by Ford, Rinna
When I didn’t think I could hold off any longer, I turned off the shower and stepped onto the bathmat, looking for a towel. There was one draped over a towel rack and just beyond that, I found a fuzzy bathrobe. I gingerly put it on, tying the belt tightly and looked up to where I got it from and then looked around the bathroom. It was obviously made for two people to use because there were two of everything-two bathrobe hooks, two sinks, two towel holders.
“I’ve waited for you for a long time…”
The memory of using the bathroom in his Tennessee cabin hit me hard. Xander’s bathroom had two of everything too and I was surprised because, until me, he was alone. He said he was waiting for his mate and had me in mind when he built it.
Since we’d reunited, I hadn’t spent more than a few hours away from Xander at a time. Being without him, especially in a hostile place, was so hard. I missed him so much, my best friend.
Kenny told me someone would come to help me prepare for the dinner party, but I didn’t expect to find my mother sitting on the bed when I walked out of the bathroom. I took one step into the bedroom and stopped, staring at her in complete shock.
Her smile was kind, but tight and uncomfortable and I knew my reaction put it there. During our last meeting, the first time I’d seen my mother since she cursed me and sent me away for my own safety, I’d thought a lot about her and what she’d gone through. I didn’t want to admit it, but I felt badly for the way I’d treated her. I was a total bitch and she just… took it while I laid out all of the mistakes she’d made, as if she ever really had a choice.
Because of her fast thinking, I lived. Yes, it was a difficult life when I thought I was a strange human with a weird tattoo, but I didn’t blame her for it. Not anymore. She did what she had to do to save her daughter that day and every day after.
“Hi,” I finally said aloud and took a couple more steps into the bedroom.
She rose from the bed and clasped her hands in front of her awkwardly.
“Hi. How… how are they treating you?”
I huffed a laugh and shrugged my left shoulder. “It could be worse.”
I repeated the sentiment that Ironshot told me when I told him about my treatment up to that point. I didn’t want my mom to know how hard it’d been and in all honesty, the words rang true. Yes, I was a prisoner. I was beaten and treated like shit on the bottom of a shoe, but I wasn’t outright tortured and I was still alive. It definitely could have been worse.
Lucia nodded her head in disbelief and smiled. “Good. Okay.”
She held out her hand, indicating I should sit down in the chair at the vanity, so I did. I faced the mirror as my mom walked up behind me and lifted my hair between her fingers. Even wet, it was still red, much more red than even hers was. She stared down at it and teared up.
“What is it?” I asked.
Lucia smiled at me, shook her head, and reached around me for a comb. She began combing out the knots in my hair gently as if I were something delicate. I remembered her doing that when I was a girl. After my baths, I would sit in her lap while she combed my hair so softly. Looking back on those memories, it was like she took her time combing each section of hair because she wanted the moment to last. She wanted to savor them as if they were precious to her, just like she was doing at that very moment. She took her time, working around my head until every knot was gone.
She then plugged in the hairdryer and proceeded to blow out my hair into soft waves that hung down my back. Loving the way it looked, I was surprised when she began twisting it into a low bun at the nape of my neck and pinned it all into place.
She pulled up a chair so we were face to face and she then began working on my makeup. Lucia took in a deep breath as she studied every feature of my face. When she noticed me watching her, she smiled at me again, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You truly are beautiful,” she said to me, “and I missed...nevermind.” She shook her head as if to clear out the memories, or in our case, the lack of them. We missed so many years together. “Let’s just get you ready. Michael has some major expectations and I don’t want him to be harder on you than necessary.”
My smile hardened into a frown. “What do I need to know then?” I asked.
“Well,” she picked up an eyeshadow palette and ran a makeup brush over a deep gray color before covering my closed eyelids with it. “There will be twelve people at the party, all friends and supporters of Michael and the Council, so be on your guard.”
“So they won’t like me, will they?”
I chuckled at the thought. They would hate me, for sure.
“Probably not, no,” she answered for me, not understanding why I found it funny. “It’s serious, Emelia. You must treat this as life and death because it just might be.”
I opened my eyes and grabbed her forearms, halting her from applying more makeup.
“You don’t think I know that?” I asked. “Your mate wants me dead, but not before he proves to himself and the world that he’s the biggest, baddest mother fucker on the planet. I may not know everything he’s capable of, but I do know I’m in for a world of pain before this is all over. But what he doesn’t realize is that he is too.”
She let out a deep breath when she realized she had been holding it in during my little speech.
“You’re a lot braver than I am,” she finally told me and resumed making me pretty.
“I don’t know about that, but thank you anyway.”
She squeezed my arms again and rose from her chair, walking over to the closet where she retrieved a long sleeved, black ball gown. My mom turned it around so she could fully take it in and closed her eyes in pain when she saw the back. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous so I didn’t understand her worry until I saw the back too.
“Son of a bitch,” I ground out. “That fucking… he picked this out, didn’t he?”
Lucia nodded her head and lay it gently on the bed. I sighed, knowing it was either the dress or the filthy scrubs that were still laying on the bathroom floor. The gown may have been completely backless except for the snap at the neck, but it was stunning. So what, most of my mark would be on display for Ironshot and his cronies to see.
I untied the bathrobe and slipped on the dress, turning around so my mother could snap it at the collar. With the dress on, even the choker that hid away my vampire was covered. Ironshot thought of everything when he picked the dress, the fucker.
“You look beautiful, darling,” she weakly smiled and touched my arm with a shaky hand.
“Thank you.”
She nodded once more then turned to walk toward the bedroom door. She delicately knocked and waited for one of the guards to open it up. Kenny was on the other side of the door and he looked at her expectantly.
“Wait!” I called out. “Will you be at dinner too?”
She smiled gently, and nodded once before walking out into the hall, leaving me alone to wait.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It turns out, I didn’t have to wait by myself for very long. I was standing by one of the windows looking out over a bricked courtyard when I heard the door lock click. Expecting Kenny or even that caveman, Dixon, I was shocked to see my stepfather himself standing there, in a tuxedo, no less. What surprised me even more than that was how handsome and normal he actually looked.
He smiled a wide genuine smile and held out his arms. “You look beautiful, my dear,” he told me.
I stood stock still, not knowing how to react to his earnest compliment and stuck my hands in the pockets nervously. Yes, the glamorous, backless dress also had pockets. That was almost enough to make up for the fact that most of my mark would be on display for all to see.
Realizing I wasn’t going to thank him for the compliment or even the dress, he cleared his throat and held out his left elbow. My right shoulder was still very sore, so I moved to his right side and touched his elbow with my left hand instead. He gave me a puzzled look.
“Dixon was a little rough taking me out of my cell,” I admitted as we walked into the hall.
Understanding lit up his face. “Ah. He can be a little rough around the edges, but there’s no one more loyal than Dixon. Tell me, Emelia, what was in the potion that our dear Harris found in your cell?”
I shrugged and turned up one corner of my mouth. “Just something my uncle gave me. I’d been having trouble sustaining my energy because having more than one supernatural creature living within me drains me pretty quickly. He made a potion for me to use as a boost. That’s all it was. How is Harris, by the way?”
He stopped walking when we were halfway down the stairs, tugging me to stop with him. I looked up at his face. He was angry and I’d provoked him.
“I don’t believe you,” he said in a low voice.
I shrugged my shoulder again. “If you don’t believe me, then I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve been more than honest in the answers I’ve given you. I’m sorry if they’re not what you want to hear.”
Ironshot closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, calming himself down. When he opened his eyes again, his cordial smile was back in place.
He leaned down to whisper into my ear, “You better be on your best behavior, or else I’m going to have to punish you. You don’t want to test me, stepdaughter. I’m not ready to kill you yet, but that doesn’t mean you have nothing to fear from me.”
With that, he led me the rest of the way down the stairs and into the dining room. With a shaky breath, I willed myself to think about Matias instead of letting the idea of walking into that room intimidate me. Matias would tell me to control myself, to remain calm and reserved, to put on a brave face in the midst of enemies.
“Don’t ever let them see how they affect you. You are strong, little one. So fucking strong.”
Holding my head up high as we strolled in, I noticed quickly we were the last to arrive since the room was filled with people, most of which I didn’t know. Besides the dictator on my arm, I knew two others, my mother and that snake, Alec.
He smiled charmingly at me and approached the councilman and me. Ironshot let go of me and shook Alec’s hand happily.
“Welcome, my boy,” Ironshot grinned.
“Thank you, sir. It’s an honor to be invited.” Alec was positively beaming. “Emelia, you look lovely.” He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it. I warred with wanting to rip his arm out of its socket and playing nice.
“Excuse me,” Ironshot said to us both but gave me a ‘be good’ look, and went to greet someone else.
When he was several feet away, I changed my fake smile to a scowl and snatched my hand away. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“I’m great, thank you for asking,” he mocked. “You know, you should really be thanking me for getting you away from those animals.”
I felt the color drain from my face. “What do you mean?”
“Well, when I left just now they were… Oh look! It’s time to sit!” He interrupted himself in an attempt to drive me batshit crazy and led me to the table. His hand didn’t touch the exposed skin on my back, it hovered just above it but I still felt the cold sting from his hand.
Alec pulled out a chair and slid me into it before pushing me further into the table. He took the chair to my left and I gave him another incredulous look.
“What the fu…”
He pointed toward my plate. “Place cards,” he said. “We’re supposed to sit by each other.”
Son of a bitch.
I turned to my right and saw Ironshot sat at the head of the table and my mother was opposite of me at his right. Ironshot smiled down at me then to the rest of the people seated around the table.
“Welcome, all!” he exclaimed happily. “I’m so excited you all could come to welcome my stepdaughter, Emelia. It’s been incredible getting to know her and I hope you can all do the same as well. She’s a delightful, intriguing creature and I’m happy to have her in my home.”
What the fuck was he going on about? My expression must have shown my confusion and disgust because Alec pinched my arm just above my elbow. When I looked at him to see why he did that, he made his eyes go wide and then smiled at Ironshot again, ignoring my probing look.
“Emelia, let me introduce you to the rest of the people here,” Ironshot then said, making me turn my attention back to him.
He proceeded to tell me the names of the other four couples there, but I honestly forgot them the moment they were mentioned, not that I cared to learn them. Although, it was interesting to learn one of the couples was actually the other two caster Council members. They were a mated pair. It was also interesting, but not surprising, that everyone there was a caster. It was just Ironshot’s way to only surround himself with his own kind.
The first course was served and I tried extremely hard not to eat it all in one bite. One half meal preceded by only days of bread did not do anything to sate my appetite, but I was sure my captor knew that. No blood was served, not that I thought it would be, but there was plenty of wine to go around. Conversation flowed effortlessly as everyone took their time eating, but no one really spoke to me, which I was glad about even though I got a lot of curious and disgusted looks. That was until the main course was taken away.
“Miss Stratton, may we see the mark on your back? It’s quite an exquisite curse and the fact you survived it…” One of the men, whose name I’d forgotten, said to me. His words were gentle, almost kind but his tone said otherwise.
I glanced at my mother, then to her mate before returning my gaze to the brave motherfucker. I took a sip of my wine to make it seem as though I was considering his thoughtless remark.
“I don’t think it’s in good taste to lay down on the table so you can look at it at this moment, but thank you for your observation. I’m glad you find it appealing.”
“It’s quite beautiful,” he agreed. “I imagine it goes down further than your dress even allows us to view, doesn’t it?” He smiled, taunting me. He either wanted me to cry or throw a tantrum, but I wouldn’t give him the benefit of seeing me do either.
I picked up my glass of wine and took another sip, allowing me to calm myself down before saying something truly shocking. I nodded once before turning my attention toward my mother instead and smiling.
“Lucia, you’re the one who gave it to her, weren’t you?” the fool with a death wish asked.
She looked extremely uncomfortable. Michael took her hand on top of the table and squeezed it.
“Yes, she did. Quite the powerful mate I have, don’t you agree?”
Ironshot leaned over and kissed his mate on the cheek, making her smile a tight lipped smile toward him while nods and words of agreement were made around the table. I wanted to vomit.
I took another sip of wine, noting that I was on my second glass. I hadn’t had any alcohol in months, long before becoming a vampire and I started feeling the effects. I also took into account that I was severely malnourished, so after almost two glasses, I was tipsy. The room tilted ever so slightly and my brain began to feel fuzzy.
I closed my eyes and shook my head, then popped them open and smiled reassuringly at my mother. But then, through the fuzziness, I felt a twinge of pain and a whisper in my ears. It was subtle at first, I almost didn’t catch it, especially with the alcohol coursing through my system, but when the pain reached the backs of my eyes, I knew what was happening.
I must have slept longer than I thought I had when I was kidnapped. I should have had another day before I needed to worry about Dev’s potion wearing off, but as I sat there, feeling the headache grow stronger and stronger, I knew how wrong my calculations were. I needed to get out of there. Fast.
“Is everything okay, little queen?” Alec whispered in my ear seductively, making me stiffen.
I peered up at him out of the corner of my eye and frowned.
“I’m fine,” I told him and tried to appear merely tipsy, all while trying to
find a way out. “Just too much wine.”
“You’ve barely had two glasses,” he chuckled against the shell of my ear. “Supes don’t usually have that kind of reaction to alcohol, especially so little. Are you sure it’s the wine?”
He pulled away and gave me his trademark, panty dropping smirk. What was he playing at? Just as that question rolled through my mind, I saw him quickly peer around me to Ironshot then back to my face. He wanted his boss to watch him flirt with me. What the?
“Yeah, well, I’m special, aren’t I?” I replied a little too loudly. “Besides, when you’re only given a little bit of food every day for days, your ability to process alcohol drops. Basic science, Alec.”
A sharp crack whipped through my brain and I winced, bringing my hand up to my temple. My mom looked over at me, concerned, and she immediately pulled her mate close to whisper in his ear. He looked from Alec to me then sat upright in his seat.
“Emelia, if you’re not feeling well, maybe it’s time you retire,” Ironshot said to me, his voice hard.
I felt my mom’s gentle touch on my elbow as she began helping me up from my chair. Alec also began to rise but I stopped him with a hand. There was no way in hell I wanted him anywhere near me at the moment.
“I’ll take care of her, Alec,” Lucia smiled down at him and helped pull me up.
I did my best to keep my eyes open and smiling as I gave Ironshot and the others my thanks but the light made it so much worse. Lucia had one hand on my waist and the other on my elbow as she steered me through the dining room and into the hallway. Dixon and Kenny fell in step behind us like I imagined they would as I did my best to walk upright. The pain was becoming debilitating as it moved from my eyes toward my ears, making them lightly ring.
My mother was talking to me all the while she led me down the hall. “You’ll feel better with a good night’s rest,” she said and I knew she was planning to take me back to the bedroom. I needed to be near Ronan.
“My cell,” I whimpered.
“No, you’ll be more comfortable in a bedroom.” She pulled on my arm again but I shook my head.