Drake looked at her ring again. It was bright and shiny without a hint of scratches or tarnish. She might be Gerai, but she hadn’t been for long.
He made his voice gentle. “There’s nothing to forgive, Grace. We’re all a little shocked by Helen’s arrival.”
Grace nodded, but didn’t look up. Instead, she scurried away in the manner of someone looking for a place to hide.
“Is she okay?” asked Helen.
“I suppose. A little timid, maybe, but she’s new here. She’ll get used to us after she’s been here awhile.” He kicked the door shut with his foot and set the tray of food on the kitchen table.
“Did you see the bruises?”
Drake felt a cold stillness settle over his body—the kind he got right before he killed. “No. I didn’t.”
“Her arms and the back of her thighs were covered with them. They had mostly faded, so they weren’t new.”
“Shit. No wonder she flinched. Go ahead and start eating. I’ve got to make a phone call.”
Helen nodded and Drake went into his bedroom and shut the door. He did not want her to hear the conversation he was going to have with Joseph about whether the person who had done that to Grace had been punished or if Drake was going to have that pleasure himself.
Helen could feel nothing coming from Drake in his bedroom. He’d clamped down hard on their link and nothing was getting through. Not that she needed much help figuring out how angry he’d been when she told him about Grace’s bruises. It was clear on his face. She was pretty sure he was going to need a good dentist after grinding his teeth together like that.
She was halfway through her meal when he came out of the bedroom. He looked more relaxed, but there was still that slow-simmering anger about him that made her pity whoever he decided to aim it at.
He sat down and dug into his food with mechanical efficiency.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Fine.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He eyed her plate. “It’s not good dinner conversation. Maybe another time.”
Helen didn’t push him. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know who—or what—had made those bruises, anyway. She was a pretty good guesser and none of her guesses were pleasant ones. “She makes a mean steak,” offered Helen, hoping to lighten his mood.
Drake paused in the middle of chewing a bite, as if he had to stop and think about tasting the food rather than just consuming it. “Yeah. It is good.”
“So is the rest of it.” Helen didn’t know what Drake liked, so she put a little bit of everything on a plate for both him and herself. “And there’s chocolate cake.”
Drake nodded, but his gaze was far off. Distracted.
Helen finished eating and sat back in her chair, sipping her soda. “I’m ready when you are.”
“I know.” He wiped his mouth on a napkin and stood. The burned patch on the back of his hand had nearly healed, and it had only been a few hours. She was about to question him about it when he said, “I’ve stalled long enough. Come on.” He held out his wide, callused hand and Helen couldn’t stop herself from taking it. She didn’t even try.
Drake led her to the plush couch and sat beside her. He angled his body toward hers and didn’t let go of her hand. “I need to know you will try to understand why I didn’t tell you all of this earlier.”
Helen frowned at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I should have told you everything before I bound you to me. But I didn’t. I was too desperate. In too much pain. I needed you at any cost and now is the time I start paying up.”
“You think I’m going to be mad?”
“I know you’re going to be mad. I can handle that. I don’t want you to feel hurt. Used.”
All she felt right now was dread. She really wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know what was going on. “Why don’t you just tell me everything and I’ll decide how to feel about it?”
Drake sighed heavily and it made his knit shirt stretch tight over muscles Helen could never forget. Now she was the one feeling distracted.
“You know that you have to stay with me until we find Kevin’s sword, right?”
“Yes.”
He’d been looking into her eyes, but now his slid guiltily to the carpet. “Do you also realize that if we never find it, you’ll never be free of me?”
“Until I die,” she reminded him. Maybe that would be a bigger deal for other women, but Helen knew her days were numbered. As long as she did something good with them, she was content.
“Which you think will be soon. No wonder you weren’t more freaked out by that part.” His hand slid over her hair in a comforting caress. “Don’t worry. I’ve requested that Sibyl see you. If anyone can figure out what your vision really means, it will be her.”
She had no idea who Sibyl was, but it didn’t really matter. If it would make him feel better to see the woman, she would. “Drake, I don’t want to die, but I’ve learned that it’s better not to get your hopes up about this kind of thing. Acceptance is easier.”
“I won’t accept that you are going to die. I just found you. Why would I find you now only to lose you? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“The fact that I have this vision at all doesn’t make any sense. It’s not exactly normal. My mother tried to convince me it was a gift—a way for me to remember that every day is precious. When I was young, I used to think she was nuts, but now I realize that she was right. Every day is a gift.”