by Dawn Ibanez
Troy glanced at Madison who was looking over her shoulder at them both. He then turned back to the concerned look on his mother’s face. “I’m fine,” he said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he felt his mother cuff him on the back of his head. “What the hell was that for?” he asked outraged.
“You’re the father of her boys aren’t you?” Belle accused. She turned fully to Troy and folded her arms over her chest. “That’s why you turned tail and ran away.”
Madison quickly turned around and glanced at Casper. Both she and the vampire were trying not to laugh.
Troy’s lips thinned as he looked at his Mate and his rival. When he caught a glimpse of Belle’s hand going up again, he turned to her. “In all fairness, I didn’t know about the boys until the day before yesterday,” he said quickly.
Madison turned outraged eyes to him. “Oh sure, throw me under the bus.”
Belle glared at Madison. “I’ll deal with you later,” she promised. She then turned back to Troy. “If you didn’t run off like some deadbeat then why did you leave?”
Casper took a slow breath as he started up the driveway to Madison’s home. “Looks like we have some company,” he said loudly. He glanced into the rear view mirror and saw Belle glaring at his interruption. “Sorry.”
Madison slumped low in her seat and blew out a breath. Dennis tried to make her seem so mentally fragile. It was actually funny to watch her flip out and freak over something so normal. She then looked at the SUV in front of her house and rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing that the other wolf called Dennis,” she said before turning to look at Troy.
Troy frowned and looked at his mother. “Mom, there’s a lot that we have to tell you. And it won’t be easy for you to hear,” he started.
Belle’s eyes narrowed as she turned back to her son. “Really?” she asked. “Like finding out zombies exists, one of my favorite former ME’s can do magic, and she’s also the mother of my grandchildren isn’t easy?” She raised her hand again but barely stopped herself from hitting him. “Troy Marco Davenport, you better have a good damned reason for hiding from me.”
Madison tried not to laugh at the ridiculous nature of the conversation. “Let’s get inside, maybe we can straighten this all out,” Madison said as she climbed out of the car. She smiled at Belle. “If you want, I can get you cleaned up and then you can meet the boys.”
Belle also stood and climbed out of the back seat. “Cute misdirection,” she said simply. When she stood toe to toe with Madison, she pointed her finger at Madison’s chest. “But don’t think for one second that I’m going to forget this.” She stepped away from Madison and brushed her hair out of her face. “Four years, Madison?”
Madison shook her head. “I didn’t know Troy was your son,” she reasoned. “Otherwise you know I would have been at your door every weekend for you to play with them.”
Belle looked at her skeptically. She ignored the sound of the door to the house opening behind her and kept her focus on Madison. “You’re lying,” she said after a moment. Before Madison could say anything she continued. “You would want to bring them over. I don’t doubt that, but you can’t sit here and tell me that you were going to raise those boys outside of whatever it is you’re involved in. And if they know about magic, then you wouldn’t be able to let them near people that don’t know. Which would be me, correct?”
“Damn it Belle, don’t go all DA on me,” Madison pleaded as Dennis walked out of her house.
Dennis looked at the woman he had loved from afar for decades. She was still as full of passion as she was nearly thirty years ago. “There are safeguards we could have taught them,” he said in a low voice. When Belle turned to him, he held her gaze. “But you’re right. It would have been safer for everyone if you didn’t have any contact with the boys.”
Belle sucked in a sharp breath. It was like something in her mind was ripped away at the sight of this man. She was terrified of him, but she had loved him. The last time she went to see him was when she was going to tell him she was pregnant with their first child. When she had gone into his club and his “friends” changed into wolves, and tried to attack her, she refused to have anything to do with him. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered how he asked a beautiful blonde to wipe her memory. After that, Belle remembered only being with Connor. She believed that she had loved him. Even to the point where she married and made a life with him.
Dennis saw her hand come up but did nothing to stop her. The slap to his face stung, but it was the least he deserved from her. “Hello Isabelle.”
The tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks as she glared at him. “I have nothing to say to you,” she spat. When his eyes lowered she wiped her face and stepped away from him. She looked at the house and saw her husband standing at the doorway. “I have even less to say to you.”
Troy gently put his hands on her shoulders. “Mom, it was for the best,” he said softly.
Belle’s back straightened as she looked at Dennis. She could also remember him changing from a wolf into the man that called his friends off of her. She glanced at Troy before turning to him. “What did you do to my son?” she asked. When his head stayed lowered, she felt something inside of her snap. “Answer me, you manipulative piece of shit!” she screeched.
Troy grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off her feet. “Mom, it’s alright,” he shouted over her screams.
Madison walked over to Belle and forced her to look into her eyes. “Belle, stop,” she said sternly. When Belle shook her head Madison grabbed both sides of her face. “You need to calm down. Your son needs you to be here for him, and so do your grandsons.”
“He ruined my life!” Belle screamed. “And now he’s after my baby!”
Casper touched Troy’s shoulder and frowned. He slipped into Belle’s mind and put her to sleep. Green eyes looked at the men in front of him and mused. “You boys are going to have a hellcat on your hands,” he said before making his way into the house.
Madison looked at Dennis and Connor and folded her arms over her chest. “You two better get your stories straight. She’s going to take you both to task for this stunt.” She then looked at Troy. “Come on. We’ll put her in one of the guest rooms.”
Connor stayed silent as Troy walked past him. He didn’t know what he could say. In his own mind Troy was his son. While it was true that Dennis arranged everything for him and Belle to be a couple, Connor had truly fallen for her.
Troy looked back at Connor. “Go spend some time with the boys, Dad. I’ll be back as soon as I get her settled,” he said in a tired voice.
* * * * *
Jade green eyes looked out among the growing crowd of the club. There was no more denying that she was hungry, but she also knew that she would have to be careful with the prey she found. With rumors starting up, it wouldn’t do to start feeding off someone and then having a Keeper stumble upon her.
“Have you found anyone good yet, Lily?” A male voice asked.
She turned around and brushed her wine colored hair away from her face. “Find your own food, Cord,” she snapped viciously. “Or better yet, starve. If any more of your bodies show up, I’m sure the Council will send out one of their precious Slayers for you.” She turned her attention to the crowd again and inhaled as she saw one of the very Slayers she mentioned. “Jimmy Maxwell,” she frowned.
Cord stood from his seat and went to her side. “I’m sure he would be a perfect meal for you,” Cord whispered.
Lily growled as she felt his seductive voice wash over her. “I will not flaunt myself under any Maxwell’s nose,” she replied before looking at him.
Cord smiled as his eyes scanned the crowd. “Is that because you have a taste for one of them?” he asked in a teasing voice.
With a roll of her eyes, Lily moved away from her brother. “Grow up, Cord,” she said before moving away from him. “Not everyone is like you.” She watched the crowd and saw a man with a tall, strong build. “If D
addy shows up, tell him I’ll call him tomorrow.” Lily turned and walked away from her brother. She knew that he would watch her from the balcony of the VIP room. It didn’t bother her as she quickly made her way down to the dance floor, but the situation she currently found herself in did bother her. Cord was losing his grip on the rules; no fatalities, no minors, everything was to stay under wraps. The lives they live in the Normal’s world should be completely different from their natures. Just because she had to live it up as a whore at night didn’t mean that she had to do it in the light of day. As a matter of fact, she actually liked her new job.
A hard body pressed up against Lily’s back. Her anger defused some of her hunger, but the feeling of male hands on her waist brought her nature back to the fore. She turned in his arms and gave him a seductive smile. His blue eyes quickly locked on the shape of her mouth, just as she knew it would. “Take me to the back and we can finish this in private,” she suggested.
It only took a moment’s hesitation before awkward lips fell on hers. Lily inhaled through her nose as his lust threatened to overtake her. She pulled away from his kiss and giggled when he stepped with her. She could tell he’d never done something like this. And from the feel of him, he was going to be delicious.
* * * * *
Madison quietly opened the door to the guest room she and Troy placed Belle. She wasn’t surprised to see the other woman sitting up and gazing at the rising moon. “You hungry?” she asked quietly.
Belle looked at Madison with bloodshot eyes. “I’m sick,” she answered. When Madison closed the door she wiped at the tears sliding down her face. “How much of my life is a lie?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Madison answered honestly. She crossed the room and sat at the foot of the bed. “Things about magic, general stuff about wolves and vampires, how to get the twins to sleep, that I can handle. Relationship stuff, not so much.”
Belle’s hands were shaking as she ran her hands through her hair. “He’s a werewolf, isn’t he?”
Madison didn’t know if she meant Dennis or Troy. It really didn’t matter. “Yes.” She stood and went to the window. “In a few years the boys may change as well.”
“May?”
“There’s a 50/50 chance with one human and one non-human parent. By puberty most start developing traits of the other species. For werewolves and other shifters it’s tricky, they don’t enter puberty until their twenties.”
Belle could remember Troy’s temper becoming short and nearly volatile after he had come home from college. She closed her eyes and allowed her shoulders to fall. “I feel like a horrible mother.”
Madison snorted. When Belle looked at her, she gave her a rueful smile. “I can hold seminars about horrid mothers. Trust me, you’re fine.”
Belle found herself eased by Madison’s reassurance. They sat in comfortable silence for a while. As the moon rose higher, Belle replayed what Madison had said to her. “Your boys also have a 50/50 chance,” she said. When Madison looked at her, she returned the gaze. “They’re my grandsons. I deserve to know.”
Madison shrugged. “It’s a little more complicated,” she said rubbing the side of her neck. “I’m a Mage. Not exactly human, but not exactly not human.”
Belle looked at Madison for a moment. She couldn’t hold back her laughter as an odd thought struck her. “I used to work with Harry Potter,” she giggled.
Madison blinked before giving into her own laughter. That was one thing she missed about working with Belle. They were fast friends and easily made each other laugh. “A little vague and a lot general. But yes, I’m Harry Potter.”
As Belle laughed harder a knock came to the door. Madison opened the door and saw Dylan. “And here’s Hermione,” she said stepping aside.
Dylan looked between Belle and Madison and felt her eyes roll. As she thought they talked some, but pushed some major issues under the rug. “Don’t believe her,” Dylan said. “She’s more like Sirius Black.”
Madison pouted as she went back to sit next to Belle. “But he died in the fifth book.”
Dylan smiled sweetly at her sister. “But he was bat shit crazy.”
Madison’s pout blossomed into a smile. “Gary Oldman played him to the bone,” she gushed.
Belle chuckled at Madison’s antics before looking at Dylan. She had met the other Maxwell sister when Madison had worked with her. After the woman had been married, Belle hadn’t seen or heard anything from her. “So, tell me about the magic,” she requested. Madison’s laughter died as Belle remembered the horrible creatures that had killed Leslie and Marie. “Can all of you do that?”
Dylan shook her head. “Magic is normally passed down from parent to child. Unlike Harry Potter, we have affinities to certain things. Our brother Jimmy can call spirits into gems. He can make then into weapons or guardians.”
Belle looked at Madison. “Can you do that?” she asked. “In the stairs, you changed that ruby you wear into a weapon.”
“They’re called Jewel Witches,” Madison replied going back to the window. “Our mother is one, so we can all do the basics of it. My specialty hasn’t been in the family in about two hundred years.”
Belle remembered what Spencer had said to her in the hallway. She also remembered the shape of Madison’s weapon. “You’re one of those Necromancers,” she stated.
Madison looked at Dylan and smirked. “I knew I saw Kayin’s stare someplace else,” she said before turning to Belle. “If it makes it any easier to know, yes.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then I’m not,” Madison said with a straight face.
Dylan frowned at the exchange. Even though her reputation said otherwise, Madison was too used to protecting everyone around her. What she needed was someone to protect her. “Madi,” she warned.
Before Madison could say anything, Belle held up a hand to Dylan. “I know she’s lying,” she said keeping her eyes locked on Madison. “You’re a Necromancer. You make those things?”
Madison shrugged. “Zombies are usually more trouble than they’re worth, but yeah.” She continued to watch Belle. “Usually I just raise the dead long enough to answer a few questions.”
Belle tilted her head to the side. “Your family has positions all around to hide what you all are,” she deduced. “You’re like a whole secret society hidden in the regular population,” she added in awe.
“Pretty much.” Madison glanced at Dylan and rubbed the side of her neck again. “Listen, Belle, why don’t you come downstairs and spend some time with us. Troy and Dennis are going to be out for a while and the boys want to meet their grandma.”
Belle blinked at the thought. “And here I thought I was going to spoil Chelle’s baby girl.” She stood and tried to fix her hair. “Troy’s boys may be the death of me.”
Dylan scanned Belle’s mind and saw that she was trying to cope with everything going on around her. She smiled, being careful to hide her fangs. “They are little heartbreakers in training.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “Yes, but as long as they worship Lacey, I don’t have to hurt anyone.”
It was Dylan’s turn to roll her eyes. “Don’t make it seem like Lacey’s a little princess.”
Madison froze before looking into her sister’s eyes. “Do you really want me to go there?”
Belle frowned for a moment before remembering. She turned to Dylan. “You adopted Perry’s little girl,” she said softly.
Dylan nodded. “She’s an Alchemist, like me. So it made sense that I be the one to take her in.”
Belle mused. She also remembered Perry’s advances on Dylan. There was no other woman he would have wanted as the mother of his child. She blinked when Dylan winced.
Dylan put a comforting hand on Belle’s shoulder. “Please don’t think that around Crispin. He’s still a little jealous,” she said quietly.
Madison inhaled as she stood on Belle’s other side. “Dylan was changed into a vampire just over four years ago.”
/> Belle blinked as she looked at Dylan. “You’re a vampire?” she asked. As Dylan nodded she slowly inhaled. Dylan’s virtual disappearance made sense. So did the careful way she spoke and smiled. For some reason Belle never thought a black woman would be a vampire.
“It’s the pale thing,” Dylan said easily. “Most black people look ashy, not pale. And I don’t know about you, I think ashy is a complete turn off. Fortunately, that’s only a myth.” She then smiled when she heard a soft footfall by the door. “Crispin and Victor are pale as hell because they’re European,” she added in a teasing tone.
Madison simply opened the door and smiled at Crisping and Troy. “You boys having fun?” she asked.
Crispin frowned at his wife. “Loads,” he said stepping around Madison. He went to Dylan’s side and tangled his hand in her hair. As he looked into her playful eyes he found himself smiling. “European?” he asked.
Dylan gave him a quick kiss. “Would you rather I say it’s because we just recently dragged you out of the dark ages?”
Madison looked at the floor before turning to leave the room. She paused when she saw Troy standing in her way. “Yes, they’re naturally this sickening,” she said seriously. Her eyes widened when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
Troy buried his nose in her neck and just breathed her in scent. “I’m about to head out,” he said softly.
She relaxed against him and took a slow breath. “So you wanted your own sappy goodbye?” she asked in the same tone.
He chuckled and kissed the side of her neck. “I left dinner for you downstairs. Your brother said it was romantic.” Troy looked into her confused eyes and smiled. “I figured I’d come and get your scent before you ran.”
Madison’s jaw fell for a moment. As he moved towards his mother, Madison swallowed. The father of her sons or not, she knew she was dangerously close to falling for him. Madison’s entire body stiffened as she felt both Dylan and Crispin staring at her. “I’m gonna go get the boys,” she said before running out of the room.