Page 63 of These Deadly Dreams

The rest of the drive to the gym, Kai fumbles around with the settings on the giant ass screen mounted on the middle of the dashboard, while Ellis watches in amazement.

“Hey, Ellis,” I say, a thought suddenly hitting me. “Can you drive?”

“No. Fucking Thomas never let me. Another way to control me. I had to walk everywhere, or beg a ride off one of the house staffers.”

I catch her gaze in the rearview mirror as I pull into the small parking lot behind the gym. “When this is all over, I’ll teach you.”

Her eyes light up with so much excitement, it breaks my heart. The prospect of learning to drive shouldn’t be that exciting, but for someone who lived under the thumb of a so-called parent, every little experience is a novelty.

“Really?” she asks, hand on her chest.

“Of course. You should be able to drive yourself wherever you want, when you want, without relying on anyone else.”

She squeals and claps her hands. “Thank you!”

I grin. This almost carefree version of Ellis is one I definitely love seeing. I only wish it could last. But I have a feeling things are going to get much worse before they get better.

We hop out of the Hummer and find Allie waiting by a back door, bouncing back and forth on her toes, bottom lip pulled between her teeth. The light in her eyes is excited, though. Probably to see Ellis. Even as this thought crosses my mind, Ellis dashes across the parking lot to crash into her.

“Fuck, Ellis.” I mutter, and hurry after her. This girl has no sense of self-preservation, despite everything she’s been through and everything going on.

“I missed you!” Ellis squeezes Allie so hard I’m afraid the girl might pop, but she’s squeezing Ellis just as hard.

“I missed you, too! And I have so much to tell you.” Allie pulls back and whispers, “We went out again last night. It was …” she trails off and bites her lip again, a faint blush creeping up her neck.

Ellis gasps. “Did you have sex?”

Allie cringes and flaps her hands, making a shushing motion. “Quiet!” she hisses.

“I really hate to break up girl talk,” Kai says, “But, we should get inside and out of the public’s eyes.”

Allie ushers us inside the door and into a back storage room in the gym. I let my magic sweep the area to make sure there are no threats or hidden traps. Sensing my magic, a mage steps into the backroom from another door. He’s built, with brown hair pulled into a bun on the back of his head. His mouth splits into a smile when his gaze lands on Ellis.

“Connor!” She rushes toward him, but stops abruptly when a growl climbs up Kai’s throat. “You’ll have to forgive them,” she says with a slight shake of her head. “They’re a little possessive right now.”

“I understand.” He nods his head in our direction, then motions us to follow him. “We can talk in my office. It’s warded, so no one can listen in.”

Kai tugs Ellis to him. I hear him whisper an apology, and she stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. I’m glad she’s being patient with him. This is hard on all of us, but for Kai with his predator instinct and his beloved in danger, it’s even harder.

In Connor’s office, I scan the surroundings. “Do you mind if I check things out?”

He shakes his head. “Go ahead.”

While Connor sits in the rolling chair behind his desk, I use my magic to double check everything again. He has an impressive ward surrounding this space, and it gives me hope if he decides to help us. I can sense his strength, and he’s pretty damn powerful. How he’s kept out of Kennedy’s line of sight is beyond me. I nod the all-clear, and Ellis sits in the only other chair in the office. Kai and I take up position behind her, while Allie perches on the desk, legs swinging.

“So,” Connor says, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed and biceps popping. “Allie said you guys wanted to talk to me.”

“Before we begin,” I say, “You need to know Kai and I will do absolutely anything to keep Ellis safe. No matter what it is. You know Kai is an empath, and he’s going to be using that on you during this conversation. We have to make sure we can trust you.” Luckily, Kai’s abilities are sort of like a lie detector, and it will help us determine if Connor is trustworthy.

He nods his head. “I understand,” he says again.

I tap Ellis on the shoulder, letting her know she’s good to go.

“Has Allie filled you in on anything? Anything that’s been happening to me?” Ellis asks.

“No, she’s been super quiet about you. Even when I ask her where you’ve been. Besides the contest—which I’ve heard has been canceled—I know nothing.”

Ellis takes a deep breath, preparing to share her story. We talked about this last night, and decided to keep her Harpy abilities quiet, but everything else is fair game. “So, during this contest, we,” she waves her hand toward Kai and me, “discovered Thomas Kennedy isn’t really my dad. The alpha of the Iron Shadows pack, Noah Martin, is.”

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