Savage Sons (House of Winterborne Book 2)

by Luanne Bennett

  He had a pained look in his eyes. “Can I stay here for a few days?”

  “Of course you can.” I brushed a bead of sweat from his forehead. “You can stay here forever.”

  He lay back down and folded his arm behind his head. “You were right about Selene.”

  “Which part?”

  “She’s not who I thought she was.” He laughed a little, but there was nothing humorous about the way it came out. “I still don’t know who she is.”

  I stood up and reached out my hand. “Come on. I need something to hold me over until dinner.”

  We went to the kitchen to scrounge up some food, which was pretty easy with all of Michael’s gourmet leftovers filling my fridge and freezer. “We still have plenty of macaroni and cheese?”

  “That’ll work.”

  After heating it up, we sat at the kitchen counter to eat. I decided not to push him for information because he was clearly shaken from learning that the woman he lived with was a fraud.

  He took a bite and then told me what had happened. “After you left last night, I confronted her and asked her exactly how she knew my mother.”

  He’d never actually told me how he’d met Selene. “Back up,” I said. “Start from the beginning. When did you meet Selene? Was she a longtime friend of your mother’s?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “See, that’s the part that’s been foggy all this time. I don’t remember ever seeing her with my mother. When my mom died and Mia and I ended up on the island, she just showed up one day and said they’d known each other for years. Through the coven.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Almost eleven years ago. I was seventeen and Mia had just turned fifteen.” He pushed his plate away and stared at the countertop as the memories continued to flow. “I remember coming back to the park to hunt one night because I needed to get away from the island for a few hours.” He shrugged. “You know. I just needed to see people every now and then. She just showed up.”

  “And you believed her?”

  He looked at me as if he were guilty of stupidity and then stared at the wall as he continued. “She had a ring just like the one my mother wore. The coven seal. Mia got it when she died, and it’s identical to the one Selene was wearing when we met. She also knew everything about my mother—what she was, where she was born, the names of her children. She said she’d been looking for us, but I was a fool to trust her.”

  I leaned closer and took his hand. “You’re not a fool, Hawk. She knew exactly how to gain your trust.”

  He pulled his eyes away from the wall to look at me. “When I walked back in the house last night, I got a glimpse of what you saw. It only lasted for a few seconds, but I saw her. She was a completely different person. Young. Then she was the older Selene again.”

  “I think she’s a witch,” I said. “She put a spell on herself to conceal who she really is.”

  “Then why didn’t it work on you?”

  “Because it’s difficult for a witch to use glamour magic on another witch. That’s why she provoked me. To distract me because she knew I could see her.”

  He nodded a couple of times. “I think you’re right, and I think she may have killed Mia and blamed it on the Circle.”

  Chapter 21

  Rebecca opened the door and put on her usual saccharine smile when she saw me standing there. She stepped aside to allow me in. “We weren’t sure you were going to attend since you didn’t RSVP.”

  “Did I have a choice?” The invitation didn’t say anything about an RSVP because it would have implied this event was optional.

  “Basic etiquette, Morgan.” She noticed her housekeeper, Millie, signaling to her and headed for the kitchen.

  “I’ll give you etiquette,” I muttered as she walked away. I don’t know why I still let her get under my skin. She was the queen of burrowers. A chigger.

  Michael walked up behind me and laid his hand on my shoulder. “She’s getting to you already. I can see it.”

  “Really? How can you tell?”

  I surveyed the room and saw Samuel near the window, speaking with Ramsey. He had an impatient look on his face like he was praying for someone to rescue him. “I bet that’s an interesting conversation. Ramsey must be badgering him to come back to New York permanently.”

  “Wouldn’t you?”

  If only Michael knew what Samuel had been doing in Edinburg. The only hope of getting him home permanently was to find those boxes so we could end this war.

  Samuel spotted me and excused himself before heading over. He gave Michael a pat on the shoulder and then glanced back and forth between us. I’m sure he was wondering how much I’d told my brother.

  Olivia came over to usher him away so we could talk. “Come on, Michael. You can show me how to make a real martini.” She steered him toward the bar, giving us a little privacy.

  “Edward tells me you’re ready to plan our attack,” he said with a questioning look.

  “Well, what are we waiting for? The longer we wait, the stronger they get.”

  He stayed quiet as if allowing me to dig myself deeper into a hole of ambitious foolishness.

  “Look,” I said, lowering my voice. “I’m not suggesting we storm the place tonight and kill anything that moves, but we can’t just sit back while Vikktor gains in the polls and Decker consumes what’s left of my sister’s senses. We’re not going to find that third box anytime soon, so we might as well focus one getting the one they’ve stashed on that island.”

  He smiled and took a sip of his drink. “You really are your mother.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “All right. Let’s meet in the morning to discuss it. Now mingle and pretend to raise a white flag.”

  My grandparents arrived a few minutes later and made a beeline for me. I’d spoken to them briefly a few days earlier to set their minds at ease about Avery. In other words, I’d lied to them so they wouldn’t call in the cavalry and put a target on Decker’s head, and I hated it.

  “Darling, I’m glad you came,” Grandmother said.

  “I don’t think the invitation was a request.”

  She chuckled. “Richard, why don’t you go get us some wine?” After my grandfather walked away, she searched my eyes thoroughly. “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with Samuel. Just like your mother used to.”

  “It’s good to have him home for a while. I’ve missed him.”

  Her stare got even more intense, making me feel like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

  “Is there something you want to say to me?”

  She finally let up and smiled, patting my arm. “I’m just proud of you.”

  Samuel walked over with our drinks. “I’ve been sent to deliver these. Ramsey managed to get ahold of Dad.”

  My grandmother glanced across the room. “Good Lord! I better go rescue him.” She gave us a parting grin and headed across the living room.

  “I think she knows,” I said when she was out of earshot.

  “Knows what?”

  “That we’re up to something. You should have seen the way she was looking at me when she commented about how much time you and I have been spending together.”

  He glanced at her across the room. “Of course she knows. Who do you think ran the New York Order before your mother? It was only the three of us back then. A watch group. With the exception of Ryker, the Caspians hadn’t gotten here yet. My mother sent me to Scotland when we got word that they’d spread to the UK.”

  The glass of wine almost slipped through my fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “She wanted to tell you herself, but I guess she assumed you already knew.”

  I felt like a naive fool. “Well, I didn’t. I’ve been tiptoeing around her. Especially about the Avery situation.”

  “She didn’t know about Decker until I told her a couple of days ago.”

  I shook my head. “I’m… shocked. Does everyone know ab
out the Order now? Even the Elders? What happened to the gag order?”

  He let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s looking that way, isn’t it? The Elders are still in the dark, but I’m sure they’ll find out eventually when Cabot decides to run his mouth.”

  “I know your brother has an ego the size of a god’s, but do you really think he’d tell them?”

  Samuel smirked. “He’ll do it just to spite me if he feels his power over the Circle is being minimized. That’s why you need to let him have free rein over it. Let’s just pray we find those boxes soon and get this over with before we’re at war with our own Elders.”

  I glanced at my grandparents. “What about Grandma? She’s loyal to them.”

  “My mother?” He almost laughed at the suggestion. “She’s a daughter of the legacy. She’ll take her secrets—and yours—to her grave.”

  I lowered my voice. “Are you telling me my grandmother is a vampire?”

  “No. But after Ryker manifested the legacy in your mother, she made it her life’s mission to stop it from happening again. That’s how the Order was born.” He polished off his drink and held his hand up to stop me when I tried to continue with the questions. “This isn’t the place. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  Rebecca walked into the living room to announce that dinner was ready. Samuel hooked his arm around mine and escorted me to the dining room.

  “Where’s Charlotte?” I asked as he sat down beside me.

  “Certainly not here. A gathering of the tribe is too overwhelming for her.”

  It was ironic that a woman who could bend minds and torture vampires couldn’t bear to be trapped in a room with her own clan for an evening. It was as if they could drain her the way Vikktor did to me.

  Millie and a younger woman came into the room carrying two large platters, one containing a selection of seafood and the other with pork tenderloin. Millie brought out the rest of the side dishes while the other woman filled our glasses. A few drops of red wine slipped from the lip of the bottle and landed on the tablecloth next to my plate. She glanced at Rebecca but quickly looked away and dabbed it up with a napkin she pulled from her pocket. By the look on her face, she knew her employer well.

  “Clumsy idiot,” Rebecca hissed under her breath, tossing her napkin on the table and following the woman back to the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later and gave Millie the signal to start serving. It would have gone a lot faster if we were asked to serve ourselves or if Millie had help, but we never saw the younger woman again, presumably dismissed through the rear service entrance.

  As we enjoyed our dinner and small talk, Cabot kept glancing at me. I tried to avoid his eyes, but I eventually got tired of it and stared back at him.

  He lowered his fork and wiped his mouth before leaning back in his seat to address his guests. “I suppose you’re all wondering what this get-together is all about.”

  Rebecca put on her fake smile again and continued to cut her pork. “Do we need a reason to invite family to dinner?” She chortled at her own cleverness.

  “Why are we here?” Samuel asked.

  The brothers locked eyes for a painfully long moment before Cabot got on with it.

  “It seems our clan has been suffering from a great divide lately, and Rebecca and I”—he glanced at Ramsey and cleared his throat—“and the Elders thought it was time to bring everyone together to express our sincere desire to cleanse any ill will between us.” He looked directly at me as he finished his speech.

  “Does that mean you and Rebecca have decided to acknowledge that Hawk has done nothing wrong?” I said. “Admit that it was all an unfortunate misunderstanding?”

  Rebecca tensed up and gripped her fork so tightly her knuckles went white. Before she could reply, Cabot reached over and placed his hand on her forearm, prompting her to carefully consider her words.

  “I admit it might not have been Hawk who attacked me, but I was attacked.”

  Bravo, Rebecca. That was about as close to an admittance of guilt as we were going to get, insincere as it was. I knew for a fact that the attack had been staged to frame Hawk.

  “Good, because he’s going to be staying with me for a while. From now on, Hawk is welcome in this building.”

  Ramsey’s forehead tightened. “For what reason?”

  “I mean no offense to you and the other Elders, who I notice are absent tonight, but I don’t need a reason to invite a friend to stay in my home.”

  He muttered under his breath but chose not to challenge me.

  Ethan was bolder. “If he moves in here, I’m moving out.”

  “I’ll arrange for a moving van,” Michael said, glancing at our older bother with a playful grin. “Get the fuck over it, Ethan.”

  “Language,” Grandmother said. “But Michael is right. Morgan is the head of this clan, and if she trusts Hawk, so do I.”

  Across the table, Rebecca looked like she was about to lose it. She just couldn’t bring herself to concede that she was wrong. The only reason she’d tried to frame Hawk was to hurt me. Make it look like I was consorting with the enemy. But by the look in her eyes as she stared at me, I knew she would never admit it.

  I glanced around the table. “Consider yourselves warned. There’s a vampire in the house.”

  My grandmother gave me a sly grin, and for the first time since being named the successor to the throne of the House of Winterborne, I felt safe under my own roof. Had allies in the highest places. Felt real power.

  Cabot grunted his acceptance and smiled at me. “Now that we have that settled, I think it’s time I returned something to you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the green necklace he’d taken after banishing me from the Circle. My mother’s seal. “I believe this is yours.”

  I took it from him and vowed to myself to never let it out of my sight again, regardless of which team I fought for.

  As I was putting it around my neck, I heard a faint voice. Everyone turned to look at Georgia, who was standing at the edge of the dining room.

  Rebecca looked annoyed. “Georgia? Why are you up?”

  Because she’s nine years old and the house is full of loud voices, I wanted to say. I noticed her pajamas were wet. So did everyone else.

  “I-I had an accident.” Her voice was a whimper, but it was the look in her eyes that got my attention. She seemed frightened.

  “Millie!” Rebecca called out.

  Olivia stood up. “I’ll take care of her.”

  Georgia turned her eyes to me with a strange pleading look.

  “Let me do it,” I said.

  Olivia nodded and sat back down, shooting Rebecca a harsh glare. Everyone at the table seemed more concerned about Georgia than her own mother, and Cabot looked clueless.

  “That’s not necessary,” Rebecca said when I stood up.

  “Yes, it is.”

  I took Georgia by the hand and led her down the hallway. Her room was dimly lit by a small lamp next to the bed. When we walked inside, she hesitated and pulled back.

  Bending down to look at her face, I could see the fear in her eyes. “What’s the matter? Did you have a bad dream?”

  She looked past me and pointed. “That’s where she stands.”

  “Where who stands?” I glanced at the corner by the window.

  “The woman with the black eyes.”

  I turned my head slowly to look again, a chill rushing up my spine. “Honey, there’s no one there.”

  “She’ll be back. She always comes back.”

  The room suddenly felt very dark, so I walked back to the door to flip the switch for the overhead lights. “Better? Everything looks scarier in the dark.”

  The light did little to ease her fear. “I wasn’t dreaming,” she said, her forehead scrunched tight. “She used to come every once in a while, but now she comes every night. I think she’s a vampire.”

  She’d been overhearing too much talk about Walkers. It was time to tell Cabot and Rebecca to keep their mouths shut
around their daughter. I got down on my haunches so she wouldn’t feel so small. “You know you don’t have to worry about the Night Walkers. The clan keeps a good eye on them so they can’t get in here.” I rubbed her arm and smiled. “Okay?”

  “She’s not a Night Walker.”

  The smile on my face vanished. “Then what is she?”

  Georgia reached out to touch my cheek, running her finger down to my mouth and over my bottom lip. “She’s like you.”

  I stood up quickly when I heard Rebecca coming down the hall. “Have you told you mother this?”

  She shook her head. “No one will believe me.”

  I pulled her against me, giving her a much-needed hug. “That’s good, sweetheart. It’ll be our secret.”

  “What’s going on in here?” Rebecca said from the doorway.

  “Your daughter had a nightmare. I was calming her down.” I headed for the dresser to get a fresh pair of pajamas. “Go back out to the party. I’ll put her to bed.”

  She hesitated but eventually gave Georgia a stern look and left.

  While helping Georgia change, I tried to get more information. “Other than her black eyes, what does she look like?”

  “I don’t know. She hides in the dark, but I can always see her eyes. Sometimes she shows me her fangs.”

  “You said she was like me. What did you mean by that?” She went quiet, and I could tell she was scared to talk. “It’s okay to tell me. I won’t get mad.”

  Looking into my eyes, she gulped. “She has a flame in her eyes like you do, and she’s full of magic. I can feel it.”

  I tucked her in and sat on the edge of the bed. “You know you’re a very special little girl, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “Mommy tells me all the time.”

  My young cousin was destined to be a very dangerous witch someday if she wasn’t given proper guidance and training. Confirmation of her true witch designation wouldn’t come until her thirteenth birthday, but anyone with a drop of witch blood in their veins could see it.