22. Finley
Finley
There, sitting at the counter sipping on a cup of coffee, was Eli.
Vanya must have made it for him since she was watching him warily from the corner nearest the back door exit.
Why he felt that he could come in here and order her about, I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t like it one bit.
I was the person in charge of the elves here, not him, and if he didn’t want to acknowledge that, he could get the hell off my land.
“It seems I’ve done something to make you angry, daughter,” Eli commented, then sipped his coffee. “Your magic is whipping its tail like an angry cat.”
“Why are you here?” I demanded.
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “Here in this house or on your pack lands? You’re going to need to be more specific, so I can apologize for the correct offense.”
“How dare you come here to my home and act like such an asshole,” I growled out, stepping closer to him.
“I understand you don’t like the choices I’m making and you’re under the delusion that I give a fuck about what you think.
My whole life, I grew up without anyone to look after me.
I took care of me, no matter what it is that you think.
So you watched over me, who gives a shit.
I was beaten, drowned, trapped in small spaces, taught to remove my emotions, all in the name of training.
Tell me, what kind of parent would ever wish that for their child? ”
Lane came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. “I’m not trying to stop you, sweetheart, but I do think it’s best if you tone down the magic.
It knows you’re upset with Eli and I don’t want it to do something you’ll regret later when you’re not so mad. ”
He made a good point, so as I waited for Eli’s answer to my question, I took a few deep breaths trying to bring down my anger level.
“I deserve that,” Eli sighed, setting down his mug and turning to face me.
“I’m taking my anger out on you and you’re the last person who deserves it.
After you told me what you found out about James and him having more control over the Organization than I realized, I took a deep dive into things that I’ve been avoiding and found you were entirely correct.
I’d been so lost in my own problems that I wasn’t seeing what was right in front of me. ”
Hearing him admit he was wrong cooled my anger some, but I knew it wouldn’t take much to fan the flames again. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’ve already personally dealt with the two men who’ve been pulling the strings and helping James.
I even found that there were two more recruits that James planted to help him in case Tabitha turned on him,” Eli shook his head.
“James has been controlling the Organization almost from its inception. Of course, he was one of the original founders, but when he left, I assumed that meant he left everything. It seems I was foolish to believe such a thing when James has always had a vindictive streak.”
“Is that what you came all the way here to tell me? Couldn’t that have been done over the phone?” I questioned, leaning back into Lane as my anger churned in my chest, just waiting to be let out.
Eli stood and took one step to be right in front of me.
“I’m shutting down the Organization. With the Dark Ring and the Senate soon to meet their end, there will be no need for a company such as mine.
It was created to balance the power structure.
If they became too big or powerful, then there was a way to stop them.
Instead, it has been used to further their agenda, which is the last thing I want and anyone needs. ”
It took me a moment to process what he’d just said, so I blinked at him a few times before the words came out. “You are shutting it down?”
“Unless you wish to control that as well?” he offered.
“All I know is I’m not the right man to do it, and clearly, I’ve fucked up more than I have helped.
Like you said, what kind of father would sit there and watch what they do to train you all without batting an eye?
My logic was it would protect you, teach you to be strong, and no matter what came at you, you’d survive. ”
“If she doesn’t want to run it, can I?” Ayla asked as she walked into the house. “I feel like having an elven queen with a team of assassins would come in handy.”
Eli’s brows rose as he looked at Ayla then looked at me. “You willingly took this abomination in?”
My hand lashed out and I slapped Eli in the face, grabbed his throat, and jerked him close enough for us to be nose to nose. “I would suggest you speak more carefully about those I’ve adopted into my pack. These people are my family and I will not let anyone speak ill of them.”
“That means you don’t know what she is,” he hissed as I allowed him enough air to speak. “She’s a Dark Elf, the reason our people were nearly wiped out.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“Look at her, see the markings that are on her? They are the sign that she is a Dark Elf, using dark magic to manipulate and kill others. She’s sold her soul for the magic she now possesses, making her more evil than anything in the world as we know it,” Eli raged, spit flying out of his mouth as he talked.
I tossed him away from me. “Get. Out.”
“What? I tell you that there is a Dark Elf in your pack, and you kick me out?” Eli snapped, picking himself up off the floor.
“I raised you better than that. You were taught to be able to read people and see their true intentions, not to mention the natural gift you have of breathing thoughts and emotions.”
The guys started to move in on him, but I held out a hand, letting them know I had this.
“You taught me better? That is laughable, I didn’t even know who you were until a few weeks ago and you claim to have any claim on how I turned out as an adult?
” I gave a harsh laugh. “Let’s go with that for a moment, shall we?
If you know that I have such great skills at reading people, don’t you think there would be a reason I keep her around?
I’ve seen and felt all I need to know about Ayla to trust she has the best intentions, not to mention she’s given me a life oath as her queen to protect me and mine. ”
Eli just stood there looking between Ayla and me like he still didn’t believe me. I glanced at her, the shadows of her past clear in her eyes. This was the response she got from many elves that remembered the old days, which was why she tried to find a commune with younger people in it.
“I won’t tell your story, Ayla. He doesn’t deserve to know,” I told her. That had her snapping her gaze to meet mine, eyes wide with fear. “To me, there has never been a reason for us to talk about it, so I’ve never brought it up. What happened doesn’t change who you are, and it never will to me.”
The relief and gratitude I felt from her was overwhelming. When she’d given me her oath, and I rested my hand on her, I saw a whirlwind of information. Part of that had been what happened to her.
“Thank you, my queen. I appreciate that more than you know, but I’d like to tell him.
To prove that his daughter is a far superior person to him, a man who was mated to the old queen.
It’s not surprising the elders found her lacking if this is the type of man she called to herself,” Ayla expressed, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
“How dare you speak of her like that. Tiriana was pure and good, unlike anything else in this world,” Eli defended.
“Clearly not good enough, or the elders never would have stripped her of her magic,” Ayla challenged.
“As for me, this was not of my own doing. I was captive to the Dark Ring and they are the ones who turned me into a dark elf. They wanted the power they believed I would possess. The problem was, now that I was powerful, I couldn’t be controlled any longer.
In an effort to keep me tame, they used my mate-to-be, but they went too far and killed him.
Then there was nothing holding me back. Now I serve as the pleasure of the queen, and I will assist her in anything that she asks of me. ”
Eli deflated at this story, dropping back into the chair he’d been sitting in when we arrived. “How could the Dark Ring know that magic?”
“James,” Ayla answered. “He was a witch before he was turned and having had an elven mate and fellow brother in the nos who knew all there was about that time in our lives. It wasn’t hard for him to gather what he needed and force me to sign the contract to offer up my soul for magic.”
“How can you control it when so many others couldn’t?” he pressed, still trying to understand what was going on.
Ayla shrugged and gave him a wide carefree smile that she used so often as a shield. “Guess I’m just too stubborn to let the magic control me like that.” Then she looked back at me. “So, back to my original question… if you don’t want the assassin business from Daddy, can I have it?”
“You know, I think that sounds like a brilliant idea,” I shared, returning her smile.
“Like you said, a queen who has an army of assassins she controls, well, that’s just smart.
Soon I’ll have an army of vampires, elves, werewolves, and assassins.
I don’t think anyone is going to be messing with me anytime soon once we topple the system as we know it. ”
The rest of my men had filtered in through this interaction and now they all stood flanking me.
It was blistering to know that no matter what or who I was up against, they would always be there right at my back.
“Now, is there anything else you would like to embarrass yourself over before you leave?”