24. Nathan

Istood at the window watching the waves crash along the shore far below. The moon's broken reflection on the rough waters mirrored my own tumultuous emotions. I couldn't stop thinking about Lorna's impact on my team—my friends. My mind created all kinds of scenarios where she tore us apart and handed our bleeding bodies to the fae.

Then I remembered the look on her face when Elliott carried her out of Conrad's. She was so scared and completely traumatized. We still didn't know the extent of what happened to her while she was there. Even after everything she endured, she allowed herself to be claimed by two men. Kenrid said that she wasn't physically abused, but would Lorna really admit that to him?

I would never claim to understand a woman's mind, but the way she accepted Damon and Kenrid so easily surprised me. I expected her to hate all men for years, but she embraced the compassion they offered. I couldn't figure out what it meant.

Just like I couldn't figure out the connection between the fae and Lorna's kidnapping. After talking to my team and Conrad's own admission, it sounded like the fae were the ones who wanted her. If they really knew what she was, it wouldn't be hard to see why.

Based on the information from Kenrid, the Summer and Winter Queens certainly had the wealth to fund the contracts to find Lorna. But how did they know she was still alive? Or were they guessing? Was it possible that they didn't know until Lorna showed up at The Fanged Prince?

I'd made numerous enemies over the years. I knew there were spies hanging out at my establishment. I never would've expected spies for the fae, though. It was possible that one or more of the vampires in The Fanged Prince that night saw Lorna and recognized her dhampir traits. They could have given that information to the fae, or one of the many groups who frequently accepted those contracts.

At the same time, my intuition said that the Exiled were somehow involved. Brance's comments were a little too specific. He showed more interest in Lorna's dhampir than he should have. The video of Lorna ignoring a cell full of vampires hadn't even been out for a full day, yet Brance was already questioning it. He'd completely ignored my perfect explanation of Lorna's heritage.

I'd learned long ago to listen to my intuition, and Brance's comments were surrounded by red flags.

The rumble from the elevator pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I put my back to the window to see which of my men returned. Elliott strolled through the doors as soon as they opened. He had a slight spring to his step and a smirk on his face. His day with Lorna must have been good.

"Make yourself a drink." I nodded at the bar, then turned back to my window.

"I forgot you had such an awesome view," Elliott said. "When was the last time you opened the curtains?"

I couldn't remember the last time I'd pulled back the blackout curtains that protected me from the sun, so I didn't answer. Instead, I asked, "How was your day shopping?"

"Good." Elliott finished making a drink and came to stand beside me. "Lorna yelled at me for spending too much money."

I shook my head at the stupid grin on his face. It was good to see him happy, but I had so many reservations. Reservations that only I seemed to be holding on to.

"Ya know humans have soulmates, right?" Elliott's smile faded as he met my gaze. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he raised his glass. "Just saying. There are a whole lot of shifters with human mates. I was thinking about it while I watched Lorna try on a hundred different outfits today."

He downed half of the whiskey in his glass then looked back at me. "I don't think humans find their soulmates with other humans. I've never heard of it, anyway. But I've sure seen a bunch of supernatural creatures with humans as their mates."

"I used to be human, Elliott," I said. "Your argument isn't really helping Lorna's case."

"Isn't it though?" He pointed his glass at me. "You're human—or used to be—and she's not. We don't know for sure what she is, but maybe one of her supernatural genes is calling out to your humanity."

I turned back to the window and the choppy waves below. I hadn't thought about it that way. Could it be possible that she was my soulmate? Would the fates give me that gift? I huffed and shook my head.

"The fates have a fucked-up sense of humor," I said. "Mating a vampire and a dhampir."

Elliott chuckled. "Yeah, but it kind of makes sense. Fated mates do everything they can to make each other happy, which means you two wouldn't be trying to kill each other. Shouldn't, anyway."

He shrugged and finished his drink. I continued to stare at the ocean. Could he be right? God, I wanted him to be right.

"Anyway, I just thought I'd mention it," Elliott said. "I'm headed back to Lorna's room to make sure she hasn't drained my favorite demon. Which reminds me, I'm not sure why I ever worried about that. He heals too damn quick for her to get more than two sips at a time. I guess if she wanted, she could compel him to really hurt himself. But …"

"Lorna would never do that," I finished for him.

In my heart, I knew she wouldn't hurt Damon. She cared too much about her actions and how they affected us. She was worried about breaking apart my team and ruining our friendship.

"Yeah." Elliott gripped my shoulder and I looked at him. "Whatever you decide, you're not wrong."

I frowned, but he left before I could ask him to explain. I stood in front of the window contemplating everything he'd told me before I finally got it.

"Whatever I decide, I'm not wrong."