Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“Who were you speaking to at the house? Who was it that I couldn’t see?” Efrem lay on his back next to her on top of the covers on his bed. They both stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, which had a few cracks in the plaster.
“Why don’t we focus on our next step?” They had each switched out driving the carriage on the long, rough ride from Poland across the border into Germany.
A journey that should’ve taken four hours had taken six with the amount of snow on the ground.
Tacitly, they agreed not to discuss anything in front of Roman other than the need to get home.
She expected Roman to conk out the second they arrived, but he was busy packing “the essentials” since they planned to spend no more than a few hours here.
They’d stay until the younger ones were awake.
She anticipated the baby would be awake in an hour or two, hungry or wet.
They struggled to feed him cow’s milk today.
She wouldn’t be able to nurse for many months.
Perhaps, they could find a wet nurse for him in the next few days.
“Are you capable of speaking with ghosts?” he pressed.
She threw a hand across her eyes.
“We don’t keep secrets, not ones like this.” He waved his hands above him to prompt more information. “I know you’re not insane. I also know something kicked Willem in the balls and knocked him out. It wasn’t you.”
“I got some help to get free of a demon spell that either my mother or Willem must’ve put on me. Maybe they did it together, but it reeks of my mother’s type of magic.”
“Is this a friendly someone you’re going to see again?”
I don’t know. I wish I could see him again. “Probably not.”
“This spell did what to you?”
“It put a permanent glamour on me. It also seemed to make me constantly feel bleak and helpless.”
He fisted his hands. “You should’ve let me kill Willem.”
“Next time we see him, if I don’t kill him first, you can. I couldn’t today. The curse might’ve bounced back onto me or onto you or Roman.” She needed to make plans for a next step, such as where to run to next. “Where do we go that he can’t find us?”
“I own a house.” He rolled to face her with a cocky smirk.
“You what? How’s that possible?” When she found him as an adolescent, Efrem had been shunned by his family, badly wounded, and starving. He’d come to her with nothing and certainly didn’t have any hidden wealth.
“I saved money and made a few investments to prepare for this moment. I’ve done quite well for us.”
“You’re a master chess player. I’m impressed.” She hit his shoulder with hers.
“If I was a master, I would’ve figured out how to eliminate Willem and free you before now. The house I have isn’t much. It’s a cottage on the coast of France. It’s a long drive from here, but it’s somewhere Willem doesn’t know about.”
“You don’t have to do this. I mean, we don’t have to move into your secret place.”
“I bought it for us…for my family. That family is you and the boys, not Willem. I had it renovated years ago when we still lived in France. I’ve waited for you to wake up and stop letting him hurt all of us.”
“I’m sorry. I was trapped.” She couldn’t look at him. “I wouldn’t have survived without you. I often wondered why you didn’t leave.”
“You needed me.”
“I did. You diverted him from me or one of the kids far too often. You’re more their father than he ever was. I don’t know how to repay you.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed. “You’re honorable. Yet, deep inside, you’re a vicious thing.”
“Only vicious against anyone who threatens you.” His face fell. “It’s been hard watching you wither away. I planned to kidnap you and the boys next week and run.”
“Really?”
“I figured if we got away from him, you could heal and see that you don’t need him. The fact you were under a curse or spell is a relief. I thought he destroyed the Evie I remembered until you beat the hell out of him today. That was the fearless lycan I remembered.”
“I thought he killed you, and possibly Roman too.”
“He almost did.”
“It’s going to take a while to find myself again. My life will always be dangerous for me and those around me so long as Willem lives.”
“I’m not going to leave now that things are finally getting interesting. I feel as if we’ve been waiting to start living for decades. Now we can.” He brought her hand to his mouth. “We could never be mated, since our bedpartner inclinations differ, but I love you.”
“Do you want to take Bryan with us? I know the two of you…”
He let go of her hand to roll onto his back. “We parted ways a few days ago.”
“I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
“He gave me an ultimatum. Either I left with him to start a different life in Spain, or he left.” His pain-filled gaze found hers. “He didn’t want to share me with you. He was fed up with seeing me act as a servant.”
“You have never been a servant to me. We are equals, and we always will be. It’s you who lets other people think less of you. I want you to live a life full of love and happiness. It’s all I ever wanted for you. If you need to go after him—”
“It was bound to end,” he interrupted. His lower lip quivered, and it killed her to see this strong male fall apart.
“Come here.” She pulled him into her arms. He rested his head on her chest but was careful of her pregnant belly. To others, their relationship was complicated—partners, parents, siblings—but never sexual. She rubbed circles on his back like she would one of her kids.
“Hurts,” he whispered.
“You are everything to all of us. Without you I’d be lost, but I understand if you need to go. I don’t want you to have regrets, especially about happiness. We’ve lived too long in misery.”
“There wasn’t much happiness before then either.”
“It’s time we figure out how not to be miserable.” She chuckled. “Step one is money. Lots and lots of money. Enough to do whatever we want.”
“Both of us do like pretty things.”
“We need enough to keep us protected and move within the human world while looking spectacular doing it. Step two—”
“Great sex.”
“Yes. When we’re ready, we’ll find partners.” Her mind drifted to Dom. There was something between them. “I don’t know if I can be with anyone for a while.”
He wiped his eyes and rolled away from her. “Step three is we only bring close those we trust. Incredible full moon sex is great, but it doesn’t mean our partners won’t poison us or sell us to the highest bidder if the price is right.”
“I’d kill anyone who puts a price tag on you.” She wiped the wetness from the corner of his eye that was closest to her. “I’d make it a painful death for them. Very painful.”
“My place is with you, as it will always be. Someday, I’ll find someone who understands that.”
“You will find that right someone.”
“Hey, Mom,” Roman stepped in the room. “What about the weapons? Leave them or take them?”
“Pack the modern ones, love,” Evie called out. “Every one of them.”
Roman slowly smiled. “There are a lot of them.”
“If that asshole comes near us, you and I will fill him with holes.”
“I might just shove dynamite up his ass,” Roman muttered as he left.
“Always loved that kid.” Efrem smiled.
She squeezed his hand and sat upright. “I thought of a way to make money to support ourselves. On our way here, when we stopped at that inn for a bite to eat, I saw a sign for a reward to capture a fugitive.”
“You want us to be bounty hunters?”
“Maybe to start. I think humans would be easy to track and eliminate. Perhaps we could get paid to eliminate the ones that are particularly nasty?”
“Assassins and bounty hunters?”
“I bet it pays well.”
“Sounds dangerous.” He whistled.
“Do you have other options? We have no trade. No family wealth. I refuse to steal. I won’t peddle weapons, people, or terror. My only skill is my ability to fight and maybe put humans in a temporary thrall. Between that and our extra abilities, we could be quite good at this.”
“We could, but we must build a buffer between our home and business.”
“No one can know our real identities. You’re right. You can voice-coerce the humans into forgetting us. Perhaps I can again. I lost the ability for so long.”
“We can dabble at it and see if we’re any good. I’m concerned Willem will come for you. Likely to kill you next time.”
“All the more reason for us to learn to be much better at killing than him.”