Search (The Empire Chronicles #2) (19 page)

“You can’t really feel that way.” I felt like I was in some sort of twilight zone. She should have been trying to find ways to get rid of me, not encouraging me to develop a good relationship with my half-brother. Once again, I searched for ulterior motives, but everything about her words and expression seemed genuine.

“You’re good at telling me how I should feel.” She smiled. “I’m a grown woman, and I’ve had plenty of time to think about all this.”

“Did you know? Before?”

“As I said, now isn’t the time.” She stood. “I just don’t want you feeling uncomfortable today. It’s a joyous occasion.”

“Uh, thanks,” I called after her as she disappeared through the door. My head spun. Did Helen really mean what she was saying? I didn’t have any time to think about it.

“Casey?” Georgina stood in front of me.

“Oh. Hi, Georgina.”

“Grandma. It’s Grandma.” She held out a hand. “You need to come with me.”

“Why? Is everything okay?” I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

“Yes. Everything is fine. I just can’t have you missing the family photos.”

“Oh yeah, those.” I followed her out of the room and down the hall. “Aren’t the pictures outside?”

“Most of them.” She pushed open the door to another room.

I should have suspected she was up to no good, but she was my grandmother, what kind of trouble could she cause?

“And you’re not coming out until you’ve talked.” She gave me a long look.

“What?” My heart froze as she slammed the door behind me. I tried the door, but it was somehow locked from the outside. Memories of being locked in a jail cell flooded me. Those memories involved Jared and a lot of feelings I wanted to forget. What was Georgina up to?

“She means what she said. She won’t open the door until we talk.” Robert’s deep voice had me spinning around. He was wearing a navy blazer and light colored slacks. His face was cleanly shaven, and the more I looked at him, the more I realized he bore a striking resemblance to Levi. If it weren’t for a shock of gray hair, I’d have thought he were younger than the sixty or so years he had to be.

He watched me with a mixture of amusement and sadness. I struggled to come up with words.

“Hi.” Not exactly eloquent but it was better than the blubbering sounds I’d started with.

“Hello.” He took a few steps toward me, but still kept a distance. “You look different from the way I expected.”

What did that mean? Was I a disappointment or something? I looked down at my ruby red dress. Surely I looked good that day.

“I guess that came out wrong. I just mean you look older. All grown up.”

“That’s because I am.”

“I suppose so.” He shifted uncomfortably.

“Do you think this counts as talking? Will Georgina let us out yet?”

He laughed lightly. “I take it you weren’t looking forward to this meeting?”

“If you wanted to talk to me, you would have done it already.” I looked down. I couldn’t keep the eye contact anymore.

“Casey.” He said my name carefully.

I glanced up. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for…”

“I’m just sorry. I’m sorry you had to grow up with no understanding of who you are. That you had to grow up without me.”

“I have a good dad already.” I thought about Chris. He’d always been attentive and caring. I’d have never imagined he wasn’t my birth father.

“But you’re my daughter.”

“Biologically speaking.”

He walked close enough that my body went on alert. I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me, but his size and power were hard to ignore. “Your wings, your strength, your abilities, they come from me.”

“Yes, but maybe nothing else. My mom is a big part of who I am.” I don’t know why I felt the need to throw it back at him, but I couldn’t ignore my anger and hurt.

“That’s true, but your Pteron side is dominant.” He walked over to the window. “You’re not human, Casey.”

Not human? Robert didn’t know my mom was a bear. I knew I needed to keep that to myself.

“I’ve accepted that. I have wings after all.”

He laughed. “Very true.” Then he seemed lost in thought. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times before continuing. “Did your mother ever tell you about me? Did you ever question what you were?”

I shook my head. “No. I never questioned I wasn’t human, because I didn’t know anything different.” I still needed to talk to my mom. There were so many things I needed to say and ask.

“I see.” He turned back to the window. “Do you want a relationship with me?”

“Are you really asking that?”

“Is it not an appropriate question? From your tone, I think I can guess the answer.”

“Yes.” The answer came out suddenly, and it wasn’t the one I expected to give.

He turned to me. “Really? You want to know me?”

“Yes. I want to know more about you.” The reality hit me hard. As much as I wanted to turn my back on the Pteron world, and the Laurents, I needed to know more about the man who was 50% responsible for making me.

“After the wedding, I’ll give you all the time in the world.”

“So you want to know me?” I finally admitted my own doubts.

“I’ve always wanted a daughter.”

“Oh.” Was he just saying that? Did he really mean it?

“And I like your personality. I know Jared and Hailey have volunteered to work with you, but I’m going to do some myself.”

Jared volunteered to help me? Not exactly. “Did you teach Levi everything about being a Pteron?”

“No.” He wrung his hands. “I thought my other work was more important. I view it as one of my greatest mistakes.”

“One of?”

“The other one is obvious, isn’t it?”

My chest clenched. Was he going to say fathering me?

“Not making more of an effort to find you.” He cleared his throat. “Levi may have been raised in my house, but I wasn’t much of a father to him either. I took my anger out on him. He turned into a good man, but I can’t take any credit for it.”

What was happening? Why was this strong man revealing his deepest regrets to me?

“But there’s still time. With both of you.” He almost looked hopeful.

“Oh.”

“Are you getting serious with that Blackwell?”

I told him the truth. “Yes.”

“Okay.” He looked back outside.

“Okay? Is that all you have to say?”

“I don’t know him well, but I understand he helped save Allie. He can’t be too bad of a guy then.”

“What about us both being Pterons?”

“Am I really one who has the right to harp on following rules?” The guilt behind his eyes was nearly shattering.

“Why did you do it?” The question slipped off my tongue without giving it enough thought.

“I don’t know. I don’t even remember it.”

“What?” I stepped back. “How is that possible?”

“I went to upstate New York to investigate a dispute between a bear clan and a wolf pack and the next thing I knew, I was back in New Orleans. I blacked out at least twenty-four hours of my life.”

“How? Were you drugged?”

“I don’t know. All I do know is I got a picture of a baby girl and a paternity test sent to me a year later. I spent three years trying to find you before I gave up.”

“But you knew about me? You knew about me all these years?”

“Yes.”

“Did Helen?” I’d already opened up his wounds.

“Yes. I didn’t understand what happened and needed her help.”

“Did she believe you?” I thought of the sweet and gentle woman I’d just spoken to.

“Yes. She knew I wouldn’t have betrayed her or forfeited the crown.”

“Not directly…”

“I spent years waiting for everything to come crumbling down. Then I figured it out.”

“Allie? All that Enchantress stuff?”

“Exactly. Levi nearly ran away with all the pressure I put on him. Like I said, I took out my anger on him.” He straightened. “You were probably better off being raised by someone else. Maybe he was a better man.”

“I’m glad I’ll get a chance to get to know you now, but first, it’s time to watch your son get married.”

“Shall we?” He held a hand out toward the door. “Mother, I believe you can have your men open the door.”

“Have you said all you need to?” Georgina called.

“Yes,” I answered quickly. “And we’re going to talk more soon.”

The door flew open. “Good, because they need us for pictures immediately.”

“We wouldn’t want to keep them waiting.” Robert winked.

I’d almost said the same thing.

Allie glowed. She actually glowed as she walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. Casey smiled at me as I watched Allie glide past and take her place up front. I returned the smile. Casey didn’t need to worry about my feelings that day. I was with exactly the girl I needed to be with.

I’d never been to a beachside wedding before. Allie, Levi, and their attendants stood on the sand under a white archway decorated with tropical flowers. Rows of white chairs accented with large ruby red bows lined the sand on either side of the aisle. A flute and cello played the familiar melody of
Variations on a Theme
.

It was simple and elegant, and fit Allie perfectly. The only thing that would have made it more enjoyable would have been Casey sitting next to me, but at least I got to watch her looking irresistible in that dress. Her slight tan fit her well. She seemed more relaxed than she’d been when we parted a few hours before.

Casey and I had so much in common, and we were finally settling into something resembling a relationship. I would kill the next person who screwed with us. Casey had been through too much. No one was bothering her or taking her away from me again. Of course, my biggest enemy in keeping her by my side might actually be Casey herself. She was happy with me, but I worried she was still holding back. I knew there was more she still needed to tell me, but I’d wait until we found her sister first.

Casey seemed to tear up as she listened to the ceremony, but I tuned most of it out. I was too busy watching Casey.

I zoned back in when I heard them start the vows. “Do you, Allison Davis, take Leviathan Laurent as your lawfully wedded husband?” the officiant asked.

Allie pretended to mull it over. “Let me think about that.”

A hush fell over the crowd, but I smiled as did Levi. We all knew she’d made up her mind about him a long time ago.

She stepped even closer to him. “Okay. I do.”

“With all the power—”

Levi didn’t wait for him to finish. He just kissed her, blocking her from view as he wrapped her up in his arms. I felt a surprising surge of happiness. Allie really was with the man she belonged with. Casey wiped her eyes and smiled at me. Was she the kind of girl who wanted to get married? Would I be the one she married in the end? I was getting ahead of myself, and I knew it.

I leaned back in my chair and watched Allie and Levi walk down the aisle together. She grinned at me as she passed, and I mouthed congratulations. I waited for Casey to walk past, but she didn’t. Instead, she stopped right in front of my row. “How’d I do?”

“I’d say that was one of the best bridesmaid performances I’ve ever seen.”

She giggled. I wasn’t used to her giggling, but I was glad she was able to put her worries aside for a few hours and enjoy herself.

“Shall we?” I held out my hand, and she took it. We walked back toward the resort.

“That was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?” she asked carefully.

“Yes. Allie certainly made it memorable.”

She laughed. “I’d say. I think it says a lot that Levi didn’t lose his smile for a moment.”

“It says a whole lot. Those two have come a long way.”

She squeezed my hand. “I take it their relationship hasn’t always been the smoothest?”

It was my turn to laugh. “Not in the slightest. You should ask her about it sometime. Just make sure you have a few hours to kill.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“You look beautiful.” As much as I didn’t love seeing Casey in the Laurent red, it fit her. I was positive blue would fit her well too. Anything would.

“Thank you. You look quite handsome.”

“Yeah?” I glanced down at my khakis, blue dress shirt, and tie.

“Definitely. I better be careful not to let anyone steal you away.”

I lightly tugged on her hand just enough to pull her against me. I wrapped my arms around her. “I’m not going anywhere, babe.”

“Good.”

“And I hope you’re not planning on going anywhere either.” I needed her to stay safe and at my side. I refused to lose her again.

“You’re the only one I want.” She rested her head on my chest.

“That’s good, because I feel the same way.” I looked down into those beautiful blue eyes of hers. “Do you think anyone would notice if we missed the beginning of the cocktail hour?”

“I’m sure someone would notice, but the bigger question is whether they’d care.” She took my hand. “What did you have in mind?”

“A flight.”

“That sounds incredible, but I can’t fly in this.” She gestured to her dress. “Although you know I’d love to have a repeat of last night.”

“Same here.” My whole body heated thinking about the waterfall.

“To the cocktail hour then…”

“To the cocktail hour.”

We walked back to the hotel silently. I could have spent forever just holding her hand.

Levi was someone’s husband. The reality of his newest title was harder to swallow than I expected. It shouldn’t have been. He’d been off the market since he first set eyes on that green-eyed girl, but something about listening to them exchanging vows made it so official.

For my part, I hadn’t screwed up. I remembered the rings and made sure Levi was where he needed to be on time. Now if I could just manage my toast, I’d be done.

“Doing all right?” Hailey walked up behind me.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s okay to be emotional when your best friend gets married.”

“But I’m not.” I crossed my arms.

Hailey laughed. “Come on, Jared. You have to be at least moved by the occasion.”

“Why? He’s already been shacking up with her for months.”

Hailey sighed. “We just witnessed their public exchange of vows. Allie’s officially Mrs. Levi Laurent. That’s big.”