Skin Walkers: Monroe

by Bliler, Susan

  “We was jus’ playing lizards an’ I was the boss lizard an’ he wouldn’t listen when he was supposed to!”

  She fought a smile. Lizards! Then her eyes darted to Monroe uncomfortably. Could he be telling the truth, could she trust him? God, how she longed to trust him. She wanted to believe he knew what was happening to her children and that he could protect them all and help them discover their differences. It was a gamble though, what if he was lying? What if it was a trick? Her eyes met his and he simply stared at her. His expression unguarded. He was daring her to trust him and waiting patiently to allow her to decide her own fate and that of her children.

  She tore her eyes from Monroe to pin Cole with her reproachful gaze as she leaned down and asked firmly, “Were you playing lizards or being lizards?” Her heart thundered in her chest. There it was. Admission!

  “We we was playing an’…”

  “Cole!” she warned, fighting to keep her attention on her son instead of focusing on Monroe to gauge his reaction.

  “We was being lizards.”

  “Do we bite when we’re ourselves?”

  His eyes dipped, “No.”

  “And do we bite when we’re not?”

  “No,” he shook his head.

  “And why not?” Eden prompted, as she pursed her lips in disapproval.

  Cole’s lower lip jutted out in a moue of sadness as he stated with a staccato that spoke of frequent recitation, “Because we’re people that can turn into animals.”

  When silence hung in the air for long seconds Eden prompted with raised brows, “Aaand…”

  “And not the other way around,” Cole supplied with a lowered head.

  Monroe felt wonder seize him. Why had he never thought to explain it like that to his own Walkers? So simple, so elementary, yet so right. The teaching, coupled with the fact that she’d just entrusted him with the lives of her children and with her own faith was more than humbling, it was overwhelming. In that moment, he wanted her. Sexually yes, but it was more than that. He wanted to capture her like a rare butterfly and keep her in a crystal jar to show her off and boast proudly that he’d been the Walker to catch such a beautiful and unique treasure. She may not have been born a Skin Walker, but in his eyes, she was the most exceptional and beautiful creature he’d ever encountered.

  Smiling her approval, Eden pulled Cole close to brush a kiss to the top of the child’s head and was instantly rewarded with a beaming smile. “Good boy. Now go apologize to Ransum and play nice.” When he made to race away Eden’s hand on his arm halted him, “Hey,” she lifted delicate fingers to tug on the lobe of one of his ears. “What are these for?”

  Cole smiled, “Listening.”

  “What else?”

  Cole’s expression shifted from delight to self-satisfaction, as if he was about to reveal some great secret. “Hearing!”

  Eden winked at Cole and one of his eyes squeezed shut while the other followed fractions of a second later in his own rendition of the gesture before he grabbed her hand, kissed it, then raced out of the room shouting, “Sorry Ransum!”

  Monroe watched Eden as her eyes followed the child before he rose from the bed crossed to her and followed her silently out the door. She hobbled to the sitting room where she could keep an eye on the children in the kitchen as they shared a plate of cookies.

  He regarded her as she settled herself in one of the chairs. The children were not her own but that didn’t prevent her from loving them and raising them with all the affection and due diligence that she’d lavish on her blood born. There was so much he wanted to say to her. He had so many questions that needed answers. “You’re great with them you know?” His words drew her attention.

  “No,” she shook her head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “I don’t. Honestly, I don’t know what in the hell I’m doing and if I can be honest…it’s terrifying.”

  Monroe cocked his head to the side, “Terrifying?”

  Delicate fingers fidgeted with the lobe of her own ear. “I don’t know if I’m raising them right. I’ve never had children or any nieces or nephews. I wonder if I’m doing these kids any justice. Especially with,” her eyes landed on his chest briefly before dropping, “their…”

  she was being cautious.

  “Say it,” he commanded.

  She didn’t look at him. “Differences. I often wonder if,” she dropped her hand from her ear, “they wouldn’t be better off with someone else.”

  “You don’t want them?” He could scent her anger before her next words had a chance to breach her full lips.

  “Of course I want them! I just want what’s best for them and I’m not sure that I’m it!”

  Indignation brought a flare of color to her cheeks that Monroe found becoming. He couldn’t help but wonder what other emotions or acts would call forth a similar flush.

  “The children are welcome to stay here.”

  “Look, you should go.” She looked directly at him as she fidgeted nervously. He’d heard her prompted confession from Cole and Monroe openly admitted to knowing about the children’s special gifts. It was too much to absorb right now, she needed a minute…hell a year! She needed to process the information and decide, one, if she believed it and two, if she did believe it, what to do with the information.

  “Did you hear what I said about the children?”

  “Yes,” her voice grew impatient. “I heard you, I just… Can I digest this before we have to discuss what it means?”

  “There’s one more thing I want you to think about.” She crossed her arms over her chest and he could tell that she didn’t want to hear any more. Too bad, she had to know. He settled in a chair across from her and lowered his voice. “You’ve heard of Skin Walkers, Eden, and you’ve seen for yourself that we exist. What you probably don’t know is that we have enemies. Another species called Megalya.”

  Eden uncrossed her arms and her gaze narrowed on him as she listened intently, her lips parting slightly.

  “Their main facility was in Calgary but we breached it recently and rescued a Walker named Leto and his mate Shy.”

  “Aries said something about that,” she whispered trying to remember all the Walker woman had told her. She’d met Aries when the Walker woman had helped Lilly care for her children while she’d been in the infirmary. The three women had become fast friends. “She said they were scientists doing experiments.”

  “The Megalya employ scientists. The Megalya themselves are rarely ever seen. They can absorb Skin Walker powers by drinking our blood.”

  Eden gasped.

  “They aren’t satisfied with ever wounding a Walker. They hunt Walkers down, kill us, and drain us so that they can obtain our abilities.”

  She paled and her eyes shot to the room where her children ate cookies and chattered loudly.

  “Can’t they just take what they want and leave you be?”

  “They could, but they don’t. We are hunted, angel. It’s why I’ve created this haven for us. It’s not just for our preservation but for our protection. When a Megalya claims our halo, they claim our power. They become shifters, immune to disease, and their lives are lengthened. It’s simple. They kill us to become us.” ”

  She was shaking her head as her brow furrowed. “What about the scientists? Do they know what’s happening? Why don’t they call the authorities?”

  Monroe smirked, “The scientists know what’s happening. They willingly do Megalya bidding. I don’t know if they’re paid extremely well or if they do it out of fear, but they do it. Shy was able to give us some helpful information, but when we sieged the facility in Canada, we only encountered scientists and technicians. The true Megalya either hid or fled.”

  “How do you know? Maybe they just lied and said they were technicians.”

  “They don’t look like us. They could pass for human I suppose, but they’d never fool a Walker. They look like burly men with all sharp teeth and shaved heads. Their eyes though are red, like an albin
o’s. With dark glasses and if they kept their mouth shut, they might fool some humans.”

  Again, her eyes darted toward the kitchen. Her voice lowered as she hissed, “They wouldn’t hurt children would they?”

  “They’re soulless, Eden. They’ll hunt and kill any Skin Walker they can get their hands on.”

  “Oh God!” She lifted a trembling hand to her lips. “Are they here? In Montana? Do they know where you are?”

  “We are safe for now.”

  Her head was spinning. It was all too much information at once. Skin Walkers, Megalya, blood draining. How could she ever take the children from the safety of StoneCrow now?

  Chapter 13

  Two weeks later and Eden found herself in Monroe’s office. Wringing her hands nervously, she hoped he was willing to accept her terms.

  Monroe entered, wearing his typical expensive suit. Eden got to her feet.

  “Sit, angel.”

  She did and smoothed her hands down the front of her jeans nervously. Suddenly, she felt dumpy in her worn, form fitting jeans, and tight t-shirt.

  “You didn’t have to come here. I could have come to your suite.”

  The thought of him there did funny things to her belly. His presence was practically constant and the children were rapidly growing attached. Even she found herself eyeing the clock as she prepared dinner, eagerly anticipating Monroe’s nightly visit to their suite after his daily business was finished.

  “I’ve thought about what you said.”

  “What did I say?”

  “About Skin Walkers and the Megalya. Look, before I continue I want to know that you didn’t just make that up.” She inched forward in the seat that faced his desk, her hands dropping to grip the edge of the seat. “You didn’t just make that up to terrify me did you?”

  “No, Eden.”

  She sighed, less than relieved at the admission. “I...,” she looked down at her hands. “I was thinking that,” she stalled again. “Maybe it’d be best if…”

  “Stop,” Monroe commanded, drawing her gaze. “Look at me and tell me what you need, angel.

  She dropped her eyes, focusing on the silver band around his neck. It drew her attention. The corner of her eye crinkled, “What’s that necklace you wear? I’ve seen it on the Sentries. Micah has a thinner version that he never takes off.” She inched closer in her seat, wanting to study the object. She’d never wanted to impose on Micah but she’d always been curious.

  Monroe fingered the silver band, “It’s called a halo.” His lips quirked, “It’s for my angel.”

  “What?”

  He laughed, dropping his hand, “It’s part of our claiming ritual.”

  Eden shook her head, “Claiming of what?”

  The smile slid from his face as he eyed her, “My mate.”

  Eden swallowed hard, but couldn’t manage to pull her eyes from his. “So instead of a ring you give her your necklace?”

  Monroe rose from his desk and rounded it to prop himself on the corner, looking down at her. “It’s more than a necklace Eden. It’s part of my soul. Walkers are born with their halo. It carries a part of our essence with it…even after we gift it to our mate.”

  Eden eyed the halo again, not sure if she wanted to press the issue. “It looks like a regular necklace to me.”

  Monroe tilted his head watching her eye his halo. “I assure you it is quite unique to Walkers. It is generated over our youth until it becomes the halo you see now. It can only be removed when gifted to our mate.”

  “What if it breaks?”

  Monroe smiled, “It cannot break, and it cannot be removed by any hand other than by that of the Walker who owns it.”

  Eden’s eyes flicked up to his then back down, “Except after you gift it? Then your wife… can she remove it?”

  “Angel,” Monroe corrected as he shook his head.

  He’d used the endearment with her several times, and she was getting confused. Is he talking about me?

  “Only the Walker who owns it has the power to gift it and once it is gifted it can only then be removed by the Walker making the gift.”

  “What if your mate…angel no longer wanted to wear your halo?”

  He frowned then, “I’m not sure. I’ve never known it to happen.”

  Eden blinked then looked up. “So whoever she is…this mate of yours, she’s not really an angel it’s just a play on words because of the halo?”

  Monroe sobered, “Whoever she is, will well and truly have to be an angel to love and accept the Walker way. Our lives are different…difficult. Walkers are beasts after all.”

  Monroe was surprised to see the flash of anger that glimmered in her eyes.

  “We are all beasts, Monroe. I’ve known men that are a thousand times the animal that any Walker could ever claim to be.”

  His expression hardened, his lips thinning in anger. He didn’t want to think of Eden being subjected to any form of animal. “Personally?”

  Eden looked away, knowing she’d said too much. She cleared her throat and tried a diversion, “You can’t just lump all Walker’s together. It’s not fair to your people.”

  “Why?” He challenged, “Your people do it all the time.”

  “I judge a man by his actions, not by his birthright. As for the rest of my kind, I can only apologize for their ignorance.”

  “Careful, Eden. If an unmated Walker heard that declaration, he might just consider claiming you.”

  Her brow furrowed as she looked away, “I am for no man’s claiming, Walker or otherwise.”

  Monroe crossed his arms over his broad chest, “And just why exactly is that?”

  No longer interested in discussing her proposition, Eden stood. She smoothed her hands down her thighs, “I should go…I have…I should check on the children.”

  Before she could escape, Monroe uncrossed his arms and closed the distance between them, his body mere inches from hers as he grabbed her chin forcing her eyes to meet his.

  “Whether they admit it or not, the goal of every Walker is to find their angel. We are in a struggle for our very existence. We fight just to live, and in order to ensure our survival we must procreate. A woman would have to willingly enter into that type of relationship knowing that she and any children she might bear—or already have—would forever be in jeopardy. It’s not easy to accept, even for Walker women. So you can imagine how rare it is to find non-Walker women who freely accept this fate.”

  “Is that why you still wear your halo?” Her eyes dipped to the silver band. “You haven’t found an angel who’s willing to accept the terms of your existence?”

  He inhaled the soft scent of her, sweetgrass and rain, Montana…home! His eyes darkened and because he couldn’t help himself, he smoothed his thumb over her bottom lip causing Eden to inhale sharply and try to step back. His other hand clamped on the small of her back holding her in place. “It is more difficult for me considering the extreme lengths I’m willing to go to ensure our survival.” He studied her face, his eyes coming to rest on her lips. “I am the Dominant Walker in more ways than one. My mate will need to both be strong enough to stand on her own and wise enough to submit when I need it. Make no mistake Eden, my mate…my angel, will endure more difficulty than any other Walker’s claim. I have vowed to change the type of existence my people endure, and because of that I may very well have relinquished any claiming I may have desired or enjoyed.”

  Her tongue traced the path his thumb had just taken, and she felt Monroe tense as he watched. “Because you don’t want an angel or because you think she’ll not want you?”

  He lifted his eyes to meet hers and didn’t speak, simply held her clamped to him feeling the beating of her heart against his chest. The silence was broken by a nearly inaudible high-pitched whine that lasted only a fraction of a second. Eden dropped her eyes to the source of the sound and watched in shock as the halo around Monroe’s neck winked with an ethereal light and dimmed just as quickly.

  She was for
ced back as Monroe dropped to his knees, one hand clamped around the halo while the other fisted the shirt at his midsection.

  “Monroe!” Eden dropped to her knees at his side and grabbed his shoulder trying to pull him up, “Are you okay? KIIIIIING!”

  The door to Monroe’s office burst open as King crashed into the room, his weapon already drawn. King scanned the room, pivoting with his extended pistol as he searched the room before crossing to Monroe and Eden and holstering his weapon.

  “What happened?” he demanded.

  Eden was shaking, her hands still firmly clamped on Monroe. “I-I don’t know. We were just talking and then something happened. He fell to the floor.” Her eyes welled with tears, “He’s hurt.”

  King peeled Eden from Monroe and dropped to the CEO’s aid.

  Monroe, now hunched on his hands and knees moaned in agony in between sharp breaths. He tried to push up off the floor only to fall back to his knees with an agonized growl.

  “We need help! Get Jenny or…I’ll call 9-1-1.” Eden dashed to his desk but didn’t get a chance to even pick up the phone.

  “Don’t!” King commanded as he stood and raced to her.

  Eden, still shaking, looked from King to Monroe as he writhed on the floor. “What? We have to do something!” She turned and grabbed the phone but King’s large hand clamped around her wrist, preventing her from lifting the receiver to her ear.

  Both Eden and King exchanged looks of shock when a feral growl erupted from Monroe as he hauled himself up from the floor and launched himself into King with a speed Eden couldn’t believe.

  The two men crashed into the desk and toppled over it as Eden gasped and threw herself back from the melee.

  Monroe had King pinned to the ground, his enraged expression almost unrecognizable. “Don’t ever touch her!” He ground out between gnashed teeth, his eyes were completely black with no white showing at all.

  To his credit King didn’t struggle, but merely allowed Monroe to hold him pinned to the ground. “I wouldn’t hurt her Monroe.” He stared up evenly without showing any emotion. “I don’t want her. I know she’s yours.”