Bloody Broken (A Bloody Series Book #2) (13 page)

    “Adam. Really, thank you.” She leaned in to kiss him softly. “You’ve been so good to me.”

    He cast his gaze over her face, smiling gently. “My pleasure.” He stood. “I’ll give you some privacy so you can shift. I’ll be back in a bit.”

    “A girl could get used to this kind of treatment,” she joked.

    “A princess should be used to this kind of treatment already,” he said.

    “I haven’t been a princess in a long time.” And she wasn’t a very good one then. Adam laughed suddenly. “What?”

    “I just realized something. I’m going to have to call a friend later and tell him about what I’ve been doing all weekend.” He chuckled again. She cocked her head at him in confusion. “Nothing. Go ahead, do your thing. Don’t shed all over the place.” She flipped him off. He laughed again, and then left.

    Once he was gone, she moved very slowly off the couch to crouch on the floor. Calling forth her wolf form didn’t take long. She was strong like her father. The shift itself took less than thirty seconds. Changing forms felt wonderful, she likened it to cracking her knuckles after long use. It healed all injuries and brought back all the energy she had lost. She felt like a run, but obviously didn’t have far to go. So after she paced the length of the front room, she sat in front of the door, waiting for Adam to return.

Chapter Ten

    Adam ran through the same store he had visited hours before, picking up another set of everything she would need. He took his time leaving though. Giving Victoria some space to heal and collect her thoughts was upper most in his mind. Finding out some things tonight certainly bared thinking over, but if he had learned anything in his eight hundred years, it was everyone had a past. It would be thoughtless to begrudge Vic hers. He might point out that she had ample time to disclose hers, but he would give her time to explain. Before he got upstairs a young man lounging against the wall next to the elevator caught his eye. He motioned Adam over.

    “Yes?” Adam asked.

    “You’re Adam Hevenside?” The kid asked.

    “Yes. Who are you? Did Dominic send you?” He assumed this young man was a Were from the consulate.

    “Chris told me where to find you. I need to speak to Miss Elizabeth. If that’s okay with you,” he added hastily at Adams look.

     “What is this about?”

     “I have some things I need to clear up with her. Personal things.” He looked at his shoes.

     “You can speak with her tomorrow. Tonight she's healing from the attack.” He started to walk away but the young Were stopped him with a hand on the back of his jacket. Adam turned slowly and the Were let go as if the jacket were on fire.

    “Please. Can you just ask her if she’ll see me? It’s important,” he pleaded. Adam figured it would take no time at all for Vic to send this kid packing. He would let her make the decision. Adam nodded for the pup to follow him. They walked up to the room. When he got there, he opened the door to find Victoria in her wolf form waiting for him. She was right about the white paws. It looked like she was wearing socks. He laughed.

    “Oh, I always wanted a dog,” he said, reaching out to scratch her head. She growled and nipped at his hand. He grinned down at her. She grinned a wolfy grin back, tongue lolling. He heard the kid behind him chuckle. Vic cocked her head and glanced around behind him to see the kid. She whined up at him in question.

    “He says he wants to talk to you. You recognize him?” Adam asked her. She shook her head.

    “You would recognize me in wolf form,” the kid said softly stepping around him. Vic stood at that and started growling. The kid threw up his hands in submission. “I want to explain. I didn’t know who you were then. I was just doing what the Beta asked of me. I wanted into the Pack and you were my assignment. I didn’t know, I swear.” He told her. She stopped her advance, thinking for a second, then trotted forward to grasp the clothes out of Adams hand in her mouth. She walked back into the bedroom to shift back to her human form. He turned toward the kid.

    “Looks like she’s not going to kill you,” he told him. “Yet.” Adam had deduced, as Vic must have, that this Were was the white wolf. The scout. Vic was back out in under a minute. He quirked an eyebrow at her talent. She just shrugged. She parked it on the arm of the couch.

    “Talk,” she commanded. Adam walked to stand behind her in support. The kid sat at the table.

    “Like I said, I was sent to follow you. I didn’t know it at first. When I was at the docks all I knew was I was supposed to watch the building, to gather Intel on your meeting. When I described you to the Beta he made me follow you to the Pub. It wasn’t until after you left your apartment last night and I went inside that I realized who you were.”

    “You went into my place?” She practically growled.

    “Yes, but I didn’t get any further than the front room. I stopped to pick up the photo album from the floor when I saw a picture that reminded me of who you are.”

    “Master Orleans daughter?” She asked.

    “Not just that, no. You saved me and my mom. You don’t remember me I take it.” He looked down again.

    “No, I don’t.” She searched his face.

    “There was a picture of you and my mom together. You were both pretty young I guess.”

    Vic went to say something, probably to ask who his mother was, when her eyes widened. “You’re Maddie’s son.” It was a statement. The kid looked up with a smile. “Elliot?” She asked.

    “Yeah. You do remember.” He grinned. “I was younger then. About eleven or twelve, but I knew I remembered you. Your voice was so familiar. I didn't get to see you much during the raid but I remembered your voice. It wasn’t until I saw that picture that I put it together. You saved us. My mom said you had been friends as kids.” He told her.

    “She was my best friend.” She looked up at Adam. “Remember when I said one of my friends from Boulder was one of the girls kidnapped by the Beta? It was Madeline, his mother,” she explained, motioning to Elliot. He nodded, putting it together. “I found her about seven years ago in Mexico. I helped move her and her son to California. How is she doing?” She asked Elliot. He looked down.

    “She died last year. It was a car accident. She bled out before they got her pulled from the car,” he answered quietly. Victoria gasped.

    “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” She put her arms around her stomach. Adam reached down to squeeze her shoulder. She looked up at him with fresh tears in her eyes, then back to Elliot. “Is that why you were trying to get into the Pack?” She asked.

    “Yeah. I wanted to belong somewhere. I hated being a loner, and Mom always said she missed being in the Pack.”

    “I’m sorry for that too, Elliot, but didn’t she explain to you what happened? That it was the Beta that had her kidnapped?”

    “She said you said that, but she didn’t believe it. She thought it was the Mexican Pack that took her and said you had always hated him because you were in love with one of your guards and resented being given to the him.” He blushed to admit it.

    “Damn it, Maddie!” Vic exclaimed. Then looked embarrassed. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to swear at her. It’s just that she was so sweet, she never thought badly of anyone. It wasn’t always a fault.”

    “I know. I thought the same thing. Too nice for her own good. She said my dad was an okay guy, and he was a masochistic, drug lord.” He smiled hopelessly. “I just wanted to explain to you. Once I realized who you were, and what was really going on, I decided to find your Dad. I was the one who told him what had happened. It was a real pain in the ass getting him to believe me, but I finally convinced him it was you. And that the Beta was running deals behind his back. He flew out from Boulder and got in just in time to see for himself. I’m sorry I was almost too late. Devin told me what happened. He said the Master killed the Beta, so it turned out alright, right?” He asked, trying to be redeemed. Vic looked inward for a few seconds.

    “Yes, everything is alright.” She didn’t sound convinced, and Elliot frowned. He didn’t understand. Adam thought maybe he did. She loved her father. Master Orleans was a cold man. Unfeeling. To Vic it probably seemed like he didn’t care that she was alive. Adam made it a point to remember to drill a hole into the Were.

    “I have to ask. Now that the Beta is dead, do you think the Master will honor the Beta’s promise to let me in?” Elliot asked.

    “If he doesn’t, I’ll make sure you get in. I owe you that much for the ice bath last week.” She smiled brightly, though it didn’t reach her eyes, she still dazzled Elliot with her beauty. He grinned back. Adam placed a possessive hand back on Vic’s shoulder. None of them missed the gesture. Vic looked up and smirked. She stood and Elliot stood too. 

    “Thanks, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, hero worship bright in his eyes.

    “Thank you, Elliot. You saved my life today. And it’s Vic, please. I don’t want to be the Princess. I just want to be Vic.” She moved in for a hug, and Adam had to remind himself that this was the son of her deceased friend, not a threat to him. They embraced for a moment then she backed away. She showed him to the door. “You do have somewhere to stay, right?” She asked, and Adam knew if she invited him to stay with them he was going to draw the line.

    “Yeah, they set me up in a Hotel near the consulate.” He smiled a goodbye and left. Vic turned back to him after shutting the door. He walked to her, scooping her up in his arms. He squeezed her to his chest and she sighed contently, loping her arms around his neck.

    “Can we talk now?” He asked softly. She glanced up, her big brown eyes tearing a hole in his chest.

    “Do we have to?” She asked. She tucked her head under his chin, snuggling close.

    “No, not if you don’t want to.” He carried them to the bedroom. When they were snug under the blankets he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her to his chest. He assumed she had fallen asleep when she spoke up.

    “I didn’t tell you because I had been keeping the secret for so long, it never occurred to me to tell anyone. It didn’t seem important to the story for you to know who I was. I’m sorry.”

    “It’s quite alright. I wish you would have trusted me enough to tell me, but I understand why you didn’t. It’s not as if we have known each other long enough for that.”

    “But I do trust you.” She turned in his arms to face him. “It’s not that I didn’t. I think it was more because being Masters Orleans only daughter had always been a burden. Nothing good ever came of it. I was sheltered my whole life, never allowed to be who I wanted to be. I was never a midwife. I wanted to be so badly, but that would never have been allowed. After my mom died, my father had me moved to Boulder to watch me. I hated it. When he told me that I was promised to Dante, I panicked. If I hadn’t discovered his secrets, and he tried to have me killed, I was probably going to run away anyway.”

    “Was it that bad?” He knew that Were females were somewhat sheltered, a Princess probably more so.

    “Not all of it. I knew I was loved. I had friends. Maddie, for instance. And my maids. Chris was my maid Teresa’s son.” She smiled. “He used to run around my wing, playing cowboys and Indians. I tried to explain to him how offensive running around killing Indians was, but he was too young to care.” Adam laughed. No wonder the kid was so trigger happy. “I love my father.” She said quietly. “I never meant to hurt him. I tried telling him about what I had discovered about Dante, but he refused to listen. I was so angry with him for not listening, I never tried to contact him after I went underground. He believed I ran away on my own, then the rumors of the serial killer popped up and everybody assumed I was dead. I can’t imagine how angry he must be with me. But he did look for me. That’s why he fired Devin. Because he couldn’t find me. Colin has always known but I had sworn him to secrecy. He left out of guilt for getting Devin kicked out of the Pack. He left his wife for me.” Adam squeezed her a tad too tight. “Not like that.” She swatted his arm. “He left the Pack with Devin, leaving Cora behind so she would be safe. He always planned to come back to her. Now he can. That’s a blessing.” She stopped, thinking. “Cora got out okay, right?”

    “I believe so. She was the blonde female?” He asked.

    “Yeah. Long hair, delicate features. Tall.” She described.

    “Yes, I remember seeing her wrapped in a robe as we were leaving. She must have shifted when the fighting started.”

    “Good. That’s good. I’m glad they can be together again. I never understood why he chose her, but they obviously love each other. It feels good to let go of that burden.” She snuggled back down.

    “What made you pick the name Victoria Brown?” He asked curious.

     “Victoria is my name. Elizabeth Victoria Katiyana Brown. Brown is my Fathers original name, before he was Orleans Pack Master.”

     “It was, wasn’t it? I had quite forgotten that part of his history. Always following Queen Victoria around like a lost puppy. Excuse the expression.” He grinned. She looked up again.

    “You knew him then?” She asked curiously.

    “Not well. Just in passing, while he was young. I came here before the end of Victoria’s reign. She was your name sake I imagine?”

    “Yes, he loved her. Truly. She mourned Prince Albert's death too much to get involved with my father. He even went as far as to help her call his spirit in séances. It's a gift he has. When it became apparent to everyone that he wasn’t aging, he had to fake his death and he moved to Canada. He fell into a depression until Victoria’s death. That somehow brought him out of the black mood. I’m still not sure why. He met my mother in 1902 and they fell in love right away. Thankfully they fit together well. I'm thankful he didn’t live his life mourning the Queen. I think my mother wouldn’t have had him if he was in love with a ghost. Although I can’t say he’s not doing exactly that now. After my mother died, he shut down. He hasn’t been the same since. It was like living in a prison when I was moved to Boulder.”