by Skye Jones
“Did you sleep well, Ivan?” The girl in question turned to her crush and smiled. She didn’t flirt or act coy; she simply asked him in a friendly and straightforward manner, and I wondered if he even knew of her feelings.
“Like the dead,” he replied. His features broke into a smile which immediately took him from mid-thirties to late twenties in age, and made him seem much less dangerous. Until you noted the fangs.
“It’s different being away from the center.” She bit her lip as she said it.
“It’s fucking wonderful, and as soon as I get my strength back, I will be returning to wipe that place from the earth.” Ivan’s words were deadly serious.
“Can I help?” Angel asked.
“Didn’t they treat you well?” I hoped they hadn’t hurt her.
“Me? Oh, they treated me okay. I think Sienna had high hopes and grand plans for me, but Ivan here, they treated terribly. And there was another vampire too, at one point, but nobody knows what happened to him. The thing is, we were held there at first by the government, but then by the very resistance that was supposedly helping to free people. Corrupt fuckers.”
“There are still good people in the resistance. Don’t let Sienna and her men’s betrayal make you believe they are all bad,” Alex said.
“How do we get in touch with the good people? How do we even find out who they are?” I asked, frustrated.
“Jackson is already in touch with some of them. Other cells like ours. Apparently, most of the people above Sienna had no idea she’d gone so far off track. Other than her and her men, and a few of her superiors, most of the resistance are still good folk working to find a way to get the cure and overthrow the government.” Alex took a sip of his brandy.
Ivan did the same, and after licked his lips. “Damn, tastes good.”
If I hadn’t been head over heels in love with four men, I’d have been like Angel most likely, and ended up with a monumental crush on Ivan. His face fascinated me. One moment he could look almost beautiful, like a blindingly handsome young man, then a flicker of an expression and he’d almost appear almost cruel, much older, and darkly wise.
“I still don’t think anyone should kill Sienna,” I said. “It makes new enemies and problems. We should simply focus on doing what needs to be done.”
“Problem is that Jackson wants her dead, as does Ivan here.” Alex pointed at his vampire brethren.
“You can persuade them,” I said. After all, he had when it came to Slim.
Alex surprised me. “Why should I? I have no care for her or her life, or that of her men. I agree, and if up to me personally, I would let her go, simply because it’s creating a new front in an increasingly complicated battle; however, Jackson won’t rest until she’s dead. Ivan wants her dead, and to be honest, I’m not sure how happy I am with her being alive. After all, she loves Jackson; that makes it very personal for her. You might not be safe.”
“Why do you care?” Angel asked me. “If she’d done that to me, I’d want her dead. Well, maybe not for what she did, after all I’d have most likely enjoyed a good session with a riding crop,” she said with a laugh. “But for taking me? Using me? I’d have wanted her dead.”
Ivan’s heavy-lidded gaze flickered over Angel at her words about the riding crop, and something dark and hungry smoldered in the depths for a moment. I thought she might not have to do much begging for that male after all.
The front door crashed open and Jackson and Ben stormed into the hallway, and then into the room where we all chatted. Their heavy boots dragged in a lot of mud and dirt, and I rolled my eyes.
“Fucker’s here, we think. There’s a big truck coming up the driveway.” Ben gave a low growl and twitched. He paused for a moment and took a deep breath, and I saw his battle, the monumental will he exerted in the moment, not to let his beast take over.
“I need a fucking drink,” he said. Then, shooting Alex a dirty look, he went to the decanter, complaining the whole while. “Fucking stupid idea letting that piece of shit come here to cause trouble and bring his cursed sister.”
“Oh, for God’s sake.” I stood abruptly, patience worn out. “You four men are going to have to get over this. We had a vote. I voted with Alex in case you’ve forgotten,” I said to Ben. “So don’t go blaming him alone. Slim can help us, we can help him. He has the addresses of the men with the cure; it’s quid pro quo. How the world works.”
“Not anymore. Might equals right these days. I could get those names and addresses out of him if you’d give me half an hour with the fucker.” Jackson frowned.
Ivan spoke. “Might doesn’t trump love though, and from what I understand, this Slim fellow loves his sister. So much so, he’d die for her. I agree with you, I would want him dead, but not at the cost of losing the chance to get the cure.”
Jackson blew out a long breath, shot Ivan a disgusted look, mumbled something about vamps sticking together and went to get a drink. Seeing there were no glasses left, he upended the decanter, swigged back a good fifth of the bottle, put it back down and wiped his mouth.
I stared at him. The man had just put away about ten shots of brandy.
“Need it to mellow me out, so I don’t kill the fucker.” He gave me a grim smile.
God, I loved him, but sometimes it was like loving a Rottweiler you knew might attack random people at any moment. Not you or your family, but God help any stranger who gave it a funny feeling.
“Down boy,” I said softly, and he have me a low growl in return.
“Interesting dynamic you all have,” Ivan noted with a wry smile.
The crunch of tires on gravel had my stomach clenching. I dreaded seeing Slim again. I wasn’t scared of him hurting me, not with the men here, and the dogs, and my parents, and the rooms full of guns. I simply found his very presence distasteful. Humiliating. I swallowed it down before Jackson picked up on it and went into fight mode.
The men stood, Jackson leaving the room first, flanked by Alex and Ivan, Ben bringing up the rear.
“Do you want me to stay here with you?” Angel asked.
I shook my head. “I’m going to greet him. After all, he’s coming to my home. And I want him to know that he’s here on my say so because one word from me and Jackson will gut him.”
“I like your style.” She put her arm through mine and walked out of the room with me.
I held my head high, back straight and when Slim crossed the threshold, I looked him straight in the eyes.
Show no fear, ran through my head on a loop. He was in my territory now.
“Hello, Slim.” I stepped forward before any of the men could speak.
He shot me a surprised glance.
“We’ve got a place ready for your sister, and one for you.”
His brow crinkled. “A place? I thought I was staying here?”
“Not in the main house, or at least, not at night.” I held my hand up at his mutinous expression. “You’ll be safe. Jackson and Ben have spent all day working, making sure the outbuilding is safe and comfortable.”
“Oh, I’m sure it will be like the Ritz.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.
“The main thing is, you’re here, and you will be safe.”
“Not out there I won’t.” He jabbed a finger toward the outside. “The Ravens are going to be gunning for me when they realize I’ve gone. They could get over that perimeter fencing you have and gut me in my sleep.”
“Set an alarm to trip around the property,” Jackson said with a snarl. “Got traps around it too, which you will know the whereabouts of. Alex and Ivan here don’t sleep at night. Someone steps on a trap, or trips the wire, they’ll be out there in two seconds flat. You will be safe.”
“No. I said I’d come here and give you the information if I could stay with you. Not like a dog in an outhouse.”
Seeing Jackson’s nostrils flare, and Ben’s knuckles turn white as his fingers dug into his palm, I thought on my feet.
“This isn’t us being shitty. We g
enuinely believed you’d want to be near your sister. As you say, the Ravens are going to be after you, and that means after her too. Out there, you’re next door to where she’ll be. She will be locked in, of course, but you’re nearby if anyone tries to hurt her. You’re not alone, you are right next to the main house, twenty feet away, and you will have two very powerful vampires awake and nearby at all times of the night. Or, you can choose to stay awake at night, guard your sister from next door, and then sleep during the day, when the rest of us are up and about and can keep an eye on the both of you.”
He considered my words. I knew mention of his sister’s safety might be the one thing to get through to him, and sure enough, he gave a reluctant nod. “Okay, but I want something to fucking read, and a light.”
“Of course,” I smiled.
“What sort of things do you like to read?” Angel asked.
He gave her an uncertain look before replying, “Thrillers. Crime novels.”
“Okay. I will go gather a few books together and find a lamp.”
“Come on, we’ll show you to your quarters,” Jackson said, motioning for Slim to follow him.
“Where’s your sister?” Alex asked.
“She’s in a box, bound and gagged, on the bed of the truck,” Slim replied. “Nearly got bit when I did it, and I had help from three other men.”
“Help?” Ben stopped walking. “How come?”
“Because I paid them a fucking lot of money.” He rolled his eyes. “Greedy fuckers, but hey, it worked in my favor.”
“Come on, let’s go to the cabin, show you your digs, and then we can try to get your sister inside her own place. It’s best you leave that up to us, as she can’t give us the disease,” Alex said.
“I’ll go and pick some books and then take them to him,” Angel said as the door closed behind the men, leaving me, her, and Ivan.
She turned to go to the library, and Ivan grabbed her arm. “Go gather the books and give them to me; you’re not taking them to him.”
“Erm, yes I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You’re not the boss of me.” She squared her shoulders and faced off against him. Five-foot-five and one hundred and forty pounds maybe, against six-foot-two and what looked to be like two-twenty or so.
“Are you trying to provoke me?”
“No.” But she flushed, and I knew that was exactly what she was trying to do.
“Good, because you might think you like to push men’s buttons and get a reaction, but you won’t like it if you do this with me.”
Ivan shot her a deadly serious look and headed out the front door. He paused on the step. “Get the books together and leave them on that table. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” she said with a mock salute.
The minute he closed the door, she fell against the wall and fanned her hand over her face. “Oh my, he’s even hotter than I thought when he gets all possessive and domineering.”
“You want my advice?” I asked.
“Not really, but shoot.” She shot me a grin that took the edge off her words.
“You’re playing with fire.”
“I know, and I love to get burned.”
With those crazy words, she practically skipped into the library.
I headed to the stairs. I was going to go look for Mum and see if she wanted to help me put together a meal.
I found her reading in the room she and Dad shared. Dad had his nose in a book too. Hers was Northanger Abbey, his choice was Great Expectations. I gave them both a hug and then turned to Mum.
“Do you fancy helping me in the kitchen? There are so many intrigues and tensions going on downstairs it could be a soap opera. I think some good food and wine might help soothe things. I could do with a hand.”
She smiled at me, and it was real and warm, and it felt oh-so-good. “Of course, I’d like that, Milly.”
Smiling, my mother by my side, I headed to the kitchen to try to make a feast fit for kings. Food so tasty it would calm all these dominant males down.
Otherwise, the next few days were going to be interesting indeed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Milly: Pasta and Peace
I cooked up a feast with what we had. Despite the men’s penchant for hunting, we were running low on meat, a sign of them being busy with other things. Instead, I used a lot of store-cupboard ingredients and a few vegetables from the garden.
Pasta pomodoro provided the main dish, steaming in a huge bowl at the center of the table; it smelled great, despite being made with canned tomatoes. I’d baked some frozen, part-cooked bread, and prepared a basic salad. Nothing fancy, but a little lettuce, cucumber, and green onions. I’d managed to find a few jars of olives, opened them, drained the brine and tossed them in olive oil and dried herbs.
It looked good, wholesome, and I hoped it would soothe the wild beasts beating in the hearts of these so very different, but in many ways so similar, males.
As they filed into the room, Mum showed them all to their seats. They’d brought Slim with them because there wasn’t anything for him to eat in the glorified hut he’d be sleeping in.
I busied myself with serving and managed to avoid looking at him until I sat and stared at my own plate of food, suddenly not hungry at all.
Opposite me, Jackson’s amber eyes burned into my soul, and I forced out a smile and a forkful of spaghetti. The low buzz of conversation was stilted, and it made my skin itch. Luckily, Dad came to the rescue by starting a heated historical discussion with Alex, about the merits of the Black Death and whether it had ultimately helped human society.
They talked loudly, Dad drinking a fair bit of wine, and Alex clearly enjoying a conversation a lot more intellectual than he usually got.
At some point, as the conversation in the room grew to a healthy level, my eyes drifted to Slim, almost without me realizing. I paused in chewing my food.
He looked… awful… hollowed out. Despite what he’d done to me, I felt a pang of sympathy for him. Moving his sister must have done that to him, having to bind her and tape up her mouth.
His cool blue eyes met mine, and he glanced around him quickly, making sure no one was looking, then he mouthed, sorry, before looking back down at his plate and moving the food around on it.
I wondered if he meant it. If it even mattered whether he meant it, after what he’d done to me. But then, I thought back to all the things I’d considered doing to save my parents. Okay, they hadn’t involved hurting anyone, but they might have, if I had believed that would be the way.
A wet, cold nose nudged at my hand, and I looked down to see Tils regarding me with big eyes. I snuck a chunk of bread from my plate and let her have it.
As the evening moved on, I didn’t do much talking. Slim’s presence still stifled me, despite his sorry of before. And Jackson remained wound tight, glowering at Slim and not saying much more than the odd grunt when someone filled up his glass or passed him food.
After dinner, we all retired to the library. I sat within a small circle, around a table that held an old-fashioned green glass lamp, alongside Ben and Angel. My parents took up two of the other chairs and were reading again. We all sipped at glasses of wine as my parents turned their pages.
Jackson, Doc, Slim, Alex, and Ivan, were looking at a map spread out on the table.
“This is going to be the best way in.” Jackson pointed at a destination with a long finger. He glanced up and over to us. “Ben, you want to come look at this?”
Ben shook his head. “Can’t get near him.” He shot Slim a disgusted look, and Jackson gave a short nod.
“I swear to God, I get within two feet of that fucker, and my wolf will come out and say hello and rip his throat out,” Ben said with a groan and another huge swig of wine.
I put my hand on his arm and stroked, trying my best to soothe.
“If we get in here, then we can get to Parliament Square much quicker.” Alex pointed to somewhere else on the map.
> “It’s a highly guarded area,” Jackson argued.
“Yes, but much easier once we’re inside.”
“And how do we get past the guards?” Jackson shook his head.
“Create a diversion,” Angel said, lifting her head.
“What?” Doc stared at her.
“I think myself, Milly, and Sheila here”—she gestured to my mum—“could create somewhat of a distraction for a group of burly Altereds. Don’t you think? Give us the right tools and we can look as hot as hell. Rough us up a little and we can throw ourselves on their mercy.”
“Let me get this straight, you want us to leave you with a bunch of guards, and… rough you up a little before we do?” Doc’s mouth hung open.
“Think about it,” she said. “You don’t have to hurt us much, enough to make one of us bleed from the mouth or the nose. Mess our hair up, tear our clothes. We can approach the fence and beg for their help and mercy. I doubt they will turn us away. Gives you a chance to sneak in.”
“No fucking way.” Jackson didn’t even look up from the map.
But my mind was turning over Angel’s idea.
“It could work,” I said.
Jackson lifted his head slowly, and I swore steam was about to come out of his nostrils.
“Listen to me, hear me out. I can get inside people’s heads and cause them immense pain.” I gestured to Slim. “He’s evidence of as much. I expect Angel can do the same if she tries.”
“Oh, I can.” She grinned at the men, and I saw Ivan’s features tighten.
“You can?” he asked, low and deadly.
“Yes, and before you ask, I never did it to you. Those nightmares were all your own psyche.”
He stared at her as if not sure whether he wanted to slap her or kiss her. She’d shared something very personal about him to a room full of strangers.
