An Education in Scandal: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 5)

by Isadora Brown

  Maggie, in turn, asked her aunt how Evan was. Rose liked to date. She was in no hurry to settle down and Barry, especially big after inheriting from her grandparents. She wasn't certain how much she would inherit but it would probably be a decent amount and she didn't want to worry about someone dating her for the money. Plus, Rose had always been independent. She raised Maggie by herself, with the only assistance coming from her parents. If anyone could survive on their own, Rose could.

  "Rose," Maggie murmured after swallowing her last bite of potatoes. She could feel her stomach stretch out because of how stuffed she was and she leaned back in her chair to get more comfortable. "I need to ask you something."

  "Sure, honey," her aunt said, dabbing her lips with a cloth napkin. Her dark eyes sparkled. "You can ask me anything."

  Maggie hesitated. She didn't think that was entirely true but she was willing to try.

  "Rose," she said again, placing her hands on the surface of the table. "I want to know about Dad."

  Rose choked even though she didn't have anything in her mouth. Suddenly, the sparkle went out of her dark eyes and a wall replaced them.

  "What could you possibly want to know a man who, while your father, is not your dad, Maggie," her aunt admonished.

  Maggie clenched her jaw. It was already happening and they hadn't even gotten into the discussion about him. She needed to tread carefully; she couldn't lose her temper over this or else Rose would clam up and wouldn't say anything.

  "Rose," she said, her voice cracking. Maggie hadn't realized she was getting emotional over this. She had never cared about her father before. She was completely fine with just her mom, her aunt, and her grandparents. But that didn't mean she was a little curious, even before finding out that she could be fairy. "Please. I'm about to graduate college without knowing anything about my dad. Not even his name. Not even whether or not he's healthy, if he has any diseases, nothing. I just want to know his name or what type of person he was or-"

  "What type of person he was?" Rose said, her voice frustrated and biting. "He wasn't around for you, Maggie. That's the type of person he was. How much detail do you want about a man who wasn't there?"

  "Did he even know about me?" Maggie asked, furrowing her brow. "Do you even know anything about him? Or was it a one-night stand? And it's okay if it was, Rose. I'm not going to judge you. I just, I just want to know."

  Rose’s eyes were glassy with images tears and any anger suddenly dissipated. She glanced down, at her hand resting on the surface of his desk. Tears slowly started to eclipse her face, even when she picked her head up and locked eyes with her daughter.

  "I don't know anything about your father," she finally said. "And I haven't told you about it because I'm so ashamed of myself. I never wanted you to follow in my footsteps. I got pregnant with you the night of my high school graduation, Mags. I had you when I was nineteen. My parents were on the verge of kicking me out and having me do everything on my own. But when they saw you, they fell in love with you. And even though they were so clearly disappointed with me, they weren't going to punish you for my mistakes.

  "Your father was a stranger at a party," she continued, grabbing her napkin and dabbing her eyes with it. "He looked my age but I didn't recognize him. He definitely didn't go to Night Shade High, that much I know. But this made him new and dangerous and my idiotic eighteen-year-old self was filled with this false sense of confidence where I thought I could do anything including take on the world. Plus, he was beautiful. You're practically the spitting image of him - high cheekbones, dark hair. The only thing of mine you have besides my intelligence is my eyes. Everything else is your father - the smile, the laugh, the way you stand, the way you walk. It's all him."

  Maggie felt her own eyes start to fill with water. Even as she spoke, Rose sounded so in love with this man.

  "It was one night and we barely spoke a word," Rose said. "I didn't even know his name. After, we went our separate ways and never saw each other again. When I got pregnant, I tried to track him down but couldn't find him. I would tell you, Mags, but I don't know anything about him. And admitting that to you when I'm supposed to be your role model..." She shook her head. "I couldn't do it."

  Maggie reached out and grabbed her aunt's hands as the tears started to spill. "You are my role model, Rose," she told Rose. "That isn't going to change ever."

  And they spent the rest of the morning like that, holding each other in comfortable silence.

  Chapter 24

  Monday morning, Maggie decided to cut class. Lucas had called Christian last night to tell him they had the results and could meet around eleven at Lucas’s warehouse. She had class during that time and didn’t want the two to clash or to ask Lucas – who was doing her and Christian a favor – to have to reschedule things.

  Instead, she allowed herself to sleep in, waking up when her body naturally wanted to do so rather than an alarm. She had never been a morning person like the majority of her friends so it felt good to sleep in when she was given the option to. Christian seemed to realize she needed the sleep because even though they shared the same bed, he didn’t wake her up with his face against her mound or his hands on her breasts, even though she would have welcomed that alarm clock any day.

  Padding down the stairs in one of Christian’s shirts, she took a seat on the dining table and gave herself a moment to herself. She could smell the rich scent of coffee permeating the air, and she knew Christian had gone out of his way to make coffee since caffeine did nothing for vampires.

  She poured herself a cup and filled with sugar and cream so the dark color looked caramel. She closed her eyes and took a deep inhale, feeling her lips curl up as the coffee surrounded her and filled her up with warmth. She took a long sip and let the hot liquid travel down her throat and warm her belly.

  When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Christian standing there, watching her with a small smile on his face. Maggie gave him a smile, feeling her cheeks turn pink under his gaze. Without asking, she poured him a cup and handed it to him without the sugar and cream. She picked up a few things after the time she spent here. Even though coffee didn’t actually affect vampires, he liked his coffee strong.

  “You ready for today?” he asked, pushing up his brows before taking a gulp of the coffee.

  Maggie nodded but didn’t respond right away. “Yeah,” she finally said. “I am.”

  “I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he assured her. “No matter what.” She nodded and he continued to stare, something in his mind causing him to wrinkle his brow. “I want you to know something, Mags.” Maggie’s lips quirked up at the endearment. Only her friends and her mother called her that. It sounded nice coming out of his mouth. “No matter what the results say today, you are special to me.”

  The smile slipped from Maggie’s face and she swallowed, her heart thudding. This hit home with her but she couldn’t quite figure out why that was.

  “I know your brunch with your aunt didn’t really turn up any new information,” Christian went on. “Which means you could still be anything. No matter what you are, Maggie, you are special. If you’re a human, great. If you’re a fairy, whatever. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  She set her coffee mug down and threw her arms around him. He had to hold onto his own mug tight to ensure he didn't spill, but once everything settled, he wrapped one arm around her waist and held her close to him, placing his cheek on the top of her head.

  "Thank you," she murmured against his neck. "I needed to hear that."

  "I guess we both have our own insecurities," he mumbled.

  Maggie pulled away and gave him a smile. He seemed taken aback by it, and without warning, he brushed her hair to the side before curling her hair behind her ear.

  "It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful you are," he told her and she could tell he was speaking the truth. Christian didn't seem like the sort of person to lie, even if he might want to. Even if he had the opportunity and i
t would further his agenda. But for the entire time she knew him, he hadn't lied to her once. He always told her the truth, even if it wasn't what she wanted to hear. "I have no idea what I could have done to deserve you."

  "Christian," Maggie told him, looking into his eyes. They were her new favorite color, she decided. The dark green. "If I have to spend the rest of my life reminding you why you're perfect, I will."

  His lips cocked into a smile. "Is that your way of proposing to me, Maggie?" he asked her, quirking a brow.

  Maggie's entire face turned red. "That's not what I meant," she said. "Really, I just... I didn't think it was going to come out that way. Just forget I-"

  Christian cut her off with a long kiss.

  ---

  Sitting in Lucas's office was somewhat reminiscent of being in Christian's office for the first time. He had dark oak walls, a gorgeous view of the city, and a nicely sized desk full of pictures of him and Avery. It was obvious he was crazy about her and Maggie couldn't help but smile as she looked at the pictures. He had his college degree hanging up as well as a few awards he won over the years. There was a dark bookcase filled with business books, biographies, and a couple of the classics - Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.

  Interestingly enough, Maggie did not see any pictures of his family. The Cruz wolf pack was up north, past Somerset University. They all had dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin, save for the new members they initiated and married. Besides Avery and a couple of business associates, there was no hint of the family he used to have.

  It was a big deal for Lucas to have walked away from his wolf pack. It was rare for the culture to lose a member when family bond was so important. Pack before self was a common theme no matter which pack a wolf came from. No one knew why Lucas abdicated but rumor had it he refused to marry the woman his family arranged for him to marry. He didn't care that they would excommunicate him. He left and somehow created this multi-million-dollar company. And now that he was with Avery, who also came from wealth, their net worth was somewhere in the billions, at least.

  Avery was human, not wolf, which also probably didn't please his former family, not that he cared one way or the other. Avery was drop-dead beautiful, insanely intelligent, and was holding her own in a male-dominated business world. Once her father finally stepped down from his company, she would be able to inherit it without worrying him or her parents. Well, maybe her mother just a bit but she loved her husband enough to trust his decision. When he was ready to retire, he would.

  Lucas knocked on the exam room door and stepped inside, offering the couple a warm smile. He had an eight-by-eleven manila envelope clutched to his chest. Lucas was gorgeous but all Maggie could focus on was that envelope and what it would mean for her. His things would change or not. She wasn't sure why she was worried. If shouldn't matter one way or the other. But it did. For whatever reason, it did.

  The problem was, Maggie had no idea what she wanted. She didn't know if she wanted to be human - what she thought she was her whole life. Someone who could blend in. Someone who could hide. Or if she wanted to be a fairy, something that didn't technically exist. At least, not publicly. She would always tempt Christian to take a little more blood even when he was satiated. She would have a target on her back and would have to be extra careful not to reveal what she was. Maybe Christian was right. Maybe not knowing was better. If she didn't know, no one else would either. She couldn't slip up if she was ignorant about the whole situation.

  'Don't be ridiculous,' a voice in her head chided. 'Ignorance is not bliss. You won't be able to protect yourself from threats if you don't follow through with this. At least now and then you'd be able to handle it a lot better.'

  Maggie glanced over at Christian. He had a cool, stoic look his face as though he wasn't worried about this in the slightest. He hadn't even wanted to know, worried the knowledge would trigger him to take her further, to be her undoing. But she trusted him and she would continue to trust him about this no matter what.

  "How are we doing today?" he asked, his gaze shifting between the couple. "Beautiful day out for late January in Somerset, huh?"

  "It is," Maggie said. Though there was a chill in the air, the sun was out and shining brightly throughout the city.

  Christian said nothing. Instead, he raised his brow and gave Lucas a look Maggie couldn't quite read.

  "Right," Lucas said, opening the envelope. "You didn't come here to talk about the weather, did you?"

  Christian shot him a look and Lucas grinned at him.

  "All right, Maggie," he said, handing Maggie the open envelope. "Your results are in there. I think it would be best if you look through it first, considering this is your result and I want to ensure that you see it first. The results are kind of complicated. We tested for a gene that has nothing to do with fairies but part of the DNA that all fairies have - whether they're full, half, or the smallest of fractions - will show up with this result. This way, the lab tech doesn't realize what we're testing for and your secret is still safe."

  Maggie slid the single sheet of paper from the envelope and held it in her hands. She didn't understand anything but her fake name they gave the blood sample. She tried to follow the DNA sequence, tried to compare her results to the standard range that was listed as a measurement tool. She felt Christian start to lean over her shoulder before stopping himself, not wanting to butt in should she want to keep this to herself for now.

  However, she handed it to him, murmuring, "I don't understand the results."

  Christian took the piece of paper and scanned them himself. His eyes flickered up to Lucas and they seemed to communicate using just their eyes. Lucas nodded once and then dropped his eyes to Maggie.

  "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Jarrett," he said, reaching out to shake her hand. "I appreciate your trust with such a sensitive matter. I can assure you that that isn't misplaced. I'll give you some time to discuss your results. Take your time. There's no need to rush. Is there anything I can get you in the mean time?"

  Maggie felt the tips of her cheeks explode into a blush. She hadn't expected someone like Lucas Cruz to ask her if he could get her anything. He was a billionaire now, thanks to his partnership with Avery Montgomery. Shouldn't he be used to getting what he wanted rather than waiting on someone? He was definitely a different sort of person, and Avery was lucky to have him.

  "Thank you," she said when he reached the door. He turned to give her a smile and nodded his head once. "For everything."

  "If you need anything else," Lucas said, his dark eyes going between the couple. "Please don't hesitate to reach out. Christian was there for me when I first left my family. I owe him a lot."

  When he left, Christian handed her the sheet of paper. "You're fairy, Maggie," he told her in a soft voice. "You're half fairy."

  Chapter 25

  Two weeks later, one Saturday night, a knock on the door startled Christian and Maggie out of their conversation. They were talking about Maggie’s paper she was nearly finished with about human-vampire relationships throughout history and how they’ve affected society today. She also had a biology test regarding the inter-species relationships between humans and vampires and humans and werewolves that were becoming more and more common with the assimilation of supes since they officially revealed themselves in 1985. Maggie didn’t understand why a vampire-werewolf relationship had never existed – that they knew of – and Christian said that love between two predators, two Alpha species, was all but impossible. Maggie was disinclined to agree and it was coming out in her paper, which Christian pointed out.

  Both of them looked at each other with a questioning gaze.

  “Do you have any more vampires dropping by without a warning?” he asked sardonically, raising a brow.

  She shot him a look. “Alek is not a stranger and he did not drop by unexpectedly,” she pointed out. “Danielle sent him over to get a reaction out of you.”

  “Still,” Christian grumbled to himself as he stoo
d from the dining table to head to the door. Maggie followed suit. “I could get him fired for dating one of the students, couldn’t I?”

  “Danielle was his former student,” Maggie pointed out. “And when they first slept together, they didn’t even know each other. No harm, no foul.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

  Christian rolled his eyes and leaned forward so he could look out the peephole.

  “Huh.” He pulled away.

  Maggie furrowed her brow. “What is it?” she asked.

  “It’s nothing.” He unlocked the door and opened it, sliding his hands into his pockets and stepping outside. Basically, he did everything you weren’t supposed to do when you starred in a horror film. Then again, Christian was a vampire. There was a good chance he wasn’t intimidated by things like monsters because he was one. “Literally, nothing.”

  At that moment, there was pressure on Maggie’s throat and she was being lifted into the air by – she blinked. By a beautiful man with pale green eyes and lime green hair slicked back from his face, emphasizing his sharp cheekbones and his angled jaw. He was holding her in a way where he could cut off her air but it wasn’t tight. She could still breathe.

  Christian whirled around and his fangs retracted once he saw the threat. It was almost as if this man moved too quickly for Maggie to even realize what had happened, which meant her body hadn’t reacted, which meant Christian wasn’t notified by that reaction. It was all visual.

  “You,” the man said, his voice low and dark, like soft velvet. A coil of danger slithered against her skin. “You are a very dangerous thing.”

  Christian came up behind the man, ready to attack.