2. Damon

Chapter 2

Damon

I waited patiently while Lorna took deep breaths. She picked at a loose thread on her blue jeans, almost absentmindedly. I suspected she was having a conversation with her dhampir.

It would be difficult for her to talk about what happened when she escaped the first attempt to kidnap her, but I needed to know what she'd done to the pathetic human she'd killed. At the time, I assumed it was her fae magic. Now I wasn't so sure. Knowing that she could have DNA from multiple supernatural creatures changed everything.

Several classes of demon could destroy a human's mind. While most demons were made from pure magic, a couple of the lower classes were closer to physical than magical. Their DNA could theoretically be extracted and used. But even a low-class demon was more powerful than any of the other supernatural races. It would be extremely difficult to take the DNA without the demon's consent. The demon could have been persuaded to make a deal, though .

If the fae convinced a demon to give up its DNA, and used it in their dhampir experiments, it would explain why fate had mated me with Lorna. Demons didn't mate with any other species. Mostly because mating for a demon wasn't about procreating. It was about finding an eternal partner who could endure the Underworld.

I doubted that Lorna would survive in my home world, but if she was part demon, she'd last longer than any other supernatural creature and certainly longer than a human. There was nothing normal about my mate, and I wasn't returning to the Underworld anytime soon. Not on a permanent basis. I'd still use it as a threat against my enemies.

I glanced at Kenrid, wondering if he'd spoken to Lorna about his role in the fae's experiments. I suspected not, but that would change today. She needed to know. Especially since Nathan intended to confront the Exiled tonight.

Lorna cleared her throat, drawing my attention back to her.

"When I realized that guy wasn't going to let me go," she whispered, "I embraced my persona that I'd always used for stressful situations. She was able to ignore my conscience and get stuff done." Lorna winced before continuing. "Anyway, I jumped at the guy, and he caught me. Like I knew he would."

She raised her hands and pretended to wrap her fingers around the human's head. Her eyes grew glassy and seemed to look beyond the forest around us.

"I pressed my thumbs over his temples and forced my magic into his brain." She blinked several times then looked at Kenrid, dropping her hands into her lap. "I imagined it like a bolt of lightning. But as soon as my magic connected, I could see how he'd lived his life. All the murder, theft, assault, rape, everything. He was horrible. "

She squeezed her eyes shut and shivered despite the sweltering heat. Kenrid moved to her side and wrapped his arms around her. She easily fell into his embrace, burying her face against his neck.

He looked up at me and shook his head. With a desperate plea in his eyes, he mouthed silently, I've not told her . Not now .

I glared at him. How dare he tell me not to reveal what I knew! I would not continue to keep secrets from my soulmate. Not when I was certain that what she'd just described was demonic magic.

"I'm certain your projections are fae magic," Kenrid said. "I can't tell you what the other means."

A low growl rumbled from my chest. He couldn't because he didn't know, or was it because he couldn't speak of it? We were all about to find out.

"The ability to destroy someone's mind through touch is demonic magic," I said. "There may be spells created by witches that could have the same result, but only a demon has that innate ability."

Lorna raised her head from Kenrid's shoulder and narrowed her eyes at me. "But I'm not a demon." When I didn't correct her, she turned her focus to Kenrid. "I'm not a demon, right?"

Kenrid scowled at me. "This is not how I wished to tell her."

I leaned forward and bared my teeth at him, letting a little bit of my demon side slip out. He had recognized the type of magic, which meant the fae had somehow acquired it.

"No, you never would have told her. You would wait until the worst possible moment to reveal everything. Or worse, she would find out from our enemies."

The man who had become comfortable with me in the last few weeks vanished behind a mask of cold indifference. He reverted to the fae he'd been for the first thirty years I'd known him. But I did not regret my decision to reveal his deception. Lorna was our mate and deserved to know the truth. Kenrid would've kept it hidden from her forever if he could.

Lorna scooted away from Kenrid, her worried gaze dancing between us. "What are you talking about?"

Kenrid rose to his feet and brushed the debris from his trousers. I snarled at him as he strolled away from us and disappeared behind the trees. He couldn't tell a lie, so he chose to say nothing.

"Kenrid?" Lorna whispered, her eyes searching the forest for him.

I moved to her side, but I didn't try to embrace her. I was fairly certain she wouldn't allow it. Once she got over her shock, she'd be furious.

"Unbeknownst to us, the fae spent centuries experimenting on the dhampir," I said, watching her face for that moment when her sadness turned to anger. "They attempted to create a stable dhampir they could control. They wanted to make an army. Had they succeeded, they would've imprisoned the vampires to feed and empower their soldiers."

She whipped around to face me, her eyes widening with each second. I could almost see her beautiful mind connecting the dots. We'd already explained a lot about the supernatural families. As a dhampir herself, she understood the strength she gained from sharing a vampire's blood.

"They didn't kill all the dhampir a hundred years ago, did they?" she asked.

I shook my head but remained silent, allowing her to work through it herself.

"The fae imprisoned us and experimented on us?" Her eyes darkened to black, a sure sign that her dhampir was actively involved in the conversation. "That's why they were looking for me. Conrad said the fae were paying a lot of money to get me. Because I'm one of their experiments."

She glanced over her shoulder into the trees where Kenrid disappeared. He was probably still there listening to our conversation .

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, turning her black eyes on me once again. "If you knew all along, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know until we arrived at the fortress after we took you from Conrad's," I replied. "Kenrid told us the story when Elliott and Nathan discovered your mark on our chests."

She frowned and looked back at the trees. "So how did I end up with human parents in rural New York?"

I searched the forest for Kenrid, but there was no sign of him.

"Kenrid should be the one to tell you why he was exiled from the fae realms," I replied, deciding not to reveal his role as a scientist in those experiments. While Lorna needed to know about her lineage in order to understand her magic, nothing good would come from revealing Kenrid's past. He needed to be the one to do it.

"Kenrid has not been able to confirm your parentage, despite his efforts," I said. "Even though it seems unlikely, it's possible that you were born here on Earth. A vampire could have impregnated a human in secret. She may have known enough about her situation to hide you from your father."

Lorna's dhampir retreated and my mate's blue eyes stared back at me for several seconds, shimmering with tears.

"Then how did I get my fae magic?" she asked. "And you just said the other stuff was demon magic."

I reached out and cupped her face in my palm. She was too smart to believe anything but the truth. I refused to lie to her.

"According to Kenrid, the fae used DNA from every magical creature they could find in their efforts to create a stable dhampir. They failed because they lacked the only thing they truly required." I pressed my forehead against hers and whispered. " Love made you who you are, my little d'laej."

"My human family," she whispered, not pulling away from me. "They accepted all my oddities and loved me. "

"Yes. I believe all dhampir could be just like you if they grew up in a family who accepted and supported them," I agreed. "But that never happened. The vampires always enslaved them, then had them killed."

"I guess it makes sense," she said. "It still doesn't explain how I ended up in New York."

"I'm sorry, Lorna," Kenrid said, surprising me. I hadn't heard him emerge from the trees, where he now stood a short distance from us. "I shouldn't have kept this from you."

Lorna drew in a deep breath and scooted away from me. I kept my focus on her face and her reactions to Kenrid's words. I could hear the regret in Kenrid's voice, making it unnecessary to see him.

"But you did keep it from me," Lorna stated. "I've trusted you all this time because I believed you wouldn't lie to me."

Her voice wavered for a moment, then she rose to her feet and glared at Kenrid. I smiled. She would force the truth from him, and we could find a path forward.

"I didn't want to mislead you," Kenrid insisted, not taking his eyes off the grass beneath his feet. "It's an ugly part of my past. I couldn't stomach the thought of you finding out what I'd done. Once you know, I'll understand if you reject me."

I did not want to pity the fae, but the dejected look on his face made it impossible. Apparently, Lorna felt the same. She closed the space between them and reached for his hand. He didn't stop her from taking it, but he didn't meet her gaze either.

"Kenrid," she whispered. "You've been one of the best things to ever happen to me. I can't imagine you being capable of doing anything that awful. Please tell me how I ended up with my adopted parents."

I cringed, knowing what he'd done. I only hoped that Lorna could separate the good from the bad .

"I helped my colleague and his pregnant lover escape from the laboratory where the dhampir testing was done," Kenrid said, then drew in a deep breath. "I also strategically placed magical firebombs throughout the facility and sealed the doors. I killed everyone inside. Everyone."

He finally looked up at Lorna. Her furrowed brow looked more like confusion than disgust.

"The pregnant lover was my mother?" she asked. "Was your friend my father?"

Kenrid shook his head. "I'm not certain. Alyn claimed responsibility for the baby, but I'm not sure I believe it. Just because he claimed responsibility, doesn't mean the child carried his DNA. It was a twist on words that I didn't realize until much later."

"And my mom?" Lorna asked.

"Again, I'm not certain," Kenrid replied. "I left her and Alyn in a cabin near the Finger Lakes thirty-four years ago, then spent several years hiding from the fae courts myself. Nathan took me in, and I've been with his clan ever since."

Lorna sucked in a sharp breath and pressed her free hand against her mouth.

"The timing is conducive to making all kinds of assumptions," Kenrid continued. "The woman was from the winter fae court. She'd been subjected to the testing Damon just told you about."

He looked up at me and the cold indifference returned. It would take a while for him to get past this, but I still had no regrets. Secrets would only hurt a relationship. I would not be able to withstand the pain it would cause Lorna to lose Kenrid over something like this.

"I get it," Lorna said. "But nothing you've told me makes you the bad guy. The people in the lab doing those experiments were the true monsters. You saved your friend and his lover, and maybe even me. "

Kenrid squeezed his eyes closed. I held my breath, wondering if he'd tell her. Several seconds passed before he opened his eyes and took Lorna's free hand in his. He brought both to his lips and kissed her fingers.

"I love you, Lorna Scott. My soul is eternally yours, regardless of what you decide."

"Kenrid?" Lorna whispered his name, her voice shaking. "Tell me."

"I was one of those scientists."

Lorna froze, and I wished she would project her thoughts to me. Would she walk away from him? Would she give him time to explain? Most importantly, would she forgive him?

Kenrid didn't move either. Though I suspected his was from fear. His eyes searched her face, and he still gripped her hands in his.

What felt like a full minute later, Lorna pulled her hands free and took a step back. Kenrid's entire body deflated. If I'd thought he looked pitiful earlier, now was nothing short of despair.

"What exactly did you do?" she asked.

"My main task was caring for the children born at the facility," Kenrid answered. "Every day I despise my decisions to overlook what was happening. I hate myself for allowing the research to continue as long as I did. Now I have to live with the guilt of destroying so many lives."

Another full minute of silence stretched between us. I tried not to hold my breath. Kenrid's remorse was painful to watch, almost as much as his fear.

"I need some time to sort through all this," Lorna said, waving her hand in the air like I'd seen her do so many times before. "I'm not rejecting you, Kenrid. I just need some time."

Nodding, he shoved his hands in his pockets. He turned around and headed back into the forest, looking over his shoulder once before disappearing between the trees .

I almost felt bad for forcing the confrontation, and I would have if Lorna had reacted differently. But she didn't immediately reject Kenrid or call him a monster. She didn't tell him to get out of her life. As long as she was okay, I would have no regrets.

"We all make bad decisions," I said. "It's how we correct those mistakes that defines who we are."

"Yeah."

Lorna didn't look away from the place where Kenrid disappeared. Once again, I wished she'd project her thoughts to me. But she didn't, and I would not ask.

"Let me take you home." I offered my hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she took it.