Ripper (43 page)

The queen watched her son walk out of the room. “Trent, why don’t you follow my baby boy and make sure he doesn’t stop anywhere along the way?”

Trent eyed me like I would murder someone the minute he turned his back.

The queen arched a regal eyebrow and Trent sighed and walked out the door. She turned back and took a look at the bottle in my hand. She shook her head. “No, that won’t do. Let’s drink this.”

The Queen of all Vampire sat down across from me and pulled the cork on the bottle of imported tequila. She didn’t wait for me to tell her I didn’t have any glasses much less an actual kitchen in my crappy cell. She took an extremely long swig from the bottle and passed it to me. She didn’t look very queen-like in jeans and sneakers and a black sweater. It was similar to mine, and I figured out where I’d gotten the clothing from. She filled it out better than I did. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

I took the bottle and matched her. “You’re not what I expected.”

“I rarely am,” the queen replied. “Let’s talk, you and I. First off, I am so sorry my husbands are dipshits.”

“I’m sorry, too,” I replied, unwillingly liking the woman.

“Sometimes I think they make each other worse,” she mused. “They have a mutual admiration society for each other’s Machiavellian plots. They enjoy intrigue far too much. You should have been told what you are right off the bat. If I’d been doing it, I would have invited you to dinner, explained what you are, and offered you the training to control it.”

“That probably would have worked better,” I allowed. “If the dinner was really good, that is.”

She smiled. “Oh, it would have been good. I know the way to a wolf’s heart.”

“I’m not a wolf.” The denial was automatic. Even as I said the words, I knew I was lying to some extent.

She took another swig. “Not fully, but I think you’ll find you fit in well with wolf society, probably much more so than you ever could with humans. If you give it a chance, you might be able to find a home here.”

“I don’t need a home.” I felt surly. A couple of hours before I’d been moving into my new home, the one the man I loved had bought for me. Now I had a fucking cell.

“Spoken like a true loner,” the queen said. “Your father would have said the same thing.”

“Don’t call him that,” I shot back. I was starting to get emotional again. Twitchy. It was the only way to describe it. I couldn’t help but think about the dreams I’d had since childhood. They’d been just that—dreams. I’d had no loving father. Apparently he’d been here, busy taking care of the queen. “He was some promiscuous asshole who knocked up my mom and went on his merry way. There are probably ten more like me out there.”

The queen’s hazel eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’ll ignore that because I know what it feels like to be where you are, but understand your father would have loved you. He would have done anything for you had he known you existed. If Lee Owens had lived and discovered who you were, he would have come for you and nothing would have stopped him.”

I wanted to believe it. I wanted to believe someone wanted me. “How did he die?”

The queen sighed and it seemed the memory hurt her on a fundamental level, but she talked about it anyway. “It was right before Daniel took over. We were betrayed by a demon. He gave up our location to the head of the Council. Zack managed to get Daniel out of there, but Dev, Lee, and I were left behind. The vampires knew Lee would never allow them to take us, so they filled him so full of silver he couldn’t move. He fought so hard. I begged him to take vampire blood and save himself. I begged him to run, but he wouldn’t. He said he couldn’t. Are you going to use this fight with Castle to kill yourself?”

Sneaky queen. I was still thinking about the man who fathered me as I answered the question. “No. But if it happens, it happens. I won’t take back the accusation, Your Highness. I’m right and he’s wrong. If I die because of it, then I do.”

The queen sat up and leaned forward, tears shining in her beautiful eyes. “He would be proud of you. I really hope you don’t die, Kelsey Owens. I would really like for you to get to know my son.”

The door opened again and I was glad to see Marcus walk in. The talk with the queen made me anxious. It ran across my nerves, bringing up all sorts of feelings. I’d managed to shut out so much of what I was feeling, but she and that boy were bringing it all up again.

I wouldn’t have a son because Gray was gone, my mind raced. I didn’t have a family anymore because they’d all lied to me, including my mother. Jamie hadn’t lied, but I didn’t feel like being fair at that moment. I didn’t have friends because who would want to be friendly with some freak. I didn’t fit anywhere. I wasn’t a wolf and I wasn’t human.

My eyes started to well with tears and my hands started to shake. Marcus cursed impatiently and crossed to me. His hand slid beneath my hair and rubbed the back of my neck gently. It was like someone had turned down the volume. I sighed and leaned against his hand.

“I do not leave her alone for more than half an hour and one of you is in here again, riling her up,” Marcus said, looking at the queen.

She frowned. “I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I just wanted to meet her. She’s Lee’s daughter. I was curious.”

“Don’t you think your family has done enough to her for one day?”

“Marcus, you have to know I had nothing to do with this,” the queen protested. “This is one of those things Danny and Dev don’t bother to tell me about. If I’d known, I would have stopped it. I understand she has to be trained, but it could have been handled differently.” She stood up and paced as she thought. “I certainly would have brought her in before she got involved with that demon. That’s what makes me crazy. Daniel knew, but he let it go on. She should have been brought in the minute he got that DNA test back.”

“I believe he would tell you he wasn’t sure she was a Hunter,” Marcus explained. “She could be Lee’s daughter and still have merely been human. According to Daniel, she’s shown nothing of a Hunter’s skills in the past few years.”

“What’s different?” Without really thinking about it, I leaned toward the vampire.

“I believe this case you have worked on pushed you over the edge. It triggered the instinct to burst forth. Meeting Lieutenant Sloane was also an emotional experience. The two combined have forced the beast into the open. Have you ever felt it before?”

I told him about the night with my father. I didn’t candy coat it the way I had with Gray. I told him about running afterward and how I survived the cold. He took it all in with an academic nod.

“The killing of the wolves would have been a trigger,” Marcus explained. “I’m surprised you managed to contain yourself then. It could have been much worse, Kelsey. You could have stood your ground and tried to kill any wolf who entered your territory.”

“Yes, my territory. That’s why I attacked Quinn. He came into my territory.” I hadn’t liked it.

Marcus brought my hand into his lap and rubbed it gently. “I can teach you to control that beast. I can train you to integrate the wolf into your personality. She’s a part of you that you can learn to tap into and use for protection. Right now, the wolf is close to the surface because you’re emotional. We need to keep you calm until I’ve taught you to control your instincts.”

“You’ve trained a Hunter before?” the queen asked. Her eyes were on the place where Marcus held my hand. He’d taken one of my hands in both of his and was rubbing long strokes up and down my arm. It was a little like petting, and I knew I should stop him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It felt too good.

Marcus nodded. “I have, Your Highness. The Council trained Hunters long before I walked the night, and always it is an academic who handles the Hunter in the beginning. Hunters and academics have a long history of partnership.”

“Because of the persuasion powers of the academic?” the queen continued her questions.

“This and the fact that academics are able to bond to females in ways the other classes cannot.” Marcus’s fingers almost absently tangled in mine. “Though we sleep, we do not go into a fugue state the way other vampires do. If a Hunter needs her mentor during the day, only an academic can be there for her, but it goes far beyond that. I can go into her dreams, as you very well know. I can sense her emotional state. If we…got close, I would be able to taste the food on her tongue, to sense when she’s in trouble. An academic can have a very intimate relationship with a female. It helps the Hunter to bond with her trainer. It helps her trust him and allows her to form other relationships later on. Without training, Kelsey would more than likely be alone the rest of her life. She would push people away and never truly understand why.”

“By close, I suppose you mean sleeping with her,” the queen deduced with a wry smile.

His hand squeezed mine while he spoke to the queen. “It’s where the relationship usually goes. It’s difficult to stay apart when properly training a Hunter. You have to know her inside and out. Unless the female is simply ugly on the inside, you discover her true beauty. A certain affection will always spring from that.” He looked down at me. “I would never force you into anything,
cara mia
. I doubt I will be allowed to train you. Please remember whoever the king chooses must respect your wishes concerning your own body. You do not have to share yourself with anyone.”

“He’s talking about Henri,” the queen offered.

Marcus huffed and cursed under his breath. “You must talk sense into him, Zoey. Henri has never trained a Hunter before. He should allow Hugo Wells to try. Hugo is older than Henri and he’s unmarried. For the first three months, she should not be allowed out of his sight, and that includes during sleep. She needs to remain in the room with him.”

“I doubt Kim is going to like that.” Zoey’s eyes widened. I thought she wouldn’t much like that.

I pulled my hand out of Marcus’s. I better get used to trying to calm myself down. I wasn’t letting some other vampire do that to me. Marcus was different. I’d felt a connection to him even before we’d met, but I wouldn’t let some vampire I’d never seen before touch me and keep me like a pet he was trying to train.

“
Cara
,” Marcus began.

“No,” I said, moving away from him, turning to the queen. “Tell your husband he can go to hell. I won’t be treated like a dog. He can’t order someone to adopt and housebreak me. I’ll stay in this fucking cell or he can put me down humanely, but I won’t go with that Henri person.”

“You’ll go with who I tell you to go with.” Donovan opened the door with a wicked frown on his face. A shorter man in a suit came in behind the king. He stared at me, wariness on his attractive face. “I’m doing this for your own good, Kelsey. Don’t you interfere, Z. If I allow her to walk into that arena and she gets killed, you’ll never forgive me. Henri, persuade her to walk into the Council chamber and take back her accusation.”

The blond guy named Henri narrowed his eyes as he concentrated his will my direction. A rush of power sizzled across my skin as he attempted to get me to do his will. He was strong, much stronger than Michael had been. He was stronger in this way than the king, but he wasn’t anything close to Marcus. The impulse was right there. My legs wanted to move. I wanted to rise and do exactly what that voice ordered me to do. I would walk into the chamber and tell them I made the whole thing up.

My feet hit the ground and I saw the king relax. He thought it was going to be all right. That was what really did it. I pushed through because I didn’t intend to give the king what he wanted. That slight smile gave me the strength I needed. I shoved back at the magic invading my limbs. I pictured that wall in my head and slammed it shut with everything I had.

“Hell.” Henri staggered back. He put his hand to his forehead as I climbed back on my bed.

Just to piss the king off, I slipped my hand back into Marcus’s.

“She shoved you out?” the king asked, frustration evident in his voice.

“Yes. That was very unpleasant,” Henri complained. “I’ve never had that happen before. I would like to avoid it in the future.”

“She’s extraordinarily strong,” Marcus said and I heard the satisfaction in his voice. “Don’t feel bad, Henri. She almost managed to shove me out the first time I tried. With training, she will be able to.”

“Fine,” the king said, gritting his teeth. His Texas drawl got worse when he was angry. “Marcus, if you get her to take back the accusation, I’ll let you train her.”

“And she would never trust me again,” the Italian replied, letting his arm wind around my shoulders. “I won’t bend her to my will. I will, however, give her something to think about. You’re good at invoking rights tonight, Your Highness. Perhaps I should invoke one of my own. I am the oldest vampire walking the Earth plane. You have placed her under the protection of the Council. I invoke my right to be Kelsey’s patron.”

The queen’s jaw dropped. “Marcus, no.”

The king let his head drop back and a groan came out of his mouth before he looked back at us. “This fucking night is never going to end. Hell, if you think it’ll work, I’m willing to give it a try. I’m out of options. You’re betting a lot on her, Marcus.”

I pulled away from the vampire who, it seemed, claimed some right over me. “What does he mean?”

Marcus flashed a secret little smile. He reached out and gently touched my cheek. “He means I do not wish to live in a world that would grind you into dust,
cara mia
.”

“He’s your patron, Kelsey.” The queen’s perfect pale skin seemed whiter than before. “If you’re killed, the alpha will demand Marcus’s head and Daniel will be forced to give it to him.”

“My fate is tied to yours,” Marcus put succinctly.

“Motherfucker.” I was going to have to kill another damn wolf.

Chapter Seventeen