Tainted roots

I was exhausted mentally, physically, and fuck it, spiritually too. After the meeting, we all dragged ourselves to our house. Well, all of us except Seth, who we hadn’t seen since before the meeting. I assumed he was fine, no news was good news and all that. If I thought he was the one to betray us, I wasn’t thinking that now. Not with how the necromancers tortured him and how many he killed when fighting back.

Koa dropped into a plush armchair, pulling me into his lap and against his chest. Ari and Starling took the other chairs. The rest were left to sit on the sofa, but luckily it was large enough to fit them and still have extra space. Was it outrageous for five people to have such a big sofa? Maybe. Did that stop us from picking it? Absolutely not.

Sitting on Koa’s lap, resting my head against his chest, and surrounded by his warmth had me so comfortable I was about ready to fall asleep. I probably would’ve, had it not been for my stomach growling in protest, reminding me how long it’d been since I last ate.

“I’ll order breakfast,” Ander offered, having heard my loud ass stomach.

“Order a bunch,” I said snuggling against Koa’s chest.

Ander chuckled as he powered up his wristband, reminding me I had to mine on silent and how I should check if I had any messages. I’d check it later when I wasn’t so drained and was over the crazy twists and turns of the past few days. Pushing to my feet, I told Koa I was only going to the kitchen to get a drink when his hands lingered on my hips.

Pulling a glass bottle of water from the fridge. I hoped onto the counter, taking a moment to decompress.

Necromancers still existed. Not only did they exist, but they were the ones behind the attack during the Lunar Eclipse, the blackouts, and the missing Mythics. Well, I guess they didn’t count as missing anymore, since we found and ‘killed’ many of them in the necromancer’s region.

I wasn’t surprised when I heard someone entering the kitchen, having expected Koa or Ari to see what was taking me so long. It was neither of them. It was Wyatt. He leaned back against the island counter across from me, his gray eyes carefully studying me. After all he did for us last night, if he was a traitor, he was a damn good actor and committed to his role like a motherfucker.

“That was some weapon you used against the possessed. I’ve never seen anything like it.” His tone remained casual like he was discussing what he ate for breakfast yesterday.

“It was given to me as a gift,” I answered just as casually.

He nodded thoughtfully biting down on his bottom lip. “You don’t trust me, do you?”

His blunt and rusty conversation skills were rearing their head once again, jumping straight to the chase and calling me out. “You hesitated when I told you to go upstairs, I saw it on your face. You think I warned the necromancers.”

For someone who sucked at communication, he was observant as hell. I gnawed on my lip wondering what I should tell him.

“I did consider that as an option, but you weren’t the only one.” I hesitated, trying to gauge his reaction, but he gave me none. “I don’t feel this way anymore, not after last night. Honestly, I’m beginning to wonder if I was just being overly paranoid. We all went through hell, and it wouldn’t make sense if any of us were helping them.”

Wyatt nodded again, scratching his jaw. “Who else did you consider?”

I shot a glance at the door, knowing the other would be able to hear us if they were paying attention. It was one thing to confirm Wyatt’s suspicions to his face. But it was another thing to let Parker overhear me.

“They can’t hear you, I put up a sound barrier.” My eyes widened in shock at his words, thinking about how it would be scary as hell if I didn’t somewhat know him, and knew he didn’t mean me any harm.

“I considered Parker. It just seemed suspicious that he moved next door right after we visited the realm. Or how he wound up in the Fire court when we were visiting and knew how to save Koa.”

Wyatt winced and I raised my brows, silently asking what he knew. “The first part would be my fault. I asked him to keep an eye on you guys, make sure you didn’t find any more trouble.”

“Wait.” I held up my hand, stopping him from talking. “You sent him?”

“He was wanting a change in scenery, and I suggested he move to the Convergence point.” He shrugged and looked off to the side as if it wasn’t a big deal. The entire time we spent with him last month, he made it seem like he was tired of us and couldn’t wait to be rid of us.

“You care whether we live or die,” I said smugly, my lips curling into a grin.

Tilting his head back, he groaned. “Of course, that would be your takeaway.”

His response only made my grin grow as I threw my head back and laughed. It felt nice to do so, sitting here in my own home relaxing. Not having to worry about a threat to our lives. “Why did you send him? How do you know you can trust him?”

“He’s my nephew.”

What the fuck?

I choked on my water, having taken a sip when he said that. I knew for certain Estella didn’t have any heirs, I may not pay attention to the siblings of rulers, but I knew who the heirs were.

This was the second fucking time we spent time around a royal—both of them related, might I add—and had no inkling of it. That was it, tomorrow, I’d research all of the rulers' siblings and immediate family, just so I wouldn’t be caught off guard again… Maybe the day after tomorrow, I’d probably still be recovering tomorrow.

“I would like to throw out that I already removed him from the suspect list,” I quickly added

Wyatt’s lips twitched. “So now that we’ve got that all sorted out, are you willing to tell me about that knife?”

“It’s a bit of a long story, but basically I got it from some unknown woman. Along with the name of the possessed—although it was in a language I couldn’t understand,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

Wyatt toyed with his bottom lip as he listened. “Why did she give you the knife? Did she tell you about it?”

“She didn’t say much about it, other than it make the tainted think twice about staying in the Mythic’s bodies. As to why, she told me it was an apology for stabbing Koa, and me.”

Wyatt raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “I’m assuming this is a part of the long story.”

I told him about how we saw her at the beach houses, and how she caused the freak storm and stabbed Koa. When I expressed my confusion at why she stabbed Koa, how she knew I’d run to him and he’d shift his attention from her to me, a contemplative expression crossed his faced.

“Did it work?”

Huffing out an annoyed sigh, I looked to the side and ran my hands over my hair. “Yes, but there was no way she could’ve known how we’d react. I didn’t even know I would react like that, at that point, I was convinced I hated him.”

“Mate bonds are tricky things,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m guessing you weren’t stabbed then.”

I shook my head giving him a rundown of our encounter with her. I’d just mentioned how she stabbed me and how she told me I’d be okay if I didn’t do anything stupid when he chuckled with a wry smile gracing his lips. “Let me guess, you did something stupid immediately afterward.”

Not to be one of those assholes, but he was more handsome when he smiled. His eyes glittered with mirth and the barest hint of a dimple appeared in his right cheek.

I threw my hands up in the air, my hands slapping my thighs. “I was trapped between two walls of water.”

“Do you think we should trust her?” Wyatt asked once his chuckles died down.

“Absolutely not, we know nothing about her other than the fact she’s not a Mythic. She has elemental powers that far supersede our elementals. Her species came before the deities, and for some reason she hates them.”

“But you trust the information she gave about the possessed, and even used the weapon she gave you.”

Well shit, he had me there. “What she said about them made sense. From what I saw from them earlier, they were changed—not like last night. As for the knife, I didn’t see the harm in trying it out. If it gave me an advantage against them, I wasn’t going to care who gave it to me. I figured the metal wasn’t poisonous since she’d been wearing it before giving it to me.”

Wyatt wasn’t the type to fidget, maybe it came with age, or maybe he’d always been like that. His focus was off to the side as he remained silent for a few moments. “Did she tell you anything that might be helpful?”

“She gave a message, that ended up leading us to a set of tunnels in the creature’s realm. And yes, I know we went to a realm I swore I’d never go to ever again, following a vague clue from a woman I don’t trust,” I said, going into a rant when he gave me a look that said he was about to call me out. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender with another hint of a smile.

“Anyway, we found Alora in the tunnels.”

“How did she know about that?” He gripped the counter behind him, his fingers tapping out a rhythm.

I tucked my feet under my legs ready as I took a swig of water, ready to see his reaction to this. “Oh you’ll love this, the message she gave me, was from someone else. Gabsrielle.”

Wyatt’s eyes widened as his fingers stilled. “The one who created a key.”

“Didn’t know that last tidbit until Kain’s spiel.” And what a fucking shock that was. I still couldn’t believe it.

“Fuck.” He shook his head in amazement.

“My thoughts exactly.”

We lapsed into silence, one I felt the need to break. If he was going to ask blunt questions, then it was only fair I did too, and in the process maybe have an important—to me—question answered. “So, what’s the deal with you and Gemini?”

Wyatt threw his head back as he laughed. The sound was rich and unexpected, at odds with the grumpy asshole sorcerer from last time. “I should’ve known you would be the one to ask this question.”

I was practically bouncing where I sat, eager to find out their backstory. “Were you guys lovers at one point?”

He shook his head, his smile fading. “We were chosen mates and I loved her, but I wasn’t in love with her, so I broke off our mating bond. It hurt her, and she’s still not over it.”

My jaw dropped, both at him confirming they’d been a thing, and at his confession. They were mates? No wonder he reacted the way he did when Ari made a comment last month. I could also see why Gemini was so pissed at him, especially if she loved him and didn’t want to break off the mating. As someone who was left behind by their mate, I could sympathize with her. But I could also see Wyatt’s point of view, if he didn’t fully love her, it wasn’t fair to either of them.

“Why did you mate with her in the first place?”

Releasing a low sigh, he raked his fingers through his hair as he closed his eyes. “I was young and thought the way I felt for her was enough. We were close friends and it just made sense.”

He was quiet for a few moments, taking slow and measured breaths, and for once I didn’t interrupt. “It’s been nearly a century and she hasn’t forgiven me, but she will. One day when she meets her fated mate and realizes what she felt for me pales in comparison.”

“And you,” I added softly. “You deserve to find someone who you are truly in love with. Someone—”

I cut off my words when Ander entered the room. His gaze tracked over us as a crease formed between his brows, suspicious of the soundproof barrier he just passed through. “Food’s here.”

“Okay, we’ll be right there.” I nodded giving him a small smile.

He gave us one last long look before retreating. There was little doubt in my mind he’d ask me about this later. I hopped off the counter, grabbing my water. “We’d better go. We shouldn’t leave Koa and Ander without a buffer that won’t encourage their fighting. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to force them to get along.”

Wyatt pursed his lips and I knew he knew something important. Leaning back against the counter, I crossed my arms and stared him down. He sighed and shook his head, before saying, “I heard them talking about your fated mate bond.”

“On the ferry,” I guessed, thinking back to how both of them had been out of my sight at the back of the ferry.”

“Then too,” he said as he nodded.

“When else?” I nearly shouted, thankful for the sound barrier.

“In the hotel—as you all have phrased it.” I shot him an impatient look when he paused, waving my hand for him to continue, and he rolled his eyes. “It was when you girls were asleep. Both of them insisted on checking on you. I asked him if you knew about your mate bond. Neither he nor Ander was surprised by this.”

I groaned at him being a dick and dragging this out, my impatient hand wave becoming more spastic. Wyatt just chuckled and shook his head. “He didn't think you knew about the fated mate bond. He said it felt like you were holding back from him. Ander made a few comments and they started arguing until you shifted around.”

“Give me some details, what did they say?” I wasn’t going to let him get away with giving vague details.

Wyatt started up at the ceiling for a few moments, either trying to remember or find patience. “Ander said that Koa was going to end up getting you killed in his crusade of his. He brought up that you deserved better. Deserved someone who could express how they felt and trusted you. Someone who didn’t keep secrets from you. Someone who kept you safe at all costs, but didn’t smother you.”

As he spoke, his words shook loose a memory. The one I’d forgotten as soon as I woke up in the hotel. It wasn’t a complete or detailed memory, but I vaguely remembered Koa asking Ander if he was in love with me. To which Ander laughed, saying something along the lines of how in his mind, Ari, Harmony, and I were like his little sisters. When Koa didn’t believe him, pointing out all of those years he kept a careful watch on us, Ander admitted we reminded him of his little sister.

I couldn’t remember much of their conversation, but I remembered the pain in his voice. The pain that was always there when he spoke of her. It was enough for Koa to quit that line of questioning.

I pushed off the counter and headed toward the door, trying to shake off the melancholy thoughts that always showed up when thinking of Ander’s little sister. Stopping in the doorway, I glanced at Wyatt over my shoulder. “What did they say on the ferry?”

Wyatt smiled, and the hint of a dimple in his right cheek became full-blown. “Koa told him that he was in your life for good, and he would never leave you again. How you are the love of his life and nobody, not even him, would stop him from being with you.”