Taken For His Own

by Tara Fox Hall

  Danial and Theo looked skeptical. Terian understood immediately that they were not impressed and began to elaborate.

  “Say we had another bear attack like last time. Monica could make them believe they were in a fog. They wouldn’t be able to see anything and would have to move slowly. The foxes could take them out then by themselves, with the tactical advantages of knowing the lay of the land and being able to see normally.”

  “Have her come here,” Danial said, after a moment. “We will meet with her and decide then.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Theo said. “What names do you have, Danial?”

  “There were several weres who wanted your job after you went missing. I ended up hiring Terian and so never contacted them. Even though it has been a year and a half, the pay we’ll offer should garner interest. I’ll get you the resumes.”

  “What are they?” Theo asked pointedly.

  I gave him an odd look, curious.

  “All are worthwhile candidates: a golden eagle, a vulture and a grizzly bear.”

  “Male or female?’ Theo asked.

  “Female for the eagle and vulture. Male for the bear,” Danial replied.

  “Is the bear one of Devlin’s?” Theo asked.

  “Yes, he was,” Danial replied. “He said Devlin was scaling back his operations.”

  “Did he say why he was being let go?” Theo said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  “No, but Dev’s done this before, on and off,” Danial said, as if it wasn’t important. “He decides someone isn’t ruthless enough and gets rid of them.”

  “Is the bear one of the ones present that night Sar was attacked?” Theo growled.

  There had been only two bears left standing that night, when all was said and done, the ones that had held down Devlin, that he’d later fed on. The rest had been killed.

  “No,” Danial said. “He’s young, just out of high school. He’s got brute force, but not much skill, not yet anyway. I can’t remember his name.”

  “What about the eagle?” Theo asked.

  “Erin is older, and she’s held a similar position to this one for an ally out West. You remember David?” Danial said.

  “David Helm, Ruler of the state of Colorado?” Theo asked.

  “The same,” Danial said in reply. “David speaks highly of her. She wanted to move back here because she just split up with her mate, and it was messy. But her work attitude, he says, is all professional.”

  “I think we should forget the vulture,” Theo said to Danial. “Their character, as a rule, is down there with reptiles, not to mention it might be some relation to Garrett’s dearly departed flock. Let’s interview the three others. If they interview well, we’ll hire all of them. We need that much strength until Theoron gets bigger.”

  “Hopefully by then he won’t need anyone to protect him,” I murmured.

  “Hopefully.” Theo turned to Terian. “Do you have any thoughts?”

  Theo’s question was really a peace offering. In a few moments, he’d retaken his place at Danial’s side completely, effectively cutting Terian out of the decision-making process.

  Oddly enough, Terian looked relieved instead of annoyed. “I’m good with everything you both said. I’ll be back shortly with Elle. Cia just texted me that Elle’s ready.”

  “Good,” Danial said, “I should have just enough time to send out some emails requesting interviews.” He ascended the stairs and went into his study.

  Theo came close, slipping his arm around me. “I’m glad this is going so well.”

  “Danial seems to have been busy plotting everything out.”

  “It’s a sound plan,” Theo said. “Do you want something to eat? I’m going to have a snack before she gets here.”

  “You go ahead. I’m not hungry.”

  Theo went into the kitchen. A few moments later Ivan walked in with the dogs. Ghost and Darkness came in and lay down, stretching out on the floor, breathing hard. I gave them each a pat, thanking them for being good on our trip and promising Cheweez when we finally got home. As I was getting to my feet, there came the loud beep of the washer cycle finishing. Descending the stairs, I put the sheets in the dryer and then put the load of laundry in to wash.

  The front door suddenly slammed with a crack.

  Elle yelled “Mom?”

  “I’m down here,” I yelled. “I’ll be right up.”

  I was at the top of the stairs when Elle threw herself into my arms.

  “Mom! I’ve missed you! Are you back to stay?” she said, hugging me.

  “We both are,” Theo said from behind her.

  Elle froze. “What’s he doing here?” she said to me coldly.

  This didn’t sound like Cia had done her job. “Elle, this is your father, Theo. Theo, this is your daughter, Elle.”

  “He’s not my father!” Elle said with scorn. “Danial is.”

  “Danial will always be your adoptive father. No one wants to change that,” I said. “But like it or not, Theo is your father, and you will respect him.”

  “Then where was he all this time?” she cried in solid accusation.

  “Elle, come here please,” Theo said, coming closer to her.

  She ran away from him, but Theo was faster. She got only a few steps, and he caught her, falling to his knees to grab her around the waist.

  “No!” she screamed. “Don’t touch me! I hate you! You left us alone, and Mom cried every night. She was never happy! Even her smiles had tears in them!”

  “Come here!” Theo yelled, struggling with her.

  “No! I wish you had stayed wherever you went! I want you to leave!”

  “I don’t care what you want!” Theo growled, grabbing hold of her. “I want to hold you. I haven’t held you since you were a few days old.”

  Though she fought, he was stronger than she was. She screamed and cried, but he just held her to his chest, stroking her hair. She tried to bite him, and he growled something to her, the tone stern, but loving. Elle went utterly still and promptly burst into tears. Theo held her tightly, again making more soft growls, tears running down his face. She hugged him back, burying her face in his neck.

  I wiped my filling eyes, then felt cool arms embrace me.

  “I’m glad I didn’t miss this,” Danial whispered. “But I must ask, how is your arm?”

  “Much better,” I said, giving him a smile. “It hardly hurts at all.”

  Danial reached down and lifted my arm, removing the bandage. “That’s because it’s almost completely healed,” he said anxiously.

  I examined my arm, my eyes widening in shock. As he’d said, the wound had scabbed over. Now it looked like a shallow scratch that was at least a few days old.

  “It’s a sign of being partly turned, isn’t it?” I said, raising my eyes to his.

  “Yes. Devlin may have added to that when he sucked out the bullet, but most of it’s my doing. You’ll heal faster than normal until you return completely to human.” He held me tightly to him, stroking my back. “I’m very glad you’re all right.”

  “Mom, Dad, is it okay if Theo and I go for a walk?” Elle asked.

  Theo closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

  Danial and I turned to Theo and Elle, moving apart. “Of course. Go ahead,” I answered.

  They quickly left by the front door, growls and loud purrs barely audible over the sound of four legged feet running fast.

  Danial turned to me. “It will be dawn soon, Sar. I—”

  “Hold on!” I said in panic, running downstairs to get the laundry. After I started the clean wet laundry drying, I brought the clean sheets upstairs and made the bed. Danial watched me, leaning against the doorframe, as he had so many times in the past. When I was done, I turned down his side as I always had and then turned to face him.

  “There you go.”

  He looked away. “Go, before I say things better left unsaid.”

  I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. Then I left, shutting the do
or behind me.

  Wiping away a tear, I went out to look for one of the foxes to escort me home. I was happy for Theo and Elle, but I wanted more than anything to gather the dogs and just go home. Sleeping for the next few days sounded like the best idea in the world. Theo could join me at our house when he was ready.

  Beside the front door, I found a small box marked with my name. Curious, I opened it. Inside were the silk shifts Danial had gotten me so long ago. The colors were faded now, having been worn so many times. I took them out of the box and put them in the garbage. Part of me wanted to keep them, but I had other things to remind me of Danial. Underneath was the black velvet robe. I considered for a moment if it was safe to take, then decided yes, I’d take it. Most of the rest of the box was older worn clothes and I tossed them out. On the bottom of the box was the red dress, the one Danial loved so much. Wrapped in it were my gold fox earrings with the ruby eyes.

  I folded the dress carefully and then rubbed it on my skin, so it would have my scent, at least for a while. Then I walked downstairs to a corner of the basement, where Danial had moved his memory boxes after I’d come to live with him. Opening the topmost gray plastic box and without looking in, I placed the dress inside. It was Danial’s as surely as if he owned it. I’d never wear it for anyone else.

  I took the earrings into Elle’s room. We’d had her ears pierced last month. I left them on her vanity with a note:

  Elle,

  I want you to have these. Danial gave them to me our first Christmas together. As my daughter, they would have come to you anyway someday. But I think it’s more fitting you have them now. Wear them with pride and always remember you are loved.

  Your Mother, Sarelle

  I walked back into the great room, exhausted. I’d driven all day, been up all night, and now it was probably close to seven a.m. I stretched out on the couch, draped the velvet robe over me as a blanket and fell asleep.

  Terian shook me awake, though he was careful not to touch my arm. “Sar?”

  “I’m here,” I said with a yawn. “Are Theo and Elle back? What time is it?”

  “Early afternoon. No, they aren’t back yet.” He sat beside me. “I just wanted to make sure you knew before you left that the funeral for Demetri is tomorrow at noon.”

  “Is Suri still missing?” I said, concerned.

  “Yes,” he said, depressed. “We’ve heard nothing.”

  “So they took her?”

  “Yes,” Terian said darkly. “And we don’t know why.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Terian” I asked tentatively, “Could Suri have been in on the attack?”

  Terian gaped at me, aghast.

  “I’m sorry to make it seem like she wasn’t trustworthy. She was. But why take her, if there wasn’t some reason? Manir’s men killed Demetri. They didn’t take him.”

  “I assume that they wanted her for intel of this place. After their attack failed, they grabbed her to make sure the next attack wouldn’t fail.” Terian paused. “As a woman, statistically, she’ll crack more easily than a man would under pressure. I’m not saying that’s what I think,” he added hurriedly. “Suri is pretty tough. The toughest female we have. She won’t tell them what they want to know.”

  I flushed, embarrassed. “I feel like a jerk now. I shouldn’t have suspected her.”

  “No, you’re right. There may be more going on here. If Suri just shows up, we need to keep a close watch on her. She may be planning to turn on us in exchange for her life.”

  I’d considered Suri a good friend, but he was right. “Okay.”

  “You’re troubled,” Terian said, studying me. “So am I. This never stops.”

  “What never stops?” I said, looking up in confusion.

  “The killing,” he said in repugnance. “The attacks. The violence.”

  “This is how things are—”

  “I don’t want to become like Theo,” Terian interrupted. “There is something in him that likes this—the constant tension and the sudden violence. He has a taste for it, Sar,” Terian said, holding my eyes. “And so does Danial.”

  “That’s not true of Danial,” I said. “And as for Theo, he is what he is, and I’ve been grateful for that more often than not.” I looked at him searchingly. “But why are you so riled up? You protected Elle, Theoron and Danial during the attack. You did your job. That isn’t a bad thing.”

  “This isn’t me, Sar,” he said, starting to pace.

  “Maybe it is,” I replied. “We need you, Terian. If you don’t want to use guns—”

  “I’d rather use a gun than magic to kill any day,” he said, disgusted. “It perverts the magic to use it for evil means.”

  “Even killing to protect loved ones?”

  “Even then. Killing by magic is evil, according to everything but the black arts.”

  There was no point arguing if he was drawing the line to include self-defense. “What are you saying? Are you going to leave?”

  “Not until Danial has hired someone we can trust,” Terian said, resigned. “I won’t leave you or the children unguarded, even if I have to kill hundreds of attackers.”

  That made me feel better, though his unhappiness worried me. I tried one last thing. “Terian, what if you talked to Theo about this? Danial said that he didn’t like killing any more than you do when he started this job. Maybe he could help you come to terms with—”

  “I don’t want to come to terms with it, Sar. It’s not who I want to be,” Terian said forcefully, blackness oozing from him. He stalked out, the front door slamming behind him.

  Terian was way off base about Danial, but Theo...about Theo, he was right on target. My new husband had been happy carving out west. I’d brought him back to this violent life, and he was taking to it like he’d never left. He wasn’t going to be a carpenter now; he was going to work for Danial, and I’d be washing blood out of his clothes again soon. He’d killed over five people just on the way here.

  But what he was wasn’t his fault. And if Theo was just a carpenter, he would never be able to protect me as he had...

  Danial opened his bedroom door, the noise breaking my thoughts.

  “Did you hear all that?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Danial said heavily. “This is all we need, a demon with a moral crisis.”

  He was still dressed. “I thought you were sleeping?” I said, looking him up and down.

  “I was waiting to talk to Theo. He and Elle still aren’t back?”

  “No, but they may be gone hours. This is the first time he’s seen his daughter.”

  “I’m glad they’ve made peace,” he said, sitting down beside me. “Children should have good relations with their parents.”

  I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Elle isn’t the only one who made peace today. I held him, Danial.”

  Danial turned to me instantly, gripping my arms frantically. “You held him? He didn’t bite you?”

  “He bit me,” I admitted. “But then he recognized my blood or something and stopped. He knew who I was. He held his arms out to me and smiled.”

  “I’d have given anything to see that, Sar,” Danial said enviously.

  I got up and held out my hand. “Come with me.”

  Danial took it and followed me in to Theoron’s room. Theoron was asleep, but when I entered, he awoke. I crossed to his crib and reached down to him. Danial was at my side, apprehensive.

  “Theoron.”

  Theoron bared his fangs at me when I picked him up, grabbing my hand with his fingers. After he scented me, his fangs receded. As before, he smiled at me and held his arms out, putting them around my neck.

  I cradled him against me. “You’re the quietest baby I’d ever heard of and the most serious. It must be from Danial. You sure didn’t get it from my side of the family.”

  Danial hugged us both. “He’s just happy, darling. There isn’t anything that needs to be said. This moment is utterly perfect in its silence.”

  I leane
d into him, blissful. Danial was right; we were complete now in a way I’d never felt before; him, our child and me. A sudden longing to tell Danial I’d stay—that I’d made a mistake marrying Theo—slammed into me. This was where I belonged. I was half turned at least, close to becoming vampire. Danial had the power to take me the rest of the way. With a word from me, he would do it, and then the three of us could be together forever...

  “I love you,” Danial whispered. “Both of you.”

  I took a deep breath and held my words inside, praying the feelings would pass. Danial didn’t need any mixed messages from me after what I’d already put him through.

  “It’s dawn,” Danial continued. “It’s time for sleep, my son.” He took Theoron from me, kissed him and then put him back in his crib. He extended a hand to me. “And time for us, too.”

  We walked back out to the great room, hand in hand. Danial sank down on the couch then and pulled me onto his lap. “Want to wait with me?”

  I nodded. He lay down on the couch, and I lay down beside him. I was asleep in moments, the familiar cool presence of his body next to mine comforting me, telling me I was safe and loved.

  * * * *

  Hours later, the front door slammed. My eyes snapped open, and I sat up as Elle bounded in. “Mom! I had so much fun! Theo is teaching me all kinds of things! We climbed a tree, and he showed me how to drop onto a deer—”

  I swung my gaze to Theo, who was smiling widely, and breathed an inner sigh of relief.

  “— then we ate some, and it was so good! Nineva never showed me I could climb a tree!”

  “Elle, remember, that was because he was still healing. He probably wasn’t strong enough to climb a tree—”

  “Theo is! He’s super fast and super strong and—”

  I was happy, but her loudness was too much for me with only a few hours’ sleep. Danial, ever the more patient parent, pulled Elle onto his lap. “You, Miss, have lessons to attend, or have you forgotten? Your tutor is waiting for you at the fox compound. You have enough energy clearly.”

  “Shit! Sorry, I forgot!” Elle said.

  I let out a gasp. Danial raised his eyebrows at Theo, who was looking out the window very hard at something.