“Can I still train with you?”
“That’s up to your parents, but I would welcome that.”
Augie stood up and nodded at Lion. “Okay. I will.”
Owen stood at the French doors in the den, watching as Lion and Augie walked up from the lower terrace and parted ways. Augie went toward the entrance near their bedroom wing. Lion came toward him.
Owen opened the door and let Lion in. “What’s going on?”
Lion shrugged. “Nothing you wouldn’t expect.”
“And what should I be expecting?”
Lion’s smile was a little sad. “You know how we talked about keeping the pride together? That, in some cases, it might be more harmful to return boys to their families than it is leaving them with the watchers? That’s the issue here.”
“There’s no issue. Augie belongs with his family.”
“I agree. That’s what I told him. But look at it from his perspective. For the last three years, he’s been learning how to survive. That’s a powerful way of living a boy doesn’t let go of easily. There’s nothing stronger any of us feels than to survive. We’re how he’s learned to live.”
Owen leaned against the front of his desk. He’d asked Augie for patience and tolerance as they all learned to be a family. Those were luxurious emotions compared to an existential reality.
He looked at Lion. “What do I do?” Of all the adults here at Blade’s, Lion knew the most about raising boys.
“Chill.”
Fucking chill? Fuck that all the ways to hell and back. He’d just gotten his son in his life. All four of them finally had a chance to come together to be a real family, and he was supposed to fucking chill?
He supposed his reaction to that directive showed on his face.
Lion smiled. “Boys are a lot like cats. Curious. Intelligent. Independent. If you want them to do what you want, you have to let them see it themselves. Lead him to the behavior you want. Otherwise, you’re just herding cats and neither of you will ever be happy.”
Owen sighed. Parenting was hard as hell. It was easier to face a bastard like Edwards while tied to a chair, getting beat up by his goons. “Okay.”
Lion started for the door to the hallway, but stopped. “Augie wants to know if he can still train with us?”
Owen looked at Lion. Maybe that was the answer…the bridge to his son. A foot in both worlds, sure, but that wasn’t a bad thing. “Yes, he can. Thanks, Lion.”
Owen looked around at the huge gathering in the team’s main living room the next afternoon. A day had passed since the big fight at the WKB compound. Lion and his watchers were there, as were the entire team and their women and children and some of their parents. Max had even brought one of the biker guys back with him. Everyone was visiting, reconnecting.
His team needed this time to regroup.
Owen had thought, when they’d first moved in to Blade’s, that it was way more space than they needed. But if his group got any larger, he was going to have find a bigger place. Addy sat next to him on the sofa. Troy was on floor playing some game with Zavi. Augie was over with Lion.
Addy had taken a shower this morning and then attacked her breakfast like a teenaged boy. Her energy was improving rapidly. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, but she—and he—were adapting well.
“Hey, guys,” Jim said. “Don’t know how this passed your attention a few days ago, but we missed Thanksgiving.” He grinned. “Kinda miffed Russ. He was looking forward to making the feast. We still have all the fixings. It would be a shame to let them go to waste. How about we make it happen tomorrow?”
Owen smiled at Addy. Thanksgiving. With everyone. She returned his smile and reached for his hand. “I think that sounds like a great idea,” he said.
Max frowned at his phone, then said something that Owen didn’t want to hear just then; “We got incoming.”
“Who is it?” Kit asked.
“Jax.” Max looked at Owen. “He’s got someone with him.”
Addy tried to get up, but Owen gave her a slight shake of his head. He crossed the room and opened the door. He instantly knew the man with Jax. They stared at each other, not quite enemies, but not friends either.
And then the man held out his hand. “Son.”
Owen looked over at Addy, then at his own son, then at Troy. Slowly, he reached out and took the offered handshake. “Dad. So it’s true. You are alive.” This wasn’t how Owen had expected it would be. He was looking at man who was near his own age. Now he knew what Wynn had been feeling when she met her parents. His dad must have taken the same nanos that they had.
The man put his hand on Owen’s shoulder. “You did it, son. You did what none of us was brave enough to do. You ended King.”
Owen looked from his dad to Jax then back. “This mean you’re King now?”
“Fuck no.”
“So I don’t have to fight you?”
“No.” The man sighed. “I knew how I’d raised you, and I knew I was giving you over to my enemies to finish raising…but I didn’t know which side of this war you’d end up on. I should have guessed it would be the right side.”
Owen shook his head. “All those years, all that time, you were alive and in hiding. This could have been ended years ago if you’d just come forward.”
“We can’t always have the benefit of hindsight when we’re facing the future.”
“Whatever the fuck that means…”
Jax punched his shoulder. “O. Take a breath. I brought you your father. We’ve got work to do. The Omnis are down but not out. Now can I come in and say hello to my sister and nephews?”
Owen stepped back. “Everyone, my dad, Nick Tremaine. And Addy’s brother, Wendell Jacobs.”
Addy got up. She didn’t yet have the steam to run forward, so she just waited for Wendell to come to her. She hugged him tight. When they parted, Jax looked shocked as he stared at her.
“Whoa. Nick said they’d started you on the nanos, but I didn’t think they were a different kind than what he’d taken,” Jax said.
Addy nodded. “That’s why I was so sick.”
“How are you feeling now?”
“Considering the Omnis just cyberhacked her nanos and almost killed her…she’s doing great,” Owen said as he came to stand next to her. He held a hand out to Jax. “You staying for a while? We just realized we missed Thanksgiving. You’re welcome to join us.”
Jax smiled at him. “I’d like that. Can’t remember the last T-day I celebrated.” He looked around him, “Where are my nephews?”
Troy and Augie came over to hug him.
“Boys, this is my dad, Nick,” Owen said. “This is your granddad, Augie.”
Augie frowned. The kids who’d had anything to do with the Omni world had a keenly developed sense of suspicion. Owen regretted that, but respected it too.
“You don’t look like a granddad,” Augie said.
Nick wasn’t offended. “I don’t. It’s true. The world is changing, Augie, in unexpected ways.”
“I hope you’re going to be here a while, Dad,” Owen said. “I’d like to catch up with you.”
Nick gave Owen a long, hard look, then nodded. “I’d like that, too, son.”
Owen put his arm around Addy. “Dad, you remember Addy Jacobs.”
Nick took her hand and gave her a sad smile. “It’s been a long time, Addy. Jax has told me a lot about you. I’m so glad Owen found you again.”
“Thanks, Nick.” She smiled as she leaned against Owen. “I am, too.”
Kit sat on the sheriff’s doorstep, waiting for him to come home. His shift should have ended a while ago. A patrol car came around the corner and parked in front of the house.
The sheriff slammed his door shut. “Goddamn it, boy. I’m getting tired of seeing you.” He walked up to his porch.
Kit grinned. “It’s over.”
The sheriff’s gray brows lifted. “Is it?”
“For now.”
“What a
bout that human extinction event?”
“On hold. That part’s not over.”
“So does this mean you’re clearing outta my town?”
Kit’s grin widened. “Not yet. Don’t know the plan, but the immediate threat has been terminated. Jerry still in your jail?”
“No. The FBI picked him up. How about that Jason Parker? You get him?”
“We did.”
“And that little gal Jerry tried to kill?”
“She’s back on her feet.”
“So I can breathe easy, then?”
“For now. Ivy sent me over to see if you’d consider joining us for a make-up Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Seems with everything going on, we just passed it by. I’d like it if you’d come.”
Sheriff Tate slowly smiled. “Guess I could do that. What time?”
“Around one?”
“I’ll be there.”
Kit got up and went down the stairs to shake hands with him. “Thanks, sheriff. For everything.”
The wind was cold. Owen thought the temperature was supposed to warm up a bit, but right now, the damp chilly air cut to the bone. He was glad he’d had Addy put her coat on, but he was too nervous to grab his. He had a hand in his jeans pocket. At least one hand was warm. The other held a carved wooden box. Her freedom. His hell. He tried not to think of what he was about to do.
When he looked over at her, she was framed by the gray clouds behind her. Her nose was already pink.
“What did you want to see me about?” she asked.
He gritted his teeth. “Your freedom.” He handed her the box. It wasn’t heavy, and yet the weight it placed on him felt a metric fuck ton of lonely. “Here.”
She looked at the box but didn’t reach for it. What kind of life did they live that a gift was a burden? He wanted to smash it, but doing that was as good as putting her in chains. “Take it.”
She did, but held it as if it contained a mass of spiders. “What’s in it?”
“Open it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I need you to.”
Cautiously, she lifted the lid. Inside was a long, folded legal document. She took it out and tucked the box under one arm as she read it. She looked at him, tears pooling in her eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“I wish it could have been written for a human instead of a lawyer, which I’m not. The gist is that I’m giving you a million dollars to start your life. You and the boys. Anywhere. You can do anything. It specifically states that I have no say in your life. You may seek my advice if you wish, but you’re under no obligation to take it. Ever.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“It’s your freedom, Addy. My Laidy. Your life is yours. Freedom isn’t mine to give, but I am anyway. Someone had to. You could go back to school and get your masters. You could start a business. You can do anything with this seed money. Give it away, if you want. Of course, I’ll still pay for the boys’ education, up to and including college.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. He had to look away.
“You want me to leave.”
“No.”
“Then why do this?”
“You’ve never been free to make your life what you wanted it to be.”
“Neither have you. We were both born into this hell.”
Owen shrugged. “I feel as if I’ve made my choices consciously. Except for losing you. You didn’t get to do that…until now. You’ve never been able to make choices about your own life.”
“What if I don’t want to go?”
He blinked, silently screaming for her to pick that choice.
“What if I choose you? Is that an option?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I can still go to school while I’m with you, no?”
“You can.”
“I can still make a career while I’m with you.”
“Of course.”
“I can still have my freedom and have you.”
Owen huffed a breath. “I would gladly beg you to stay.”
She shut her eyes and shook her head. “Then why do this?”
“Because it has to be your choice.”
She gave a pained sigh. “Tell me what you want, Owen. In your words. Let me see it in your eyes.” She put her hand on his chest. “Let me feel it in your heart.”
He covered her warm hand with his ice-cold one. “Addy, stay with me. You own my heart. If you go, I’ll die.” He shrugged. It was as simple as that.
Addy pulled free, then knelt on the ground and opened the beautiful box. She tore the contract into pieces and dropped them inside it. Then, standing, she slammed her heel down on it, again and again, crushing it into little slivers. Her eyes had gone orange. She looked furious, absolutely on fire, as she glared at him.
“Don’t you ever put me in a box, Owen Tremaine. I won’t stand for it.”
She pivoted and started back toward the house at a fast pace. He frowned at the shattered box, then rushed after. “Addy, wait!” She didn’t. He ran and caught her up, spinning her around.
“Put me down.”
“No.”
“I said put me down.”
“No. Not while you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad. I’m furious.”
A ray of sun was just peeking through the clouds. He turned her to catch the golden light. God, she was gorgeous. A thing of shifting lights and colors, a mystery caught in a prism. He would never understand her, but holding her gave him extreme joy. “Does this mean you’re staying with me?”
She caught his face. He could see her struggling to find the right words. “Owen, I’m not staying…because I was never leaving. I love you. I love you. Don’t you see?”
“Yes. I do see.” He didn’t see. Was she or wasn’t she his?
She looped her arms around his neck. “Then put a ring on my finger and change my name. I can tell I have my work cut out for me with you.”
He laughed, then tossed his head back and laughed even harder. She was his. Forever.
Epilogue
Casey grabbed the white cardigan that her mom had forced she wear to the dinner. She hated having to cover up her pretty dress, but Mom insisted, since they were eating outside on the patio. Heaters were set up all around the two long tables. It wasn’t needed, but when she’d tried to reason with Mom, Dad had given her that look, the awful one he probably gave his men.
Her dress, a sleeveless deep pink taffeta that was fitted in the bodice but flared out from the waist, was perfect. She turned sideways, admiring the feminine curve of her bust, aided by the slightly padded bra she was wearing. She couldn’t wait to see Zoe next summer at camp—she was finally getting breasts.
The day wasn’t entirely ruined. Mom did let her wear a pair of black patent-leather, low-heeled pumps, probably because Uncle Val had picked them out for her, as he had her dress. They were from a shopping trip several of them had taken a while back to get the pride some clothes.
She was hurrying over to Miss Wynn’s apartment. They were going to go down to the pride to make sure they were all dressed in their new outfits that they hadn’t had a chance yet to wear. They’d been practicing tying ties. So had she. She hoped Lion needed help with his.
She couldn’t think about that now, or she’d be all tongue-tied when she saw him.
Uncle Angel opened the door to Miss Wynn’s. “Hello, Casey. You look very beautiful. Here to help Miss Wynn with the boys?”
“Yup. Is she ready?”
“I am!” Miss Wynn called from her kitchen. Casey heard the oven doors close and went to see what she was doing. The whole apartment smelled of cinnamon and apples. Wynn grinned at Casey as she set a Dutch apple pie on the counter next to another two already cooling.
“I promised Russ I’d make the pies for today. Three Dutch apple, three pumpkin pie, three pecan.”
“Yum. I might skip the turkey and go right for dessert,” Casey said, smiling. “Are you coming with us, Uncle Angel?”
None of Dad’s men were truly uncles, except for Rocco, since he was married to Dad’s sister. But Zavi called them all aunts and uncles, so she did too. It was a big family she had now, something she used to only dream about when she and Mom were alone.
“Not me,” Uncle Angel said. “I’m the pie delivery boy.”
Miss Wynn kissed him. “Let the apple pies cool a little first.”
He caught her around the waist and drew her back to him before she could hurry off. “Hey. Happy Thanksgiving. Our first together.”
Miss Wynn’s eyes got teary before she hugged him. “Thank you.”
Uncle Angel laughed. “No, ma’am. Thank you.”
Miss Wynn smiled at her as they stepped through the door.
“Why did you thank him?” Casey asked in the hallway.
“Because I’m grateful he came into my life, brought me in to the big family we have today. That’s what Thanksgiving’s all about, isn’t it? Being thankful?”
“Yeah. Do you think the boys figured out their ties?”
“We’ll see. Some of them seemed to have it figured out. Knowing Lion, they probably practiced it a lot when we weren’t there.”
The boys were all in the basketball court, where their classes were held. They all looked different than they did wearing their wild-boy clothes. Today, they were all wearing beige khaki trousers, white Oxford shirts, blue jackets, and blue striped ties.
A couple of free-standing mirrors had been set up for them to use during their tie-tying lessons. The younger boys couldn’t figure it out, but had made interesting knots and seemed satisfied with that. Some of the older boys did have their ties properly done, but were having a devil of a time helping others tie theirs.
Lion wasn’t one of those. Her heart stopped for a whole beat when she saw that he did need help. Miss Wynn gave her a small smile that made warmth rise on Casey’s neck. She didn’t hear what the teacher said, but the boys having problems crowded close for help. She fixed three of them. Then Fox was there, tugging at his shirt and jacket.
“You look very handsome, Fox,” Casey told him.
“I don’t care about that. I hate this. I can’t move. I can’t run or fight.”
Forsaken Duty, The Red Team Series, Book 9 Page 30