by Cat Miller
After a brief silence, Lloyd asked, “Does anyone oppose Griffin’s wishes?”
“He’s far too kind. Sarah deserves to have her freedom taken forever. She shouldn’t die. Sarah should suffer through her long, lonely life. She is lying, and we all know it.” Adele was furious, Griffin knew, but she would get over it. At the moment, she was thinking as his mother, not a fellow councilor.
Griffin couldn’t blame his mother. In recent years, three of Griffin’s children had had near-death experiences. He’d lost his mind each and every time. Even before Griffin knew that Danielle was his daughter, something deep within him had been shredded when her life was in peril. As if he’d known on a visceral level that Danielle belonged to him. The weight of his past mistakes, his failure to protect all of his children, and thoughts of his sister, Leann’s prophecy weighed heavily on Griffin’s mind. He was tired and just wanted this day to be over so he could work to make amends with his children. His kids were all Griffin had left, and they deserved better than he’d given them thus far. He would never be able to make things right with Tessa or Sarah, but he could be a better father.
“Look, tossing Sarah in a gilded cage won’t benefit anyone. Why make things more difficult for Richard? He has already agreed to take Sarah back into his house. We’ve come to a settlement that suits us both. I have no wish to punish the House of Ashburn.
“My only concern is that Sarah’s testimony also brings her safety and the security of the nation into question. I think we should leave the choice up to her. If Sarah is going to use David’s defense, then she needs to also accept his limitations. She is going to fight a return to her father’s house. The possibility of falling back into Sheena’s trap means David will continue to live in the Enclave under guard until Sheena is apprehended …” Griffin let that thought trail off. His mother smiled. Adele now understood Griffin’s motives for allowing Sarah to slide.
“I believe Griffin’s concern for an allied house is admirable. We’ve all done business with Richard. Do we want to end those partnerships based on Sarah’s action? I am personally willing to let Griffin’s suggestion stand,” Seth Deidrick was the first to give his vote.
One by one the other members of the council agreed. Adele was the last to give her approval. Griffin let out a relieved breath as he exited the council chamber so he could be back in his seat before the council returned to the council hall. Griffin could hear hushed voices, so he slowed before he turned the corner. He didn’t want to be seen leaving the council chambers.
“This has nothing to do with you, David, so just back off,” Sarah hissed a warning.
“This has nothing to do with me? You used me to try to murder one of my oldest friends, the brother of my mate, and you think this has nothing to do with me?” David wanted to know. Griffin held his breath while he listened. This was an interesting conversation.
“You have no idea what I’ve suffered through. That man stole my life and my happiness. He never loved me. I never loved him, in spite of the bullshit promises made to young females. I did all the right things. I kept myself pure. I learned to be the perfect hostess and mate. I was educated and groomed for no other reason than to be Griffin’s unspoiled, loyal, obedient servant. In exchange, I was supposed to get my happily ever after. I did everything possible to make our mating successful, even after he lost all interest. I had my children and had my position in society and a beautiful home.”
“Not to mention all the money you could ever spend and no limitation,” David added.
“Why should I be limited? That was part of the bargain. Griffin gets the perfect mate, and I got all the things a female of my standing deserves. I played the part. Our image was perfect.”
“It’s funny that your daughters weren’t given the same strict upbringing most ‘females of your standing,’ including you received. Those girls were quite free,” David accused.
“Why the hell would I raise my daughters to be as weak and blind to the lies as I was forced to be? I allowed them all the freedoms males their age enjoy. My children are from the most elevated circle in our entire race. There are no houses above the council houses in America. What house would turn down the chance to be connected so closely to the council? No house would dare turn down any of our children. So why does it matter if they’re pure? My daughters have an advantage I didn’t. So I made sure they were able to live as they pleased. Not that it matters anymore. I plan to take Samantha overseas to find her a mate with a pedigree and fortune she deserves. I won’t lose another daughter to a lowlife who could never be her equal.”
“Are you calling my son, a Deidrick by birth, a lowlife?” David’s voice deepened. There was threat implied in the question.
“Don’t get all pissy, David.” Sarah sounded a little less brave. “You know as well as I do that you never would have wanted a half-human child if you’d been in your right mind. That boy’s mother is destroying our nation with drugs and rebellion.”
“Don’t insult my son. You have no idea what he’s lived through. He’s a stronger male than your daughter could ever have found among her peers.” David paused before refocusing on what Sarah had said about Samantha.
“I think you’re looking for the fortune you think you deserve, not what’s best for Samantha,” David scoffed. “You still haven’t answered my question. If you had everything, why did you have a change of heart? Did Griffin tighten the purse strings? I just don’t understand why you wanted him dead.” David sounded genuinely curious. Griffin was, too, but he was sure he already knew the answer.
“Why the change of heart? Are you serious?” Sarah asked as if it should be obvious.
“Yes, I want to understand, because I know you saw me that night at the country club. The night I nearly bled Danielle dry in the locker room of the country club, you walked by and looked me directly in the eye, and never said a word. You could have stopped me. You could have raised the alarm. You should have told Griffin who I was because I know you recognized me. Why didn’t you?”
Griffin had to blink a few times to focus his reddening vision. He leaned into the wall for support as the corridor took a dizzying spin. If what David said was true, Sarah had known David was alive for several years. Sarah also could have prevented the horrific way Danielle had been changed from demi-vampire to a full-blooded vampire against her will.
“That’s when things changed! That son-of-a-fanged-bitch dared to publicly admit to having a child outside of our mating! He’d only just admitted it to me that very day. I was beginning to understand why our mating had never really been a solid one. While I was a good and dutiful female in my youth, Griffin was violating our betrothal. He mated with someone else. Do you know what would have happened to me if he hadn’t mated me? I would have been scorned. I would have been seen as lacking and the one at fault in society’s eyes. He ruined the carefully cultivated image of a house above reproach and beyond the reach of the rest of society! That’s how it works. The males can fuck around and do whatever their perverted heart’s desire. The females are kept on a leash. And if the betrothal falls through, everyone wants to know what the female did to deserve being rejected.”
“You blame Danielle for her father’s sins?” David asked, sounding utterly unmoved by Sarah’s tirade.
“Danielle Vaughn … Can you believe she already bore his name? But I didn’t know that just yet because she was using an alias. That female is the reason other ladies whisper behind their hands when I walk by, and it all started that night when Griffin told the world she was his child. She’s a mutt. She’s a bastard. And Griffin makes me sick. It only got worse when I learned her mother was human. Disgusting.” Sarah was obviously revolted.
“If you really want to know, I’ll tell you. I didn’t tell anyone I’d seen you that night because, for one, no one would have believed me. You’d been dead for decades. Another reason was that I knew why you were there. You wanted Danielle, and I wanted her gone. It’s as simple as that.” Sarah was seething wi
th pent-up rage.
“I think it was Danielle’s mother who really pushed you over the edge,” David taunted Sarah. “It was much later that you decided to search me out. Tessa is Griffin’s one true love, his true mate, and you know it.”
Griffin couldn’t stand by and listen to Sarah talk trash about Tessa again, but Sarah had no reply. The sound of skin against skin echoing down the corridor made Griffin move. Sarah slapped David. David chuckled. Griffin advanced enough to peer around the corner. David was not the kind of male you could insult and walk away from unscathed. Griffin might have to save his insane ex-mate, whether he wanted to or not. David’s eyes were black with anger. Sarah was breathing hard with fear that was a little too late in coming.
“I don’t care why you did what you did,” David told Sarah as he straightened his jacket and wiped a smear of blood from his lip. Then he grabbed Sarah by the throat and slammed her against the tiled marble wall. He got right in her face, fangs extended and ready to strike. Sarah gasped and struggled in his grip. He yanked her away from the wall and shook her slender frame before planting her against the wall again. Griffin was about to step in when David released Sarah. Gripping her throat, she stared up at the big male with new respect.
“Let me make one thing very clear, Mrs. Vaughn. I might be in control of my actions now, but I will never be one of the good guys. I will always be the male who slaughtered the young and led a revolution. I have so much fucking blood on my hands that a little more means nothing to me. Do you understand?” When Sarah didn’t respond, he grabbed her again and snarled in her face, “Do you fucking understand me, Sarah?”
“Y-Yes,” she whimpered.
“You have put Griffin through enough misery, no matter how deserved. I see right through your lies. You were never under Sheena’s influence. I will expose you in such a public way that you will never recover from the shame I bring to you and your father’s house. You will do as you’re told and let Griffin live in peace, or I will end you. We’ll start with socially, then move on to physically if need be. I don’t care about my image. I have nothing to lose. You are fucking with one of only a handful of people I care about in this world. It will end now, or I will end you.”
David released Sarah’s arms and calmly walked away as if he hadn’t just threatened to commit murder. Griffin remained still. Sarah gathered herself and slipped into the nearby restroom reserved for the council. That must have been where Sarah was headed when David confronted her. Griffin returned to the council hall and took his seat next to Samantha. Griffin was surer than ever that he needed to put space between Sarah and their children. Sarah wasn’t the female he’d believed her to be. She was dangerous in ways he’d never imagined. Bitterness had destroyed the innocent female he’d mated. He was to blame, that was for sure, and he owed her some compensation for his broken vows, but that didn’t mean he would allow Sarah to use their children for her own gain.
Sarah returned just before the council reentered the hall. She didn’t glance his way or make eye contact with Samantha on her way to the stand. She appeared to be shaken, and this time it was real, not an act put on for the council’s benefit. The rest of the hearing went as expected.
“Sarah Vaughn, you are, by your own admission, a danger to yourself and the nation until the rogue is brought to justice. You cannot be released without some preventative measures in place,” Lloyd explained.
“I understand,” was all Sarah said to this news.
Richard Ashburn stood and requested permission to speak. It was granted by Kane Stafford, who still hadn’t lost the sour expression he’d been wearing in the council chamber. Kane and Griffin had been on the outs since the day of the attack on the council hall. Kane locked the hidden emergency door before Brandi could safely exit the building. Griffin had kicked Kane’s ass when he realized what had happened to Brandi.
“I would like to offer shelter to my child,” Richard stated with the air of a worried parent. “She has been sorely abused by the rogue. If it pleases the council, I will take full responsibility for Sarah and her security.”
“Sarah, you have the choice of returning to her father’s house or going to stay at the Enclave where you will be under twenty-four-seven guard until Sheena was apprehended or killed,” Seth gave her the option.
“I would be grateful for the protection and comfort of my father’s house,” Sarah replied.
Griffin had expected an argument, but none came. Sarah accepted her father’s offer of shelter without as much as a peep. He stood then and said his piece before Sarah could leave the stand, “I wish to address the council regarding my minor child, Griffin Vaughn, Jr.”
“You have our attention, Councilor,” Seth Deidrick replied.
“I am enforcing my right as the father to retain custody of J.R. Vaughn. His mother is unstable and unable to care for him,” Griffin stated flatly. The audience buzzed with approval.
“You son-of-a-bitch!” Sarah shouted. “You will not take my child from me!”
Shocked gasps rose from the crowd.
Griffin addressed the council, ignoring Sarah’s outburst. “As Sarah has admitted before the council, she is a risk to us all. J.R. was already nearly lost when Sarah was under the rogue’s influence.”
Sarah left the stand and ran at Griffin, her fangs extended and ready to fight. “That is my baby! I would never hurt my son!”
Richard stepped in and intercepted Sarah before she reached Griffin, who continued to ignore her. Griffin might have felt sorry for Sarah if he hadn’t heard her speaking to David in the corridor. Sarah had every intention of taking J.R. and Samantha to Europe. She wanted to start over in a new land. She was welcome to do it, without their son. Griffin would have to have a talk with Samantha. She was an adult, and he couldn’t make her choices for her unless he was willing to enforce his ancient rights over his house. Griffin wouldn’t do that to Samantha.
“I don’t have to explain my reasons for denying Sarah custody, as it is my right to make decisions regarding my children. I am informing Sarah and Richard Ashburn of my decision out of respect. They and the council should understand that I will seek retribution to the fullest extent of the law if any attempts are made to take my son. Sarah has already endangered our son’s life once. I won’t allow it again.”
“The House of Ashburn understands your concern for your child. Thank you for explaining your reasons, Councilor Vaughn. We hope when things are resolved that you might reconsider your stance and allow for visitation,” Richard said. Sarah was still squirming in her father’s hold, trying to reach Griffin. She was only reinforcing Griffin’s concern with her out of character behavior.
“I will allow supervised visitation, as soon as Sarah has herself under control. We’ll revisit the subject of visitation once Sarah is no longer a danger,” Griffin spoke over Sarah’s head to her father. He would not dissolve into a public debate with her.
“I hate you,” Sarah snapped with a sincerity he hadn’t seen from her in many years.
Sarah stormed out with Richard and his security team on her heels to pack her belongings and have them moved to her father’s home some seventy miles away. He wouldn’t be surprised if Sarah didn’t set the entire estate on fire. She accepted her eviction from his house, but leaving her children was another story.
After thanking his peers for their support, Griffin followed with his own security team. It was a new day in the House of Vaughn, and Griffin was ready for it.
Eight
Lindsay was on the floor heaving and growling. That had become her preferred form of communication when nothing else worked. When she couldn’t explain her pain or get her head on straight, Lindsay would warn people away with a growl, just like an animal. They needed to put her in a zoo. The Homo sapiens exhibit, only she wasn’t a human any longer, was she?
She sniffed the air and realized she wasn’t alone.
“Kayden,” she forced her lips to form the words.
“There you are. Welcome
back,” Kayden responded.
Kayden lifted Lindsay with strong arms that held her with tender care while still managing to restrain her aggravated movements. He pressed her into the wall and held her there until she stopped hitting him. Lindsay didn’t know why she was hitting him or how long they’d been fighting, but she was out of breath and sweating. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, Lindsay knew he wouldn’t. Even when Lindsay was punching and kicking Kayden with uncontrolled violence, he hadn’t harmed her. He only deflected her blows and grappled with her until she ran out of steam.
Her mind was slowly returning to normal, or as normal as she could be, but her body was still in fight mode. Adrenaline was coursing through her like a hit of some addictive drug, but Lindsay knew it wasn’t a drug making her behave like an animal. It was the lack of a drug. She was crashing hard. It had been far too long since she’d been injected with the poison Sheena was testing. Lindsay realized when she was in captivity that she was displaying signs of addiction. She’d never gone for very long without a dose, but when the time stretched beyond the norm, Lindsay would start getting shaky and aggressive. She was well past aggressive and into violent now. Very violent.
Lindsay stopped struggling, but it was hard to do. She blinked a few times and shook her head. Kayden was watching closely with those expressive hazel eyes. He was worried about her. She was worried, too, because she couldn’t tamp down the need to destroy someone, anyone, but not Kayden. She’d been looking for him the last time she woke from a deep sleep but Kayden was gone. He’d been gone, and she was confused. She was always disoriented for a while after waking. It smelled like disinfectant and vampires, lots of vampires, and Lindsay didn’t feel safe anymore. Kayden made her feel safe, but when she asked for him, Lindsay was told that Kayden was gone forever. The last time Lindsay clearly remembered seeing Kayden was when he stabbed her with a needle. She’d been so angry and hurt, but Kayden promised it was what had to be done so she could heal. He promised that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. So why did he leave her? He couldn’t protect her if he left her alone? Lindsay also remembered visiting with Dani and Brandi. That hadn’t ended well either. The voices in her head insisted that the doctor was going to hurt her, just like they did before, and Lindsay’s brain switched to self-defense mode. She really hoped she hadn’t hurt either of her friends.
