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I realize that I haven’t been paying attention to Trevan’s story because I let my mind wander. “Am I boring you, daughter?” he asks with a smirk.
“No, I was just thinking about something rather unpleasant. Sorry. Your stories are fascinating, really,” I insist. I’m not sure if he believes me or not. I still don’t want to offend him, if he actually is here to help.
“Sometimes she gets a little distracted, thinking about all the things we’re going to do to her later,” Luca says, making me blush while pulling attention away from me. I’m not sure if I should be mortified or relieved. On one hand, he just implied to my father and Grammy that we have some kinky stuff going on in the bedroom. On the other, he did get them all to stop staring at me as if I’d done something wrong by not listening.
“Think nothing of it, child. With four mates, I’m sure it’s hard not to focus on the depravity that happens in the bedroom.” Trevan’s response makes my face warm even more. At this point, I’d like to crawl into a hole and hide.
“Now, now. Let’s stop talking about Red’s sex life. Can’t you see that the poor girl is embarrassed. Not that she has anything to be embarrassed about. I’m sure she’ll be relieved when we finally leave for the night and she can get some attention from her mates,” Grammy says with a wink. I know she thinks she’s helping, but it embarrasses me even more. I duck my head and try to hide behind James.
Of course, he’s amused by this situation and doesn’t let me. “Oh, no. You can’t hide from this. It’s too amusing,” he says, pulling me to his chest.
“You guys are too much. I got distracted. I’m sorry. And no, I wasn’t thinking about sex. I was thinking about what Amber told us about how my parents got together. But I wasn’t going to bring it up, because I don’t want to talk about her again.” I hate that I just blurted all that out but feel relieved that it’s out there now.
Trevan looks at me for a moment, considering. “What did she tell you?”
“That you were dating her until my mother swooped in and stole you from her,” I answer reluctantly.
He laughs. My father actually laughs at that statement. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but it catches me off guard.
“What?” I ask. Everyone is staring at us now.
“I did not date Amber. I was never interested in her, though she did throw herself at me several times. I explained to her, on more than one occasion, that I was not romantically interested. There was no spark there, even when she forced herself into my embrace and kissed me. I offended her by pushing her away. Your mother apologized for her sister’s behavior, and after we talked, I realized that I was interested in Ruby.” Trevan pauses, then continues. “She was kind and sweet. Of course, she was beautiful, too, so that didn’t hurt.”
“Wait, so you weren’t with Amber?” I ask. The relief that washes over me is instant. Sure, he could be lying, but why would he? It’s not like we would have treated him any different if he had been with Amber before my mom. But his explanation makes me feel better anyway.
“Not at all. I tried to be her friend after Ruby and I started dating, but it never worked.”
six
Preparations
LUCA
Finding out that Amber lied to us doesn’t surprise me. I don’t believe half of what she told us while she held us hostage anyway. Red seems skeptical of her father and his claims. But having been in his position before, I understand how he felt. Being chased by someone you aren’t interested in is challenging.
At least the girl who wanted me wasn’t Red’s sister. That would have been awkward to say the least. There’s something about the earnest way he explains the situation that makes me believe him. And I’m pretty sure there is an old story about how Fae can’t lie. But that may just be something they spread around so people would believe them no matter what they said.
Shortly after his revelation, Trevan decides that it’s time for him to get out of here. I don’t mind, because that will give us some alone time with Red. I’ve missed her, and I want to take care of her. We have a lot to prepare for, but I think we all need to take some time to reconnect. Focusing on our family will remind us exactly what we’re fighting for.
We’ve all lost so much already, and there’s always a chance that we won’t be able to defeat Amber. If she wins, then all of this is for nothing. Every supernatural race will be under her control, and there will be no way to defeat her. But that will only happen if she gets Red’s powers. So, we won’t let that happen.
As much as we need to plan for what’s coming, we need to take care of Red. She was away from us for what felt like an eternity, and we all deserve to spend some quality time together. “Why don’t we get ready for bed? It’s been a long day, and we could use the rest,” James offers.
He’s been acting kind of distant today, and I wonder if it’s just that he’s not fully healed yet. It has to be difficult to process having your soul in one realm and your body in another. Then being squashed back together; I just can’t imagine what he’s going through.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Ryland agrees, placing his hand on Red’s back to encourage her to move toward our bedroom.
She shakes her head and pushes him away. “I won’t be able to sleep right now. I’m too wound up from everything Trevan told us about Amber and her lies.”
“Then let us take your mind off it,” Orym suggests. I know what he’s hinting at, because it’s exactly what I was thinking myself.
Red freezes and stares at us. “What exactly do you have in mind?” Her seemingly innocent question makes me laugh.
“As if you don’t already know,” I respond. She glares at me, but it has no heat to it. I step closer to her and cup her face before kissing her gently.
RYLAND
The moment Luca kisses Red, I know that she’ll give us a chance to take care of her needs. She wants to work through everything we’ve learned today, but we all know that she needs to take a break. We need to show her what she’s fighting for so that she can refocus on defeating Amber.
