s possible. She is very perceptive. I guess we’ll see soon.”
ORYM
My conversation with Ryland puts me on edge. I’d nearly convinced myself that my fears were unwarranted, but if he’s got the same concerns, then maybe we’re picking up on something the others just don’t see. I’ve never hoped so much to be wrong about someone before in my life. I want Garnet’s father to be the man she deserves him to be. I don’t want her to deal with another betrayal from her family. It’s bad enough that she’s going to have to kill her own aunt to stop the chaos that’s coming.
Since Ryland and I agree about what needs to be done, I refocus my attention on making dinner for everyone. Tacos are quick and easy, so that’s what I make. I wonder if Trevan eats tacos. Oh well, if not, he can make himself a salad with the veggies and lettuce. I’m not going to go out of my way to pander to him.
When the food is done, I place everything on the table. It’s not fancy, but everyone will be able to put what they like on their tacos. As soon as we all have plates of food, we settle back in the living room to eat and chat. With the basic plan in place, we don’t have to focus on Amber right now.
“So, Trevan, what’s it like in the Fae realm?” I ask before taking a bite. I need to interact with him more to tell if he’s being sincere.
“Well, you know, it’s like here, but with magic,” he responds. I glance at Ryland, who seems to understand my annoyance.
“Okay, but some of us have never been there. We’d genuinely like to know,” Ryland interjects. That gets our visitor talking. He describes the forest that mirrors our own, except in different colors. Then he tells us about the palace where he lives and the courtyard garden where he trained Garnet.
She, Luca, and James all chime in at different points to explain something different about the unfamiliar realm. I can’t help feeling a little jealous that they’ve all shared this, and I’ve been left out. One glance at Ryland, and I know he’s feeling the same. He’s not as good at hiding his emotions as I am.
You might want to relax your expression, alpha. Your jealousy is showing. I nudge him through the bond.
Thanks. I can’t help feeling that way. But they don’t need to see it. I’m a little surprised that his response is so sincere. We haven’t always gotten along so well.
Same here. And you’re right; they don’t need to see it. We can talk about it later, when they’re not around. I offer, though I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m softening a little toward my alpha. He’s proven that he takes the position seriously and doesn’t let it interfere with caring for our family.
While I listen to Trevan’s stories, I realize that I care a lot about these people. My pack. My family.
GARNET
I know that Ry and Orym are having a private conversation along the bond, but I have no idea what it’s about. It seems odd that they got my father talking, only to ignore him. I decide that it’s not worth worrying about. They’ll tell me when they’re ready.
Trevan’s stories make me a little sad for missing out on so much as a child. I want him to be a better man than he is. I know he’s only here because we pressured him into it. If he was left on his own, he wouldn’t fight Amber. He would hide in his own realm and pretend that none of this was happening. I hold no illusions about my father or his ethical leanings.
I wonder what he has up his sleeve that’s making him stay a few days. I’d expected him to go home as soon as we healed James. Yet he found a way to stick around and intwine himself into our plan. I consider Orym and Ry again. Perhaps this is what they’re discussing. I’ll have to ask later.
For now, I’ll be content having dinner with my family and listening to stories of happenings in the Fae realm. He’s still talking when we finish eating, and I find myself amused by it. Orym’s initial question wasn’t enough to get Trevan to open up, but once he did, it’s been difficult for anyone to get a word in.
After telling us about the obvious differences between our realm and his, he launched into stories about my mother and their courtship. I want to ask him how Amber fit into all that, but I hesitate to steer the conversation back to her. We’re having a pleasant evening, and the last thing I want is to ruin it.
So, I let him talk, without bringing her up. There’s always time to ask about that later. After all, it’s possible that Amber lied about everything. Maybe he never was interested in her at all, and she was obsessed with him. I don’t know, but that thought makes me feel a little better about everything. I’ll let myself hold onto that for a bit.
It doesn’t really matter how it all happened, anyway. Amber became jealous of my mother and ended up killing her. It’s a sad truth that I have to accept. Even if Trevan was romantically involved with Amber before my mother, that doesn’t excuse Amber’s behavior.
