by Scott, Helen
“Did I say she was?” I snarled, half rising from the sofa before I managed to control myself. “I just said she’s too softhearted. Miracle, really, considering her past.” My jaw worked as I tipped my head back and rested it on the hard leather cushion behind me. “Sylvester always was a treacherous cunt. Never knew he had a child though. Not even my sources at Westbrook weaseled that out of Winterborn.”
Barclay shook his head. “That has nothing to do with now.”
My lips curved in a sneer. “You’re a fool if you don’t see how the past has brought us to this point. We are nothing without the steps that ushered us here, Barclay. Stop being so damn young and figure that out.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “We’re more than just our past mistakes.”
I snorted. “Naiveté at its finest. However, you’re wrong. Those mistakes define us. They build us into who we are today.”
“You regret nothing?” he demanded, scowling at me.
“Of course I do,” I grumbled, taking another sip of whiskey. “But that isn’t the point I’m trying to make. Marcella, with her past, should not be as tenderhearted as she is.”
“She killed four women without blinking an eye, Darius. I hardly call that soft. Those stylists she butchered only live because of Cade’s talents. Then, there’s what she did to us. As well as how she handled herself outside of Arthur’s tomb with her father’s foot soldiers.” He grunted. “If that’s your idea of a gentle woman, then I think you need to get your head looked at.”
“And yet, she’s pissed at me because I played a part tonight.”
My sneer had him grumbling, “Because you didn’t warn her you were going to play a part. We’re used to you being a prick, Darius. Suddenly turning into an ass-licker was bound to be a surprise for her.”
“I don’t lick ass.”
He snorted. “You did tonight.” He eyed the whiskey, and I passed it over to him. “I assume that was for a reason?”
“You’re not as dumb as you like everyone to think, are you?” I groused, pissed when he smirked at me.
“Easier to pass under the radar,” he concurred.
“Do the others know you’re here?”
“No. They’re sleeping like babies. Marcella’s bloodsucking has that effect on us. She supped from all of us tonight and was still hungry. I saw it in her eyes. She can lie to herself all she wants, but…”
I nodded, knowing what he meant. “She needed my blood to be truly satiated. All six of us will nourish her, and now we know why, don’t we? A Descendant. It’s a wonder six of us are enough.”
Barclay pursed his lips. “What was your game tonight, Darius? Why were you being so obsequious?”
“That’s a big word, Barc.”
“As we’ve already established, I’m not as dumb as you think I am.”
“Touché.” I stared into the licking flames in the hearth and murmured, “The council are inherently weak; that’s why I deal with them as little as possible.” I cocked my jaw irritably, displeased at having to explain myself. “If I, just as is the way with you, wish to swoop under the radar, then I must present a certain image.”
“So, that’s the way you always act around them?” Barclay snorted. “Are they idiots? You’re the most feared Enforcer on the council, and they think you’re a simpering fool?”
“They’re arrogant, complacent... ripe for revolution.” I tipped the bottle at him. “Exactly how I want them.”
“You want to overthrow them?”
I shrugged. “I’ve been considering it for a while.”
“How long?”
“Ninety years.”
“Maker, why so long?”
“Because these plans take time.” I grunted. “Plus, it was around seventy or so years ago that Rhys contacted me and asked for my aid. He called in a favor, naturally, leaving me with no options.
“A civil war wouldn’t have enabled me to act on those instructions, and if that were the case, you wouldn’t be sitting here, critiquing my acting skills.” My lips curved in a dry smile. “Are you still certain that our past mistakes don’t define us?”
He stiffened, then asked, “Why did you owe them a favor?”
My gaze returned to the flames. A part of me wanted to be blasé, but another part saw little point. “The Allies were losing the war. The Reapers and the Cavalry never deign to involve themselves in the petty squabbles of man, and the council had the exact same attitude.” I grunted. “I bow to no tin-pot dictator.”
“You helped stop the war?” Barclay rasped, and though there was always a level of respect combined with hesitation in his eyes, now, it doubled.
I shrugged. “Wasn’t the first time.” Then I snorted. “Well, it was the first time I called on the Cavalry for their help, and they made me pay through my teeth for it too.”
“It was worth it. Hardly a past mistake unless you prefer speaking German.”
My lips curved. “Heil… Marcella.”
Barclay snorted, then his amusement dwindled as he frowned. “I still don’t get it though. You could have just told her.”
“No. I wanted her on edge.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s how the council likes it when a new member appears. If she was cocky, confident even, then they’d make her pay for her arrogance.” I sniffed. “Trust me; I’ve seen enough of them to know how they work. They are indolent and work shy, bored, and disdainful of those beneath them.
“They have every reason to dislike Marcella, Barclay, and I wasn’t about to serve them with the ammunition to shoot her down.”
He leaned forward, stacking his elbows on his knees as he said, “Sucks to be you, bro.”
I laughed a little, but the sound was pained. “You’re not wrong.”
11
Cade
I was not looking forward to today. No way. No how. The formal presentation of Marcella to the council as Darius’s mate just pissed me off. What were they going to do? Reject her if they didn’t like her? I’d tear them limb from fucking limb if they did.
My mind briefly drifted back to the epic sex session we’d had the night before, and as much as I wanted to be inside her again, I wasn’t sure we could take it just yet. When I thought we were going to get a Sixth, I’d expect cold, aloof, dead fish kind of sex.
That was not Marcella.
She was fire, and she made my blood burn in my veins just for her. Hell, I even told her I loved her. I mean, I knew that she could sense my feelings from the bond, just like I could sense hers, but saying it out loud was different.
And the feeling when she said it back?
Fuck me if it wasn’t right up there with the feeling of her pussy clenching around my cock while she came.
The door to the bedroom where most of us had slept opened and Marcella stepped out in a white dress. It wasn’t just white, though. It was abundant with swathes, most of which covered everything that needed to be covered, with straps of twisted material going over her shoulders, but between them, the fabric was almost like a glittery black mesh.
The dress combined with her bloodred hair? It made her a knockout. She looked like a Greek goddess, like heaven and hell combined, and that fire that she stoked within me? It roared to life, blazing heat through my veins all the way down to my toes.
I had to tuck my cock up into the waistband of my pants or walk around announcing that I had an erection. It was damned uncomfortable, but not as much as the decidedly cold vibe that was coming off of Darius.
“That’s not the dress I laid out for you,” he stated, his voice practically dripping with ice.
“I’m not a toddler. You don’t get to dress me. Besides, this was in the closet, and it fit, and I feel better in this than the one that was on the bed when I came out of the shower,” Marcella countered.
When she walked forward, I noticed a slit in the skirt of the dress that went almost to her hip, which made even me want to tell her to change since the idea of the council members�
�� eyes on her dressed like this made me see red. I wouldn’t, though. None of us were dumb enough to get between Darius and Marcella when they were throwing down for dominance. We all knew who would win, and it wasn’t the Enforcer.
“Where are the accessories?” he asked, as he stood and buttoned his suit jacket before checking his cufflinks. The man’s suit was probably worth more than all of ours combined, since it was handmade and tailored specifically for him, which was something he had lamented was wrong with our clothes when we first came out to wait for our mate.
“I’m not wearing any.” Marcella was completely unadorned. The only sparkle came from the black mesh material, which made my eyes crawl all over her body.
“Fine.” The word fell from Darius’s lips like a bomb into the room.
“Shall we go?” my mate inquired, ignoring Darius’s pouting.
“We need to, otherwise we’ll be late,” the Enforcer said, leaving the area where he was standing and opening the door. He held it for Gideon who had been right behind him, but as soon as Gid had the door, the Enforcer stalked away.
I heard Raven lean down and whisper to Marcella, “Do you want me to tell him why you were upset with him?”
“If he can’t figure it out for himself then I suppose you should. Or I should. I just don’t want it to become a big thing. This,” she gestured to her dress, “was just because I didn’t appreciate being made to feel like a doll last night. I’m not some toy he can dress up how he pleases and display when he wants. I’m his fucking mate. Maker, I shouldn’t need to tell him that.”
“You probably should.”
She’s upset with Darius because he never introduced us last night. To our mate, we are all equal. I’m not sure that she understands how much it would have damaged Darius to treat us as equals in front of the council last night. Or if she does understand, then Maker help the council when she gets powerful and wise enough to oust them, Raven said in my head, and I assumed the others’ as well since there were small nods all around the room.
He held his arm out to Marcella. “Will you allow me to escort you?”
“Thank you, my love,” she replied, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.
With that, we all filed out of Darius’s penthouse and headed toward the council once more.
I knew the limo ride over would be full of awkward silence, just like it had been the night before, but at least that was better than the two of them yelling at each other. Maybe one of us could break the tension this time. All I knew was that it wouldn’t be me. Making Darius’s life easier was never on my to-do list, and the dude had been a schmuck last night. Some shit you had to shovel yourself out of.
Of course, after the drive began, it didn’t really surprise me that it was Barclay who tried to smooth over things. I’d seen his dick enough to know that he wasn’t a chick, but seriously, the guy was totally a pussy sometimes.
I rolled my eyes as he made small talk throughout the journey to the council stronghold. Boston hadn’t improved since the last time I was here. It was still congested, still fanatical about their stupid sports.
Humans.
I would never really understand them even though, technically, as a walker, I was more human than most salsangs.
How they could take the throwing or batting of a ball so damn seriously, I’d never know.
Rubbing my cheek as Barclay started talking about the weather of all fucking things, I stated, “Barc, shut the fuck up. I’d prefer awkward silence to you talking about how it’s going to be warmer tomorrow. Do you think any of us give a fuck if there’s a slight chance of rain?”
He glowered at me. “Marcella is partial to warmer weather.”
“You say it like I don’t know that,” I grumbled. “She’s going to feel the warmth whether you tell her it’s going to be sunny or not.”
Marcella laughed a little, but she patted Barclay’s arm. “Thank you for checking that out for me, Barc. I appreciate it.”
He glowered at me again but cupped her fingers in his, rather than letting go of her. Total pussy. Dude should have been a jaguar or something, not a run of the mill wolf shifter.
I rolled my eyes, and deciding that breaking the ice between Darius and Marcella was better than more shifter small talk, I asked, “You just introducing her today or calling for policy changes?”
Darius shot me a look, and I knew he didn’t appreciate being questioned, but it was tough shit. Whether the mad, bad, and dangerous-to-know Enforcer liked it or not, we were a team. A unit. He needed to get with the program before Marcella’s looks wouldn’t be what killed him, but her pursang.
“An introduction and policy changes.”
Despite myself, I was intrigued. “Go on, then, share with the class. What policy changes?”
“I’m calling for an investigation into Westbrook and Eastbrook.”
Whatever I’d expected him to say, it wasn’t that. “No shit,” I blurted out.
“Shit.” His retort was droll. “Now that your purpose has played out, I can.”
Keiran frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I couldn’t do shit about the Academies until you had your Sixth. Thankfully, you hurried things along by besting most other units.” He looked at Marcella. “The second you had your Sixth, you were out of the danger zone. Of course, that was without me anticipating your escape with her.” He tacked on a grumbled, “I hate surprises.”
“What kind of investigation?” Gideon inquired warily.
“Into the Masters, the education, and induction,” Darius answered succinctly. “I used them to my advantage to create your brotherhood.”
“So why shouldn’t another line?”
He grunted. “Exactly my point. I shouldn’t have been able to do what I did, but I could. Most of the council aren’t interested in the brotherhoods. You know that as well as I, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be an investigation into the inner workings of the schools that rear our lawmen.”
“I don’t understand that,” Marcella pondered, her voice soft. “Why aren’t they interested in their ‘lawmen’ as you put it?”
“Because we usually sully ourselves with only the crimes Stained commit, and when it boils down to it, we deal with pursangs but not as much as salsangs.” I grunted. “Pursangs tend to punish their own.
“That’s why my position exists. I’m pretty much the only Enforcer who uses the brotherhoods the way I do.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Why?”
“Because I learned a long time ago that was the wisest move.” He drummed his fingers on the leather seat. “The Cavalry has always worked closely with me, and this past century, the Reapers too...”
“Did they help you become Enforcer?”
“Give that girl a cookie,” I joked when Darius tensed at her question.
“Yes. They did.”
“Nepotism is everywhere these days, isn’t it?” Raven jibed, shooting me a gleeful look at having one over the pursang.
He flipped me the bird then Raven. “We all start somewhere,” he retorted grimly. “I couldn’t always be a foot soldier.”
“I don’t know,” Keiran replied pensively, “it’s obvious that training has kept you around as long as you have been.”
“Perhaps.” He reached up and ran a hand over his pristine head. Dude made me want to ruffle him big time. Especially when he’d made such shitty comments about my suit. “I don’t intend on being in there for long. Council sessions never last for more than an hour. None of those pricks wants to work more than they have to.
“I’ll introduce you as my mate, Marcella, and then when business is called for, I will ask for the investigation.”
“Not that I’m against this plan,” Gideon commented, “but won’t that raise eyebrows considering what happened with us?”
“No. I’m going to use you as a prime example,” he retorted.
Marcella stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His jaw worked a
nd he shot me a nasty glower—I knew he was going to blame this conversation on me later on, but he could. I was curious about his end game too.
“The council mustn’t know what the brothers are to you, Marcella.”
Her nostrils flared. “If you expect me to deny them, then you can carry on waiting—”
“I more than expect it, I demand it,” he spat, and for the first time since the very early days of their relationship, I saw the truly dominant side of Darius’s nature coming out to play. “This isn’t a fistfight, Marcella. This isn’t even a bitter duel. It’s a war. And it’s a war won with words, not with violence.
“I understand that the brothers are yours, and I know how fiercely loyal you are, so I’m well aware that what I’m asking of you will be difficult. However, there is more at stake here than the brothers’ pride.” He shot us all a stern look. “You understand my predicament, don’t you?”
Darius could be a dick, but so could I. I had no intention of making this shit harder on him. Not for his benefit either, but Marcella’s. I knew it touched us all to think she’d go to bat for us, but it wasn’t necessary.
Darius was right. This was a whole other playing field, and it was one he was used to competing on and winning. We weren’t.
Keiran sighed and reached over to grab Marcella’s hand. “Sweetheart, we should have explained this last night but things...” He sighed again. “It’s difficult to not fuck you when your pursang is in full throttle.”
I snorted. “Understatement of the year.”
Marcella shot me a look that would have withered the cock of a lesser man, but Keiran didn’t let her speak. Instead he explained, “Love, to the council, we’re cannon fodder. We mean nothing. Those people we met last night might be the biggest pieces of shit on this earth, but they’re the most powerful too. This isn’t something we can win by being honest. We have to play their game to our benefit. You see that, don’t you?”
I could sense Darius’s relief. His shoulders weren’t as tense, and his body was less rigid as he processed that we weren’t going to make this hard on him.
