Sean held his hand up once more. “Please, sir, I ask you again, who are you and where do you come from?”
Marcus stepped forward. “I know who he is, boss.” Stunned, all eyes turned toward the burly computer-tech assigned to the Hunters.
“His name is Angus Flanders. He’s from a pack near Indiantown, Florida. A swamp Were,” Marcus continued.
The room buzzed, and Lily glanced around at the frowns and stares, not sure if they were aimed at her, or at Parr’s unfortunate pawn.
“You’re a long way from home, Mr. Flanders,” Sean said, addressing the man directly.
He nodded, brushing his greasy hair back with his palm. “Yesssir. I am. But I need to set things to right. She killed my boy, and where I come from it’s an eye for an eye. I want my due.”
“And what is that, exactly?”
Parr opened his mouth to speak, but Sean interrupted him. “Let the man say his piece, Edward. That’s why you brought him here, isn’t it?”
Angus Flanders nodded, wiping spittle from the corner of his mouth before taking the microphone from Edward. “I want my due, that’s all. My boy’s dead by her hand, and his mama died of a broken heart because of it. That girl owes me for the loss of my loved ones. You give her to me, and we’ll call it even.”
The room exploded. And Sean raised his hand for the third time, quieting the crowd to a hush.
“While I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Flanders, Ms. Saburi is no more a vigilante than you or I. She acted in defense of another.” Sean glanced at Marcus, and the young man nodded his beefy head, stepping forward. “That’s right. I hacked into the NYPD record archives when I compiled her dossier. Defense of an innocent, definitely. She’s telling the truth,” Marcus confirmed.
“The jogger filed a complaint later that day about being attacked by a wild dog while running in the park. The location and time all match up with the body the police found the next morning. The NYPD treated it as two separate incidents, but we know better.”
Edward fixed the husky young hunter with a stare. “You don’t know all the facts, young man. How can you, when Leighton keeps you shackled to fatuous internet searches.”
At the look on Marcus’s face, Sean exploded. “Enough! You’re responsible for bringing this drunkard into the heart of our holiday festivities. You interrupt the opening dance and cast aspersions once again on a woman who has done nothing but help us. For Christ’s sake, there are children in the room, man!” He paused for a calming breath. “I think you should leave, Edward, and take Mr. Flanders with you. Now.”
Parr shot Sean a withering look. “I’ll leave, but only after we take a consensus vote. Your postponement of the inevitable ends the day after tomorrow, and I would remind everyone here tonight that facts are facts, and our tradition and laws remain steadfast.
“This man lost his son, killed in cold blood by her hand. A human against a Were. What say you, people? Do we accept a woman capable of such crimes into our world or do we close ranks? A show of backs in a public shunning will be sufficient for me. Do you agree, Alpha Council of the Brethren?”
Sean’s lips pressed together in a grim line. He had no choice. If he disagreed, he would look altogether partisan and strengthen whatever argument Parr had waiting for him.
At that moment Lily knew she wasn’t paranoid the night of the Yule Hunt and was sorry she thought better of telling Sean what she sensed. The man on the stage with Edward was the one stalking the woods that night. She was sure of it. This was all part of Parr’s plan—the calculating malice she had sensed in the air.
“Sean…” Lily touched his arm, shaking her head gently. “You don’t have to do this. Don’t make this an issue over me. If I’m not wanted here, I’ll go. I’ll just disappear,” she offered.
His gaze was soft but edged with resolute determination. “It’s not about whether you’re wanted or not, love. It’s gone way beyond that. And if you left, I’d find you,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. He let go of her hand and turned to face the crowd. “With a show of backs, who would turn on the woman who has vowed to help us? Hasn’t there been enough sickness and death, enough fear? Haven’t we moved beyond rumor and innuendo, beyond suspicion? Show yourselves and your choices, now.”
A low hum murmured and grew steadily louder as arguments erupted in the crowd. Lily watched in dismay. The scene was complete déjà vu from the night the Blood Rites Ritual.
Mitch waved, letting Sean know he was taking Emily, Rissa and Stephanie to safety in case the room exploded into chaos, but before they got to the door, Parr called for quiet and a consensus.
One by one, two hundred people picked sides and in the end, half had turned their backs on Sean and Lily. The lines were drawn.
Parr flashed his Cheshire cat smile. “In two days’ time, our deliberations will resume, but it’s clear I am not alone in my interpretation of the law and what’s best for the Weres.” With a nod to Sean, he made a mock bow to Lily, mouthing the words, ‘until then,’ and swept out of the hall.
The ball was ruined, and people resorted to going home or gathering in small clusters, their whispers and furtive glances causing the hunters to stand in protective formation around Sean and Lily. Only the few friends Lily had made over the past few weeks remained, arguing loudly with the naysayers.
With an aggravated sigh, Lily pulled the bobby pins from her hair. She shook out her curls, running her fingers through the dark mass until it fell softly to her shoulders. “Sean this has gone too far. I didn’t sign up for this when I fell in love with you. I know it’s supposed to be for better or worse, but not when the worse affects so many people’s lives,” Lily’s eyes searched his, and then dropped to stare at the tips of her black velvet shoes.
Slipping his finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face so their eyes could meet. “Parr wants something. I haven’t figured out what it is yet, but I will. I haven’t given up hope on the intelligence and determination of the Weres I’ve come to know and love. I have to trust in that. They know what’s right, and what bullshit is, but Parr’s rhetoric keeps getting in the way. I can beat him at his own game, Lily. I just have to bide my time, and let diplomacy do its work, but I promise you, if forced, I will restore the power of the Alpha and the absolute rule that goes with it to protect you. You’re my life, and nothing and no one will stop me from having you at my side.”
Lily chewed on her bottom lip, words failing her.
He chuckled, even though his eyes were severe. “Whenever you start nibbling on your lip, it’s never a good thing. Are you with me?”
Lily slipped her arms around his waist, crushing the soft crimson velvet of her gown against his chest. “For better or worse.
Twice Cursed
Marianne Morea
Coventry Press Ltd.
For Bill, the love of my life…
Chapter One
“Sit down, Lily! Your pacing is making me as nervous as a cat.”
“I can’t,” she sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets. “They’ve been at it for days now, Rissa. Aren’t you even the slightest bit concerned about what’s going on across the lawn?” Lily exhaled sharply, itching for a cigarette.
The fire crackled alongside the soft swishing of Lily’s leathers as she walked back and forth. She was dressed in her armor of choice, black leather jeans and a matching, formfitting jacket, zipped to just above her cleavage. With what she faced at the Compound of Weres these days, she was leaving nothing to chance. She may look like a porcelain doll dressed in biker gear, but God help anyone who assumed she was easily broken, or worse, easily manipulated. If pushed, she would fight. She’d done it before, and she’d do it again. Hell, with her background and skills, half the Compound still thought her a vigilante against their kind. Ironic, considering she was their unexpected salvation.
Rissa put down the half-done blanket and skein of baby blue yarn covering her burgeoning belly. “Of course I’m worried.” She winced, adjusting herself on the couch,
wedging a pillow behind her back for support. “What happens behind those doors affects me just as much as it affects you. I have more to worry about than just my own health,” she patted her belly.
“Pulling the baby card. Ris? Really?” Lily winked.
She smirked back. “You bet your fine, leather clad ass. You need to relax, Lily. Sean can hold his own regardless of what Edward Parr throws at him. Besides, Mitch is with him.”
Lily’s eyes softened. She wasn’t the only one whose life had turned upside-down since colliding with Sean Leighton, Alpha of the Brethren of Weres. She’d known about the supernatural since her best friend died at the hands of a rabid werewolf. Terry’s death was what brought her to Maine that fateful night almost three months ago. Hunting the beast that killed her friend was Lily’s obsession until the creature nearly killed her too. Sean saved her life, and now he was her life and vice versa.
At least that’s what she hoped.
Her life, and the life she and Sean wanted together, were inescapably entwined with the lives of the people at the Compound of Weres. The question was could she stay? Her humanness was what hung in the balance, though her senses told her the matter went much deeper than that.
The room where the she and Rissa waited for Sean to duke it out with the Council was full of warmth. A place to curl up and just unwind. Rissa’s idea to hang in here was a nice try, but even a hot tub and a trained masseuse wouldn’t stifle Lily’s urge to pace.
Or punch someone.
Lily walked to the window and pushed the delicate curtains away from the glass to peer across the frozen landscape. Smoke circled the four chimneys edging the corners of the manor where Sean was deep into debate. February in Maine was brutal, but this waiting worse.
As she gazed at the manor’s gabled peaks and large, paned windows, it wasn’t hard to imagine Edward Parr and the trap she knew he set for Sean. A supernatural web, with Parr sitting dead center like a spider in wait.
One month. That’s all it was since Sean held her hand, her hopes high and her heart full as he’d led her into the blood rites ritual that would have sealed her acceptance into his pack. Into his world. Until Edward Parr threw a curveball into their future.
That night was one to remember. The sumptuous room with its soaring ceiling and intricate woodwork, but it was the thick set of wooden doors at the entrance to the Great Hall she recalled most. Each carved with scenes from the Were’s long and complicated history filling Lily with otherworldly awe. But the Compound was also as much a fortress as CIA headquarters at Langley, outfitted with every technological advance. The war room was on the upper level of the manor, but Sean said there was no need for a Council gathering in over a century.
Until now.
From her place at the window she watched the smoke curl, silently wishing there was a message from Sean hidden in the wispy swirls. Black smoke…no. White smoke…yes. Like when the Vatican elected a new Pope.
With a sigh, she tucked the curtain back in its place. “It’s been too long, Rissa. Something’s not right, I can feel it.”
With a raised eyebrow, the pregnant woman looked up from her knitting. “You mean you have a gut feeling or are you eavesdropping again?”
Lily’s lips curled into half a smile as she glanced over her shoulder to her friend’s suspicious face. “No, Miss Maternity Pants. Sean made me promise I wouldn’t snoop.”
Chuckling, Rissa folded the blanket, rolling the yarn and knitting needles carefully before stowing them in her sewing bag. “Well, can you blame him? With your temper and that nasty psychic habit you have of stomping around inside people’s heads, he probably figured it was safer this way.”
“Hmmph.”
“Lily, listen to me. Sean is the Alpha Council of the Brethren. The Weres on the council may be politicians, but they aren’t stupid. They know which side their bread is buttered on, or at least I hope they do. What’s more, Sean’s hunters are with him. That’s not to say the big wolf couldn’t take care of things himself if it came down to it. Edward Parr may be manipulative, but he’s not foolish enough to start something he knows he can’t win. It’s not his style. Parr is far too smooth to put himself in a position where he’d have to fight, especially if it means a fair fight.”
“Smooth? I think you mean cowardly.” Lily snorted, folding her arms against an invisible chill. “When it comes to Edward Parr, smooth just means slick and not in a good way. Parr’s already forced one deadlock, so I can’t help but wonder what else he’s twisted his way.”
With an aggravated sigh, she walked toward the fire hoping its warmth would chase away her worry along with the hostility buffeting her mind from across the lawn. From the way her stomach churned, it was more hot-tempered arguing than civilized debate going on behind closed doors.
“You know, sometimes it really sucks being psychic. I know something’s wrong, but I promised Sean I’d stay out of it. He’s lucky he’s a hottie or I’d kick the doors in over there and take Parr out myself.”
Rissa laughed. “Give it up, Lil. Hot or not, you love that gorgeous wolf.”
“Am I that obvious?” She sighed. “I can’t help it. He’s got such big hands and a big—”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Rissa lifted a hand cutting her off. “T.M.I., girly. You want to throw the pregnant woman into premature labor? I don’t need a play-by-play from your prolific sex life, thank you very much. The walls of this house are thin enough. I get the picture loud and clear.”
Lily laughed. “What? Is Mitch falling down on the job keeping you—happy? You Weres aren’t the only ones who can pick up on heat.”
“That’s none of your business.” Her wide grin softened. “Seriously, though. I don’t need psychic powers to see how much you two belong together. That’s been apparent for a long time.”
Lily snorted again. “Then why is your stupid council still arguing the point?” She flung her arm toward the window.
Rissa was right. Edward Parr was a consummate manipulator, and with Sean’s ex egging him on, the man twisted hundreds of years of rivalry between clans to throw doubt on Sean’s ability to lead and his commitment to the Compound of Weres.
“You already know why.” Rissa looked at her. “Delia Monroe wants to get back at Sean for nullifying their marriage contract, including the one that guaranteed her to be our next alpha female. She’s the reason Edward is forcing this debate. She persuaded him to make you the human scapegoat in all this: the virus, Sean choosing a human over one of his own, everything.”
“That’s just smoke and mirrors. Parr wants power and Delia’s bullshit was an easy excuse. I’m the cure for this virus, remember? My blood. That’s why I don’t understand why the council fell for Parr’s argument and called for this bullshit debate in the first place. The same virus that’s already killed so many, still threatens your people. My blood is the only thing standing between Weres and certain death, with insanity thrown in just for kicks.
“Parr skewed the conversation away from that fact and made my humanity the hot topic for discussion. The question of my legitimacy as Sean’s mate. It’s nothing more than crap cloaked in politics. Edward Parr has his own agenda and both Sean and Mitch know it too.” She looked at Rissa. “Parr is dangerous, Ris.”
For months, the nightmare of disease went hand-in-hand with the worry of who would be next. Fear overwhelmed the community of Weres. The virus spread quickly, for the most part only affecting males, but once the virus spread to Rissa and her unborn child, the news triggered panic.
Sean and his hunters had no choice but to eliminate anyone infected with the virus. That meant anyone, regardless of status or relationship. While they battled chaos, their doctors raced to find a cure for the lethal disease, and where did they find their answer? In Lily’s blood, of all places.
“But what’s Parr’s purpose? I mean, what’s his game then, Lily? Sean is the Alpha, and no one has proved more loyal to our kind than him, especially over the last few months.”
Lily turned her back to the fire and raked a hand through her long, honey colored hair. She liked her new color, despite Sean’s grumblings. He preferred her natural dark chestnut, but with all the waiting around she needed something to occupy herself. Rissa suggested a salon day and Lily jumped at the chance to do something just for kicks. After all, blondes have more fun, right? Based on tonight? Not so much.
She exhaled sharply. “Parr used the holiday recess to his benefit, and you know it. He wound his way through the council and the community like an oiled snake. I know his game, Ris. He wants to pressure Sean into making me a full Were.” She paused looking at her friend. “What if he convinces the council to force Sean’s hand and turn me against my will? Against medical advice? I meant it when I said. I’d rather die than allow myself to turn into some kind of crazed beast. Every doctor you have warned I need a year for the virus in my blood to go dormant before risking a conversion.”
She ran her fingers along the deep scars beneath her jugular. Her wounds had long since healed, but the memory of the canine’s that gave her those scars was still fresh in her mind. Jerard’s canines.
“I know Jerard was your husband and Sean’s brother, but Rissa, I saw what this virus did to him. I was in his head. He had no memory of the man he was or the people he’d killed in his crazed state.”
Lily swallowed hard, before continuing. “When he attacked me on the cliffs that night, his brain was like mush, and ruled by nothing more than base bloodlust. I won’t allow the virus I contracted from his bite to become active through a forced transformation. As for Sean, the fact he hunted his own brother for the good of the Compound should prove his loyalty against any doubt Parr could cast—but no—they need this long ass summit meeting.”
The Cursed by Blood Saga Page 14
