S.A. Price (7 page)

She looked down and then up at him, her eyes shiny. "Uh huh. Yeah I get the thing about the kids, John. The problem needs seeing to." She walked closer to him and shook her head and slapped him in the face, hard enough for his head to shift to the side. "You know, I don’t give a shit what you do, but don’t fucking lie to me. I know you better than anyone John, and that whisper this morning was no mere whisper of a father figure, nor was the placement of your arms around her waist, so save the drama. You know," she laughed, tears flowing down her face, "I could have handled this so much better if you had just let it be.” She shook her head and stumbled, the ring falling out of her shallow pocket onto the floor in front of her.

He grabbed her elbows holding her still. "I'm telling the truth! The others have to believe the lie...

if we want any land to live on at the end of this they have to believe it’s all her. They won’t give me anything but a swift execution. We're already going to lose our home over this. They have to believe that I'm a puppet and not the other way around.... if I was with her then what would I gain from being here? If you think me as heartless as you obviously do, then why would I be here right now wasting my time with lies when I could be in her arms? What you’re suggesting sickens me... I could never be with anyone but you. Mark or no you are my mate and I refuse to have it any other way. Ask Aiden tomorrow, better yet ask Carmen."

"Carmen?" she laughed and shook her head. "Figures you would know the little viper. Tell me, if you are so close to her, why didn’t you show yourself at their wedding?" she sniffed and lowered her voice. "And why didn’t you bother to come to me? In fifteen years nothing changed, I always had hope, always thought you would show up one night.... John, don’t give me your shit. You could have come to me, any time; I have always been the keeper of your secrets. Yet I find out you’re alive in front of the heads of the five territories, and in the company of a fucking hatchling! Thank you for completely making me out to be a pathetic thing unable to hold what I considered mine! But I suppose it works for you, doesn’t it. They are all attacking me and my emotional stupidity..." she sighed.

He took a deep breath letting it out slowly. "I didn't want to make you appear weak, Lise, it just worked out that way and yes it does benefit me. You can survive their attacks. We can't, not with everything that’s been going on. I didn't come back to you because it wasn't safe, at first. You were under threat, as was I... a good friend of mine went back on a contract to keep me alive, it was his ass on the line as well. I had to work off my debt to him before I did anything. Once it was finally safe I

~29~

had so many kids dotted around that I couldn’t physically dump them all on your doorstep. You say I could have showed up for one night but there could never be just one night between us, you of all people know that. If not forever then not at all... to you I was better off dead." He sighed heavily.

"And yes I know Carmen, she's one of mine. I found her in... Well she was in a bad state. I'm glad she's better off now. In truth I didn’t go to her wedding because I didn't know she was getting married, it's only with the disappearances that we've started keeping tabs on our people. When she left us we hadn't settled down to one place and until recently I thought she was one of our missing."

“Well she’s not. Christ, Merrick, when have I ever not taken in strays? You know very well you could have brought your entire crèche to me and I would have welcomed them! But you were a selfish bastard as usual. Yes, it’s all about the kids, but you never once stopped to think about me. Yes, they needed you and probably still do, but I needed you too.”

"And you don’t think I need you? Elise, there are a lot of strays out there, it's not just a case of you welcoming our crèche. Nest life scares a lot of them, shit, it scares me after so long. Structures and rules that we can't adhere to. It’s a system that’s set up to betray us before we've even started. My guys didn’t have the best start in life, they don’t mix well with others, and they’re arsonists and thieves and worse. They're everything nobody wants. I wouldn't let them mix with your people."

Elise laughed. Merrick really thought her crèche was squeaky clean, and that just proved that he had been away a really long time. "More excuses. I run the most liberal nest in the fucking country John, I always have ever since I took over for Elenanora. You think Olivia or Ramona would have welcomed Carmen into their ranks at all, especially being a viper? Regardless of whether Reece and her were together, I would have. Chrissy came from a Rogue existence too, living in a brothel in Greece. None of them wanted her without the assurances that she would marry. I never asked for that from her, though she did fall for Remy. Sebastian, Wendell, Tami... all thieves, all in trouble with the authorities, kicked out of their nests for issues that never came up for them with me. I offer freedom..."

She sighed. "I offer freedom, a safe place to change and feed, a sanctuary, and no strings. You taught me that. A member shouldn’t owe allegiance because it’s what expected of them. They should feel safe where they are accepted, and want to be part of something."

"And you do a good job of it too... I'm glad you found Carmen a home, it was touch and go for a while with her. Tell me, have you ever woken up in the middle of the night in the middle of a fire because a scared little boy set your bed ablaze? Have you ever found human girls locked in your basement because someone didn’t know any better? How many deaths have you had to stage because someone messed up? Because when I tell you that my kids have problems I mean it. Thieves are nothing; hell Carmen's the best pickpocket I've ever met. It’s the arsonists and the schizophrenics, the womanizers and the killers that I have to deal with and none of them are getting near you and your kids."

She smirked. "You would do well to leave the womanizers out of the list, before they got mated, Remy and Reece were some of the best, hell even tried on me a time or two. Look I get it that you’re a bit further in it than I am with the charity cases, though Penelope did try to gas us all once... that wasn’t fun and we lost the east wing to that explosion, but you’re right, I haven’t had to deal with anything on the level you have. That still doesn’t make it right that you have chosen to stay away from me, not even letting me know you’re alive. I don’t care what you were doing, or are doing, it never mattered before. You just had to be a selfish fuck and never consider that I would like to know that you were alive, that I would like to see you." she sniffled and sat on her bed.

"And now I have to deal with seeing everyone else who knew we had a thing, sneer at me and look down at me for not being able to keep hold of my promised mate so much that he went and faked his own death to get away from me. No Archon should ever have to do that and frankly I don’t care that it makes things better for you. This is the worst kind of embarrassment, and their faith in whether I can hold the east is now in question and my territory is compromised. So thank you, John. Now not only

~30~

do I have to help look for your missing girls, I’m going to have to fight to keep what’s mine in order to keep my people safe."

He sighed. "I get that you’re hurt and embarrassed, I'm doing a shitty thing and I wish I had another choice but I don’t. I haven't always made the right choices where you were concerned. I’ve been trying so hard to keep the balls in the air that I've let ours drop... I don’t want it to be this way anymore."

"It doesn’t matter does it? You’re here, in official capacity, with her. You’re recognized as her mate, and it’s all said and done. The ball you speak of doesn’t mean shit anymore John. So thank you for dumping this shit storm in my lap. I think I would have rather had the arsonists. At least I wouldn’t have to be fighting outside takers for my territory and home." She looked up at him. "This is just what Ramona needed to call a council for giving her daughter territory, and now that it’s been proven I’m not Archon enough to even have a mate that wants me, well me and mine are as good as over." she sighed and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter though."

"Of course it matters, I'll make sure that you don’t lose anything and if you can think of a way around this I'll do anything to make it right. As for the arsonist you can meet him tomorrow, he's now an outstanding pillar of the community... actually he makes bombs but that’s not the point. I'm picking our ball back up whether you want me to or not."

"Yeah well good luck with that. Nothing changes John. Nothing. Come tomorrow Ramona will motion to have me ousted and you can’t do or say anything about it. You forgot the basic rule John, no touching. You touched the child in front of them, made a lovers motion. Regardless of what you were trying to do, you’re cemented as Kira's mate and lover. It was as good as wearing a ring." she sighed.

"I really, really hate you. These kinds of problems are not the kind I needed or am equipped to deal with alone. There’s no solution where we all come out ok." She laid back and pulled her knees up. "I think you should go."

"I never was cut out for any of the politics involved here...but I know that I'm not cemented as anything until there’s a mark...and there will never be one on her."

"They don’t know that, so like I said you’re safe."

"They’d know it if I marked someone else, mated to someone else." He looked up meeting her eyes.

She shivered, a wild feeling of déjà vu stealing over her. "Probably, but that would turn into a cluster fuck you were trying to avoid."

"Yet it might save me from losing you... and I can't do that again."

"Newsflash John, you lost me a long, long time ago."

He closed his eyes a pained expression crossing over his face. "Very well," He opened them again.

"I'll be out of your way then," He stood swiftly.

"Enjoy your life John, and good luck." she said turning over, her voice thick with emotion.

"Will you ever forgive me?"

"I forgave you a long time ago John, just like I resigned myself to being alone a long time ago."

Sighing she heard him bend down and lift something from the floor. "I think that’s a lie. I don’t think you did and so you didn’t answer my question."

"Are you hard of hearing John? I just answered you question, all your fucking questions!" she sat up her face streaked with tears.

"No you didn't." He took her hand pressing something into her palm and squeezing it shut. "You didn’t forgive me for leaving and you haven't forgiven me for showing up here and pissing in your pool. I wanted to know if you would." He sighed resting his head against hers. "Don’t worry about tomorrow, there's another way, you won’t take the hit." He whispered, stroking her tears away with his free hand. "Just hold your answer on my question and try not to judge me too harshly." He pulled back pressing his lips against her forehead before standing and walking out without a second glance back at her.

~31~

Elise sobbed, knowing full well what was in her palm. The feel of the ring was something she knew everything about, having been part of her person for the last forever. John Merrick had a way of really sticking it in and breaking it off, and while in her youth it was part of why she admired him, wanted him and agreed to the betrothal when their parents suggested it, now, his headstrong nature was a hindrance. The bastard had to do things his way, always his way, and now she was stuck in that precarious position of wanting to shoot him and wanting to run to him. It didn’t help that he was even more dashing and sexy, with the small patches of graying hair at his temples, or that she saw the pain in his perfect jade eyes when she rejected him. God help her, she was still a teenager when she looked into them, still felt her body flush when he moved towards her. Why did things have to end up like this? Why now? Why can’t anything for me be easy? She thought as she pulled a pillow to herself, sobbing into it.

The bed, which was welcoming and inviting not a half hour before, now just felt too large and she felt like she was a child again, hiding from the things she feared most. It didn’t help that she feared him now, feared what he represented. In the eyes of Council, he was Kira's regardless of a mating mark. For him to address it any other way would look like pity on her and that was something she couldn’t have for the sake of her people. Complication, John Merrick be thy name.

~32~

EIGHT

Evelyn sobbed quietly in the darkness. They’d thrown her in a small metal cage no bigger than the ones people used to house the dogs in. The dogs themselves were roaming freely on the outside, not that she could see the outside as there was a stinking sheet over the top of her cage. She could hear the dogs, hear them and smell them as they weaved about. Her hands were cuffed together as she sat hunched on the floor. It didn’t take an intelligent snake to see that she was in a bad situation. A very bad situation judging by the screams she could hear coming from outside the room.

Her jeans and top were ripped and dirty, no doubt from the abduction. Something she wasn’t still clear on, she didn’t remember a lot about it. She was leaving Vegas for her latest shoot when her car got a flat. She’d pulled over to change it when two men had come out and offered to help. Things got hazy round about then and she guessed they must have done something to her. Drugged maybe, although she didn’t feel the after affects of drugs and there was no pain anywhere that would point to getting knocked out. She only had a few scratches and bruises, which were quickly healing.