Piper: Queen’s Birds of Prey: Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Queen's Birds of Prey)

by Kathi S. Barton

  “Jude said you had a DNA test done. Why didn’t you take that to the police when you found out he was your son?” He told her about how he was dying. “You’re not now. You won’t—unless, as I said, you fuck up. How long did she live with you? Retha. Did she hurt Abe when he was here?”

  “She lived here with him for a few months. About three, I think. Abe was about three months old when she arrived. As for her hurting him? I’m not sure if you consider neglecting him hurting him, but I do. Retha ignored him over partying the entire time she was here. I didn’t say anything to her. I wanted to make sure Abe was well taken care of. Then about six weeks after she up and left, I found out that I have AIDS. I’d not slept with her when she returned. I got it from her when she conceived Abe.” Again, he felt the tears fill his eyes. “If you end up ending my life, could I please, just once, see him? From a distance, if that’s all I can have. I’ve been worried about him since he was brought here.”

  She went to the door and opened it just as Grant was there. When he came in, he put the large bag on the table and went to help Benson up. He wasn’t nearly as weak as he had been, but he was still unsteady on his feet. Glad for the help and the food, he bawled like a baby when they sat the boxes of Chinese food in front of him.

  “Come on, big guy. Eat up, and we’ll be on our way.” Grant spoke to him in a soft voice. There was no censure to what he was saying, either. While the two of them spoke about speaking to Duncan about something, he gathered himself up and fixed his plate. He’d not had a good hot meal in a long time. Eating slowly so as not to be sick, Benson was able to join in the conversation with them when he could. When they were ready to leave, Piper told him he’d be just fine while Grant helped him to the large limo outside of his place.

  Money. They had it, he realized. More than just a little too, he’d bet. Benson only hoped he’d get to make sure Abe was all right. Just once. Closing his eyes, he rested until they got to the airport. Then he slept in the bed on the private plane they’d come to get him in. His last thought before he fell into a deep sleep was that he hoped they didn’t drop him from the plane. With a smile, he slept.

  When Grant woke him, it took him a second or two to remember where he was. The smile on the man’s face made Benson realize two things. He wasn’t human, and he was genuinely a nice guy. After he sat up, Grant told him he should be better now, and Benson said he was feeling very well.

  “Good. We’ve been talking to Jude and Duncan, Abe’s parents. They said if you do something stupid—”

  “Yes, they’ll kill me.” He smiled when Grant did. “They’re a very violent group, aren’t they? When I was speaking with Jude earlier, she was very determined to make sure I understood what was going to happen. Not that I blame them. But I promise I will try not to piss them off. This is an opportunity I never thought I’d get.”

  “See that you don’t. We’re headed to the castle when you’re ready.”

  He nodded and started to ask Grant if it really was a castle, but he was gone again. Benson thought a castle was just what they called their home. Wherever they lived or whatever sort of house they had, Benson was going to be on his best behavior while there.

  Chapter 4

  Retha wasn’t sure what the fuck was going on, but now she couldn’t find the house she’d been told her son was at. They said it was on Castle Street or something like that. But all she’d been able to find with that street address was a couple of showplaces that looked like castles, as well as a whole lot of hillbillies running around like fools.

  “I’ve never seen so many people working out in their yards before. Have you?” She told Tag that she saw someone working in a garden too. “Why? Don’t they have enough grocery stores around here? Whatever they’re growing, it can’t be all that good for them. Look how much time it took for that lady out there to dig up potatoes. I didn’t even know potatoes grew in the ground, did you?”

  “I never really thought about it.” Retha looked around. They were sitting at a big picnic table, having an ice cream cone. “Who the hell would have thought there’d be places around that still served up ice cream? I’ve not seen one of them kinda shops since I was a kid.”

  The cone was delicious. When Retha was asked if she wanted a waffle cone or a homemade one, she opted for the homemade. It was the most wonderful thing she’d ever eaten. The inside of it was coated with the richest chocolate she’d ever tasted. The ice cream was so good she wanted a big bowl of it to eat by herself. But there wasn’t enough money for that.

  Her plan had been to take the homemade one and send it back for being nasty. But once she saw the girl working the backline whip one up for her, she decided to give it a try. Boy, oh boy, she was never sending this sucker back.

  “I’ve been watching the people here. They’re sure a friendly bunch. Did you hear that guy ask that woman if she wanted to join him and his family for dinner tonight? I can’t even remember the last time we were invited to have food with someone. Must be something else to have friends like that.” She told him they had friends. “We do. But not a one of them invites us over for dinner.”

  “No. I’m sure everyone we know is struggling too. Just wait until we get the boy back. Then we’ll be on easy street. Did I tell you I contacted that man about selling him off? He said he didn’t do stuff like that anymore. I wonder what got up his ass.” Tag told her he’d heard the police were cracking down on stuff like that more and more. “Yeah, I suppose so. You know why, don’t you? They want to make it so no one can make any money but themselves. I’d bet anything that there are cops all over the place that are stealing kids away to sell.”

  She didn’t have any idea if that was going on or not. Retha enjoyed saying things like that. It made her feel like she was a good deal smarter than she really was. The thing was, Retha couldn’t spell much of anything. Nor could she read. Signing her name was the best she could do, but only if she had time to think about each letter. While she knew her name, it was hard for her to remember in what order the letters went.

  They were just talking about how to get another cone when a woman sat down with them. She didn’t even ask if she could but plopped her ass down like she owned the place. When she told her she did indeed own the place, Retha told her to go away.

  “I think I need to stick around and tell you two some things you’re not aware of.” Tag asked her like what. “Well, for one thing, you’re not going to get Abe. He’s not going to go anywhere near you. Also, and you might find this hard to believe since we’ve only just met, but I don’t like you.”

  “Well, is that so? You just wait a minute, and I’ll think on how much I don’t care what you like or don’t. How do you know we’re here for the kid?” She told him his name. “I know what it is, you cunt. Where is he?”

  “Home with his sister and parents. Don’t call me a cunt again. Also, if I were you, I’d care a great deal about what makes me like or dislike you. It could be the only thing in the world that saves you. Not that I think you’ll just go away. But Abe, he told us he wanted you both dead.” That did surprise her. She hadn’t remembered his name until just then. “He’s happy. Going to college and having a wonderful life. Until he realized, I guess, that you two are going to try and mess things up for him.”

  “He messed up a lot of shit for me too. You tell him that.” She realized that the woman knew where he was. “I want to talk to him. Now. I want him to tell me why he wants me dead.”

  “I can tell you that. You sold him off, for starters. You and this man have been abusing him since he was born. Why didn’t you just leave him with Benson? He would have been a lot better off if you had. Of course, my sister and her husband wouldn’t have been able to adopt him if that had happened.” An ice cream cone appeared in the woman’s hand, and it took Retha a few seconds to take her eyes off the treat. “I’d give you this, but I haven’t had time to put any poison in it yet. Next time. I p
romise.”

  “You said he was in college. That ain’t right. He’s not even five yet. You’re a liar.” The woman, she’d never said her name yet, just looked at Tag. “If you think we’re going to believe a thing that comes out of your mouth, you’re stupider than that kid is.”

  “Abe is about to turn ten. Good job there in keeping up with the times. By the way, you should know two more things. I’m not human. I’m a bird of prey. Mercy is my name, but I’ve come to realize I don’t have a great deal of that when dealing with morons like the two of you. The second thing is that I’m going to kill you. Not easily, either.” Retha scrambled back from Mercy when her hair and arms started to sprout feathers. Big fucking ones too. “I had it in my head that I was going to snap the two of you in half then eat you down, but I think the two of you are poisonous enough to perhaps make me sick for a while. So that is out. Also, I thought about taking you out to sea. Just leaving you there. I know that neither of you can swim. We’re out there looking for something anyway as of this morning, and it might be entertaining to watch the two of you sink to the bottom of the waterway.”

  “You’re insane. You can’t just tell somebody that and think it’s going to be all right with them.” Mercy asked Tag if he thought anyone would care. “I will. Damn it all to fuck and back. You can’t say that sort of thing. What if I believed you?”

  “You should.” If she’d not been looking right at Tag, she wouldn’t have believed it. Not only did he rise up from the seat he’d been sitting on, but he turned blue. “Right now, I can snap your neck, and not one person here would care one bit. Even if I were to change into my bird and pick you up by my claws, no one would come to your aid. No one wants you around.”

  “You’re killing him.” Retha looked around. There were people having cones, but not one of them came to ask what Mercy was doing. “Let him go, damn it. That’s my husband you’re killing.”

  Just as she thought Mercy was really going to kill him, he flew across the parking lot and hit the brick building there. Retha knew he was dead. The way he was bleeding down the wall and with his head all smashed made her think the woman was stronger than she looked.

  Mercy looked at her. Anger. It was as strong on her face as anything Retha had ever seen before. Backing away from her, she stopped moving when she was lifted up as well. Closing her eyes, Retha just knew she was going to be joining her husband as a freaky art project on the wall behind her.

  “I should end you right now for what you’ve done.” Clawing at her throat, she couldn’t even ask her what she was talking about. “You passed those little boys around like they were chips in a fucking bowl. Where are they? Where are Abe’s brothers now?”

  “Dead.” Retha had forgotten about her other sons. They’d been dead for so long that they weren’t even a slight memory anymore. As the woman stood up, a woman appeared behind her. She looked as confused as Mercy did angry.

  “Mercy? What’s going on?” The woman behind Mercy spoke, but Mercy didn’t answer her, or at least not so that Retha could hear. However, she couldn’t see anything in front of her anymore. Black and blue spots had appeared before her eyes. “Kill her. Christ, kill her before Jude and Duncan find out what she’s done.”

  Retha felt herself flying through the air. Just as she hit the wall where Tag had been killed, Retha knew she’d be lucky to die this way. The way that the two women had looked at her, she thought for sure they’d make her death longer.

  ~*~

  Piper had taken care that the stain on the wall was gone. Not only did she clean up, but she took the memory of what had happened from the people there. She knew she’d never forget what Mercy had shown her. The images of those poor children would haunt her for the rest of her days, she thought.

  “May I join you?” After she nodded at Grant, he sat down on the chair across from her. “I’ve spoken to Duncan. He said in light of what happened today, he’s all right with scheduling the meeting with us tomorrow. Are you all right with that?”

  “I am. Would you go out to the dive with me? I really would enjoy that, I think. Mercy told me they’ve found a great many artifacts already. As well as several trunks that none of us knew were on the ship. Joel said you were a great help. We had no idea you could dive so deeply.” He told her it was the fae in him. “I suppose. They’re very strong creatures. Did they help you breathe under the water as well?”

  “Yes. Do you not want to talk about what happened today?” She shook her head. “All right. Yes. I can dive for longer periods when necessary. Joel is suited up in that thing Mercy found for him. I think she’d only have to give him a little magic, and he’d not need it. However, knowing Joel, he’d want things to be just perfect for him to want to go underwater. Or anything for that matter. I’m enjoying looking at the things they thought would be necessary to bring to a new place. I would guess you’d need a lot when traveling so far. But the jewelry I was able to bring up is something else.”

  “Jude and Duncan are going to divide up the things they brought up between the six of us first. She said that way we can use it for some project we can fund with it. She had four children by Tag. They sold them to others to have sex with.” He said he knew and was sorry. “Do you know what is going to happen to the other things that are brought up? I mean, from what I remember, there were bodies on the ship as well. I doubt they’d be there anymore. Not after all this time.”

  “There were a few bones lying around. I found a few, but nothing much more than that. There were chain leggings in the bottommost part of the ship. Mercy said that was where the woman was.” Piper said she remembered that now. “Dante made sure that her family, what was left of them, was well compensated for their loss before she died. I never realized she could see into the future. The king, he killed the woman’s entire family to have her simply because she had sons and no daughters.”

  “Dante figured he was going to come here, demand that she marry him, then kill her on their wedding night. The other woman, the one on the ship, was going to be his wife when Dante was dead. No one, it seemed, cared a bit for him dying. There was never a missive sent here to find out where he was.” Grant told her there had been an inquiry about his death, but nothing more than that. “They would have seen the castle and figured that a storm had knocked the boat off voyage and it was lost at sea. I have to tell Abe what Mercy and I have done.”

  “He knows.” She looked at Grant. “Jude told him what the two of you had seen. Not a lot of details, only that you saw that he’d had siblings, and they were killed as a result of their parents’ actions. I think he might have an idea of what happened, but he didn’t say anything. Jude told us he was sleeping when she left him. Abe hugged her after she told him. He has not been sleeping well since he found out how close they were. I love you, Piper.”

  “I’ve fallen in love with you as well. I wasn’t sure at first, I will tell you that. You were there for me a great deal, holding my hand or even just being near to me when I needed it. It occurred to me while sitting out here that you’ve never asked me for anything. Not that you would—everything I have is yours anyway. But right now, you could ask me for the world, and I’d make sure you got it.” She looked away before continuing. “I’ve decided I’m going to find a way to make sure sexually abused children have someplace to go. I don’t have a great many details right now, but I’ll work them out with you. If you’ll help me.”

  “Yes. I would very much like to help you with that.” She nodded. “There are ways that we can keep kids safe, too, I think. As we’re both fae, we can have the earth tell us when a child is being hurt badly. I’m sure it happens a great deal more than we’d be able to take care of all the time, but with our magic, we can scoop them up and bring them someplace safe.”

  “I love that idea. I know there are times when a child thinks they’re being abused when they’re only being taught right from wrong. That’s not abuse, but parenting. Some
where along the line of having children, I believe we’ve forgotten that part of being an adult.” He told her he agreed with her one hundred percent. “Did you know that I can’t see into Jude’s mind? I never could read any of them, but it’s different now. I used to even be able to see things in Jude’s mind that weren’t blocked. Like something that was making her upset or happy. I can’t see a thing in her head, nor Duncan’s. It’s like a thick wall has been put up, and I can’t breach it.”

  “What is it you were looking for?” She told him. “Ah. Yes, I can understand how you’d want to know how they felt about you and Mercy killing the other two. However, I don’t think they care. From the beginning, I think they knew they’d end up dead. I think the way they were killed was much easier on them than either Jude or Duncan would have done to them.”

  “I think you’re right.” She stood up, and Grant did as well. “I’d like to talk to Duncan now. If he’s available. Then I want to lock us in our bedroom and get to know each other in the best possible way.”

  “I love the way your mind works.”

  They were walking hand in hand as they made their way into the house. Piper could get used to depending on someone else for some of her happiness. She, for sure, could be happy just living in their own home and doing what other couples did, whatever that might be. Smiling to herself, Piper wanted the mushy stuff too, she just realized.

  ~*~

  “No. I mean, just no.” Grant looked over at Piper when she spoke to Duncan. Grant had been trying his best not to laugh since Duncan made his big announcement. “You need Mercy to do that. Mercy is the oldest, and she and Joel should go there. Not me. I mean, it’s not my place.”

  “I believe we both understand that Mercy is not the type of person to help others get their lives back on track. The castle has been updated magically, and it has all the comforts of home. All you need to do is—”