Origin Exposed: Descended of Dragons, Book 2 (11 page)

T
imbra never took
the seat I saved her at our two o’clock Metamorphosis class. She didn’t show for lab, either.

“Where’s Timbra?” Boone asked during lab. “It’s not like her to miss class. I sent a text earlier, but she hasn’t answered.”

“Ah, her dad’s in town,” I evaded. Not my story to tell. “Last I saw, the two of them were talking outside Sabre.”

“Oh. Okay,” he said, but the wrinkle between his brow remained.

I really hoped Timbra and her dad could work through the issue. Boone was a great guy, and it was obvious that he and Timbra were crazy about each another.

They complimented one another like coffee and cream. Boone was funny and sarcastic without being insincere. He was personable in an almost forceful way—he made you like him, whether you intended to or not. Timbra, though, was an introvert and nearly froze with fear in social situations. She was as good as gold and had a whip-smart wit, but only a few close friends knew it. Boone and Timbra were one of those couples that were halves alone, but together made an exceptional whole. She tempered his outrageousness and he soothed her timidity.

S
omething was wrong
. I knew it the moment I stepped foot in my room. I heard Timbra’s sniffling, but I
felt
her despair. A fog of sadness so dense I nearly swiped the air around me permeated our adjoining suites. I tossed my books and Pia onto my chair and rushed through our shared bathroom before knocking on her door.

“Timbra? Can I come in?”

A hiccuped sob was the only answer. A hairline fracture started at the top corner and ran the length of my heart.

“Sweetie, I know you’re there. And I know you’re upset. Can I come in?”

I didn’t wait for her answer, but pushed open the door. She lay face down in her bed, drowning in covers. All that was exposed were her tawny ears, and even those drooped. Her willowy form shook beneath the blankets as her body wracked with sobs.

My fractured heart cracked open completely upon witnessing the manifestation of her pain. Tears sprung to my own eyes, and I rushed to her side. I was at a loss what to do once I got there. All I could think to do was to lay my hand on her back. Maybe my presence was of some comfort.

After a while the shaking stopped, and so did her choked sobs. I sat motionless, afraid to breathe, and waited for her next move.

“Stella?” Timbra’s voice was muffled beneath the blankets.

“Yes,” I said just above a whisper.

“Will you get me a tissue? I’m covered in snot.”

The statement caught me off guard and I chuckled in response. “Sure thing.”

She extended one lithe hand from beneath the covers and I stuffed it with tissues.

A few moments later she emerged from her cocoon and sat up in bed. Her lovely face was a splotchy mess. She tried to rally, but was so downtrodden that her posture slumped, her eyes drooped in sorrow, and her lips threatened to quiver at any moment. She was on the verge of breaking down again.

“I never thought I’d say this, Timbra Redfern, but you look like hell.”

She sniffed and wiped beneath her bloodshot eyes. When she found the nerve to swing them in my direction my breath left in a rush. Her eyes revealed such pain. I didn’t have to ask to know that her father didn’t change his mind about Boone.

“Wanna talk about it?”

She shook her head in an emphatic ‘no.’

“Okay. Wanna get drunk?”

She nodded her head in an emphatic ‘yes.’

“Perfect. I’ve got us covered.”

I left to snag two wine glasses and a bottle of pinot noir from my little buffet. I turned to go back into her room, but heard a sharp intake of breath followed by a deep voice. The wine glasses were the least of my worries, and I started for her room when I realized who was talking.

“Timbra?” Boone pleaded, his voice pinched with concern. “My gods, Timbra, what’s wrong? I’ve been trying to find you all afternoon.”

She burst into tears again, and the bed creaked beneath Boone’s weight as he rushed to her side. I returned the wine and glasses, and left my room to give the two some privacy.

It was dinner time, but I didn’t much feel like dining alone. When I traced just outside Layla’s door to invite her along I heard noises coming from her room, too. But these were on another plane than Timbra and Boone’s emotionally charged situation. Moans and gasps seeped beneath the door, as did hushed words.

“
Wow. Okay
,” I thought. “
Guess Mari has the night off
.” I traced down to Sabre Bar, where I knew at least one friendly face would be.

Knox added clear alcohol to a tall glass, raising the bottle high while he poured in a dramatic flourish. He looked up and nodded when he saw me, mouthing “Hello Jeenjah,” yet didn’t spill a drop. I shook my head on a grin, and continued to watch as he snagged a long, thin cucumber slice and twisted it down into the glass.

“Hey, Stella,” a woman’s friendly voice rang from behind me. I squinted in confusion before comprehension dawned. Dread and disapproval weighed heavily in my stomach.

“Hi,” I croaked before clearing my throat. “Hi, Mari. Looks busy tonight.”

“Yes, for a Wednesday. You doin’ okay? You look a bit pale.”

“A long day,” I evaded. Damn Layla. I adored Mari. I’d thought the two of them were happy together. Of course, I didn’t know the details of their relationship. Maybe they weren’t exclusive.
Best not to get into their business
, I thought. “See ya, Mari. I’m going to Cafe Row for a little dinner.”

“All right, girl. Have a good one.”

I closed my eyes and threw my head back at having one more thing to worry about. What a freakin’ day.

I traced to the lovely collection of small restaurants that lined the cliff overlooking the Basel river as it meandered by the Radix campus. It had become one of my most treasured spots, and I relaxed a little as I approached my favorite purveyor of wood-fired pizza.

“Evening, Nick,” I said and took a stool along the high bar that opened to the walk.

“Stella,” he acknowledged. “The usual?”

My lips twisted despite my somber mood at the thought that I had a ‘usual.’ The small glass of wine he procured from thin air was heaven-sent.

“Your pizza will be right out.”

I spun in my stool from the wood-fire oven to face the breathtaking view of the river and the fertile fields beyond. My neck held so much tension from the day—from the last several days—that it was tight and sore. I rolled my shoulders and stretched my neck from side to side, my eyes falling closed in reflex.

“I can help with that,” a smooth male voice offered.

With my eyes still closed I took a deep breath and wished with every fiber of my being that it wasn’t happening. But it was.

I peeked open an eye and found Rowan Gresham standing before me in all his masculine glory.

“Oh, god, help me,” I said beneath my breath and scrubbed my eyes.

“No one can get you out of this conversation,” he said with a smile that would melt a glacier. “Not even god.”

“All right, Gresham,” I said and steeled my nerves. “Let’s do this.”

He approached where I sat on the stool and sidled between my legs like he owned me. Warm hands gripped the back of my neck, and strong fingers massaged the base of my skull. He had such skill, such confidence, that it all happened before I remembered he was a lying bastard, I couldn’t trust him, and we were through.

“No, Gresham,” I whined. Then more firmly, “No. You wanna talk? Fine. But that’s it.”

He pulled his hands from my neck, making a point to run his fingers across my tender collar bone, but he remained between my legs. “It’s not what you think, Stella,” he said as he grasped the outside of my thighs, caging me between the counter and his body.

“Oh, that’s a new one.” It was obvious he had no intention of moving away from me. The pace of my heart picked up. I began to feel threatened. Frightened. I pushed hard at his stomach until he extricated himself from me, but he backed up only far enough that we weren’t touching.

I sat up straighter and aimed for brave. “You’ve deceived me and withheld the truth at every opportunity. You say you care about me, but still you can’t come clean—about things that directly involve me! I don’t trust you for one second, Rowan Gresham, and this,” I pointed between the two of us, “is over.”

“Oh, it is
not
over, Stella,” he growled and loomed over me. “I promise you that. I’ll never let you go so easily. You think I got where I am by letting what I want escape my grasp?” He shook his head with a menace that made my blood run cold. “Think again.” He’d stepped so close to me his hips pressed against my knees.

I had to look up at him, but I didn’t back down.

“You don’t want
me
, you arrogant asshole. You want to monitor and dissect me. To control me. And I strongly suspect you want to discover how you could use my rare forms to your advantage.”

“Yes, Stella, your lineage is exceptional,” he admitted. “Possibly unmatched in its potential. Do you think in my position as protector of Thayer I can let something like you just walk away? Something with the potential to protect or decimate entire populations? No. I will never do that. But rather than treat you like something to fear, I found you irresistible. Find you irresistible. I want you still, both for who you are and what you are.”

He reached to caress my cheek but I flinched.
Something.
He’d said some
thing
rather than some
one
. He thought of me as a threat to be handled. A potential weapon like my mother’s people. He wanted to harness me, and was using the oldest trick in the book to do it: seduction.

I was in a tight spot, out of which I couldn’t see a clear path. My mind raced in search of options. If I ran now, Gresham would surely chase me. And he might realize there was no longer a way to catch me with honey. He’d go straight to vinegar, and although I hadn’t yet seen that side of him, I had no doubt that Rowan Gresham could be bitter and foul. It was necessary I stay on his good side and find another way.

The beginnings of a plan began to form in the back of my mind. It was a long shot, and I wasn’t sure how I’d do it, but it was a start; it was something.

“Stella, your pizza is read—” Nick cut off when he rounded the corner and comprehended the tension between Gresham and I. “Is everything all right, Stella?”

“Yes, Nick,” I said and heaved a breath in relief. “Mr. Gresham was just leaving.”

Gresham opened his mouth to protest, but when I said, “Can you take me to meet Gaspare Shaw tomorrow?” his body jerked with shock.

Rowan Gresham, always so in control, so put together, was at a loss for words. “Yes,” he finally said.

“Great,” I said with gusto. “I’ll meet you at the Sabre lobby tomorrow at four.”

He wasn’t happy, but he accepted the deal. Gresham was nothing if not calculating, and he concluded it was the best offer he’d get. “I’ll see you at four.” He backed away from me, nodded at Nick, and then he was gone.

“Stella,” Nick said as he fidgeted with the corner of his apron. “I try to mind my own business. But I’ve been around a long time. You’d best not get on that one’s bad side.”

I nodded distractedly. “I’ve learned that the hard way, Nick. I sure have.”

I
ate my pizza
, but couldn’t savor it. I was too preoccupied with the meeting I’d set.

I used Pia to look up information on Gaspare Shaw, and was pleased with what I learned. He was considered a fair leader. He’d held the post for years, and it looked as if he wouldn’t face opposition any time soon. Thayer’s prime minister was elected, and the qualifications were based not just on popularity, but also by the power one yielded.

While Thayer had no shortage of powerful magical beings, I could find no references to someone to compete with Shaw. As an omni, Gaspare Shaw had an inherent magical advantage. The ability to change into any animal trumped those with only one form. Besides being an omni he was known as gifted and knowledgeable in the art of magic.

I searched, but could find no references to a family. Perhaps a leader’s personal life was off-limits in Thayer. That’d be a big change from what I’d always known.

I
’d been gone
for over an hour.
I should probably check in on Timbra
, I thought.

She was alone in her room and sat on the edge of her bed in a daze. When she heard me she looked up, and I couldn’t contain my flinch at the haunted depth her eyes held. Her thin body sagged with desolation, loss.

“Oh, Timbra.” I ran to her and clutched her to my chest. She devolved into sobs again, and I held her as she cried.

After a while she gave a loud sniffle and sat up. “Well, it’s over. With Boone, I mean. I told him tonight.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. And I was. “I guess your father wouldn’t see your side of things?”

“No.” She laughed, but it was devoid of joy. “No. He did not see my side of things. Said he’d pull me out of The Root if I didn’t end it with Boone at once. And I don’t want to leave, Stella. I’m meant to be here with you. With…our friends,” she choked on a sob that found its way out despite her valiant attempt to suppress it.

“With Boone,” I finished. “I know, sweetie.”

“But my father’s right,” she sniffled. “We have no future. I know that. We could never have a family of our own. And my family would never accept him as my mate. I knew all of this from the start. That’s why I fought getting involved with him. But,” she hiccuped a sob. “I love him. Simple as that.”

I blew out a breath at the unfairness of Timbra and Boone’s situation. I wished I had a solution, but I couldn’t see one.

“And Boone? Did he take it pretty hard?”

She could only nod, but then cleared her throat. “Angry,” she whispered. “He’s angry. Thinks I should’ve fought for us.”

“But you did fight. It took a lot of guts to tell your father that you had feelings for Boone. I know your family is close, and it must’ve broken your dad’s heart to see you making what he thinks is a huge mistake. And what more could you do, really? If he made you go back home you’d never see Boone anyway.”