Laylen stayed quiet for a second, and I started to wonder if he even knew the answers to my questions. Alex had made it clear that, because Laylen was a vampire, he was no longer part of the Keepers’ world anymore, making Laylen a little out of the loop on things.
Laylen brushed his blue-tipped bangs away from his forehead. “Well, I guess I’ll answer the easy question first. You’re here at Adessa’s because Aislin transported us here.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, making Laylen flinch. I lowered my voice. “Sorry. But how? I mean the last thing I can remember is being surrounded by a ton of Death Walkers, and Stephan trying to use some creepy smoking rock to try and take my mind away.”
“The rock’s called the memoria extraho,” Alex interrupted.
“Well, you’d know since you were going to let him use it on me,” I snapped.
A condescending look rose on his face. “If you’d just listen to me explain, then you’d realize you’re wrong.”
“I said I want Laylen to tell me,” I told him firmly.
He shrugged and leaned back in the chair, resting his hands behind his head all casual and everything. “Fine. Whatever you want.”
I stared at him, entirely taken off-guard. Huh? Did he just say whatever you want? To me?
“What,” Alex said, with a blasé attitude. “I was planning on telling you the truth, but if you’re more likely to believe it from Laylen’s mouth, then it’s better that he tells you. That way you won’t have any doubts.”
I shook my head, wondering why he was acting so cooperative, but figured I would worry about it later, so I returned my attention back to Laylen. “So how did you and Aislin end up in Colorado?”
“Well…I guess to make a long story short, after Aislin came back to get me in Nevada, those Death Walkers you and I saw marching through the desert had reached the house. They ambushed us, but after a big struggle, Aislin and I managed to escape in the car. But the Death Walkers cold ruined Aislin’s crystal again so we had to come here to Adessa’s to get another one. Then we transported to Colorado.”
“So how did you guys not get attacked by the Death Walkers when you showed up in Colorado?” I asked. “And by Stephan? Because the last thing I can remember was that there were a ton of Death Walkers around, watching Stephan try to erase my mind.”
Laylen glanced over at Alex, and they both exchanged a look I couldn’t quite figure out. My muscles tensed up as the idea that maybe Laylen was keeping secrets from me flashed through my mind. Would he? I mean I barely knew him. But from the moment I’d met him, my instincts told me I could trust him. Although I sometimes wondered how much I could trust my own instincts.
“When Aislin and I showed up there,” Laylen’s bright blue eyes focused back on me, “Stephan and the Death Walkers were gone.”
“What,” I said, baffled. “Why would they just leave?”
Laylen looked at Alex again, and I grew even more uneasy. Something was up. I could feel it through the sudden heaviness in the air.
“I think maybe you should explain that part to her,” Laylen told Alex. “It’s more your story to tell, anyway.”
“No,” I protested, shaking my head. “I want you to tell me.”
Laylen shifted uncomfortably in the sofa. “Look Gemma, I understand why you want me to tell you. But I really think Alex should tell you the rest because I wasn’t even there for most of it.”
This was so weird. I mean, the last time I’d talked to Laylen, back when we were at his house, he’d warned me to be careful when it came to trusting Alex. And now here he was telling me trust him.
It didn’t make any sense.
“I…um…” I trailed off, staring confusedly at Laylen.
“Gemma, relax. It’ll be alright.” Laylen got to his feet, and gave me a pat on the shoulder, which puzzled me even more. No one’s ever gave me a pat on the shoulder before. “Everything will be okay. Alex will tell you what happened.”
And with that, he left, the beaded curtains clinking together as he ducked through them.
I watched the beaded curtains sway back and forth, feeling so lost. My mind was racing wildly with ideas of what could be going on; ideas ranging from Laylen being brainwashed to Laylen not being Laylen at all, but a body snatcher that had possessed his body.