10
EVEN HER TEARS ARE PRETTY
HENRY
I sink into the office chair, taking a large mouthful of brandy. This afternoon was a waste of fucking time, meeting with the idiotic second from the Blackthorn Coven instead of moving things on with Ivy.
At least I didn’t start another feud, even if my temper was sharp. I should have been with Ivy, widening the slither of a crack she never meant to let happen. She fought and gave in. She didn’t like it, but she accepted it. It was the step I needed her to take, and I wasn’t able to capitalize on it.
She looked so damn perfect lying underneath me.
Even her tears were fucking pretty.
It took every ounce of control not to lick them as I kissed her, holding back only because I knew it would undo everything I’d just done.
And I was fucking furious. Livid. Murderous .
Someone’s hurt Ivy. Badly. She’d expected retribution and she’s too afraid to tell me who it was. When I find out which cunt it was, I’m going to track him down and kill him. Personally. After I’ve tortured him for daring to hurt what’s mine. What’s most precious to me. For hurting her.
I’m a possessive asshole, but I protect what’s mine.
I turn the video feed on and she isn’t in her bedroom. I flick the switch, moving through the cameras showing me she isn’t in the sitting room, closet or bath. I lean forward and move through the cameras quickly, searching for Ivy.
My heart would be racing if I had one and I roar, then I notice the fucking door is open. My glass smashes as it connects with the wall and Ryan races after me as I charge toward Ivy’s room.
He’s calling after me as I charge into the bathroom, and we search the closet. Fuck, she isn’t hiding in one of the goddamn cupboards.
“How the fuck did she get out?” he asks.
Matt loiters in the corridor, sending his partner a worried look. They’re almost the same height, but their coloring and temperament couldn’t be more different. Ryan’s dark with pale blue eyes and Matt’s pale with red hair and amber irises. He’s usually calm and conservative, only prone to fits of rage when it’s about Ryan. My second is proactive, always pushing for the upper hand and he isn’t afraid to move first or take a gamble.
“Let’s find her,” Matt says, resigned.
He’s trying to calm me down as he leans his head into Ivy’s room and inhales her scent.
“She doesn’t know yet,” I say, ranting as if he doesn’t know. “She’s not got a fucking clue about where she is or the fucking forest. Or anything that lives in there…”
“We’ll find her,” Ryan says, brushing past me. “Let’s move. Is she wearing your ring?”
I shrug, glancing around the room. I can’t see it and we didn’t find it in the bathroom. Even if she was wearing it when she left the room, there’s no guarantee she didn’t discard it later.
“She’ll be fine,” Matt says. “Let’s go. She’s reasonably safe if she’s got your ring on and we should catch up with her before nightfall.”
Before the weaker vampires emerge.
Ryan moves fast, and I race to keep up with him. We descend the stairs and follow her scent through the corridors. Fuck, Ivy’s smart and she’s remembered the way he brought her in.
She sure as fuck didn’t hesitate.
I thought we were making progress. I thought this afternoon was a breakthrough.
Clearly not.
My hands curl into fists as the three of us step into sunlight and walk down the steps leading out of my castle. I’m going to find my wife and we are going to have a reckoning of epic proportions. One which will make her think twice about pulling anything so fucking stupid again.
“Let’s focus on finding her,” Ryan says, reading my thoughts with his usual unnerving accuracy.
Her scent leads down the driveway and towards the woods. If I were her, that’s exactly where I’d run. I’d expect the trees and undergrowth to give me cover and make it harder to track me. Ivy doesn’t know there are more things in the wood than she’s dreamt of, and most of them are the things of nightmares.
She jumped out of the frying pan and waltzed right into the fucking fire .
Matt grabs my shoulder as I step forward and I snarl, angry he’s dared to hold me back.
“The wind will spread her scent. We’ll be faster if we split up. Whoever finds her can call to the others.”
We nod in unison and at least he had a sensible reason for risking my wrath. The three of us move forward together, keeping pace with each other and tracking Ivy’s scent until we hit the edge of the wood. Her trail fades as it merges with the other scents hidden under the trees and her pace will only thin the scent out.
The longer we leave this, the harder it will be.
The longer our hunt takes, the more frenzied I’ll be when it ends.
The longer it takes, the bigger the fallout will be.
Matt races ahead, always the fastest of the three of us. His legs cover the ground faster than any other vampire I’ve known, and he isn’t holding back. I’m grateful and I push myself, determined not to flag too far behind.
Ryan bears right and I swerve left. I’m leaping over banks and brambles, ignoring the branches trying to stop me. Ivy’s scent is fading already and if it fades much more, we’ll be tracking her by guesswork or footprints, and that’s a fucking laborious task.
I pull on our bond, hoping Ivy sees sense. I should have thought of this earlier and I curse myself for being stupid and forgetting the control it should let me exert over her. If she hesitates, she’ll slow down and we can gain ground. If I can turn her around, then that’s even better.
We should be gaining ground anyway. Vampires easily outpace humans, and although Ivy runs, she’s on unfamiliar ground. She’s had a week with little exercise and food, and she’ll tire soon .
But I’ve never been one to underestimate the ability of humans to surprise. They’re resilient as fuck. Persistent. Annoyingly so. They cling to life and if they think it’s threatened, they’ll surprise you nine times out of ten. They’re capable of greatness and it’s a pity it usually happens when they’re backed into a corner, in the final few seconds of their fleeting lives.
Ivy won’t have that.
I refuse to let her life be meaningless or brief.
I refuse to let her be anything other than the marvel she is, and I won’t let her be taken from me.
And if she’s badly injured when I find her, I won’t hesitate to turn her and deal with the goddamn consequences later.
My feet fly over the ground and we’re miles from my castle when her scent strengthens again. It’s a moment of heaven in an afternoon from hell, and the vanilla and roses drive me crazy. She smells divine and any other creature in these accursed woods would be mad not to be attracted to her.
I leap across a small stream and scramble up the small rock face. There’s a hint of iron and copper in the air, and the trace of blood sets my senses alight. It sends me into a fucking panic and I roar, terrified Ivy’s hurt herself. Or worse, been hurt.
Fuck, she’s driving me insane.
I’ve got to get her under control.
Ryan’s right. I should have been firmer. Harder. I should have taken the harsher route, been confident a short, sharp shock would be less painful than a drawn-out and agonizingly soft approach.
She fucking moved for me this afternoon. I know she did. It wasn’t easy and she struggled, but we’d made the breakthrough I’d wanted. Needed. She’d stopped fighting and discovered it wasn’t the sum of all her fears. She’d given in and instead of finding more pain, she’d found relief. Pleasure even.
A tree branch strikes me in the face, and the pain is a reminder that discipline is important. It’s fundamental. It establishes the limits of what’s permissible and I should have implemented it earlier. I would have done with any other pet. With any pet who wasn’t my wife. Who wasn’t my mate.
There’s no going back from this. Not now.
Ivy needs discipline.
Birds scatter as I charge through a clearing and I press on, determined to catch the rebellious, ruthless girl who belongs to me. This has gone on too long and I need to claim her. She might not like it, but it’ll be for her own good. It’s the lesser of two evils and the best thing for everyone.
A call sounds through the woods, and I stop, listening for a second roar from Matt. He’s found Ivy and I don’t like the edge of panic in his cry.
I bank hard right, running in a different direction before another call sounds through the forest. There should have been one and its absence is a sign something’s wrong. Terribly wrong.
My legs work harder and I charge through the wood, acting on instinct alone. I’m forced to fight my way through dense undergrowth and it slows my progress, riling my temper. I rage against the ridiculous situation Ivy has put herself in, and every step forward is agonizing.
For a second time, I catch the smell of iron and copper. It shouldn’t be here and I’m certain something’s wrong. It’s a fucking flare signaling catastrophe. I stop, searching for any sign of what the fuck is going on and lock on the smell, following it more cautiously. I’m still moving fast, but I’m stealthier and more careful, stalking towards whatever awaits me like the high vampire I am .
I emerge into a clearing and find Matt lying on the floor. There’s no one else. Nothing else. The only other scent is Ivy’s, and I stare in disbelief at the wounded vampire lying on the ground.
He groans and rolls over.
Ryan emerges from the tree line, freezes, and then races to his partner. Fear and terror pour from him and if it were Ivy, then I’d feel the same.
“What the fuck happened?” he snarls.
“Your human is cunning,” Matt says, clutching his stomach. “Fucking cunning. Strong too. Fuck me, she’s something.”
A burst of pride explodes in my chest as I realize Ivy’s taken Matt down. On her fucking own. Against all odds. My perfect little pet defeated a vampire who can walk in the light. Matt could challenge my second if he was so inclined, but Ivy took him down like the cunning little creature she is.
Damn, it makes me proud.
“She was lying on the ground, looking injured. I thought she was half-dead. I checked, and it got me no thanks,” Matt says, shifting his weight as Ryan fawns over him. “She waited for me to let my guard down and then smashed a goddam rock over my head. Again, and again, and again.”
I smirk as Ryan growls.
“It completely incapacitated me—and then she took to smashing the fucking rock against my chest,” he says, fine but annoyed he let a little thing like Ivy best him. “If I was human, I’d be dead.”
Ryan’s murderous and I’m bursting with pride. It’s a bad mix and I back away, giving him some distance before he lashes out at me. His eyes burn with the same anger lighting mine, and Ivy’s in a fuck load of trouble if he finds her first .
“Where did she go, Matt?”
He lifts his arm and points. “Be careful, Henry. She won’t hesitate. Don’t underestimate her.”
I nod and disappear into the trees. Ivy’s scent grows stronger and it’s tinged with fear. She’s slowed down and I’m moving quickly, mindful she’s already sprung a trap on one of us and making the same mistake twice would be foolish.
Her sobs catch my attention and I stop, staring at the curled-up ball of a girl lying on the floor. She’s shaking and shivering, and my heart wants to believe she isn’t putting this on. It begs me to rush in and sweep her into my arms, protecting her from whatever hurt her. Even if that’s herself.
But my head says otherwise and I edge into view, crouching out of range and waiting for her to see me.
“I hate you,” she sobs. “I hate what I’ve become.”
She’s trying to provoke a response and I’m far too controlled to allow it. The win would be too easy and I won’t give it to her. She hasn’t earned it and she needs to learn her fucking place.
“I hate what you’ve done to me. What I’ve just done,” she cries, rocking herself backward and forwards. “For fuck’s sake, Henry, I just killed a man. I smashed his skull to pieces and then I kept on hitting him. I can’t… I don’t…”
Ivy’s shaking.
She’s as white as ivory. Her heartbeat is erratic and her breathing is chaotic. Her eyes meet mine and she’s terrified. She’s lost. She isn’t faking this, and she reeks of the sharp smell of panic.
“I killed…”
“You didn’t.”
She stutters a breath and sobs when she exhales. “I smashed… ”
“He’s alive.” My voice is cold, unfeeling and hurtful. It fucking hurts me to do this but needs must. “Which is fortunate, given he’s a good friend.”
Ivy rocks herself, trying to self-soothe. Her eyes dull as she realizes I won’t help her and she looks away, staring into the distance and breaking my fucking heart.
“I thought we’d made progress, pet. I thought you were seeing reason. But now I see it was unreasonable to expect anything else from you.” I pause, watching as she shudders. “You’re too fucking willful. You’re wild and untamed and a danger to everyone around you.”
She whimpers and my instincts tell me to rush to her.
I ignore them.
“GET. UP.”
She sobs and shakes her head.
“Get the fuck up. I’m done playing games, pet. I’m done being reasonable. Get up or I’ll fucking drag you back home, kicking and screaming the whole damn way.”
Ivy trembles and offers me her hand. Slowly. She’s shaking like a fucking leaf and the anger rising inside me burns hot enough I almost don’t care. I’m livid she’s betrayed me, furious she deserted me, and irate she jeopardized her safety. The only thing making me see any reason is the knowledge someone hurt her before and repeating that cycle will only make her trauma worse.
I take her hand and haul her onto her feet. She’s barely standing and she stumbles, struggling to keep herself upright.
“You have two choices, pet. You can walk back or I can drag you. You won’t enjoy the latter.”
She collapses and I move on reflex, catching her before she hits the ground. She sinks into my arms and she’s dead weight, lifeless and completely exhausted. Ivy’s spent and she’s stopped fighting because she’s too damn tired to carry on. It’s a victory by default, and I need more to keep her safe.
I’ve been too lenient and it could have cost her.
Ivy needs to accept her place and she’s made her decision.
I’ve sure as fuck made mine and there’s no going back now.
I throw Ivy over my shoulder, spank her ass and tell her to shut the fuck up as I start the long walk back to the castle—and the punishment awaiting her when we get there.