by Susan Bliler
Mason’s jaw bunched, but he shook his head.
“And would he ever be unfaithful?”
A grim set took Mason’s lips before he answered. “He couldn’t, nor would he want to.”
“So. I’m bound to a Walker who would never hurt me, would never cheat on me, and would sacrifice his own life to save mine.” She let the words hang between them. “I don’t see how that’s a bad thing, brother.” She knew she had him when he jerked his gaze away, frowning hard for long moments.
“I just want what’s best for you.”
“I know that.” She smiled. “And that’s Remy. Remy’s what’s best for me. No one will ever love me the way he’s going to, will they? He’s gonna love me and protect me and be faithful to me, and I need you to be okay with that.” Her voice turned imploring. “Can you please, for my sake, be okay with that?”
When Mason finally nodded, Harlow shook her head. “Huh-uh. I need the words, Mace.”
His frown darkened.
“Come on. Say it. Tell me I have your blessing.”
His arms bunched and flexed, and he rolled his head on his shoulders as if saying the words were physically painful for him. “Fine,” he bit out. “You have my…blessing.”
Her shoulders slumped. “That’s it?”
“What else to you want me to say?” Mason growled.
“I want you to promise me you two will stop trying to kill each other. I want you to say that you’ll support our relationship. I want you to say that when Remy gets back we should all get together for dinner.”
“That’ll be a little odd, won’t it? You sitting across the table from someone Remy dated.”
“Don’t give me that,” she snapped, before waving her hand. “And don’t tell me there aren’t women running around this Estate that you crawled into bed with before finding Amanda.” She grinned when he had the decency to actually blush. “Exactly! I don’t care about the past. I care about the future, and you should too. My past held nothing but misery, so I’m not looking back. Why would I? That’s not the direction I’m headed. I can see happiness in the future with Remy, and I’m going after that. Now, I appreciate your blessing, but it felt empty.” She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and lifted up both hands to curl her fingers toward herself repeatedly in a gimmie gesture. “So give it to me, big brother. You know what I wanna hear.” She was grinning, and it turned into an outright smile when she heard Mason snarl and mutter a low curse.
“Fine!” he barked. “I support your future happiness with Remy bloody McCabe. I hope you two are happy. I hope you find what it is you’re looking for.”
Opening her eyes, Harlow lowered her head, eyeing him merrily. “See. I knew you had it in you!”
Mason leaned forward quickly. “But if he…”
“Nope!” Harlow held up a hand. “Got what I needed. Keep the rest.” She turned and headed toward the Estate house. “Come on. Let’s go talk with this Tyce guy.”
Chapter 5
Remy’s black Ford Raptor led a stream of Walker vehicles east away from StoneCrow. His eyes were focused on the black ribbon of highway, extending for hundreds of miles in front of him, but his thoughts were on Harlow EnemyHunter, his newly found Angel. What a hell of a time to be afflicted. His inner beasts paced just beneath the surface, infuriated that they were driving away from Harlow, instead of back to her. His skin itched to complete his claiming, and it wasn’t lost on him that there was a very high possibility that the Estate could be attacked again while he was on mission. He might lose his Angel before he ever got the chance to claim her.
“Hey, big guy! Easy!”
Remy’s eyes snapped to where James sat shotgun, noting that James’s eyes were fixed on the steering wheel. Looking forward, Remy realized he held the wheel in such a death grip it was actually slightly bent.
“Thinking about the attack?”
Remy snorted.
“Or is it Harlow EnemyHunter that has you strangling that poor, defenseless steering wheel?”
Remy loosened his grip, rolling his shoulders in a show of relaxing.
“Harlow it is,” James muttered, slouching in his seat. “How did Mason take it?”
Remy’s hands tightened again as he growled, “He thinks I walked away from her.”
That had James straightening in his seat. “Did you?”
Remy’s jaw worked before he frowned, hard. “Yeah, I did, but she came to me just before we left StoneCrow.” The hint of a smile ghosted Remy’s lips as he got a far-off look. “She’s mine now. I’ll never let her go again.”
“So, you claimed her!”
Remy’s smile slipped. “Not fully. Not yet. But I will.” He looked over when James made a show of looking him up-and-down. “What?” he growled.
“So, you’re still afflicted?”
Remy’s lips thinned into a grim line. He knew James’s concerns. An afflicted Walker was easily agitated and more irritable, his thoughts consumed with one thing and one thing only.
“Remy? Are you telling me you came on mission still fucking afflicted, man?”
Heaving a great sigh, Remy nodded once. “It couldn’t be helped.”
“Aww, fuck!” James threw his hands in the air, then turned to look over his shoulder to eyes the vehicle behind them through the window. “I’m contacting RedKnife to see if I can ride with him. Pull this fucking thing over.”
That had Remy grinning. “Worried, little brother?”
“Fuck yes!” James stared at him incredulously. “I don’t want to be trapped in this tin can with you all in a hormonal rage!”
Remy barked a laugh. “Hormonal rage?”
“Fuck yes! And don’t act like that’s not what it is. Your man juices are all whack-a-doo, we’re headed into battle, and you’re already revved up. This could get bad!” James turned to eye the vehicle behind them longingly. “Real bad.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense then,” Remy countered, “to be with the most volatile Walker when we do go into battle?”
“No!” James shook his head hard. “Fuck no! You’re gonna make bad decisions. You’re gonna go blazing in. You’re gonna get my ass killed.” He rolled down the window, sticking his head out to yell. “REDKNIFE PULL OVER! ME AND SHANE ARE SWITCHING CARS!”
A genuine laugh escaped Remy. He knew James was over exaggerating to take his mind off things. When Remy glanced in his rearview mirror he laughed even harder when he saw RedKnife frown at James through the glass, then glance in confusion at Shane where he sat shotgun. “Don’t mess with RedKnife,” Remy warned, throwing up a hand to wave off RedKnife’s questioning look. “He’ll kill us both.”
James laughed. “Naw. He can’t kill me. Cindy likes me. She’d have his hide.”
“Are you kidding? Cindy liking you will get you killed faster than anything else ever could.”
Glancing at the rearview mirror, James asked, “You think?”
“I fucking know,” Remy supplied. “If Harlow had even an ounce of any type of affection for any unmated Walker…” His words drifted off, the light banter fading as the conversation came back around to the source of James’s concern.
“Seriously man.” James cleared his throat. “You gotta keep an eye on that. You heard what happened to Bishop, and Conn nearly went mad when Aries was taken from him before he could claim her.” He ducked his head, swallowing loudly as he remembered it was Remy who’d taken Aries from Conn. He slid a glance to Remy, whose face had gone ashen. “Look, I’m just saying, you won’t have long out there.” He jerked his chin toward the highway.
When Remy responded, his tone was clipped. “I don’t plan on this taking long.”
“But if the intel is bad, if they’re not where they’re supposed to be...”
“They’ll be there.” Remy’s eyes narrowed on the highway. “This came straight from Monroe, and after the blow he’s just taken, he isn’t dishing out bad information. Don’t ask me how he knows, or why he knows, but the Dominant knows. We�
��re gonna find Nyree and Rohm, and we’re gonna bring ‘em home.”
“What of the others? Any word on Recker?”
“He’s safe.” Remy answered. “Back at StoneCrow.”
“What about the two human females, Sofia and Thea?”
“Marko’s got Thea. Apparently, she took a hit, and they were chased from the Estate. We’ve got Walkers on their way to bring them in. We believe Sofia may be with Ash, and his daughter, Harper.”
“Really?” James sounded surprised.
“What?”
“Sofia being with Ash,” James answered.
“Why the shock? Word is, the vet tech has been spending a great deal of time with little Harper. It’d make sense that Ash would protect them both when battle came.”
“Yeah.” James’s brows hiked. “But Ash? He’s mean as hell.”
Remy shook his head. “He’s protective as hell. There isn’t anything the Walker wouldn’t do for his daughter, and if she’s formed an attachment to Sofia, then Ash would get them both to safety. Funny.” He snorted. “I never understood the Walker male’s predilection for overprotection until now.” His eyes narrowed on the road in front of him. “Part of me came on this mission to find Rohm and Nyree, but another part, a bigger part, came to get my hands on the Megalya. They took Harlow, and God knows what they intended to do once they had her. When I find them, they’re gonna know they should have left her the hell alone.”
James nodded. “They’re fucking doomed! Worse thing you can do is mess with a Walker’s Angel, and after what happened to Harlow, and worse, Eden! I think Monroe was satisfied letting the Megalya exist on the Walker periphery, but not anymore.”
Remy looked at James. “Any word on the Domina?”
“RedKnife contacted Jenny before we left. Rumor has it the Domina doesn’t remember Monroe.” He glanced at Remy. “Can you imagine what that’s doing to him? It’s like they’ve taken his Angel, but worse. He still sees her, and she has no fucking clue who or what he is.”
“Then maybe we bring him back one still alive,” Remy grinned devilishly.
“We’d be doing them a favor to kill them all on sight.”
“I’m not much into favors where the Megalya are concerned.”
Chapter 6
Monroe sat in Jenny’s office, his head in his hands. It’d been days, and his Eden still hadn’t come around. Each day he visited under the guise of being a doctor, and each day she grew more and more insistent that someone contact her ‘boyfriend’, Finn.
“We need to do this slowly and carefully, Monroe. Any part of this,” Jenny waved her hand around the room, “existence could be a major setback. For now, I highly recommend you come up with a story explaining your wealth, and this place, because trying to tell a human female who just lost her memory, and therefore her entire life, that shape shifters not only exist, but that she is their queen…” Jenny blew out a pent up breath. “This could be bad. Not to mention the children. She can’t see them now, she just can’t. It’d be bad for her, and it’d be bad for them, which means you’re going to need to explain to your children why their mother is suddenly absent from their lives. I suggest the truth with Micah. He’s old enough, and he’s too smart for you to try to keep this from him.” She heaved a great sigh. “And aside from all that, we’ve got another problem.”
“What?”
“You can’t move her to Apex with the rest of the Angels and children.”
“Why? You’re afraid one of the women will let information slip?”
“Well yeah, there’s that too, but my biggest concern is that Walker children don’t learn to control their shifts until they’re much older. Her mind is fragile right now, and if she saw one of the children shift involuntarily, it could be catastrophic.”
“FUUUUCK!” Monroe bellowed, as he ripped a hand through his hair, leaning back in his chair and kicking his legs out in front of him.
Jenny watched silently as his mind worked. She knew his dilemma. The attack meant he was needed elsewhere, but Monroe would never leave his Domina in this state. Worse, he needed to get his children to Apex for their safety. But how could he explain to them, in a way that made any sense, why he and Eden wouldn’t be accompanying them? She wasn’t even sure he would send his children without accompanying them. What did he do? Follow his children, or stay with his queen?
Monroe’s head jerked to the side and he growled at the Sentry near the door. Now that King was aiding Tyce with running the Estate, Bodi was assigned as Monroe’s personal guard. “Get me Micah.”
Jenny nodded. Bringing Micah in now would help greatly. He could escort and protect the children where Monroe could not. He could also soften the blow of their mother’s absence for God knew how long.
Leaning back in his chair, Monroe folded one leg beneath him rested his fingers against his lips as he sat in quiet contemplation.
He looked haggard, defeated, and Jenny hated seeing it. He was their leader, and he needed to be strong. “Maybe, you should put someone else in charge,” Jenny suggested. “Temporarily,” she amended, when Monroe passed her a dark look.
“Step down while we’re under attack?” he scoffed.
“They’ll understand,” Jenny implored. “They’ll know that you need to be with Eden.”
“Tyce is already here,” he snarled. “And how can I be with her? She doesn’t even fucking know me!”
The door opened, and Monroe’s gaze jerked to Micah as he entered. The young man was growing into a fine Walker, and Monroe couldn’t help but feel pride surge.
Micah’s clear gaze locked on his. “Monroe?”
“We have a problem.” Monroe motioned with his head for Jenny and Bodi to leave them. Once alone with Micah, he stood and motioned toward the chair. “Have a seat.”
Micah did, his eyes tracking Monroe as he paced the room.
“As you know, Eden was injured in the initial attack.” He stopped pacing to stare at his adopted son. “It’s more complicated than we thought. She’s lost her memory, and Jenny isn’t sure when or if it’ll ever come back.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Monroe crossed to kneel in front of Micah, placing a hand on his knee. “She has no memory of who she is to us, or of who we are to her.”
Alarm filled Micah’s voice. “She doesn’t remember us?” He shot to his feet. “Maybe it’s just you. Maybe, if she sees us, me and the other kids…”
Shaking his head sadly, Monroe stood. “No, son, it doesn’t work like that.”
“But…but…”
“Look at me,” he commanded, and Micah complied. “This doesn’t change anything for us. Not for you or me, and certainly not for the kids. We still love her like she’s ours. She is still ours, and we’re never going to give up on her.” He squeezed Micah’s shoulder. “And we’ll wait for her, right? We’ll wait for as long as it takes.”
Micah nodded, but his eyes had a far-off look, like he wasn’t even hearing what was said, too dazed to take it all in.
“She is going to come back to us.” He didn’t know if it was the truth or not, but somehow just saying it made it feel right.
Micah blinked hard, coming out of his daze to stare at Monroe. “She is. She wouldn’t leave us. Not ever.”
Monroe gave him a sad smile. “No. She wouldn’t. Not ever.” He released Micah. “But now, you’ve got a mission. Something mom needs right now. Something to help the family.”
Micah straightened to attention, lifting his chin. “I’ll do it. Whatever she needs.”
This time’s Monroe’s smile was filled with pride. “Good, son. That’s good.”
A few hours later, Monroe sent his children to Apex with Micah and a team of his best mercenaries. As Monroe watched the helicopter leave with his children, he and Eden’s youngest nestled in the arms of Micah, he felt another piece of his heart tear free.
Chapter 7
Monroe stalked to his office, his mind not on the Estate, StoneCrow’s missing, the Megalya
, or even the war at his front door. Emergency protocols and damage control didn’t occupy his thoughts. No, his thoughts were with his Angel.
Eden was his life, and the thought of her not recognizing him, or their children, gutted him like nothing else had the power to. She was the very air he breathed, and without her, his existence was pointless. His thoughts flashed to their children, and he knew his Eden would cut him to the core if he even considered using her as an excuse to be anything but the doting father he’d always been to their six children, both adopted and natural.
Stepping into his office, he was met with a crowd of Walker Sentries huddled over his desk.
King’s head snapped up. “Crow! How is the Domina?”
All eyes turned to Monroe. He knew King and the other Walkers had been too busy with finding the missing, tending the wounded, and defending the Estate to have heard. “The head injury was severe. There’s been a complication.”
King’s eyes rounded as he asked, cautiously, “A complication?”
Monroe pinned King with hard eyes. “Memory loss. My Angel does not remember me. She does not remember our children. Right now, the Domina isn’t even aware of the existence of Walkers.”
Murmurs rose among the Sentries as they eyed one another. King sidled from behind the desk, but Monroe held up a hand. Monroe pointed at his chair and clipped out, “Keep it. I’m only here for a file.” He pointed to his computer, commanding, “I want all the intel we have on Finn fucking Emmit.”
King’s eyebrows hiked. “Crow?”
“Yeah,” Monroe growled. “That Finn Emmit!”
King dropped into Monroe’s chair and began typing. “Sending it to your phone.” He looked up. “Is he a part of our problem?”
Monroe’s jaw clenched. “No. He’s my problem right now. Eden’s lost years, and her mind is currently locked in the past. She believes she’s still in a relationship with Finn. Jenny thinks it’ll help to bring him in.”
King’s mouth fell open, and several of the Walkers in the room actually stepped back.
“Yeah.” Monroe slowly rolled his neck, barely containing the rage surging through him, his incisors elongating of their own volition. His beasts paced just beneath the surface, and when he finally lowered his head and opened his eyes, they’d gone full matte-black with the need to shift, to vent his frustration and agony with teeth and claws.