by Scott, Helen
With a gasp Marcella came back to herself, and went from supernaturally still pursang to our Sixth once more. Her eyes blinked furiously as she seemed to ground herself in our world. I had no idea what the dreamscape looked like, but I had to imagine it was very different from reality. She looked at all of us, but it felt like her gaze washed over me as quickly as a wave over the shore, before it moved on to the others.
"Do you know someone named Gerard?" Keir asked.
I felt a little bad about not noticing he was back as well, but as a member of a Brotherhood, my focus was supposed to be on my Sixth, which is where it was, so I didn't feel too guilty. When my brain actually registered his question, a wash of dread flowed through me. I knew that name, had known it most of my life. The only reason I wasn't going into full on freak out mode, was because I’d activated my rune that dulled my senses and emotions. It could be a different person though, since Keir had just said a name. I did the only thing I could, while my mind raced with memories and the ghosts of the emotions I would have been feeling if not for my rune, I took a deep breath and waited for Darius's response.
"Gerard?" the Enforcer asked, his brows drawn together as he almost visually flipped through the memories of his long life, searching for the connection.
"Green eyes, salt and pepper hair, nasty scowl," Marcella added.
My stomach twisted, and even through the rune's effects, I felt nauseated. I swallowed thickly. It was him.
My father.
His dalliance with a druid was what had brought me into existence, and what had made my life a living hell for the few years my mother had tried to keep me, before shipping me off to Eastbrook. I couldn't deal with him, or rather the memories his name brought up.
Quietly, I backed up and stood just outside the door. I was far enough away that I could process what was going on without drawing unnecessary attention to myself, while also still listening to the conversation, and looking like I was playing my usual role of guard dog.
No one knew about my history before I arrived at Eastbrook, other than the fact it was rough like everyone else's. None of us had been born into loving families, most of us were sent to the Academy as soon as we were weaned from our mother, so it wasn't like I was anything special. I sighed and tried to put the memories as far from my mind as I could, while I listened to what the others were saying.
"The name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure exactly who he is, just that he's a member of the Maximus family. If he's who I'm thinking, then the guy is a piece of work, makes me look like the nicest, bubbliest Vamp you could meet," Darius stated with a frown.
It was the truth, part of why Darius had never scared the shit out of me like he did the others. I had memories that made him look like a fucking teddy bear, even when he was at his coldest. Gerard wouldn't have stopped Marcella from hurting Elizabeth, whether he wanted answers or not. For him, the man was all about pain, either inflicting it himself or watching it be inflicted on others. When I was a kid, I had always been the one he let his rage out on, and that man had more rage than a pursang should with a charmed life like that.
My fingers went to my arms, feeling the scars that the tattoos hid. Maybe that's what was keeping Marcella away? Maybe she knew I was more messed up than the others and she wasn't ready to deal with it, if she ever would be. I couldn't blame her for keeping her distance if that was the case.
I knew I should tell them what I knew, tell them what a monster Elizabeth had been dealing with, but my mouth was drier than the Sahara and I couldn't make the words come out. My suppression rune was beginning to fade as well, having burned up by the intensity of the emotions I was struggling with, and I wasn't sure I could handle what was about to be unleashed inside me.
Trying to re-up it before it faded was a recipe for disaster though, as it had the potential to double the effects instead of just keeping the same level when the initial one wore off, like doing shots too close together, and no one wanted to see me like that. Plus, it could very well dull my senses and emotions so much so that it effectively left me unconscious.
The only choice I had was to let the first one fade before recasting. I just had to weather the storm long enough to get the second round up.
As it faded, I tried to focus on anything other than the conversation happening behind me, but each time Gerard's name was mentioned, it was like a stab in the gut with a rusty blade. I couldn't control my reactions anymore so I walked away, preparing to shove power back into the rune and recast the muting spell.
My eyes wandered over the glass cases filled with rings, and baseball cards, and everything else under the sun. The problem was, none of it was all that interesting, at least, not enough to distract me from thoughts of my father.
Marcella's gasp had me turning around as I recast the muting rune. Almost instantly, my senses dulled, and the emotions that had been overwhelming me a moment ago seemed distant and fuzzy. Before I could bask in the relief I felt, my Sixth was marching toward me, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"What's going on?" she demanded, as she put her hands on her hips.
"I'm not sure I know what you mean," I hedged.
"Bullshit. Don't lie to me, Gid. I felt that surge of emotion, and what you’re feeling isn’t exactly good either. It came from you through our bond. I'm not an idiot. Tell me what's going on."
I could tell she was irritated but concerned, especially since she'd managed to come out into the main part of the store by herself without any of my brothers or Darius.
Part of me wanted to continue my denial, to retreat into the safety of my runes and hide my emotions completely, the way I'd always done it before, but as though she sensed my wavering, Marcella's stance and tone softened as she reached up and cupped my jaw.
"Don't make me worry about you, Gid. Just tell me what's wrong."
I wanted to resist, I really did, but I couldn't, not when she looked at me with those pleading, beautiful blue-green eyes of hers. My hand came out and ran through her blood-red hair that had made its way over her shoulder. The silky strands slipped through my fingers like sand, and when my eyes turned back to hers, she was looking at me with such warmth and curiosity that my mouth started moving before my brain could catch up.
"He's my father. Gerard, I mean. He's a vindictive, abusive asshole, who should be castrated and burned at the stake." Even with the muting rune active, my voice was full of venom. If I was honest about it though, the fact that my emotions were muted was probably the only reason I was able to talk about it, otherwise I would be overwhelmed by my anger, my desire for vengeance. Neither of which would probably be attractive to Marcella, at least not at the level I usually felt them when my memories turned to my sperm donor.
"He's your..." Marcella's eyes were wide with shock. "Do the others know?"
I shook my head. "I've never talked about it with anyone."
"How do you know that your Gerard and Elizabeth's Gerard are the same person? Not that I'm doubting you, I'm just curious," she said.
"Green eyes, vicious scowl, likes violence, member of the Maximus line, low born enough not to be of interest to Darius… If he was smoking a cigar then I'd say I was one hundred percent sure it was him, but since you didn't mention that, I'll say I'm ninety percent sure."
"What happened?" The question was innocent enough, but it hit me like a slap in the face.
"Look at me, really look," I demanded, holding out my arms for her to peruse.
After a few awkward moments, one of her hands came out and touched the tattoo closest to her. The scar from the cigar burn was still there, the ink just hid it better than if there was nothing there at all. It wasn't completely hidden, once someone knew where to look to find my scars they couldn't help but see them, the tattoos were not only useful, but a distraction as well, so no one would ask if I didn't want them to.
"He burned you?" The question was whispered between her perfect lips, and I felt as her eyes lighted on each visible scar, and her hands touched th
e ones closest to her.
"That was part of it." I swallowed loudly as I tried to get myself under control. "He didn't care what he used, so long as it gave the maximum amount of pain for me with a minimal amount of effort for him."
"Why?"
"I wish I had an answer to that, but much like you, sometimes we encounter people who are just monsters. I don't know whether he's been alive too long, whether this was always a predilection of his, or whether it's something that's grown over time. All I know is that he hated me and blamed me for ruining my mother."
Marcella fell quiet for a while as she studied me. When her hand slid under the bottom hem of my t-shirt, I lifted it and took it off without hesitation. If it meant I could enjoy more of her touch, then I'd do just about anything.
Her fingers traced over almost all the scars, most of which were similar, the bastard did love his cigars, and I had been his personal ashtray for a few years. I wanted her touch, but I wanted her to want me more than I wanted her to be curious about my scars.
"I do," she whispered, sending my heart thundering against my chest. "I do want you, Gid. Everything has just been so crazy..."
"I know. It's okay." I sighed and tried to force my needs back down, away from the surface, because even with the muting rune active, it was enough to drive me batty.
"It's not okay. I feel the need within you, and I have it within me too, everything just started happening so fast once Darius showed up that I don't feel like I have time to breathe anymore, let alone finalize our bond."
I mentally twitched at Darius's name, and immediately wanted to kick myself when I saw her reaction.
"I'm not choosing him over you, you know that, right?"
I nodded, not trusting my mouth if I opened it in that moment.
"He might be my mate, but he's only one of them, just like you are. Being an Enforcer doesn't give him an inch over you. You're both on a level playing field, hell, you're both on the same team. It's just that right now the team manager isn't doing a very good job. I'll get better at it though, I promise. Just please, please, don't hide things from me."
I took a deep breath in through my nose and exhaled through my mouth. "I know you're not doing anything on purpose, I was just feeling jealous. I do know that we are on the same team, I'm just more used to being at odds with him, that's all."
"Will you try to work with him? For me?"
"Of course, sweetness. I promise." I gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.
"We should probably tell them what's going on," Marcella said, as she snuggled into me. Her skin was cool to the touch against my own, which was blazing hot due to all the turmoil within. If I couldn't feel it, then it had to come out somehow, and that somehow was usually my body temperature.
"We should. Would you stand with me, keep me grounded?" I asked, hating that I had even asked.
What kind of Sixth wanted a man as fucked up as me?
Maker, I was probably driving her further away each time I opened my mouth. Whether I was or not didn't matter though, as she took my hand and led me into the backroom once more.
Cade raised an eyebrow at my shirtless appearance, but thankfully kept his mouth shut for once. The other's all shot each other looks, even Darius, which had to mean that they'd either heard what Marcella and I had been talking about and were being polite pretending not to, or they had felt my emotional turmoil through the bond as well. Either way I looked, and felt, like the weak link in our little chain.
Marcella's elbow gently nudged me and I cleared my throat. I felt guilty and embarrassed, two emotions that were unusual for me. Not that it mattered, the guys would think what they would and we would deal with it. It wasn't like we could break up or anything. We were a unit, always had been, always would be.
"I think Gerard is my father," I admitted, squeezing Marcella's hand as fiercely as she was squeezing my own, letting her energy calm me as it washed over me.
"What?" Darius asked, pinning me with those dark eyes of his. I felt like a kid being sent to the headmaster's office, only I knew all I would get was a scolding.
"You heard him," Marcella stated, bristling at the Enforcer's tone.
"Why?" Darius inquired, which was probably what he'd meant before but hadn't articulated it well.
I briefly went over what I had told Marcella, since it turned out they hadn't been listening.
"Maker, first Sylvester McCray, now this Gerard? Anyone else want to jump in with their parent's information? When I put you all together, I didn't think you would turn out to be children of some of the worst of our kind," Darius commented, exasperated by the turn of events. I couldn't help but take his words to heart, and they stung. I was nothing like my father, never would be, and I hated the fact that we shared DNA, but the way Darius had just lumped us together only pointed out that we were forever linked.
"I didn't mean..." Darius's words cut off as he looked at Marcella. She looked just as hurt by his words as I felt. She also looked ready to kick the Enforcer's ass if he said anything further, which was saying something.
"We should get back to the house, unless you want to stay the night in Vegas," Keir suggested.
"I would prefer the house, if anyone cares. All this concrete and glass is making me twitchy," I said, trying to move past the fact my father was a monster. I could only hope that Elizabeth's interactions with him were few and far between.
"What about the girl?" Cade asked.
We all turned and looked at Elizabeth's unconscious form on the table, and as much as I had sympathy for her, I wanted her to get the help she needed, and that wasn't going to happen if she came home with us. There was no way we could keep an eye on her, make sure she didn't hurt herself or steal something from the Cavalry's house, and solve this case. She needed to be somewhere where she could get professional help.
"I'll figure something out," Darius grumbled. "I always do."
21
Marcella
I knew he heard when the French doors opened, knew it because even though he didn’t react—not even a muscle twitched down his bare spine—he couldn’t have not felt me step outside.
We were staying in yet another house Darius had procured for us. Our digs certainly had improved since he’d entered our world. From ratty motels to sleeping in the van, I was almost glad he was an Enforcer, because as much as I wanted out of Westbrook, sleeping in beds that had other things living in them? Yeah, gross.
This place was a mansion, set in grounds so large it was a pleasure just to look out of the window. The desert was everywhere, and the garden was loaded down with beds of cacti that brought a variety of color to the yard.
It didn’t surprise me that Gideon had stepped off the tiled terrace, gone past the pool, and was sitting in basketball shorts with his feet in the sand, his arms cupped around his knees.
There was something withdrawn about him. I’d noticed that since we’d left Westbrook. He was hard to get close to. Not necessarily a closed book, just… I sighed. I was tired of the distance between us.
It was like he wanted to be the leader of this band so much, that he forgot the other stuff. The only time I’d felt anything different than his need to control the Brotherhood was tonight.
I’d felt his jealousy.
His craving for me.
I guess fucking Keiran and Cade in the truck on the way to the pawnshop hadn’t helped. And Darius suddenly becoming my pursang’s version of pistachio macarons wasn’t helping any.
I think if Darius hadn’t become a part of our lives, Gideon would have been okay waiting for us to bond. But now that the pursang Enforcer was here? Shit had gotten real.
“What are you doing out here?” I didn’t wait for him to invite me to sit down, mostly because I was afraid he’d try to send me back to the house, before taking a seat next to him.
I didn’t want to be in there anymore than Gideon did by the looks of it.
The others were watching football, while Darius talked to someone on the cou
ncil—in Latin, no less. I wasn’t sure whether to be pissed or concerned about the sudden need for privacy.
Of course, that was probably my pursang’s covetousness flaring to life. She didn’t appreciate the presence of another female in the building—even if the creature had already dismissed said female as totally useless and fragile.
Why Elizabeth was here when we’d universally agreed that she needed outside help, I wasn’t sure, but I’d admit to wanting her out of here. Sharing territory was wearing on my nerves.
“The suppression rune I used tonight drained me. I needed to recharge it.”
His voice was dull, threaded with a remembered pain that had me slipping my arm under his and hugging him tight.
It was a warm night, and the blanket of stars overhead was infringed upon only by light pollution from the city in the distance. He didn’t resist when I carefully dragged him down so that we were lying flat, looking directly at Orion’s Belt.
He released a deep sigh as I tangled my legs with him. A sound caught my attention—the door. Quickly, I sent a message to Raven, believing he’d hear it, even if I wasn’t sure how I knew that. No. Don’t come out here. I need time with Gideon.
Okay, sexy. I’ll tell Darius to back off.
I groaned inwardly. Trust it to be Darius. Call me ‘sexy’ again, and I’ll castrate you.
Charming. Since when did women stop appreciating compliments?
How would you like it if I called you that? I argued.
I’d love it, he crooned, making my lips curve.
Sure you would. Leave us alone out here, yeah?
Will do, he told me, his tone turning serious. Gid’s been disconnected since Darius swept in and took over shit. Bring him back to the fold, Chella, yeah?
That’s the goal tonight.