by Dawn Ibanez
Alex snorted. “No offense, but I really don’t want to talk to my stepdad about what happened between me and my fiancée.” He then paused and frowned. “I guess I better get used to calling her my ex, huh?”
Troy reached for the bedside table and snatched up a pen and paper. He scribbled down a name and number. “I was actually going to recommend that you talk to my sister. She’s a psychiatrist. Tara could probably help you both with what went down.”
Alex lowered his head for a moment. “Does she know about us?” he asked.
Troy smirked sheepishly. “I was going to talk to her about it this weekend. Do you want me to give her your number instead?” he asked. When Alex shook his head Troy continued. “With everything going on with my parents and with the boys, we figured that it would be best to tell Tara and ‘Chelle. This way if they come around, we don’t have to walk on eggshells.”
“Makes sense.” Alex straightened when Kayin slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Hey Squirt, you okay?” he asked.
Kayin nodded as he looked at his father and older brother. “Mommy was hurting,” he said in a whisper.
Alex and Troy both straightened at the way Kayin’s words seemed to blur together. “Kayin, what did Mom tell you about your magic?” he asked lifting the boy from the bed.
“She said don’t use it, but the baby was hurting too.” Kayin buried his face against Alex’s neck and hugged him.
Troy looked at his son with wide eyes. “Baby?” he asked.
Kayin looked at his father. “Mommy’s gonna have another baby.” He then turned confused eyes to Alex. “Do you think she’ll be happy?”
“I’ll be thrilled,” Madison answered. She opened her eyes and looked at her family. Her eyes turned to Troy and she felt a smile cross her face. “So, you’re planning on keeping me barefoot and pregnant?” she asked playfully.
Alex placed Kayin on the same chair as Aiden. He cleared his throat and went over to Madison’s side. “I’m glad you’re okay, Mom,” he said before quickly kissing her cheek.
She reached up and touched the side of his face. She didn’t know what was running through his mind, but from the glimpse of his eyes, it was bad. “We’ll deal with it Jailbait. Say the word and I’m there.” Madison’s eyes held his for a long moment. “We all are.” When Alex snorted, she frowned. “What happened?” she asked.
Alex rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t need to be listening to my problems. I’ll be fine.” Alex straightened and painted a smile on his face. “I think I’m gonna head out. There are still some things I’m trying to take care of.”
Madison knew he was just trying to get out of there are quickly as possible. “Did you move back home yet?” she asked lowly.
Wide eyes looked at her for a moment. He then sighed. “I’ll see you when you get home,” he answered. Before Madison could form another protest, he turned and left the room.
Madison turned her eyes to Troy and shook her head. “When these two are teenagers, you’re dealing with them,” she said.
Troy chuckled as he sat on the edge of the bed. “We’ll lock them in a closet somewhere. Or take Lacey’s advice and put them in a kennel.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” When Troy started to laugh she smiled. “You have a nice laugh,” she said before turned her eyes away from him. She looked at him with wide eyes as he climbed on the bed and lay next to her. “Troy?”
He brushed his lips against hers. “Feel free to compliment me whenever you want.” Madison’s laughter made him smile. “What can I say, I’m Dennis’s son.” At her snort, he looked into her eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay, Madison?” he asked seriously. Her pause made him frown. “I want the truth, Madison.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m fine. Kayin healed the worst of the injuries so there’s no need for you to worry about hurting me or the baby.” When she looked into his eyes again she smiled. “That sounds weird.”
Troy ran his fingers through her hair. “It sounds fine.” He buried his nose in her hair and simply breathed in her scent. “I love you, Madison. Did you know that?”
Madison felt tears coming to her eyes as she wrapped her good arm around his shoulders. “I love you too,” she whispered. When he ran his hands over her back, she looked into his eyes. “I don’t think Victor or Dennis will let me get away with a Vegas wedding.”
Troy laughed as the door opened. Both he and Madison sat up when Tina peaked into the room. He smiled at the woman when she spied the twins sleeping on a chair. “Come on in. I don’t think they’ll wake up any time soon.”
Tina looked at her daughter and entered the room. Madison was sitting with her arm in a cast, and bandages over the minor scrapes she received in the fight with Cord. Part of Tina wanted to cry because she looked like Hell but another part wanted to cry because Madison was alright.
Madison smirked at her mother. “I’m fine, Mom. You didn’t do any lasting damaged. Hell, Kayin already healed most of it and the baby’s fine.” Madison’s expression fell when Tina looked at her with horrified eyes. She then realized what she said. “Mom,” she started seriously.
Tina opened her mouth a number of times before she was able to make a sound. She then closed her eyes and took a breath. When she looked at Madison again Tina wore the stern face of a mother. “If you ever pull another stunt like this I swear, I will make your life a living hell,” she hissed. Tina then turned to Troy. “And what kind of werewolf are you? You should have been able to smell that she was pregnant before any of this mess started.”
“Troy wouldn’t have been able to stop me,” Madison said in his defense. When Tina looked at her again Madison sighed. “Mom, I’m in the hospital. I’m pregnant and I have two toddlers in the corner sleeping. Do you really think I need you in here yelling at me and my fiancé?” she asked. When Tina gasped, Madison’s posture deflated. “Don’t look like that, please. We don’t want all the pomp and circumstance. A quick trip to Vegas and it’ll all be said and done.”
Tina’s eyes narrowed at her daughter. “No daughter of mine is going to get married in Las Vegas. And if you think Dylan and Casper are going to help, you are sadly mistaken.”
Madison leaned back against Troy and smiled when his arms came up around her. “Just for argument’s sake, how are you going to stop us?”
Tina folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight. Madison knew the posture all too well. She adopted it when she was ready to toss out her final kill in an argument. “Because I’ve already talked with Belle, Dennis, and Victor. You try to get married without us, you will be sorry,” she answered simply.
“Relax, Tina,” Madison said closing her eyes. She got comfortable against Troy and smiled. “I was just going to tell Troy that we have to make sure we get married here around the families. So you can calm down.” Madison opened one eye and smiled when her mother started to relax. “What did the Council have to say about Cord and Mathias?” she asked.
Tina sat in the chair next to the twins and caressed one of her rings. “You and Barry have been cleared of any wrong doing. Thorne is to remain with Crispin and Dylan for the time being. And I have been given Mathias’s old position.”
Madison’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. Congratulations, Mom.”
Tina smiled faintly. “Thank you, Sweetheart, but I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say next.” She saw Madison’s frown and sighed. “They want me to keep Ashton here. And we can only have one listed Necromancer on the payroll.”
Troy frowned as he caught what she was saying. He then felt Madison shaking in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Well, letting Madison go will be for the best,” he said simply. “She’s pregnant. Dennis will keep us both busy with Pack business.”
Madison kept her eyes trained on Tina. “Ashton is dangerous Mom. He’ll hurt any of you to get to me,” she said seriously.
Tina frowned as she made a note to talk with Victor about Madison’s history with Ashton. She
then shook her head and stood. “I’ll figure something out. And I’ll keep the boys close.” Tina easily walked over to Madison and kissed her forehead. “In the meantime you have a wedding to plan. Start looking for a dress. We’ll have everything ready before you start showing.” With the ease of a mother, she turned and left the room.
“So I guess Vegas is out?” Troy asked before kissing her cheek.
Madison laughed as she turned her face and kissed him tenderly. “Yes, Vegas is out.”
Epilogue-
Dylan frowned at Madison’s reflection. “If you mess up your make up or hair, I swear I will hurt you,” she said swatting away Madison’s questing hands.
“It feels funny.” Madison chewed on her lip.
Tina laughed as she finished pinning the last ruby into her daughter’s hair. “You’ll get used to it,” she said before touching Madison’s shoulder. “Don’t chew on your lip Sweetheart. You’ll get lipstick on your teeth.”
Leigh walked into the bridal suite and smiled at Madison. “I was able to find something new, something blue, and something borrowed,” she announced holding up a small bag. Her violet eyes glittered as she started pulling out the items she gathered. “A new handkerchief, a blue garter, and I was able to borrow this necklace from that jeweler that Dennis let into the Pack.”
Dylan picked up the necklace and smiled at the delicate strands of silver, diamonds and rubies. “Very nice,” she complemented. She then turned to her mother. “You think you can get something like this?”
Tina smiled as she looked at the necklace. “Actually, I had something like that commissioned for Lacey’s sweet sixteen,” she said. When she looked at Dylan and winked. “It’s going to be amethyst and sapphire.”
Madison chuckled as Dylan went back to doing her makeup. “Crispin should love that. Lacey and Antonio’s birthstones? It’s perfect Mom.”
Dylan shook her head. Everyone enjoyed teasing her husband about Lacey’s crush on her bodyguard. “He’s threatening to send her to school in Paris. I never thought he would be this protective.”
Madison’s hand drifted to her lower abdomen. “I did. I was once one of his wards. And if the past few weeks are anything to go by, Troy will be just as bad.”
“You’re having a girl?” Leigh asked. When Madison nodded, she squealed. “She’s going to be precious. Do you have any names picked out?”
Victor knocked on the door and entered. He looked at the women hovering around his foster daughter and smiled. “I will have to veto your first choice my dear,” he said before carrying a dress bag over to the changing screen. “Briar Rose is a nice name, but it is not good enough for my granddaughter.”
Dylan frowned. “Briar Rose? Really Madison? That’s as bad as what you wanted to name the twins.”
Tina looked at Victor. “What did she want to name the boys?”
“Cain and Able,” the Vampire answered. “We compromised and came up with Kayin and Aiden.” He then turned his eyes to Madison. “I will have to agree with Troy on his idea of Aurora.”
Madison frowned. “I’m not letting you dictate what I’m naming my kids.”
Dylan put the tip of her finger on Madison’s nose. “It’s a better name. Deal with it,” she ordered. “And stop frowning. I’m working here.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “We should have gone to Vegas,” she mumbled.
“We would have hunted you down like animals and dragged you back here kicking and screaming,” Leigh replied. She then sniffed at the dress. “This is something old.” She turned to Victor. “Can I see it?” she asked.
Victor smiled at the young woman. She was bright, curious, and adventurous. If he wasn’t careful, he would find himself trying to find ways to spend time with her. When Dylan looked at him sharply, he cleared his throat and went to the bag. “While I should appreciate Madison thinking of me as her “something old,” I think I have a better replacement.”
Madison felt tears coming to her eyes as she looked at the white lace gown. She remembered that gown from her first trip to London. “That gown was the one from Lady Tabitha’s wedding,” she whispered. “I played the violin for her and thought she was a princess.”
Victor smiled. “This dress had been in Tabitha’s family for centuries. I told her you were getting married and she sent it right over. You left such an impression on her, she wants you to have it and pass on to your daughters.”
Tina smiled as she looked over the gown made of white lace and silk. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She looked at Madison and laughed as she quickly grabbed a tissue. “Sweetheart, don’t cry. You’re going to be gorgeous.”
Madison shook her head before turning and running into the bathroom. While she had been working through her abandonment issues, there were times when she just couldn’t believe that Troy actually loved her.
Dylan sighed as she looked at Victor. “I’ll get her.” She went over to the bathroom and followed Madison inside. When she saw her sister standing at the mirror and shaking, Dylan folded her arms over her chest. “You want to talk about it?” she asked.
“I’m getting married, Dyl.” Madison turned and looked at her sister with frantic eyes. “With a dress and flowers and everything. Who would have thought that?” she asked.
Dylan shrugged. “A lot of people get married. I did it once. It’s not that hard. Just follow the prompts. You know, I do, the whole with this ring speech, and then kiss your husband.”
Madison took a deep breath at her sister’s calm demeanor. Dylan was right, this would be easy. She, Troy and the boys all became a tight family. They would be fine. She just had to get through this one ceremony. “I’ll be okay,” she breathed.
* * * * *
Troy stood at the altar with Casper and Crispin at his side. He looked at the crowd that showed up for his wedding and took a nervous breath. “She’s going to run,” he whispered to them.
Crispin frowned. “She loves you. She wouldn’t run,” he said with complete faith in Madison.
Casper snorted. “Loving him is one thing. Pledging herself to him in front of this crowd? Twenty bucks says the old man had to sedate her.”
Troy frowned at his best man. “It shouldn’t come to that,” he whispered as the organs started to play the bridal march. He stood watching the faces of Madison’s bridal party as they walked down the aisle. A smile crossed his face when he saw Kayin, Aiden, Lacey, and a little girl from the Pack named Laura walk in one large clump tossing flower petals. When he saw Dylan calmly approach, he raised his eyebrows.
“She’s just nervous,” she told him mentally. “Madi should be fine now.”
Everyone stood when Madison stood at the entrance with Victor and James on her arms. He smiled as they made their way to him. Madison was a vision in white as she wore a turn of the century gown that made her look the sultry aristocrat. He glanced at Casper and Crispin when they chuckled. “What?”
Casper leaned over to his ear. “She had been eyeing that dress since she was a teenager,” he said lowly. “Pop says it’s her something old.”
Troy nodded as he returned his attention to Madison. Her hands were shaking as James and Victor stepped back and allowed Troy to take his spot next to her. He smiled at the woman that would soon be his wife. “I love you,” he whispered to her. His heart started to race when she returned his smile. “You look beautiful.”
“Next time we’re going to Vegas, family be damned,” she replied squeezing his hands. She pressed herself to Troy’s side as they both stepped towards the waiting priest.
* * * * *
Ashton watched from the back row. Madison was getting married and going to live her life as if it were some fairy tale. Little did any of them know that things were progressing quickly. There were only three more seals needed for the spell to work. After that, the Horsemen would awaken and bring about chaos and change.
He applauded as the happy couple kissed and turned to make their way down the aisle. With everything that happened
when she was younger, he truly wanted Madison happy. At least she would know what it felt like. As a Necromancer he knew it was almost impossible to find someone that would understand him and his desires to bring change to the world.
When Madison looked at him, he simply nodded his congratulations to her. She returned his nod and smiled at her new husband. After the reception they would run off to their honeymoon, and Ashton would run off to make sure the final seals were destroyed.
He would give her the happily ever after she wanted. Then he would take his own.
Thank you for reading Precarious Possessions!
Aston’s plans for the Maxwell family continue next time in Barry and Lily’s novel.
Coming Soon
Dangerous Dalliances
Turn the page for a sneak peek....
People were dancing and singing as they celebrated the life and death of a world famous pop icon. Barry Maxwell made his way through to club and found himself at the bar. He looked at the bartender and waved him over. “A shot of Jack,” he ordered easily.
The bartender nodded and quickly moved to fill drink orders. Barry turned around and scanned the crowd. The dance floor was a huge living mass. There were plenty of women dancing in barely there outfits and there were also just as many men willing to take advantage of them. Barry glanced at his elbow and saw his shot waiting for him. He couldn’t help but sigh as he downed his drink.
It would have been easy to coax one of those women to his side, then to the back room. Then possibly her apartment. But lately he had been preoccupied by a beauty that tried to be anything but.
His older brother’s secretary, Lilavanti, hid behind sari and bulky clothes. The only three times he had seen her, she had her long wine colored hair pulled back in tight buns or ponytails, and her gorgeous green eyes were always covered by fake glasses.
Barry turned to the bartender and raised his glass. His thoughts of Lily focused on her true nature. She was a Succubus. A creature everyone thought was extinct. But somehow she and her twin Cord had blended in with society. At least until Cord went wild and started killing people. Barry’s own brother Eric was still comatose after their fight.