by Dawn Ibanez
Table of Contents
ALSO BY DAWN IBANEZ
Prologue
Chapter 1-
Chapter 2-
Chapter 3-
Chapter 4-
Chapter 5-
Chapter 6-
Chapter 7-
Chapter 8-
Chapter 9-
Chapter 10-
Chapter 11-
Chapter 12-
Chapter 13-
Chapter 14-
Chapter 15-
Chapter 16-
Chapter 17-
Chapter 18-
Chapter 19-
Chapter 20-
Epilogue-
Coming Soon
ALSO BY DAWN IBANEZ
MAXWELL INVESTIGATIONS
Tangled Temptations
Precarious Possessions
HIGH COUNCIL
Dragon’s Awakening
Precarious Possessions
Maxwell Investigations Book 2
Dawn Ibanez
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 Dawn Bond-Ibanez
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this e-book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of author’s rights.
To the woman that has had my back no matter how mad she is with me.
Pansy Ibanez
Without you there would be no me. Thank you for everything Ma!
Prologue-
March 2008
Troy rode up to his father’s office and slowly took off his helmet. He had to admit it was strange hearing from his father. The two of them had not in spoken years. In some ways, Troy felt like he was letting both his mother and father down by his choice in profession. The district attorney and doctor had high hopes for their oldest son. When Troy came home from college and announced that he wanted to tend bar, neither had taken the news well.
That was their problem. Troy had a good thing going for him. While he was not rolling in money, he had enough for his motorcycle, a roof over his head, and food in his stomach. The only thing he was missing was a woman by his side to share it.
And that problem was going to be solved later. The man that left him Madison’s picture also wrote his phone number on the back of it. Troy was going to find her. After the night they had, it would not be right to leave things unsettled between them. If he could only find a way to talk to her, then maybe he could convince her to give him a shot.
The office’s main doors opened and Troy saw one of his sisters walking through the entrance. “Hey Chelle,” he greeted pleasantly. His smile fell when he saw the glare she was giving him.
“Did you have to break his wrist?” she asked hotly.
His good mood he evaporated. Troy remembered his brother-in-law’s comments about Madison the other night. He also remembered Madison’s brothers listening to the whole conversation. “He’s lucky that his wrist was the only thing broken,” he said lowering the kickstand to his bike.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Michelle asked folding her arms over her body.
Troy took a slow breath as he looked at his sister. “You don’t know what happened,” he warned, “And unless you want to know what your husband does when he’s out, you’ll leave me alone.”
Michelle’s lips tightened. “That’s not fair.” When Troy moved to go to the office building, she followed. “Jack’s been nothing but nice to you.”
Troy rounded on her. “He insulted my girlfriend,” he said matching her tone. “And he did it in front of her brothers.” When brown eyes blinked at him, he continued. “He probably never even told you how he thought she was cute. All tits and ass and blow-me lips.”
Michelle shook her head. She could believe Jack said those things, but she was surprised that he would be so careless. “How much did you give him to drink?”
A disgusted snort left him. “Dad said he wanted to see me,” he said before turning to go inside.
“Don’t brush me off,” Michelle snapped as she grabbed his arm. When he turned to glare at her, she continued. “You’re the one that brushed off school and decided to wallow in that cesspool. You should know when you need to cut someone off.”
“I’m not going to stand here and have this argument with you.” Troy pulled his arm away from her and walked away. Once he reached the elevators, he turned and saw that she was still near the entrance fuming. “Maybe you need realize when a man spends more time with me drunk than with you sober, it’s not a marriage. If you don’t want him in my bar, you keep him home,” he called out to her as he stood in front of the elevator.
Troy growled low in his throat when he saw his other sister frowning at him and Michelle from the office next to him.
Tara Davenport leaned against the doorframe and sighed, “Do I need boxing gloves, or popcorn?”
Troy ran his hands through his hair. “You talk to her,” he ordered. “I need to go see Dad.”
Tara nodded as she walked closer to Troy. With the ease of a baby sister, she reached up and kissed his cheek. “He said that you’d be stopping by.” She gave him a mischievous smile. “He also said something about you giving me front row tickets to the Rolling Stones show for my birthday.”
“He did not,” Troy mused tugging gently on a lock of her hair.
Tara rolled her eyes. “That’s what you say now,” she said walking over to where Michelle stood fuming. “There’s only 120 shopping days until my birthday. You need to catch up. Dad’s already getting me a diamond necklace.”
Troy laughed. Tara had a habit of trying to get a bigger and better gift out of any and everyone. She was a terror around Christmas, but even with her antics, he had to adore her. “Brat,” he called pressing the button for the elevator.
He did not have to wait long for the elevator to arrive. Troy stepped into the small car and pressed the button for the third floor. The medical building that housed both his father and sister’s medical practices was rather warm and welcoming. They were nothing like the stark, clinical offices he remembered from his childhood.
He hated going to the doctor. The elevator doors opened before his thoughts could wander further. Troy walked down the hall to his father’s OB/GYN office. He smiled as he approached the receptionist. “Hey Reeny, is the old man in?” he asked.
Large blue eyes rolled. “Yes Troy. You know he’s waiting for you,” she said glancing away from her computer. “There’s someone he wants you to meet.”
Troy frowned at her comment. “Who?” he asked sitting on the edge of her desk.
“Mr. Wolfe. He’s the owner of Haven, and apparently he and Connor have been friends for years.” Maureen smiled at Troy. “Maybe Connor pulled some strings and got you a new job.”
Troy was doubtful. This whole meeting was starting to sound odd. He straightened and glanced at his friend. “He may have,” Troy lied. Maureen adored his father as if he were her own. He did not want to harm the image she had. “I’ll see you on the way out,” he said before going to the closed office door.
Just as he was about to knock, a small woman opened the door. Her violet eyes gazed at him with a curious expression. “You must be Troy,”
she greeted. When he blinked at her, she moved to the side, “Come on in.” For some reason, her unusual gaze fell to his neck and she smirked.
“Troy,” a familiar voice said from deeper in the office. It made Troy finally take notice of the other oddities of his visit. Dr. Connor Davenport stood looking out of his window with a deep frown on his face. “Come in Son. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
The frown on Troy’s face deepened as he looked at the man lounging on his father’s office sofa. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his eyes were hidden by a pair of thick sunglasses. He wore all black and had a look that clearly stated that he didn’t belong anywhere near an OB/GYN office. Troy turned his eyes back to Connor as the woman walked over to the stranger and sat. “What’s going on here Dad?” he asked lowly.
Connor rubbed his blue eyes as he thought about what he had to do. He turned to Troy with a serious expression. “Troy, I would like for you to meet Dennis Wolfe,” he said gesturing to the stranger.
Troy looked at Dennis. He nodded, but did not make any moves to shake his hand. He turned his attention to Connor, but made sure to keep Dennis in his line of sight. “What is this all about?” he asked again.
“You’re a smart boy,” Dennis commented from his seat. He saw the way Troy’s back straightened and removed his sunglasses. “You figure it out.”
Troy looked at Dennis and slowly inhaled. The other man was looking back at him with golden eyes….
Golden eyes that mirrored his own. The longer he looked at Dennis, Troy could see other resemblances. They had the same shade of brown hair, similar angular features. There was no doubt that he was related to this man.
Dennis frowned as he leaned up from his position on the sofa. Evidently Troy was not as quick on the uptake as he would have liked. “I’m your father, boy.”
Troy frowned as he turned his head back to Connor. “What the hell is this?” he asked. When Connor stood silent, Troy felt his temper rise.
Connor took a slow breath. This was not going to be easy to explain. “Your mother and I never hid that I was your stepfather from you,” Connor reasoned. “Dennis.…”
Troy’s hands automatically curled into fists. “You said that you didn’t know anything about my real father.” He looked at Dennis and fought the growl trying to rise in his throat. “Even Mom said that she didn’t remember the night she conceived me.”
Dennis shook his head, “Belle doesn’t remember anything about me. I made sure of it.”
“Bullshit,” Troy growled. His entire body was tense as he looked at the man that was claiming to be his father. “You’re not even old enough to be my father.”
“That’s because I’m a Werewolf,” Dennis confessed simply. Had he been speaking to anyone else, the look on Troy’s face would have been comical. The boy’s eyes went round to the point where he could see the whites around his pupils. His tightened jaw slowly fell open in shock. If there was not so much on the line, he would have laughed. “I age differently than humans.”
Troy came out of his stupor. “You can’t be serious.” He then glanced at Connor. “Dad, this is sick. You know that, right?”
Connor lowered his eyes and sighed. “He’s not joking Troy,” he said before looking at his stepson. “Dennis and I met when I was twelve. We’ve been friends ever since.”
“And you just happened to let your friend fuck your wife?” Troy asked hotly.
“You watch your mouth,” Connor snapped.
“Don’t ever disrespect her,” Dennis growled simultaneously. He and Connor looked at each other for a moment as Troy moved towards the far corner of the room. When the boy looked like he was ready to listen, Dennis continued. “I loved her first. Belle and I dated for a year before she found out what I was.”
Troy folded his arms tight across his chest. He was beginning to feel sick. “She wouldn’t have believed you,” he said forcing his hands not to shake.
“She didn’t have a choice,” Dennis said quietly. He looked at Troy and took a slow breath. “She came to my club to surprise me during the full moon.” Dennis could still remember the look of utter horror on Belle’s face as he transformed. “She was the one that was surprised. Almost everyone there was ready to attack her.”
Troy closed his eyes as he thought of his mother’s fear of dogs. “Why doesn’t she remember you now? I mean, she told me that she had gotten drunk one night and a month later she found out she was carrying me.”
Connor took a slow breath as he sat behind his desk, “Your mother had a break down. She wouldn’t move, or talk or deal with anyone around her. We knew someone that was able to repress her memories of Dennis enough that she could function. That was how we found out she was pregnant with you.”
Golden eyes narrowed as he looked at his step-father. “So you made her think you two had a fight, and to get even with you she had a one night stand.”
Dennis growled. “It was the best way to protect you.” He wanted to make sure Troy knew exactly what happened. “If she would have known that she was pregnant, and if she remembered what I was, what you could be, she would have aborted you.”
Troy’s jaw tightened as he looked at Dennis. “So what did you do? Pass her off to Dad?”
Golden eyes looked at Troy with a barely suppressed rage. “Don’t test me, boy.”
“Don’t treat my mother like some whore,” Troy growled.
Dennis crossed the room and stood toe to toe with him. With as angry as Troy was made him, Dennis had to be impressed that Troy stood his ground. “You have no idea what I feel for her. No clue what it’s like knowing that with as happy as you tried to make her, a boy you helped raise was the one to give her a family.” Dennis leaned over to Troy’s ear and fought a growl at the scent of the female Mage that was all over him. “The last thing I would do is treat her like a whore. She would have been my mate if she hadn’t broken.” He pulled back enough to look into Troy’s livid eyes. “And the next time you say that I did treat her as such, I will beat an apology out of you.”
“You’ll try,” Troy replied.
Connor tried to move between the two. “Violence isn’t really the answer,” he said quickly. When Troy backed up a step, Connor turned to Troy. “Son, we’re trying to look out for you. Don’t stand here and fight with Dennis. Not when he’s the only one that can help you.”
Troy’s eyes narrowed as he looked into Connor’s. “Help me with what?” he asked.
“You’re turning,” Connor answered. When Troy started to frown, he continued. “The flashes of temper, the way you can’t seem to control your strength.”
“That happens to people all of the time,” Troy reasoned.
Connor looked at him with a disapproving gaze. “You broke Jack’s wrist without a thought. Things like that don’t happen.”
Troy did not hide a smirk. “When a drunk speaks badly about a woman, things like that happen all the time Dad,” he said reasonably.
Dennis rubbed the back of his neck. The promise he made Madison echoing in his mind. “What if you hurt that woman?” he asked darkly. When Troy looked at him, he took the opening, “I smell one on you. What if you grab her too hard? You could break a limb. What if you bite her?”
It was like someone threw cold water on him. Troy could remember sinking his teeth into Madison multiple times. “What would happen?” he asked quietly.
“If you broke the skin, she would be infected,” The violet eyed woman answered from across the room. “You would have to exchange blood with her for her to turn, or she would die.”
Connor looked at Troy with alarmed eyes. “Did you bite her Troy?” he asked.
Troy ran both hands through his hair. He could not catch his breath. He bit the hell out of Madison, but he never broke the skin. His eyes turned to the small woman. “What if I didn’t?” he asked walking over to where she sat.
Dennis rolled his eyes behind Troy’s back. He wasn’t lucky enough for Madison to bleed out. No, as some sort
of Karmic joke, his son impregnated and marked one of the most dangerous Mages in the country.
“She’s marked.” Leigh answered. When Troy frowned she smirked. “Until you give up all rights to her, no other male Wolf will touch her.” She saw the pleased look in Troy’s eyes and shook her head. “Don’t look so smug. Until you give her up, she’s going to want no one but you. And the longer you wait, the more she’s going to need to have you around.”
Dennis could see that Troy was thinking about Madison. His jaw tightened as his son interrogated Leigh. There was little to no hope that he would let Madison go. The longer he kept her secret, the angrier Troy would be once everything was out in the open.
Troy put his head in his hands. While part of him sang at the thought of Madison wanting no one but him, he could not force her to live that way. He looked at into Leigh’s eyes and released a breath. “I can’t keep her,” he said shaking his head. “She’ll be in too much danger.”
Again, Dennis found his eyes rolling. While Madison Maxwell was a lot of things, Damsel in Distress she was not.
Far from it.
She’s more of the Evil Queen.
And now she was having his grandchildren.
Dennis could skin Troy alive for that alone.
Chapter 1-
Four Years Later
Brown eyes stayed focused on her target. For the past three hours those two little mongrels had played, eaten and played some more.
It was time for the little hellions to be put down.
“Gotcha!” Madison shouted as she jumped out of the tree she had been hiding in. Just as her feet touched the ground, she snatched up her twin sons. As they laughed and squealed, she hoisted Aiden under her arm as she tightened her grip on Kayin’s ankle. “What do you two have to say for yourselves?” she asked.