Darknight(66)

I wasn’t so sure about that, but I made myself turn to Tobias and said, “Let’s go back to the family room. Can I get you a cup of coffee or anything?”

“No, I’m fine.”

So much for that delaying tactic. I led him toward the rear of the house, toward the cozy space that was now the TV room and my preferred hangout, since the living room still felt a little too grand and formal, even after all the redecorating I’d done.

There were logs stacked in the fireplace, but I didn’t bother to set them alight. I didn’t want to make the room too comfortable. I only wanted Tobias to have his say and then leave so I could get the hell out of here. Maybe I was being a coward, and maybe I was crazy for thinking I’d be more welcome back in Flagstaff, but that was the way it sure felt.

“Just one thing, Tobias,” I said, as he settled himself on the leather sofa. “I’m not in the mood for a lecture, so if that’s why you’ve come here — ”

“It isn’t.” The laugh lines around his eyes looked deeper than I remembered. He seemed tired, which wasn’t normal for him. He was always hearty, energetic, up for anything. “So Connor Wilcox really is your consort.”

“For the hundredth time, yes, and if you think it’s something I planned — ”

“He seems like a nice young man.”

That comment stopped me in my tracks. “He — what?”

“He seems like a nice young man.” Tobias scrubbed his hand over his goatee and paused, seeming to consider. “Never thought I’d say something like that, but it’s true. And it’s what I’ll go back and tell Rachel, although I doubt she wants to hear it. You’ve shocked everyone with this, Angela, and it’s going to take some time for them to come to terms with it. But I just wanted to let you know that they’ll come around eventually.”

“And how do you know this?” Tobias wasn’t an elder, so I didn’t see how he could be so sure.

“Because I know them. The McAllisters need their prima. They’re not going to cast her out simply because her consort is none of their choosing. They’ll all come to acceptance in their own way. Why, Rachel — ”

“Yes, what about Rachel?” I demanded. “Because yesterday she was looking at me like something she wanted to scrape off her shoe.”

“She’s sorry about that, Angela. She said as much to me. She said she was shocked and scared and didn’t know what to think. She’s already regretting how she behaved toward you.”

“So why couldn’t she come and tell me that herself?”

He gave me a calm, level look. “Now, Angela, you know your aunt isn’t very good at apologies.”

That was true. It took a lot to get her to lose her temper, but when she did, it was well and truly lost…and afterward she generally wanted to act as if the explosion had never happened. “Does she know you’re here?”

“No, and she’ll probably kick my ass when she finds out. But that’s not important. What’s important is that you just give us a little time. Everything will work out in the end.”

I wanted to believe that. I really did. But my relatives weren’t the only ones who needed some space. “I’ll give you as much time as you need,” I replied, “because I’m going back to Flagstaff.”

A frown, one he quickly erased. “Do you really think you’ll be safe there?”

“I’m safe with Connor.”

“That isn’t what I asked.”

“What do you want me to say, Tobias?” I crossed my arms and met his worried gaze. “I’m not going to deny that Damon Wilcox is a slippery bastard, and I don’t trust him at all and never will, but I also know he won’t do anything to me. I’ve bonded to his brother, and there’s nothing he can do about that. And staying here….” The words disappeared somewhere between Tobias and myself, erasing themselves before I could finish the thought. “It’s not going to work. Not right now, anyway. You tell Aunt Rachel what you need to tell her, and the whole clan, if you want. I’m not going away forever. But it hurts to be here right now, hurts to have people looking at me like I’m some kind of leper. So, as you said, let time heal things for a bit. If you need me, you know where to find me.”

He cleared his throat. “Well, actually, I don’t.”

“Then call. I have my phone now. But I want — I just want to be with Connor for a while.”

My words didn’t seem to have reassured him very much, but he gave a reluctant nod. “All right. You’re the prima, and you’ll do what you feel is necessary. But don’t — don’t be away so long that you forget who you are.”