Find Me If You Dare (Dreamcatcher Book 2) (9 page)

I squinted, sticking my hands in my pockets. “All right. What’s up?”

“It’s about my mom. You know, the crazy lady at the asylum.”

“I remember.” I’d never witnessed someone’s face pale like Nolan’s had when he’d seen her.

“Okay, well, my mother is the reason I want Richard dead.” He sighed. “Years ago, she found out what he was planning, and it freaked her out. She tried to take me and run. I was maybe seven. Anyway, we got as far as Denver, and next thing I knew, Mom was gone. Richard had treated me like a son for as long as I could remember, so when he told me she’d just left me in the hotel parking lot, I believed him.”

“Nolan—”

He held up a hand, finally meeting my eyes. “Then about ten months ago, he sent me to his house to pick up something, and I found her corpse in his basement. She’d only been dead a few days. For
ten
years, Richard syphoned her energy until her heart finally stopped beating.”

I grimaced. When Kayla had taken some of Nolan’s energy to heal Samantha, I’d seen how it had affected him. The thought of being tortured and syphoned—only to have someone stop long enough for you to regain your strength before stealing your magic again—made me sick.

Nolan kept going. “When I cornered him, Richard locked me in the basement with her body and told me I could either die like my ‘traitorous mother,’ or we’d both forget I ever found her. I was his ‘only son,’ he said, and that’s when I finally realized why my mother had been so desperate to get me away from him.” He let out a breath through his teeth. “Richard’s my father, too.”

I stared at him, openmouthed and unable to form a coherent sentence. Nolan’s brown eyes were glassy and cold, and his eyebrows were pinched together. Now that I knew, the resemblance between him and his father was clear—the same nose, same facial structure, same dark brown hair. But why had Nolan kept this hidden? Why had he stayed with Richard after his mother’s death? Call me untrusting, but people usually kept secrets when there was something to hide.

“Why should I believe you’re not trying to play us?” I asked.

His nostrils flared. “Because who wants to admit they’re that bastard’s kid? I only stayed with him because I wanted to find some weakness and kill him.” The tension drained from his face. “Anyway, that’s how I know Richard is still in the US. I was supposed to be the one to lead his army overseas.”

My hair stood on end. “Do you know what he’s planning, then?” A flutter danced in my stomach. Maybe Nolan had the key to stopping Richard all along. If we knew what Richard wanted with Kayla and the others, we might be able to win the war.

Nolan shook his head. “He never shared more than I needed to complete a task. I only know what you do: he needs all four Magus who were born on October 31 to fulfill his plans. With them, he’ll destroy everything.”

I ran a hand down my face. “And he has Adelynn, Alex, and Margaret. Kayla’s the only one he’s missing. Does she know the truth about you?”

“No. And I don’t want her to.”

“Why? This is something you need to tell her, mate.”

“Because as soon as she knows I’m her brother, she’ll do anything to protect me. I can’t be another person that she’d sacrifice her life for.”

“You do know she would anyway, right?” Her selflessness was one of the things I loved about her, though it also scared me to the point of nearly turning into the Beast and locking her in a tower. Even if Richard gave Kayla an ultimatum between saving Samantha or herself, Kayla would protect Samantha every time.

“I know. But I still don’t want to give her more reason to do so. Please, don’t say anything.” Nolan’s dark eyes pleaded with me, his gaze flicking repeatedly over my shoulder and back to me.

I tilted my head from side to side, trying to loosen my tense neck. I didn’t agree with keeping his identity a secret from her, but it wasn’t my secret to tell.

Shaking my head, I let out a deep breath. “For the record: I don’t like this. When she does find out—and she will—she’s going to be pissed. But… I won’t say anything.”

The creases in Nolan’s face softened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, while his heart was relaxing, mine was racing. Keeping this from Kayla was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done.

When I returned to my home—tuxedo in hand—the girls were in their rooms, and Seth was already dressed and lounging on the sofa, his baby blue suit glowing in contrast with his dark skin.

“It’s five o’ clock, dude,” he said.

“Thanks for the update.” My voice dripped with sarcasm. Nolan’s conversation had taken longer than anticipated.

I entered the bedroom I shared with Kayla as she stepped into her dark green gown, bare-chested.

“Daniel! You’re supposed to knock first,” she said.

The corner of my mouth rose, and I closed the door before Seth could catch a glimpse. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Kayla rolled her eyes and held the dress to her chest. “Zip me up, would you?”

She turned around, exposing her bare back to me. I took a second to stare and let my gaze wander down her back to the top of her light pink underwear. She’d gotten so toned over the last few weeks of training. My trousers tightened. Laying my tux on the bed, I crossed to her and grabbed the zipper. She smelled like strawberries and vanilla ice cream. I closed my eyes and kissed the side of her neck, running a knuckle down her spine.

She trembled. “We don’t have time.”

“We can be late,” I spoke against her skin.

“Daniel.”

Groaning, I removed my lips and fastened her dress—which was definitely coming off later.

Kayla faced me, her cheeks pink. I fingered the dark brown hair she’d curled over one shoulder. Her strapless dress hugged her curves and hung to the floor. Around her neck, she wore the black rose pendant I’d bought for her in Rome.

“You’re stunning,” I said.

“Apparently.” She smirked.

With a grin, I stepped away and dressed. “I don’t get why this has to be so formal. Can’t we eat and drink and be merry without the bloody costumes?”

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun.” Kayla stopped applying her makeup to glance at me. Her lips parted slightly. “You really should wear a ‘costume’ more often. Wait, is that a green vest?”

I glanced at my chest. The shade
was
eerily similar to her dress. Great. Now we were one of
those
couples.

“Yes, it’s green,” I replied. “But I didn’t know you’d be wearing this color when I picked it.” I looped my necktie around my collar and began to knot it, flashing her a smile. “I could go shirtless, you know. I can pretend I’m one of those—what are they called—Chippendales.”

Kayla exploded in a fit of laughter. I grinned so hard my face hurt. It felt like ages since I’d heard that sound, and it was invigorating.

“Hurry it up, Romeo,” Tabbi called from the living room.

My cheeks warmed as Kayla laughed harder. How many times did I have to tell Tabbi that Kayla’s brain was off limits? I finished fastening my tie and entered the living room to tousle the red head’s carefully-styled hair.

“You jerk!” Tabbi shouted through her thick Irish accent, jumping off the sofa as Seth chuckled. She smoothed her hair and black dress before plopping back down, glaring at me.

Five minutes later, Samantha and Kayla exited their rooms. Samantha wore a floor-length, blood-red dress with a neckline cut to her belly button. Her curly, blonde hair was piled in a loose bun on top of her head. Her chest was practically on display, and her back was fully exposed. I looked away before Kayla accused me of undressing Samantha with my eyes—but, good Lord, she wore less fabric now than she had with the towel. How could I not picture her naked?

I straightened my tie and scolded myself for being a moron.

Seth whistled. “Damn, girl. Maybe I should be wooing you tonight.”

“In your dreams,” she replied.

“Yes. Yes, you are. Wet—”

“All right. Let’s get out of here,” I interrupted and held out my hand for Kayla to take. My heartbeat was loud in my ears. She slipped her fingers between mine, and we led the others out the door.

own the tunnel to the banquet hall, the floating lanterns changed from white to soft pinks and purples, and when we entered the large cavern, the ceiling had been spelled to resemble the night sky, full of bright stars. Enough tables to seat one hundred filled the large space, and on them were white tablecloths and bowls of water with floating candles. Last time I’d seen something this beautiful was in a Weaver’s dream of some rich bloke’s wedding. Trishna had really outdone herself.

“Wow,” Tabbi said.

“You can say that again,” Samantha responded.

I gave Kayla’s hand a gentle squeeze, our silent way of saying “I love you,” and she squeezed back with a soft smile on her face.

The five of us joined a table with Ivan, Lian, and Nolan, and we dished food onto our plates. Seth designated himself as the “wine glass filler person” and laughed every time the alcohol didn’t deplete in the bottle. Another charm from Trishna’s book, I was sure. By the end of dinner, we were all relaxed and happy. Except for Seth—who was beyond blissful and on his way to tipsy.

“Can I have your attention, please?” Trishna’s voice boomed over the noise, amplified by a spell. The newcomers must not have been Unified yet. I turned in my chair to face her as others did the same.

“First, I want to welcome our new friends and thank Samantha and Nolan for their efforts in finding all of you,” she began. “We are so glad to have you with us, recruits. Second, for those of you who don’t yet know who everyone is, I’m your coven leader, Trishna, and Bartholomew—wave, please—is the Protectors’ leader. Together, we ensure Caelum is safe for every one of you. Whether you’re Magus or Protector, you can come to either of us at any time.

“Tomorrow morning, we will all meet back here at ten a.m. to discuss our plans for the future, but until then, have a great time and forget that there’s a war going on outside our gate. Next time we party like this, we will have won.”

Shouts and clapping rang out.
Nice speech,
I sent Trishna privately as the voices quieted. She smiled.

“Now, if everyone would please step aside for a moment, I’m going to clear the room and start the music,” Trishna said. “The bar and dessert table will be open all night.”