Black Orchid (8 page)

Nate
grabbed his discarded backpack and then glanced back at the house. As far as he
could tell, Adelaide wasn’t watching, so he took the opportunity to check on
Dave. Using his speed, he made it up to the grave to find that Dave had already
left. Nate frowned. He’d have to talk to his henchman. Dave was supposed to
have waited for the cover of darkness.

Suddenly
he froze when he caught Adelaide’s mental command.
“Got it,”
he thought
back, wondering if she could actually hear him. He took the opportunity the
extra time provided him to quickly tap the disturbed earth back into place in
case Adelaide come up here.

He
grabbed his gear and quickly moved behind the cover of a tree. As he stood
there, a faint sound, barely a rustle, caught his attention. He would’ve written
it off as a small rodent in the underbrush, but some sixth sense made Nate look
up… directly into Greasy Dave’s black stare. Silently he made his way to where Dave
stood.

“What
the hell are you still doing here?” he hissed.

“What?”
Dave shrugged. “You didn’t think we were going to trust that you were just
getting this done on your own, did you?”

Nate
fought back the urge to slam Dave’s grinning mug into the trunk of the tree.
Instead, he just flexed his muscles a bit. A not-so-subtle hint about his super
strength, but Dave’s frown said he got it.

“She’s
just asked me to help her regain her powers. I’ve established trust and a
reason to stick around a good long while.”

“Ah,
so she has lost her powers.” Dave gave a satisfied nod. “But you won’t, of
course.”

“Won’t
what?”

“Help
her regain those powers.”

Nate
frowned. “Do I look like an idiot? Of course I won’t.”

“Good.
You’d better get back in there. She’s waiting for you.”

“No,
she has company. But you’d better clear out. I have no idea who’s in there with
her.

Dave
nodded and turned to walk away. Nate turned back to watch the house.

“Oh…
and Nate?”

Nate
glanced over his shoulder to find Dave staring at him intently. “What?”

“I’ll
be watching.”

*****

With
a resigned sigh, Adelaide called out to the man she’d seen. “Okay, Oren, you
can come down here.”

A
ghost-like figure appeared at the top of her stairs and then, in a heartbeat,
hovered directly before her.

She’d
met Oren at the castle. He was Selene’s right- hand man and a bit of a father figure. 
He’d been kind and considerate to Adelaide on the few occasions they’d met.
Every time she saw him, Adelaide was a little surprised. At over fifteen hundred
years old, he only looked to be in his sixties. While their kind could live up
to two thousand years, she’d venture to say many didn’t make it that long for
one reason or another. It was rare to meet one of his years.

Despite
the fact that she liked Oren, Adelaide shivered. The wolf shifter also had the rare
ability of astral projection. He could project an image of himself, appearing
as a pale specter. And it was unsettling.

Adelaide
crossed her arms. “What’re you doing here, Oren?”

“I
am sorry if I surprised you. I was just checking in on you.”

Adelaide
waited for him to ask about Nate. Depending on how long he’d been there, he easily
could’ve seen something. But he didn’t say more. Then Adelaide registered what
he’d said, and she crossed her arms. “Charlotte was here only yesterday. I’m
fine.”

“We
can’t be too careful. If Maddox discovered that you were here alone, who knows
what he would do to you?”

“How
often have you been checking in?”

“Ah.
Just now and then. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Adelaide’s
lips thinned. “How considerate. Could you please ask Charlotte to come get me?
I have some things that need to be said to my family, apparently.”

Oren
gave her a polite half-bow. “Of course.” His form wavered and slowly
disappeared.

“Nate,
I’ll be gone for a little bit. Don’t come in yet,”
she sent him
the thought and prayed that he got it.

Only
a few minutes later, Charlotte appeared before her. “Now, honey, don’t be too
angry with them. Selene just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

Adelaide
held out her hand by way of reply. With a nod of resignation, Charlotte took
it,
and then,
before she could even blink, Adelaide was standing in Selene’s chambers.
Griffin, still a wolf, stood over to the side with Ramsey, Lila, and Lila and
Adelaide’s parents. The sound of the door opening drew Adelaide’s head around.
Ellie and Alex joined them in the room.

My,
my. They assembled everyone fast, didn’t they?

Adelaide
was tempted to light right into them, but something in her mother’s wary expression
stopped her, that and the fact that anger with her family was such a foreign
emotion to her. She’d never hurt them. Ever. But she was upset enough to do so
now, with sharp words and selfish reasons.

God,
have I become some sort of monster? Is that why they took my memory? Is that
why my mother is afraid?
She took a deep, calming breath. Whatever she’d
become, she could overcome it. Right?

“How
long has Oren been watching over me?” She thought she’d asked calmly enough,
but Lila flinched.

“Since
you’ve been there,” Selene answered.

Adelaide
nodded. “I understand that you’re concerned, but he scared me half to death. If
you feel the need to check in more frequently, please have the courtesy to set
it up with me ahead of time. You risk triggering the dragon. And you don’t have
to spy.”

Adelaide
felt a twinge of guilt at that lie. She did her best to keep her thoughts
blocked from all the prying minds in the room, pushing any image of Nate from her
head. When did she start lying to her family? But, still, they wouldn’t tell
her everything about her memory gaps either. That was a form of lying too,
right? Omission.

“We
didn’t want to intrude,” Selene said.

“Hmmm…
Well, I would like your promise that you’ll intrude when I’m expecting you. If
you feel the need for that to be more often, let’s discuss it.”

Selene
nodded. “Fair enough.”

Adelaide
looked expectantly at Charlotte, point made and ready to return home.

“It’s
actually a good thing you came right now,” Selene said, pulling Adelaide’s gaze
back. “We had a bit of a development that you should be aware of. I was just
about to share it with everyone else.”

Adelaide’s
cheeks heated. So they weren’t assembled for her. At least she hadn’t spoken
that embarrassing assumption aloud. Apparently losing her mind meant becoming
incredibly self-centered.

A
knock at the door sounded. “Come in,” Selene called.

A
petite woman entered, followed closely by a man with shaggy blond hair and
laughing eyes. Lovers by what Adelaide could see in the relationship between
them. Or… maybe… not quite yet. But they would be soon. Right behind the man
was a boy, not a day over thirteen.

“We
brought Samuel, My Lady,” the woman said.

“Thank
you,” Selene replied. She waved them inside and moved to shut the door behind
them, cautiously checking the hallway beyond as she did.

The
woman glanced around with a tight smile. When her gaze landed on Adelaide, the smile
changed to a wide grin. “Delia! They told me you were away.”

Adelaide
looked to Lila, who had moved to stand beside her.

“Maggie,
Adelaide has lost her memory,” Lila explained. She paused a moment to let that
sink in. When the girl named Maggie’s eyes widened, Lila continued. “She’s only
come to hear what Samuel has to say.”

“Oh!”
Maggie gasped. She walked over and held out her hand, which Adelaide shook
limply. “I’m sorry to hear that, sweetie. Um… I’m Maggie. And we’re friends.”

“Maggie
is one of the Vyusher,” Lila added. “While she’s a wolf metamorph, like all
Selene’s people, she can also project voices and thoughts.”

Maggie
shrugged with a self-deprecating smile. “Basically a glorified megaphone. Not
anything cool like telepathy. But I come in handy every once in a while.”

“Did
you
order her memory to be removed?” a male voice interrupted them.

Glancing
up from Maggie’s friendly face, Adelaide saw the blond man was staring at
Selene.

“It
was my decision, Desmond,” Lila said. She turned back to Adelaide. “Desmond is
one of Selene’s High Council. He can also turn invisible.” She turned to glare
at him. “And sometimes he’s even more of a pain than his father, Xavier.”

Desmond
shook his head, his lips quirking. “Well, I hope removing her memory works a
sight better than when you removed all her emotions.”

Adelaide
gasped. “What?” She looked down at her trembling hands as the shaking
immediately started up. She clenched her fingers into fists.

Lila
led her over to the couch to sit down. “Trust me, it was to help you.”

Desmond
grimaced. “She didn’t know?”

Selene
shook her head, her jaw clenched.

“Sorry.
But don’t you think it’s better that she knows the truth?” he asked.

“Yes.
But not yet. She was overwhelmed with everything. We’re letting her discover
the truth at her own pace.” Adelaide’s mother stepped forward now. When
Adelaide looked over, she found Lucy watching her closely.

Lila
reached over and took her hand. Peace washed through her, but it felt forced. As
if it weren’t her own. Still, the quaking subsided. Adelaide sighed, tired in a
bone-deep way. She was tired of discovering more. Tired of learning. Tired of
not knowing. Tired of knowing.

“We
can talk about this later,” she mumbled.
Like when I’m not trying so hard to
contain a fire-breathing dragon inside my body.
“Let’s just get on with what
you wanted us all here for.”

“Are
you sure?” Selene asked.

Adelaide
gave an abrupt little nod.

“All
right. But we will talk about it when you’re ready.”

“Thanks,”
Adelaide murmured.

Selene
sent her a small smile, and then turned away. “Samuel?” she beckoned the boy,
who’d remained silent up to this point, further into the room. He moved forward
hesitantly.

Selene
placed her hands on his arms and turned him to face the family. “Samuel, as
most of you know, has the gift of prophesy. But at only thirteen, he’s only
just coming into it. So please take what he’s about to say with that in mind.”

She
gave the young boy’s shoulders a gentle squeeze. “Go ahead and tell them what
you told Desmond and Maggie.”

He
gulped and nodded. “I don’t really know what it means. I saw four lights
glowing in a field with mountains on all sides. The lights were colored - one
purple, one pale blue, one yellow, and one bright pink. As I watched, they
dimmed… and then turned black. Then they turned into snakes… black snakes. All
four snakes were then caught by birds and carried into the sky.”

Thick
silence greeted Samuel’s words.

“Do
you have any idea what it means?” Alex asked, frowning.

“No,
sir.”

“Ellie?”
Lila asked.

Ellie
just shook her head. She sent Samuel a smile. “I’ve tried to access Sammy’s
powers before. But I can’t seem to get a lock on his gift. We thought it might
work if I could try to control it when he was in the middle of a vision, but we
haven’t been lucky enough to be in the same room when that happens yet. They don’t
come often.”

Selene
took her hands off Samuel’s shoulders. “Thank you.”

Samuel
smirked, going from unsure to cocky in a blink, as only thirteen-year-olds can.
“I hope you figure it out, My Queen.”

At
Selene’s nod, Desmond and Maggie took Samuel and left.

“What
could that possibly mean?” Ramsey asked, looking around the room.

Ellie
cleared her throat. “Selene and I see lights when we’re manipulating other
people’s powers. Each light is unique to the person. When we tried to help
Selene, our lights got all tangled up. And the four colors he just described…”

“Those
are
our
lights,” Selene finished.

Adelaide
concentrated. It’d been only three days since Samuel’s prophesy, and she’d come
back home. But she couldn’t get the eeriness of his words out of her mind. Was
she destined to turn evil? Was she going to be killed by another shifter?

Selene
had said that they couldn’t worry about it too much because Samuel’s
predictions were untried at best. So Adelaide had returned to a very curious Nate
and had thrown herself into her practicing. Not that she was getting very far
with it.

Concentrate
, she ordered
herself silently, adding an extra couple of exclamation points to the thought. In
her mind, she pictured a falcon. She visualized the sleek feathered form, sharp
talons, hooked beak, and keen sight. She held that image in her mind and willed
her body to change into it. Then she opened her eyes.

Nothing.

She
was still a woman. Adelaide muttered a curse word that would have earned her a stern
look from her mother. Nate was watching from his usual spot in the wicker chair
on the veranda. Although several yards away, with his speed he could reach her quickly
if needed.  He’d already soothed her uncontrollable shaking twice this morning
and numerous other times over the last few days. She could feel him watching
her. Laughing, always. Judging, perhaps. She caught that vibe from him
sometimes. As though he liked her but didn’t want to.

He’d
offered to help the first time she’d tried to shift.

“Are
you a metamorph? No? Then, thank you, but I’ll do this on my own,” she’d
snapped.

But
in response to her rude behavior, he’d bowed with a flourish. “As you wish.”

Adelaide
pursed her lips to keep from laughing. “Another
Princess Bride
quote?”
she had guessed. The first night when he’d figured out there wasn’t much to do
around the house, she’d offered him some books to read and he’d said, “In my
day, television was called books.” She’d frowned and he’d laughed. He’d been
spouting quotes from the movie nonstop ever since. She’d gotten really good at
recognizing when they were coming. He got this specific kind of goofy
expression on his face — like a little boy who thought he was getting away with
something.

Now,
days later, Nate sat and read one of her books while she tried and tried and
tried. And failed and failed and failed miserably. Adelaide ran her hands
through her hair and let out a small grrrr of frustration.

“You’re
not relaxing,” Nate’s deep voice interrupted her.

She
glanced over to where he was seated with his feet propped up on the veranda
railing.
How do you know
? Adelaide was tempted to yell at him again or
maybe throw something. Juvenile, but satisfying.

“What
do you mean?” she asked grudgingly.

Nate
laid the book on the seat of his chair and walked over to her. Adelaide’s pulse
picked up speed. When she’d told him to shave, she hadn’t expected that he’d be
quite this handsome. All those whiskers had a lot to answer for, hiding this
kind of man from the world.

A
strong chin and nose and dark, slashing eyebrows were softened by his big brown
eyes and lips that she could only describe as kissable. He was a tantalizing
mix of blatant male and boyish charm. The constant smile on his lips and
twinkle in his eyes just added to the pull he had on her. And when he would
wrap those strong arms around her to calm her from the vibrations of the
violent creature battling to get out of her body, she was filled with such
unimaginable, scandalous feelings.

Adelaide
raised her eyebrows questioningly as he said nothing. “Well?”

He
shook his head. There was that twinkle again. A real one today, reaching his
eyes. “Uh-uh, Princess. You’re going to have to ask me nicely.”

Adelaide
wanted to stamp her foot and glare at him, but that teasing twitch to his mouth
also made her want to laugh. The twinkle was the only reason she didn’t argue
with the patronizing nickname. He liked to tease. He didn’t mean anything by
it.

“Nate,
I apologize for being so rude earlier. If you would be so kind, I would very
much appreciate any advice you have to give at this time.”

Nate
stepped forward and took her chin between his fingers to tilt her face up to
his. “Ask me that beautifully every time, and I guarantee I’ll jump to do your
bidding,” he murmured. And then he frowned a little, as if surprised by what
he’d said.

Adelaide
blinked as he let her go and moved to stand behind her. She jumped a little
when his hands landed on her shoulders. Granted, in order to calm her down
periodically, he had had to hold her much more intimately. But this was
different. She was completely aware of him right now.

“You’re
too tense. You’re trying way too hard and thinking yourself out of it. Don’t
worry about the shaking. I can help you stop it. Don’t worry about anything…
me, your family, the future.”

As
he spoke, Nate’s hands started to massage the tight muscles in her neck,
shoulders, and back. It felt good. Really good. Still, she shouldn’t be letting
him touch her like this. Adelaide glanced over her shoulder, but Nate’s
expression was completely clinical. He appeared to only want to help.

At
her glance he raised his eyebrows and then used a gentle finger to turn her head
back forward. “Close your eyes. Relax,” he murmured, his lips still so close to
her ear she could feel the tickle of his breath. She shivered but did as he ordered.
And then, after a moment, she let go of the fact that he was touching her and
just concentrated on releasing her tension. Gradually, Adelaide could feel the
stress melting away under the magic of his fingertips.

“Now
breathe slowly. In and out. Like we do when we’re calming you down. Concentrate
on the breaths.”

Adelaide’s
body was humming but with a different kind of tension now. One created by his
touch, his scent, his voice.
What is wrong with me?
I barely know
him. Besides… he’s just helping me.

Even
more strange, however, was the soothing effect he had on her. It felt as though
her body relaxed completely and utterly in Nate’s presence, which made no
sense. He was still, for all intents and purposes, a total stranger.

“Good.
Let it all go.” He kept up a stream of soft, deep murmurs, and Adelaide
listened. Not to the words necessarily, but to the rich timbre of his voice,
the cadence of his speech. She could listen all day.

“Now,
picture the falcon. Not what you would look like. Picture what you would feel
like. Feel how light your body is – hollow bones and airy feathers – perfect to
lift into the sky. Feel how sharply you will see. Feel the strength of your
talons.”

Adelaide
concentrated on the images and feelings he conjured. Suddenly warmth started spreading
through her body. She gasped and opened her eyes with a snap.

“What
happened? Are you okay?”

She
turned to face him. “I think so. I started to feel this… heat.”

“That’s
called desire, darlin’.” He winked.

Adelaide
didn’t catch it, though, as she was too focused on what’d just happened. “No,
desire feels completely different from what I just felt,” she murmured.

“Oh,
really?”

She
looked up and realized what she’d just said. A mortified blush stained her
cheeks, neck, and probably every other inch of her body. Even her ears were
burning.

“I
wasn’t… I mean… that’s not what…” She whirled around. “Let’s just try it again.
I think we’re close.”

She
waited through a few agonizing moments of silence. “Okay, Princess,” he finally
muttered. Before she could decipher the odd note in his voice, his hands were
back on her shoulders.

This
time, when the warmth started moving through her body, Adelaide didn’t fight
it. She concentrated on relaxing and on the images in her mind until that warm
sensation spread to every nerve ending.

“Open
your eyes,” Nate said.

Adelaide
did, and saw the world from an entirely new perspective. She was close to the
ground now, but even at this angle, her perception of the world was incredible.
Everything suddenly looked sharper and brighter. Looking down, Adelaide saw
feathers and talons.

I
did it!
She wanted to burst from excitement, and a piercing cry tore from her mouth.

Suddenly
she was back in human form, sitting in the dirt on her butt.

Nate’s
laugh drew her gaze up to him. “You were doing so well. What happened?”

She
gave him a disgruntled frown. “I startled myself. I have to keep my
concentration on the form, I guess.” She scrambled awkwardly to her feet and
dusted off the seat of her pants.

“Well,
the important thing is you did it!”

Adelaide
blinked, and her excitement at her achievement came rushing back. She turned a
beaming smile on Nate and threw her arms around his neck. “I did, didn’t I? And
no tremors or anything!” Her laugh was a sound of pure joy and exhilaration.

She
leaned back slightly to look into his beaming face. “Thank you.” She went to
pull out of his arms but stopped as they tightened around her. Her gaze returned
to his, and what she saw in his eyes stole the breath from her body. She
couldn’t look away, even if she wanted to.

Slowly…so
very slowly… Nate lowered his head. He was going to kiss her! Adelaide’s heart
pounded so hard she wondered if he could feel it. But she’d never wanted
anything more. Softly, his lips brushed against hers. And then again. Over and
over, he whispered his lips across hers in a barely there sweep that had her
both completely turned on and tremendously frustrated. So sweet and oh so agonizing.

Adelaide
spiked her fingers through his hair and tugged. “Kiss me. Please, kiss me.”

Nate
answered her plea and crushed her lips under his, his tongue seeking immediate
entry. Adelaide’s lips opened for him and met him kiss for kiss. She savored
every single sensation, every heart-stopping moment. She squirmed to get closer
to him. And he accommodated by using those amazing hands to plaster her along
the length of his body as his lips continued to devastate her senses.

And
then he froze, every part of him so still, it felt as though she were holding
onto stone. “Nate?” she murmured against lips that still hovered over hers.

With
a deep groan, he gripped her arms, pulling them from around his neck. He gave
her one last, soft, lingering kiss and then pushed her away from him.

“I
can’t. We shouldn’t. I don’t—” Nate slashed his hand through the air. Adelaide
watched as a gamut of emotions crossed his face. Desire, regret, confusion, and
then suspicion. “What are you doing to me?” he demanded roughly.

“Me?!”
Adelaide gasped.

Before
she could go further, he shook his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that.” But his
eyes had gone all blank on her again.

It
kept her from reaching for him, or asking what was wrong, or asking anything at
all. “No. You’re right. We shouldn’t.” She kept her expression and her tone
light.

He
frowned. “I’m sorry.”

Adelaide
held up a hand. “No need. We were both involved in that kiss. But we’re essentially
strangers in the middle of nowhere. Probably best to keep things on just a
friendly basis.”

Instead
of looking relieved, his scowl only deepened. “You’re sure?”

“Of
course.” She smiled to show no hard feelings. Then she turned and headed back
to the house. Her mind was spinning. What was he suspicious of? Her?
Relationships in general? Something else?

Adelaide
tried to force it from her mind. The important thing to focus on was her
abilities. They’d proven today that she did better learning her new skills with
a little help. Perhaps slightly more skilled help was needed now. The next time
Charlotte came, Adelaide decided to ask her to bring Ellie along when she came
to visit in the future. Adelaide’d have to send Nate away, of course, or at
least hide him on those days. She still needed him close in case the dragon
inside her tried to come out. But if she wanted to be independent, she
obviously needed the practice and an expert adviser.