by Maria Lima
“Hush.” Tucker crushed me in a hug again. “None of us knew. It was not your fault.”
I nodded and let him keep holding on to me.
“We’re here,” Liz said and turned into Adam’s circular drive. I hadn’t even noticed we were this close.
“Now for the reckoning,” I said.
“Reckoning?” Adam asked.
“Marcus.” I stared out the window of the van. “Adam, we can’t leave him to lead anymore. Lev’s dead, Jacob will most likely be going back to the Redwolf pack, and that leaves Marcus with his sixteen-year-old successor, Gregor. This group is liable to disintegrate even further if we leave things be.”
“Your plan?”
“The only thing I can think of is to ask one of the other packs in our territory to take them in, or split them up or something. Until Gregor is old enough to lead his own pack …”
“That seems to be a valid solution,” Adam agreed.
“It’s the only way,” Tucker said. “Marcus is no leader.”
“Fine. Tucker, you know the packs in the Southwest; when we get inside, could you make a few calls? I’m sure they’re each sending a representative or two to the reception.”
“Will do.”
I started to open the car door when Liz stopped me. “Keira, how about Bea?”
“Damn it.” I settled back into the seat. “Does she know about Lev yet?”
Liz nodded. “Dixxi phoned her from the hospital. Bea’s here, you know.”
“Here? At Adam’s?”
“You did want us to bring her to safety,” Ianto reminded me.
Oh yeah, that seemed like ages ago instead of only a few hours.
“She’s inside, then.” I mentally girded my loins and slid open the van door. “Well, here goes nothing.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Bea and Mark were sitting next to each other on one of Adam’s couches. Of course it was the one facing the front hallway. I paused in the foyer, taking a deep breath to catch my nerve. I’d just faced down a number of men setting out to kill me, helped kill several of them, and dealt with the consequences, but the thought of having to face my pregnant best friend made me quake. Adam stepped up behind me.
“The others are going over to Niko’s for a bit,” he said. “Giving us a little time and space.”
“Thanks,” I whispered back. “Any sign of Isabel?”
“They phoned about half an hour ago, according to my operator. They should be here in another hour or so.”
“Once more, into the breach,” I joked as I stepped forward into the living room.
Bea’s head snapped up at my entry, her face streaked with old tears. She sprang from the couch and launched herself at me, enveloping me in a hug. “You’re safe, you’re safe,” she said, over and over again.
I leaned into the hug and kissed the top of her head. “I’m fine, Bea. I’m really okay. C’mon, let’s sit down.”
Jessica came in from the kitchen, bearing a tray of tea and various snacks. “I thought y’all might need some food,” she said.
“Jess, you are a lifesaver,” I groaned, looking at the laden tray. I’d just donated blood to Niko, lost all sorts of energy in a fight, and now that I was home, I realized I was this close to collapsing … which I did, onto the couch opposite Mark. “Bea, sit, eat. Sorry, but I’m pretty beat, I need food.” Adam joined me on the couch. “You okay?” I asked him.
“Very well, thank you,” he said. “You did the bulk of the work.”
I chugged down the tea, grateful for its cold icy flavor. “This is excellent, Jess,” I said, snagging a small roll stuffed with roast beef and slathered with dark mustard. “Good,” I mumbled around a mouthful of food.
“Bea, if I might ask,” Adam said as Bea sat back down. “I know this has been a very hard time for you lately and even harder now. Is there anything we can do?”
She sighed and shook her head, hands fluttering cautiously over her belly. “Thanks, Adam, I—Keira, you’ve been really tough on me lately, and I—”
“Sorry, I’m so sorry.” I put my sandwich down, ready to go over there and hug her again, but she waved me off.
“No, you were right,” she said. “I was just too freaked out, too stubborn to realize it.” She gave a rueful chuckle. “Kind of stubborn, the two of us, huh?”
I chuckled back. “Yeah, kind of.”
“When Dixxi told me about Lev, I nearly lost it. Here was this kind man, someone I’d liked enough to sleep with, get pregnant by, and he was dead. And I never told him.”
Mark startled at this. “You’re pregnant?”
I shot him an angry glare and he subsided. “Bea, go on,” I urged.
“With everything happening, I wasn’t sure what to do. So I kept thinking about what we’d discussed.” She smiled at me, a tentative smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but she was trying. “I’ve decided to have this baby, then let the pack raise it.”
Mark’s eyes lit up at this, but Bea’s next remark deflated him.
“Not your pack, Mark, sorry,” she said. “The baby will be fostered out to a strong pack. Jacob promised to help me find the right place.”
I sighed in relief. “That’s great, Bea,” I said. “I’m happy you’ve found a solution you can live with.”
“I can’t raise the baby myself,” she explained. “Much as I might think I’d like to, I’m not the mom sort. Plus, I have no idea what to do with a half wolf.”
“Did you talk to Dixxi about the genetic situation?” Adam asked gently.
“I did,” she said. “I’m strong, we’ve got no reason to believe any of those markers are in my blood, so Dixxi thinks I can chance this. Since your aunt Isabel’s coming, she could check things out like you said. Maybe it’ll change my mind, but Dixxi thinks my chances are pretty good that things are okay.”
“I’ve offered her a place here,” Adam said to my surprise.
“You did?” I asked.
He nodded. “We’ve got plenty of room here for a lab,” he said. “I can bring over some of my own researchers from England and they can work together.” I didn’t mention the researchers were free because the blood substitute experiment hadn’t worked. “She accepted.”
Mark let out a growl. “So you’ve suborned my sister, my brother’s dead, and you don’t think I’m capable of leading my pack. Now what?”
I exchanged glances with Adam. “Now, I propose that you and your pack find a home with another pack,” I said. “I—we—can’t have you here, Marcus. You’re a danger to all of us in the area.”
He stood and paced. “Dangerous? I thought I was just weak?”
I stood to face him as he turned back and paced in my direction. “That’s exactly why,” I answered. “Your inability to lead your pack, to keep them safe and hidden, endangered my people, my family. I had to kill on your behalf, Marcus Ashkarian. I lay those souls at your feet.”
He glared at me, amber eyes darkening, unleashing his energy. It surrounded me, pushed against me. I stood my ground. Now that I knew him, knew his power was only a façade, only sexual in nature and not true strength, I was ready for it. He pushed harder, energy flaring, swirling. I simply stood and let it surround me, failing to faze me. After a few minutes, he subsided and sank back onto the couch. “You’re no longer affected.”
“No, nor would I have been before had I been smart enough to really analyze the energy,” I said. “Accept this, Mark, you’ll be happier not leading a pack. Let someone else be the leader. Take Gregor, Luka, the rest of your people and live a happy, safe life under a true Fenrir.”
He winced at that last, knowing I was telling nothing but truth. “Where can we go?”
“Tucker is making some calls now,” I said. “There are a few options. In the meantime, you can stay here at the inn, along with Gregor. Close up the deli. We’ll buy the place from you.” I was shooting out ideas as they came into my head. “Give you enough start-up money to go elsewhere and not be beholden to an
yone.”
Marcus stared at me with enormous eyes, anger warring with resignation. Bea laid a hand on his arm. “Marcus, do this, for me, for Lev. Start over.” She spoke in a quiet, calm voice. “There’s no point in anger and hatred. That’s what led to this.” He turned to her, a petite, beautiful woman whose face had settled into serenity. Bea had accepted her fate, had made her decisions. Now it was Mark’s turn.
“Well, then,” he said, “I suppose I have little choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” Bea said. “Always. Keira is offering you a good one. Take it.”
His mouth twisted and slowly, he nodded. “All right, then,” he said. “I’ll go. But first, Luka needs to be healed. Your healer is coming, right?”
“She is,” I said. “What’s his condition?”
“Critical,” he said. “He’s still in the emergency clinic. I wouldn’t give them permission to move him.”
“Stable?”
“For now. Mary, one of the pack women, is with him.”
“And Jacob?”
“Also stable. He’s sleeping in the study. Dixxi came back and is sitting with him.”
Adam took my hand. “Perhaps you could do the honors, work on Luka first?” he said. “You did heal Tucker.”
“Could you?” Mark asked. “The place is only a half hour’s drive from here.”
“I’ll give it my best shot,” I said, trying to project assurance. Except I was less than sure. I think Tucker had it right: I’d healed my brother, but he was Kelly, near immortal, used to fighting, wounds, and healing. Luka was a child, a werewolf with many human genes. Mortal. “I’ll get started. If Jacob’s stable, we can concentrate on Luka. Send Isabel as soon as—”
“There’s no need.” Dixxi walked into the room from the direction of the study. Tears flowed down her cheeks. “Mary just called me. Luka died twenty minutes ago. I called Jacob’s captain to get his body released without an autopsy. He managed it somehow. Mary’s bringing Luka’s body home.”
I slumped against Adam and buried my face in his neck. Luka, that bright, beautiful boy, so much potential, so much life inside him, snuffed out by hatred.
Dixxi crossed the room and snagged both Bea and Mark into a hug. Silence reigned for several minutes as we each grieved in our own ways. Adam stroked my hair, murmuring soft words. I sank into his comfort, so very tired now. Tired of fighting, tired of the hatred, tired of everything that made humans—made anyone—want to hurt others simply because they were different.
Eventually, Dixxi stood and wiped her face. “John, your day manager, gave me a house,” she told Adam. “A house.”
He nodded. “Yes, it’s yours for as long as you wish to stay. My researchers will be here in a few days, after our reception, to help you set up a lab. In the meantime, feel free to order whatever you need in the way of clothing, food, whatever. Just tell John or have him give you a credit card to order it online.” He faced Marcus, giving him a regal nod. “Fenrir, we will make any arrangements you may wish for burial. We’ve a cemetery on our land. I believe it’s for the best not to do this through normal channels.”
Mark said nothing.
“Thank you,” Dixxi said simply. “We appreciate your help.” She turned to her brother. “Marcus, come. You’ll stay with me tonight. We’ll can talk about the funerals. Bea, you come along, too. Sleep here and I’ll drive you home in the morning.”
The two of them rose and followed Dixxi out. Bea stopped briefly at my side, leaned over, and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Thanks, chica. I’ll call you.” I nodded and let her go.
“I don’t know about you, love,” Adam said, “but I could sleep for a week.” He glanced at the mantelpiece clock. “It’s only ten,” he said. “Isabel should be arriving any minute.”
I stifled a yawn. “Fine, good.” I scrubbed my face with my hands, the exhaustion seeping over me, a heavy blanket sapping my energy. “How stable is Jacob?” I asked.
Adam studied me for a moment. “Stable enough. I’ll have Jess take Isabel to him as soon as she arrives.”
I nodded and mumbled around a yawn. “Sleep?”
Adam picked up the phone and dialed Jess, who stayed in a small house next door to us. I hadn’t seen her leave, but I supposed Adam had. He gave her quick instructions and then hung up.
“Let’s off to bed, my love. We’ve got a reception to attend in a few days.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
“STOP, YOU’RE PINCHING ME,” I complained. Jess and Liz were helping me with my gown. “I don’t know how I let y’all talk me into this. I’m not a gown kind of person.”
Liz laughed. “No kidding, tell me another one.” She pushed at my shoulder and bent to lace up the side seam. “Hold still, damn it.”
“Be nice, you. I’m your liege lady.”
“You’ll be my very underdressed liege lady unless you hold still,” Liz muttered. “Damn it, Keira, let me finish lacing this.”
I grumbled and let my hands fall onto Jess’s shoulders. Liz quickly did up the side lacings and moved to my other side to do up those. “There, that’s done.” She stepped back and gave me the once-over. “Gorgeous. What do you think, Jess?”
Jess grinned, showing a bit of fang. “Brilliant,” she said. “That color suits you.”
“Any color suits you, dear,” Isabel piped up. She was sitting in a comfortable armchair next to the mirror, watching me. “You tend to dress in such drab shades. I like this on you.”
The dress was a brilliant shade of royal blue-purple, some sort of heavy silk material sewed in a way that it conformed to and enhanced my body, while still swirling around my thighs, calves, and ankles. Underneath it, I wore a light silk chemise, silk stockings, and slippers, the very epitome of a Faery princess and about as opposite my true self as I could get without going all-out Fifth Avenue. “I don’t understand why I just couldn’t wear a simple black dress if I needed to wear a dress at all,” I grumbled. “Isn’t this a little overkill?”
“It’s all about presentation,” Liz said. “You’re about to be presented as the Kelly heir, a Sidhe princess, co-ruler of the Southwest region. A plain black dress, even from Nordstrom or Neiman’s, wouldn’t have fit the bill.”
“Instead, I have to be all medieval Barbie,” I grumbled.
“If you say so,” Liz said absently as she fiddled with my hair. Instead of the usual neat braid, she’d done something to it that made it curl and twist into a tail, weaving strands of pearls and crystals into it. It was pulled back from my face, emphasizing my widow’s peak, then draped over my right shoulder. On my head, she placed a simple coronet made of twisted silver wire, with draped pearls and crystals falling onto my hair from the headpiece. The pendant from the coronet fell to the middle of my forehead; its center a circle with a crescent moon and the outline of Texas in the middle, claw marks slashed through the state’s shape. A single ruby hung from the bottom, representing a drop of blood. The coronet’s symbol was my own, my Mark, merging the Wild Moon’s logo with my own legend, a Mark to be given today to those of my blood, my Protectors. I took a huge breath. For them, for Adam, I would do this. I’d get through this day as best I could, dressed up like a doll, and play the regal heir.
AN HOUR later, I wasn’t so sanguine about the whole thing. Rhys, who’d rushed to my side and started babbling about something, I totally ignored, as I was too focused on the ritual I needed to remember. “Later, Rhys,” I mumbled, and with that, I took Adam’s hand and entered the hall. It was just dusk, the lowering Texas sun red-orange at the horizon, its rays limning the special leaded crystal in the windows. The hall itself was lit with torches and candlelight. Tonight, we kept to the old traditions. What seemed to be hundreds of bodies lined the room, each dressed in their most regal costumes, fit to present themselves before royalty—which, damn it, we were. I’d promised myself to take this as seriously as it needed to be taken and no further.
Adam and I settled into our chairs. Not thrones, exactly, but
regal and made comfortable by a handy spell Isabel taught me. At our sides stood Tucker and Niko, behind them, Rhys and Ianto. Liz, Isabel, and Dixxi sat in chairs to our left.
Before we began the meet and greet, we needed to perform two rituals.
I called to Jess and Lance, our assistants, to bring up the cup of bonding. They were both dressed in flowing black, Jess in a dress, Lance in a tunic. I tried to hide my amusement. They were both so careful to keep their solemnity. Jess winked at me as she handed me the silver chalice. Lance, with a bow, presented a small elaborate knife.
“My brothers, my Protectors, please come forth.” My voice rang in the room, as if there were no bodies to soak up the sound. Great, someone had cast an acoustics spell.
The four men knelt before me, baring their right forearms. I took the small knife and nicked my wrist, letting four drops of blood fall into the cup. “Drink.” I handed the cup to Tucker, who drank. It was wine laced with a few herbs and now a few drops of blood. A symbol and a bonding much less bloody than olden days, when each Protector had to drink a full goblet of the ruler’s blood. Not that Niko would mind. I’d nixed that and gone with the lesser option. It still held the same magicks and cost me less plasma.
As Tucker passed the cup to Niko, I grasped my brother’s forearm with my right hand, palm to skin. “As you protect me, I shall protect you.” The ritual words accompanied a pulse of energy. When I lifted my hand, my Mark appeared on Tucker’s skin. Like the silver carved symbol on my coronet, but this one in blood red. Tucker kissed my hand, repeating the words. A rush of energy—so intense it was nearly visible to the naked eye—joined us. I smiled at my brother and turned to Niko, repeating the ritual. He grinned and, as he kissed my hand, licked up a drop of blood that had dripped there. I shook my head ruefully. Niko would always be Niko. Then on to Rhys and Ianto, twins of soul and bonded by their birth; their protection would be almost more to me than the others’.
When we finished, Adam stepped down, took each man’s face in his hands, and placed a kiss on each set of lips. “My brothers, my Protectors. As you protect my heart, I shall protect you.” The men bowed their heads and Adam stepped back onto the dais.
