Nicky wanted her to buy a gun; Morgan refused, knowing that she was not ready for that. She had however taken to wearing a cross at all times, having been to the church to have it blessed and dunked in holy water. Since meeting Harrison at the club, she had met several vampires; some were even regulars in Oasis. Although she was a little apprehensive around them, Nicky had taught her how to look more confident and Morgan surprised herself one night, when she had sat chatting and laughing with two vampires.
The last few months had opened her eyes to other species, Nicky was friendly with everyone and slowly she had taken cues from watching him. A couple of weeks ago two men had come into the bar and proceeded to talk with Nicky about baseball; Morgan knew they weren't human although she wasn't sure what they were. When Nicky had come round to get a glass, she asked him what they were; stupidly she questioned him when he said they were shifters. They didn’t look as brawny as the wolves she had met, when he said one was a rat and the other a bear, she laughed and told him that she didn't believe him. Morgan knew not to challenge Nicky; he offered them free drinks to shift in front of her, and when they did Morgan sat with her jaw open. It was the bigger one who turned into a rat and the small guy turn into a huge bear. It was a crazy world, one where she met some fascinating and sometimes weird people; she had however grown to like the leprechauns.
Looking at the apartment, she was so proud of what they had managed the place was entirely transformed; it hadn’t been bad before just dated. Before the transformation the lounge was a pale green color, with a red patterned carpet. The fire had been an old large thing with a brick surround; the furniture was an unremarkable dark wood and old fashioned.
Now the room was decorated in beige with one deep red wall, on which sat a fake fire, a large flat screen TV that sat above the fire. The curtains were now the same color as the red wall, the sofa was a tremendously large three seater with large arms and red throw pillows, with a matching chair. The pine wood floor looked stunning, and the chocolate brown rug sat just right.
Nicky had let her have free rein in this room and she was immensely proud of it. Whenever she was in it, she felt relaxed and calm there was a serene feeling in this room.
The bedroom had caused some disagreements between them; surprisingly Nicky thought that as he had been in so many bedrooms he was the expert. When Morgan pointed out that he had not been inspecting said bedrooms, he threatened to teach her all that he knew about what went on in them. It was as he thought about corrupting her that she had asked him why he would want to teach her what to do with other men, which didn't go down too well, resulting in Nicky threatening to abandon her in the bed shop.
Eventually they had settled for a large oak four poster bed with matching wardrobe, bedside tables and dressing table. They had also purchased a large mirror, a couple of vases and another TV for on the wall. Morgan didn't see why anyone would want a TV in the bedroom when they could walk a few feet into the lounge, but what did she know. Now the bedroom had gone from a basic room with pink walls, to a beautiful room with cappuccino colored walls, another fake fire place that she hadn't been sure of, but now made the room feel warm and safe. The bed looked amazing; the extra dress pillows made the colossal bed appear so inviting. Nicky had surprised her with this. He had arranged to have some curtains made for each rail and a matching duvet, the curtains on the bed and in the room were the same blue as Nicky's eyes. He pointed this out every time they walked into the room; Morgan was starting to think that he wanted her to look in his eyes, though she tried to avoid doing this knowing that once she looked, she could be there for some time.
The bathroom had taken some work, she had fitted all of the new pipes herself amazing Nicky, she had surprised him this time. They now had a large free standing bath in the center of the room, a double sink, separate shower and toilet. It was now so clean and bright; she had actually tried to banish Nicky to the shower room for fear he would make a mess. The first night after the bathroom was finished, she went to run a well needed hot bath, and found a hot bubble bath waiting for her, a glass of wine on the side and some low music from his IPod. Nicky wanted to spoil her; he was so sweet that sometimes he just left her reeling with these thoughtful little surprises.
The kitchen was all pine with a small center island, with built in fridge, freezer and dish washer, Nicky had insisted on a pop out TV, like the apartment at the club. They had found a small table ideal for four people that fit just right in the left over space. The floor tiles were a light grey, finishing off with a large pan rack hanging from the ceiling.
There was a second bed room or study with an ensuite; it had top of the range equipment in it, so that she could run the office side of things from up here. It also had a sofa bed for guests, or as would be the case for now, for Nicky. He had insisted she take the big bed room, in fairness Morgan hadn't seriously argued with him, she loved the room, and with the built in shower it was ideal for him.
They were quite fortunate to have a roof top patio outside the lounge, Morgan had turned this into a little bit of paradise. She had filled it with plants and flowers; there was a small table for two and two lounge chairs as well as a really big hammock. This was where she was now, laid in the hammock watching the birds flying above her, hearing their wings beat with the freedom of the sky. She could hear the bustle from the busy New York district, she had a little radio playing Eminem whose music helped her relax, the words touched her they were so poignant. Smiling inwardly, she found it hard to accept how much her life had changed, she felt free and safe for the first time ever.
As Nicky wandered through the apartment looking for Morgan, he wasn't surprised to find her in her little garden. He stood at the door watching her for a few minutes. She continued to amaze him, never in his life had he expected to achieve anything like this, the apartment was incredible, Morgan was incredible. His parents were coming tonight with Ben and Lucky, he had kept them away until they had finished the project. He was so proud of her, his little Pixie, they had worked so hard. It would be unfair to say they did all of this just the two of them, Julian and Seb had helped although only after he had warned Julian not to flirt with Morgan, then it had all been good.
Morgan looked so relaxed, laid in the hammock with the sun shining down on her. A couple of weeks ago she had gone to see Yvonne and come back with dark brown hair. He was surprised to find that he missed the red and black, although the brown made her look even hotter and more vulnerable.
Morgan was so tiny but she had hidden depths to her that kept surprising him, like being able to plumb a bathroom without any help. He smiled when he heard her music choice, she was really enjoying music, he didn't know where she came from or what her life had been like (although he guessed it was pretty shit), or even what her surname was but he knew she had never been around music or TV, and still flinched when unknown people came too close.
She was however conquering her fears one by one, the panic attacks were virtually gone, she was able to work behind the bar and the regulars loved her, most were other wolves but that wasn't the point. And Nicky, well she still made his blood boil, how she didn't notice his near permanent erection he didn't know. He loved being around her, his wolf loved being around her and from tonight they were going to live here together, but not together. He wasn't sure how he was going to stand being around her all of the time, although he would find a way. He knew that the agony of being around her was better than the agony of being away from her.
"Are you planning on standing there watching me all day, Nicky?"
"How did you know, your eyes are closed?" He smiled.
"I always know when your close." He heard her sigh.
"Is there any room on that hammock for me?"
"Always." She smiled and slid over so that he could lie next to her.
"I've picked your things up from Silver's, and mine from home. We are all set for tonight. Mom and Dad are coming over with Lucky and Ben later to see what we have done to the place."
That made her sit up, he knew her need to show their achievements and present them with perfection. "I need to clean up." Her voice panicked at the thought of his family seeing less than perfection. He laid his hand against her chest and forced her to lie back down.
"It's spotless Pixie and currently looks like a show home, so stay there." He felt her relax even though he hadn't missed the flinch when he put his hand up.
"Someday I want you to trust me enough to tell me your story little Pixie, hell I don't even know when you birthday is let alone who you're so scared of."
She snuggled into him so he could feel when she tensed for a brief second.
Morgan lay there tucked into Nicky all safe and still. She did trust him, he had never pushed her to tell him about her past, he had protected her and helped her grow, and he stayed true to his word. He had even maintained the flirting only rule, well other than the kiss but she enjoyed that, and at least three times a day she wanted him to do it again.
"I will answer some of your questions. I will be twenty two on 14th of May, I'm scared of a lot of people Nicky, but not you, I trust you with my life."
"So you should, whoever it is you are scared of just remember they have to get past me to get to you." He knew that she smiled at his words; he didn't know how he knew this he just did.
"That scares me too." Her voice was soft and almost too quiet; they both stared at the sky watching the clouds drift by.
"Care to explain that little Pixie?" He was stroking her head with one hand; his other arm was tucked around her.
"I grew up in a small town in Arizona; my family is part of an organization named 'True Believers.' They worship Lucifer, believing that he is the one true descendant of God and that he was betrayed by God. Then God set out to sully Lucifer's name and cast him as the bad one. According the True Believers all of the world's evils including other species were Gods way of destroying the Earth. Women are Gods way of testing the males, they are there to offer temptation and it is only the strong men, the leaders, who can control and resist them."
"What do you believe Pixie?"
"I believe that a lot of what I was taught was wrong. We lived in a big commune type community, like how you live in the pack but not like it at all. Women are considered to be beings of God; it is the man's role to keep them in line."
"What does that mean Pixie?" He was stroking her cheek, and although she was anxious at telling him, another part of her felt safe. Her head was still nestled into his chest; she had her eyes closed now and part of her wanted to tell him everything, another part was scared that saying it out loud, would make it real.
"The women are there to look after the men and if they don't, they are punished for turning to God."
"How are they punished?" The arm around her tensed, although only for a second. Now it was Nicky's voice that was quiet as he tried to omit what he knew would be an angry tone at what he expected to be an awful punishment.
"It depends; women have to wear trousers and long sleeved tops at all times, except those married to the leader. They have to be naked so that everyone can see how he trains them. You could see all of their bruises and their eyes were dead, we were always scared to talk to them. Every few years they would disappear and a new one picked out, he always picked the ones he said were the closest to turning themselves over to God and forsaking Lucifer." Morgan took a breath but Nicky did not dare to speak for fear of closing her up.
"Women are not permitted into the men's room where the TV and radios are kept, they run the house and the paperwork side of the business. They are permitted six hours of sleep a night and cannot talk to each other, except on Sunday after church. Female children are expected to learn early that they should be seen and not heard."
"What happened if you didn't follow the rules?"
"It depends on the family, some would just hit the women and children, other's shaved their heads, and some used canes and cigarettes to keep them in line." He could hear the tears that he knew would be falling. "It's ok to cry little Pixie, your safe now. What happened in your family?"
"I grew up with two older brothers, Andrew and Cane. Andrew is a really dangerous man; he is five years older than me and used to enjoy getting me punished. He's quite a small man yet he bullied both me and Cane."
Morgan took a deep breath before continuing. "Andrew used to tell my dad that I had done things wrong when I hadn't, and by the time he was thirteen he was helping punish me. My mom somehow managed to leave, Andrew used to taunt me that she used my birth as a way to escape. Apparently it was a difficult birth and she had to go to the hospital, I was with the nurses when my mother just disappeared never to be seen again, the whole Order moved across the country after she left." He waited patiently, not sure if she would continue. Nicky hadn’t expected her to talk about her past; although now she had started he hoped it would help her get past the pain and fear that was still in her, bubbling near the surface.
"I had a bedroom, although if I had been bad I was made to sleep in the garage. My father favored a whip, every morning I was lashed five times to remind me of what would happen if I turned away from Lucifer. When he got home, it would happen again, although it would be doubled if Andrew told on me for something. On other occasions my father would generally hit out, Cane always tried to protect me even if he received a beating for it."
Nicky was furious, in fact he was past furious, his wolf was going mad inside, howling and screaming to get out and deliver revenge. He remained stock still so that he didn't frighten her; already he had made a pact with his wolf to deal with these bastards. "How did you get away?"
"Cane got me out, he had been trying to take more and more of the beatings, but as he was a man he was being pressured to step up and start taking the initiative in handing out the punishments. On several occasions, he had told them that he had punished me when he hadn't. Anyway the leader had decided that Cane should be sent away to help recruitment, I knew he didn't want to leave me and until then he had managed to put them off."
As Morgan took yet another deep breath, Nicky worried about her. "Morgan you don’t have to do this."
"I think I do Nicky, I want to tell you so please don’t stop me. Where was I, the leader's wife died of some heart defect, no one was really surprised she had been ill for some time. On the Sunday we were all in our chapel, it was a small building that from the outside looked like a warehouse, inside there were the old pews that were so uncomfortable, it was almost torture in itself. The leader would stand on this stage where he had a throne type chair made from wood but with black velvet seating. He would burn large black candles in each corner, and across the back of the stage, the walls held copies of holy pictures, each had a flame painted through it and some message attached." She laughed an almost quiet laugh that bordered on hysteria, he thought about stopping her but then reminded himself that she needed to do this and he needed to hear it.
"Even though the building was light with huge windows, it always felt dark and gloomy. We had listened to the week's sermon, he essentially decreed that his previous wife was so close to God's influence that Lucifer had taken her health, in order to prevent her betraying the Order. But it was okay, Lucifer had told him who needed his help now, he had been ordered to take a new wife, the one closest to turning to God. We all sat with bated breath, the men desperate to know who the chosen one was, the women terrified that they would be the chosen one."
Nicky had a feeling that he knew where this was going to. The sun no longer felt as bright and warm on his skin, he had gone cold both insider and out. "And then he pointed to me. I already knew before he said it, I felt my whole body start to tremble as I saw my father smile with pride that his family had been identified as important to the leader. I could feel a panic attack coming, Cane had discreetly squeezed my hand, he knew what was going to happen but I couldn't stop myself. As I felt the breath go from me, the hyperventilating started. He declared this was evidence of my treacherous thoughts."
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She was crying hard, the pain of her memories was breaking him in half, but he also knew that she needed to let this out. To stop her now could be worse in the long run, though he had no idea where this knowledge.
"Cane spent the next four weeks planning and saving money. My family had a plumbing business; one night he went out for supplies when my dad and brother were drunk. He had been pretending to drink with the guards on the gates so they didn't search his van as he left, this gave him the chance to sneak me out and take me to the bus depot. That journey out was terrifying, I had to lay in the back with a blanket over me, my panic was high yet I couldn’t make a sound, just thinking about it now sends my heart rocketing. I begged him to come with me; he refused, saying that if he returned he could cover for me for a while. If he didn't, they would have noticed that I was missing too soon, I have been so worried about him."
As he comforted her, Nicky had to kick Ben out of his head; his brother had picked up on his anger and through the telepathic link was checking he was okay.
The Wolf With The Silver Smile (The Silver Series) Page 8