He left after that, murmuring a quiet goodbye, and I saw him to the door, then shut it behind him.
Forget who I was? How could I do that, when every resentful glance told me that a McAllister prima shouldn’t have betrayed her clan the way I had?
Taking a breath, I went upstairs to tell Connor I wanted to head back to Flagstaff.
12
Resolutions
Clouds had begun to gather while we drove north, and as we pulled into the parking space behind Connor’s building, a few fat white flakes started to fall. Good. I loved being in his apartment with the fire going and the weather closing in outside. It could be just the two of us in our own little bubble of warmth and solitude.
Nice illusion. It wasn’t really true, though.
We’d been in the place maybe ten minutes before a harsh knocking came at the door. I’d heard that pounding before.
I looked over at Connor. He was standing by the fireplace, ready to set it alight, while I’d just come down from returning some things to the upstairs bathroom.
“I suppose it’s no good to ignore him, is it?” I asked. “I mean, he’ll just blast the door open.”
“Probably,” he agreed. His expression showed more resignation than anything else. “I’ll get it, though.”
No arguments here. I nodded and stepped out of the way, back toward the living room, as Connor opened the door.
“Hey, Damon,” he said, as Damon brushed past him and stood glowering in the tiny entryway.
“‘Hey, Damon’ my ass,” was his reply as he scowled first at Connor, then at me.
In that moment, I was very glad I’d removed myself to a safe distance. Although I didn’t think Damon would really do anything to either one of us, he was still pretty fearsome when he was in a mood — which seemed to be most of the time.
He continued, “What, did you think I wouldn’t notice your little jaunt to Jerome?”
“No,” Connor replied wearily. “I figured you’d be spying on us one way or another. But we’re back now, so what difference does it make?”
“Yes, you’re back.” That black-eyed stare transferred itself to me. “Back fairly quickly, too, I might add. What, did you not get the open-armed welcome you were expecting?”
Although I willed myself not to react, I must have flinched.
A cruel smile touched his mouth. “Ah, so they did reject you and your consort. What did you expect?”
I found my voice. “I didn’t expect anything,” I lied. “I only wanted them to know I was okay. Now they know, so I didn’t see the point hanging around when there was so much more here in Flagstaff that I wanted to have Connor to show me.”
That sounded plausible, although I wasn’t sure Damon would buy it. But Connor added, “Yeah, I want to take her up to the Snow Bowl, and maybe out to Winslow to the Turquoise Room. And some of her friends are coming up here for New Year’s. She’s been cooped up in Jerome for most of her life, so it makes more sense for us to be here.”
Throughout this little speech, Damon listened with one eyebrow cocked in an expression eerily similar to one I’d seen on his brother’s face several times. When Connor was finished, Damon said, “You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”
Connor shrugged. “It’s the truth. I was just about to call Joseph to get Angela’s friends set up at the Weatherford. Do you want to wait and listen while I do that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He shifted his attention from Connor to me. “You might as well admit that your clan has rejected you. Your place is here now, with us. It’s time for you to really join your powers to the Wilcox clan.”
This was what I’d been fearing all along, that sooner or later Damon would try to force the issue. After all, it was one of the main reasons he’d wanted to take me for his own. Yes, as a possible way of breaking the curse, but having the strength of a prima in addition to a primus would make the Wilcoxes stronger than any clan in the region.
Since I knew I was valuable to him, even as his brother’s consort and not his own, I realized he couldn’t do anything to hurt me. That realization gave me the courage to reply, “My powers are my own, Damon. I’ll use them as I see fit, and not just because you think they’re your due because I’ve bonded to a Wilcox.”
His mouth thinned to a tight line. Then he seemed to force in a breath. “That’s…very short-sighted of you.”
“Is it?” I turned away from him, went to the fire. Just a touch, just a little push from those newly kindled powers of mine, and the logs blazed up and began to crackle. “You know, Damon, you should really stop trying to rule the world. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.”