It’s such an odd feeling. Is this what family feels like? Even though I’ve been in many “families,” I never felt like I could depend on them for anything. Yet, Grigori, nearly a stranger, is willing to help me out in my time of need. I won’t have to blow him or let him fuck me. He’s just helping. Like a brother. It’s a loyalty I never expected.
I continue to stare at the words until they start to blur. In my wildest dreams, I never once thought that these Dominants would rally behind me. I thought they couldn't wait to get rid of me. But now, I’m seeing just how flawed my thinking was. Not just Grigori but even Doctor Bradley and Dean Anderson have been doing their best to make sure Shelaine is comfortable and cared for.
Between appointments, the good doctor has stopped by to check on Shelaine and ask if she needed anything. When I mentioned that she was not feeling well, he showed back up at my door within the hour with all sorts of natural remedies for pregnancy-related nausea. The basket was huge, overflowing.
When I opened the door, the scent of peppermint nearly knocked me off my feet, but my little Shelaine swooped in and grabbed them like a goblin with her treasure and started to dig through the motherload. The sounds that came out of her mouth as she popped a soft peppermint rivaled that of the moans she made when I was getting her off. But it didn't upset me. In fact, so many of the items soothed her right away, making me deliriously happy.
Not only did Dean Anderson cheerfully excuse her from work, but he also showed up with a large basket of things pregnant women seemed to crave. His smile was sheepish as he handed it over, admitting that he found a lot of these through an internet search that took him down far more rabbit holes than it should have.
But even more than that, we’ve received cards, calls, texts, and stuffed animals. So many things. Even if it’s not from the Dominants themselves, their submissives have reached out, making sure Shelaine knew she wasn’t alone. The sheer relief that flowed off of her was palpable, and I could never repay them for their outpouring of love.
It’s so weird to know that others care about the well-being of my family. What’s even far weirder is the fact that I actually trust them to help me care for her. When I first joined this society, I carried so much anger, so much hate. I never gave anyone a chance. Deep down, I knew they were just looking for a way to screw me over.
But now, I’m far more trusting, far more willing to open that door and consider letting people in. They stood by me at my worst, which means I’ll try to give them my best. Shaking my head, I pocket my phone and continue to pack. I don’t need much, but I need to do something to keep my hands busy while waiting for Sergei.
Grabbing a spare knife, I walk back into the room where Shelaine’s waiting, her body practically vibrating with unease and concern. I sit down next to her and gather her hands into mine before dropping a soft kiss on her lips.
“I need to go away and take care of a few things. I want - no - need you to stay safe for me. Grigori is sending over one of his bodyguards, Sergei. He will watch over you until I’m back.”
Her lips tremble as she reaches out for me. I can feel the fear coming off of her in waves. There’s no way this can be good for the baby. Hugging her close, I murmur nonsensical things into her ear, hoping to calm her down.
When she pulls back, a light sheen of tears shines in her eyes. “Are you going to be gone long?”
“Hopefully not. You’re okay with Sergei, right? Are you familiar with him?”
Her lips quirk up into a grin for a moment as she lets out an unladylike snort. It takes a moment before she can school her face back into a serious mask. “I think you’re going to like Sergei. He’s an odd bird.”
“Odd how?” Another wave of unease slams into my body, making me ill.
“Oh. Nothing too weird. More like he doesn’t speak the best English, and it makes for hilarious conversations.”
A frown furrows my brow as I pull out the spare knife and hand it to Shelaine. “I don’t care how amusing he is. If he touches you in any way that’s inappropriate, I want you to cut off his dick. Understood?”
She chuckles but takes the knife and rests it on her thigh. “I wouldn’t worry about him. Last I heard, he only has eyes for Angela, a maid in Doctor Andrew’s household.”
So Shrinky Dink has a maid. Why am I not surprised? “I don’t care who he has eyes for. This isn’t a gossip column. You promise me to keep you and Lainey safe at all costs.”
Her face turns down for a moment as seriousness seeps back into the room. It was so nice to have a moment of levity, even if it was just for that one moment, but I have to keep both our heads in the game. We only have a few more minutes left before I have to leave.
I want to tell her everything. I want to tell her how much she means to me. But I can’t. I cannot allow any sort of emotion to enter my brain right now. I need to hold onto the anger and rage that’s fueling me, gearing me up for the long drive back to Ashen Springs.
This time, Micha will die. By threatening me, he’s threatened my family. He will not get away with this. The crunching sound of tires on asphalt alerts me that my time is up. I need to get going, so I can make the trip down as quickly as possible.
When I open the door, I recognize Sergei from when Grigori took me from Florida with both Chelsea and the unconscious girl. He was silent but gave off a menace that has me trusting him now. The vibes he gives off are both deadly and protective, reaffirming the feeling of security that my two best girls will be safe under his watch.
“I’m here. Keep preggo bitch safe.”
“Excuse me?” Anger flares as I take a step toward him, but Shelaine pulls me back, her small hands wrapping around my arm.
“It’s okay, Luke. Everyone is bitch to Sergei.”
“Da,” he confirms, nodding. “All girls bitches. I keep safe. Go protect family.”
Nodding, I pull Shelaine in for another kiss and force myself out of the house before I change my mind and just hunker down. When dealing with Micha, the best defense is a strong offense, and me going down to Florida to kill him is the best sort of offense I can think of.
I pull out of the driveway and pull up Cheyenne’s number before putting my phone on speaker. Her soft voice as she answers the phone sends a thread of longing through me, making me wish I could see her on different terms.
“I need you to tell me where Micha is.” She remains silent. Anger slithers up my spine as I squeeze the steering wheel. “Did you hear me?”
“I heard you. But I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Not a good idea,” I scream into the phone. “That jackass threatened me. He threatened my family. I -.”
“Stop right now,” Shelby’s voice filters through as she takes the phone away from Cheyenne. “It’s not Micha. The cell service was bad. It’s Grandma and Grandpa Davis.”
My breath freezes in my chest as this new bit of information rattles about in my brain. “Why would they want to kill me?” Soft sobs reach my ears, and I can tell it’s Cheyanne crying. “Shelby. What’s going on?”
“Don’t you dare blame mom.”
“I’m not fucking blaming anyone right now. I just want to know what the hell is going on.”
“They got to her. Okay? They did their bullshit interrogation thing and got her to tell them about the baby.” The sobs in the background kick up a notch, making my gut clench in fear.
“So they know about the baby. What of it? I figured Cheyenne would be telling everyone.”
“Seriously? You don’t know?” Her voice gets softer, as if she’s turning away from the phone. “You didn’t tell him?”
“Tell. Me. What?”
“They’re the reason for everything. They forced mom to give you up. When she couldn’t be their perfect, debutant little girl, they put their sights on someone new - our uncle. They wanted nothing to do with her or with us after that.”
She pauses, and in the silence, my anxiety ratchets up a bit. There’s something worse to this. Something more sinister. Yeah, it was shitty forcing Cheyenne to give me up, but what does that have to do with Lainey or Shelaine?
Finally, Shelby continues. “When their son - our uncle - was in an accident, that was it. They had no more legacies. But then, they found out about you and how great you were doing at school. You were the new golden child. They were going to try and get to you, but something changed. I’m not sure of all the details, only bits and pieces I’ve heard. But, from what I understand, why try to bend you to their mold when they can have a brand-new baby to start over with. Someone untainted.
Fuck. They were after Shelaine and Lainey. What, did they think they were just going to shoot me? Force me to go off into that night and take what’s rightfully mine? No way in hell.
“What about Louis? Or does he even care enough about my family and me to do anything?” That unbridled rage starts to simmer as I listen to Cheyenne’s blubbering.
“He -. He doesn’t know,” she wails, hiccupping between words. “I didn’t want to involve him in this. I wouldn't have told you either, but they were going to kill you!”
I don’t need to hear anymore. At least it’s not like Louis is just standing back, twiddling his thumbs while Cheyenne’s parents pick me off.
“Send me their address.”
Red tinges my vision as I hang up the phone, cutting off any further communication from Shelby or Cheyenne. It’s bad enough that I had to endure my life because of what my grandparents did, but they had the audacity to want to claim my child as their own? What, so they could raise her up like they did Cheyenne? Casting her out when she doesn’t do exactly what they ask?
Fuck. That. Killing someone isn’t really hard to do, but what separates this from every other death I’ve caused is the intense need for both retribution and safety for my family. Honestly, if they were just after me, I’d probably just laugh it off and run away. But to come after Shelaine and Lainey? That’s something entirely different.
Pulling up the address, I look at the routes that it wants me to take. Fourteen hours. All I had to do was drive there, sleep for an hour or two, kill both conniving assholes, then head over to see Cheyenne and get Shelaine’s parents. Everything will be wrapped up in a nice, neat little bow. All I have to do is get to James Island near Charleston, South Carolina.
* * *