by Lexi C. Foss
“Ah, a good question. No one knows how Jonathan acquired the funds for the CRF, or why he really created it. But the popular opinion is, he’s power hungry. It’s a common trait of weak men, and his gift is exactly that. Weak.”
She would get to the first part of that statement later. “What’s his psychic gift?”
“Ah, see, that’s where he’s brilliant. There’s a reason Gabriel, or as you call him, Agent Stark, asked the questions. Jonathan has the gift of truth. If he asks you a direct question, you can’t lie.”
“So, if he asked Dr. Patel, she couldn’t lie?”
“Precisely.”
“Which means he probably instructed her to lie.” And she was likely still very much alive. Great.
“Likely, yes.”
“And Tom?”
“What of him?”
“Is he really Jonathan’s son?” He looked just like him.
“Yes, and yes, he’s a fledgling like you,” Issac murmured, reading the next question from her eyes.
“So he really did risk his life outside the Arcadia.”
“Correct. He’s quite infamous with my kind, and the Hydraians as well.” He tucked a blonde strand behind her ear before dropping his hand to her hip. She was still straddling him, her dress bunched high on her thighs. His hungry gaze dropped to the exposed skin as he ran a finger down to fondle the hem. “I swear you get more beautiful every time I see you.”
“Maybe that’s my secondary gift.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it.” He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged, then lifted her dress over her head. She was left straddling him in a few scraps of purple lace. “Anything else before I devour you?”
She liked the sound of that. “Uh, I told Jonathan that I’m going to use you to learn more about Ichorian society.”
His head fell to the back of the couch, his gaze hooded. “Yeah?”
“It was that, or break up with you.”
“So we’re in a relationship now?”
“Yeah, apparently you’re my boyfriend.”
He grinned. “Apparently I am.” He pulled her down for a kiss that melted her insides. “You know this goes deeper than a frivolous label, right?”
“Does it?” It was a breath against his lips. “Show me.”
“Happily.”
Tom stood in his father’s office, his hands fisted in his pockets. This conversation was going nowhere fast. “You can’t keep her here. Not if you’re hiring Stas.”
“I can do whatever I want.” This was the side of Jonathan Fitzgerald the public never saw. The immoral bastard who refused to budge from his high horse. He was leaning against his desk, expression challenging. “Or are you planning to do something about it?” Always a taunt, ready to test his son’s strength. Tom had yet to break despite the numerous times he wanted to punch his father in the face.
“What are you going to do when Stas finds her?” His friendship with Stas deepened over the last year. The woman he knew would never tolerate what his father was doing to Amelia, no matter what lie he contrived.
“Once she understands the purpose, she’ll be on board.” So nonchalantly said. Not a worry in the world.
“And what is the purpose of beating her to within an inch of her life, dad?” He was livid when he found the girl earlier. The experiments the CRF were running on her were bad enough. Beating a defenseless woman for sport he could never get behind. He almost unleashed his rage on his father, but the bastard coolly reminded him that the CRF was the only family he had.
“Without me, where would you be?” was John Fitzgerald’s favorite saying. The Ichorians would slaughter Tom without protection, and the Hydraians wanted nothing to do with him, despite his immortal bloodline. The CRF was all he had and if he wanted to stay, he had to play ball. Fortunately, he learned from the best, and curveballs were his favorite.
“You need time to show Stas the ropes and properly train her,” Tom murmured, opting for a new tactic. “If she learns about Amelia too soon, you’ll lose her. I think we should move her.” It was his subtle way of trying to get the girl away from his sadistic father.
“I tend to agree,” Stark said, entering the office without knocking. He must have heard Tom through the door.
“Is she healed?” John asked.
“She is, but I’m exhausted. So don’t beat her again yet.” Stark’s stoic nature made it difficult to tell if he was trying to protect Amelia, or if he was tired and didn’t feel like healing her again any time soon. As Tom wasn’t sure what all the strange man’s gift entailed, it could very well be the latter.
“Regarding Stas, I agree with Tom,” Stark continued. “It’s a good idea to move Amelia, at least during the first few weeks of training. If Stas stumbles upon your science project before she’s properly informed, it could go badly.”
His father seemed to consider what Stark was saying despite it being the same suggestion Tom made only minutes ago. “You don’t think she’ll react well.”
“I think she’ll understand in time, but finding out too soon will slow her training. If you want me to train her, I need her focused.”
“Who says you’re training Stas?” Tom assumed it would be his job.
“I did,” his father said. “You’re too soft.”
“Excuse me?” He was not fucking soft.
“She’s in this mess because of you.”
“Something you’re benefiting from, if I’m not mistaken.”
“That remains to be seen.” His father tapped his chin, those chilling eyes falling on Stark. “You agree that Amelia should be moved, then?”
“I think it’s for the best.” Stark leaned against the door, crossing one ankle over the other as he slipped his hands into his jean pockets. The picture of ease. “You have all the samples you need. Really, her life is moot, but I understand if you want to keep her around. She’s easy on the eyes.”
His father’s smile turned his stomach. He didn’t want to think about what his father or any of the others had done to the girl. He only learned of her captivity two months ago. A consequence of having been sent all over the world for missions and spending little time in the basement since starting his job last year. He tried to keep a close watch over her after finding out, but it wasn’t easy.
From what he’d seen, she wasn’t allowed proper grooming rights or access to adequate meals, but being immortal, she didn’t seem to care. Today’s beating, however, was new, and he let his father know just how he felt about it. Not that his dad cared. If Tom ever found out it went deeper, that any of the other men had raped her, he would not be held liable for his actions. He wasn’t fond of immortals, but violence against women was a hot button. Only a suicidal man would press it in front of him.
“We have a cabin in upstate New York.” His father’s mention of the Fitzgerald family cabin made Tom sick to his stomach. He hadn’t been up there since the Ichorians murdered his mother. “We could keep her there.”
“With supervision?” Stark guessed.
“Yes. I think Tom would make a fine babysitter.”
His jaw hit the floor. “You’re benching me?” But it went beyond that. His father wasn’t just putting him on the sidelines. He was forcing him to go a place he vowed never to visit again. His mother’s gravesite.
“Consider it more of an adult time out for your stupidity.” His father’s cold, dead eyes stared back at him. Not a hint of remorse. He knew what this punishment meant, and he didn’t care.
“Stupidity, that again, you’re benefiting from.” By turning an innocent woman into a fucking female Sentinel. Tom hadn’t even begun to process that yet. It was the worst idea he’d ever heard, not that his father would value his opinion on the matter.
“If Stas proves capable, I might decide you can come back.” His father was so nonchalant about it that it pissed him the fuck off.
“You’ve got to be shitting me. What am I supposed to do up there? I’m your best Sentinel and you know it.”
“A Sentinel who forgot his purpose over the weekend and endangered a civilian.”
“She was put in danger the minute she started dating that leech.”
“Perhaps, but you enhanced it.”
“This is un-fucking believable.” This was not what he had in mind when he suggested they hide Amelia. Deep down he hoped the sadistic bastard would let the woman go, or at the very least put the woman out of her misery. Living in captivity was destroying her.
“You were the one who wanted me to move her. I think this is a perfect solution. You can take her upstate tonight. She is safe to travel, right?”
“She’ll sleep the whole way,” Stark confirmed.
“Perfect. Problem solved. Happy travels, son. Don’t disappoint me.”
Immortal Curse Series
What’s Next
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Blood Laws! I hope you enjoyed meeting Issac and Stas. You might be wondering about some of their unresolved issues. Don’t worry! They will be main characters throughout the series, and will have more than one book featuring them as the primary hero/heroine.
Up next is Forbidden Bonds, where Tom will question everything he’s ever known as he gets to know Amelia in ways he never anticipated. As sexual tension and emotions flare between them, they will need to decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice for love.
Forbidden Bonds is available for pre-order, and will be released on August 1, 2017. I know, I hate waiting too, which is why I’ve allowed Balthazar to host his blog on my website. He posts everything from daily Hydraian chatter, to interviews with the other immortals. I highly recommend checking it out. You can drop him a comment or two as well; I’m sure he’ll reply. Just know I have no control over what he says or does. He is B after all.
Thank you again for reading, and feel free to reach out to me anytime. I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Oh, and I have a monthly newsletter I send to interested readers with short stories and other sneak peeks. Please keep in touch!
Cheers,
-Lexi C. Foss
Blood Laws
Music Playlist
Back in this Moment - Angelzoom Bed of Lies - Matchbox Twenty Beautiful Stranger - Rebecca St. James Burn it to the Ground - Nickelback Children of the Night - Blutengel Fairyland - Angelzoom
I Know You Want Me - Pitbull I Want You - Madonna
Life is Beautiful - Sixx:A.M.
No One Like You - Scorpions Not Enough - Lacuna Coil
Pandoras Box - Solitary Experiments Satisfy You - P. Diddy
Soultaker (Black Soul Remix) - Blutengel Stay - Blutengel
Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You) - Enrique Iglesias Was it a Dream? - 30 Seconds to Mars
About the Author
Lexi C. Foss is a writer lost in the IT world. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and their furry children. When not writing, she’s busy crossing items off her travel bucket list. Many of the places she’s visited can be seen in her writing, including the mythical world of Hydria which is based on Hydra in the Greek islands. She’s quirky, consumes way too much coffee, and loves to swim. Cheers!
Where To Find Lexi:
@LexiCFoss
LexiCFoss
www.LexiCFoss.com
Also By Lexi C. Foss
Immortal Curse Series
Book One: Blood Laws
Book Two: Forbidden Bonds
Mershano Empire Series
Book One: The Prince’s Game
Book Two: The Charmer’s Gambit