Her eyes darted to the door as she leaned in closer. “He found out, I can tell you that you do not know what angry William is like. William sought out the other elders and held a meeting in secret, they all agreed that the placement would never be approved and they changed the loop hole that it could only be an elder that can approve a potential candidate but the damage had been done. She had already started to tell people that this guy was almost there, he was one meeting with the elders away from becoming one of them. He had the money built up, no thanks to the thievery, he had the backing of an elders wife and there wasn't anything any of them could do to stop him.”
“But someone did, right?”
Marty smiled darkly as she looked at me, her eyes lowered as the grin twitched a curl into the corner of her mouth.
“Maybe. Who knows? One day he was here, the next he was gone. Those damned lycans just pop up out of nowhere you know. Not the slightest bit trustworthy those beasts.”
“Did they really do it?”
She shook her head slyly, the grin deepened.
“It's easy to frame a stupid beast, even easier when the beast doesn't really exist. No one was blamed because there was no evidence. By the time the sun rose in the morning he was nothing more than a pile of ash in a pool of dried blood.”
“Eww.” I crinkled my nose.
Marty shrugged. “It did the job, she knew the truth even though no one was saying a thing. Suddenly she became the innocent party, it was all his doing. He coerced her into it, she was being blackmailed. If you can think of an excuse, she had it. By that stage she was pregnant and telling William it was his and that she loved him blah, blah, blah.” She sneered. “But what no one realised at the time was that slowly, one by one, the family was breaking apart. Unhappiness was rife, anger was mounting and the gap between William and his followers was widening. It was all because of her. No one noticed because they started to drop away slowly at first, many stating that they had reasons that were taking them to other territories. No one could argue with that, it was a common occurrence. William finally took notice when one of his most loyal followers came and said that he was going to leave and that his reasons weren't because of a job or family. It was simply because he couldn't stand her and the way she thought she was better than everyone else, the way she flaunted the wealth over those that were less fortunate.”
Her hands rubbed together, the room was cold even with the fire roaring in the fire place.
“There were many that William was happy to see the back of, some he was distraught to say goodbye to. But for his most cherished member to say that he was going and would not return while she was by his side, it broke his heart. William looked around and saw who he truly had left. To one side was his so called beloved wife, the woman who had betrayed him for a turned vampire, a woman who he was growing to despise. And to the other side was the last of his flock, two vampires who had been by his side for as long as he had ruled the family dynasty. They had been there when he bereaved for his parents, grew accustomed to his new powers and were always loyal and true to him. So William took his loyal follower aside and begged for him to be patient, to wait until after the birth of the child. The vampire granted his master this one request, he took his much better looking younger sister and pretended to be the disloyal followers that she kept telling William they were.”
“Spud?” I gasped.
She nodded.
“You two are the last, there aren't any more?”
Her sad eyes cast to the floor as she nodded.
“They will return, the good ones are waiting patiently for the day when he calls for them. As for the bad ones, well let's just say that Spud and I will be at the gate with guns in hand.”
“What would you two have done if she did return? He seemed so adamant that she would.”
Marty shrugged. “Nick was pretty firm in his stance on her, me too. If she came back we would be gone. It was that simple and William knew it. If he allowed her return then it would have meant that he had chosen her over us.”
“But he was going to, doesn't that hurt?”
She nodded sadly. I knew it was time to change the subject, it was wrong of William to have been like this. He should have chosen Marty and Nick right from the beginning. This wasn't about me or my feelings, my thoughts about her or their life. This was about two people that would follow him to the ends of the earth, who were loyal and would give their lives to protect him. Yet what he offered in return wasn't worth all that they gave.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” She grinned.
I looked to the door and prayed that he wasn't too close or anywhere near us. “Do you think he was hoping she might die in child birth?”
Marty sighed as she crinkled a soft smile. “His anger towards her had been growing but he still loved her and there was a part of him that was desperate to believe that child was his. But I think he knew it wasn't and that's why he thought she would be safe. The problem was, William believed that his wife had become pregnant to the other guy when he was human. If that was the case, there would be no issue but it wasn't. She died and it meant that the father of the child was a vampire, which meant that it was either William's child or the turned vampire had impregnated her after he became a vampire.”
“Why does he still love her, why did he hold so much hope that she would return?”
“He has been so caught up in blaming himself for allowing her to proceed with the pregnancy. It also didn't help that she told him that she would return to him, that they would never be apart. That kind of stuff sticks, you know?”
I nodded sadly but still, it didn't really answer my first question. “What was so good about her that held his love so strongly? I just don't get it.”
“She was manipulative. She had him believing that he could not exist without her. His day began and ended with her and if it wasn't for Spud and I keeping the show running, he would have been off in la-la land and been none the wiser of what was really going on.”
Her eyes flickered with anger as she lifted the edge of her shirt revealing a large gouge on her waist, rather similar to mine. Like mine it was healing although hers was further along. Considering that the dead wife has been gone for forty years, I'd say that wound is probably around the same age.
“Plan b was to have lycans take down the family, leaving her as the sole remaining member. It would have given her complete power over his family dynasty and a placement with the elders.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she flicked the shirt back down. Casually she flicked them out and continued to talk in a hushed tone.
“He doesn't know that she might have been behind it, all he knows is that we were attacked. Augustus conducted a secret investigation. When he found out that there might be a distinct possibility that it was the truth, he had the ruling changed so that she could not earn a placement with the elders by any means. Every turn she made, she was found out and thwarted. That's why she told William that she would return. She wanted him to believe that she loved him so much that she would come back to him. Always determined to return to the placement by his side as the elders wife.”
“Then why take forty years?”
“Because she's a bitch?” Marty shrugged. “Because she wanted to make him suffer? Ensuring that when she did return he'd be compliant for her. There would be a reason but we don't know what it is.”
“All of the terrible things are washed away after forty years.”
“Yep.” She huffed. “All thoughts of her betrayal and misdeeds were forgotten, masked by the pain of her death and of course the child. After forty years of living with the memories of her death, all he wanted was for her to return which is exactly how she wanted him to be. But not any more, because of you, he remembers. Because of you, he can see what it's like to be with someone who truly loves, who isn't perfect but makes the world seem perfect and someone who cares enough to return from the afterlife for them. He can see the stark differences
between the two of you. He remembers every single harsh word she hissed at him, every niggling thought about what she was up to and of course, he asked his beloved loyal followers to tell of everything they knew, no matter how bad. You might think he loves her but you are wrong. He loved her, that is true. But now he detests her as well and that is what is more important.”
Suddenly Marty slid backwards over the leather, putting some distance between us. Her index finger slid over her lips, silently telling me to be quiet. I heard William speak before I heard his footsteps. I turned to look at him, he was rather dusty but was beaming with a huge smile.
“Right, time to discuss what is going to happen.”
Chapter Thirty-three
William dusted himself off as he crossed the floor and sat on the lounge opposite us, Nick following soon after. He was just as bad, there were a few cobwebs hanging off him and I wondered if there might be a spider crawling over him. The thought made my skin crawl, I hated spiders. He didn't seem to care, flicking the webs away as if it were nothing but a bit of lint. Both of them seemed far too eager for the situation, it was like they were in the basement smoking something they shouldn't be rather than trying to get us out of this sticky situation. I looked at Nick's hands, they were covered in what looked like car grease.
“Okay so the passage has been cleared, all is well. Even got the old girl going.”
“What?” I frowned at William. “What passage and old girl?”
He chuckled as he leaned back on the lounge, spreading his arms over the back of it. “This house holds many secrets, many hidden places and tricks. I know you think it's scary but once the nightmare of this situation is over you really should explore it. You never know what you might find. Maybe a garage with a car in it, maybe a secret tunnel that will get us past our friend out there.”
“But what about the house?” Marty gasped. “If you leave the protections will leave with you.”
William sighed, the happy exterior slowly slipped away as he thought about it.
“That is true but it will hold for some time without me being here. It will be enough to fool the fae into believing that we are still here and allow us to retreat to the safe house. We would have a month at the most before it would fall away.”
“But you've got the elders meeting, you have to go to that.”
He nodded smugly as he thought about it.
“It is true, though for this I think they might just be willing to meet here for a change. I know they hold great interest in Mary's future and if I were to explain the situation there would be no issue. It would just mean that we would have to entertain them… again.”
“So, we're leaving?” I asked.
“We are. Nick needs to find a shower, I do not want to be stuck in the car with him for hours smelling as he does.”
Nick rolled his eyes but subtly took a sniff, crinkling his face with a grin.
“And I'm sure they both need to pack for our little adventure. In the meantime, you need to be coated in something that will mask you from the lycans.”
“But they aren't after me any more.” I frowned.
William laughed lightly as he stood to his feet, rounding the table and taking my hand. “That is what they have told Porter and on the surface it is certainly plausible. However we know better, even Porter would agree that the lycans cannot be trusted.”
He lifted me to my feet and turned to Marty. “Pack for her please. I think it would be wise to keep with today's trends, we don't want to stand out now, do we?”
Marty grinned as she stood to her feet. “Can do.”
William tugged my hand, pulling me through the parlour and up the stairs. I looked down at the book in my other hand, the warriors of the fae. I had searched through the entire book and not found my father in it.
“Alvarie isn't in this.” I waggled it at him.
“No, Alvarie isn't one for encouraging that sort of nonsense. Those in that book just like to boast about themselves, even if they are secretive.” He held the edge of the book and grinned. “Plus you've also got the male warriors, you won't find Alvarie in that one at all.”
I frowned as we turned the corner into the hall, passing my room and moving straight to William's room.
“Why wouldn't he be in this book?”
“She, as in your mother Alvarie would be in the female warrior book.”
I stopped and stared at William, feeling the blood drain from me. “My mother is a fae warrior?”
“Yes, one of the greatest of all warriors. That is of course, if she is your mother. You do look like her, you have a thing for the snow and you've got the makings of her fearless nature. You know, the whole standing up to the lycan thing.”
William started to walk again, pulling me along with him.
“What's the snow got to do with it?”
“It's not exactly the easiest to explain. The fae land is a cold world. That fellow out there would think that this cold weather is nothing but a heat wave.”
“They don't live in this world?”
William shook his head as he opened the door, guiding me in. It certainly explained the mountains over the top winter garb. I could feel William's presence behind me as I placed the book on the bedside, his fingers making their way over the soft cotton of my dress. One little button behind my neck was popped open, his fingers trailed down the gap in the material, slinking along my spine. The material began to fold away, peeling down my body. It fell to the floor in a heap around my bare feet. He didn't approve of it but there were times that I didn't want to wear shoes. I got a frown when he saw them but it turned into a smirk when I poked my tongue and ignored him. After hearing what Marty said about the former, I knew that William craved the little differences.
“Where Alvarie lives it snows for the entire year, give or take a few days where it might stop. There are some places where it snows less but it's pretty much a land of white. It also explains why it was snowing the night you were left at the church. She would be drawn to the place that would be much like her home world to birth her child. It would make her feel calmer giving birth in a climate that she was accustomed to.”
“So do I really need to be coated in something or was that just a nice way of saying it was bed time?” I couldn't help but grin as I unbuttoned his shirt.
He grinned wickedly as he cast the shirt to the floor, lifting me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my hands on his shoulders as we kissed. As he moved toward the bathroom I pulled away from him slightly.
“Why?”
“I've been in the basement working on the car. I am hot and bothered and in desperate need of cooling down. What about you, why are you getting in the shower?”
I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck to drag him in closer.
“Someone is carrying me in, I guess I don't have much choice.”
“Oh.” He said thoughtfully. “Here I was thinking it was because you smelled worse than Spud.”
Gasping with indignation, I playfully smacked him. He chuckled and continued to step forward, I didn't realise it until it was too late but we were in the shower. Icy cold water sprayed down over me, I shrieked and spluttered with the shock.
“You bastard!”
William chuckled as he set me to my feet, adjusting the taps and removing his pants. I tried not to ogle but it was difficult to avoid the wonderful view. Warm water started to flow over me as he smugly sauntered back, twirling his finger telling me to turn around. I folded my arms with a pout and narrowed eyes, slowly being drowned in the glorious warm water.
“Don't be a child.” He chided as he turned me around, whispering in my ear. “It was only a bit of fun.”
His fingers made their way to the hooks of my bra, nimbly unclasping them and tossing it away. My feigned disgust was washed away with the water as he pulled me back to his chest. His soaped fingers made their way over me as he kissed my neck.
“Are you hungry?”
I gasped when I felt the tra
ce of his fangs over my neck, his kiss was hungered and desperate.
“Just a little bit, okay?”
He nodded as he suckled on the skin, one hand firmly grasped my breast the other slipped lower. His touch was hard as he moved under the lace of my underpants, caressing and teasing. It was supposed to be a distraction for what he was about to do but nothing could detract from the pain of it. I whimpered as his fangs dug into the skin of my neck, trying to focus on the strokes and the pleasure. It was slow to build, my mind was far too easily distracted by the pain. The smell of blood was heavy in the air as he pulled the fangs out, kissing up my neck to my jaw. As we kissed, I could taste the blood, I could feel my heart racing with the thrill of it. The excitement started to build fast, I reached behind his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss, desperate for more of a taste. He flinched, blood oozed between us as he hissed, pulling away. William frowned as he rubbed his mouth, blood pouring everywhere. He looked at his fingers that were drenched in his blood, his gaze turned up to me. The concern was gone the moment he looked at me, replaced with shock. His bloodied fingers lifted the corner of my upper lip, exposing my teeth.
“I don't believe it.” He whispered.
“What?”
He waived the bloodied finger under my nose, the smell sent a shiver up my spine. “Hungry my love?”
I nodded, curiously all I wanted was to suck the blood on his fingers. He grinned and offered them, watching with heat in his eyes as I licked the blood.
“Am I a vampire?”
William shook his head, his gaze fixed on me with a sultry smile. “No my dear, you are far from being a vampire. You or rather your father was an elf. By the blood lust I'd say a blood elf...” He frowned. “No, you've only just had blood lust since arriving here. You'd be a changeling elf.”
Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1) Page 21
