The Fallen Queen: (Gods & Monsters Book 2) (The Gods & Monsters Trilogy)

by Janie Marie

He turned and saw she had eaten a single slice by herself. Now she was helping Nathan and Natalie with their food while Jason ate in silence, his magazine back in front of him again after he gave David yet another smug smirk. Everything that Jane was doing seemed to please Jason entirely. As long as she kept her problems to herself and behaved as a mother, the man didn’t care.

  David sent a quick prayer to the heavens for strength to help Jane before taking a seat where she had clearly picked for him. She’d put him between her and Nathan.

  It was hard not to reach over and hold her hand. She was being so brave, so strong, but she was breaking. Her gaze stayed fixed on her kids eating, but the way they constantly focused and unfocused, he knew she was still seeing something he could not. Her mask was cracking; his baby was breaking.

  I kept it away, he thought suddenly. Death and I keep her torment at bay.

  “David, play,” Nathan said, pulling David out of his thoughts.

  He blinked and looked over at Nathan, who had already managed to finish his slice of pizza. David didn’t understand Nathan’s behavior, but he didn’t want to upset any of them. “What is it you would like to play?”

  “Play,” Nathan said.

  David frowned and tried again. “Do you want to play with your dinosaurs?”

  “Di-saurs,” Nathan said and left the table.

  David looked over at Jane and gave her a smile. “Sweetheart, are you all right by yourself?”

  Natalie jerked her head to look up at her mom. Jane looked confused, like she didn’t know what was going on again.

  “Jane,” he said when she didn’t respond.

  “She’s fine,” Jason snapped. “She’s not alone—she’s with her real family.”

  David turned to glare at him but caught sight of Natalie’s worried expression and stopped. It was a reaction Jason was wanting from him, and David wasn’t going to rise to the taunt. So, he glanced back at the girl he loved. “Ja—”

  Natalie cut him off. “Give Mommy a kiss on her owie like before.”

  That woke Jane up, and she and David stared at Natalie in shock. It was only a few seconds before Jane looked over at Jason. Her shock vanished and pure agony caused her face to crumple.

  “Natalie, go play with Nathan,” Jason ordered, barely keeping his voice even.

  “But I’m not finished.”

  “You can finish later. Go,” Jason said through gritted teeth.

  The little girl looked over at David, then her mom and dad. “Why is Mommy sad? David, give her your medicine.”

  Jane struggled not to cry, and she turned away from being able to see her daughter.

  David sighed as he rubbed his face. “Natalie, listen to your father. Mommy will be okay. Go check on Nathan for me, princess.”

  Natalie stood up, trying to see her mom’s face, and frowned seeing her dad glower at him. “David, will you make her all better?”

  Jane whimpered and stood from the table before heading straight into Jason’s room.

  David looked back at Natalie and tried to smile. “Yes, princess. Go play now.”

  He could hear Jane crying in the bathroom, but she was trying to cover it by running the water. Finally, Natalie left the table, looking over her shoulder the whole way, until she disappeared into her room.

  “So,” Jason said. “David kisses Mommy all better?”

  David sighed and leaned back in his chair. He felt awful for everything he was causing Jane to go through. He never thought Natalie would blurt out that he kissed her in front of them. It was innocent, for the most part, but Jason didn’t know that. Jason also didn’t know that Jane had kissed him that morning.

  “You know,” Jason spoke again, “I believed that high and mighty bullshit there in the beginning; you really had me. But I didn’t think you would stoop so low as to allow my kids to see you fondle their mother. Doing it in front of me is ballsy enough, but telling my five-year-old daughter that you kiss her mom better and give her medicine is just sick.”

  “Jason, I am new to interacting with children. Natalie asked why Jane and I were so close, so I came up with an explanation that didn’t involve saying her mother is immortal and needs to drink my blood . . . I bent the truth for Jane’s and Natalie’s sakes. And I was not fondling Jane in front of them. I kissed her cheek and held her hand because she was afraid of losing control. You already know what she is capable of—do not play ignorant that you expect either of us to leave her open to harm them.”

  “And what’s wrong with her now?” Jason asked, his gaze shifting to the bedroom door before returning to him. “For as close as you have been, she’s been avoiding you like she . . . Never mind.”

  “You mean the way she avoided you?” David smirked and then added, “Believe me, the reasons she is avoiding me have nothing in connection to whatever wrongs you have done to her.”

  “You think because she’s told you a few shitty parts of our relationship, you can judge me?”

  David responded but kept his attention on Jane’s soft sobs as he spoke. “God will judge you, Jason—not me. You can choose to believe me or not, but I want Jane to have her family. I would give anything for her to look me in the eye and say she’s happily married to a man who treats her like she’s his queen. If I saw her happy when she is with you, I would be happy for both of you. But she’s not happy. She’s fading.”

  David let out a breath and struggled not to go to Jane when she whimpered again. “I would give up every hope I have with her if she felt completely loved by you, but your actions have crushed her beautiful heart so much that she thinks she is unworthy of love.”

  “You know nothing about us.” Jason stood from the table. “She is my wife! Mine.”

  David’s fangs grazed his lip as he snarled. “If I were you, I would be very careful right now. I am in no mood for your petty claim on Jane. If she cries in there for a minute longer because she is upset over the bond we have been destined to share—a bond she wants with me—I will take her and show her there’s no reason to be ashamed of us. Husband or not, Jane is still my Other. I will always put her first. Something I do not think you have ever done.”

  Jason let out a bitter laugh. “Now you show your true colors . . . Monster.”

  “Yes, Jason, I am a monster.” David bared his fangs and balled his fist, flexing his arm. “Remember that before you attempt to act like a man in my presence. I may have held myself back today so that Jane can cope with things, but I will have no problem taking care of her in a way I know she responds to.”

  “You will keep your hands off my wife!” Jason snapped. “She doesn’t need you—I’m capable of taking care of her.”

  “You call sitting back so she can serve you, taking care of her?”

  Jason laughed and stood up. “You’re not in a real relationship with her; I’ve dealt with her through worse than you have. I know how to take care of her, and it’s not kissing her owies . . . Now, I’m going to check on my wife. If you come in there, I will make it so she never wants to see you again. And you already know she’ll do whatever she needs to when it comes to us.”

  David stood up, ready to go rip him apart, but Nathan came into the room holding out two dinosaurs.

  “Play,” Nathan said.

  David forced his rage down and smiled even though he heard Jason go into the room with Jane. He briefly hoped he would hear her attack him, but he quickly shoved that thought aside. It would only ruin Jane if she were the one responsible for hurting someone she loved.

  With a soft groan, he rubbed his face and took Nathan’s hand. “Okay, let’s play with your dinosaurs.”

  Nathan pulled him to the room he shared with Natalie and led him to a spot on the floor where he’d lined up several toys. Again, the little boy amazed him because not only had he arranged them shortest to tallest, he had also grouped herbivores and carnivores.

  “Did you put them like this?” David asked, taking a seat on the floor, but he leaned and peeked through the doorway. H
e had a view of Jason’s door, and it was still shut.

  Nathan waved a toy in his face. “Not yet.”

  David took the toy from Nathan, noticing that although the little boy was telling him this, he looked panicked, too.

  “Nathan, why do you keep saying that?” David asked.

  When Nathan didn’t respond, he sighed and tried his best to tune out the other room and give Jane and Jason privacy. She wanted things to be civil, and she wasn’t going to get that with him forcing his way in every time they needed to talk. He said what he wanted to Jason, and he just hoped Jason would do the right thing for once and support her.

  Upon hearing the bedroom door open and shut, Jane quickly splashed cold water on her face and prepared to face David. She didn’t want him to see how badly she was losing it. If he knew she didn’t know when something was real or her mind was tricking her, he would leave.

  The bathroom door opened, and it was Jason’s voice she heard.

  “Jane?”

  She lowered the towel. For a second, she swore she saw David, but her vampire’s face disappeared when she blinked, and Jason’s glare was all she could see.

  “Jason, what are you doing here?”

  Anger passed over his face as he walked closer. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”

  “I didn’t mean anything by that—I’m sorry,” she whispered, placing the towel on the counter, her heart cracking, though.

  “You thought he would come instead of me, didn’t you?”

  “No.” Jane lifted a hand to cover her eyes because she was nearly in tears again: David didn’t come.

  “Babe,” Jason said with a sigh as his warm hand pulled hers away from her eyes before he cupped her face. “Look at me.”

  She did, all while thinking about how there was no spark from his touch. There was no fire. He wasn’t the man she wanted to comfort her, but he was all she had. David had just proved to her she wasn’t worth coming after.

  You’re supposed to want your husband, not David.

  “Did he hurt you?” Jason asked, forcing her confused mind to focus back on him.

  She stared into his brown eyes. At one time, they’d been lit with fire for her. In fact, they had almost glowed with rage when he vowed to keep her safe. They were just teenagers, barely friends, but he looked at her with so much passion back then. It wasn’t lust; there was undeniable adoration and longing in his gaze, and she believed he was truly in love with her. It never made sense that he’d lost it once she was safe from any potential harm from her uncle and aunt—but he did. The only time she ever saw any form of affection was when he wanted her for sex. It was only then he would kiss her, touch her, but the fact was he only did it then. If she was struggling with her emotions, she’d see the looks of disdain or disgust.

  It’s your fault he stopped loving you . . .

  “He didn’t do anything,” she said, trying to focus on Jason’s question and not her inner voice that had been destroying her. “And Natalie didn’t mean what you think. We just told her that to make her understand he needs to help me. I can’t hurt them, Jason.”

  “I’m not mad at you,” he said. “I know you’re afraid of hurting them. I know you will do anything to protect them, though. You don’t need him the way he keeps telling you.”

  “No, I do.”

  Jason’s jaw twitched. “I know he’s told you things to make you think that. He’s turned you against me because he wants you. This Other shit is nonsense. And I know you wouldn’t go to him on your own. He’s using his power and your desire to protect us to control you.”

  Jane shook her head. “That’s not true. They do have Others, and he’s been waiting for his longer than any of them had to. He wants the best for me.”

  “The best for you isn’t being with your family?”

  Her chest throbbed. “He didn’t hurt me, Jason, and you know it’s not like that. I can’t be around you. You shouldn’t even be alone with me.”

  Jason frowned and shook his head. “I should. It’s him you shouldn’t be alone with. Do you know how much it hurts me to see you hanging on to him? I’m not blaming you—I know this is his doing. He’s making you think bad about me. You would have never said those things you did yesterday if it weren’t for him.”

  He stepped closer so their bodies were touching, but she still felt nothing from his presence. “I’m real. Nathan and Natalie are real. We’re your life, not him.”

  Jane whimpered hearing him say that. She still wanted David, but she believed what Jason was saying. After all, she didn’t deserve David’s greatness.

  “If he cared about you, he would be in here right now, wouldn’t he? But he isn’t. He knew you were upset, and it was me who came in here.”

  Her eyes burned, and she nodded. David had rejected her that morning, just like Death did when she was a girl confessing her love. She opened herself up to them, and they rejected her.

  “You see?” Jason wiped a tear that slid down her cheek. “I’m here. I’ve always been the one who was there. I was with you through it all, not him. Not Ryder. They don’t care about you. Your place is with me. We can still be a family. Don’t you want that for Nathan and Natalie?”

  She nodded, and Jason smiled. She did want that. They deserved a good life, one where they didn’t have to have the nightmares she did. One that wasn’t filled with bad memories that haunted them wherever they went.

  “Come back to me, Jane,” Jason said. “You don’t belong with them. We’re not like them. They’re monsters. You’ve seen what they are. You’ve seen the women David has after him.”

  Jane’s face crumpled and more tears slipped out.

  “Do you really think he hasn’t fucked them?” Jason asked, stabbing her heart again. “If he’s told you that he hasn’t, he’s lying. Even walking around today, I’ve heard them talking about being with him. He’s lying to you.”

  A choked sob ripped out of her throat. She did find it hard to believe that David had been celibate for so long. She knew all too well what sex did to men. They craved it. It consumed them until they got it however they needed to. That was what hurt her most: she had offered David and Death herself on different occasions, and they turned her down each time.

  You know he’s right . . . David could have anyone he wants. He refused you, so what does that tell you?

  “Will you come back to me?” Jason asked.

  This is where you belong. You made a commitment to him. Are you that horrible? Haven’t you done enough to your family?

  Jason spoke again, “Okay, let me ask you this instead. Is he asking you to be with him? Is he asking you to leave me so you can be his girlfriend or wife?”

  He could have, but you aren’t good enough for him. Maybe he wants someone who isn’t insane.

  Her lip trembled, and she shook her head because David had passed on his chance at claiming her like he’d said he would.

  Jason shook his head too. “He’s not. I am, though. I want my wife back. I want you here with me. You should be here taking care of the kids as a family with me. You should be standing by my side, sleeping in my bed, letting me kiss you when you’re falling apart. I took care of you through everything, not him. Me. You’re my wife. Be the wife you promised you’d be.”

  Don’t you want to do one thing right? You’re fooling yourself if you think David will truly want an insane girl, because that’s what you are—you’re crazy. He’s just trying to control you. You’re nothing.

  David, she cried, heartbroken, in her mind.

  David doesn’t want you. Even Death left you. They don’t want you.

  Jane’s chest tightened, and she shook as she tried not to cry out.

  At least Jason wants you . . . Just give yourself to him. You owe him. He’s dealt with all your problems. The least you can do is your duty as a wife . . . Death left you, and David doesn’t want you. You’re worthless. You’re nothing. Give them up.

  Through her tears, she realized Jason was leaning toward her.
“Jason, no.”

  “Shh, it’s okay. You’re my wife, Jane. Mine.”

  “No.” She began to pull away, but he gripped her harder.

  “Jane, you know I love you,” he said softly. “Prove you love me. This is how you show me. Unless you were lying when you said you still loved me.”

  “I do, Jason, but—”

  He cut her off. “Then act like a wife. David would have asked you to be with him if he wanted you. He hasn’t. He won’t because he doesn’t want you.”

  Jane stared at him, her eyes and heart stinging from his words.

  Pretend he’s David, the thought was so soothing.

  She blinked when David’s face suddenly came into view. He smiled and lowered his face until their lips touched.

  They weren’t as soft as they’d been that morning. They didn’t burn or ache in a way that had her begging for more.

  Jane started to pull away, but David was there, talking to her. “It’s me, baby.”

  She closed her eyes, and the image of his beautiful face formed in her mind. He smiled. My David.

  The powerful presence David exuded, and the pull she felt toward him was absent, but she felt a body pressing against her own. As she began to register how they no longer fit together, a strange caress slid up her arm as another touched her temple. It was so cold, though. So cold it burned, and she sighed as the heat spread through her body.

  “Nathan, why do you keep saying that?” David’s asked.

  Jane snapped her eyes open, confused by the question, and realized it was Jason, not David, kissing her.

  She heard David’s voice again. “Close your eyes. Let me touch you.”

  The heat burned her temple, and she closed her eyes as his kiss resumed. Her thoughts were muddled, and she still didn’t understand why this didn’t feel right.

  Another icy yet fiery sensation slid over her, this time across her lips. With it, David’s handsome face reformed, and she sighed as more heat and pressure closed around her.

  David kissed her harder as he moved her back—down. She couldn’t tell what was happening for sure now. Each time she tried to open her eyes, something kept them closed, and David’s face became clearer in her head.