“Are you even listening, Ryan?” Amery asks, swearing under his breath at me. “Yeah, she is really beautiful, and by the smile on your face, a great way to de-stress. Good for you, but can you pay attention for a few minutes so we can close up and go home?”
“I’m listening. I think we hold him at least two weeks, maintain control of this place, locate all his other hideouts, and search for any information he might have on Rein or any other lord he may be working with. Then, after we have every possible tidbit of information, we get with Nick, Gideon, and Bade and see what the five of us can come to an agreement on as far as what to do next.” He looks surprised, but I have always been able to comprehend what people are saying while thinking of something else—a gift my father passed down to me and Nick both. It helps keep us ahead of everyone else. “Don’t look surprised, Amery. I might be new to the lord thing, but I’m not new to taking over territory and getting rid of an enemy. If that does it, then I think we will go. I assume your men are staying to control the area?” He nods. “Good, have a nice night. Oh, and by the way, Skylar has a sister.” Amery stands up straighter, as if he is offended by my offer, but then looks over Skylar and actually smiles. “Yeah maybe you can come with me when I visit her family? I kind of need someone to help me understand the proper etiquette for being in another lord’s realm, especially my brother’s, and I certainly don’t know what is proper when visiting a realm family’s home for the first time.”
“I might be able to help you with that,” he says, fighting a smile. “So, this sister, is she pretty?”
“Apparently Skylar is the least attractive one.” I leave him smiling and walk out with a smile of my own.
CHAPTER 20
Elijah
I hated watching them leave. Actually, I hated watching her leave. No man wants to stay behind while his wife goes off to fight. I tried calling Mahlah, but I hung up before the first ring. I don’t want to know if I am still going to die, then again, maybe I do. I pace back and forth, changing my mind with each turn. Do you really want to know you only have hours to live or do you pretend everything is fine and enjoy your life? How the hell can I enjoy my life when all I can think about is what’s going to fall on my head or shoot me from the bushes?! Damn! Fuck this! I’m calling.
She answers on the first ring. “Wrestling with your immortality, are you Elijah?”
“Thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me, you know to be wary of all.”
“Thanks to you, I am attacking my own shadow with a gun,” I say in frustration.
“Well, no reason to worry much longer. If you make it through the day, you should be fine.”
“The day? There is only three hours left in the day.” I begin to get excited. Maybe I have avoided what is meant to be and can change my destiny and my life for the better.
“Maybe, but you are still in danger. The day may be coming to a close but nothing has changed for you at this point,” Mahlah cautions, bringing my great mood back down to its usual dark reality.
“If nothing has changed, then why am I here, avoiding danger?”
“Your danger seems to be masked. You won’t see it coming until it’s too late. As I said before, you didn’t go against what was expected, and if you continue to go on that way, you will die, Elijah.”
Sighing, I say my goodbye and go back to Little Nick. He plays one of his games while Echo entertains the dragon. I never knew a dragon needed entertaining, but better him than me. When my protector gets up, I panic. “Hey, where are you going, kid?”
“I got to go to the bathroom, Eli. You sure are jumpy today. Are you worried about them? Don’t worry. Uncle Ryan is as tough as Daddy. He won’t let anything bad happen. They will all be okay and be back fine.” I nod and nearly follow him to the bathroom before I realize it’s kind of a creepy thing to do. I guess standing outside the door is even creepier, so better just go sit down and try not to scare the kid. No, that’s no good. I’ll get something to eat. Wait, what if I choke to death? Shit! Never mind. I’ll simply stand here awkwardly, stare at a wall, and wait for whatever it is to attack me.
“Eli, what are you doing?”
I look up and see Cat coming through the door. “Hey! That was fast.” I run up to her and wrap my arms round her.
“Oh wow you are strong,” she says oddly. She looks up at me and licks her lips, as if she is waiting for me to kiss her. I usually don’t have to. Lately, she has been initiating. Crazy girl has become sex obsessed, but I’m not going to complain. I lean down to kiss her and get more than I expected.
“You must not have had much to do in this battle if you are this energetic?” I laugh, trying to ease her down a bit before Little Nick sees more than he should.
“Let’s go home and have sex,” she announces, taking my hand and trying to lead me out the door.
“Now? Shouldn’t we wait for the others? Where are they by the way?” I ask, looking around her for everyone else.
“Um… Amery dropped me off. He doesn’t care to see you today.” I roll my eyes. “And the others should be here any minute. We are going to get together tomorrow, so let’s go home now and enjoy our time together while everything is good.”
“If they are going to be here in a minute, then let’s wait. I don’t really want to leave Little Nick by himself with Echo. He may have some skills, but a quality babysitter he isn’t.” Little Nick comes up to us, staring at Cat hard.
“You don’t mind do you … Little Nick, if I take Eli for a little while? I have a surprise for him, and it will just be ruined if we wait much longer.”
“Surely it can wait a few minutes?” I say, putting my arm around Little Nick’s shoulders as he seems to get upset.
“I prefer him to stay. We were right in the middle of a game,” he barks.
“I said I only need him for a little while then I will bring him back,” she snaps back at him.
“Cat, what is wrong with you?” She cowers away from me, visibly upset. “Hey Little Nick, can you give us a few minutes? And then, I will be in there to finish the game with you. I promise.” He nods and walks away with a glare towards Cat. “What is wrong with you, Sweetheart?” I place a comforting hand on her, and she looks up at me with pitiful eyes.
“Will you at least come outside with me so we can talk in private? I really need to talk to you about something important. Please, Eli. I am really scared.”
“Sure Baby, whatever you need.” I take her hand and follow her outside and down the drive, worried about what she may have to tell me. Oh shit what if she is pregnant? I know we were talking about kids, and maybe drank too much to think clearly about what we were doing on our honeymoon. The lapse in protection seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I am wondering if we are ready for a family right now. We probably should have taken a little more time to get used to marriage first. I suddenly notice we are getting far from the house, and I wonder if she is ever going to start talking. “Are we going to talk or take a walk, because I prefer not to go too far from the house?” She sighs and jerks me forward as a car drives up and her father gets out.
“He only wants to talk, Eli. He is good with us now, and …”
“Oh hell no.” I let go of her hand and start slowly backing off, hoping Ryan pulls in behind this crazy motherfucker, and soon.
“He only wants to apologize, Eli. I promise I won’t let him hurt you.”
“Tell him to put it in a letter and mail it. No, forget that. Motherfucker would probably poison it. Just tell him to tell Nick and he will tell me.” I look up towards him, and he snaps his fingers. Four big goons get out of the car and run up on me, attacking me. I do my best to fight them off, but someone took my gun, and I can’t fight the goons and Fagan’s menacing glare without it. I get hit in the back of my head and everything begins to blur and go dark.
I wake up at my own home with Cat sitting in front of me and Fagan standing behind her. “I want you to understand, Elijah, that it’s nothing personal,
but I don’t like you with my daughter. She has too much potential,” Fagan says calmly. “We are going to have to end this marriage now before it is too late. I have talked to Cat. She understands now, and wants to end this as painlessly as possible for you.”
“Get out of my house!” I yell, trying to stand up, but I am pushed back down by a Fagan goon.
“We are going to leave in a minute. First, I need you to understand the pain and suffering I felt when my daughter disowned her own family and married a nobody. I want to watch you understand the levels of … pain.” He stares at me hard, and instantly my body contorts and tenses in agony like I have never felt. Again and again, he inflicts his judgment on me until I begin to wish I was dead. “Hmmm that should do it.” Fagan downs on the floor with me looking me over. “You won’t ever tell me what to do again or ever still mine or anyone’s property again. My daughter is my property Elijah, and I, and I alone, decide her future and it doesn’t include you.” He seethes into my face as he holds my head against the cold, hard floor. Shaking uncontrollably, I try to lift myself from the floor, but I am too weak. “Don’t bother trying to get up, it will only anger me more to watch such a loser try to prove he is stronger than my power.”
“AAAH!” I scream as the terrorizing pain shoots through my spine until it snaps. The loud crack of my broken spine repeats within in my ears until tears stream from my eyes. Fagan enjoys himself so much he can hardly contain his laughter. Paralyzed I lie in the floor waiting for him to kill me, but once he seems satisfied with my torture, he leaves me to try and hang on to life as best I can. I open my eyes and see Cat standing over me with a smile.
“Most would have died by now. You’re stronger than I thought. My father is finished with you now, and he asked me to give you one last thing before I leave you.” She crouches over me, and her eyes change color as she lifts her arms up over her head. The light beams from the knife she fists in her hands, “Goodbye my love.” No, no she’s not Cat …
CHAPTER 21
Catriona
I find Ryan and Skylar adorable. Amery finds them annoying. It’s clear they both get excited by fighting. I’m not sure I would want to run off in the midst of one to have sex, but whatever makes them happy. Seeing them together makes me miss Eli. I can’t wait to get him back home and in our own bed so I can really enjoy being his wife. I look up at Amery silently, begging for him to take me home.
He can only ignore me for so long. “You want to get back to him, don’t you?” I smile. “You are crazy, but I guess I will finally admit you’re crazy in love.”
“I am that for sure.”
“Alright, I will take you back unless you want to go back with the love birds?”
“Oh, they don’t bother me,” I say, smiling in Ryan and Skylar’s direction as they tease each other back to their car.
“Now, I know you’re crazy because you used to complain about people like that. Ugh! Amery, look at them. Can they not do that where people can’t see them? It’s so disgusting,” he mocks me. Laughing, I tug on his arm, and he leans down as he always does and lets me kiss his cheek. “I love you, Cat. Don’t ever forget that. No matter what, I will be here for you.”
“I love you too, Amery. You will always be my best friend. Let’s go. I have an incredibly adorable husband waiting for me.”
Amery dictates some final orders to his men and then escorts me to his car. We drive back to Ryan’s, pulling in shortly after Ryan and Skylar. I don’t make it out of the car before Nicky is running out the door to Ryan. I assume Eli will be right behind him, and I smile in anticipation, but when he doesn’t come out, I finally notice everyone staring at me. “What? Where’s Eli?”
“Cat, that’s what Nicky was just talking about. He said you came and got Eli and took him away. He hasn’t been back since,” Ryan says.
“I couldn’t, I was with you guys. I couldn’t have …” panic begins to set in as I begin to understand. “My sister took him?!”
“It must have been Audra. She’s the only one that could have fooled him,” Amery says, swallowing hard.
“But … but she wouldn’t do that. She has no reason to do that.” I can barely breathe as I try to speak.
Skylar rushes to me, putting her arms around my shoulders. “Don’t worry. We are going to find him. Do you know where she might have taken him? Or where Fagan might have taken him?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know!” I scream in panic.
“Yeah, you do,” Amery says. “He would take him home, to your home so you wouldn’t want to live there anymore, if Eli … so it would be tarnished and ruined for you. You would never want to return if something happens to him there.” I rush back into his car, and Amery meets me there, speeding out of the driveway and to our house.
The front door is open, and I gulp. “Stay here, Cat,” Amery says, getting out of the car. Easing into the house, he calls out to Eli with every step he makes. I can’t take it anymore. I jump out of the car and run into the house, screaming his name until I see his left hand with my ring, laying out just beyond the sofa. “Eli!” I scream, running to him and cradling his limp body to me. “Eli, open your eyes Baby, please. Please open your eyes.” I cry to him as I try to clean the blood from his face. I look down at him, and he barely opens his eyes, and seems to recognize me before he tries to smile at me.
“I love you,” he struggles to say. I kiss his lips and his eyes fall closed again.
“No! No Eli stay with me!” Screaming his name, I try to help him, but the blood coming from his chest is so excessive that I can’t get a hold of the dagger that is piercing through him. My hand keeps slipping off, and all I can do is scream his name in frantic frustration. Ryan rushes in with Nicky, and they try to get to him. I look up at them, helpless. “Can you help him?” I cry.
“We’re going to try,” Ryan says. I watch them take Eli’s bloody hands and squeeze, calling to him over and over. With every plea for him to wake up, I lose another piece of my heart.
“Eli! Please! Please don’t do this to me!” When Ryan lets go of Eli’s hand, I look his way as he looks away from me with a defeated expression. “No, don’t stop. Don’t give up on him!” I scream, causing Nicky to become hysterical.
“No I can help him! I can Uncle Ryan, I can!”
“No little man he’s gone. I’m sorry.”
Nicky falls over Eli’s lifeless body crying. “I knew she wasn’t who she said she was, I knew it! I should have told him, but I didn’t think he would believe me. It’s my fault I should have made her leave.”
“It’s not your fault, you are still learning what your abilities are Nicky. It’s not your fault, it’s Fagan’s.”
“I hate him.” Nicky says pitifully as I realize what Ryan says is true. My father killed my husband, because of me.
“Come here Nicky, let’s go call your Dad.” Ryan takes hold of Nicky, picking him up and carrying him out of the room. I can hear the child cry as his uncle tearfully tries to comfort him. I look up at Amery, shaking my head as I hold my husband tight to my chest, screaming my nightmarish agony till I go deaf and my voice goes silent. “No! He can’t be gone!” I mouth with tears drowning my face. Amery looks on me with wide eyes and a tormented expression.
I haven’t spoken in days, not because I can’t but because I’m afraid if I open my mouth I might accidentally say something that might sound happy, and I don’t want anyone thinking I’m in any mood to be cheered up. As I sit staring out at the water with Lily allowing me to run my fingers through her fur, I hear people scrambling outside. Nick is here. I’m not sure why other than to confirm for himself that his best friend is gone.
“How’s she doing?” Nick asks.
“She’s still angry that we made her let go of him. She won’t talk to anyone or even look their way. I want to take her home with me and get her out of here,” Amery tells him. I have felt him staring at me all day and night. He is so afraid I will do something in order to get back to Eli. I wish I cou
ld say I hadn’t considered it, but I have been considering it every hour, until this morning. The doctor taking my vitals and looking me over to make sure I was in a good condition to handle his happy pills said everything was fine until my test came back positive. I had a feeling. The moment Eli and I decided that’s what we wanted, I knew. I’m pregnant, with Elijah’s baby, our baby.
After seeing to his son, Nick kneels near me. “How are you Sweetheart?”
“Are you going to get him back for me?” I ask, causing a gasp from behind me. “He was your brother, and you said—you said you would do anything for him, like he did for you.”
“Cat, I loved him, and that’s why I left my son here with him, but now … there’s nothing I can do.”
I turn to him with dried up tears still hanging from my lashes. “You know damn well there is Nick.”
Sighing, Nick shakes his head. “Even if Savage knows how to bring someone back, he’s not likely to tell us.”
“Make him.” I lean down to him, pursing my lips to keep from crying. “You have to find a way to make him, for your brother, and for his unborn child.” The shock in his eyes is a mix of confusion and anguish. I just hope anger and determination take over. “I can’t have this baby without him, Nick. You have to do something. You have to help him. You know he deserves the family he never got. For your brother, Nick, you have to do something.” I plead until he can take no more and leaves
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