by Moira Rogers
“It’s so nice to be nothing more than a matrimonial trophy with a prized uterus.” As soon as she spoke, she wanted to take back the words. The last thing she needed to do right now, in front of Alec, was remind Derek they’d forgotten to use a condom during their romp on the floor. “I mean…”
Alec blinked. “What?”
But Derek had already caught on. He paled and glanced toward the kitchen. “Jesus Christ, Nick. I should have—”
“It’s okay,” she interrupted. She softened the quick words by weaving her fingers with his. “We can talk about it later.” When Alec wasn’t around. When the world wasn’t falling apart. “Mahalia said there was no way the Conclave had anyone who could bust into your safe house, Alec. So we have that, at least.”
“Good.” He blew out a breath and leaned against the counter. “I don’t know how far behind me Luke is, but it can’t be far. My dear old pop isn’t exactly high on the information chain. The kid could be knocking on the door within the hour.”
“Then maybe I should take a shower.” Derek glanced at Nick. “If you don’t mind?”
“No, go ahead.” It would give her time to ask Alec some frank questions that still might scare the shit out of Derek. “Take your time.”
Derek’s gaze slid to Alec, then he shrugged and stepped close enough to drop a kiss on the top of her head. “Yell if you need me.”
She leaned into him for a moment. “I will.”
When he was gone, Alec tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. “So. Was it worth the wait?”
She swung at him, but he seemed to be expecting it and had no trouble avoiding her half-hearted punch. “I don’t ask you about your sex life, do I?”
Alec grinned. “You could, if you wanted to.”
“Thanks but no thanks, man whore.” Her stomach rumbled, and she jerked her head toward the plate of waffles on the counter. “Derek made breakfast. You hungry?”
“Always. Why don’t we drag it to the table and get the uncomfortable stuff out of the way before he comes back downstairs?”
Her hands shook as she dropped the platter on the small dining table and went back to the refrigerator. “When was the last time a Seer went rogue, much less a pregnant one who happened to be the Alpha’s daughter? We’re in some uncharted territory here, and I have no idea how it’s going to play out.” She pulled out a carton of strawberries and turned to the sink. “We can’t fight the whole goddamned Conclave.”
“Enrica Maglieri knows a thing or two about uncharted territory,” Alec reminded her. “If the Conclave put her in charge of this mess, we’ve got to assume at least half of them are hoping she’ll fuck it up and prove once and for all that women can’t take care of business. It makes her a lot more dangerous, but it means the Conclave won’t exactly have her back.”
Which gave them a little wiggle room, but not enough for Nick’s peace of mind. “They’re not going to like the way Enrica’s wasting time with the marriage proposal, but that doesn’t mean any one of them would let Michelle and Aaron walk, either.”
“Nope. But the more they’re fighting amongst themselves, the better off we are.”
“Maybe.” Nick tossed the washed berries in a bowl and dug a bottle of maple syrup from the pantry. “I have to ask you a question. A serious one.”
“Sure.”
She swallowed hard and met Alec’s steady gaze. “Do you think Enrica could convince them to let it go if I did it? If I married Luciano?”
Alec hesitated, which was usually a bad sign, but there was no doubt in his voice when he replied. “I think she’d try, kiddo. But I think your sister’s days would be numbered the minute you signed the contract. The Conclave might tolerate Enrica, but that tolerance won’t last if they think she went behind their backs to snatch up a pet Seer.”
Nick forced herself to breathe as she pulled plates and silverware from the breakfront and arranged them on the table. A sick, icy knot settled in her stomach. “I have no other way to protect Michelle, and the help you’ve given us already could get you executed.”
“Well, I’ve got an idea on how to work this.” He sat at the table and waited until she sank into the chair across from him before continuing. “It could keep Michelle safe…but it wouldn’t exactly be a shining step forward toward enlightenment for our kind.”
Most of the wolves with a family legacy didn’t give a shit about enlightenment. They cared about tradition. The ones who’d run, or who’d never been embraced by the ruling class to begin with, just wanted to be left alone. “What is it?”
“Two parts.” He held up one finger. “Convince them that their superstition is right, and Michelle’s not a threat anymore since she had sex. Not exactly a girl-power message, but under the circumstances it might be best. That’s the hard part.”
“Girl power makes a lot more sense when you’re alive to enjoy it.” Nick nudged a fork out of the way and folded her hands on the table. “What’s the easy part?”
“Take yourself out of the line of succession. That’ll keep them so busy stabbing each other in the back over who gets to become the next top dog that they won’t care about Michelle unless she’s a direct threat.”
“Efficient. And if someone gets impatient, it could get my father killed.”
Alec leaned forward, his eyes intense. “You think your father isn’t under just as much of a threat every goddamned day? People are terrified he’s going to shove you down their throats as the first female Alpha. John Wesley Peyton can take care of himself, my girl.”
“I guess so.” The harsh words twisted the knot in Nick’s stomach tighter. Her skin felt cold and hot at the same time, and nausea made her sway in her chair. “You’ve spent a lot of time with Derek. Is he going to make it through this?”
“I can’t make any promises.” Alec brushed his fingers over her hand. “But he’s tough enough. You just have to go easy on him, kiddo. Especially when people start showing up trying to talk you into marriage.”
“I have crappy timing.” Nick pushed her damp hair back. “It shouldn’t have to be this hard for him.”
“Yeah, well, he can get at the back of the line when it comes to pouting over it. It’s not like Jackson didn’t have to put up with just as much shit, and he’s not dumb enough to blame Mackenzie for it.”
Jackson hadn’t had a ton of very new, very confusing instincts to deal with, either. Nick shoved a fork at Alec. “Eat. Luciano should be here soon.”
She stabbed a waffle with her own fork and reached for the strawberries. It would take time to put Alec’s plan into motion, so maybe they’d still be able to snatch a few hours of peace before all hell broke loose. If Derek could control his reactions enough to get through the next few hours, they’d have some time. Not enough, but some.
If there were two words Derek wouldn’t have picked to describe Luciano Maglieri, they were “punk” and “cowboy”. The man who arrived on Nick’s doorstep was handsome, immaculately clothed and groomed, and looked like he’d stepped out of a lineup of New York City’s most eligible bachelors.
Luciano was pretty much everything Derek wasn’t, and it sucked.
“Come in, Luke. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Nicole.” Luciano stepped inside and leaned over to drop a kiss to Nick’s cheek. She tensed and pulled away, and the man raised his eyes to Derek. “Hi. I’m Luke Maglieri.”
If you put your lips on her again, I’ll send you back to your mother in pieces. Derek was proud that he only sounded slightly surly. “Hi. I’m Derek.”
Nick kept her hand wrapped firmly around his, something Luciano acknowledged with a small smile. “I see my intentions aren’t a secret, either.”
“Let’s sit down,” Nick suggested, “and we can talk about things.”
Alec waited in the living room, sprawled in one of Nick’s chairs with his legs stretched o
ut in front of him and his ankles crossed. “Howdy, cowboy. How’s the ranch?”
“It’s fine, thank you.” Luciano straightened his suit jacket. “Foaled some impressive animals this year.”
Nick indicated the chair near Alec’s and steered Derek toward a love seat. “I’m glad your operation is doing well. I’m equally sorry you came all this way for nothing.”
“I thought it might be that way.” Luciano grinned as he sat down. “I hope you won’t be offended if I express my earnest relief at your refusal.”
It was almost too good to be true. Derek tightened his fingers around Nick’s hand and watched Luciano’s face. “You don’t want to marry her?”
“Actually, no.” He seemed sincere. “Not that you’re not lovely, Nicole. But the last thing I want is control of the Conclave.”
“We have that much in common,” she admitted.
Luciano’s vaguely cool, polite demeanor thawed a little. “I was sorry to hear about Michelle’s situation.”
Derek glanced at Alec, who shrugged one shoulder in a tiny, almost invisible gesture. Nick just sat a little straighter. “What was your mother offering? The terms, I mean.”
A lock of dark hair fell over Luciano’s forehead, and he brushed it back. “Aaron Spencer would be given a private execution. She couldn’t budge on that. Michelle would be spared, and the baby would become a ward of the Conclave. You and I would be married, with a prenuptial agreement stipulating division of assets and—and heirs.”
Nick made a soft noise and leaned closer to Derek. “Those are shitty terms, Luke.”
“I know.”
Nick’s pain grated painfully against Derek’s instincts. He dropped her hand and curled his arm around her shoulders instead, holding her against his side. “So if you know it’s shitty, why are you here?”
He blinked. “Because I was told to come.”
“What if they tell you to hurt Nick or Michelle?”
Luciano’s expression melted into one of shock, and he glanced at Alec. “Is he serious?”
Alec snorted. “If you’d spent the last two years getting spit on by the ruling elite the way he has, you’d be asking the same damn question, kid.”
Derek felt Nick’s eyes on him, but he kept his gaze on Luciano. The man’s shock didn’t vanish; it worsened. “Oh, I see. Uh, well. No, I mean them no harm. Things certainly haven’t reached that point.”
Maybe it was supposed to be comforting, but Derek just kept hearing the unspoken last word: yet. “In case Alec’s subtlety didn’t give it away completely, I wasn’t born like this. I was turned two years ago, and I don’t quite get your polite rules where we sit here and casually discuss how the father of Nick’s niece or nephew needs to be executed.”
Luciano stared at him, and Nick sighed. “Michelle isn’t a threat, I swear. We just need a few days to figure something out. Can you stall?”
He offered her a gentle smile. “I can tell Mom we’re talking things over. I’m sure she’d like to hear how successfully I’m wooing you.”
Derek didn’t realize he’d tightened his fingers until the arm of the love seat cracked.
“Okay.” Nick took a deep breath. “Alec, can you walk Luke out? And, please, leave Alec your cell number and the number at your hotel.” She didn’t move. “Thank you for doing this.”
“You’re welcome.” Luciano’s expression held a surprising sympathy.
She glanced at Alec. “Can you—?”
Derek almost winced as Alec speared him with a pointed look. “I’m fine, Alec.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
After a moment Alec nodded and rose. “C’mon, cowboy. Let’s clear out.”
When they were gone, Derek shifted his attention to the arm of the loveseat. “I can fix this,” he promised, the words shaking a little. He’d snapped the wood, and he hadn’t even been thinking about it. If his hand had closed on Nick’s shoulder…
“I don’t care about the furniture.” She knelt on the love seat beside him and took his face in her hands. “I care about you.”
There was no doubt about it, not with the way she watched him. Derek closed his eyes and inhaled her scent to steady himself. “I’m scared of what happens if I lose my shit and I’m holding something more important than a chair.”
She kissed him softly. “After we’ve helped Michelle and Aaron, we’ll lock ourselves in a hotel room for the weekend and not talk to anyone who isn’t bringing room service. You just need time, Derek.”
“Yeah. Time would be good.” After a few seconds, he trusted himself enough to curl his fingers around Nick’s waist. “Do you trust that man? Luke, I mean. If we reach the point where people are trying to hurt Michelle—” Or you. “Do you trust him not to be one of them?”
Nick turned and eased onto his lap. “Luciano’s in a tough place. His mother has grand plans for him, but he’s not interested. I know how that feels.” Her tone was light, but it held an undercurrent of pain. “Luciano isn’t alpha. He couldn’t handle control of the Conclave, and Enrica just won’t see that. Me? I’m just a selfish bitch.”
The words sounded like something she’d been told before, probably more than once. Derek cradled her cheek with his hand and rubbed his thumb along her jaw. “I’ve been watching the sort of shit you left behind for less than twenty-four hours, and I don’t blame you a bit.”
“That isn’t the point.” She turned her face to his touch. “I was born with responsibilities. It’s the way things are. Part of all those polite rules.”
Rules he’d never understand. Hell, at this point, rules he didn’t want to understand. “I’m sort of useless, aren’t I?”
“No, you were dealt a crappy hand, and you’ve been busting your ass to deal with it for two years.” Her nose brushed his jaw as she nuzzled her face to his. “I don’t think you’re useless. I think you’re beautiful.”
“Yeah, well, I think he’s a hunk,” Alec drawled from the doorway, “but we probably have more important things to discuss.”
Derek groaned. “You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are.”
“Whatever, I’m a goddamned laugh riot.”
“Nothing else to discuss at the moment,” Nick told him. “They know my sister’s here, and they know they can’t get to her. So we’ll gather some things together for her and Aaron, make damn sure that safe house is impenetrable…and then I’m going to plan a trip.”
Derek stiffened, and he fought to keep his fingers from tightening around her hips. “A trip?”
“I may have to go to New York, after all.” She slipped her fingers through his hair, seemingly unconcerned by Alec’s presence. “I have to find another way to give Enrica what she wants. A way that’ll keep Michelle safe.”
Now he felt vaguely queasy. “What way?”
“She wants to take control of the Conclave. That may not happen for her, but it can happen for Luciano’s kids. If—if no one else has a better claim.” She shrugged. “So I’ll give up mine.”
Chapter Six
Jackson met them at the door to the safe house. He muttered a few words, and the heavy press of magic that reverberated through the walls eased. “You’d better get in here, Nicky.”
His stern expression scared the hell out of her, and she shoved him aside, already searching for Michelle. “What is it? What happened?”
The few necessary items in the front room were in disarray. Jackson’s mother knelt near the kitchen, sweeping up broken glass. Michelle was nowhere to be seen. “Jackson—”
“She’s fine,” he interrupted. “I think. Hell, I don’t know.”
She gripped Derek’s hand, took a deep breath, and called her sister’s name.
The air on the far side of the room shimmered, and an open door appeared in the middle of the wall. Through it she saw her sister curled on the
bed, shoulders heaving as she buried her face against Aaron’s chest. He looked up and caught Nick’s gaze, and his green eyes looked exhausted. “Shelly, sweetheart. Your sister’s here.”
Nick let go of Derek and rushed into the room, heedless of the magic that still rippled through the air. She didn’t stop until she was on the bed, her arms around Michelle. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Jackson leaned against the open doorway. “She’s been upset. All kinds of weird stuff’s been happening. This door?” He knocked on the doorframe. “It’s been disappearing. With fair regularity, actually.”
“It’s not disappearing.” Michelle’s voice sounded hoarse and, when she lifted her head, Nick’s chest ached at the bruised exhaustion on her sister’s face. “I think it’s an illusion. But I don’t know, because I’m not doing it.”
Derek stood behind Jackson, watching helplessly. Nick tried to smile at them both. “Can you guys go out and get the things we brought? Take your time.”
Jackson hesitated only a moment. “Mama, yell if y’all need anything, okay?”
“Shelly?” Aaron’s hand hovered over the back of Michelle’s head. “Do you need time with Nicole?”
“Please.”
Aaron shot Nick another worried gaze, but he inched from under Michelle and rubbed the back of her shoulder. “I’ll be just outside if you need me. If you need anything.”
It was almost worth everything to see that quiet happiness on Michelle’s face, and the way Aaron’s fingers brushed her cheek in the softest of touches.
Nick felt like she was intruding on a private moment, so she averted her eyes until Aaron had left the room. “Do you need some water, Micky? Have you eaten?”
“Yes.” It came out a little forceful, and Michelle took a breath. “I didn’t mean it like that. But if one more person asks me that question, I think I’ll blow something up on purpose.”
“We’re worried, that’s all.” Even as she spoke, dread still weighed in her belly like ice. “You just…have to bear with us.”