The Torn, Book One of the Holding Kate Series (22 page)

Corey’s home was
full of people. He introduced me to all of them and each one beamed knowingly at him and seemed genuinely pleased to see me. After being touched and hugged by thirty or so of Corey’s children, he led me into a room in the top of the tree and closed the door behind us.

“Alone at last,” he said. He swooped me into his arms and spun me around in circles, laughing. “It has been so long. I never thought I would see you again, my Kate.” He touched my face and searched my eyes. “You are so beautiful. Even more beautiful than I remembered,” he whispered. He ran his hand down my cheek to my throat and shoulder. “So warm…so…” his eyes lingered on my lips and he moistened his own. I shuddered in delight.

I closed my eyes anticipating the reunion of our lips. My breathing became ragged and desire spiked. I leaned in for the kiss, but he wasn’t there. I snapped my eyes open and focused on him. His eyes were pained and he seemed to be having an internal battle of some kind.

Oh. Thirty kids. Married. Corey was married. He couldn’t kiss me. I was the other woman. Pain knifed through my chest. I would not allow myself to become HER, that home wrecker who destroyed my family.

I stepped back out of his arms and he sighed resignedly. I walked to the window to put some space between us. I didn’t think I could keep my hands off of him and the Mrs. could walk through the door any minute. I hated her.

“You have kept busy, I see,” I said in a high pitched unnatural voice.

Corey crossed to stand behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
Ohhh. He felt so good.

“Yeah, when Eunavae and I came, they welcomed us warmly. We settled and built the school, taught them medicine and English.” He laughed. “I never imagined the whole village would adopt it.”

“You started a school?”

“Yes, you are standing in it.”

“This is the school?”

He nodded.

“I thought this was your house.”

“It is both.”

“Where are all the children?’

“This is a secondary school, Kate.” He breathed in my ear and chills broke out all over me. My heart raced. “We make doctors.”

“Oh.” I fell silent, afraid to ask what I really wanted to know. Silence grew between us, questions we couldn’t ask, but had to know.

“Kate, I have to know. Did you and Trip…”

“No.” I turned in his arms and looked up at him. “He is with Tara. We never…I mean not really. A crush, tops.”

Tension seemed to melt out of him. A look of constraint crossed his face. I gathered my courage. “How long have you been…been…you know?”

“What?”

“Married.” The word cracked out of my mouth.

“Married?”

“Yes, when do I get to meet the Mrs. Cianti Todura?”

“As soon as I meet her, I will let you know.” He grinned.

“So you were never married? Never in love?”

“I was in love.” Corey gently took my hand in his. “I have loved you for a thousand years, my Kate.” He kissed my fingers and held my gaze.

“Corey, if you aren’t married, then why haven’t you kissed me?” My voice was almost pleading.

“I am old.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I didn’t think you would want to kiss an old man.”

“Corey Chastain, kiss me and kiss me good.” I pulled his head down to mine and he pressed his sweet lips against my lips and fire erupted inside of me. Corey kissed me with all the pent up need of two centuries of waiting. He kissed me gently and deeply and with mad passion. Our arms were all over each other. His hands in my hair, at my neck, in the small of my back, he lifted my shirt and stroked the skin on my back. Corey kissed me, until I melted into his embrace.

I didn’t want to leave him, ever. I wanted to live a thousand more years in his arms. He pulled me tightly against him and began kissing my face, my jaw, and my lips.

The world cracked and the imaginary outcome I had created splintered and fell apart. The beautiful delusion shattered. I was back, standing in front of Corey’s large tree house. It hadn’t been real, just my imagination, my beautiful dream.

“I can’t…”

He suddenly looked over my head and beamed. “Here she is, the woman in my life.”

I gazed into his rapturous face. He was totally besotted with the person behind me. I couldn’t stand it. I felt like I was going to be sick.

Corey took my shoulders and turned me around. “Taylia, meet Kate. Kate, this is my Taylia.”

Coming back from my beautiful delusion to the very moment I had left off, I lifted my chin to face stark reality. I stared into the face of an ancient woman. She was stooped so low that she had to look up into my face. Her face was so creased with wrinkles that I couldn’t even make out what she had once looked like. Her eyes were kind and inquisitive. She stretched out a wobbly hand and said in a voice so scratchy and worn that it was hard to hear.

“Kate. Kate of a thousand years?” She twinkled at Corey. Then she turned to me. “Oh, Kate, how we have longed for your arrival. Now, perhaps Cianti Todura can cross back home.”

“You know me?”

“Yes, we all do.” She took my hand and patted it. Her mottled hands were covered in thin papery skin. “Come into our home. We have much to tell you.”

I didn’t know who this woman was but I couldn’t help it, I adored her. She carried herself with dignity and grace and spoke to me as though I were
her
long lost love.

Impulsively, I wrapped my arms around her in a fierce hug. “Taylia.” I whispered her name almost reverently.

She hugged me back and chuckled. “Ah, Corey darling, she is everything you described and more.” She pulled back and touched my cheek with her withered hand.

I glanced at Corey. His eyes were beaming as he watched the two of us meet. I sent him a questioning look.

“We will explain everything. I want you to meet our children, first.” He took my hand and squeezed it and Taylia looped her arm into mine. They escorted me, sandwiched between them, into their home

A pang of jealousy laced through me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet Corey’s children with another woman. I didn’t think I was strong enough for this. I wanted my beautiful delusion back, the one where I was kissing Corey, and he was still mine.

We entered the enormous tree home and my mouth fell open. People of all ages ran around busy at tasks, greeting Corey and Taylia as father and mother, smiling at me curiously. Occasionally, Corey would snag one of them and introduce me. I didn’t see Corey’s features in any of them. They were all dark skinned with dark eyes and hair, definitely Darchori.

Taylia told me the facility was home to over 150 children and adults, all learning the medical arts. She was very proud of their accomplishment and that pride carried through into her children.

We sauntered into a large apartment that was furnished with a dining table and seating area. Three steaming bowls of soup were set and a platter of breads and fruits.

“Sit, Kate, dear. Join Corey and me for our meal.” I sat down and Corey sat beside me. He still had not released my hand. I looked up at him desperately needing answers. He squeezed my hand, reluctantly placed it in my lap, and then we began to eat.

“Kate,” Taylia began. “Corey has spoken of you every day of his long life. I feel I know you, but I understand that this must be very odd for you.”

“Yes. It is very…odd.” I glanced at Corey and lifted a spoonful of soup to my lips.

“You must have many questions and I can only imagine how your heart must be broken to find Corey married with so many children. But you must be patient. All will be explained. Corey has been ever faithful to you.”

Married. My heart sank. Corey was married to this ancient jewel of a woman?

“Oh. I. We. No. He broke up with me, so I…” I didn’t know what to say. This was just too weird. I glanced at Corey and the lines of his face spoke of the pain he had carried. I sat my spoon down, appetite gone.

“Sweet darling, he never stopped loving you. Never.” She reached over and patted my hand.

“Now, I am a stranger to you. I know you have so many questions for Corey, and I am exhausted.” She placed wavering hands on the arms of her chair. “Corey, darling, could you help me to bed?”

“Of course.” He jumped up, lifted her into his arms and turned to me. “I’ll be right back.” Then he carried Taylia into an adjoining room.

I put my head into my hands and concentrated on steadying my breathing. A few minutes later, I felt Corey’s hands on my shoulders, gently massaging the tension away. I straightened up and shrugged his hands away.

“Don’t.” I whispered and pushed away from the table. I put some distance between us by crossing the room to stand in front of a window formed of braided branches. I pressed my arm against my stomach and rested my other elbow in my hand and massaged my forehead. “So. Married.”

He stepped toward me and I turned my palm to him. “No.” I stepped back. “She, Taylia, is your wife?”

He nodded.

“She’s…she’s amazing.” I threw my hands into the air and let them fall to my sides.

Corey nodded again. The silence was killing me.

I collapsed on the sofa and Corey gently lowered himself into the chair opposite me. I studied his face, trying to find my Corey boy in the crease lines of this stranger. It was there, in the eyes. I suddenly felt as old as the man across from me.

“Donnie said you left Jewel City because you couldn’t acclimate to the culture. I thought maybe you would wait for me.” He started to speak, but I held up my hand. “I know. It’s fine. I am glad you weren’t alone. I want your life to be happy and full. I am just being selfish.”

“You were supposed to be here.” Corey’s voice was low. “I have lived 212 years with the guilt that I never should have walked away from you that day. I should have taken you back to camp with me. I should have fought for you.”

“There was no need to fight, Corey. I was already in love with you. I have…”

“…loved you for a thousand years,” he finished and his intense gaze pierced my heart. “When I realized it was Eunavae’s jump and you weren’t here…I knew I had to do whatever I could to see her through it. It was my fault you weren’t here.”

“Why did I need to be here for Pinky’s jump?”

“You had the key.”

“The key?”

“There was a fire. Actually, Eunavae started it. She was so angry in those early years. She was trapped by the fire of her own creation. We couldn’t get to her. She had accidentally locked herself in. When I saw the iron lock, I knew your key would have opened it. She was burned badly.”

He put his head into his hands. “It was my fault. The jump had failed. We were stuck here and Eunavae was scarred beyond recognition. She refused Kail’s love and he eventually turned to someone else. I had heard of a medication made from the Sonphreua trees here in the forest that would diminish scars. So, I brought her here.”

“We settled with the Darchori to learn their medicines. They took us in and welcomed us as family. We started a small hospital. Eventually, the chief of the tribe insisted that I was the Cianti Todura, and that I required all the benefits of that title. One of the requirements was that I would have to marry his daughter, Taylia.”

“I had no hope of ever returning home, I knew the jump had failed, and we were stuck here. Taylia was beautiful, but heartbroken over losing her true love in an accident. We became close friends, sharing in each other’s pain. We were very honest about our feelings. She knew I would never love her the way I have always loved you. I knew her heart belonged elsewhere.”

“When Eunavae fell in love and married, I felt somehow released from my guilt. If she—whose jump this was—could move on, then I needed to accept we were never going home. I had to accept that you were lost to me forever. I accepted the chief’s offer and we were married within the week. That was nearly 45 years ago. I have watched Taylia grow old while I stayed relatively young. I haven’t changed much at all in the last 50 years. But she…she…” His face was drawn in unspeakable sadness.

I was horrified by his story. I was to blame! Not Corey. I was the one who didn’t go back to the cabin. I was the one who missed the jump. I was the one who infected his heart so deeply that he could not find happiness in this world. I was to blame that darling Taylia was never loved by her husband of 45 years. I was the monster, the villain in his story, and he was too poisoned to even realize it.

I had to get out of here. I had to hurt Corey so deeply that it would sever my toxic hold on him. So he could give himself to…what? An old dying woman?
Gah! What a freakin’ mess!

I jumped up. “I have to get out of here.” I walked in a circle trying to remember where the door was.

“No!” Corey strode to me and grabbed my arms. “No! I won’t let you go, ever again.” I looked into his face and my heart swelled with love. Passion burned from his eyes and love so true and pure it pierced the panic. He leaned in to kiss me and dear god, I wanted him. I wanted him to kiss away this nightmare, to take me as his own. I loved him, unspeakable love.

“Noooo!” I moaned and pushed him away.

He wouldn’t let go of me. “Kate, I love you. Please, Taylia knows my heart has always been yours. She even told me to make things right with you, to not feel constrained by our arrangement.”