Extending Family (House of Garner Book 5)

by Erin R Flynn

  I nodded to Hope, Maggie, and Lara as we went by them and didn’t stop until we were out of the castle and far enough away that the party would cover our conversation.

  “Where’s Mother?” Olivia demanded.

  “I lied,” I admitted. Murder filled her eyes and she turned to leave, but Hope, Maggie, and Lara blocked her in. She could take us as a centuries-old princess, but even she wasn’t stupid enough to touch us when Inez loved us. “You have to stop this shit, Olivia.” She opened her mouth and started prattling that I was no one to speak to her in such a way. “Listen to me!”

  “Give me one reason I should and not end you for lying to me,” Olivia bit out.

  “Your coven is in danger.” I nodded when she froze. “The situation is bad. These princesses are not acting sane. Even your mother and Nora said it. They are acting like Inez is shit and up for the taking. They are all plotting against her.”

  It took everything I had to hold back when Olivia smirked like it would serve Inez right. I could feel how upset Maggie, Lara, and Hope were.

  “And what happens to your coven when they do?” Lara asked. “Matilda will defend Inez. You guys need her. You like your power and electricity? Your hot water and comforts back? They take out Inez and there’s no more of that coming in. They’ll come take what you have probably next.”

  Olivia flinched, realizing we were right. “So we just all have to bow at the feet of perfect Inez? I’ll do a lot for my coven, but I think even they wouldn’t ask that of me.”

  “Who the fuck—” Lara growled, shutting it when I held up a hand.

  “No one’s asking that. Inez would never ask that. We get it; you’re jealous of her.” I rolled my eyes when she tried to deny it. “We’re all jealous of her. I am too at times, and I adore her.”

  Maggie snorted. “I love her to pieces but I’m completely jealous of her.”

  That shut Olivia up pretty fast. “I can’t get past it. She’s not as perfect as everyone thinks—”

  “She’s not perfect and she knows that,” I said quietly. “She has faults.” I rolled my eyes when Olivia looked happy that she thought I was going to tell her. “You are sowing dissent and problems by running your mouth that she’s a fraud. She’s not. Be jealous. Dislike her even, but your coven has an alliance with her. You have to start honoring that. The stakes are real and high.”

  “You’re running your mouth with your jealousy. Others are talking about taking her head and then we’re all fucked,” Lara warned. “You need to pick a side. Like her or not, your coven is on her side, so act like a badass princess like your mother and put these other bitches in their places. You’re older and know this better. You should be helping her.”

  Olivia turned up her lip at the idea. “I will keep my opinions to myself, but I will not help that little brat become more… Anything.”

  Hope, calm, always even and understanding Hope, blew her lid. She grabbed Olivia’s arm and led the way back into the castle, the three of us walking with her so we forced Olivia to come with us or hurt us.

  Which she wouldn’t. Not outrightly like that.

  Hope stopped when we were at the windows facing the courtyard and could see Cerdic tending to Inez while she napped. “Look at him. Look at your brother, Olivia. Look how happy he is. He’s totally in love with her. He was completely broken and shut off from all of that before he met her. Fine, he’s the Zen master, but even he had given up ever finding love and this.

  “We saw it. We saw it all happen and play out. We saw her heal him by loving him as he deserved. So be jealous, dislike her, or whatever, but give her at least this. She brought your brother back after his twin and that bitch almost destroyed him. She did that. How can you be so selfish to hate her when she did that for your brother?”

  “And who do you think will jump in front of her first when those princesses come for her?” I added, relief filling me when Oliva’s face went pale. “You undermine her and make her seem like easy prey, and your brother will be the one who gives his life to protect her. So swallow your fucking jealousy down and help us protect all of us.”

  She shook off Hope and moved closer to the window, staring at her older brother with a soft smile. “He really is happy with her, isn’t he?”

  “Ridiculously. She wasn’t ready to commit and do all of this, but she did it for him, for them,” I told her. “She loved him so much she jumped off the ledge firmly believing she’d get her heart broken because this was what he wanted and needed from her. Love your brother enough to protect his happiness, Olivia. That’s all we’re asking.”

  “Fine,” she whispered. “Fine. For Cerdic. I owe him that much.” She turned and walked off, head held high.

  “Thank the gods,” Maggie whispered.

  Yeah, I was right there with her.

  20

  I was not sad to see most everyone go on Monday. Nora, Matilda, and Hanna each gave me an imploring look to let them stay longer after they drama they’d all had handling shit for me.

  “Mi casa es su casa,” I told them after the guests were all gone.

  “Really?” Olivia asked, not hiding her shock.

  I frowned. “No, you can’t really have my castle, but yes, stay another day or two if you want. All the worrisome people are gone, and if you’re fine with leftovers and casual, sure, hang out.” I let out a sigh. “I have a date with a tree for a couple more days. I could honestly use the backup when we know people are stupid and might make a move when I’m vulnerable.”

  “Yes, they were rather stupid,” Nora agreed. “Fine, Hanna, you have to be the sober one today then, as we did most of the heavy lifting as her mothers-in-law.”

  “I can accept that,” she conceded after a moment. “Does that mean I also get to hear some of this intel?”

  “We would appreciate it as we could use more background on some of these princesses and covens to plan our next moves,” Trisha answered. “Plus, there’s lots you need to know as well. I warn you, it’s not pretty.”

  I wasn’t shocked when the others snorted as well. I didn’t get to find out more as I was whisked off to my tree, and Cedric and Kristoff spent the next two days spoiling me and tending to all of my needs. Apparently, they weren’t going to share me with others for our wedding time like Jaxon and Darius had.

  I still didn’t have much hope it would truly work out in the end. I think that path of faith was broken in me, and I didn’t know how to rebuild it. Time? Maybe it was time, like the others suggested.

  After my period and pumping energy into the tree were done, it took me two days to recover this time. Yeah, stress is a killer and makes everything worse for sure. I ached, but I wanted to leave my room and feel more like a person, so after a long shower I went downstairs and walked into a conversation that made me wonder if I was still dreaming.

  “I won’t ever like her, and I worry she truly is playing us at times, not simply my jealousy and ego making me be bratty,” Olivia said quietly to Cerdic off to the side. “But, I never thought I would see the Cerdic I grew up adoring again after what Ceawlin and that bitch did to you. And Inez brought you back.

  “I cannot hate her, because of that, so I will do my best to help Mother protect this alliance. And even her, as you would jump on a grenade for her, that much is clearly obvious.” She sighed. “You had to pick the most troublesome princess ever to love, didn’t you? I mean, fine, yes, she treats her nobles differently, but she will always be a target, Cerdic. You will probably die protecting her.”

  “So be it,” he chuckled. “We would all die for her, Olivia. I would take a year being loved with her than another thousand years alone and unloved. I’ve lived almost two thousand years, lifetimes and lifetimes. I just want as much time as I can living with her. I love her. I know you think it’s an act, and some of it is, because you aren’t nice enough to her that she lets her guard down. She does with me. I know the real her.”

  Olivia sighed. “Well, I wish you happiness.” Then she reached ou
t and thumped him on the forehead. “You better live more than a year. Be smarter and get this coven together so it’s better protected. I won’t come back in a year for your funeral.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” I muttered, letting them know I was there. “How about I just disintegrate any grenades instead of you jumping on them and dying? How about you don’t fucking leave me like that?”

  “I’m not going anywhere, love,” he promised me.

  I hoped that was a promise any of us could keep. I accepted a kiss from him and nodded to Olivia before leaving them be… And before I fell over from standing too long.

  The other princesses stayed another day until I wasn’t “ghastly looking” as they kept saying, shocked how hard growing the tree had been on me. I reminded them a few times that the tree also gave seeds to my knights, so there was a lot going on and all of it taxing.

  But it was nice to be just us again. It felt like the coven gave a collective sigh when it was only our people, even if it was our friends that had left. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take a month off and simply chill. Not even close with all the intel that had been gathered.

  After breakfast I went to the war room and learned they were diving into all of it. And “it” was a fucking lot. I ended up having gobs of recordings to listen to, with specific plans or issues they wanted to bring to my attention first. I was also filled in on Ceawlin’s departure, and Cerdic had confirmed it was Princess Bahati, from the description that was given to her.

  Fan-fucking-tastic.

  It took me a week to fully recover and go over it all. I was losing patience with a lot of people and fast, but they weren’t moves that could be rushed or flippant. I had to be smarter than most and play this right.

  All I had wanted was a break from that and to see the progress in Albuquerque. We had the hospital a quarter full with those who needed the facilities from the camp in Texas, and two of the seven motels right there were almost full of their elderly. Well, and those who were helping to take care of them at the camp and work at the hospital. I had thought going to see the progress would put me in a better mood.

  Silly me.

  Instead, we found a posse looking for me.

  I was standing at the next motel we would open up when Moon and Vitor—who were my guards for the day—both burst out laughing. I blinked at them, shocked, given both were pretty stoic, so to see them laugh together was also odd.

  “Do I get in on the joke?” I asked when they calmed down.

  “Go, get more people to handle this. I’ll protect her,” Vitor told him.

  “Sure you can handle it?” Moon checked, both of them chuckling again before taking off… At human speed. What was up with that?

  Vitor took my hand and pulled me towards the motel. “We need to move.”

  “Um, what is going on?”

  “Donny got bold, and he brought friends,” he answered, still sounding way too amused. We ducked down a hallway and then in a maintenance room, which he threw the lock on.

  I opened my mouth to ask for a bit more than that, but he moved his fingers over my mouth as he backed me against the other wall. His eyes filled with something naughty as he realized how advantageous this was for him, but then glanced at the door.

  “Where did they go?”

  “Find her,” Donny snapped. “I want that bitch found. We get her and the ‘husbands.’ We get them, and she’ll do whatever we want.”

  “Wait, I thought we were going to kill them so you could marry her and take over?” one of the other guys replied.

  My eyes went wide and Vitor nodded, looking like he might start laughing again. He was probably thinking of these idiots going against Kristoff.

  Oh fuck, I was going to laugh too. He would break them all dead before they blinked.

  “Yes, of course we’re going to do that, but we won’t tell her that. Be smart. If she knows they’re dead, she’ll just order her people to wipe us out, but if we have them as hostages, she’ll cry and cave. She’s weak, like all women. The fact they all bow to her is sickening.”

  “She must be one hell of a fuck to get them to,” another jeered.

  “I’m not touching a whore like her. She only lives until we fully take over, and then I’ll find someone pure from her people and make her a proper leader and preacher’s wife.”

  I rolled my eyes. Seriously, could they be anymore cliché? Yes, they were such righteous, loving people serving their god, as they were completely fake and plotting several murders.

  “I think I found something,” a different guy called over.

  They moved away and Vitor focused back on us being alone in a dark closet. He leaned down and brushed his lips over my ear. “I want you, Inez.”

  I shook my head, looking away. His fingers fell off my lips and trailed down my neck, over my arm, and across the exposed skin of my stomach. I shivered at the touch, and that seemed to excite him… But I was still terrified of him.

  What the fuck was wrong with me that I was attracted to someone who I was scared of?

  Twice now.

  Idiot.

  “I can smell I excite you,” he murmured.

  “You also scare me,” I reminded him. “I can’t do this. Please, don’t we have enough—I have too much, Vitor. I’m about to break.”

  “Don’t break. I will protect you from all the threats, My Princess. I won’t push you. I only want hope.” He cupped my cheek when I looked at him. “You could want me.” He leaned in more and let me feel his hard-on. “This tempts you.”

  I shook my head again. “You said you were interested in me, not just sex, Vitor.”

  “Yes.”

  I sighed, letting my head thump against the wall. “I don’t have any more love in me to give. I don’t have any more anything to give. It all hurts too much and you scare me. Kristof and I started badly like this, and it was a miracle we made it work, but I still fully believe he will change his mind and leave me. I don’t even understand what you all are so interested in besides I’m unlike other princesses.”

  “That’s a good thing,” he muttered. “Yes, that is a huge part of it.”

  I swallowed a dark laugh. “So I’m just the best option out of the limited number of us. Who wouldn’t swoon at that and think, yes, I should go for this when I’m scared of the man?”

  “No, that is not what I meant.”

  “It’s how you all make me feel sometimes,” I admitted. I held up my hand when he opened my mouth. “I can’t give you what you need, Vitor, and I say this not to be mean, but even hearing half of what you suffered at your last coven makes you one of the last people who should jump into something with another princess.”

  “You’re right. I wasn’t asking to court you, but for hope.”

  “Why? Why say it when I don’t think I could ever act on it?”

  “Because I would never rush you or push you like they did. I want to know the truth from your lips and figure out the rest as we’re ready, not rush to give you my oath.”

  I searched his eyes. “You’ll stop pushing? You promise?”

  “Yes.”

  I had a hard time believing that… Then again, it had taken him months to even tell me he was interested. I sighed. “Yes, I find you attractive. Yes, my body wants you. Yes, if things were different I might absolutely find out the fun of hooking up and hook up with you. But that’s it. I don’t have it in me for another relationship. I don’t.”

  “I believe you. They’ve beaten you up too much.”

  “Not just them,” I reminded him.

  “That’s fair,” he admitted. He stepped away from me and across the small room. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

  I thought he was showing he wouldn’t really push, which was a relief… Until he unlocked the door and Moon instantly opened it.

  “We got them all,” he informed me. “How do you want to handle this?”

  I mentally sighed and walked out of the room. So much for not pushing
.

  And I was out of patience for any other bullshit with assholes or the Texas settlement. I gave orders and ignored the wide eyes as they put together I was pulling back the curtain.

  Damn right I was.

  It took less than two hours to get everything I’d said ready. Once we got the word it was all good, we blurred down there out of sight of the settlement and loaded into vehicles.

  And yes, I enjoyed how sick it made Donny and his friends. They were restrained and gagged and seconds from tossing their cookies. I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed that either.

  We arrived at the settlement, and I got out and addressed the guys guarding the entrance. “I’m calling a group meeting. I know you can’t just bring over a million people to the fence, but I want you to call whoever you can. Whoever is interested in coming with us, wants our help, or out of this settlement.”

  “Um, that isn’t the orders Chris gave,” he told me.

  “Yeah, well, we had a slight issue with a posse from this place, so now I’m laying down how things will be. I doubt Chris will disagree but I want him here too.” Well, I wanted him there so we could get him the fuck out for good. I knew he’d gone back to handle some shit and start getting the list of good people he wanted to get help, but Tyson was a mess that he was in there and the place was a powder keg.

  I was done with that shit too.

  It didn’t actually take all that long for a huge group to gather since people were expecting us to come pick up the next load with the buses, and that normally meant some supplies came back. They pulled up, along with the several semis I’d ordered to arrive so we had visual aids.

  When I saw we had at least ten thousand, I decided to get started. “Disarm them so we don’t have any accidents.”

  People gasped when several of the old vampires who’d come with me suddenly weren’t standing there anymore. There were exclamations of shock, and then they came back with all the guns the guys on duty had been holding.

  “Holy fuck,” someone whispered, several others echoing them.

  “Make a hole,” Chris shouted. People moved out of the way, and his eyes went wide when he saw me and our guys with their weapons. “We didn’t expect you.”