14. Kenrid

Chapter 14

Kenrid

E lliott and I rode the elevator up to Nathan's tower in silence. He wasn't a nurturer, so I didn't expect a bunch of placating comments about my injuries. I had expected questions about what happened, but he never asked. As soon as my major injuries were taken care of, Elliott hauled me out to one of the waiting vehicles with two other shifters.

I knew Nathan had made it out and was still alive, but Elliott hadn't given more information than that. Probably because we weren't alone in the car on the way back. He couldn't exactly talk about Lorna and her involvement. Unless Damon had brought a supply of blood with him—which was certainly possible—Lorna would have definitely been part of Nathan's recovery. Her blood was the only thing that could have saved him after Brance's earlier show of brutality.

The elevator slowly made its way to the top, and my anxiety rose with it. Nathan's kidnapping and torture had been my fault. Brance must have somehow connected me with the research facility, my involvement in Alyn's escape, and the infant's survival. If he hadn't made those connections, he wouldn't have been so certain about what Lorna was. And if Brance hadn't discovered those connections, he never would've used the vampire master to lure Lorna into his grasp.

It wasn't that difficult to follow the clues to Lorna. Her actions the last few days were the only reason no one believed Brance's claims. Dhampir never had control. I just hoped she didn't blame me for everything that happened, even though she'd have every right to.

Elliott and Damon also had every right to be angry at me. Our leader nearly died at Brance's hands. Was that why Elliott was silent now?

As the elevator slowed, Lorna's bond bloomed to life. Her relief and love and excitement nearly put me on the floor. Elliott swayed on his feet. I glanced over at him, but he didn't look at me. He focused on the doors as if he could force them to open with his eyes.

"Guess our girl's happy we're home," he said, breaking the silence between us.

"Indeed."

I wondered how he knew. He couldn't feel her through my bond, unless … Lorna must have claimed him. A sliver of irritation needled at me. They'd been enjoying each other while Nathan and I had been fighting with the fae. I knew it was unreasonable to be angry—we all knew it would happen sooner or later—but I couldn't stop the bitterness rising in my throat.

The elevator doors slid open, and there she was, dressed in a pair of Elliott's shorts and one of his t-shirts. Her hair was still damp from the shower she'd probably taken as soon as she got here. Something I desperately needed.

Her hands flew to her mouth, and tears shimmered in her eyes. "Kenrid, are you okay?" Her whispered plea made all my worries melt away. She wasn't mad. She was worried about me. Even though she wore Elliott's clothes, she thought of me first .

I stepped around Elliott and limped toward my soulmate. She reached out but didn't touch me. I had no doubts that I was covered in bruises. I felt every single ache, but I wouldn't let it keep me from the other half of my soul.

I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, drawing in the scent of her freshly washed hair. She hugged me back. Her body felt so good pressed against mine, regardless of the pain it caused.

"I'm so sorry, Kenrid," she said. "I never would've forgiven myself if you …" She paused and took a long, shuddering breath. "I love you so very much. I need you to know how much I love you."

"I know," I said, my heart swelling with her words. "None of this is your fault." I gently separated us and met her tear-stained eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No, I was so worried about you," she replied. "And Nathan." She shivered and looked over her shoulder. "And Elliott and Damon. I have so many questions."

I put a little more space between us, intertwining my fingers with hers. I needed her touch, even if it could only be her hand in mine. My body ached too badly to even think about sex.

Elliott set the bags of food on the dining table and prowled back to Lorna. His eyes jumped back and forth from her face to our joined hands, but he didn't slow his stride. As soon as he reached her, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her. It was a claiming kiss, meant to demonstrate that she was his.

She threaded the fingers of her free hand into his hair and kissed him back. But she didn't let me go. That small sign of possession from her felt amazing.

Their kiss ended, but Elliott didn't release her. "Brance didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked.

She shook her head, still braced between his hands. "Did he hurt you? "

"Not a chance." Elliott smiled and finally released her. "Let's eat. We all have questions."

Food sounded good. I dropped into the nearest seat, grateful to be off my feet. Lorna helped Elliott unpack the boxes of food he'd picked up from a local Cajun seafood restaurant.

I filled my plate with vegetables and pasta and waited for the inevitable questions to start. It didn't take long.

"I apologize for allowing myself to be led away from Nathan," Damon said.

All of us gaped at him. Why in the world would he think that was his fault?

"That was not your fault!" Lorna exclaimed. "Everything that happened is Brance and Alyssa's doing. Don't you dare try to take the blame."

I smiled at my fierce mate.

"It's not your fault that Kenrid and Nathan were targeted," Damon countered, echoing my own concerns.

Lorna scowled and opened her mouth to argue, but Elliott interrupted.

"Damon's right. It's not like you ran around waving a banner that said, ‘I'm a dhampir!'" Elliott waved his hands in the air, doing a very bad impression of Lorna's voice. "You did everything possible to dissuade everyone. It's not your fault."

Lorna huffed and started to speak again, but I held up my hand and stopped her.

"I saw you this morning with Brance," I said. "You once again made him look like a fool in front of the fae. You made him out to be the liar, even though we cannot lie. Alyssa crawled from that room knowing that you're not a dhampir."

Lorna stared at me as if I had no idea what I was talking about. As soon as the words left my mouth, though, another thought emerged. One I didn't want to contemplate. Instead of convincing the fae she wasn't dhampir, had she confirmed that she was exactly what the fae hoped for? Did I want to voice those concerns? Not really.

"This is not your fault, Lorna," I said. "If anyone is to blame besides Brance and Alyssa, it's me. I must have done something to make them connect you with the pregnant female who escaped the research facility."

"That's ridiculous," Lorna snapped.

"We need a plan," Elliott said, interrupting his mate again. She glared at him, but it didn't seem to faze him. "Even if Lorna did manage to convince the rest of the fae that she's not dhampir, the fae queens need to be convinced. They're the ones pushing the Exiled to find Lorna."

Elliott was right, but I didn't know how to convince the queens to back off. Alyssa would likely report what she'd seen, but I wasn't sure it'd be enough. The fae court must have some other proof of Lorna's existence. My thoughts once again went back to how Alyssa would interpret Lorna's control.

I looked around the table at the people I trusted most and made my decision.

"I'm just theorizing," I said, gaining startled looks from Elliott and Damon. I never shared my theories with them, so their surprise was somewhat warranted. "If Alyssa tells the queens what she saw, it may be the opposite of what we hoped and put Lorna in more danger. Lorna has demonstrated her self-control so many times. She is exactly what the fae were trying to create."

Silence fell across the table. Damon frowned. Low growls rumbled from Elliott. Lorna's breath hitched.

"A stable dhampir," Damon said after several moments. "I should have killed them all."

Lorna's face paled, and her eyes flickered from blue to black. I could only imagine what her dhampir thought.

"They can't have her," Elliott stated, growling again .

"No, they cannot," Damon agreed. "I may have a plan that will keep them away, if they have indeed discovered the truth."

I turned my attention to the demon, waiting for him to explain. He picked up his fork and started eating the blackened shrimp on his plate.

"Well, don't keep us all in suspense," Lorna said, but I could hear the edge of her dhampir's voice.

"Eat and get some rest," Damon said. "I need to make arrangements first, before I commit to anything."

"You're really irritating sometimes." Lorna stabbed at her food and took a bite.

"Yes, and you love me anyway," Damon teased.

She smiled, and tears shimmered in her eyes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one she'd professed her love to. Being jealous about it was silly. Lorna had already demonstrated that her heart had room for all of us.

"How is Nathan doing?" I asked before taking another bite. My plate was nearly empty, and I seriously considered refilling it.

"He'll be hungry when he gets up," Damon said.

Of course he would. He'd lost a lot of blood. It'd be good to hear how they managed to bring him back from near death. Lorna set her fork down, drawing my attention. She whispered to herself, her eyes narrowing with each second that passed.

Elliott cleared his throat and pushed his own plate aside. "What happened?"

"Nothing bad," Lorna mumbled. "Okay, it was bad."

Frowning, Elliott turned his attention to Damon, who was watching Lorna. My head started throbbing with the tension building in the room.

"You gave him your blood?" I asked.

Lorna nodded.

"How much? "

The tears that were already filling her eyes finally spilled over. "I guess even a taste is too much."

I reached over and pulled her hand into mine. "Nathan is strong. As long as you didn't pass out from blood loss, he'll be able to overcome the initial withdrawal."

A strangled laugh escaped her. "No, it wasn't that much. I wasn't even a little dizzy or light-headed."

"He'll be fine." I squeezed her hand and glanced at Damon, wondering if he'd contradict me. I was confident in my knowledge, but it would be nice to have his input.

"Kenrid's right," Damon agreed. "You'll need to avoid him for at least twenty-four hours until we get enough human blood in him to override yours."

"But you said he'd be addicted to me after one sip," she argued, glaring at Damon.

"He will be addicted," Damon said. "But if he's careful, he'll likely be able to get past it. We'll find out more when he awakes."

"Okay." Lorna pulled her hand from mine and grabbed a napkin to wipe her tears. "One more question. Damon, how did Brance's spells not hurt you?"

"I'm a demon," he replied, as if that answered everything.

None of us knew a great deal about demons and their magic. I'd learned about their hierarchy and how their families worked, but they kept their magic a secret. It wasn't really that difficult for them when they stayed in the Underworld.

Other supernatural creatures couldn't survive in the Underworld for very long, so we didn't have a way to find out just how powerful the demons really were. And after Damon's display this morning, I wasn't sure I wanted to know .

Lorna laughed and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure several of the fae in that room pissed themselves when you smashed through the window."

Damon grinned, and tiny flames flickered in his dark eyes. I shivered at the memory of his demon—his true demon, one I'd never seen before today and hoped to never see again.

"Is there a way to force a confrontation with the fae queens?" Elliott asked, redirecting our discussion. "We can continue trying to hide Lorna's true nature, but it sounds like the queens aren't going away. We can't keep Lorna locked in the fortress, even though my wolf considers it a reasonable solution."

"That's actually part of my plan," Damon said. "But I need to confirm a few alliances before we go down that path."

"Ah." Elliott nodded at Damon. "Glad we're all on the same page."

Silence fell across the table once again. I yawned and scrubbed my palms over my face.

"Are we staying in Nathan's tower?" I asked. "Or can I go to my own room?"

"It will be best if only me or Elliott are here when Nathan wakes," Damon replied.

He didn't have to tell me to take Lorna with me. She didn't need to be around Nathan. I stood and extended my hand to my beautiful mate. She glanced at Elliott and Damon. I could feel her indecision. She didn't want to choose between going with me or staying with them.

Damon must have sensed it too. "Go with Kenrid and get some rest. Elliott and I have a lot to do."

She stood and walked around the table. Damon and Elliott both rose from their seats, watching our mate. She wrapped her arms around Damon's waist and hugged him tight. He folded his arms around her, but his focus remained on Elliott .

I had to give the wolf shifter credit for not freaking out, but I didn't expect him to step up to Damon's side and wrap his arms around them both. Lorna gasped and pulled one arm free to slide it around Elliott.

"Come on, Kenny," Elliott said, extending on arm to me. "Might as well join the group hug."

My mouth dropped open, but I did as I was told. Damon and Elliott pulled me into the huddle, caging Lorna in the middle. My throat tightened. I hadn't known how much I'd needed this feeling of family until this moment.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one. A flood of emotion rushed through my bond with Lorna. Her comfort, acceptance, and love brought tears to my eyes.

I'd fight to my last breath to keep it.