A Council of Betrayal (19 page)

Slowly, I felt the mate bond awaken as Logan
woke up. I could almost see him reaching over and checking how warm
the bed was before rolling out.

I focused my attention back on Tommy pulling
off a near win.

“Victory is mine!” Mindy cried out, jumping
up and down.

“I demand a rematch,” Tommy complained,
flopping back into his gaming chair.

“After breakfast,” Logan commented from the
doorway. I turned and heat flooded my body. The white undershirt
was pulled tight across his chest, skimming his flat stomach. I bit
my bottom lip, pursing my lips, giving thought to whether I wanted
to eat food or lick the delicious skin above his navel.

Logan moved away from the doorframe, stalking
me as the predator he was. I tilted my head up, a smile playing
over my lips.

“I’m hungry, so the feast currently playing
in your mind will have to wait,” he whispered, pressing a kiss
against my cheek.

I pouted. “EWW!” Mindy and Tommy yelled in
unison.

I turned to them, standing up and rolling my
eyes. Logan moved to glide down the stairs and I ushered the kids
out to the kitchen.

Somber faces met me around the large kitchen
table and breakfast counter.

I drummed my fingers against the counter.
Spoons dipped into cereal and toast was crunched with sorrow.

I took in all of their faces and was annoyed
no one was pissed off like me.

“They need time to grieve, Olie, they’ve lost
a mother figure,” Logan whispered under their hearing.

I grunted. “Hey, any chance you cook?” I
asked hopefully.

Logan smiled. “Sit and be amazed.”

I rested my chin on Cindy’s shoulder and she
leaned into me while we shared a bar stool. Shifters weren’t the
only ones who found comfort in touching.

An hour later we were out of flour and Logan
was finally getting to eat.

Logan slid next to me. “I had no idea succubi
ate so much.”

“We need our calories, too,” I answered,
shoveling another forkful of sugary goodness into my mouth.

He grunted and nodded, starting in on his own
plate.

I was avoiding asking what we were doing
today. I was certain it had something to do with Grams and her
massive backstabbing.

I slowed down eating, the food turning sour
in my mouth.

Logan nudged my elbow.

I relented to my gut’s demands, setting down
my fork. “I need to find an attorney.”

“Let me set up an appointment with the
ruthless bastard I was telling you about,” Logan offered.

I rubbed the back of my neck, nodding. “I
need a shower first.”

Logan stood, tossing his uneaten food into
the trash. “Let’s go.”

…

“I hope she lives up to your expectations,” I
told Logan, riding shotgun to the attorney’s office. She had gotten
us in quickly and I was trying really hard not to question if she
also had slept with Logan.

Sophie Wilson currently had all my eggs in
her basket.

Her office was located downtown, on the
thirteenth floor of a massive high rise. Parking was a bitch.

“If you will follow me,” her secretary
chirped, meeting us at the elevator and ushering us into Sophie’s
office.

I flicked a gaze over the opulent space
before I landed on Sophie’s own shrewd gaze. She leaned forward in
her cobalt suit, which matched her eyes perfectly, her blonde hair
pulled up into a smooth bun.

“Olivia, The Executioner, you are in quite a
mess,” she began the conversation.

“Yeah, I’m aware.”

“I’m perfectly shocked Grams hasn’t made her
passing yet,” she commented. “Releasing a list of Supernaturals to
the
government
.” She hissed the last word, her eyes
narrowing as she leaned forward.

Right, she was on that list.

“I’d like to have fulfilled your
expectations, but the file Hash received was corrupted, and Grams
has named Hash her beneficiary if anything were to happen to
her.”

Sophie nodded, her full lips drawn down.

“We will put out a press release stating
that. I have full confidence there is a bounty on her head.”

I cringed. “I hadn’t even thought of
that.”

Sophie cracked a small smile. “That’s why you
have me.”

I nodded.

“And what do you expect me to do for you?”
she asked, meeting my gaze steadily.

“I expect you to slam everyone who dares
threaten me and mine—legally speaking,” I added.

Sophie smiled. “We will get along well.” She
pulled her laptop over to her. “Now, let’s start from the
beginning. What assets do you hold with Grams?”

I rubbed my forehead. “Everything. Kitten,
the manor, various bank accounts, and the shell company that
receives payments for jobs the executioners complete.”

Sophie typed furiously. “What are you willing
to give up?”

“Nothing,” I hissed, sitting back in the
overstuffed chair. I thought about it and added, “She just wants
money. I’ve let her get accustomed to a certain lifestyle.”

“Would you be okay making payments to her for
the rest of her life?”

“However short that might be,” Logan
growled.

I smiled at him. “I find that
acceptable.”

Sophie nodded. “Now, how much does Hash know?
He was at The Conferences.”

“I don’t know. I certainly haven’t given him
any information, but Grams is a different story and I wasn’t with
her the entire time.”

Sophie nodded. “He’s going to be a wildcard.
I’m hopeful he will stay out of this, but rumor has it he is
running for the Senate and using this as his platform.”

I groaned.

“Now—“ She was interrupted by my cell phone
ringing.

“Crap, sorry, I thought I had it on silent.”
Grant’s two missed calls popped up and I answered, worried.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you at the attorney’s?” he questioned
rapidly.

“Yes,” I answered. “What’s wrong?” I
repeated.

“Put me on speaker phone,” he demanded.

I did as he said, holding the phone. “Grant,
what is wrong?” I was losing my patience.

“All the bills are behind at the manor, not
to mention Blue hasn’t been paid in over a month.” I could hear him
typing in the background.

“What? I saw the accounting report, that
money was debited.”

“The money is also missing from the bank, but
it hasn’t been used to pay for what she claimed it was,” Grant
answered.

I sat there dumbfounded. “She was stealing
from me?” I whispered. Her betrayal stung deeply, but I had assumed
it was recent and Hash-inspired. “She has been planning this.”

“Are you able to pay the bills now?” Sophie
asked.

Grant paused. “No, Grams went to all the
banks and froze the accounts for impending legal action.”

A pit of despair opened in my stomach. She
had not only frozen me out, but all the children. Cold steel
hardened my growing hatred.

“Is Logan there?” Grant asked. I heard a door
open and footsteps falling.

Grant hesitated. “Can we take a loan from
Logan?” Ali asked.

“NO!” I responded.

“Of course,” Logan answered, looking at
me.

“I will not be a kept woman!” I told him,
furious.

“Olie,” Ali started softly, “we don’t have
much of a choice. The power was shut off about twenty minutes
ago.”

My jaw was in danger of snapping off from how
hard I was clenching it. Logan reached out and massaged my neck
lightly.

“Call my office and ask for Francisca. I’ll
text her now and tell her to get you anything you need. This isn’t
a loan. Olie is part of the shifters now, the funds are hers.”

I grunted, feeling my independence being
stripped from me.

“I’ll keep track, Olie, and try and keep
expenses minimal,” Ali offered.

I sighed, releasing my jaw. “Do what you need
to, Ali, to ensure the kids are taken care of. And pay Blue, no
wonder he’s been so pissy.”

Logan laughed, finishing his text to
Francisca. “Well, that and other things,” I amended.

“I hate to ask this, Olie, but you don’t have
a stash of cash somewhere as a getaway fast fund?” Grant questioned
me.

I huffed an amused snort. “No Grant, I do
not. I do not tuck tail and run when shit gets difficult.”

“No offense meant,” he muttered.

“Do you have anything else to tell me?” I
asked, feeling the stress wearing on me. I’d love to get attacked
leaving here, I thought.

“Yes, we have the name of Grams’s
attorney.”

Grant relayed the information to Sophie and I
thought about killing the attorney, just to send a bloody message.
It was too public, though, too showy.

“Good,” Sophie declared. “I have what I need
to get started. I’ll be in touch.” With that, we were
dismissed.

…

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered to Logan
over an early dinner. We had missed lunch running around with the
meetings and we both were hungry.

Logan leaned against the black wooden chair,
stressing the joints. He put an arm over the empty chair next to
him, watching me.

“Do we need to revisit the kept woman
issue?”

“No, I took the money, didn’t I?”

“You are planning on paying it back.” he
tapped his temple.

“Bah, blasted mate bond,” I grunted.

Our server arrived with another waitress in
tow, swiftly filling the table with all our orders.

“Everything look okay?” The server asked. We
nodded with our mouths full. “Alright, dessert will be out in about
thirty minutes, and you wanted two of everything on the menu?” he
asked again for clarification.

I nodded around a mouthful of garlic
knots.

Logan and I were eating in peaceful silence,
the bond between us taking care of the fight we were having.

A throat cleared behind me and Logan’s eyes
flicked over my shoulder, his raw sienna gaze darkening at being
interrupted or because of who was there, I wasn’t sure.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your meal,” Blake
began.

“Oh, fuck no,” I hissed, turning around,
ready to lay hands on him.

“Olivia,” Logan’s sharp tone had me stilling
my movements, which had to look foolish as I dropped my hands back
down, easing into the seat again.

I pulled my attention off the asshole known
as Blake and noticed the terrified little boy and his parents.

“What?” I growled.

“I was hoping you could spare a few moments
to meet my friends, the Daniels family,” Blake recovered
smoothly.

“Why?” I asked, peering intently at the
little boy. My shields were up at one hundred percent to keep the
packs and those around me from my volatile emotions. It was
unnerving, this extra responsibility.

I smashed the mate bond into a metal ball
inside my head, and then I felt it. Looking back at the little boy,
his terror and wonder washed over me.

Blake made a self-satisfied grunt and I
turned my laser-focused attention back to him, trying to control
the look of disgust that expressed my wish to rip his fucking
throat.

“You found a baby succubus?” I asked Blake.
“Do you want an award?”

He shifted slightly as he stood.

Blake leaned down and I felt Logan pushing at
the mate bond, unhappy with my treatment of it.

“I need you to help them without involving
the rest of your Council,” he whispered.

“No,” I told him, easy and fast. I felt the
little boy’s hope dim. “I’ll help them, but I’m not playing your
games, Blake, and I will not allow them to be caught up in the
games you are playing. Now, if you are finished.”

He sneered. The handsome man I had fallen in
love with was gone, replaced by a vampire with ambering eyes who
didn’t like the fact I was over him.

That thought surprised the hell out of me and
I opened the mate bond back up to a rush of anger. Trampling it
back down, I gave Logan a pointed glare. He eased back in his
threat of bodily harm, slightly.

“You can’t have them if I can’t be a part of
the process,” Blake hissed to me.

Pushing my chair back I closed the short
distance between the boy and me.

He must have been eight. He stood with his
hands held tightly together, as though that would keep his emotions
from flooding the room.

I knelt in front of him.

“My name is Olivia. I am the Head Executioner
of the Supernatural Council and a powerful succubus.” His wonder
washed over me, his mouth slightly parting. “You are an incubus.
Our powers are strong, but they must only be used for good.”

I was pretty sure I heard Logan laugh behind
me. I would deal with him later, at least he wasn’t still throwing
anger around.

I slipped my card into his hand. “Call me if
you need help.”

He nodded before his parents hustled him
away.

“You’re dismissed,” I informed Blake before
sitting back down.

He seethed, his eyes glowing. “You will
regret this,” he informed me around a mouth of fang.

“Not nearly as much as I do you.” I met his
gaze, letting my features harden. I was done with him and he needed
to learn that.

He left and I exhaled a long, deep breath,
turning to Logan.

“Do not block your mate bond from me again.
Promise,” he demanded.

I opened my mouth to tell him to back the
fuck off, but his worry about keeping me safe washed over me. His
base desire to protect and love me silenced the protest on my
lips.

I nodded, not trusting my voice, as his love
warmed me from the inside.

…

The conversation with Blake annoyed me and
kept eating at my conscience.

“I’m not sure I handled that situation well,”
I admitted to Logan at the manor.

He stopped looking at new homes on his laptop
to look at me.

“With Blake?” He said the name with disdain
and I felt his lion’s possessiveness.

“The Daniels boy,” I answered, coming to sit
next to him on the couch in the living room.