Chapter Eleven
Nial
That damned asshole, why did he have to look even better clean cut and in a freaking suit?
I stuffed clothes and shoes into my duffle bag, but I wasn’t paying attention to any of it. My mind was back downstairs with Ze, or Ezekial, or Detective de Koening, or whoever the fuck my mate was today.
I had fallen in love with a ghost, a mirage. Ze, the criminal, wasn’t real, he was a story created for a job. All of his team and his contact, Eugene, had all known the truth. I’d bet even Kane and Jarvis had known eventually.
The only sap who had still been in the dark had been me.
Poor, Nial, they must have thought. Poor little idiot who fell in love with a figment of his imagination. How they must have laughed at me and my attempts to play his boy for the inmates. I abandoned my packing and flopped back on the bed to cover my burning face with my hands. Gods, what a fool I had been, acting my part in that play when I hadn’t even known the full story. I could fool myself into thinking it was all an act, but it hadn’t been, not for me. I had fallen desperately in love with a man I had thought was my mate. But it had all been a mirage.
“It wasn’t all a lie, Nial. You need to quit feeling sorry for yourself and make it right before you lose him for good.”
I jumped up off the bed when I heard the stranger’s voice right in my ear. Looking around the room, I saw Sallyann lounging in the chair by my desk, poking through my letters and textbooks stacked there.
“You’re a lot messier than I thought you’d be, Nial. Ze likes a little clutter, so you’ll get along great.”
“What the hell are you doing here, Sallyann? Better yet, how the hell did you get in here without me hearing you?”
The pretty Fae just smiled at me and wiggled her petite nose like a bunny, then disappeared. Poof, gone. I was still processing her disappearing into thin air when she popped up right next to me again.
“Boo!”
I jumped away from her, and she doubled over laughing. Her tinkling bells laughter filled the room and made me feel lighter and calmer than I had been in weeks. I needed to bottle that sound and keep it with me always so I could feel this happy all the time.
“Oh, Nial, you’re so much fun. I’m Fae, remember? I can go anywhere I want with just a thought. All I have to do is think your name, and I’m there. Don’t know how it works, but I just go with it.”
She kept laughing and hopped up on my bed and jumped like it was a trampoline. My duffle almost slipped off the edge, but she waved her hand, and it landed safely on the ground, not spilling any of its contents.
“Okay, Nially, here’s the dealio.” She quit jumping and flopped down to sit crisscross on my bed, then patted for me to sit beside her. “You and Ze are meant to be together. You really are mates, that wasn’t a joke, and it wasn’t a cover, like Luke and Geordie. Although, those two have a few things they still need to work out. But, that’s for another time. Right now, you and Ze need to come together and complete your bond.”
I made to protest, and she put her hand over my mouth, silencing me before I could start.
“Just shut up and listen to me. Remember what you told him before you two got tangled up in Culin’s craziness? You told Ze you didn’t care what he’d done, or who he really was. You told him the only thing that you wanted was to have a chance to be with him and live a free life as his mate, wherever and however that could happen. Were you lying, Nial?”
I had to wonder how she knew something I had said when we were alone in our cell, but I decided I didn’t really want to know. I had to shake my head because at the time I had meant every word. Sincerely and truthfully, I had wanted nothing more than to be Ze’s mate. However, I could have him.
“But…”
“Nope, Nial, you don’t get to take back what you said. You hadn’t known who he was then, and you didn’t care. So what’s different now? Your inner demon bullshit needs to shut the hell up, and you need to decide to be happy. The Syndicate is hard on your heels, honey. We’re going to do all we can to keep them away from you and Ze, but you two have got to get out of here for a while. Go with an open mind and let yourself be happy, honey. You both deserve it after everything you’ve been through.”
Sallyann gave me a huge hug and then disappeared again. This time she didn’t reappear. But she left me with so much to think about. I needed to decide what I really wanted for my future.
I gathered a few more things to put in my bag and really considered my options. I had done the same thing a few times during my time in Starke. Every time I had considered walking away from Ze, I had always circled back to trusting him, sticking with him. And this time was no different. I wanted a life with Ze, but he’d have to prove himself before I’d complete the bond we both needed to move forward.
* * *
We’d said our goodbyes and Ze had briefed his team before we hit the road. They decided the team was going to move into Nial’s father’s house for a few days while they researched the Syndicate’s plan. Jarvis was happy to have a place to bring Farley home from his hospital stay finally. Our SUV was loaded with food, supplies, and anything else we’d need wherever we were going. Ze had only cash, and there was no GPS in the car. All we had was a paper map and directions scribbled on a piece of paper.
The cabin was about a nine-hour ride away, so we’d be driving all night to get there at dawn the next morning. I prayed I could sleep in the car, but it never came. Ze didn’t talk, and neither did I. I wanted, no, I needed him to make the first move in our standoff. He was the one who had abandoned me to mourn all those weeks. The ball was firmly in his court.
I eventually turned the radio on softly and watched the world pass by, hour after hour. I did get sleepy as dawn approached, but I fought to stay awake. Eventually, the hours of silence were broken.
“Nial, can you look on the map and tell me if we’re close to our turn? We just passed Franklin, and we’re looking for Myrtlewood Falls Road.”
Glad for the distraction, I opened the map and quickly found the road we needed.
