by Dawn Ibanez
Eric snorted as his brother Barry came into his office. “Madison and calm are two things that don’t really go together.”
“Actually, you’d be surprised.” Dylan shifted the phone for a moment. “Eric, I have to go. Lacey and the boys are after the ice cream.”
He laughed as she disconnected the call. Knowing the kids, Aiden and Kayin already had the ice cream and Lacey was gathering the bowls and spoons. He looked at his guest and continued to chuckle. “The kids wanted ice cream,” he said as if that explained everything.
Barry frowned as he looked at his watch. “It’s only 8:30.”
“Which is why Dylan’s running to catch them.” Eric shook his head and pulled a file from his desk drawer and handed it to Barry. “Did Mathias call you about this?” he asked. “That’s what’s left of three bodies over the past couple of weeks. He doesn’t have a clue what could have done it.”
Barry nodded as he looked at the images of dried husks. “He had to pull this now right?” he asked in a mumble. Mathias was the current head supervisor of the Council they all worked for. It was his job to make sure Paranormal creatures stayed in line and kept their lives secret from the human world. Barry was sure he was pulled in because of Mathias couldn’t get his hands on his usual Necromancers. Victor still had a ban on Madison and Alex, and Madison’s mentor, Pan, was out of the country. The only other known Necromancer alive has been off the grid for nearly 30 years. While Barry wasn’t a Necromancer, he knew enough of the Death Magic to be useful.
Eric smirked as Barry’s frown deepened. He could only guess at what his younger brother was thinking. “It could be worse. At least you’re a detective,” he reasoned. “Mom and Dad could have pushed you into becoming a lawyer.”
Barry felt some of his humor return. Eric was known as a silver tongued devil. Little did people know, Eric’s magic was more like a Siren’s song. When he spoke, one was almost compelled to do whatever he wanted. Unless they were related to him or just too damned stubborn. “Could be worse,” he agreed. Amusement danced in his eyes. “I could be a Jewel Witch.”
Both men started laughing as they thought of their other brother Jimmy. While they were pushed into careers that dealt with the law, the youngest Maxwell son was forced to become an art dealer because of his affinity to precious gems. It didn’t seem fair to any of the boys. Madison and Dylan were the girls, and they had ended up with the coolest of the traits.
Barry looked though the file with a frown. The ME’s report said that all of the fluids have been drained out of each body. The pictures showed what appeared to be large Slim Jims, and whatever appetite he had quickly left. “There’s not even a hint of what could have done this?” he asked.
Eric shook his head with a frown. “I really want to take this to Madison. She could try to at least Raise the last victim and get some clue to what happened.”
“Victor wants her out for a while. And since Mom and Dad are still active, he doesn’t want to run the risk that they may have to work together.” Barry continued to look at the photo of the last victim. His face seemed to be frozen in sheer terror. There was something seriously wrong about the beings he was looking at. “I’ll try to Raise him,” he said simply.
Eric’s face mimicked the horror in the photo. “Are you high?” he asked in turn. When Barry’s frown deepened Eric leaned forward in his chair. “You aren’t skilled enough to handle a Raising. What if something goes wrong?”
Barry arched an eyebrow. “You were just ready to serve Madi up and make her Raise him. What’s the difference?”
“Madi knows what she’s doing. You don’t.” Eric shook his head as he stood and walked over to his office window. “If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain that to Mom?”
“And again, I’m pointing out the fact that Madi does this all the time and you’re not this terrified for her. And she’s got kids to look after.” Barry paused when a light knock came from the door.
Eric took a slow breath and sighed. By the timid sound he could tell it was his newest secretary. Without a word to his brother he crossed the room and opened the door. “Hi Lilavanti, come inside the office.”
Barry sat straighter in his chair as his brother spoke quietly with the young Indian woman. She was dressed in an orange sari that seemed to compliment her rich caramel skin tone. Dark hair that could have been either a really rich wine or deep brown was pulled back in a severe bun. What made him frown were the exceptionally thick glasses she wore. “You finally hired on that new assistant, huh?” Barry asked his brother.
Eric’s back went rigid. He looked at Barry with a deep frown. “Yes. Lilavanti Dallas, this is my brother, Barrence.”
Barry narrowed his eyes at his older brother for a moment before turning his eyes to the young woman between them. “Everyone calls me Barry,” he greeted in a smooth tone. He easily took her hand and gently kissed it.
Lilavanti blushed as she looked at Barry. “It’s very nice to meet you.” With large eyes she glanced at Eric and cleared her throat. She then turned to Eric. “Is he the art dealer?” she asked.
“That’s actually our brother Jimmy,” Barry said quickly. “I’m a Detective here in the District.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized as she bowed her. Her eyes were full of pure innocence when she hugged the files in her arms to her chest. “The whole kissing the hand thing threw me. I’m used to only seeing that in art galleries.”
Eric frowned. “Why am I thinking the word gay is omitted from that statement?” he asked playfully. He noted the look of horror that crossed Lilavanti’s face while Barry gave him a murderous glare. “That’s neither here nor there,” he said to his assistant. With practiced ease, he ushered her into the office while moving Barry almost out of the door. “Barry was just leaving and I’m going to escort him to the elevator. I’ll be right back.”
Lilavanti nodded as she continued to blush as she looked at Barry. For some reason he was still staring at her. “It was nice to meet you,” she called as Eric quickly moved him into the reception area.
Before Barry could reply, Eric closed the door between them. “What the hell?” Barry exclaimed.
Eric could only stand still as he stared his brother down. “Don’t you dare,” he hissed. Barry opened his mouth to respond, but Eric beat him to it. “She’s new to the office. As you can see, she’s a sweetheart, and not your type.”
“My type?”
“I will not let you fuck her and leave her. She’s too fragile for that. I will skin you alive if you bring another sexual harassment case to my door,” Eric said in a hiss.
Barry was completely insulted. “I am not that bad.”
Eric snorted in disbelief. “Shall I put them in alphabetical order, height, or the rating you and Jimmy used?” When Barry stayed silent Eric started to count off his fingers. “Alphabetical it is. Anna, Amy, Bethany, Britney, Clarice, Diana, Dirty Diana, Elena, Elizabeth, Erin, Flora, Jennifer, Jessimin, Kacy, Kimberly, Lee, Linda, Liz, Lola, Mindy, Minnie, Nico….”
Barry had to admit it. He was impressed. “How the hell do you remember all of those names?” As much as he hated to admit it he couldn’t even remember more than 5 names at a time.
“Stay away from my secretary,” Eric said with a final poke to Barry’s chest. “Or else.”
As cliché as it was, he couldn’t pass it up. “Or else what?”
Eric gave Barry a dangerous smile. “Or I’ll tell Sloane and Dylan that you were the one that Worked Dad’s car into that lawn sculpture they got in trouble for.”
Barry’s eyes narrowed. Eric knew all the dirt in their family, and his brother was never above blackmail to get his way. “This isn’t over,” he said before walking over to the elevator.
Eric knew by the faint sound of his office door closing, Lilavanti had just eavesdropped on their entire conversation. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be dumb enough to fall for Barry’s charm. His eyes then caught sight of the picture on her desk. Instead of he
r family, it was of her cat. Eric’s shoulders fell. If Barry set his sights on Lilavanti, she was doomed.
Chapter 6-
Troy frowned as he followed Madison into the house. He hadn’t seen or heard their sons and for some reason, that made him worry. “It’s quiet.”
Madison glanced over her shoulder and squeezed his hand. “This is a pretty big estate and there were four Vampires here last night,” she laughed. “I’m actually surprised that Dylan didn’t bring out an overnight bag.”
Troy noted the blanket she wore as a skirt. “I like looking at your legs,” he commented. As she rolled her eyes, he pulled her back into his arms. “The rest of you is okay too,” he added before nipping her ear.
She laughed as she gently pushed him away. “Sweet-talker.” She took his hand again. It was like she needed to have some sort of contact with him. “The boys are probably down by the gate. For some reason they like getting the paper.” She shook her head. “It’s like a game for them.”
Troy nodded. “See who can get there, grab it, and get back to the house.” He didn’t release her hand as she started for the stairs to the upper floor. “Madison,” he said tugging lightly on her hand.
Brown eyes met with gold. For a moment Madison found herself completely speechless. She couldn’t remember the last time she found herself in a relationship, and that scared the hell out of her. “Yes?” she asked.
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. “What is your connection to the Vampires?”
Madison slowly licked her lips as she glanced at the archway into the kitchen. “It’s a long story,” she warned. Her eyes went round when Troy growled and lifted her over his shoulder. “Troy!” she squeaked.
“How many times are you going to make me tell you that I’m not going anywhere?” he asked as he carried her up the stairs. “I don’t care if it takes you the rest of the afternoon to explain, I just want to know.” Without knowing which way to go to her room, he turned to his left and started down the hall.
“Put me down,” she ordered. A growl of her own escaped as he continued to walk down the hall. “Troy, I’m not a child.”
Troy nodded. “I know. But you’re trying to act like one.” He reached the last door on and stood in front of it. “You need to stop expecting me to just drop you and leave.” He lowered her to the floor and held her face in his hands. “So just shut the fuck up and explain.”
Madison looked into his eyes for a moment. He wasn’t angry with her, which was somewhat surprising. He just wanted to get to know her. A small smile crossed her face. “How can I shut up if you want me to talk?” she asked quietly.
His shoulders fell as he pressed his forehead against hers. He started to chuckle as her hands came to his waist. “You know what I mean,” he said before kissing her nose. “Why are you so close to so many Vampires?”
“We raised her,” Casper’s voice answered from down the hall.
Madison’s back went rigid as she caught sight of her friend. She had always known that Casper had some sort of feelings for her, but for her own peace of mind she always ignored him. As Troy turned to him, she tightened her grip in his shirt. “My magic came to me when I turned five.” If she was going to be honest, she was going to have to start now. “I was shipped off by my parents to New York to live with another Necromancer named Pan. The only downfall was that Pan wasn’t always around. He had things that he always had to work on, and he couldn’t take a child with him. Crispin babysat me a few times and then Victor came to the city looking for his daughter. He found me and I’ve been his ever since.”
Troy slowly nodded. He had a number of questions running through his head but there was only one he wanted answered while they had an audience. “So this asshole down the hall is like your brother?”
Madison’s shoulders fell as she heard Casper hiss. She knew what Troy was doing. He wanted her to put Casper in his place, or he would, in a bloodier fashion. “Casper’s like a brother, yes,” she agreed. “But don’t think that you two can just trade insults and I’ll always take your side.” She then looked around Troy to Casper. “Or yours. You of all people know that I will call it as I see it.” She stepped away from Troy and glared at both of them. “So I will warn you both now, my name is not Bella.”
Troy grinned at her, flashing his dimple. “I’ve always been partial to Team Jacob,” he quipped.
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it. With his sense of humor, she was either going to hate him or fall completely in love with him.
Casper hissed out a breath as he picked up on Madison’s thought. “If you care,” he spat, “Father has taken the boys and the Princess to Éclair’s.”
Madison held onto Troy’s arm and glared at Casper. “Who the hell do you think you are?” she asked moving around Troy. When Casper didn’t say anything, she went on. “You know I care about my boys.”
“You could have fooled me,” Casper countered. “As soon as he showed up, you run off to fuck him in the woods. All you leave behind is an order to watch them.” He folded his arms over his chest and scoffed. “Some mother you are.”
She closed her eyes for a second to try and reign in her temper. “Casper, if you ever cared about our friendship, you will get out of my house.”
“Is there a problem?” Dylan asked from the stairwell. She frowned at her brother-in-law as she read everyone's minds. She had hoped that Casper would simply step aside and let Madison be happy, but after that comment Dylan didn’t think that was going to be possible.
Casper looked at Madison for a long moment before allowing a slow breath to leave him. Without a word, he turned and went to the stairs.
Troy turned to Madison and tried to take her hand. He frowned when she backed away from him. “Madison?”
She shook her head and backed away. “I’m gonna grab a shower. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and get something to eat.”
Before Troy could say anything, Madison slipped into her room and closed the door in his face. He closed his eyes and sighed. What Casper had said hurt her. A blind man could even see that. Troy didn’t want to leave her alone. As he was about to raise his hand to knock, her sister stopped him.
“Let her take her shower. After that she should be calm enough to talk.” Dylan walked towards him and tried not to sigh. “That shot about her skills as a mother hurt her. Give her some time to lick her wounds and she’ll be fine.”
Troy looked between Dylan and Madison’s door. “She’s a great mother.”
Dylan smiled as he turned and walked away from Madison's bedroom. Troy was just as stubborn as Madison and he wouldn’t let her get away. She leaned against the door jam and cracked open her sister’s door. “Get that? He thinks you’re a great mother.”
Madison was leaning against the wall as she looked at her sister. “He’s never seen me with the boys.”
“True,” Dylan agreed. She stepped closer to the small opening and looked into Madison’s eyes. “But he was thinking about how happy and polite Aiden was last night. And how difficult and protective Kayin was.” Dylan smirked as she saw Madison smile. “That’s all you. Now get your shower before Victor comes back. I’d rather you skin Casper than him having to do it.” Dylan closed the door and started down the hall.
* * * * *
Crispin frowned as his brother stormed out of the house. He could only imagine what happened to make Casper want leave with Troy in the house. There weren’t too many things that would force Casper from Madison’s side. “Do I want to know?” he asked mentally. Crispin carefully hid a flinch when Casper shut him out of his mind. His green eyes then traveled to the archway leading into the hall.
Troy simply walked into the kitchen and made his way over to the fridge. “Is your brother always an asshole?” he asked conversationally.
Crispin’s frown deepened as he watched the entire exchange from Troy’s mind. “Only when Madison is involved,” he answered honestly. He watched the Werewolf carefully as Troy started
pulling out eggs, bacon and various other dairy products. “I’ll talk with him. He has no right talking to her that way.”
Troy looked at Crispin for a moment. He then placed the milk on the center island and took a slow breath. “I don’t want you to,” he said seriously. When Crispin gave him a confused look, he went on, “I know she’s like family to you, but she’s my Mate. I’m going to have to take care of her sometime.”
“That’s only fair,” Crispin said with a nod. He then took a deep breath. “Though I doubt you’ll even have a say when my father hears about this.”
A rueful smile crossed Troy’s face. “Victor’s a little protective of her,” he observed.
Crispin snorted. “He’s a lot protective of her and the boys.” He then waited until Troy looked at him before continuing. “He let you walk away once. You break her heart again and there won’t be any stopping either of us.”
Troy slowly inhaled before nodding. It seemed like these Vampires not only thought nothing of him, but also thought they could walk all over him. He looked into Crispin’s eyes. “I didn’t leave by choice,” he said darkly. “Dennis said that it would be best if I left and trained out in California so I wouldn’t alarm my mother.” Which seemed like a piss-poor excuse now that he thought about it.
Crispin snorted. “At least you see it now.” When Troy’s eyes narrowed at him, he simply leaned back and shrugged. “For some God-only-knows reason, Dennis seems to hate Madison.” A pale eyebrow arched over green eyes as Troy started cracking eggs into a bowl. He could see that what he just said upset the Wolf, and he could understand why. If his own father acted the same way towards Dylan, he didn’t know if he would be able to stay civil. “Don’t feel too bad. While the feeling is entirely mutual, they both adore the twins.”
Troy almost dropped the egg he was about to crack. He looked at Crispin with wide eyes. “Dennis knows about them?” When Crispin slowly nodded, Troy took a slow breath. His bastard of a father would have a lot to answer for when they met again.
