by Kelly Hall
She turned and walked away to her room, knowing her mother was right. She had to make her own path.
A few minutes later, her mother came into the room. “I want you to apologize for the way you spoke to Cindy. She’s been through a lot, and just because you think you know what’s going on and what went on, you don’t. I could tell you many things about your precious Brock Barnes to make your head spin. He’s not the loyal, loving family man you paint him to be in that big imagination of yours, Delilah.”
“He’s a hunter like me. Like his son. You of all people should know what that means and how important loyalty is.”
She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Do you still honor your oath? When you showed up here the other night, you said you had to get away. You transferred out, and yet you’re here instead of reporting to your next station. Why is that? People talk, Del. I know what the Huntress did. If this mess with the Church gets too crazy, we’re all going to have to make a few decisions.”
“I will still fight for the cause. My vows are personal, and they don’t concern you.”
“Yeah? Well Brock Barnes didn’t know which side he belonged on either, and that’s why he ran off to some fucking rogue camp. So much for his loyalty.”
Delilah quickly turned her head and narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe you.” Brock was the epitome of a hunter. He lived and breathed for it.
“It’s true. Do you think his wife doesn’t know where he’s been, Delilah? Do you think she hasn’t been begging him for a divorce for years now? She has. We both have. He’s hanging on to punish us, to save face where his son is concerned. He’d rather his son think he abandoned his marriage than to know he failed. He’d rather him not know anything than to know the truth. So, there is your father figure. He’s not much better than your real father.” She walked to the door and turned around. “I suggest you apologize to Cindy and then pack your things for your new academy. You said that you got your acceptance from New Orleans. I’d suggest you go.”
Delilah’s chest burned. She closed her eyes and thought of all the things that the two had kept from her and Jarreth. She was always the one left holding all of the knowledge, even though it wasn’t her place to be the one to tell him. That was why she had kept the secret about their mothers for so long. It wasn’t her place to hurt him. She looked in the mirror at her mark, which peeked just over the tank top she wore. What was she supposed to do with it now?
Going to New Orleans was an option. She’d been there before, and she was sure that had been the reason for her quick acceptance, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be around so many adoring fans of the Huntress.
She had sworn her life to the woman, and the last thing she ever thought she’d do was go against that vow. She scrubbed her face with her hand. All of the women in her life had let her down, and she knew the reason it upset her so badly. The reason it had her so emotional and pissed off was because deep down, she loved them all, even Rebekah who she’d looked up to like a big sister.
But she couldn’t go back to any academy. Even if she wasn’t so against Rebekah’s actions, the Church had taken her, and it wasn’t the first time they’d let Delilah down too. There was only one place she could go to put her mark to use.
Chapter 2
Ignis rolled over and felt the cool skin of his lover against him. He opened his eyes and marveled at her beauty, her pale iridescent skin that shimmered like a pearl in the moonlight. But that wasn’t what first caused him to stir.
A loud crash from the kitchen sounded as a reminder, and a deep breath told him that there was smoke involved in whatever had happened. He leapt to his feet and hurried out of the room so fast he forgot that he was naked.
Tula stood in the kitchen, waving away the stinking smoke with an oven mitt, her nervous laughter but a chittering sound from her lips as Tori, her sister, moved the frying pan to the sink and flames danced around the electric burner.
Ignis grabbed a placemat off the small kitchen table and held it in front of his naughty bits before clearing his throat. “What’s going on in here?” He waved his fingers to kill the flames with his magic. The two naiads turned around, both startled. Tori giggled, pointed at Ignis’s flowered placemat, and gave her sister a nudge.
“Don’t be shy, Iggy,” said Tula, whose pink eyes flashed as she licked her lips with her long, forked tongue. She wore a long magenta sundress that had big purple flowers, and her hair was pulled back from her face with a blue scarf that hung dangerously close to the hot burner.
Ignis ran over to turn the stove off and pull her away.
“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Talia, who walked in and slapped Ignis on his bare ass. She was gloriously naked herself, her long, shimmering blonde hair covering just enough to tease him. And while Ignis wasn’t complaining about the view, he hated that he had to keep his attention on her crazy family.
“I found them about to burn the place down,” he said. Naiads didn’t cook, which was one of many reasons Talia’s sisters shouldn’t be in the kitchen. Another was the hour. “It’s three a.m.” Do you know where your naiads are?
Ignis understood that naiads didn’t sleep on any particular schedule, and time didn’t really have relevance to their lives, which were lived mostly in the water. Fresh water, more specifically, for the trio who lived in the bayou which was just two miles away from the house Ignis had bought years before.
He waved his free hand in front of his face. “What’s that awful smell? What were you cooking?” He looked to the skillet where the remnants of some kind of plant were scorched black.
“Moss,” said Tori, whose hair and skin’s pale bluish tint looked a bit brighter next to the fuzzy white bathrobe she wore and the fluorescent kitchen lights. “I brought it from home.” She gave a shrug as her lip curled down in a pouty frown.
“You can’t just use Ignis’s kitchen without his permission. If you’re hungry, eat it raw how you normally do. You don’t cook moss, and you know it.” The sisters were vegetarians and loved all creatures, except for men or women who tried to harm them. Those people, they’d gut and string their entrails for the gators or whatever else would eat it.
Tori huffed. “I’m bored. I want to swim.”
Tula hopped up on the counter to sit. “Why can’t Ignis take us to the salad bar again?”
“Because it’s too dangerous,” Talia said. “Besides, you can swim later, and he can’t take us anywhere at this hour.”
“Then we should go out to a club and find some fun,” said Tori.
Talia shook her head. “No, absolutely not. I’m not losing another sister in this city.” Her younger sister Tia was still missing, and she was beginning to think that she’d never see her again.
“It’s not fair you get to have all the fun,” said Tori, her voice steeping with venom.
Tula walked over and peeked out the window. “I saw a man outside earlier.”
Ignis shook his head. “That was the neighbor, Tula. You can’t have him. He has a wife and kids.” He sighed, thinking of what she might do with the poor man once she was done with him.
Talia let out a breath of frustration. “We’ll have Ignis drive us home for a while once he gets some sleep. And if you don’t like it, next time, stay at home. Why don’t you watch the TV?”
Ignis shook his head. “Anything but the food channel. I don’t want you to get any more ideas.”
He turned and headed back to the bedroom, moving the placemat to cover his ass as he walked away.
“We’re not children,” Tori said, raising her voice so that he could hear.
Talia hurried behind him. She shut the door as he dropped the placemat on the floor and climbed back in bed. He didn’t have to sleep on any particular schedule either, but it made sense to stay on Rebekah’s, though he couldn’t imagine her getting much sleep where she was. His mind drifted to her, and he sighed, sinking against his pillow as he drew the covers up over his naked ass.
“Sorry about my sisters,” said Talia.
“They’re curious when they’re bored.”
“I remember,” he said, snuggling her closer. “I also remember the time I woke up in the night and they were tearing down a wall because they’d been watching a remodeling show. I had to explain that one to the landlord.” He chuckled thinking about it, but he hadn’t at the time. “It’s fine, babe. They are never dull. That’s for sure.” He had made more trips down to see them than he could count over the years, and each time had been an adventure.
Talia gave a half-hearted smile. “With Tia still gone, I guess I’m just overprotective, or else I’d have left them in the swamp.”
Her sisters could tear a man apart limb from limb, but there were other predators who could overpower them, especially out of the water. “You have every right to worry, so don’t apologize. I just wish you’d have let me look for her sooner.”
“Tia has always been curious about life on land. She’s not like Tula and Tori, content to live between. She wanted the full experience, and I’m afraid it’s killed her.” Talia placed her hand over her heart. “I hope I’m wrong. Tracing her to that monastery, I can only believe she was taken by the vampires, drained for her blood and discarded. Or worse, they could be using her as their supplier. If she ran into someone smart enough to know how valuable her blood was to their kind, then it’s possible.”
“I’m sorry, Tal. I really hope you’re wrong. It’s horrible to know that someone you love is being held prisoner.”
Talia noticed the pain in his eyes. She knew he was thinking of another woman, one who had monopolized his time and most of his heart since the day she’d been born. “You’re worried about Rebekah again, aren’t you?”
He stroked her hair. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m trying not to be distracted, but I can’t stop thinking about her being in that place, locked up like one of those monsters and criminals. She’s the mother of their fucking race of warriors. You’d think they’d treat her with some goddamned respect.”
Talia knew the two hadn’t been apart much through the years, and when it involved any length of time, it was never a good thing. The last time that she could remember was when Rebekah had been taken prisoner by a pack of rogue wolves, and while it was a horrible ordeal for the Huntress, it had been terrible for Ignis too. “I know, love. I wish I could make it better, make them give her back to you.” She leaned forward and kissed his shoulder. Then she kissed his lips and laid down to hold him, his warm skin soothing against her cold.
Ignis loved to warm her up, and he held her a little closer. But he couldn’t stop thinking of all that had gone down. “I wonder if Kayne went to see her.”
Ignis knew the man went where he pleased, and while he could mostly do the same, he didn’t have the same abilities as the vampire. He was certain that his blue mist would be a bit obvious creeping along the floor of Arcadius, and if they caught him, or more specifically figured out a way to keep him, they’d probably never let him go. He didn’t want that for Rebekah, and while she had an army of hunters at her side, all sworn to protect her, no one had ever sworn shit to him. They’d all be content to let a mage rot, even if that mage was the one whose magic helped create them in the first place.
Talia hissed. The very mention of Kayne was like a slap to the face. “I still can’t believe you went to him.”
Ignis rubbed her arm to soothe her. “I had to tell him that she was taken. He wouldn’t be happy if he heard it from someone else.”
“Do you think he’d tell Rebekah it was you who told him?”
“No, he’d never do that. I don’t think she needs to know, and neither does Kayne.” He’d had to be careful through the years, not letting her know of their acquaintance. The truth was, he’d met Kayne long before he’d ever met Rebekah, or gone to the Church for that matter. After all, what better place to hide from Kayne and his kind than a cathedral?
Talia stroked his hair. “One day, Ignis, the truth will come out.” She looked into his eyes. “I’m just afraid that when it does, she might not forgive you. She’s put a lot of trust in you over the years. I mean, take now, for instance. She gave you her weapons to keep them safe. We both know what Stella alone means to her, not to mention Luna.”
Ignis hoped she was wrong, that if Rebekah ever found out about how much he sacrificed for her, she’d understand. But he hoped that day would never come because he knew what it would mean for the both of them. He rolled over to his back, staring up at the outdated popcorn ceiling.
Talia moved closer, laying on his chest, her leg twining with his. “Hey, don’t dwell on it, love. Don’t let it get you down. It wasn’t my intention to make it worse.”
“I feel like a coward, Tal. I should have stayed behind and stopped them. I should have done something. I feel like I ran. Hell, I had tried to convince her to run, so maybe I did.”
Talia knew that it frustrated him to have such limited magical abilities on Earth. And he’d done a wonderful job over the years studying and learning how to cast his spells again. Earth was full of its own magic, though man called it science, and Ignis was smart enough to have made things work for him.
But there were some things he couldn’t fix, and Talia knew it bothered him more than anything. She had to be very careful with her next words not to hurt him. “There’s only so much you can do, Ignis. And if you had stayed behind, you would have been arrested too. You would have been locked up and of no use to Rebekah at all. You’re doing something good here.” She looked over to the table beside the bed where Stella and Luna were inside a leather pouch.
“I know you’re right, but I just feel so helpless.”
“Because you love her. I know I’d feel the same way about you if you were in trouble.”
“I love you too, you know? I don’t know how I was so lucky to have two incredible women in my life. Rebekah has always been like my own child in many ways, but I still wish that you and I could have had some little ones of our own.”
“Tadpoles we used to say.” She laughed, remembering.
Ignis smiled fondly. “That’s right. We did.” There was no telling what kind of magical monsters their children would be, if that were even a possibility.
By the time he made it to the cathedral where Father Cornelius had taken him in, with the bargain that he would help conceal Livia’s pregnancy, he’d already figured out that there was no chance for he and Talia to have children. He also had come to the realization that he’d never love anyone else.
So, he had selfishly helped Father Cornelius because he knew he was going to be responsible for a life. He had decided to stay around after Rebekah was born because he knew he’d be able to watch her grow, something he wasn’t ever going to have with the life he’d chosen.
“I still wish I could give you that experience,” he said softly. “Make you big and fat with my young.” He cupped his hand at his chest. “Watch your tits get huge like melons and see the miracle of my own little one popping out.”
Talia nudged him. “Growing fat with tits like melons and shooting your big-headed kid out of my twat doesn’t really sound like I’m missing out on much. Besides, you have Rebekah, and I have my own children. The water creatures are mine. Grim and Gus might not be ideal children, but they give me something to care for, and they do love me in return.”
“Together, we do make a strange blended family.” He lifted his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Do you really think I have a big head?”
Talia laughed and rolled over on top of him, her legs falling astride his. “I think it is big actually. Fits quite nicely too.” She ran one hand up into his hair, and the other went lower to show him which head she was really talking about.
He loved it when she was naughty, and suddenly, all of his worries went away as his body responded.
Ignis moved against her, gripping her hips to encourage her as she rode him slowly. He brought his hands up to cup her breasts, and as she threw her head back and moaned, a loud crash sounded in the next room.
Talia’s head jerked around to look toward the door, but Ignis pinched her chin and turned her attention back to him. “Leave it,” he said, not wanting her to move.
“But they’ll destroy your house,” said Talia, wondering what on earth her sisters could be up to.
Ignis smiled and rolled his hips upward to take her deeper. “Let them tear the fucking walls down for all I care. Just don’t stop, baby. Don’t ever fucking stop.”
Chapter 3
Jarreth walked into his room after a long workout to see Canter on the floor, finishing his last few sit-ups at the foot of his bed. The two had barely begun to mend things, but even though it was taking a little while to get back to being chummy, Jarreth was just glad they were making progress.
“You should have joined me in the gym,” he said. There was a time when Canter would have been the one encouraging him to join him down in the gym. Strange how things change.
Canter finished his last rep and got to his feet. “It isn’t anything personal. I just decided to do a few things here in the room instead. I’m still lagging from that trip to Rome.” He had been back for four days, but the jet lag hadn’t gone away.
“Shouldn’t you be over the jet lag by now?” Jarreth asked, wondering if something else could be bothering him.
Canter shook his head. “It can last a few days. But I haven’t been sleeping well when I do, so I don’t know.” He shrugged and stretched his arms.
Jarreth knew what Canter needed to do. “You should get back in the gym and hit the track with me.” The academy had a small track that went around the perimeter of the grounds. Two laps equaled a mile, and he liked to do several in the morning if he could squeeze them in. “Your body needs to move to make energy.” Jarreth went to their private bathroom and stripped off his sweaty clothes.
Canter rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Mom. I had no idea.”
Jarreth stuck his head around the corner. “Hey, you’ll thank me when you feel better.”
