The Naughty Angel and Her Three Very Wise Men: A Christmas Ménage (8 page)

Annabelle paced back and forth. What she was about to do was the scariest thing she had ever done. Lily, Sandy, and Beth, Sandy's mother, all stood and waited for the council. Beth had used her husband's communication device with the council and contacted them, demanding an appearance before the council. They had barricaded the door, because once the council appeared on Earth—if they appeared on Earth—everyone in the house would know they were there. But Annabelle had no choice. She had to try to save Trish. “Do you think they'll come?” she asked Beth. “I don't know, Annabelle. We're taking a big chance here. Hell, we all could be killed for this. The council doesn't play around, but it's time they heard the women's side of things, for a change. I'm tired of being ignored. To have a child destroyed when there is a chance to fix it is just wrong. Your mates’ family has been giving to humans for years and asked for nothing in return. They are the peacekeepers for the biggest clan of drinkers in the U.S. and there hasn't been one major episode in three hundred years. That should count for something.” She drummed her fingers on the table. Annabelle sat down and looked up at her mom. “I have some questions. I'm still confused. How old are you, mom? For that matter, how old am I? Were you born a Trendon?” Lily walked over to the table and sat down. “I'm six hundred and forty years old in human years. I was born here on Earth, but I too am a drinker.” She flashed her fangs and smiled. “I was lucky. I didn't have to go through conversion. Trendons can marry anyone, but with their life span, they are usually mated to other species. You are one hundred and forty-one years old. Very young in our world.” She smiled and patted her hand. “How is that even possible?” Annabelle asked. “Isn't this something I should have, like, been aware of?”

Lily smiled. “You know how old you are in human years. But time for our kind is slower than human time. A year of human time encompasses many years of our time. Since you thought yourself human, there was no way you could have known your true age unless you were told. And children of vampires, shifters, and Trendons age at the same rate human children do. It's when they come into their powers, shift, or are mated that time can be noticed. You still look your age, but in reality your body had slowed down. Now come on, Annabelle, you really didn't think a forty-two-year-old human woman would have the body you have, do you?” Her mother laughed and patted her hand.

“Well, I always exercised even though I couldn't get the weight off. I just thought it was because of that. Wait, this is backwards. If we are younger and our years are shorter than humans, wouldn't that make my body older? I'm totally confused.”

“Every Tendon-born child ages according to his or her mates. Your mates are vampires and your body knew this. So at the age of puberty, you really stopped aging. As to how you didn't notice the years, we do have magic, dear, and when you're so young, you're not going to notice. If you recall, we home-schooled you two most of the time. For a few years we allowed you to participate in regular school, but we had to be careful.”

Annabelle glanced at Sandy, who turned to her mom. “And me?” Sandy squeaked. Beth laughed. “One hundred and thirty-two.” “Okay, now I just feel downright old. Damn!” She crossed her arms over her chest and they all burst out laughing. “Why did Dad let Dave marry me?” Annabelle asked, stopping her laughing. Lily sighed. “From what I was told, he claimed to be your mate. We can't interfere if he is your true mate. That is the only reason your father let him marry you. When we found out otherwise, he warned Dave to stay away. That's why when Nicholas called and claimed his sons were your mates, your father was not going to make the same mistake twice. He sent the boys here with something one of the councilmen gave him, that would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are your true mates. But you were converted before they had a chance to use it.” Annabelle frowned. “
Are
they my mates? One can convert to become a drinker.” Beth and Lily laughed. “Oh, sweetie, they are your mates. There is no doubt in anyone's mind. When a drinker finds his mate, it's like their whole world centers around that person. Nothing else matters. There are signs, of course. In males, their balls will heat, and a blooddrop-type mark will appear on the inside of their upper arm, just like you have the mark of a Trendon. Females well, um, start creating a hormone to draw our mate. We also carry the mark.” “Did Dave know I was a Trendon? Do you think that's why he wanted me?” Lily slammed her fist down on the table. “I don't know why he wanted you, but yes, he figured it out. I'm afraid those men are going to have to guard you well. Now that the demons know who you are, we don't know what will happen. They know better than to attack one of us, but lately it seems they just don't care that it's an automatic death sentence if they do. That's another reason for the death sentence on Trish, I'm afraid.” All four women jumped as the room lit with a bright light. Furniture creaked and dishes rattled as one by one the council appeared in the room. They kneeled before the council as they frowned at them. A man with gray skin, black hair, and bright red eyes stepped forward. “Why have you called us here? You do know the penalty for this?” His voice shook the whole room.

They started to rise, when once again he spoke. “You can stay there and speak.”

Annabelle itched to slap his highness off his high horse, but her mother held her back as Sandy's mother spoke. “We show you no disrespect. We have served right along with our husbands for the past six hundred years, saying nothing, doing as we were told.” She stood and glared at the man. “But now we will be heard. If it wasn't for us, you would have no men to protect the humans. We bear their children, and keep the family together even though we are hidden from others. You force us to turn our backs on our daughters, and because of this, the situation at hand has started.” She paused as the men banged on the door to be let in. The council glanced at the door and the furniture disappeared. The doors opened, allowing the men to enter the room. They slowly moved behind the women and nodded to the council. Sandy's father stepped forward, but the leader waved him away. “I will finish hearing your wife. Go on,” he said to Beth. “Don't stop because they are in the room.” Annabelle trembled. She could feel the anger from her mates surround her, and she knew there would be hell to pay if she survived this. “For more than three hundred years this family has served the humans, giving when they didn't have to. Not one major outbreak has occurred in their lands or surrounding areas. I have heard there is a way to reverse the mating of a couple and we are asking—no, pleading—that their daughter be spared and this ritual be given to her so she can once again rejoin her family.”

The room was quiet. Her mother released her hand and rose to stand beside her friend. “We also request that the females of our family be allowed to know certain things. As stated before, if we could have warned our daughter, half of this mess would not be happening now.” Her mother's voice wavered but she didn't back down. The man stepped forward in front of her mother and Beth. “You would risk your lives for this female that is not part of your family, risk your daughter's lives, by doing this?”

Annabelle had had enough. “Listen, you…” She didn't have time to say anything as a hand wrapped around her neck and slammed her up against the wall. Marcus and Lance stood there with fear in their eyes. She never wanted to see that look on their faces again. “You need to learn some manners, young lady.” His breath was an inch away from her face. He glanced down at her stomach, and frowned. “How is it possible you are pregnant with four children? Trendons can only have two at a time.” He glanced at the other council members, who gathered around her. He slowly released her and stepped back. A smaller green man stepped up to her, cocked his head to the side, and smiled at her. “Well, my dear, it seems it's your lucky day. Your family will not be destroyed and all you have asked will be granted.” He stopped and studied her mates. Annabelle trembled because she knew there was a “but” coming. Marcus and Lance would never forgive her for this. She rubbed her stomach and a single tear slipped down her face.

“It seems your great-grandfather's heritage has passed on to you, Annabelle.” He wiped the tear from her face. “There is no reason to cry. You should be proud. We thought for sure we had lost that line from our ranks. With your mate's heritage and yours, you will have fine sons. One will choose to serve on our council when he is of age, but that is his choice. All of you women know how hard this job is for the men, to stay hidden, then to order so many deaths when it comes time. We will grant the right that females should be told if something is wrong. Part of this situation could have been diverted, but be warned, we won't be so tolerant again.”

He turned and looked at Nicholas. “Your family has done wonders here on Earth, and for this reason only, your daughter will be saved. We thank you for your service.” He nodded and turned to leave. The light appeared again and each of the men stepped into the light and disappeared. Annabelle sank to the ground, her legs giving out. She glanced at Eden and her mother. Both of them were on the floor too, staring at her. “What? I can't help it. I get my mouth from you.” She glanced up to see all the men file out of the room, not saying a word. Her mother stood and shook her head. “Damn, I was hoping for the paddle, not the silent treatment so close to Christmas.” She sighed.

Annabelle stood and frowned. “What are you talking about?” Her mother glanced at her. “It seems our punishment is to be the silent treatment. At least with the paddle, it's done with, but this can go on for weeks.” She threw up her hands.

Annabelle stood there for a minute, staring at her mother. “You mean the men won't say anything to us?” She nodded. “Not only that, dear, but there will be no sex.”

* * * *

Marcus followed Lance to the workout room and stripped out of his shirt. “You know this isn't over. They have to find the demons and there is the chance the others will do everything they can to destroy us.”

Lance punched the bag in front of him, then lay down on the bench press. “Yes, father and I have already changed the codes to the security system. Annabelle's family will be staying for the next few weeks and so will Sandy's, just in case another attack happens.” He grunted, lifting the weights. “How long should we punish her?”

Lance grunted and nodded to the door. They both knew she was standing in the hallway and could hear them. He had heard her gasp as she waited. “Right now, I'm thinking till after the holidays. We can gently let go of our slaves, giving them a nice Christmas to remember us by.” he said. “Tora and Melissa both know their time with us is ending. I've already contacted Doug at the dungeon and informed him they will be looking for new masters. I want to make sure they get the right one. There are too many wannabes out there who could hurt them.” Marcus almost jumped up and ran to the door when he heard her slump against the wall. The devastation she felt poured into them.

Lance punched the bag in front of him again. “I was hoping they would have a new master before the New Year, but you're right, we can't rush it. I'll call them tonight and have them meet us at the dungeon. We can have the guards watch over Annabelle for the night.” He glared at the door. Marcus got up and followed Lance to the door. They glanced into the hallway. Annabelle ran up the stairs, crying. His mother stood there, glaring at the both of them. “Not a word, mother. She has to learn not to eavesdrop and that we won't have her ignoring her safety. What she did was noble, but she didn't even consider our children or us. That is unforgiveable,” he snapped. His mother's eyes watered as she glanced at both of them. “Follow me. I want to show you something. I was never going to show this to you, but maybe you can learn from your own parents’ mistake before it's too late.” Marcus looked at his brother and shrugged as they followed their mother down the long hallway into the basement of the house. She turned the corner, heading down a different hallway, and came to a locked door that only his father and mother had been in. She sighed and slipped a small key from around her neck to unlock the door. “About eight hundred years ago, I was pregnant with our first child.” She opened the door and glanced back at them. “You were not the first of our children. He was.” She pointed to a cemented vault with a marker placed over it.

“I, too, was much like your Annabelle, but my only family was my sister, as you know.” She stepped into the room and ran her hand over the marker. “I was also confused about your father's lifestyle, but I had always protected my sister, no matter what. She raised me after our mother and father were murdered. On December twenty-fourth, my sister and I were out shopping for the baby when we were surrounded by demons. I was about four months pregnant then. We had no problems with them and didn't expect any trouble, so I slipped out with my sister. I lost my Vince that night. Your father, in his grief, left me, vowing never to forgive me. He told me he was going back to his slaves, that I was free.” Tears streamed down her face and she turned. His father stepped in the room and wrapped his arms around her. “I'll never forget that night. That's why we decided to take over the holiday for my father. Words that came out of my mouth that night drove your mother away from me and into the arms of another. She didn't know anything about demons or what they could do. The one she ran to was a demon. They raped her and held her captive for two weeks. When we finally got her back, it took my mother and your aunt two years and two months to heal her body, but it also took those two years for her to trust me again. That was when you were conceived. I lied to your mother that night, Marcus, as you have lied to your Annabelle. She carries your four children. Don't let them sit here, where Vince is. Find her and talk to her.” Marcus slipped out of the room with his brother. The thought of Annabelle at the hands of demons shook him to his core. He was ashamed of what they had done and once again they had made a mess of things with their mate. Lance didn't say a word as they made their way up the stairs to their room, but she wasn't there. He glanced at Lance and they ran out of the room. They noticed the door to the library was open, her soft cries coming from the room. A fire warmed the room. She was curled up on the sofa facing the fire with a book in her lap, but her eyes were closed as tears rolled down her face and onto the book. They closed the door behind them and she stiffened, but didn't move. “You don't have to tell me you won't be home tonight. I heard it all earlier. I won't go anywhere, Marcus. I won't jeopardize our children again, but once they are born, I'm leaving. It will kill me to leave them, but it's best they have the family you have here.” She fiddled with the book's pages. Marcus kneeled down in front of her as Lance sat down next to her. “You're going nowhere. We were wrong to say what we did down there. We knew you were there listening, Annabelle. We have no slaves or other women, Annabelle. We could never be with anyone else and we don't want anyone else.” He slipped the book off her lap as Lance picked her up and sat her down on his lap. He scooted up next to them. He sighed. “When we knew what you four women had done, our lives flashed before our eyes, because without you, there can be no other for us. If you would have died earlier, we would have also. Not physically, but inside.” He touched her heart. “In here. We did the only thing we knew that would hurt you as much as we hurt and it was wrong. Please forgive us.” She nibbled her lower lip and stared down at her hands. “We only wanted to help Marcus. I couldn't stand the thought of you losing your sister. I've lost two brothers. At the time, I didn't know how they died, but I can guess now. I wouldn't want that for you or your family, and neither does my mother. My twin Allen died two years ago, so I know the pain of losing family.” She looked up at him. “I would never do what you did to me, Marcus. When you two converted me, it was like I came home. I've never felt like that before, but when I heard those words…” Her lips quivered. Marcus dipped his head, ashamed of what he had done. Her heart held nothing but pure love for them. He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. He hadn't cried since he was thirteen years old, but now fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.