Page 38 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck

Nothing had been okay from that night in the basement of the manor. It had all spiraled horribly out of control. From the arrival of the Nightshade Clan at the manor to the local authorities being tipped off to what was happening, it had been nothing short of insanity.

And if Nile and his legal team got their way, that’s exactly what it would be officially labeled.

Yes, it took a certain level of crazy to do what Nile had done, but humans didn’t understand how much truth was behind Mary Shelley’s fiction. They didn’t know the family history was real. And since they’d somehow managed to be the ones conducting the trial, everyone had to wait and see how it would play out.

The Nightshade Clan had their finger on the pulse of it all and had been doing backdoor deals to assure that regardless the outcome, they’d be taking Nile with them to a facility they had at least some level of control over.

That was for the best.

A human prison would never work for Nile. Not if what Drest was starting to suspect was true about him. That he maybe had more Fae in him than anyone thought. That or he’d somehow found a way to borrow or steal power.

Drest’s chest tightened as he thought back to that night in the basement. To when he’d been sure he’d sensed another Fae’s power in the air. There were so many things he wished he’d have done differently that night. Never giving in to the pull he had to Rachael was a start, but he didn’t want to take that back. Their brief encounter had fueled him, keeping him going for nearly a year and a half.

No.

His biggest regret was not whisking her away that night. When they’d happened upon the evidence of Nile’s twisted ways, Drest should have insisted Rachael pack a bag and get in his car, never to look back. He shouldn’t have pushed Amice to call the Nightshade Clan to report what had happened.

Drest should have just run with Rachael, taking her far from it all. But he’d done his duty. He’d had Amice phone it in and he’d secured the crime scene. He’d been there to help process and collect evidence. And he’d been forced to sit Rachael down and pepper her with questions about her possible involvement in everything, all the while seeing the hurt his accusations caused her.

Drest hadn’t wanted to ask her if she knew what Nile had been up to—hell, he was keenly aware she hadn’t known a thing about it—but by that point, other Nightshade Hunters had arrived.

It was a case of him letting another man lead the investigation or doing it himself. Drest’s fear of how another Hunter would handle Rachael specifically had left him giving in and doing it himself. He knew he’d never take the questioning too far with her. That he’d never physically harm her in a quest for answers.

He'd pushed her mentally and emotionally though, all the while having to live with the hurt in her eyes. Hours prior to his interrogation of her, he’d been making out with her, seeking paradise, but then he’d turned into the enemy.

The very same people Nile and her brother had warned her against.

He rubbed his chest, remembering the pain he’d felt when she’d looked at him as if he’d betrayed her trust.

In many ways, he had, so he’d not been able to blame her reaction. Nor could he blame her for stiffening and shying away from him when he’d tried to comfort her when the questioning was over.

Amice had even stepped in, putting herself between Drest and Rachael, keeping him from trying to right his wrongs. He couldn’t blame her either. Amice had every right to be angry with him.

Drest hung his head, putting one hand on the roof of his car as he tried to compose himself. It didn’t work. All it did was give him a moment to think back to the day he’d been called to the witness stand. He’d done his job, answering questions as honestly as he could while hiding the truth of supernaturals from humans. But when the line of questioning had gone the way of his relationship with Rachael, Drest had outright lied.

He'd denied having any sort of feelings for her and pretended that she’d been nothing more than a job to him. That she was insignificant in his life and world.

Nothing could have been further from the truth.

He’d done everything he could to keep from looking at Rachael during it all. But he’d caught Amice’s shocked gasp at his words and he’d seen her grabbing for Rachael’s hand, holding it tight in a show of support. And he’d felt Rachael’s heart breaking that day as if it were his own.

Part of Drest assumed he’d imagined the sensation of being connected to her in that moment. He hoped that was the case. If not, it meant he’d well and truly shattered Rachael emotionally. That had been the last thing he ever wanted to do. From the second he saw her picture in the conference room of the Nightshade building to now, all he wanted to do was protect her. Not cause her pain.

I’m no good for you.

The words he’d spoken to her that night filtered back to him. As he’d said them, he’d had no idea how prophetic they’d be.

He steeled his nerves and buried his emotions away to deal with on another day. Right now, he wanted to go into the courtroom to be there to support Rachael, even if he couldn’t show that support outright. He looked up at the sky, whispering a prayer to the goddess of old, hoping to find guidance.

None came.

Not that he expected it to.

With a sigh, Drest adjusted his badge and assured his side-arm was secured before nodding to one of the uniformed officers. He then turned to head toward the building. He’d barely made it four paces before Gil and Farin stepped out from behind a large black van.

As if the day wasn’t crappy enough.

Gil looked downright gleeful. “Rumor has it the trial is going to wrap up fully today or tomorrow.”

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