Just then, Ty popped his head into the kitchen.
“Oh, good.” Sabrina motioned for him to come in. “You’re just in time. I was about to tell Liza to go home. She looks pale.”
I glanced at Ty, and he reached for my hand.
“Max can take care of it!” Sabrina shouted so that my head chef could hear over the blender.
He gave me a thumbs-up and smiled, which was enough confirmation for me.
I turned back to Ty. “Can you drive me home? I don’t feel like driving.” I really didn’t feel like doing anything but finding out what the hell Stone had been talking about.
“Of course, baby.” Ty squeezed my hand. “Anything you need.”
I shot a half-smile at Sabrina. I was going to have to give her—all of them—a big raise. “Thanks. Call if you need me.”
When we walked outside, I looked for Ty’s car, but he shook his head like he was reading my thoughts. “We’ll have to take your car. Bryce drove me.”
I nodded and handed Ty my keys.
My hands were shaking, and my head still felt like someone had tried to knock me out with a cast-iron skillet. I was on edge, and there was no hiding it. I was sure Ty could sense my mood. As soon as he had the car in drive, he reached for my hand, stroking my skin with his thumb.
Ty was quiet on the drive to my house, waiting for me to talk, like he thought there might come a time when I was ready. I didn’t know about that.
“We need to have a serious conversation.” I pulled my hand out of his grasp and clasped my hands together in my lap.
“Okay, sure.” He wasn’t bothered. He put his hand on my leg, rubbing my skin reassuringly.
“Not in the car, and not at my house.” I stared out the window. “Is there somewhere else we can go? Somewhere we can get some fresh air?”
“I know just the place.” Ty turned onto the highway, heading away from my house. “There’s a clearing at the estate that is beautiful in the moonlight.”
“Sounds perfect.” I didn’t need beauty. I needed quiet. I needed seclusion. Most of all, I needed fucking answers.
The rest of the ride passed in silence, but it was comfortable. I wondered if Ty knew what I planned to ask; if he had the slightest inkling. I had no idea how much he’d heard. He could’ve been there even before I sensed his aura. I’d been so distracted. He was unusually quiet, but there was a chance he was still reeling from his stand-off with Stone.
He parked the car at the top of his long driveway and came around to help me out. I didn’t take his hand, instead folding my arms over my stomach as we walked down the narrow path.
When we reached the clearing, my anxiety slowly faded away. The stars sparkled above us, and a gentle breeze blew through the tall trees surrounding the clearing.
Ty’s aura spilled over, tension radiating off him in waves. His run-in with Stone had affected him more than he was letting on, but his aura didn’t lie.
I raised my head, allowing the light from the full moon to wash over me. For the first time in my life, I felt a tingle penetrating deeply into every nerve of my body. The sensation was undeniable. It was the pull of the moon.
I suddenly felt powerful, like I was a part of something bigger. Something that went beyond my current circumstances or my anxiety over my dreams.
Closing my eyes, I took a moment to enjoy the overwhelming sense of peace and power. The moon called me, tugged at my soul, and compelled me to answer its call. Maybe I needed to shift before we had this talk. Run to clear my mind. But I didn’t shift. Didn’t run. I only stood under the rays of moonlight and waited.
A few moments later, I opened my eyes, refreshed, ready to have a conversation that probably wouldn’t go well.
Ty watched me, his gaze soft as if he understood and was trying to comfort me. He reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers as he smiled knowingly at me. “Ready to talk?”
I asked the question that had been burning inside me since Stone spoke his mysterious words: “Are you keeping something from me?”
27
TY
If I had the ability to freeze time, I would have done just that. I watched as Liza stood in the moonlight, her platinum blonde hair reflecting its beams as she closed her eyes. A peaceful smile spread across her face. Her arms were outstretched, her face raised to the sky as if she were calling on a higher power. Were I an artist, this would be my masterpiece, and I would title itSerenity.