Ties That Bind: a New Adult Fantasy Novel (The Spire Chronicles Book 2) (29 page)

“You didn’t have to lose me,” I choked out almost inaudibly.

His hand left my cheek to rest over my own. “During Order gatherings, when I saw you across the room, I was awestruck. You seemed to grow so quickly. I kept seeing a growing version of your mother, while picking up some of my own traits in your behavior.” He chuckled. “It was amazing to see how similar we were despite our distance.”

“Guess that solves the nature versus nurture debate.” I wanted to lean against him but didn’t dare breach the invisible wall I’d put up. I wasn’t ready for that, not yet. This was overwhelming enough as it is.

“Well, you also carry a lot of Cassandra in you, so I’d call it a draw.”

“So, you and Catherine are…?” I trailed off, bracing myself for the killing blow.

“Two people who were sad and lonely that ended up–”

I let out a wild rambling of noises that would’ve made the Road Runner proud. “I know we’re doing this whole family fixing thing or whatever, but can we skip the birds and the bees talk? Like, please, seriously, do not finish that sentence or I’ll have to burn this house down.”

“Consider it payback for letting it slip you were sharing a room with the Campbell boy,” he said with a smug chuckle.

“That was an accident.” An obnoxious laugh left me as I realized, “So was Tamlin, I guess.”

“Morgan!”

“Well, was he?” I asked, stifling my laughter.

He pursed his lips and glared at me but didn’t answer. “Tamlin was a
surprise
, yes, but he is my son, and I love him dearly.”

“And Catherine?”

“A very good friend and confidante.”

“Cool.” I nodded, hoping the relief wasn’t too evident on my face. “I fixed up one family issue and gained another.”

“Tamlin was excited when he heard you coming. He really wanted to meet you.”

“He seemed nice. I think I upset him, though.”

Dad patted my hand. “I’m sure you two can work it out.”

“Sure,” I said. “We’ll do lunch. I’ll take him to the zoo and watch him freak out over the wolves.”

“Don’t do that,” he said flatly.

I rolled my eyes. “It was a joke. Kind of. Now, eat your probably cold soup. I’m going to see if Alex is awake yet.”

I stood up but Dad held onto my hand. “Your first morning here, at breakfast… Some of the things I said may have been misconstrued.”

“It was my fault,” I said. “I took it out of context. Forget about it.”

It was true. Dad didn’t think I was incapable of being a hunter at all. He was just concerned for my safety. Warm, fuzzy feelings ran through me and I made a note to punch a wall later just to rebuild some of my manly pride.

“There is one thing I do want you to keep in mind,” he said with a serious look that immediately put me on guard. “He seems to care for you–”

“Dad,” I groaned. Wow, I can’t believe I had to wait until I was twenty-six to be able to do that.

“And I’m happy that you have someone like that in your life, but don’t forget that both of you are in a very dangerous line of work.”

“Dad, I know.” I held a hand up to stop him. This was the same argument that played itself over and over in my head every time I thought about moving our relationship forward; I really didn’t want to face it again. In fact, I’ve been doing a good job blocking it out completely. “I understand the risks, and committing isn’t something I’ve done, like, ever. I mean, I’m trying but…”

I shattered my wall, collapsing forward with a sigh and resting my head on his shoulder. He stiffened for a second before wrapping an arm around me.

“I had the same doubts when I met your mother,” he said against my hair.

“Dad?”

“Hm?”

“I love you,” I mumbled into his shoulder, glad he couldn’t see my reddened face. Public admissions of affection were my kryptonite.

I didn’t miss the way he trembled as he pressed a kiss to my temple. “I love you, too.”

19

Comfort and joy were words I had long ago stopped associating with my childhood home, but now, curled up with Alex in the guest room’s twin-sized bed… I couldn’t think of any other words to describe it.

I had snuck into his arms and was just enjoying the closeness. He was still asleep when I returned, which wasn’t surprising – I stayed up pretty late waiting for him to come back, and he only returned after I’d dozed off. The sharp smell of booze on his breath told me exactly what he had been off doing. Maybe he ended up at the same inn where I met June. It was near the hospital, after all. I wondered if June was still there. Did she proposition him, too, or did she only go for girls?

I sat up straight at the thought of Alex following her upstairs. It felt hypocritical, but do as I say, not as I do and all that. Especially since I was horrible at making good decisions. Unless the world suddenly fell on its side and running off and doing stupid things when you were pissed became pure genius.

The papers I took from Wright’s safe were on the desk near the fireplace. I got up and grabbed them before sitting criss-crossed in front of the flames. See, sitting near a fire while looking at papers was another one of those things I did that crossed me off the smart list. Despite me staring and willing more information to come forth, the files didn’t provide anything new.

He was a vampire whom people rarely saw, he had a strange pendant, and a whole lot of nothing more. The only thing that really helped was the name Wright gave me: Lucas – if only because Fake-Corrigan was a mouthful. Dad didn’t know anything more about Lucas, though he did appear physically ill when he saw the photos. I understood how he felt, I almost wet myself when I first saw the infernal vamp. I might be able to find out more about him when I go back to New York. Unlike our furry friends here, vampires tended to congregate toward busy cities, probably for the herds of people; someone may have seen something.

Our scuffle aside, I tried to keep my feelings regarding Lucas professional. I’d been taunted before, and while it annoyed me, it never got in the way of doing my job. Not for long, anyway. But he’d mentioned my mother, called her by name, and the way he looked… I could chalk it up to coincidence, but we all knew how I felt about that.

Sleepy – and very adorable, though I am biased – sounds drifted from the bed as Alex stirred, propping himself up on one hand and running the other through his hair. No matter what the situation or mood, he always managed to look so innocent when he woke up. I took a moment to enjoy the view before turning back to force answers out of pages that had none left to give.

“Morgan?” he called, his voice rough with sleep.

I made a sound in acknowledgment before growling in frustration and gathering up the papers to put away. There was a small roll of brown paper on the desk that I’d missed earlier. It was new, did Alex bring it in last night? From the way he’s clutching his head, I bet he’s nursing one hell of a hangover. I padded back to the bed and placed the roll of paper on the nightstand. His skin was warm when I touched it, rubbing his temples as I sent healing magic through my fingers.

He let out a relieved exhale. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I kissed his cheek, smiling when he turned his head to capture my lips instead. “How did things go with Tom?”

Alex sighed heavily and rolled onto his back, covering his face with his hands. “I still can’t believe he was a part of that. It doesn’t matter if you need money, there is no excuse for what he did to those people. I really looked up to him,” he added after a beat, his voice quiet. “He never let anything get him down. Why didn’t he tell me things had gotten so bad? I would’ve helped him out.”

“Sometimes our pride makes us do stupid things. Or stops us from doing smart things,” I said. “Trust me, I’m an expert.”

“You’d never do that,” he said, bringing my hand up to press a kiss against my palm. “Never.”

“It’ll get better.”
Smart, Morgan, give him some generic platitude.
Maybe instead of cauterizing my tear ducts I should sear my mouth shut. “I know that doesn’t really help, but…”

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, pushing himself back up to look at me. His deep blue eyes made me feel like I was drowning in their warmth, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away. I guess the waters had calmed after all.

I licked my lips, ducking my head away. “About before, what I said about your parents–”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. It was completely inappropriate to even–” My words were cut off with a surprised “oomph” as Alex pulled me down for a kiss.

Our teeth clacked against each other, but the discomfort was quickly forgotten as we got lost in more pleasant sensations. He let out a sexy groan and slid his hands down to grip my ass while I swung a leg over his hips to straddle him.

“I’m supposed to be working,” I said against his lips, pulling away with a goofy grin. “You’re very distracting, Mister Campbell.”

He gave me a firm squeeze and a completely unapologetic grin. “Sorry.”

I rolled my eyes but laughed. “I’m sure. Now, why don’t I get you some of that food stuff you’ve been forcing on me all week?”

He snorted. “Are you ever going to stop guilting me for trying to take care of you?”

“That’s a weird sentence.” I wrinkled my nose. “Besides, if I can make you feel guilty about it, maybe you’re doing it wrong.”

“Should I stop making you dinner, then?”

“Only if you want to eat take-out for the rest of your life.”

“If McDonalds ever starts delivering, you’d never leave your house.”

“If they start delivering, no one would leave their house.”

He scoffed and held me tighter, kissing my cheek. What a prude.

“Have you spoken to Rowan?” I asked. “I tried calling her last night but didn’t get an answer.”

“She was there with Tom’s escort, actually.” He rolled us onto our sides.

“What?” I sat up but was pulled back down. “She didn’t tell me she was coming. I can’t believe I missed her – it’s like she’s deliberately avoiding me.”

“I’m sure that’s not it. From what I heard, it was a last minute decision to have her come along. She asked about you. I said you were doing well, even with your father.”

“How did she look?”

“Like a cat,” he said flatly. “She seemed fine, though she wanted me to remind you that you’re back on active duty in two weeks.”

“Right,” I groaned. “New York City, where the drinks are cold and the women are probably demons or vampires that want to drain you of some kind of bodily fluid. Not very pithy, but it is more accurate.”

“I’ve never actually been to New York.”

“Freakin’ heathen.”

“Is it any different than other cities?” he asked, nudging me with his knee.

“It’s New York.”

“And?”

I glared at him. “You’re fucking with me right now, aren’t you?”

“A little.” He grinned.

“Well,” I huffed, “all cities are different. It’s kind of amazing to see how a community – a whole supernatural world – can exist without humans noticing; a city within a city.”

“Yeah,” he said with a faraway voice. “When I found out all that stuff was real – that werewolves and fairies and all those things weren’t just stories… I don’t know. It was a pretty big revelation for a kid.”

I kissed him and pulled the blankets over us. The food could wait. “I grew up with all of this, so I have no idea how it would feel. You’ve adjusted well, though.”

“I have had over twenty years to adjust.” He smiled warmly and pointed at the brown paper roll. “Did you open the package yet?”

“No, what is it?” I reached for it, pulling the string tying it together loose. “Will it kill me?”

“Probably not,” he said. “Then again, you seem to attract bad luck, so–”

I smacked his chest, curling my hand into a fist over his heart as I saw what was inside. “You…”

“I passed by a flower shop on the way back and thought of you. Remember the first conversation we ever had?”

“About nightshade,” I said fondly. “I wouldn’t really call it a conversation.”

“Banter?”

I gave him a coy smile. “Foreplay.”

It wasn’t nightshade in the paper. It was single white rose entwined with a bushel of hydrangeas, their delicate petals forming a pastel mural against the plain brown wrapping. I wasn’t fond of getting flowers as gifts (I hated watching them die), but right now, I couldn’t think of anything better. Leaning forward, I took a deep breath, sighing happily at the pleasant scent.

“You know,” he said, “I can’t get food with this blanket over me.”

“Food or me?” I gave him a cheeky grin until he made a show of debating over it, then I frowned and smacked him on the chest again. “Jerk.”

“You love me.”

“I lied about that,” I said with a pout.

A sexy, smoldering grin spread over his face like warm honey and he climbed on top of me. “I guess I’ll just have to change your mind.”