Always Choose Dare

Chapter 15 - Unbelievable Truth

“First, we need to get back to your house so we don’t fill the open ears around us with information they don’t need to hear,” Daire replies, his eyes sparkling and his perfect white teeth on display as he continues to smile at me.

It truly is not fair that he is so effortlessly beautiful! His warm, light brown skin looks impossibly soft in comparison to those perfect pearls!

I take my time answering because I don’t want to say out loud that I’m afraid that my exhaustion might overwhelm me by the time we get back. Just like a baby, my full belly is coaxing me to sleep! Reluctantly, I nod my understanding in reply and gather my purse and keys.

We quickly pay our bill and return to my home. Marek suggests that we get some sleep so we can start our day with sharp minds, but I’m apprehensive about sleeping again after waking up to a strange man in my room. I do my best to act like I’m not tired, asking if anyone needs a nightcap or if they want to play a round of cards.

“Normally, I would take you up on any invitation to spend time with you, but you’ve yawned six times during that last sentence. I think sleep would be best for you, as well as for the two of us,” Daire softly suggests, his tone so much like his mother’s.

He’d make a great dad with that tone.

Holy fu(k, where did that thought come from?!

“Did I say something wrong? You’re blushing.” Daire observes.

“No, I uh, just felt warm air through the window,” I say as casually as possible.

“The closed window?” His right eyebrow shoots up, indicating he did not buy my excuse. “Are you uncomfortable about sleeping in your room?”

I feel my own eyes widen, my poker face long gone due to my lack of sleep.

“It’s just, you know, there was someone in my personal space, and the whole dead body thing -”

“This is your house. If you want me or Marek to move out of a guest room, we have no issue in doing so,” Daire says.

“Absolutely!” Marek agrees. “In fact, in case another sorcerer is coming after you, I should probably sleep in your room to ensure your safety and Daire’s.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Daire seems to ponder aloud.

“I am more than just a pretty face, you know,” Marek quips.

Before I can stop myself, I snort-laugh in front of the two. Both men gape at me in response. Before either can laugh at my pig-like laugh, I turn and head to the kitchen to get a bottle of water to take to the guest room with me. When I return, Marek and Daire look toward me with sober expressions.

“First, we want to make sure you are comfortable with us staying in this house after a sorcerer has come after you here. If you’d prefer to stay somewhere else, or us stay somewhere else, we can arrange it,” Daire began.

“And if we do stay here, are you comfortable being alone in the guest room, or would you prefer all three of us to stay in one room for safety?” Marek asks thoughtfully.

I take a moment to consider the question and realize that I cannot make a sound decision without all the facts.

“To be honest, I really don’t know what to think. I mean, who the hell was that guy, and why was he here? Was it a mistake, or was he here for a reason? If he had a reason, will there be more?” I rattle off. “I can tell you that there is no way I am sleeping in my room after his dead body was in there! So, part of me says stay here and probably all three of us camp out in the living room, but the other part of me wants to just pack a bag and go somewhere else. How did he even get my address?”

I realize that voicing my thoughts probably didn’t help after hearing the random questions pile upon each other when said aloud.

“Okay. We need sleep, but I think we should all discuss the main issue here. A sorcerer from the second realm specifically came into your room while you were sleeping and attempted to take you. He didn’t cast a spell to kill, so there is a reason he tracked you. The likelihood that another will do the same is pretty high because they’re forbidden by the gods to come into the human realm at all, so to track you must be part of something big.”

Daire’s words land heavily on my ears. I feel a quick wave of fear crash over me before anger replaces it.

“Did that motherfu(ker actually think that he could just snatch me up on his own, like I wouldn’t fight back?”

Daire and Marek both look shocked by my words, then they both beamed toothy grins at me like little boys in a toy store.

“Oh, I’m liking you more by the minute!” Marek proclaims.

“Back off! She’s my mate, assh0le,” Daire practically growls at him.

“And that’s another thing,” I say, well into my second wind thanks to empty carbs and rage, “did you really reject me? Are we actual mates? The kind your mother told me is the greatest gift in all the realms?”

“Sh!t,” he hisses under his breath. He looks up at me, regret obvious on his face. “We need to start from the beginning. Marek, can you make some coffee so we can all just stay awake for now?”

“Yes, sir,” Marek says and all too quickly heads to the kitchen to avoid the tension in the hallway.

Daire and I walk to the living room. I go to my comfy, round chair and sit in it with my feet tucked to my side so I can face the two of them for the conversation.

“Why don’t you go kick off those rubber boots so you can be a little more comfortable while we talk?” Daire suggests softly.

I glare at him, and reply, “I would, but I’d rather keep my feet clean if I end up having to put my foot up your ass in a minute.”

Something clatters in the kitchen, and we hear Marek trying to stifle laughter behind Daire.

“Sorry! Wasn’t expecting to hear that!” He calls out to us.

Daire rolls his eyes and scrubs a palm down his face, his exhaustion evident. Part of me feels bad for keeping him up, but I refuse to sleep until I know everything - every fu(king detail that has been omitted.

“Here is one cup each. There’s a full pot left in the kitchen,” Marek says as he settles onto the couch at the end opposite Daire.

“You know about the realms, yes?” Daire asks, and I nod. “So you know that the third realm, the lycan realm, is the home of the Balance Keepers, whose purpose it is to maintain the balance of light and dark, to ensure the accords of old are followed?”

Again, I nod.

“Marek and I are Balance Keepers. I’m the Alpha of the Balance Keepers. Marek is my Beta. We were called by the Fae King with an urgent message saying that their realm was under attack. When we arrived, many had already perished at the hand of Sid, a sorcerer hell-bent on ruling all six realms. Somehow, he was able to travel from one realm to another without the assistance of the gods. Not only that, but he was able to bring his followers with him. Now, it seems, he has sent one to you for some reason.”

“And where in all this fuckery is your explanation for rejecting me?”

I can’t help but grit my teeth as I speak, remembering how his words had hurt more than the hateful words of others.

“Sid cast me into the void when I found him in the sixth realm. Before his spell reached me, Marek leaped in front of it in an attempt to knock me out of the way. We were both cast out as a result. While in the void, I remembered that my mother had told me that if I ever needed to find my way home, all I had to do was hold my wolf charm and think about the love in my life,” he reaches down and pulls his necklace up, showing me his charm.

Without thinking, I immediately touch my ring, which his eyes catch before connecting with my eyes.

“I believe my charm led me to your ring. More specifically, to you.”

“So what you’re saying is, you think your mother gave you that necklace and me this ring so we’d specifically meet?” I ask.

“Yes. I do.”

“And so you thought, ‘Hey, mom thought I should meet this woman, so why not reject her?’”

My tone is harsh, but the pain is resurfacing quickly, so I have no reason to hide my feelings.

“No. I thought that if Sid found out that I had a mate, he’d use her and possibly kill her to weaken me so no one would stop him from abolishing the accords. Hell, maybe that explains what happened tonight. I rejected you in an attempt to save you.”

His tone is rich with conviction. Part of me appreciates that, the part of me that loves the truth; but part of me still wants to junk-punch him.

“Did you ever think, maybe, that you should sit down and talk it over with me to get my opinion on what action should be taken?” I can feel my pulse bursting in my neck because of my anger. “Last I checked, I do have a brain capable of problem solving and decision making! Besides, it’s my life and it should be my damn decision if it is put at risk or not!”

“I…I understand that, and respect that. All I can say is that I am so sorry. Truly, my personal desire to protect you, to ensure your well-being and possibly your life, had temporarily disabled my ability to think clearly. I respect you as my equal, Star. I would like to promise that I will never act in your interest without first consulting you, but I’m a flawed man who may very well break that promise unintentionally. All I can do is try my best to uphold that sentiment and to remain fully honest with you.”

Daire’s facial expression and body language show his remorse, which alleviates some of my anger.

Then my guilt settles in.

“If we are being completely honest with each other, then I have my own confession to make, which you will need to know before the weekend, anyway. My name isn’t Star. My birth name, my real name, is Remila Delgado - but please do not call me ‘Remila’. I have never really liked my full name and prefer to be called Remi. Star Knightly is my pen name. Many of us in the paranormal romance writing community use pen names in order to keep our writing lives and personal lives separate.”

Marek bursts out laughing, hard enough that he needs to hold his stomach with his arm.

“Did I miss something?” I ask, perplexed.

“It’s just that - some of those authors - the names they chose -” his laughter continues. “Craven Cox and Pinkie Nipz!”

Once he has control of himself, he wipes the tears from his eyes and says, “It does explain one thing, though. You didn’t use her real name in the bookstore, Alpha. That’s why the rejection didn’t work.”

His words wash through me like ice water, and fear snatches my breath. All I can do was stare wide-eyed at Daire and Marek, hoping to not hear those words again. I don’t know exactly how I feel about Daire, but I want the opportunity to at least get to know him enough to make an informed decision about being mated to him.

“Then we should thank the Moon Goddess for protecting me from my mistake, because meeting her in that circumstance kept the bond intact. I was blessed with a second chance to cherish the gift given to me,” Daire says soothingly.

His words brought me a peace my soul needed. To be honest, I can’t rationalize why the thought of being rejected by him causes me such anxiety.

“So when you came to my room, you didn’t look like a fluffy wolf…” I begin, remembering his massive human-wolf hybrid appearance.

“That was my lycan form. When needed, we can call forth the lycan nature within ourselves, transforming our bodies into what you saw. We have heightened senses in that form, much like a wolf, but remain humanoid, walking on two legs and able to speak. The claws and fur are defense mechanisms in that form.”

“So no cute wolf. Got it,” I mumble, a bit disappointed that they do not shift into actual wolves the way they do in books.

Their lycan forms were certainly impressive, though. Terrifying, but impressive.

Daire chuckles. “The name ‘werewolf’ came from humans millennia ago. Some of your old books have drawings that are similar to what our lycan form is.”

“Does your lycan have his own name? Talk to you in your head?”

Marek chuckles as Daire shakes his head in the negative. “No. My lycan nature is part of me, of who I am. There is no separation, only a different appearance when I bring that part of me forth, as well as a more animalistic nature.”

“Can you two talk to each other in your heads? A mind link?” I ask, pointing at Marek and Daire.

Again, Daire shakes his head as Marek laughs and explains, “No. When we bring our lycan nature forth, we have increased hearing. We can talk more quietly than humans, vampires, fae, or sorcerers can hear, but only lycans and dragons are able to hear it when their animalistic nature is present.”

“Ok,” I reply, feeling a bit let down.

After all, I have really wanted my books to be accurate.

“What about healing abilities? Immortality? Silver?”

“We can heal better and more quickly than a human, but it isn’t anything like your books make it out to be. A broken bone takes between a day to a week to heal. We scar. We get sick like humans, but it takes major wounds to kill us - beheading, vampire bite, dragon bite, stab to the heart, death spells…” Daire trails off.

“According to the ancient writings, the only death defying linked to lycans is a mate mark given during or immediately following the death of a human mate. The human is reborn, if you will, as they transform into a lycan themself,” Marek explains.

I shiver at the thought and decide to change the subject.

“What about vampires? If there are no humans there, how do they eat?”

Marek and Daire exchange a look, then look back at me. “There are beings in the vampire realm called ceraphybin that provide vampires with blood. Just think of them as say your chickens, or cattle. Of course, a vampire’s mate, or beloved as they call them, will also provide some blood as an act of love for their beloved.”

“Oh,” I say.

It does seem like an efficient solution in a way.

“Do dragons really hoard things?”

Daire laughs loudly, his smile stretching across his face again.

“Yes. Yes, they do, and we all make fun of them for it!”

“That’s not very nice,” I say, furrowing my brows.

“Just wait until you meet one. I mean, is there really any reason to save every sock that you’ve ever worn?” Daire asks through his now soft laughter.

“So if you had one of each being in a room, all in human form, how can you tell which is what?” I ask.

Marek answers, “First, their eyes. Fae all have yellow or gold eyes. Dragons’ are green, and lycans’ are brown, like mine. Vampires have bright, pale blue eyes. Sorcerers’ eyes are various shades of purple. The darker the magic, the darker their eyes.”

“But humans have most of those colors,” I observe.

“Yes, but there are some differences. If you look at your eyes, for instance, you’ll see speckles of other colors in them. Another thing we notice is the feel of their magic. When you have magic within you, it senses other magic, feeling its darkness or its light. It’s almost like a warm or cold vibration that you can feel coming from someone else,” Daire explained. “When you combine that feeling with their eye color, there really is no faking what type of being they are.”

“Some of our ancient texts actually hinted that humans’ eyes were indicators of the species to which they might be mated,” Marek continues, “but you are the Alpha’s mate and your eyes are not brown. In fact, they hold every color within their irises.”

“And you called them ‘hazel’?” Daire asks.

I nod in reply.

“It must be a color only found in humans. They are certainly my new favorite color,” he mumbles, seemingly to himself.

“Did I get anything right in my books?” I ask in frustration.

“Believe it or not, you got the most important thing right,” Marek starts, but Daire stops him with a look.

Now my interest is peaked!