Dangerous Dalliances (Maxwell Investigations)

by Ibanez, Dawn

  Tears filled her eyes as she thought of what she saw. After everything that happened in recent years, after all of her talk about how family was everything, she was going to be the one to betray them.

  “Are you okay?” Troy asked sleepily. He sat up and leaned over Madison. The fact that he was still with her amazed her. His eyes turned troubled when he noticed how badly she was shaking. “Is it the baby?”

  Madison shook her head. “A vision,” she said before working her way into a sitting position. She saw the questions forming on his lips and quickly leaned forward and kissed him. “I can’t tell you,” she said in a whisper. “Fate is just as big of a bitch as Karma. If we try to do anything to stop it, then it’ll just turn out worse in the end.” Her eyes turned to her hands as she also thought about the content of the visions. There was no way she was going to tell him that she was going to turn into the worse sort of monster.

  She turned and tossed the blankets off of her body. Hopefully there was still some of last night’s dinner in the fridge. While she wouldn’t normally eat something like roasted eggplant, their daughter seemed to take a liking to it. Madison looked over her shoulder and gave Troy a shaky smile. When he frowned at her, she shook her head. “I know you’re worried, but everything will be fine.”

  Troy frowned when she kissed his cheek again. Something was bothering her and he knew there was nothing he could do at the moment to take her fears away. With a sigh, he moved out of their bed. Even though little Aurora wasn’t due for another few weeks, he didn’t want to take any chances. “Do you want me to fix you anything fresh?”

  Madison gasped as she reached for her own robe. She glanced at Troy and saw that he was making his way over to where she was standing. A grimace crossed her face as he placed his hands on her rounded stomach. “I think I would rather you call your father,” she said just before moisture started to run down her leg. “Rory’s coming.”

  * * * * *

  It was midafternoon when Barry’s phone rang. Lily’s fight party was in a few hours and he was about to start getting ready. A frown crossed his face when he saw his mother’s picture on the phone. “What’s going on, Mom?” he asked as he turned to walk into his room.

  “You should come down to the hospital and meet your niece Aurora Maxine,” Tina said proudly.

  Barry froze mid-step. Madison had her daughter. The little girl that he was pretty sure that was going to become as powerful of an Oracle as their cousin Mathias had been. Barry cleared his throat and painted a smile on his face. “That’s great, Mom. I’ll be down there as soon as I can.”

  Tina was silent for a moment. She knew all of her children a little too well. “What are you hiding from me, Barrence?” she asked in a whisper.

  “I am not telling you over the phone,” he said in a defensive tone. If he told Tina everything Mathias had confided in him, she would hit the roof. Then she would probably hit him. It didn’t matter that his older brother knew about all it before even he did. Eric was still comatose and therefore would not be held responsible for hiding the secret that their two sisters were half of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

  Barry on the other hand would be a dead man walking.

  And it wasn’t only Tina he had to worry about. Victor, Troy and Crispin would all have a few bones to pick with him. He would be lucky if he walked away from the ordeal with no broken appendages. Then there was also the fact that if they knew about it, then Crispin would tell Dylan, who would then tell Sloane and Lily.

  And Lily was the third Horseman. She wasn’t going to be happy about that in the slightest. The small amount of ground he made with her would be dust in the wind.

  “I don’t know what you’re hiding and I don’t really too much care why you’re hiding it,” Tina said sharply. “You be down at this hospital in your brother’s room in 20 minutes, do you understand me?”

  Barry knew that tone all too well. Growing up that tone was the telltale sign that someone was about to get their butt whipped. Now that he was an adult, and his mother out-ranked him in the Council, he was going to be in for some shit assignments in his near future. “Yes, Ma’am,” he said dutifully before hanging up his phone.

  This meeting was not going to be pretty. Despite all of the animosity between Tina and Madison in the past, they were now inseparable. Tina even started going over to Madison’s for Sunday dinner. It also didn’t hurt that Troy had gone to culinary school and was a damn good chef. But it was weird watching his mother dote on the one child everyone thought she had written off.

  Barry walked into his room and saw the blue Hugo Boss shirt he planned to wear with a matching set of slacks and sighed. If he was about to die, at least he was going to look good. He looked at the phone in his hand and quickly pulled up Lily’s phone number.

  She picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Barry,” she said breathlessly. He could only imagine what made her sound like that.

  “Hey, Lily, I’m afraid I can’t make it tonight.” Hopefully she would understand.

  A soft laugh escaped her. “I know. Madison had the baby. Sloane called and said that he and Jimmy can’t come either. I was just putting together a small package to take up to the hospital.”

  He didn’t know if he should be thrilled that she wasn’t upset, or pissed because his little brother had gotten an invite to the party too. Barry rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay. Well, are you going to be there in the next 20 minutes or so? My mother wants to talk to me, and I really think you need to be there too.” After the words left his mouth he wanted to kick himself. He could feel humor quickly leave Lily’s voice.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said carefully. “We only agreed to friends.”

  “I know,” Barry said quickly. There was no way he wasn’t going to hate himself when this was all over. “But something has been bothering me for a while, and my mother just picked up on it. She wants to know what’s going on, and I think you should know what it is too.” Barry paused and waited until she was about to take another breath. “It’s about something Mathias told me.”

  There was no sound on the other end of the phone for a long moment. Lily had always been torn about her feelings for Mathias. He had been the man to take her in and raise her and her twin brother. She thought of his as nothing less than her father. “Where are you meeting her?”

  Relief flooded through him. If she went to the meeting, he could explain why he didn’t say anything. “Eric’s room.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Barry frowned as the phone went dead. He didn’t want to hurt her any more, but he had a sinking feeling that with Aurora’s birth, something bad was coming. And there was no way any of them would be able to brace for impact.

  * * * * *

  Lily glared at the lavender and pink basket in front of her. She couldn’t explain why, but she was furious. It had taken months to get over her father’s death. Mathias kept her hidden from the world. He kept both her and Cord protected from the crazy hunts that wiped out most other Succubi and Incubi. It wasn’t fair that he was now painted a bad guy after everything with Cord. It also wasn’t right that he confided anything in Barry that he hadn’t already told her.

  A small sigh left her as she looked at the small bear with large blue eyes. “I know I shouldn’t be angry with him,” she said as she stood. “But he doesn’t know me. Why should he have any secrets about me?” Lily shook her head before walking over to her closet.

  She had originally planned to wear nothing more than a sweat suit, but now with the trip to the hospital, she would have to make herself look put together. A slow sigh escaped her as she ran her hands through her hair. Most of her usual clothes were in the laundry. Right now she was down to a couple of pairs of jeans and blouses.

  She rolled her eyes as she pulled out the blouse Sloane had given her for Christmas. There was no way she was going to try and impress Barry. Her feelings were still in a tangle from that night all those months ago. On one hand, he h
ad taken complete advantage of her. On the other, no one was hurt. If it hadn’t been for that promise she made to Eric, sooner or later, she and Barry would have hooked up at least once.

  Lily frowned slightly as she started to brush out her hair. If she allowed herself to think about that night, she could barely remember what happened. She just had the feeling of waking up completely satisfied. Again something that wasn’t normal. Usually, to wake up that content, she would have had to take someone’s life.

  Green eyes locked on her reflection as she bit her bottom lip. She had made the decision to keep Barry in the ever-popular friend zone, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want him just as much as he wanted her. And while she was used to hiding how she really looked, she was tired of it. A smirk crossed her face when her eyes caught the make-up kit Lacey had given her for her birthday.

  Lily went over to her vanity and sat. Even though they agreed to be friends, she would make him suffer just as much as she was.

  Chapter 3

  Madison looked up at the ceiling of her hospital room. Her daughter was beautiful. She knew that no matter what was going to happen, Rory was going to be well taken care of. Her eyes drifted over to where Troy sat quietly tracing a trail of water along the side of his cup. “Go check on the kids,” she said in a whisper. When he jumped, she gave him a crooked smile. “I want some sleep and you’re thinking too hard.”

  Troy laughed as he stood and walked over to her side. “Are you sure? I could stay here with you and have Casper stay with Aurora.” He reached out and gently touched her face. “I would stay really quiet.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. “You won’t even know that I’m here.”

  “Famous last words,” Madison mumbled before returning his kiss. When he slowly pulled away from her, she touched his face. “But really, go check on the boys and the baby.”

  “Kayin and Aiden are taking perfect care of Casper,” Troy countered easily. He laughed when he saw her smile. “Alright, I won’t make it too hard on you,” he said before kissing her again. In their time together, Madison had become his world. And while he cherished every moment he spent with her, he also knew when she needed space. “I’ll call them and see about someone bringing them by to see the baby.”

  The door opened to reveal a tall blonde woman in a nurse’s uniform. She carefully maneuvered the door open while pushing in a wheelchair. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need Mom for some routine tests,” she said with a pleasant smile and lovely Irish lilt.

  Madison felt the world around her shift. The statuesque blonde wasn’t a nurse. Things were starting now. “It’s okay. He was about to let me take a nap while he checked on our sons.” Madison looked at Troy as he helped her sit up then stand. “I’ll see you in no time,” she lied. When he frowned at her, she kissed him quickly and settled into the wheelchair.

  Troy looked at the nurse and his frowned deepened. Something strange had been going on with Madison for the past few months and he didn’t know how to approach her about it. He was beginning to worry about her. “I love you, Maleficent.”

  Madison smiled as the “nurse” started to wheel her into the hall. “I love you too,” she whispered before leaving him in the room. She was silent as the blonde took her down the halls and to the elevator. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a thin gold bracelet with markings from one of the royal Fae houses. Madison’s lips pressed together as she waited until they were on the small car before speaking. “You’re a Royal.”

  Siobhan glanced down at the woman that she was told would have been so hard to capture. “Yes. And you’re going to come quietly?”

  Madison slowly nodded. “I’m not one to fight against fate too much,” she answered. “This was going to happen one way or another.”

  The elevator doors opened and Siobhan started to wheel Madison into the parking garage. “Good. You just had a baby after all.”

  * * * * *

  Barry could only stare in shock as he walked into Eric’s hospital room. What he thought was going to be a simple conversation between him, Lily and his mother turned into some sort of family meeting. Eric was lying comatose, while his husband Sloane and their mother sat at his side. Their father James leaned against the widow with their brother Jimmy. Dylan and her husband Crispin were sitting on Eric’s other side and Troy stood just off to the side. Barry pressed his lips together for a moment and went further into the room. “Hi,” he said tartly.

  Before anyone could respond, the door opened again to reveal Lily holding a large basket full of stuffed animals and baby clothes. She looked around the room before her eyes locked on Barry. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

  Barry shook his head and went to help her. “No. I asked you to come,” he said lifting the basket from her arms. A smile crossed his face when he looked at what she was wearing. “I just wasn’t expecting everyone else.” He carried the basket over to a small table while he continued to assess her appearance. Lily’s body was wasted in baggy clothes and wraps. As a Succubus, she had a body made for sin, and she was one of the most sensual beings that he had ever come across.

  Tina folded her arms over her chest as she glared at the pair. “Barrence, can we get to what you’re hiding, then you can finish undressing Lily in your mind?” she asked rudely.

  Barry’s face went red as Lily ducked her head and went to stand over where Sloane was sitting. People sometimes wondered where Madison got her attitude from, and now he knew. Tina could be just as crass. Barry cleared his throat and looked at his mother. “There really is no easy way to say this, but I have reason to believe that the girls are in danger.”

  Dylan narrowed her eyes as she took her brother’s stance. She always hated when her brothers referred to her and Madison as “the girls.” Barry pressed his lips together, knowing that she was probably reading his mind and finding everything he had kept hidden from her. He knew she found his conversation with Mathias when her face went pale.

  “Mathias told me about a prophecy that says that something huge is going to happen within the next few weeks. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are to rise, and bring about a new world.” Barry glanced at both Lily and Dylan before continuing. Lily looked confused while Dylan looked positively ill. “From everything that we’ve found, we know who three of the Horsemen are.”

  Crispin straightened as he looked at the love of his life. “Lily, Dylan and Madison,” he confirmed darkly. When Barry started to nod, Crispin shook his head. “And you didn’t see fit to tell us before now?” he asked.

  “What did you want me to say, Crispin?” Barry asked in turn. “Just call all of you up, ask how everything was going, and then add ‘oh, by the way, your wife might be one of the harbingers of the End of Days’? Did you forget that they’re my sisters too?”

  “How did Mathias come across this prophecy?” James asked.

  Another thing that his family was going to hate him for. “Because his mother was your aunt Martha.” Barry looked at his father and slipped his hands in his pockets. “She was an Oracle, and after the first vision she wrote about it in her journals.”

  The frown Troy wore deepened before he stood straight and left the room. Barry was silent as everyone thought over what he told him.

  Tina stood and walked over to him. “Do you have any idea the position you have put this family in?” she asked softly. “There are children to think about. If something happens to Dylan or Madison, how do you expect to explain it to Lacey or the twins?” When Barry started to turn his face to the window, she grabbed his chin and made him look at her. “There are also our positions to think about. We’re all related. You don’t think they’ll throw a fit if something happens and one of us knew? They could sit back and accuse us of some kind of bizarre power play. Keeping this from us was selfish and irresponsible.”

  “I was only following Eric’s lead,” Barry said weakly.

  “Don’t put this on him,” Sloane snapped.

  “I’m not.” B
arry ran his hands over his hair and tried to calm his anger. “Look, when I found out, he and I talked on the phone. We were going to meet up and plan how to tell all of you,” he paused when his eyes turned to Lily. “But then he had that fight with Cord and ended up here.” Barry turned his attention back to his mother and sighed. “I know it wasn’t smart. I get that. But really, I didn’t know what to do. Hell, I still don’t know what to do.”

  Troy ran back into the room and looked at his in-laws. His golden eyes locked with Tina as he tried to combat his rage. “Madison’s gone.”

  * * * * *

  Madison looked up at the ceiling of the penthouse she was taken to. The Fae princess had left her on the bed so she could rest. Madison didn’t want to rest. There was too much going on. By now Troy had to be going crazy. She was sure Dylan, Crispin and Casper weren’t any better. The only saving grace was that Victor was on a business trip, but Madison didn’t fool herself. When he did return, there was going to be hell to pay. Before a smile could cross her face, it fell. Victor was going to look for her, and he had the power and resources to find her. Pieces of the vision she had played in her memory again. When everything was done, she had the feeling that either she or Victor would be dead.

  The door to the bedroom opened and Madison could only glare at the man entering. She had trusted him, and now she was going to be his pawn. “What do you want from me, Gramps?” she asked as she fought back a growl.

  Pan looked at her and smiled. “My Madi,” he said proudly. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to be ready for this.”

  Madison sat up and glared at him. “Ready for what? For me to betray everyone I love?”

  “But do they love you?” he asked. With a wave of his hand, Madison’s body slammed back against the mattress. “No. They can’t. Your family threw you away when you were a child. The Vampires never really understood you. Your Wolf can never understand who and what a Necromancer really is. Every person you love, loves the masks you don to fit in.”