Chapter Thirteen

Lisha POV

I wake to the smell of coffee brewing; Tyler is looking out the window, deep in thought. He hasn't bothered to put a shirt on. My eyes drift from his muscular shoulders, running down the curve of his back to where his jeans hang loosely on his hips, covering his incredible arse and thick, muscular thighs. I have always been attracted to him. I didn't realize until I saw him again that Tyler was my mate. If Tyler had been Fae, I would have felt the pull off our mate bond immediately; because he is a werewolf, our bond will need time to strengthen. I stretch slowly and sigh with pleasure; Tyler turns, smiling his sexy half-smile, the one that turns one side of his incredible mouth up. My eyes drift across his muscular chest to his biceps, down his stomach. I  smirk when I notice his adonis belt screaming a little on the inside as my need to touch him grows. Fuck, this man is a god. All I can think of is running my tongue along every inch of him. He wiggles his eyebrows cheekily, holds his cup in the air, and asks,

“Would you like some?”

“Yes, please”

I am sure he can read my mind; he knows I am definitely not thinking about Coffee. Tyer’s voice is husky as he says

“We have company.”

I dive out of bed, run for the shower, and hear a knock on the front door as I close the bathroom door. When I am finished, I wrap a towel around myself. I have no clothes in the bathroom. As I open the door, Tyler hands me his shirt to wear. I breathe deeply, smelling his scent, sandalwood, and lemon scent. I love Tyler's scent. When I walk into the kitchen, I see Skyla and Xavier sitting at the table. Skyla smirks and goes to say something. I hiss,

“Don't say a word, Skyla,”  

Skyla has always had a wicked sense of humor; it's one of the things I missed the most about her. She bursts out laughing and stammers.

“I wasn't going to,” 

I roll my eyes and whisper,

“Bullshit.”

As Gina walks through the front door, she glances at each of us, then turns to Tyler as she says, 

“I have the clothes you ordered for Lisha, Tyler,” 

Tyler thanks her when she places the bags on the bed. I smile at Tyler, grateful that he thought to buy me new clothes; an awkward silence fills the room as Gina walks over to the bench and pours herself a cup of coffee. I raise my eyebrows at Tyler; he shrugs; it's evident he doesn't know why Gina hasn't left. The air in the room starts to thicken with tension. I frown, wondering what the hell is going on. Tyler looks at Xavier and says,

“We’re not discussing anything until Lisha has had something to eat.”

Xavier hisses, “You know how important this is, Tyler.” 

I glance at Tyler and then at Xavier,

“It's fine Tyler, let me get changed, and then you can tell me what's going on.”

Skyla nods and inclines her head toward the bathroom. We stand and take the clothes into the bathroom. I am a little confused when I see that Gina has followed us; when she shuts the door, I turn to Skyla,

“What's going on, Skyla?”

She puts her head down as Gina steps forward, condescendingly placing her hand on my shoulder and whispers,

“It's ok, Lisha; they just want to talk about the changes that have taken place since you were gone.”

How dare she touch me? I don't know her; I look down at her hand and shake it off, hissing,

“I wasn't on a fucking holiday, Gina, and I will tell you this only once: Do not fucking touch me. I do not know you”.

Gina takes a step back and growls, leaving the bathroom. Who does she think she is? Skyla’s eyes are wide with shock at my reaction toward Gina. She stares at me, whispering,

 “What is wrong with you, Lisha?”

I glare at her and get dressed, whispering furiously,

“Do you think it is alright for her to put her hands on me, Skyla? I am not in the Seelie court any longer. No one touches me without my consent.” 

Skyla sighs,

“Gina did not realize you would react like that, Lisha; I am sure she did not mean to offend you.”

I grit my teeth. I was furious; I wanted to spend a couple of hours with Tyler so we could get to know each other again, was I being selfish? I take a deep breath,

“Fine, let's get this over with then. Why the hell are you and Xavier here?” 

“We have things we need to discuss with you, Lisha.” 

“Why, I have no fucking clue what has been happening in this realm.”

I turn my back on her and walk out of the bathroom; Tyler smiles, passes me another cup of coffee, then wraps his arms around me. I can feel his chest vibrating against my back as he holds back his laughter; he kisses me softly on my neck. I know Xavier and Tyler heard what I said in the bathroom. I sit back down and wait for someone to say something; Xavier is the first to break the silence in the room.

“The wards around the realm have been weakening over the last four years; we think they are tied to your essence. We just don't know how or why. The vampires have been attacking more regularly, taking people back to their realm or giving them to Queen Cassandra to keep the alliance strong between her people and the vampires”.

I hold my hand up, stopping him from speaking further.

“How do you know this, Xavier?”

He looks at me.

“The vampire king is my father, Lisha,”

I snarl. 

“So why do you care? You could turn Skyla, return to your father's realm, and live peacefully.”

He hesitates. 

“Your mother was also my mother, Lisha.”

I shake my head. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

“My father is the one who killed our mother and gave you to the Seelie Queen.”

My mouth fell open in shock; my mind didn't want to comprehend what he was saying. Why would Xavier think it was okay to reveal he was my brother in front of everyone? Shouldn't this be something we discussed in private? My vision starts to blur; I can feel the tears beginning to pool in my eyes; Xavier didn't know my mother. For him to speak so casually about her death was hurtful and wrong. I can't look at any of them; I need to distance myself from everyone in the room. My chair scapes noisily across the floor as I stand and leave the house. I didn't have a destination in my mind when I reached the river Tyler, and I used to swim in; I sat on the river bank and stared at the water. It is not long before Tyler finds me; he sits beside me. My voice trembles when I ask.

“Did you know about this, Tyler?”

“I knew Xavier was your half-brother Lisha, but not the rest.”

“What do they expect from me?” 

“They hope we can defeat the Seelie Queen and the Vampire King once you are trained with your magic.”

I laugh sarcastically, shaking my head,

“That won't happen, Tyler; Cassandra and Andras are too powerful.”

“I will be beside you every step of the way, Lisha.''

I shake my head.

“NO. It will make no difference Tyler. I am not going back to the Seelie court.”

Tyler shifts uncomfortably beside me; I turn and look at him, asking,

“Is that the real reason Skyla and Xavier are here this morning?”

Tyler nods “yes” and stands, holding his hand out to me. My heart sinks; my friends are naive and foolish if they think we can win. What they want from me is impossible; there has to be a way to make them see that. If I can stall them until Allan returns, there is a chance she can talk some sense into them; I lace my fingers through Tyler’s.

“Why don't we concentrate on protecting what we have now, Tyler?”

Tyler smiles down at me as he says,

“We can start there and then discuss what to do next.”

I look down at the ground, so he doesn't see the disappointment in my eyes and whisper,

“I am sorry if I came across as a bitch this morning Tyler.”

He chuckles,

“Don't worry about it, Lisha; if I were you, I would have reacted the same way.” 

We walk in silence back to Tyler's house. As we enter, I ask,

“When is Allana arriving?” 

I need my grandmother to help me convince them not to act on their plans.

Xavier answers, 

“She will be here tomorrow.”

I don't bother asking how he has that information. Not now I know who he is. Something is seriously wrong with our land; the magic here is weak. When I was taken to the Seelie realm, the magic there took my breath away. I could see Seelie's power in their auras. Xavier reaches across the table and takes my hand in his as he says, 

“I am sorry, Lisha; I should have realized what I told you would have been a shock for you.”

I sit back, watching him with Skyla. They obviously love each other; Skyla and Xavier have had time to strengthen their bond, but Tyler and I haven't, and if they continue with this foolishness, we never will. It's time to get the answers to the questions running through my mind. I look at Xavier and ask.

“Is it true vampires find Fae blood hard to resist, Xavier?”

He nods,

“Yes, it is intoxicating for us,”

“How can you stand being around so many Fae?”

“I only drink from Skyla. I don't require much blood anymore and find other beings' blood repulsive since our mate bond has grown stronger.” 

“If you had to, you would drink from someone else?”  

“Only if  I have to end someone's life, then I will, especially if they are trying to hurt the people I care about,”