The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
Mar. 26th, 2018 06:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Title: The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
Chapter Fifty Two: Into the Fire
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.
Author's Notes: oh, look. some actual, planned for, real plot! just don't let it go to your heads. you never know when i'm going to say fuck it and ignore the plot for personal gain...
The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link
It was the tingle against her cheek that woke her, drawing her away from the pleasant safety of unconsciousness. There was a slight pain in her chest that said she'd suffered an injury recently and one arm felt like it was badly bruised. Those sensations were both minor annoyances, though. It was the tingling that troubled her. There shouldn't be any tingling. Which told her that something was very wrong.
She slitted an eye open, so very slowly, to take in her surroundings. What she saw through that minuscule gap was not reassuring. In fact, it was down right frightening.
Bars. She saw bars. That had been liberally coated with silver. And she'd seen the like before. That meant that the tingle beneath her cheek was because there was silver beneath the thin blanket lining the bottom of the cage. Enough to keep the silver from burning her skin, but not enough to keep her from knowing the silver was there, helping keep her from breaking out of the cage. She'd spent time in one of those damn cages before. Lots of time. Looks like she knew exactly where she was.
All the times she'd been followed. She knew what that meant now. She understood what had been going on. Bruce had made good on his vow to bring her back into the fold. He'd had his people following her around in an effort to find a good time to make a grab for her. And, stupid as she was, she'd given him the perfect opportunity to do just that by leaving the safety of the Circus with only one body guard. If Aedan hadn't gotten her so angry and so riled up, she might have stayed put. But Aedan's strange behavior and her unwillingness to tell Minette what was happening, combined with Micah's disappearance, had left her with very few functioning brain cells. She'd been mad as hell when she'd left the Circus earlier. And now she was paying for it.
When she and her body guard had discovered that they were being followed, she'd made the decision to head to one of the local cemeteries. They were generally empty at night, though it would have been awesome if she'd managed to find one where Aedan was working because after the fight they'd had, the other woman would have loved to shoot some idiots. Sadly, no one had been there. Jessie had been the one to suggest finding a place to park where the cars following them wouldn't be able to attempt to box them in. So she'd parked under the tree.
She could see now that that had been a huge mistake.
She'd thought she and Jessie would be safe there. He'd assured her that he'd be able to deal with any trouble that would come their way. And, at the get go, it had seemed like he'd been right. They'd come at them on foot and Jessie'd gotten out of the car, gun in hand. Someone had taken a shot and Jessie had staggered, obviously hit. That was when the car had come out of nowhere, lights off, and had slammed into Jessie, driving his body into the door of the car. Crushing him. It had also slammed the car, and Minette in it, into the tree. Briefly, before her brains had been scrambled by the impact, she'd had a moment of déja vu, had flashed back to the night Anita had died. Then it had all gone black.
Minette closed her eye and tried to sink back into oblivion. But it stayed elusive, well out of touch. All she could think about was what her folly had wrought. She'd been so determined to find Micah, to do something, that she'd cost a man his life. She had no doubt that Bruce's people had killed Jessie. She wouldn't be locked up in this cage if they hadn't. Bruce was the kind of person who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. And he wanted Minette.
Unconsciously, she reached out for those who were closest to her, let the links stretch and spread as they searched for her loved ones. First was Aedan. The one person who had been there for her when she'd been afraid of everything, including her own shadow. The one person who had always protected her. Rational thought said that Aedan was always going to protect her, that Aedan would always be her family. It told her she'd possibly been unfair with the woman earlier, that she should have tried to understand what Aedan was going through. That she should have tried to be more patient.
She didn't quite hit a metaphysical brick wall when the followed the link down to Aedan, but it might as well have been one. Aedan was there. And she wasn't. Minette couldn't quite figure out what that meant, but it felt to her like Aedan was in some kind of haze or fog. She got a sense of suppressed horror or something, buried deep under the fog. Like something really terrible had happened. Maybe if she hadn't been such a selfish bitch, she could have been there to hold her friend and make her feel safe. Cared for.
She tried Micah next, seeking him out through their connection. She'd tried it several times after discovering he'd been taken, and gotten odd sensations from him. She'd never gotten anything solid or understandable. Lots of gibberish and a detached, floating kind of feeling that suggested his captors were trying to keep him drugged. This time, she got nothing. It was almost like he wasn't even there anymore. Panic speared through her, making her wonder and worry that the kidnappers had grown tired of him and had simply killed him.
Minette shoved that thought away, refused to even consider it. Aedan would never have let that happen. She'd move heaven and hell in order to make sure Micah was safe. Minette knew she would.
She put aside thoughts of Micah for the moment and climbed down the link to her last really viable option. Jean Claude was almost always a soft, gentle presence at the back of her mind. Not tonight. Tonight, the vampire was filled with a silent rage that nearly burned Minette with its intensity. It was so strong, she couldn't cut through it to reach him without hurting herself. And, honestly, the vampire shielded so hard that she didn't think she could force her way through. She wasn't that good.
It was odd to feel his anger like that, because he was generally so careful about keeping it bottled up. It made her wonder what he was so upset about. It had to be something really horrible for the vampire to practically seethe the way he was. She tried letting him know she was there, tried to grab his attention in any way that she could. But his anger was too strong and she was left exhausted and shivering on the floor of the cage. It looked like she was on her own.
Maybe this was a sign. Maybe this was the universe's way of telling her that she had no business being Nimir-Ra or a part of Jean Claude's triumvirate. Maybe this was the universe's way of punishing her for attempting to rise above her station. She'd never been a strong leopard, had always been at the bottom of the pard. Maybe being caught by Bruce and locked in this cage was a reminder. Maybe it was where she belonged.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to sob and wail and bemoan how the tables had turned for her so quickly. So easily. She wanted to believe that it would all be alright. That Aedan would never leave her with Bruce and that she'd come for her. That Micah cared enough to want her back. That Jean Claude would miss her and demand her safe return. Did any of them miss her? Did they know she was missing? Did they actually care?
Those thoughts raced around her head, laughed at her when she tried to convince them that her friends wouldn't abandon her. That her family would come for her. The more she tried to push them aside, the firmer their hold on her became. Until she was sure that she'd die here, locked away in a goddamned cage like an animal, forgotten and dismissed.
And she was already half sure it was exactly what she deserved.
~*~*~*~*~
She was silent on the way back from the cemetery. She hadn't wanted to leave, had wanted to go looking for Minette immediately. The only problem with that plan was she had no clue where Bruce and his pard made their home. Aedan hadn't seen it as a problem so much as a minor inconvenience. It had taken him far too long to convince her that she needed to return to the Circus and eat something. Sleep. Despite the fact that she did well at hiding it from everyone, he'd been able to tell that she'd been trembling with the effort required to remain standing and moving forward. Whatever had happened during Micah's rescue had taken its toll and, no matter what she thought, she was only human. He'd finally been forced to put his foot down and order her to the Circus to rest. Hell, he'd been forced to physically pick her up and carry her to the car. He suspected she wouldn't have gone otherwise.
Except getting rest seemed to be the furthest thing from her mind. The car had barely come to a stop before she was trying to climb from the backseat. He had to catch hold of her arm and keep her inside until Bobby Lee and Wicked or Truth could climb out and ensure that the coast was clear. Far too many bad things had happened lately for him to ignore the possible danger any of them could be in. That didn't stop her from shooting him a dirty look. Nor did it stop her from jerking her arm from his hold the moment she stepped out of the back of the limo. And then she was across the short distance from the car to the door with nary a word.
He caught up to her on the stairs and once more took hold of her arm. In her present state, it would be easy for her to fall and break her neck. She shot him a glare and tried, unsuccessfully this time, to pull her arm free of his hold. "Would you fucking let go of me?" she snarled at him, eyes flashing with fire as she once again tried to tug her arm out of his hand.
He could feel her exhaustion as it rolled from her, as it beat at him with all the intensity as a mental assault. He shot her a look, his temper notching higher at her recklessness, and tightened his fingers down until she flinched from the pain. She'd have bruises later, but he didn't care. Better bruises than a broken neck. "And risk you falling down the stairs?" he asked, voice level despite his mounting anger. Why did she have to be so damned stubborn?
"I'm perfectly capable of walking down the stairs," she pointed out, sounding reasonable despite her raging anger.
"Any other time, I would agree. However, you are perilously close to falling over in exhaustion. You will allow me to help you down the stairs and then to your bed," he informed her, his tone allowing no argument.
"I don't think so," she shot back and tugged at her arm again. He stared at her, wondering if she truly had a death wish because he could swear she was trying to kill herself. "I'm going to go visit Micah. Which, if you'll recall, is what I was doing when you came to my room and grabbed me by the arm earlier!"
"Micah is resting. Which is what you should be doing!" he returned.
"I can sleep when I'm dead," she snapped and tugged on her arm yet again.
A look from him sent everyone on ahead, leaving the two of them alone on the stairwell. It wouldn't keep the others from possibly overhearing their conversation, but it gave the appearance of privacy. "That will not be far in the future if you keep on as you have," he replied, voice low in the curving stairwell. She glared up at him, but he could see it for the front it was. She was exhausted and barely clinging to consciousness. "What will you gain in seeing Micah tonight? Why can it not wait until morning?"
"It will give me peace of mind," she whispered. It took him a moment to realize she'd done so to keep the guilt from filling her words. But now that he thought about it, he could sense the guilt eating away at her as if it was a living, breathing thing. What did she have to feel guilty about?
"I assure you, Aedan, Micah is safe and resting. You saved him," Jean Claude said softly. Kindly. "You should rest, too. You need to--"
"I need to see him!" she insisted. He stared at her, not quite certain what was prompting her behavior.
"Aedan, please. Let me put you to bed. You have--"
"Stop trying to placate me and either take me to see Micah or let me go so I can do it myself!" she nearly shouted. There was a touch of panic in her voice and he had to wonder what this was really all about.
"Aedan. Ma poupette," he tried. She twisted her arm in his hold, tugged and pulled in an effort to get him to let her go. He almost released her, but her feet were dangerously close to the edge of the step. The last thing he wanted was for her to tumble head first down to the bottom.
"Let me go, or I swear to the gods, I'll do something we'll both regret," she whispered. And she would, too. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. It was right next to her desperation. He didn't understand that at all. Her reaction was beyond what he thought should be normal. And the last thing he wanted was for Aedan to run off in her current condition. There was no telling what would happen if she did that.
"Very well," he agreed. With reluctance. He didn't like the near manic expression in her eyes. "I will take you to see Micah. Then you will go to bed and rest. I will have Dr. Lillian give you sleeping pills, if necessary." Maybe he should have her do that anyway.
Aedan was silent a very long time, but she finally nodded and some of the tension ran out of her. "Okay."
They started down the stairs once more, Aedan mostly relaxed. He could still feel tension singing through her muscles, lingering just under the surface as if she might suddenly launch herself into a run. Jean Claude didn't understand it. He'd never seen her like this, and that was saying something. Her behavior had been odd ever since the party. but it had been nothing like what he was seeing now.
The door opened into a main room that was almost empty. Wicked and Truth awaited them, as did Bobby Lee. But everyone else had gone their separate ways. Jean Claude dismissed the brothers with another nod of his head as he steered Aedan toward the room Micah shared with Minette. She was silent at his side, but she was not still. He could hear her heart practically racing in her chest and her thoughts were a confused whirl inside her head. None of it made sense. He simply did not understand her reaction.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination. The door opened when they were only a few steps away to show Jason awaiting them. He swung the door wide without being told, allowing Aedan to enter the room. Jean Claude let her go, remaining near the door so that she could have a moment or two alone.
There was a large black cat curled up in the center of the bed, surrounded by a pile of naked bodies that had curled themselves around him. His head was resting on Nathaniel's shoulder, nose facing the door. Only a few members of the pard were sleeping, the rest merely cuddling up to Micah to help speed his healing. Nathaniel was not, and he watched Aedan inch closer to the bed.
She must have looked hesitant, because Nathaniel held a hand out to her, more or less telling her it was okay to approach the bed. When she was close enough, he took hold of her hand and raised it, settling it on the big cat's silky nose. Her fingers rested there, not moving. Jean Claude saw her shoulders shake. It was a minute action, but he saw it. Then she was leaning over the bed until her face was nearly touching Micah's head. She stayed like that for several long moments, still and silent as the grave, before finally straightening and stepping away.
Turning back to where he stood by the door saw her wobbling on her feet. She might have fallen if Nathaniel hadn't reached out a hand and caught her. The young leopard shot a questioning look Jean Claude's way, waiting for the man to nod before letting her go. She turned to look over her shoulder, likely to offer Nathaniel a smile of thanks, then pulled away and crossed to where he stood with Jason. "Come, ma poupette," Jean Claude said softly. "It is time you got some rest."
She let him take her hand, though he could tell she wanted to argue. But the shock she'd suffered earlier, whatever that had been, was taking its toll on her. Exhaustion was about to swallow her down. He needed to get her into a bed before she collapsed on him. When they were outside the room, the door closed behind them, he reached out and took hold of her, swept her up into his arms and carried her to her room. It spoke to just how tired she was that she said nothing, simply tucked her head under his chin and allowed him to carry her off to bed.
~*~*~*~*~
"You look like shit. Did Jean Claude put you to bed last night like I told him to?" Edward said by way of greeting. Aedan shot him a look that would have frightened a lesser man, but he wasn't a lesser man. And he was damned scarier than she was. He watched as she settled into the chair across from him. Okay, so she didn't settle. She just kind of... dropped into the chair as if she'd suddenly gone boneless. Edward narrowed his gaze on her.
The helpful server who had escorted her over paid no mind to their conversation, obviously a hardened server who had seen it all in her many long days on her feet. She dropped a menu onto the table before his companion and nodded when Aedan asked for a Coke. Then woman wandered off and left them alone. Aedan had no choice but to give him her full attention, allowing him to see the bags under her eyes.
"Since when are you my father?" she asked him tersely. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "Who the fuck gave you the authority to tell anyone to do anything where I'm concerned?"
"Someone needs to ensure you take care of yourself," he retorted. She hadn't seen herself last night when he'd found her. She shot him a look and opened her mouth, likely to tell him to go fuck himself. But the server was back with her Coke, a look on her face that silently asked if they knew what they were ordering. He let Aedan go first with a motion of one hand. She shot him a look again, then opened the menu and looked at the page that came up.
"I'll have that," she said, tapping her finger against one of the glossy images. The server said nothing, simply nodded and wrote something on her small pad. Then she turned an expectant look toward him.
"Ham and eggs. Scrambled. White toast. Hash browns extra crispy," he rattled off. The woman nodded her head, added his order to the pad, then scooped up the now unnecessary menus and went to put their order in. "Did you sleep?" He made sure that his voice said he would not let her get out of answering him.
Aedan gave him a flat look. "If, by sleep, you mean did I close my eyes for five seconds? Then yes. I slept. If not, I think I'll refrain from answering that question."
"I told Jean Claude to put you to bed," Edward growled. It seemed someone had problems following simple instructions and needed an ass kicking. He was more than happy to oblige, if that was the case.
"He did. I got out of it again. I wasn't going to sleep in his bed. But that's a moot point. I have other concerns," she told him, one hand making a gesture that suggested she was erasing their previous conversation.
Edward sat back in his chair. Crossed his arms over his chest. Glared at her. "After what happened last night?"
"Maybe you can afford to lounge around in bed whenever the mood strikes, but I don't have that luxury," she sniped. She looked like she wanted to drop then and there. In fact, she looked much rougher than she had when he'd found her the night before. If he was any other man, he might have let the lecture go and just urged her to go to bed. But he wasn't any other man. And he was going to make her understand that she couldn't slack off and fuck up because it was her life that was at stake.
"Maybe you don't recall, but there was that thing last night in which a kidnapping suspect, left alone with you, disappeared into thin air. When I found you, you looked like you were an extra on a horror set. You were in shock last night, Chastity," he told her, making sure to stress her first name in order to draw her attention to him. It worked as he'd hoped, seeing her scowling hatefully in his direction.
"A minor inconvenience," she deflected.
"Minor?" he blinked at her. "There was nothing minor about it. You were about three steps away from spacing out in front of Dolph. Had you done that, you'd still be sitting in his office right now. No matter how much money Jean Claude threw at the situation. Let me repeat it, in case you missed it the first time." Edward leaned forward so that he closed some of the distance between them. To her credit, Aedan didn't flinch away from him as she once would have. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "You were in shock last night. Either from the injuries you sustained in your fight with Micah's kidnapper or because something unspeakable happened to said kidnapper. If you had slipped up in front of the police, they'd think you were guilty of some heinous crime."
She rolled her eyes and sipped at her Coke, trying hard not to yawn in his face. "They already do."
"Are you?" he asked point blank. Aedan stared at him, not a thing to read on her face. "Answer me, Aedan. Are you guilty of some heinous crime?" He used that tone again, the one she knew he used when he meant business.
"Yes. I'm guilty," she snarled at him. She would have spat more vitriol his way, but the server came with their meals and she was smart enough to hold her tongue in front of possible witnesses. The server slid his breakfast before him, one plate holding the main meal while a second held his toast. She laid a small platter before Aedan, upon which was heaped a very large piece of country fried steak, a mound of mashed potatoes, tons of white gravy, and a cob of corn. Edward stared at the excessive amount of food a moment before turning a curious look her way. Aedan frowned at him.
"Well?" he asked after several moments of silence.
"I'm guilty of not following my instincts and running away. I'm guilty of being caught up in all of this insane shit," she made a motion that he took to meant her current situation with Jean Claude and his kiss.
She had balls. Edward would give her that. She'd told him to go fuck himself without actually saying the words. It was more than most other people would do. But she knew damn well that he wasn't going to play her games. She would answer him. Or else. "Aedan."
That one word, and the way he said it, made her freeze in her seat and lift wide eyes to his face. He was reminded of the scared kid she'd been when he'd first found her, always looking over her shoulder and jumping at shadows. A part of him kind of hated taking her back to that place in her life. But it couldn't be helped. He needed answers. She wasn't giving them. He was using the one weapon in his arsenal that he knew without a doubt would work on her. She knew well enough what that tone of voice meant. And she knew she'd pushed as far as he was going to let her.
"What happened last night?" he asked, kept the same tone in his voice. She blinked at him and stared. Said nothing. Went so pale, he thought she'd fall out of her seat. It took her so long to say something that he thought she wasn't going to answer him. Just when he was about to ask her again, she licked her lips and opened her mouth. A hoarse squeak came out, prompting her to reach for her Coke. Her hand shook when she did so.
She took a drink, set the glass down. Looked at her hands and saw the way they trembled. She dropped them to her lap so that neither of them could see them. "He tried to kill Micah," she said softly.
"I know. I saw what they did to him," Edward replied.
"He stabbed Micah and then he ran."
"Was this before or after he threw the table at you?"
"After." She dropped her gaze to her plate and merely stared. He suspected she'd suddenly lost her appetite. "I ducked because knives were flying at me. He stabbed Micah in the stomach and ran. I went to help Micah."
"But?"
One hand picked up her fork, toyed with the mound of potatoes on her plate. He wasn't sure if she was mulling over what to tell him or if she was fighting not to say anything more. "Micah told me to go after him. He told me to pull the knife out and go get the kidnapper."
"And you went." Edward wanted to throttle her. It was the stupidest mistake she could have made. The kidnapper could have killed her.
Maybe she heard the censure in his voice. Or maybe she guessed his thoughts. Whatever the reason, she shot him a look that had a bit of her normal glare in it and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "I went. Because Micah was right. He needed to be stopped before he killed someone else."
"And you stopped him." It wasn't a question. And those four words were tinged with his disbelief. Which brought her head up so she could stare at him. Her eyes were blazing with fire, her mouth a thin line filled with every bit of her hatred and rage.
"You're goddamned right I did," she snarled, voice low and filled with emotion.
"What did you do, Aedan?" he asked. She sat back in her chair and glared at him, posture screaming of stubbornness. A flick of his gaze showed that no one seemed to be paying them any attention, which was good. Because he suspected their encounter would become ugly before it was over and done with. "Answer me, Aedan. What did you do to him?"
"I didn't do anything." It sounded like the truth, despite the vehemence of her words. But there was something she wasn't telling him. Something she hadn't told Dolph at the questioning last night. He suspected she hadn't told Jean Claude, either.
"Tell me you didn't kill him, Aedan," he instructed. She rolled her eyes at him.
"I didn't kill him, Edward," she returned. Like her previous statement, it felt like the truth. But it was only part of the truth.
"Then what did you do to him?" he asked. She gave him the look he'd come to recognize as the one she wore when she was going to be especially difficult, mouth tightening down and eyes going flat as she stared. She might have opened her mouth to tell him her half-truth again. But the phone in her pocket chirped to let her know someone needed her. She withdrew the thin rectangle and glanced at the screen, then returned it to its pocket. She took a drink off her Coke before rising to her feet. "Aedan. We're not done here."
"We are, Edward. Duty calls. If you'll excuse me," she said and turned to walk off. She was already out the door and climbing into her car before he realized that whoever had called her, it wasn't Dolph.
~*~*~*~*~
Richard watched as Shang-Da escorted Aedan into the lupanar's clearing. He stood near the dais upon which the rock throne sat, waiting for them to join him. He'd invited her here because he felt it was the best place to talk. He'd arranged for her to meet with Shang-Da at the Lunatic Cafe. Together, the two of them would meet him at pack's lupanar. Jamil stood just behind him, waiting silently. He wasn't happy that Richard had asked Aedan to come here to their sacred place. But it was the only place he felt was safe enough for them to talk.
He frowned when Aedan got close enough to him that he could see her face clearly. She looked dead on her feet, which was saying something because he'd seen her run down before. She probably should have been in bed, sleeping the day away. But it couldn't be helped because this was, he felt, important. When she and Shang-Da stopped before him, he couldn't help the words that came out of his mouth. "You look like shit."
"Thanks. Its good to know that the look I'm cultivating is working," she returned. He watched her gaze slide around the clearing, as if she was looking for something, before bringing it back to his face. "By the way, thank you for getting me out of a difficult meeting. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," he replied, then motioned to the edge of the dais. "Have a seat. You look like you're about to fall over."
It looked for a moment like she'd argue with him. But the moment passed and she gave a nod of her head. They moved toward the suggested spot together, her steps slow and careful. It was then he realized just how tired she was, every inch of her body fighting the messages her brain was sending it. How she was still on her feet was beyond him. He was going to have to have Shang-Da return her to the Circus in order to ensure she got there without falling asleep behind the wheel and killing herself.
He watched as she carefully lowered herself onto the stone edge. Her soft sigh of relief was loud to his ears. He took a seat next to her, leaving enough space between them that she didn't feel crowded. A glance at the other two men saw them backing off, reluctantly, until they were a short distance away. "What was so important that you had to call me to meet up alone, Richard?" she asked. He suspected she was trying to sound snarky. She just sounded tired.
"I wanted to talk to you about last night," he began. She turned a suddenly fiery gaze his way.
"Why does everyone want to fucking talk about last night? Its over and done with. I didn't do anything. I'm fine. Let's just move on," she snarled.
He stared a moment. "Okay. That's good to know. But I was actually going to talk to you about the female kidnapper. If that's alright with you?"
It took her a moment to process what he'd said. He could see it on her face. Some of her tension eased back. "Whatever floats your boat," she finally replied.
"She was alive when Edward, Raphael, myself, and a few others arrived at the house. I made the decision to take her to a safe house and try to heal her injuries," he told her, watching her face carefully to gauge her reaction. She blinked at him, obviously not impressed. "I was able to help heal her wound. And then I asked her questions."
That got Aedan's attention. Not that she showed any outward signs. It was an almost invisible shift in her tension, in the way she held herself. As if she was getting ready to run if she had to. Most people likely wouldn't have noticed it. He wasn't most people, though. "What kind of questions?" she asked, and if he didn't know better, he'd swear she was only making the expected conversation. But there was an edge hidden at the back of her words that said she was anxious to know what he asked the woman. And the answers she gave.
"Did you know that she's the male kidnapper's sister?" Richard started. Aedan turned a blank stare his way. He wasn't sure if she was being legitimate or if it was a ruse. If it was a ruse, it was finely crafted one, because he wanted to believe that she hadn't known that. But he was sure, now more than ever, that there was something about the pair that Aedan was hiding from everyone. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but there had been subtle signs at the meeting she'd called the night of Minette's attack.
"Sibling serial killers are rare. But not unusual," she replied casually.
"Okay. But did you know that she was his lover, too?"
He swore he saw something in her eyes. For just a moment. But then the look was gone and she was giving him that blank look again. It was so good that he couldn't be sure he'd actually seen anything else. "Incest? That would explain some things," she murmured.
"He convinced her to help him kill lycanthropes because she was tainted," Richard continued.
"He was the dominant of the pair," Aedan said. "And, at first, he probably thought he could keep her in line. Its likely he used some kind of threat or something to convince her to help him."
"She said he told her that destroying shifters would remove the taint from her soul. So that she could go to heaven."
"Of course." Aedan snorted at that, shook her head in disbelief. "She must have figured out that he was lying. Or she realized what they were actually doing. She was rebelling against him when I got there. She told him she was going to go to the police. That's why he stabbed her. Because he realized he couldn't control her anymore. And since she was a wolf, she was inherently stronger than he was. If she'd used even a fraction of that strength on him, she'd have killed him herself."
"She told me that Paul, her brother, was obsessed with finding someone from their past. She said he'd seen this person here in St. Louis and he wanted to make them pay for something that happened a long time ago."
If he hadn't been watching her, he wouldn't have seen the involuntary shudder Aedan gave. It could have been a coincidence. She was tired, after all, and that likely meant she was colder than usual. But she wasn't huddling into her clothes for warmth. He suspected that she had other reasons for shuddering as she had.
"She said she hoped you dealt with Paul, since she hadn't been able to do it herself."
"She doesn't have to worry about her brother anymore," Aedan confirmed. When she looked up at him, finally, there was nothing in her face. The lack of emotion was startling. "Where is she? I'd like to ask her some questions."
"She's dead, Aedan," Richard told her.
The woman was silent a moment, as if processing his words. Then she nodded her head. "Did you kill her, then?"
"No. Not that I hadn't planned on it. She tortured and killed my people, after all. It was what she deserved," he said quietly. Before finding the girl, he'd been so sure about his duty to the pack. He'd been certain that a slow, painful death was no less than she and her brother deserved. That had changed, though, speaking with the girl and seeing the emotions roll across her face. He hadn't been sure he'd be able to actually do it. In the end, it turned out he hadn't needed to. "But I didn't kill her. She took her own life."
"I see," Aedan said. He watched as she sat for a moment, then slowly slid off the edge of the dais and regained her feet. He watched her wobble and worried she'd fall over, but she righted herself before he had to catch her. "Thank you for letting me know. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back. I have things to do."
"You need to rest, Aedan, Even I can tell you're running on empty," he said gently.
"I have too much to do to rest right now. I can sleep when I'm dead," she shot back, then started toward the far side of the lupanar. A look from him sent Shang-Da following after her. Jamil closed the distance and stood beside him, watching Aedan go.
"She knows something," Jamil said quietly.
"Yes. She does," Richard agreed. There was definitely something Aedan wasn't telling them. He only hoped it wouldn't come back to bite them all in the ass.
~*~*~*~*~
He watched her pound her fists against the smooth surface of the heavy bag. Her knuckles were bare, the skin split and bloodied despite several pairs of gloves hanging on the wall only a few feet away from her. He could hear the breath rasp in and out of her lungs. The way her heart hammered in her chest. She smelled of sweat and determination. And guilt. She'd smelled of guilt for some time now, and he had to wonder about it. Her hair bounced against her back with each jab, twined into a thick braid to keep it from flying into her face. Her t-shirt was soaked with sweat, letting him know she'd been at it for quite a while. "I was under the impression you were supposed to be resting up," he said, finally breaking the silence.
She didn't pause or miss a beat, kept jabbing almost hatefully at the heavy bag, despite his words. It was likely she'd known he was there from the moment he'd walked into the gym. "Funny," she panted, delivering a couple of particularly strong punches to the bag. Then she just stopped, knuckles pressed against the bag's surface. She didn't turn to look at him. "I could say the same thing about you."
"I'm good," he told her. "Sleeping in a kitty pile for twenty four hours did me wonders. So did a heavy meal. You're not a lycanthrope. It takes you longer to bounce back. And I know you've been burning the candle at both ends for more than a month now. You should be sleeping, Aedan."
"Don't start. I've heard it from everyone. Richard. Dr. Lillian. Edward. Even tall, dark, and undead. I've got more important matters to deal with," she sounded tired, like she'd been on her feet for thirty six hours straight and was running purely on caffeine and adrenalin.
"What's more important than sleeping?" he asked her.
"Figuring out where the fuck Bruce took Minette and getting her back." She practically spat the words at him. He could hear the self-loathing in her voice, letting him know where a lot of the guilt was coming from.
"It isn't your fault that Bruce took Minette," he told her quietly.
"Of course it fucking is. I knew she was being followed. I knew she wanted to be out there, looking for you. If I'd done my fucking job, none of this would have happened. Minette wouldn't be suffering abuse at the hands of her old alpha. You wouldn't have nearly died from silver poisoning or a knife wound to the belly. People wouldn't have fucking died. All I had to do was find the killers and put an end to their spree. But I didn't do that, did I? You were kidnapped and tortured. You could have been killed before I found out how to find them. I--"
"Aedan," Micah said, voice soft. She fell silent but still didn't look at him. "None of what happened is your fault. You've done everything you could to keep everyone safe. But you're only human. And you're only one person. Stop laying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"Is that going to be any consolation for both of us if Bruce hurts Minette? If he kills her? Because she's going to deny him what he wants. And he will punish her. If she makes him mad enough, he will kill her."
"She's an alpha now," he pointed out. At that, Aedan turned and looked at him. Micah could see she was teetering on the edge.
"She's got an alpha's power, but she's got a submissive's mentality. Bruce beat a metric fuckton of worthlessness into her. He had years to do that. Minette suddenly gaining power because of a freak accident isn't going to change that overnight. She still thinks like a submissive. And being around Bruce is going to make it that much worse. She's going to let him treat her like she's shit because that's how she still thinks."
He studied her face, saw in it the truth of her words. Frowned at the rage that burned brightly in her eyes. The hatred that seemed out of place as it wrapped itself around her. This was not the Aedan he'd first met at the police station. Nor was it the Aedan who had slowly been making herself home here in St. Louis. This was an Aedan he'd never seen before. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. "Why haven't you gone and gotten her? Reminded her that she has a family that loves and needs her here?"
"I don't know where she is. She cut me off. I can't get into her head." Aedan refused to meet his gaze. "She hates me. She left here when I was out trying to find where they were holding you. She was taken probably around the same time that you'd been freed and brought back here. As far as I know, she doesn't even know you've been found. That you're okay."
"What about Jean Claude?"
"He hasn't gotten anything from her," she told him. Her tone was clipped and short, telling him that the woman was apparently having issues with the vampire. Again. Honestly. The two of them just needed to get naked and fight it out between the sheets.
"I can feel her. Its distant, though. Like she's not quite fully aware of herself," Micah told her.
"Fuck. Bruce is using drugs. He's trying to break her the fast and dirty way." Aedan snarled out a curse, then turned and slammed her fists against the heavy bag again. The scent of fresh blood perfumed the air.
"How long will it take you to get ready?" The question caught her by surprise. She only stared at him a few moments, then shook her head.
"You're supposed to be on bed rest. And I'm grounded." The last was said was with a sneer that clearly told him how she felt about that. Ah. That explained the pair of rats who were hanging around the gym without really doing anything. He wondered what had brought this one, then decided that it was probably because she wasn't sleeping the way she was supposed to be.
"I doubt they'll stand in my way if I want to take you off Circus property," he told her, tone matter of fact. She stared at him, possibly trying to gauge how serious he was. She had to know he was very serious about finding Minette and bringing her home. Minette was the reason he, and the rest of the pard, had been able to carry on after Anita's death. Even if he hadn't fallen for the woman, she was precious to them simply for being a light of hope in the aftermath of an insane murder. He owed Minette the courtesy of helping her get away from Bruce. Once and for all.
"I need to go to my room and collect my firearm. And my badge," she told him, adding the last as almost an after thought. Micah nodded and motioned toward the door.
"I'll walk with you. I'm ready to go now."
~*~
There were no problems with the rats when Micah and Aedan headed for the door to go to the upper level. One of them asked if they'd like company, but Micah had turned them down and said he and Aedan could handle it. So the two of them had climbed the stairs to the main level, then slipped out into the afternoon sun to climb into Aedan's car. She had a general idea where to find Bruce and his pard, but not an exact location. They were both hoping that Micah could give her that when they got close.
They were silent once they climbed into Aedan's car. He couldn't help but notice that his companion was tense, hands deceptively light on the steering wheel despite the way her shoulders were pulled tight. And the look on her face left was empty. Uninviting. "Why did Minette shut you out?" he finally asked.
"She blames me for what happened to you." Aedan said it like it was no big deal. Which made him think there was more to it than that. For a moment, he considered asking her about that, because he knew for a fact that things had been odd between the two women since Minette had been attacked at Jean Claude's grand party. In the end, he decided to ask her about something else.
"When those two had me, I heard them talking. They must have thought I was unconscious and I didn't disabuse them of the notion. The male kept going on about finding someone. I want to say he said Katherine, but the drugs were doing weird things to me so I can't be sure. I told him I didn't know who they were looking for, but he didn't believe me."
"He was insane, Micah. He probably wouldn't have believed you if you said you knew the pope and you could produce proof," she returned. "You're lucky he didn't just kill you and be done with it."
"Thank you for that, by the way. Showing up and saving me. I didn't get a chance to tell you the other day. So thank you."
She shrugged a shoulder at him. "Its my job. And you're welcome."
He considered her words a moment, pondered making a comment about them. But he decided to leave it alone for now. Instead, he centered himself and concentrated on the feel of Minette. She wasn't quite as faint as she had been, suggesting that whatever drugs Bruce was using were lessening in effect. He urged her to hold on silently, tried to send calming vibes to her. Tried to let her know that he was coming for her. That he wasn't going to leave her to whatever fate Bruce had in store for her.
He might have tried to assure her of more, but something Aedan had said caught his attention. "Wait. You said he was insane. Does that mean he isn't now?"
"It means whatever he was, he can't be that anymore." There was a very strong note of finality in her voice. Micah stared at her a moment.
"How did he die?" he asked quietly. She shot him a look that plainly said she wasn't going to say a word, then turned her attention back to the road.
"I hope you can find her because we'll be in the area soon and I really feel the need to shoot a mother fucker."
~*~*~*~*~
Over the course of her imprisonment, the burn of the silver had become a constant companion that she'd learned to mostly put aside. It had been especially easy to do so when whatever drugs Bruce liked to use had been coursing through her system. But they were wearing off now, and she was not happy with the burning sensation that tingled just under her skin. She should have remembered about the drugs.
Minette was sure that the drugs were in the food and water Bruce had so graciously supplied for her. A shy, thin, timid girl would deliver her meals and drinks to her. No doubt because she wouldn't look Minette in the eye and thus couldn't be influenced. A fresh bowl of pasta and a glass of ice water was waiting for her. And, for a moment, Minette considered eating and drinking. But there was a sensation at the back of her brain that kept her from going for the fork right away. A sensation that felt a lot like Micah.
And that sensation was close.
She felt joy bubble up inside of her, felt it fill her until she almost overflowed with it. Micah was alive. Micah was okay. Micah was coming to get her. She was going to get out of this fucking hell hole and go back to her family.
The doubts that had overwhelmed her upon waking in the cage prodded her, reminding her that no one cared about her and that this was what she deserved. That this was where she belonged. Those doubts sounded an awful lot like Bruce.
Another voice echoed in her head, one that was filled with soft anger and friendship and a silent promise to never let him hurt her again. This voice told her that Bruce had no power over her anymore, that she was stronger than he was. That she didn't need him or his pard. This voice told her that Minette would never be without a pard because they would be one together. That they'd be all the family they'd ever need. This voice sounded so much like Aedan
As if just thinking about her was all that was needed, Minette felt the other woman's presence at the back of her mind. She was a cloud of exhaustion and anger and buzzing determination. She was close, too, like Micah. The joy at knowing Micah was coming doubled and redoubled until she was drowning in it. Micah and Aedan were both coming for her. The nightmare was at an end.
Except, a third voice reminded her, the nightmare would never end. Not so long as Bruce continued to live. He would never stop hunting her. Never stop trying to control her and make her his personal slave. He would never stop unless she made him stop. Sure, she could wait it out until Micah and Aedan showed up. Aedan would shoot people and threaten others, all the while saying Minette was off limits. But no one would respect Minette if she did that. The same would happen if Micah was the one who did the maiming and threatening. She'd still be viewed as someone's meat, as weaker than the others. As something to fight over.
If she wanted to be free of Bruce, fully and truly free for the rest of her days, she had to be the one who thrashed Bruce and put him in his place. She had to be the one who did the maiming and threatening. Which meant she was going to have to challenge him. Now. To a fight. Which would likely be one to the death. Because she knew Bruce would never let her go if she won in a fair fight against him. He'd be all the more determined to drag her back into his fucked up world.
She let her mind wander again, sent it down the pathways that linked her to Micah, to see where he was. He was so close now. Close enough that he'd be there soon. Close enough that she'd be going home within the hour. She needed to do this now. So that she'd be free to go as soon as Micah and Aedan arrived. It was now or never.
Minette inched closer to the bars of the cage, careful not to touch them, and looked for the cameras she knew were mounted on the walls to watch everything. Staring directly at one, she shot whoever was watching a knowing smirk. "I want to talk to Bruce. And I want to talk to him now."
That should get their attention. Now all she had to do was wait for someone to respond.
~*~
It took less than five minutes for someone to show up and let her out of the cage. She remembered Lawrence well enough from his attack on Anita's house. The last she'd seen of him, he'd been hanging from Jean Claude's hand, choking against the fingers squeezed down over his throat. How ironic that he was the one who'd been sent to release her from the cage.
Minette allowed him to manhandle her from the cage and then the room. It would only benefit her if they all thought she was still as weak as she'd ever been. The hand on her arm squeezed down tightly, as if to taunt her with what was to come. Oh, if only he knew. She kept her eyes down, dragged her feet and held back as if she was dreading her actions and the coming encounter. By the time they'd reached the main meeting hall, Minette looked utterly lost and frightened. It hid the anger that bubbled and simmered under the surface.
For far too long, Bruce and his ilk had been a thorn in her side. She'd lived and breathed with the knowledge that he was a horrible person who would use her for horrible things if she let him. Before, when he'd been the stronger of the two, she'd been afraid of his every look and move and word. She'd been afraid of when and how he would kill her. She'd been afraid of so many things. She was still afraid. That hadn't changed with Anita's gifts. But what had changed was the fact that she could do something about it. She was, for the first time in a very long time, in control of her own destiny. And she was going to show Bruce, here and now, that he could no longer control and intimidate her.
Bruce was seated in his chair, an old prop from a playhouse that had long ago gone out of business. The gaudy throne was threadbare now, the golden paint faded and peeling. It looked sad and broken. Bruce looked smug and triumphant. Oh, she was going to enjoy wiping that look off his face.
The rest of the pard was clustered around Bruce, his officers standing near the chair while the lower members were in the background. Eyes lowered and shoulders rounded. The sign of submissiveness and respect that Bruce demanded of his people. Minette made sure she met his stare head on, kept her shoulders high and straight. He was going to learn that she was never going to be his meat again. "Well, well. Look at this. The little cat has finally come home. Welcome back to the fold, Minette."
"Keep your welcome. I'm not staying," she told him. She made sure her tone was firm. He lifted a brow at her show of spine, a knowing smile cracking his face. He thought she was bluffing.
"You hurt my feelings, Minette. And after everything I've done for you. After all the hospitality I've shown you."
"I'm going home," she replied, ignoring his words. "Either you let me go of your own accord or I'll make you."
A low murmur rose up from the submissives. It was likely no one had ever talked to Bruce like that. He made sure when he inducted members into the pard that they knew their place. She saw out of the corner of her eye that speculative glances were being sent her way, shared between other members of the pard. For his part, Bruce's smile faltered a bit, almost slipped completely off his face. But he caught it in time, fixing it so that he still appeared to be the benevolent leader and not an absolute prick.
"This is your home, Minette," he told her, tone a touch too forceful. She'd already hit a nerve. Good. She was going to dig away at that nerve until it snapped.
"No. This is a prison. My home is in St. Louis. With my new pard and my new family."
"With your pet dyke, you mean," he sneered.
"Aedan is my family. And, honestly, I should thank you for that. If it hadn't been for you, we would never have become good friends. But that isn't the point. The point is that I'm going to go back to St. Louis and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
The smile slipped from his face completely and anger rose to take its place. She saw his knuckles tighten down on the arms of the cheap throne, heard the wood creak. Just the slightest bit. His reaction brought a smirk to her face, which only angered him more. "I think, Minette, that you forget your place and just who it is you're talking to. Maybe its time you had another lesson on the subject."
"Oh, no. I know my place. And I know exactly who I'm talking to," she said airily. "I'm talking to the pathetic loser of a wereleopard who has set himself up as king of a sad pard. Those who aren't your personal buddies are treated as less than dirt. Abused and frightened until even their own shadow scares them. You're weak and you rule through fear and intimidation. I'm so much better than you. I'm stronger than you. And I will hurt you if you get in my way."
The pard shifted nervously at Minette's brazen words. Bruce's officers inched closer, as if they would handle her for him. He threw out an arm that halted them in their tracks. She gave him a smug look and watched as he gaped at her. "Living in the big city has made you impudent, Minette. I'm going to have to put you back in your place."
"I'd like to see you try," she replied.
Bruce blinked at that, utterly shocked by her lack of fear. Then he rose slowly from his seat, as if standing over her was going to intimidate her into apologizing and licking his boots. She merely stared. Waiting. "Are you challenging me, girl?"
"If that's what it'll take to end this farce. Yes. I'm challenging you. I challenge you to control of the pard. If I win, they're mine to do with as I please. If you win, then I'll return to the fold. Quietly. Without any more resistance."
Bruce stepped down off the small dais that the throne sat on and advanced on her, as if looming over her was going to give him an advantage. She had a few surprises for him. "You're going to regret your cockiness, girl. I'm going to make your life a living hell. If you thought things were bad before, just you wait to see what happens this time around."
"You have to beat me first, Bruce. And you can't do that."
He didn't like that she was so assured of herself. She watched as he cocked his head her way, obviously trying to puzzle things out. After several long moments, he finally straightened and sent a knowing look her way. The smile he gave her was secretive and gleeful, as if he knew something she didn't. "You're stalling. You think your pet dyke is going to show up here and rescue you from me. Don't you? So you're putting on this show of bravado while she has time to get here. You're going to be disappointed. Even if she finds this place, she won't get past my guards."
"I'm not stalling. And I'm not worried about Aedan. She'll get past your people just fine. In fact, I'm not worried about anything. So why don't you just shut your fucking mouth and get on with it. I want to have this shit wrapped up before she gets here. I'd like to go home as soon as possible, you know."
"Ungrateful little bitch! After everything I've done for you!" Bruce snarled. She felt his power fill the air, felt it shimmer around her. For the first time since he'd turned her, she felt nothing. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't impressed. She felt nothing.
She reveled in it.
"What you did for me, Bruce," she began, making sure her voice was low so everyone would have to listen to her. Then she huffed out a laugh and shook her head. "What you did for me was to turn me against my will. You left me weak and defenseless. You made me anyone's meat. You treated me like I was a broken toy. You abused me whenever you liked, treated me like the lowest of scum, and made me so afraid of my shadow that I was petrified to move. Not any more."
"Brave words for someone who's about to get her ass beat," one of the other sneered.
"You want a piece of me? You can have the next spot," Minette told him before swinging her arm out toward Bruce. "After I deal with that sack of shit."
Bruce bellowed out his rage a moment before he launched himself across the room at her. Minette waited until the last possible moment, then side-stepped the attack. Bruce's momentum carried him several feet away from her before he twisted around and started toward her again. His power was spilling out over him, letting her know that he was only inches away from a full transformation. He snarled as one hand swiped at her.
Minette ducked his arm and let it swing harmlessly over her head. Bruce turned again, body twisting with a cat's fluid motion so that he was heading toward her again. He was ready to change, intent on slipping from human to leopard between one step and the next. Bruce was an alpha, but he wasn't as strong as Micah. Nor was he as strong as she was. Minette stared at him, reached out with her own power, and shoved his back into his body.
Bruce stumbled to a stop and stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. She didn't have to look around her to know that everyone else was staring at her with that same look upon their faces. "What the ever loving fuck was that?" Bruce demanded.
Minette smiled. "Power. Real power. Like you've never had before. Like you'll never have."
"There's no way that came from you. You're not an alpha. You've always been a simpering little submissive who walked around here with her tail tucked between her legs. No way did you stop me from changing." His words were snarled at her, his voice growling with the presence of his beast. She could see the look in his eyes, how he wanted to rip her to shreds then and there. She could also see the fear as the stared at her. Fear that she was stronger than he remembered, that she actually had stopped him from shifting forms.
"There is a great deal that you don't know about me, Bruce," she informed him.
"I know everything there is to know about you, girl," Bruce retorted.
She shook her head at him. "You know the old Minette, who was one of the weakest member of your pard. Who was very much afraid of her shadow. Who didn't dare raise a stink for fear of angering you. Or your officers. Who couldn't defend herself to save her life. That's the Minette you know."
Bruce sneered her, readying himself for another attack. "That's the only Minette there is. And I'm looking at her."
"No, Bruce. That is not the only Minette there is. The Minette you're looking at is the new Minette," she informed him. Slowly, she let her power flow out to touch all of them, to prove to them that what they'd felt the last time hadn't been some weird fluke. "The old Minette was so scared of you and so weak that she ran from you. She enlisted the help of her best friend, Aedan. Who, in turn, enlisted the help of Anita Blake."
The name drop got her a reaction. Minette smiled, and it wasn't a kind thing. "Ah, I see you know who that is. It was only a couple months ago, though it feels longer, when Anita and Aedan showed up to pack the old Minette's things up and load them into Anita's car. They were going to take her back to St. Louis, where there was a pard that would accept her as a member. One that wouldn't treat her like some plaything. As luck would have it, their car was stopped on the highway that night. Anita Blake was killed. But not before she gifted both Aedan and the old Minette something special. Something precious."
"And what gift was that?" Bruce asked. She could tell he'd only done so because it was expected of him. His voice had been sharp and clipped, telling her he was not a fan of whatever was going on here.
"Anita was dying. The people who had stopped the car wanted her dead. They thought she was too powerful and felt if they killed her, they'd destroy that power. Only she'd known her life was in danger. And she'd made plans. So as she lay dying in the middle of an empty road, she made Aedan and the old Minette promise her to look after everyone she cared about. All of them. And when they promised, Anita passed her powers on to them. Aedan inherited everything to do with her necromancy and the dead. The old Minette... Well, she was given Anita's position as Nimir-Ra of the Blood Drinker's clan."
"Impossible," Bruce whispered. His eyes had gone very wide.
Minette smiled, eyes going the green of her leopard's, and lifted her hands to show them all the claws that had sprouted there. "And now, Bruce, I'm going to use that power to kill you and destroy your pard. Because you're evil and corrupt and no one else is going to suffer what I had to suffer."
Bruce stared a moment, then an ugly snarl curled his lip and he launched himself at her. "You bitch! Die!"
Chapter Fifty Two: Into the Fire
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.
Author's Notes: oh, look. some actual, planned for, real plot! just don't let it go to your heads. you never know when i'm going to say fuck it and ignore the plot for personal gain...
The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link
It was the tingle against her cheek that woke her, drawing her away from the pleasant safety of unconsciousness. There was a slight pain in her chest that said she'd suffered an injury recently and one arm felt like it was badly bruised. Those sensations were both minor annoyances, though. It was the tingling that troubled her. There shouldn't be any tingling. Which told her that something was very wrong.
She slitted an eye open, so very slowly, to take in her surroundings. What she saw through that minuscule gap was not reassuring. In fact, it was down right frightening.
Bars. She saw bars. That had been liberally coated with silver. And she'd seen the like before. That meant that the tingle beneath her cheek was because there was silver beneath the thin blanket lining the bottom of the cage. Enough to keep the silver from burning her skin, but not enough to keep her from knowing the silver was there, helping keep her from breaking out of the cage. She'd spent time in one of those damn cages before. Lots of time. Looks like she knew exactly where she was.
All the times she'd been followed. She knew what that meant now. She understood what had been going on. Bruce had made good on his vow to bring her back into the fold. He'd had his people following her around in an effort to find a good time to make a grab for her. And, stupid as she was, she'd given him the perfect opportunity to do just that by leaving the safety of the Circus with only one body guard. If Aedan hadn't gotten her so angry and so riled up, she might have stayed put. But Aedan's strange behavior and her unwillingness to tell Minette what was happening, combined with Micah's disappearance, had left her with very few functioning brain cells. She'd been mad as hell when she'd left the Circus earlier. And now she was paying for it.
When she and her body guard had discovered that they were being followed, she'd made the decision to head to one of the local cemeteries. They were generally empty at night, though it would have been awesome if she'd managed to find one where Aedan was working because after the fight they'd had, the other woman would have loved to shoot some idiots. Sadly, no one had been there. Jessie had been the one to suggest finding a place to park where the cars following them wouldn't be able to attempt to box them in. So she'd parked under the tree.
She could see now that that had been a huge mistake.
She'd thought she and Jessie would be safe there. He'd assured her that he'd be able to deal with any trouble that would come their way. And, at the get go, it had seemed like he'd been right. They'd come at them on foot and Jessie'd gotten out of the car, gun in hand. Someone had taken a shot and Jessie had staggered, obviously hit. That was when the car had come out of nowhere, lights off, and had slammed into Jessie, driving his body into the door of the car. Crushing him. It had also slammed the car, and Minette in it, into the tree. Briefly, before her brains had been scrambled by the impact, she'd had a moment of déja vu, had flashed back to the night Anita had died. Then it had all gone black.
Minette closed her eye and tried to sink back into oblivion. But it stayed elusive, well out of touch. All she could think about was what her folly had wrought. She'd been so determined to find Micah, to do something, that she'd cost a man his life. She had no doubt that Bruce's people had killed Jessie. She wouldn't be locked up in this cage if they hadn't. Bruce was the kind of person who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. And he wanted Minette.
Unconsciously, she reached out for those who were closest to her, let the links stretch and spread as they searched for her loved ones. First was Aedan. The one person who had been there for her when she'd been afraid of everything, including her own shadow. The one person who had always protected her. Rational thought said that Aedan was always going to protect her, that Aedan would always be her family. It told her she'd possibly been unfair with the woman earlier, that she should have tried to understand what Aedan was going through. That she should have tried to be more patient.
She didn't quite hit a metaphysical brick wall when the followed the link down to Aedan, but it might as well have been one. Aedan was there. And she wasn't. Minette couldn't quite figure out what that meant, but it felt to her like Aedan was in some kind of haze or fog. She got a sense of suppressed horror or something, buried deep under the fog. Like something really terrible had happened. Maybe if she hadn't been such a selfish bitch, she could have been there to hold her friend and make her feel safe. Cared for.
She tried Micah next, seeking him out through their connection. She'd tried it several times after discovering he'd been taken, and gotten odd sensations from him. She'd never gotten anything solid or understandable. Lots of gibberish and a detached, floating kind of feeling that suggested his captors were trying to keep him drugged. This time, she got nothing. It was almost like he wasn't even there anymore. Panic speared through her, making her wonder and worry that the kidnappers had grown tired of him and had simply killed him.
Minette shoved that thought away, refused to even consider it. Aedan would never have let that happen. She'd move heaven and hell in order to make sure Micah was safe. Minette knew she would.
She put aside thoughts of Micah for the moment and climbed down the link to her last really viable option. Jean Claude was almost always a soft, gentle presence at the back of her mind. Not tonight. Tonight, the vampire was filled with a silent rage that nearly burned Minette with its intensity. It was so strong, she couldn't cut through it to reach him without hurting herself. And, honestly, the vampire shielded so hard that she didn't think she could force her way through. She wasn't that good.
It was odd to feel his anger like that, because he was generally so careful about keeping it bottled up. It made her wonder what he was so upset about. It had to be something really horrible for the vampire to practically seethe the way he was. She tried letting him know she was there, tried to grab his attention in any way that she could. But his anger was too strong and she was left exhausted and shivering on the floor of the cage. It looked like she was on her own.
Maybe this was a sign. Maybe this was the universe's way of telling her that she had no business being Nimir-Ra or a part of Jean Claude's triumvirate. Maybe this was the universe's way of punishing her for attempting to rise above her station. She'd never been a strong leopard, had always been at the bottom of the pard. Maybe being caught by Bruce and locked in this cage was a reminder. Maybe it was where she belonged.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to sob and wail and bemoan how the tables had turned for her so quickly. So easily. She wanted to believe that it would all be alright. That Aedan would never leave her with Bruce and that she'd come for her. That Micah cared enough to want her back. That Jean Claude would miss her and demand her safe return. Did any of them miss her? Did they know she was missing? Did they actually care?
Those thoughts raced around her head, laughed at her when she tried to convince them that her friends wouldn't abandon her. That her family would come for her. The more she tried to push them aside, the firmer their hold on her became. Until she was sure that she'd die here, locked away in a goddamned cage like an animal, forgotten and dismissed.
And she was already half sure it was exactly what she deserved.
~*~*~*~*~
She was silent on the way back from the cemetery. She hadn't wanted to leave, had wanted to go looking for Minette immediately. The only problem with that plan was she had no clue where Bruce and his pard made their home. Aedan hadn't seen it as a problem so much as a minor inconvenience. It had taken him far too long to convince her that she needed to return to the Circus and eat something. Sleep. Despite the fact that she did well at hiding it from everyone, he'd been able to tell that she'd been trembling with the effort required to remain standing and moving forward. Whatever had happened during Micah's rescue had taken its toll and, no matter what she thought, she was only human. He'd finally been forced to put his foot down and order her to the Circus to rest. Hell, he'd been forced to physically pick her up and carry her to the car. He suspected she wouldn't have gone otherwise.
Except getting rest seemed to be the furthest thing from her mind. The car had barely come to a stop before she was trying to climb from the backseat. He had to catch hold of her arm and keep her inside until Bobby Lee and Wicked or Truth could climb out and ensure that the coast was clear. Far too many bad things had happened lately for him to ignore the possible danger any of them could be in. That didn't stop her from shooting him a dirty look. Nor did it stop her from jerking her arm from his hold the moment she stepped out of the back of the limo. And then she was across the short distance from the car to the door with nary a word.
He caught up to her on the stairs and once more took hold of her arm. In her present state, it would be easy for her to fall and break her neck. She shot him a glare and tried, unsuccessfully this time, to pull her arm free of his hold. "Would you fucking let go of me?" she snarled at him, eyes flashing with fire as she once again tried to tug her arm out of his hand.
He could feel her exhaustion as it rolled from her, as it beat at him with all the intensity as a mental assault. He shot her a look, his temper notching higher at her recklessness, and tightened his fingers down until she flinched from the pain. She'd have bruises later, but he didn't care. Better bruises than a broken neck. "And risk you falling down the stairs?" he asked, voice level despite his mounting anger. Why did she have to be so damned stubborn?
"I'm perfectly capable of walking down the stairs," she pointed out, sounding reasonable despite her raging anger.
"Any other time, I would agree. However, you are perilously close to falling over in exhaustion. You will allow me to help you down the stairs and then to your bed," he informed her, his tone allowing no argument.
"I don't think so," she shot back and tugged at her arm again. He stared at her, wondering if she truly had a death wish because he could swear she was trying to kill herself. "I'm going to go visit Micah. Which, if you'll recall, is what I was doing when you came to my room and grabbed me by the arm earlier!"
"Micah is resting. Which is what you should be doing!" he returned.
"I can sleep when I'm dead," she snapped and tugged on her arm yet again.
A look from him sent everyone on ahead, leaving the two of them alone on the stairwell. It wouldn't keep the others from possibly overhearing their conversation, but it gave the appearance of privacy. "That will not be far in the future if you keep on as you have," he replied, voice low in the curving stairwell. She glared up at him, but he could see it for the front it was. She was exhausted and barely clinging to consciousness. "What will you gain in seeing Micah tonight? Why can it not wait until morning?"
"It will give me peace of mind," she whispered. It took him a moment to realize she'd done so to keep the guilt from filling her words. But now that he thought about it, he could sense the guilt eating away at her as if it was a living, breathing thing. What did she have to feel guilty about?
"I assure you, Aedan, Micah is safe and resting. You saved him," Jean Claude said softly. Kindly. "You should rest, too. You need to--"
"I need to see him!" she insisted. He stared at her, not quite certain what was prompting her behavior.
"Aedan, please. Let me put you to bed. You have--"
"Stop trying to placate me and either take me to see Micah or let me go so I can do it myself!" she nearly shouted. There was a touch of panic in her voice and he had to wonder what this was really all about.
"Aedan. Ma poupette," he tried. She twisted her arm in his hold, tugged and pulled in an effort to get him to let her go. He almost released her, but her feet were dangerously close to the edge of the step. The last thing he wanted was for her to tumble head first down to the bottom.
"Let me go, or I swear to the gods, I'll do something we'll both regret," she whispered. And she would, too. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. It was right next to her desperation. He didn't understand that at all. Her reaction was beyond what he thought should be normal. And the last thing he wanted was for Aedan to run off in her current condition. There was no telling what would happen if she did that.
"Very well," he agreed. With reluctance. He didn't like the near manic expression in her eyes. "I will take you to see Micah. Then you will go to bed and rest. I will have Dr. Lillian give you sleeping pills, if necessary." Maybe he should have her do that anyway.
Aedan was silent a very long time, but she finally nodded and some of the tension ran out of her. "Okay."
They started down the stairs once more, Aedan mostly relaxed. He could still feel tension singing through her muscles, lingering just under the surface as if she might suddenly launch herself into a run. Jean Claude didn't understand it. He'd never seen her like this, and that was saying something. Her behavior had been odd ever since the party. but it had been nothing like what he was seeing now.
The door opened into a main room that was almost empty. Wicked and Truth awaited them, as did Bobby Lee. But everyone else had gone their separate ways. Jean Claude dismissed the brothers with another nod of his head as he steered Aedan toward the room Micah shared with Minette. She was silent at his side, but she was not still. He could hear her heart practically racing in her chest and her thoughts were a confused whirl inside her head. None of it made sense. He simply did not understand her reaction.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination. The door opened when they were only a few steps away to show Jason awaiting them. He swung the door wide without being told, allowing Aedan to enter the room. Jean Claude let her go, remaining near the door so that she could have a moment or two alone.
There was a large black cat curled up in the center of the bed, surrounded by a pile of naked bodies that had curled themselves around him. His head was resting on Nathaniel's shoulder, nose facing the door. Only a few members of the pard were sleeping, the rest merely cuddling up to Micah to help speed his healing. Nathaniel was not, and he watched Aedan inch closer to the bed.
She must have looked hesitant, because Nathaniel held a hand out to her, more or less telling her it was okay to approach the bed. When she was close enough, he took hold of her hand and raised it, settling it on the big cat's silky nose. Her fingers rested there, not moving. Jean Claude saw her shoulders shake. It was a minute action, but he saw it. Then she was leaning over the bed until her face was nearly touching Micah's head. She stayed like that for several long moments, still and silent as the grave, before finally straightening and stepping away.
Turning back to where he stood by the door saw her wobbling on her feet. She might have fallen if Nathaniel hadn't reached out a hand and caught her. The young leopard shot a questioning look Jean Claude's way, waiting for the man to nod before letting her go. She turned to look over her shoulder, likely to offer Nathaniel a smile of thanks, then pulled away and crossed to where he stood with Jason. "Come, ma poupette," Jean Claude said softly. "It is time you got some rest."
She let him take her hand, though he could tell she wanted to argue. But the shock she'd suffered earlier, whatever that had been, was taking its toll on her. Exhaustion was about to swallow her down. He needed to get her into a bed before she collapsed on him. When they were outside the room, the door closed behind them, he reached out and took hold of her, swept her up into his arms and carried her to her room. It spoke to just how tired she was that she said nothing, simply tucked her head under his chin and allowed him to carry her off to bed.
~*~*~*~*~
"You look like shit. Did Jean Claude put you to bed last night like I told him to?" Edward said by way of greeting. Aedan shot him a look that would have frightened a lesser man, but he wasn't a lesser man. And he was damned scarier than she was. He watched as she settled into the chair across from him. Okay, so she didn't settle. She just kind of... dropped into the chair as if she'd suddenly gone boneless. Edward narrowed his gaze on her.
The helpful server who had escorted her over paid no mind to their conversation, obviously a hardened server who had seen it all in her many long days on her feet. She dropped a menu onto the table before his companion and nodded when Aedan asked for a Coke. Then woman wandered off and left them alone. Aedan had no choice but to give him her full attention, allowing him to see the bags under her eyes.
"Since when are you my father?" she asked him tersely. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "Who the fuck gave you the authority to tell anyone to do anything where I'm concerned?"
"Someone needs to ensure you take care of yourself," he retorted. She hadn't seen herself last night when he'd found her. She shot him a look and opened her mouth, likely to tell him to go fuck himself. But the server was back with her Coke, a look on her face that silently asked if they knew what they were ordering. He let Aedan go first with a motion of one hand. She shot him a look again, then opened the menu and looked at the page that came up.
"I'll have that," she said, tapping her finger against one of the glossy images. The server said nothing, simply nodded and wrote something on her small pad. Then she turned an expectant look toward him.
"Ham and eggs. Scrambled. White toast. Hash browns extra crispy," he rattled off. The woman nodded her head, added his order to the pad, then scooped up the now unnecessary menus and went to put their order in. "Did you sleep?" He made sure that his voice said he would not let her get out of answering him.
Aedan gave him a flat look. "If, by sleep, you mean did I close my eyes for five seconds? Then yes. I slept. If not, I think I'll refrain from answering that question."
"I told Jean Claude to put you to bed," Edward growled. It seemed someone had problems following simple instructions and needed an ass kicking. He was more than happy to oblige, if that was the case.
"He did. I got out of it again. I wasn't going to sleep in his bed. But that's a moot point. I have other concerns," she told him, one hand making a gesture that suggested she was erasing their previous conversation.
Edward sat back in his chair. Crossed his arms over his chest. Glared at her. "After what happened last night?"
"Maybe you can afford to lounge around in bed whenever the mood strikes, but I don't have that luxury," she sniped. She looked like she wanted to drop then and there. In fact, she looked much rougher than she had when he'd found her the night before. If he was any other man, he might have let the lecture go and just urged her to go to bed. But he wasn't any other man. And he was going to make her understand that she couldn't slack off and fuck up because it was her life that was at stake.
"Maybe you don't recall, but there was that thing last night in which a kidnapping suspect, left alone with you, disappeared into thin air. When I found you, you looked like you were an extra on a horror set. You were in shock last night, Chastity," he told her, making sure to stress her first name in order to draw her attention to him. It worked as he'd hoped, seeing her scowling hatefully in his direction.
"A minor inconvenience," she deflected.
"Minor?" he blinked at her. "There was nothing minor about it. You were about three steps away from spacing out in front of Dolph. Had you done that, you'd still be sitting in his office right now. No matter how much money Jean Claude threw at the situation. Let me repeat it, in case you missed it the first time." Edward leaned forward so that he closed some of the distance between them. To her credit, Aedan didn't flinch away from him as she once would have. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "You were in shock last night. Either from the injuries you sustained in your fight with Micah's kidnapper or because something unspeakable happened to said kidnapper. If you had slipped up in front of the police, they'd think you were guilty of some heinous crime."
She rolled her eyes and sipped at her Coke, trying hard not to yawn in his face. "They already do."
"Are you?" he asked point blank. Aedan stared at him, not a thing to read on her face. "Answer me, Aedan. Are you guilty of some heinous crime?" He used that tone again, the one she knew he used when he meant business.
"Yes. I'm guilty," she snarled at him. She would have spat more vitriol his way, but the server came with their meals and she was smart enough to hold her tongue in front of possible witnesses. The server slid his breakfast before him, one plate holding the main meal while a second held his toast. She laid a small platter before Aedan, upon which was heaped a very large piece of country fried steak, a mound of mashed potatoes, tons of white gravy, and a cob of corn. Edward stared at the excessive amount of food a moment before turning a curious look her way. Aedan frowned at him.
"Well?" he asked after several moments of silence.
"I'm guilty of not following my instincts and running away. I'm guilty of being caught up in all of this insane shit," she made a motion that he took to meant her current situation with Jean Claude and his kiss.
She had balls. Edward would give her that. She'd told him to go fuck himself without actually saying the words. It was more than most other people would do. But she knew damn well that he wasn't going to play her games. She would answer him. Or else. "Aedan."
That one word, and the way he said it, made her freeze in her seat and lift wide eyes to his face. He was reminded of the scared kid she'd been when he'd first found her, always looking over her shoulder and jumping at shadows. A part of him kind of hated taking her back to that place in her life. But it couldn't be helped. He needed answers. She wasn't giving them. He was using the one weapon in his arsenal that he knew without a doubt would work on her. She knew well enough what that tone of voice meant. And she knew she'd pushed as far as he was going to let her.
"What happened last night?" he asked, kept the same tone in his voice. She blinked at him and stared. Said nothing. Went so pale, he thought she'd fall out of her seat. It took her so long to say something that he thought she wasn't going to answer him. Just when he was about to ask her again, she licked her lips and opened her mouth. A hoarse squeak came out, prompting her to reach for her Coke. Her hand shook when she did so.
She took a drink, set the glass down. Looked at her hands and saw the way they trembled. She dropped them to her lap so that neither of them could see them. "He tried to kill Micah," she said softly.
"I know. I saw what they did to him," Edward replied.
"He stabbed Micah and then he ran."
"Was this before or after he threw the table at you?"
"After." She dropped her gaze to her plate and merely stared. He suspected she'd suddenly lost her appetite. "I ducked because knives were flying at me. He stabbed Micah in the stomach and ran. I went to help Micah."
"But?"
One hand picked up her fork, toyed with the mound of potatoes on her plate. He wasn't sure if she was mulling over what to tell him or if she was fighting not to say anything more. "Micah told me to go after him. He told me to pull the knife out and go get the kidnapper."
"And you went." Edward wanted to throttle her. It was the stupidest mistake she could have made. The kidnapper could have killed her.
Maybe she heard the censure in his voice. Or maybe she guessed his thoughts. Whatever the reason, she shot him a look that had a bit of her normal glare in it and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "I went. Because Micah was right. He needed to be stopped before he killed someone else."
"And you stopped him." It wasn't a question. And those four words were tinged with his disbelief. Which brought her head up so she could stare at him. Her eyes were blazing with fire, her mouth a thin line filled with every bit of her hatred and rage.
"You're goddamned right I did," she snarled, voice low and filled with emotion.
"What did you do, Aedan?" he asked. She sat back in her chair and glared at him, posture screaming of stubbornness. A flick of his gaze showed that no one seemed to be paying them any attention, which was good. Because he suspected their encounter would become ugly before it was over and done with. "Answer me, Aedan. What did you do to him?"
"I didn't do anything." It sounded like the truth, despite the vehemence of her words. But there was something she wasn't telling him. Something she hadn't told Dolph at the questioning last night. He suspected she hadn't told Jean Claude, either.
"Tell me you didn't kill him, Aedan," he instructed. She rolled her eyes at him.
"I didn't kill him, Edward," she returned. Like her previous statement, it felt like the truth. But it was only part of the truth.
"Then what did you do to him?" he asked. She gave him the look he'd come to recognize as the one she wore when she was going to be especially difficult, mouth tightening down and eyes going flat as she stared. She might have opened her mouth to tell him her half-truth again. But the phone in her pocket chirped to let her know someone needed her. She withdrew the thin rectangle and glanced at the screen, then returned it to its pocket. She took a drink off her Coke before rising to her feet. "Aedan. We're not done here."
"We are, Edward. Duty calls. If you'll excuse me," she said and turned to walk off. She was already out the door and climbing into her car before he realized that whoever had called her, it wasn't Dolph.
~*~*~*~*~
Richard watched as Shang-Da escorted Aedan into the lupanar's clearing. He stood near the dais upon which the rock throne sat, waiting for them to join him. He'd invited her here because he felt it was the best place to talk. He'd arranged for her to meet with Shang-Da at the Lunatic Cafe. Together, the two of them would meet him at pack's lupanar. Jamil stood just behind him, waiting silently. He wasn't happy that Richard had asked Aedan to come here to their sacred place. But it was the only place he felt was safe enough for them to talk.
He frowned when Aedan got close enough to him that he could see her face clearly. She looked dead on her feet, which was saying something because he'd seen her run down before. She probably should have been in bed, sleeping the day away. But it couldn't be helped because this was, he felt, important. When she and Shang-Da stopped before him, he couldn't help the words that came out of his mouth. "You look like shit."
"Thanks. Its good to know that the look I'm cultivating is working," she returned. He watched her gaze slide around the clearing, as if she was looking for something, before bringing it back to his face. "By the way, thank you for getting me out of a difficult meeting. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," he replied, then motioned to the edge of the dais. "Have a seat. You look like you're about to fall over."
It looked for a moment like she'd argue with him. But the moment passed and she gave a nod of her head. They moved toward the suggested spot together, her steps slow and careful. It was then he realized just how tired she was, every inch of her body fighting the messages her brain was sending it. How she was still on her feet was beyond him. He was going to have to have Shang-Da return her to the Circus in order to ensure she got there without falling asleep behind the wheel and killing herself.
He watched as she carefully lowered herself onto the stone edge. Her soft sigh of relief was loud to his ears. He took a seat next to her, leaving enough space between them that she didn't feel crowded. A glance at the other two men saw them backing off, reluctantly, until they were a short distance away. "What was so important that you had to call me to meet up alone, Richard?" she asked. He suspected she was trying to sound snarky. She just sounded tired.
"I wanted to talk to you about last night," he began. She turned a suddenly fiery gaze his way.
"Why does everyone want to fucking talk about last night? Its over and done with. I didn't do anything. I'm fine. Let's just move on," she snarled.
He stared a moment. "Okay. That's good to know. But I was actually going to talk to you about the female kidnapper. If that's alright with you?"
It took her a moment to process what he'd said. He could see it on her face. Some of her tension eased back. "Whatever floats your boat," she finally replied.
"She was alive when Edward, Raphael, myself, and a few others arrived at the house. I made the decision to take her to a safe house and try to heal her injuries," he told her, watching her face carefully to gauge her reaction. She blinked at him, obviously not impressed. "I was able to help heal her wound. And then I asked her questions."
That got Aedan's attention. Not that she showed any outward signs. It was an almost invisible shift in her tension, in the way she held herself. As if she was getting ready to run if she had to. Most people likely wouldn't have noticed it. He wasn't most people, though. "What kind of questions?" she asked, and if he didn't know better, he'd swear she was only making the expected conversation. But there was an edge hidden at the back of her words that said she was anxious to know what he asked the woman. And the answers she gave.
"Did you know that she's the male kidnapper's sister?" Richard started. Aedan turned a blank stare his way. He wasn't sure if she was being legitimate or if it was a ruse. If it was a ruse, it was finely crafted one, because he wanted to believe that she hadn't known that. But he was sure, now more than ever, that there was something about the pair that Aedan was hiding from everyone. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but there had been subtle signs at the meeting she'd called the night of Minette's attack.
"Sibling serial killers are rare. But not unusual," she replied casually.
"Okay. But did you know that she was his lover, too?"
He swore he saw something in her eyes. For just a moment. But then the look was gone and she was giving him that blank look again. It was so good that he couldn't be sure he'd actually seen anything else. "Incest? That would explain some things," she murmured.
"He convinced her to help him kill lycanthropes because she was tainted," Richard continued.
"He was the dominant of the pair," Aedan said. "And, at first, he probably thought he could keep her in line. Its likely he used some kind of threat or something to convince her to help him."
"She said he told her that destroying shifters would remove the taint from her soul. So that she could go to heaven."
"Of course." Aedan snorted at that, shook her head in disbelief. "She must have figured out that he was lying. Or she realized what they were actually doing. She was rebelling against him when I got there. She told him she was going to go to the police. That's why he stabbed her. Because he realized he couldn't control her anymore. And since she was a wolf, she was inherently stronger than he was. If she'd used even a fraction of that strength on him, she'd have killed him herself."
"She told me that Paul, her brother, was obsessed with finding someone from their past. She said he'd seen this person here in St. Louis and he wanted to make them pay for something that happened a long time ago."
If he hadn't been watching her, he wouldn't have seen the involuntary shudder Aedan gave. It could have been a coincidence. She was tired, after all, and that likely meant she was colder than usual. But she wasn't huddling into her clothes for warmth. He suspected that she had other reasons for shuddering as she had.
"She said she hoped you dealt with Paul, since she hadn't been able to do it herself."
"She doesn't have to worry about her brother anymore," Aedan confirmed. When she looked up at him, finally, there was nothing in her face. The lack of emotion was startling. "Where is she? I'd like to ask her some questions."
"She's dead, Aedan," Richard told her.
The woman was silent a moment, as if processing his words. Then she nodded her head. "Did you kill her, then?"
"No. Not that I hadn't planned on it. She tortured and killed my people, after all. It was what she deserved," he said quietly. Before finding the girl, he'd been so sure about his duty to the pack. He'd been certain that a slow, painful death was no less than she and her brother deserved. That had changed, though, speaking with the girl and seeing the emotions roll across her face. He hadn't been sure he'd be able to actually do it. In the end, it turned out he hadn't needed to. "But I didn't kill her. She took her own life."
"I see," Aedan said. He watched as she sat for a moment, then slowly slid off the edge of the dais and regained her feet. He watched her wobble and worried she'd fall over, but she righted herself before he had to catch her. "Thank you for letting me know. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back. I have things to do."
"You need to rest, Aedan, Even I can tell you're running on empty," he said gently.
"I have too much to do to rest right now. I can sleep when I'm dead," she shot back, then started toward the far side of the lupanar. A look from him sent Shang-Da following after her. Jamil closed the distance and stood beside him, watching Aedan go.
"She knows something," Jamil said quietly.
"Yes. She does," Richard agreed. There was definitely something Aedan wasn't telling them. He only hoped it wouldn't come back to bite them all in the ass.
~*~*~*~*~
He watched her pound her fists against the smooth surface of the heavy bag. Her knuckles were bare, the skin split and bloodied despite several pairs of gloves hanging on the wall only a few feet away from her. He could hear the breath rasp in and out of her lungs. The way her heart hammered in her chest. She smelled of sweat and determination. And guilt. She'd smelled of guilt for some time now, and he had to wonder about it. Her hair bounced against her back with each jab, twined into a thick braid to keep it from flying into her face. Her t-shirt was soaked with sweat, letting him know she'd been at it for quite a while. "I was under the impression you were supposed to be resting up," he said, finally breaking the silence.
She didn't pause or miss a beat, kept jabbing almost hatefully at the heavy bag, despite his words. It was likely she'd known he was there from the moment he'd walked into the gym. "Funny," she panted, delivering a couple of particularly strong punches to the bag. Then she just stopped, knuckles pressed against the bag's surface. She didn't turn to look at him. "I could say the same thing about you."
"I'm good," he told her. "Sleeping in a kitty pile for twenty four hours did me wonders. So did a heavy meal. You're not a lycanthrope. It takes you longer to bounce back. And I know you've been burning the candle at both ends for more than a month now. You should be sleeping, Aedan."
"Don't start. I've heard it from everyone. Richard. Dr. Lillian. Edward. Even tall, dark, and undead. I've got more important matters to deal with," she sounded tired, like she'd been on her feet for thirty six hours straight and was running purely on caffeine and adrenalin.
"What's more important than sleeping?" he asked her.
"Figuring out where the fuck Bruce took Minette and getting her back." She practically spat the words at him. He could hear the self-loathing in her voice, letting him know where a lot of the guilt was coming from.
"It isn't your fault that Bruce took Minette," he told her quietly.
"Of course it fucking is. I knew she was being followed. I knew she wanted to be out there, looking for you. If I'd done my fucking job, none of this would have happened. Minette wouldn't be suffering abuse at the hands of her old alpha. You wouldn't have nearly died from silver poisoning or a knife wound to the belly. People wouldn't have fucking died. All I had to do was find the killers and put an end to their spree. But I didn't do that, did I? You were kidnapped and tortured. You could have been killed before I found out how to find them. I--"
"Aedan," Micah said, voice soft. She fell silent but still didn't look at him. "None of what happened is your fault. You've done everything you could to keep everyone safe. But you're only human. And you're only one person. Stop laying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"Is that going to be any consolation for both of us if Bruce hurts Minette? If he kills her? Because she's going to deny him what he wants. And he will punish her. If she makes him mad enough, he will kill her."
"She's an alpha now," he pointed out. At that, Aedan turned and looked at him. Micah could see she was teetering on the edge.
"She's got an alpha's power, but she's got a submissive's mentality. Bruce beat a metric fuckton of worthlessness into her. He had years to do that. Minette suddenly gaining power because of a freak accident isn't going to change that overnight. She still thinks like a submissive. And being around Bruce is going to make it that much worse. She's going to let him treat her like she's shit because that's how she still thinks."
He studied her face, saw in it the truth of her words. Frowned at the rage that burned brightly in her eyes. The hatred that seemed out of place as it wrapped itself around her. This was not the Aedan he'd first met at the police station. Nor was it the Aedan who had slowly been making herself home here in St. Louis. This was an Aedan he'd never seen before. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. "Why haven't you gone and gotten her? Reminded her that she has a family that loves and needs her here?"
"I don't know where she is. She cut me off. I can't get into her head." Aedan refused to meet his gaze. "She hates me. She left here when I was out trying to find where they were holding you. She was taken probably around the same time that you'd been freed and brought back here. As far as I know, she doesn't even know you've been found. That you're okay."
"What about Jean Claude?"
"He hasn't gotten anything from her," she told him. Her tone was clipped and short, telling him that the woman was apparently having issues with the vampire. Again. Honestly. The two of them just needed to get naked and fight it out between the sheets.
"I can feel her. Its distant, though. Like she's not quite fully aware of herself," Micah told her.
"Fuck. Bruce is using drugs. He's trying to break her the fast and dirty way." Aedan snarled out a curse, then turned and slammed her fists against the heavy bag again. The scent of fresh blood perfumed the air.
"How long will it take you to get ready?" The question caught her by surprise. She only stared at him a few moments, then shook her head.
"You're supposed to be on bed rest. And I'm grounded." The last was said was with a sneer that clearly told him how she felt about that. Ah. That explained the pair of rats who were hanging around the gym without really doing anything. He wondered what had brought this one, then decided that it was probably because she wasn't sleeping the way she was supposed to be.
"I doubt they'll stand in my way if I want to take you off Circus property," he told her, tone matter of fact. She stared at him, possibly trying to gauge how serious he was. She had to know he was very serious about finding Minette and bringing her home. Minette was the reason he, and the rest of the pard, had been able to carry on after Anita's death. Even if he hadn't fallen for the woman, she was precious to them simply for being a light of hope in the aftermath of an insane murder. He owed Minette the courtesy of helping her get away from Bruce. Once and for all.
"I need to go to my room and collect my firearm. And my badge," she told him, adding the last as almost an after thought. Micah nodded and motioned toward the door.
"I'll walk with you. I'm ready to go now."
~*~
There were no problems with the rats when Micah and Aedan headed for the door to go to the upper level. One of them asked if they'd like company, but Micah had turned them down and said he and Aedan could handle it. So the two of them had climbed the stairs to the main level, then slipped out into the afternoon sun to climb into Aedan's car. She had a general idea where to find Bruce and his pard, but not an exact location. They were both hoping that Micah could give her that when they got close.
They were silent once they climbed into Aedan's car. He couldn't help but notice that his companion was tense, hands deceptively light on the steering wheel despite the way her shoulders were pulled tight. And the look on her face left was empty. Uninviting. "Why did Minette shut you out?" he finally asked.
"She blames me for what happened to you." Aedan said it like it was no big deal. Which made him think there was more to it than that. For a moment, he considered asking her about that, because he knew for a fact that things had been odd between the two women since Minette had been attacked at Jean Claude's grand party. In the end, he decided to ask her about something else.
"When those two had me, I heard them talking. They must have thought I was unconscious and I didn't disabuse them of the notion. The male kept going on about finding someone. I want to say he said Katherine, but the drugs were doing weird things to me so I can't be sure. I told him I didn't know who they were looking for, but he didn't believe me."
"He was insane, Micah. He probably wouldn't have believed you if you said you knew the pope and you could produce proof," she returned. "You're lucky he didn't just kill you and be done with it."
"Thank you for that, by the way. Showing up and saving me. I didn't get a chance to tell you the other day. So thank you."
She shrugged a shoulder at him. "Its my job. And you're welcome."
He considered her words a moment, pondered making a comment about them. But he decided to leave it alone for now. Instead, he centered himself and concentrated on the feel of Minette. She wasn't quite as faint as she had been, suggesting that whatever drugs Bruce was using were lessening in effect. He urged her to hold on silently, tried to send calming vibes to her. Tried to let her know that he was coming for her. That he wasn't going to leave her to whatever fate Bruce had in store for her.
He might have tried to assure her of more, but something Aedan had said caught his attention. "Wait. You said he was insane. Does that mean he isn't now?"
"It means whatever he was, he can't be that anymore." There was a very strong note of finality in her voice. Micah stared at her a moment.
"How did he die?" he asked quietly. She shot him a look that plainly said she wasn't going to say a word, then turned her attention back to the road.
"I hope you can find her because we'll be in the area soon and I really feel the need to shoot a mother fucker."
~*~*~*~*~
Over the course of her imprisonment, the burn of the silver had become a constant companion that she'd learned to mostly put aside. It had been especially easy to do so when whatever drugs Bruce liked to use had been coursing through her system. But they were wearing off now, and she was not happy with the burning sensation that tingled just under her skin. She should have remembered about the drugs.
Minette was sure that the drugs were in the food and water Bruce had so graciously supplied for her. A shy, thin, timid girl would deliver her meals and drinks to her. No doubt because she wouldn't look Minette in the eye and thus couldn't be influenced. A fresh bowl of pasta and a glass of ice water was waiting for her. And, for a moment, Minette considered eating and drinking. But there was a sensation at the back of her brain that kept her from going for the fork right away. A sensation that felt a lot like Micah.
And that sensation was close.
She felt joy bubble up inside of her, felt it fill her until she almost overflowed with it. Micah was alive. Micah was okay. Micah was coming to get her. She was going to get out of this fucking hell hole and go back to her family.
The doubts that had overwhelmed her upon waking in the cage prodded her, reminding her that no one cared about her and that this was what she deserved. That this was where she belonged. Those doubts sounded an awful lot like Bruce.
Another voice echoed in her head, one that was filled with soft anger and friendship and a silent promise to never let him hurt her again. This voice told her that Bruce had no power over her anymore, that she was stronger than he was. That she didn't need him or his pard. This voice told her that Minette would never be without a pard because they would be one together. That they'd be all the family they'd ever need. This voice sounded so much like Aedan
As if just thinking about her was all that was needed, Minette felt the other woman's presence at the back of her mind. She was a cloud of exhaustion and anger and buzzing determination. She was close, too, like Micah. The joy at knowing Micah was coming doubled and redoubled until she was drowning in it. Micah and Aedan were both coming for her. The nightmare was at an end.
Except, a third voice reminded her, the nightmare would never end. Not so long as Bruce continued to live. He would never stop hunting her. Never stop trying to control her and make her his personal slave. He would never stop unless she made him stop. Sure, she could wait it out until Micah and Aedan showed up. Aedan would shoot people and threaten others, all the while saying Minette was off limits. But no one would respect Minette if she did that. The same would happen if Micah was the one who did the maiming and threatening. She'd still be viewed as someone's meat, as weaker than the others. As something to fight over.
If she wanted to be free of Bruce, fully and truly free for the rest of her days, she had to be the one who thrashed Bruce and put him in his place. She had to be the one who did the maiming and threatening. Which meant she was going to have to challenge him. Now. To a fight. Which would likely be one to the death. Because she knew Bruce would never let her go if she won in a fair fight against him. He'd be all the more determined to drag her back into his fucked up world.
She let her mind wander again, sent it down the pathways that linked her to Micah, to see where he was. He was so close now. Close enough that he'd be there soon. Close enough that she'd be going home within the hour. She needed to do this now. So that she'd be free to go as soon as Micah and Aedan arrived. It was now or never.
Minette inched closer to the bars of the cage, careful not to touch them, and looked for the cameras she knew were mounted on the walls to watch everything. Staring directly at one, she shot whoever was watching a knowing smirk. "I want to talk to Bruce. And I want to talk to him now."
That should get their attention. Now all she had to do was wait for someone to respond.
~*~
It took less than five minutes for someone to show up and let her out of the cage. She remembered Lawrence well enough from his attack on Anita's house. The last she'd seen of him, he'd been hanging from Jean Claude's hand, choking against the fingers squeezed down over his throat. How ironic that he was the one who'd been sent to release her from the cage.
Minette allowed him to manhandle her from the cage and then the room. It would only benefit her if they all thought she was still as weak as she'd ever been. The hand on her arm squeezed down tightly, as if to taunt her with what was to come. Oh, if only he knew. She kept her eyes down, dragged her feet and held back as if she was dreading her actions and the coming encounter. By the time they'd reached the main meeting hall, Minette looked utterly lost and frightened. It hid the anger that bubbled and simmered under the surface.
For far too long, Bruce and his ilk had been a thorn in her side. She'd lived and breathed with the knowledge that he was a horrible person who would use her for horrible things if she let him. Before, when he'd been the stronger of the two, she'd been afraid of his every look and move and word. She'd been afraid of when and how he would kill her. She'd been afraid of so many things. She was still afraid. That hadn't changed with Anita's gifts. But what had changed was the fact that she could do something about it. She was, for the first time in a very long time, in control of her own destiny. And she was going to show Bruce, here and now, that he could no longer control and intimidate her.
Bruce was seated in his chair, an old prop from a playhouse that had long ago gone out of business. The gaudy throne was threadbare now, the golden paint faded and peeling. It looked sad and broken. Bruce looked smug and triumphant. Oh, she was going to enjoy wiping that look off his face.
The rest of the pard was clustered around Bruce, his officers standing near the chair while the lower members were in the background. Eyes lowered and shoulders rounded. The sign of submissiveness and respect that Bruce demanded of his people. Minette made sure she met his stare head on, kept her shoulders high and straight. He was going to learn that she was never going to be his meat again. "Well, well. Look at this. The little cat has finally come home. Welcome back to the fold, Minette."
"Keep your welcome. I'm not staying," she told him. She made sure her tone was firm. He lifted a brow at her show of spine, a knowing smile cracking his face. He thought she was bluffing.
"You hurt my feelings, Minette. And after everything I've done for you. After all the hospitality I've shown you."
"I'm going home," she replied, ignoring his words. "Either you let me go of your own accord or I'll make you."
A low murmur rose up from the submissives. It was likely no one had ever talked to Bruce like that. He made sure when he inducted members into the pard that they knew their place. She saw out of the corner of her eye that speculative glances were being sent her way, shared between other members of the pard. For his part, Bruce's smile faltered a bit, almost slipped completely off his face. But he caught it in time, fixing it so that he still appeared to be the benevolent leader and not an absolute prick.
"This is your home, Minette," he told her, tone a touch too forceful. She'd already hit a nerve. Good. She was going to dig away at that nerve until it snapped.
"No. This is a prison. My home is in St. Louis. With my new pard and my new family."
"With your pet dyke, you mean," he sneered.
"Aedan is my family. And, honestly, I should thank you for that. If it hadn't been for you, we would never have become good friends. But that isn't the point. The point is that I'm going to go back to St. Louis and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
The smile slipped from his face completely and anger rose to take its place. She saw his knuckles tighten down on the arms of the cheap throne, heard the wood creak. Just the slightest bit. His reaction brought a smirk to her face, which only angered him more. "I think, Minette, that you forget your place and just who it is you're talking to. Maybe its time you had another lesson on the subject."
"Oh, no. I know my place. And I know exactly who I'm talking to," she said airily. "I'm talking to the pathetic loser of a wereleopard who has set himself up as king of a sad pard. Those who aren't your personal buddies are treated as less than dirt. Abused and frightened until even their own shadow scares them. You're weak and you rule through fear and intimidation. I'm so much better than you. I'm stronger than you. And I will hurt you if you get in my way."
The pard shifted nervously at Minette's brazen words. Bruce's officers inched closer, as if they would handle her for him. He threw out an arm that halted them in their tracks. She gave him a smug look and watched as he gaped at her. "Living in the big city has made you impudent, Minette. I'm going to have to put you back in your place."
"I'd like to see you try," she replied.
Bruce blinked at that, utterly shocked by her lack of fear. Then he rose slowly from his seat, as if standing over her was going to intimidate her into apologizing and licking his boots. She merely stared. Waiting. "Are you challenging me, girl?"
"If that's what it'll take to end this farce. Yes. I'm challenging you. I challenge you to control of the pard. If I win, they're mine to do with as I please. If you win, then I'll return to the fold. Quietly. Without any more resistance."
Bruce stepped down off the small dais that the throne sat on and advanced on her, as if looming over her was going to give him an advantage. She had a few surprises for him. "You're going to regret your cockiness, girl. I'm going to make your life a living hell. If you thought things were bad before, just you wait to see what happens this time around."
"You have to beat me first, Bruce. And you can't do that."
He didn't like that she was so assured of herself. She watched as he cocked his head her way, obviously trying to puzzle things out. After several long moments, he finally straightened and sent a knowing look her way. The smile he gave her was secretive and gleeful, as if he knew something she didn't. "You're stalling. You think your pet dyke is going to show up here and rescue you from me. Don't you? So you're putting on this show of bravado while she has time to get here. You're going to be disappointed. Even if she finds this place, she won't get past my guards."
"I'm not stalling. And I'm not worried about Aedan. She'll get past your people just fine. In fact, I'm not worried about anything. So why don't you just shut your fucking mouth and get on with it. I want to have this shit wrapped up before she gets here. I'd like to go home as soon as possible, you know."
"Ungrateful little bitch! After everything I've done for you!" Bruce snarled. She felt his power fill the air, felt it shimmer around her. For the first time since he'd turned her, she felt nothing. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't impressed. She felt nothing.
She reveled in it.
"What you did for me, Bruce," she began, making sure her voice was low so everyone would have to listen to her. Then she huffed out a laugh and shook her head. "What you did for me was to turn me against my will. You left me weak and defenseless. You made me anyone's meat. You treated me like I was a broken toy. You abused me whenever you liked, treated me like the lowest of scum, and made me so afraid of my shadow that I was petrified to move. Not any more."
"Brave words for someone who's about to get her ass beat," one of the other sneered.
"You want a piece of me? You can have the next spot," Minette told him before swinging her arm out toward Bruce. "After I deal with that sack of shit."
Bruce bellowed out his rage a moment before he launched himself across the room at her. Minette waited until the last possible moment, then side-stepped the attack. Bruce's momentum carried him several feet away from her before he twisted around and started toward her again. His power was spilling out over him, letting her know that he was only inches away from a full transformation. He snarled as one hand swiped at her.
Minette ducked his arm and let it swing harmlessly over her head. Bruce turned again, body twisting with a cat's fluid motion so that he was heading toward her again. He was ready to change, intent on slipping from human to leopard between one step and the next. Bruce was an alpha, but he wasn't as strong as Micah. Nor was he as strong as she was. Minette stared at him, reached out with her own power, and shoved his back into his body.
Bruce stumbled to a stop and stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. She didn't have to look around her to know that everyone else was staring at her with that same look upon their faces. "What the ever loving fuck was that?" Bruce demanded.
Minette smiled. "Power. Real power. Like you've never had before. Like you'll never have."
"There's no way that came from you. You're not an alpha. You've always been a simpering little submissive who walked around here with her tail tucked between her legs. No way did you stop me from changing." His words were snarled at her, his voice growling with the presence of his beast. She could see the look in his eyes, how he wanted to rip her to shreds then and there. She could also see the fear as the stared at her. Fear that she was stronger than he remembered, that she actually had stopped him from shifting forms.
"There is a great deal that you don't know about me, Bruce," she informed him.
"I know everything there is to know about you, girl," Bruce retorted.
She shook her head at him. "You know the old Minette, who was one of the weakest member of your pard. Who was very much afraid of her shadow. Who didn't dare raise a stink for fear of angering you. Or your officers. Who couldn't defend herself to save her life. That's the Minette you know."
Bruce sneered her, readying himself for another attack. "That's the only Minette there is. And I'm looking at her."
"No, Bruce. That is not the only Minette there is. The Minette you're looking at is the new Minette," she informed him. Slowly, she let her power flow out to touch all of them, to prove to them that what they'd felt the last time hadn't been some weird fluke. "The old Minette was so scared of you and so weak that she ran from you. She enlisted the help of her best friend, Aedan. Who, in turn, enlisted the help of Anita Blake."
The name drop got her a reaction. Minette smiled, and it wasn't a kind thing. "Ah, I see you know who that is. It was only a couple months ago, though it feels longer, when Anita and Aedan showed up to pack the old Minette's things up and load them into Anita's car. They were going to take her back to St. Louis, where there was a pard that would accept her as a member. One that wouldn't treat her like some plaything. As luck would have it, their car was stopped on the highway that night. Anita Blake was killed. But not before she gifted both Aedan and the old Minette something special. Something precious."
"And what gift was that?" Bruce asked. She could tell he'd only done so because it was expected of him. His voice had been sharp and clipped, telling her he was not a fan of whatever was going on here.
"Anita was dying. The people who had stopped the car wanted her dead. They thought she was too powerful and felt if they killed her, they'd destroy that power. Only she'd known her life was in danger. And she'd made plans. So as she lay dying in the middle of an empty road, she made Aedan and the old Minette promise her to look after everyone she cared about. All of them. And when they promised, Anita passed her powers on to them. Aedan inherited everything to do with her necromancy and the dead. The old Minette... Well, she was given Anita's position as Nimir-Ra of the Blood Drinker's clan."
"Impossible," Bruce whispered. His eyes had gone very wide.
Minette smiled, eyes going the green of her leopard's, and lifted her hands to show them all the claws that had sprouted there. "And now, Bruce, I'm going to use that power to kill you and destroy your pard. Because you're evil and corrupt and no one else is going to suffer what I had to suffer."
Bruce stared a moment, then an ugly snarl curled his lip and he launched himself at her. "You bitch! Die!"