Skin Walkers: Monroe

by Bliler, Susan

  “They’re not yours Eden. They are Walkers. They belong here where they can be trained and taught to use their gifts.”

  When Monroe woke that morning and carefully removed his halo from his angel, he’d been revitalized. It had worked! He’d fooled the affliction and—unfortunately—used his mate to do so. Once she accepted him, he was certain she’d forgive him for the transgression, but for now, he had to convince her to stay at the estate. He couldn’t ask her outright, or confess how much she meant to him. He didn’t know how to do either one of those things. His only recourse was to force her to make the choice for the safety and welfare of the children. She was a good mother, she’d choose what was best for them, and ultimately Monroe and her as well. She had to stay!

  Tears flooded Eden’s eyes before she looked away, and Monroe felt guilt bite hard when he watched her struggle to keep her lip from quivering. Her pain was like a douse of ice water. Worse! It was nearly intolerable. With her defenses finally down, he was able to see the true Eden and it broke his heart because he felt the weight of the burden she had been carrying. He knew the struggle she’d endured, his hadn’t been much different. The difference for them was that he’d had the luxury of dealing with adults, fully mature Walkers, that at the end of the day could take what he offered or walk away and it was no skin off his nose. Eden however, wasn’t granted that luxury. She was dealing with children who not only relied on her, but had nowhere else to go. Looking at her, holding her, he felt how weary she’d grown. The secret she carried on behalf of her children would have been exponentially more difficult because she herself didn’t know what was happening. She’d had no way of knowing what they were, and therefore no means to teach them to accept their differences. Still, she’d tried.

  Looking up at him with wounded eyes, Monroe stifled a flinch as she bit out with agonized emotion, “You are not taking my kids!”

  “I don’t want to take them, angel.” His expression softened. “I want you to give them up.” It too was a lie. He wanted her to realize they needed to remain here and the need for her to stay with them. He wanted them all, and if he had to play dirty to keep her, he would.

  “Never!” The word was backed by such vehemence that Monroe couldn’t help the spike of pride he felt that a human female would fight so hard for his kind. The feeling was quickly chased away by jealousy. What would he have to do to get her to regard him with such undying loyalty?

  “Have you asked them what they want?”

  “I’m good to my kids,” she challenged.

  “I’m certain you are, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not confused. That they wouldn’t understand better if they had someone like them to teach them what they are.”

  The comment gave Eden pause. Am I not doing right by them? What if they want more than I can give? Fear struck hard followed by regret. What if her children needed more than she was able to offer them? What if she couldn’t teach them what they needed to know to survive being…different. For one brief second she considered giving the children up and that was all it took. Her heart actually ached and her resolve crumbled on a sob.

  Monroe caught her when her knees gave out. He lowered her to the floor, folding his knees underneath her so that they ended up with her on his lap as he held her.

  “Oh God, Monroe!” She looked at him, her eyes swirling with a storm of recognition and complicated acceptance. Her tears fell freely as she shook her head. Emotion clogged her throat and made it difficult to speak. She wanted to give him what he sought, but she simply couldn’t. “I-I can’t! I just…can’t!” Sobs wracked her body as she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him needing something solid and stable to anchor her in the violent tempest that threatened to overtake her.

  The thought of life without Micah, Cole, Ransum, and Peyton was more than devastating, it was impossible to accept. How many nights had she lay awake in bed and wondered if she was doing right by them, if she was good enough and strong enough for them. She fought to be. God only knew how hard she’d fought to be everything those kids needed, but she’d failed. If Monroe knew and he wanted them because he could do better, then she had clearly failed!

  Strong arms wound around her and held Eden tight. Silently Monroe cursed himself for having made his Eden cry. He opened his mouth to console her but didn’t get the chance. The door to the room was pushed open and the timing couldn’t have been worse. With her back to the door Eden wailed, “I can’t do what you want, Monroe. I’m sorry, but I won’t.”

  Cole and Ransum, who’d been smiling when they entered, stopped just inside the door. Both little faces quickly cleared of their grins before Cole’s face twisted into an adorable scowl. “Let go of my mama!”

  Following suit, Ransum shouted, “Yeah, you’re hurting her!”

  Eden’s head snapped up in time to watch the two boys race to her aide. Cole slammed into Monroe’s shoulder and began pounding with both tiny fists while Ransum, quick on his brother’s heels, arrived to fist two little hands into Monroe’s hair and yell, “Get away from our mom!”

  “BOYS!” Eden shrieked, scrambling from Monroe’s lap as he sat, with regret in his eyes, and allowed the boys to attack him. He was horrified that they thought he’d intentionally harm Eden, but he was also so damn proud of the fact that they’d defend her without hesitation. They were going to be magnificent Walkers.

  Eden circled Monroe and picked up Ransum, reaching down to force one hand then the other from Monroe’s hair. With a kicking and flailing Ransum pinned to one hip, she bent and grabbed Cole around the waist and hauled him up as well.

  “Boys, stop!”

  Monroe was halfway to his knees when a growl from the doorway had Eden spinning. Shit! Her eyes locked on Micah as he stood with his feet and shoulders braced as if prepared for a fight. His hands were fisted at his sides, and his lip curled back to revealed elongated canines. Eden knew from experience what was coming.

  “He hurt mama!” Ransum wailed and it was all the incitement Micah needed.

  “MICAH NO!”

  Too late!

  The teenager shifted and the small gray wolf sped toward Monroe.

  Eden quickly set both Cole and Ransum down and spun just in time to throw herself in Micah’s path.

  “EDEN!”

  Monroe’s shout was too late. She felt claws and teeth sear her chest and neck before she was thrown back with savage force. Her body collided violently with Monroe’s and he caught her as they both crashed to the ground with Micah’s wolf from landing on top of them.

  Pain burned in her chest and Eden kept her eyes clamped tightly shut against the agony as she felt herself being rolled.

  “Get Jenny!” Monroe shouted seconds before Eden heard Peyton’s wail pierce the air. When the little girl had entered the room, she wasn’t sure.

  Eden forced her eyes open and struggled to sit up.

  “Stay down!” Monroe demanded.

  Eden saw Micah kneeling over her, his face was ashen and he was shaking his head, his mouth gaping open “Eden, I’m…I’m…”

  She smiled weakly, “It’s okay. It’s nothing. I’m…fine.” She attempted to sit up again and bit the inside of her lip to avoid wincing at the pain the action caused. Monroe’s hands held her pinned to the ground and she tried to look around his crouching form to smile at Peyton who was crying uncontrollably.

  “I want my mommy!” The cry was joined moments later by both Cole and Ransum who erupted into hysterical tears as they approached to stand over her, one child frowning at Monroe while the other frowned at Micah.

  “You hurt her!” Ransum accused.

  “Micah hurt mommy,” Cole cried.

  “Shhh, boys!” Eden reached up and grabbed Ransum’s hand because he was the closest. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

  “You’re bleeding,” Ransum started crying harder and it became difficult to hear with all three of the youngest children crying uncontrollably.

  “Christ,” Monroe growled under hi
s breath. “Aries! Get them out of here.”

  “NO!” Ransum and Cole cried in unison. “We want our mom!”

  “I want my mommy,” Peyton shrieked.

  Exhaling, Eden let her head fall back and thump against the floor. How in the hell am I going to fix this? The thought was quickly replaced by the realization that she was suddenly very tired. She blinked and her eyes opened too slowly.

  “Aries, get them out now!”

  The sudden calm in Monroe’s tone was shocking. Eden wanted to look at him to see if he was okay but when she blinked again her eyes refused to open.

  “Eden?” Micah’s whisper sounded scared and when he spoke again there was a tremor in his voice. “Mom?”

  Eden felt herself being lifted from the floor and her head lolled back as her arm flopped bonelessly to her side.

  “Tell Jenny we’re coming to her!”

  Unsure who Monroe was talking to Eden no longer cared as the pain from her chest slowly eased and she was enveloped in a warm blanket of peaceful and quiet sleep. The last thing she heard was Micah’s horrified question.

  “Did I kill my mom?”

  ***

  The instant Monroe stepped into his study Micah sprang to his feet. Cole, Ransum, and little Peyton slept huddled together on the leather sofa in front of the roaring fireplace and Aries and Conn quietly approached. King came forward as well while his Lilly stayed close to the children.

  Monroe tried to smile but the action was rare and felt out of place on his lips. He walked to Micah and stopped.

  “How is she?” Aries asked. Her tone was laced with concern.

  “Fine.” Monroe reached up and grabbed Micah’s shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze. “She’s going to be fine. No broken bones, nothing serious, just a few stitches.” It had been more than a few stitches, but he didn’t want to make Micah feel more guilty then he already did, so he kept the details to himself.

  Relief washed over the teenager’s features before being quickly replaced with anger. He jerked from Monroe’s grasp. “It’s your fault,” he accused. “If you weren’t hurting her.”

  Monroe was used to dealing with difficult Walkers but not children. It was new and had him regarding Eden with a whole new level of respect. “I wasn’t hurting her Micah. I was talking to her and…”

  “And you made her cry,” the boy finished. “What did you say?” The boy stepped closer in challenge, “What did you do?”

  If Micah were any of his Walkers, Monroe would have simply ignored the demand but he was merely a boy and a boy that had an unyielding loyalty to Eden, which endeared Monroe to him.

  “I didn’t do anything. We were discussing you.”

  “Me?”

  Monroe nodded his head toward the three other sleeping children. “All of you. I was trying to convince Eden that you all might be better off here, with your own kind.”

  Micah paled. “She’s getting rid of us?”

  “No,” Monroe spoke swiftly, lest Micah get the wrong impression of Eden. He didn’t want her character demeaned by any mistake on his part. “She refuses to let you go. She wants you. She loves you too much to give you up.”

  Micah tried to disguise it but Monroe didn’t miss the tension leave the boy’s shoulders with the relief at his words.

  “I suggested she might want to introduce the idea to you and allow you all to choose for yourselves.”

  “We’re staying with Eden,” Micah squared his shoulders.

  “What about them?” Monroe’s gaze shifted to the Cole, Ransum, and Peyton. “Don’t you think they should choose for themselves?”

  Unperturbed, Micah shrugged negligently. “Ask. You’ll get the same answer. We want to stay with Eden.”

  “Well, that settles it then.” Monroe nodded at the boy before he turned to King, “Take Bishop and Gauge and collect their things.”

  Micah cut in, “We’re not going home without Eden.”

  Monroe stared at the boy over his shoulder, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. “You’re not going home at all. My men are collecting your belongings from Eden’s cabin.” Monroe turned and stalked toward the door in his typical leave-with-the-last-word style. “You and your family are moving here.” Closing the door behind him, Monroe smiled, certain he’d heard and adolescent growl thrown at his back.

  Chapter 16

  Eden woke feeling groggy. She’d spent one night in the infirmary so far and Monroe refused to allow her to return to her suite until Dr. Arkinson monitored her for another twelve hours to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. It was frustrating. She’d had enough of the estate’s damn infirmary to last her a lifetime. She wasn’t in bad shape. Micah’s claws had torn across her chest and his teeth had locked into her shoulder. She needed stitches, a lot of stitches, but she’d heal. Surprisingly, while a little restless, she was in good spirits for the most part, considering what had occurred. Secretly, she was glad Micah hadn’t attacked Monroe. She didn’t know Monroe well enough yet to gauge how he’d take being attacked by a teenager and she didn’t want to find out.

  More than anything, Eden wanted to get to Micah. She knew her son was most likely in a state of turmoil over the accident. She didn’t want him beating himself up over what happened. However, staring at Monroe now as he stood at the foot of her bed, her plea to leave the infirmary failed to spring forth. Instead, she wanted him to understand her stance on a completely different topic.

  “I’ve thought about it and you can’t have them. They are more than my family, Monroe. They are my heart and soul. How can I just give them up and walk away? Someone else has already done that to these kids and I refuse to do the same.” She inhaled a deep breath and set her shoulders. “I’m going to be a mother to these kids for as long as they’ll have me.”

  She didn’t know how he’d react. She half expected him to protest. Instead, something akin to respect flickered in the depths of his eyes before it was quickly wiped away. “Fine.” He stood and smoothed his hands down the front of his dark suit after buttoning his jacket. “If you won’t give them up, there’s only one thing that can be done.”

  Fear pitted in her stomach.

  Monroe stalked to the door, pulled it open and turned to smile menacingly at her. “You’re all coming to live at StoneCrow.”

  “Wait!”

  He turned and partially closed the door.

  “It was just sex Monroe. You don’t have to…” It hadn’t been just sex to her, it had been so much more, but she would never reveal it. She’d been trying to give him an easy out. She had no idea the reaction her words would evoke. One second he was holding the door and the next he was hovering over her with a look of such rage on his face that she actually recoiled and lifted her hands defensively.

  Monroe had been about to admonish Eden on her stupid comment when her reaction to his anger stopped him. Knowledge struck and his throat convulsed as he attempted to swallow down his absolute fury. When he spoke his voice was strained. “Who hit you, Eden?”

  She blanched and dropped her hands. “What? N-no one!”

  He scented her lie instantly and made a mental note to inform her of the ability, but right now, he wanted to know who had harmed his angel so he could find the fucker and kill him! Slowly, to avoid frightening her again, Monroe grabbed her chin and turned her face to his. “Tell me who hurt you.”

  She blinked rapidly in an attempt to dispel the unshed tears that stung her eyes. “No one…”

  “Stop. I know you’re lying.” His voice was gentle despite the need for murder that was coursing through him. “Tell me.”

  Eden sighed and closed her eyes, not wanting him to see the pain the memories still caused. “I-it was a long time ago. Just forget it?”

  “Who?” he demanded.

  Her eyes opened slowly. “Some guy I used to date. It was before I had the kids,” she rushed to explain, “I’d never have subjected them to his cruelty.”

  “Why?”

  She blinked, “Did he h
urt me you mean?” She shrugged and tried to pretend it didn’t matter. “He told me it was my fault. I believed him for a very long time. I…” she dipped her head, “allowed it.” Wringing her hands, she swallowed hard and lifted her eyes to his. “It’s why I attended the Law Enforcement Academy. I took my life back. No man will ever hit me in anger again.”

  “No!” he growled viscously, “No one will harm you ever again, my Domina.” He bent and brushed his lips gently across hers. “I apologize for frightening you.” He turned and stalked to the door before stopping to throw over his shoulder, “And it wasn’t just sex. We both know it.”

  He grabbed the door handle but before he even opened it he called to RedKnife through the mist. “Find me Eden’s ex. Bring me his fucking heart!” It was all the direction the Sentry would need to do his Dominant’s bidding. Eden’s ex-boyfriend would die for having harmed her, Monroe wouldn’t lose a second of sleep over it, and RedKnife would make it appear is if the man had simply vanished without a single, solitary trace.

  In the hall, King caught pace with the CEO. “Crow?”

  Monroe didn’t slow his stride, still stewing from his angel’s confession. He knew his Chief of Security would take issue with his demands on Eden and her family, but King’s opinion was irrelevant.

  “You can’t force them to stay.”

  Coming to a hard stop, Monroe curled his hands into tight, white-knuckled, fists. His brain knew that King wasn’t challenging him for Eden, but some primal part of him couldn’t comprehend and coupled with the revelation that she’d been abused, it was too much. “She’s mine!” His words were expelled on a harsh growl that sounded too animalistic even to his own ears.

  “I understand that she’s your angel. We all understand that, but you can’t force her…”

  King didn’t get the chance to finish. Monroe spun so fast that King didn’t have time to react. One moment King was addressing Monroe’s turned back and the next he was flying through the air. Monroe’s hand had collided violently with King’s chest sending the Walker airborne. When King’s massive from crashed into the wall some ten feet down the hall, nurses rushed to King’s aid.