Dangerous Dalliances (Maxwell Investigations) (21 page)

Dori
nodded before hugging Siobhan again. “I think he’s mad that you beat him up,”
she said softly.

“I
heard that,” Jimmy said folding his arms over his chest. When Dori and Siobhan
pulled away from each other, he stepped to the side of the door. “Make sure you
have your gloves and scarf before we go.”

Dori
looked at Siobhan once more before leaving the room and going off into the
hall. The Fae Royal frowned before turning on him. “I really would like to have
a relationship with her,” she said quietly. “Dori’s precious.”

Jimmy
nodded. “I know she is.” His eyes then hardened. “But I don’t want her to
suffer anymore.”

“I
know.”

“No,
you don’t.” Jimmy pressed his lips together and looked at the beautiful blonde.
“You and Madison put her through hell, and now all she wants to do is cling to
you. As her father, I can’t allow that. Not after seeing what you’ve done.”

Siobhan’s
eyes hardened. “Are you going to rip her away from Madison too?”

Jimmy
growled low in his throat. “Madison wasn’t herself.”

“And
just so you know, I wasn’t myself either,” she hissed. She slowly approached the
Mage. “You and I have our differences, but you have no clue what it was like,
knowing that what you’re doing is wrong, and not being able to control
yourself. Every death I caused is on my head, and I will find ways to atone for
it.”

“His
name was Nate,” Jimmy growled. “And you killed him for no reason other than he
was in your way.”

Siobhan
lowered her head. She remembered the old man she killed when she and Jimmy
fought. When she raised determined eyes to cinnamon brown orbs, her mind was
set. “And that is something that I have to deal with.”

“Stay
away from my daughter,” he said before turning to leave.

“I
meant what I said,” Siobhan called after him. When he turned to look at her,
she arched an eyebrow in a blatant challenge. “If Dori needs me, I won’t turn
my back on her.”

Jimmy
glared at her once more. “She won’t need you,” he said before leaving Siobhan.

* *
* * *

Troy
frowned as he walked into the room he and Madison shared. The sight of her bags
at the foot of the bed made him lower his head. “You don’t even want to try?” he
asked in a whisper.

Madison
carried her clothes from the walk-in closet and laid them on the bed. “Right
now I can’t,” she said with a shake of her head. She could feel his hurt gaze
and tried not to look at him. “I was hoping that you would understand,” she
added.

“Oh, sure.
It’s fine
that you want to tuck tail and run. It makes perfect sense.” He walked over to
where she stood and trapped her in his arms. When she started to struggle, he
brushed his lips against her neck. “Talk to me, Madi,” he pleaded.

She
leaned back and allowed him to hold her. “Everyone is going to want me to act
like I’m okay. Like I should just forget everything that happened, and I
can’t.” She shook her head and inhaled his scent. “I killed all of those
people.”

“You
weren’t yourself,” Troy said quickly. He frowned and turned her around in his
arms when she started to shake her head. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Madison
looked into his eyes. “Death said that I was ruled by all of the anger and hate
that I’ve been hiding from everyone.
Even you.”
She
gave him a sad smile as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. “So while everyone
is saying it wasn’t me, I know it was.” Madison moved away from him and went
back to packing her bag.

“So
you’re just going to leave me and the kids?
Just like that?”

Tears
started to fill her eyes when he mentioned their children. It felt like she was
reliving her childhood in reverse. “Can you stand there and say, in good
conscience, that it’s fine for me to hold them? With as much blood as I have on
my hands?”

Troy
forced her to look at him. He paused when he saw how hard this was for her.
“You’re their mother,” he said with tears choking his own voice. “You’re my
wife and Mate. I don’t care, and neither do they.”

“Aiden
hates me.”

“Aiden
needs time. He’ll remember how much you love him.” Troy gently shook her. “But
only if you stay.”

A
sob escaped her. “I can’t.” She reached up and pulled him close for a kiss. Her
body trembled as his arms tightened around her. She poured all of her love and
passion into her kiss. Tears slipped past her closed eyelids as she felt his
hands tighten on her clothes. Madison broke their kiss and pressed her lips to
his throat. “I love you, I love the kids, but I can’t work through everything I
need to while I’m with you.”

His
arms continued to tighten around her. “So I’m just supposed to let you
disappear? I can’t. It killed me when I didn’t know where you were.”

Madison
touched his face as she backed away from him. “I will keep you and Father
informed,” she offered. “I’ll let you know where I am, when I move, all of it.
Just please, let me do this.”

Troy
looked at his Mate. He remembered the day he met her. She walked into his bar
and tried to drink herself into a stupor. Instead he took her to his apartment
and changed each other’s lives. Now she stood in front of him as an injured
woman that wanted time to lick her wounds.

He
swallowed around the lump in his throat as he tangled his hands in her hair.
Letting her go was going to be the hardest thing he would ever do. But looking
into her eyes, he knew she was right. She wouldn’t be able to heal or come to
grips with what she had done. He and the kids would find a way to make it. As
long as he knew she was safe and coming back to him. “Take Alex with you,” he
said lowly.

She
looked into his eyes as a laugh escaped her. “Alex?” she questioned. “You do
realize I dislocated his arm, right?” When Troy didn’t smile at her, her
shoulders fell. “He probably hates me too.”

“But
you getting away will give you both
time
to heal.” Troy
wrapped his arms around her waist and inhaled her scent, trying to memorize it.
“Maybe some private time will give him a chance to get over what happened with
Cord too.”

Madison
sighed before she looked at Troy again. She should have known he would try something
like this. “Only if he wants to go with me,” she said lowly. When Troy smiled
at her, for the first time since she went into labor she felt like she had a
reason to smile. “I love you,” she said softly.

“I
love you too,” he replied before kissing her passionately. He didn’t release
her until he realized he was bending her over the bed. A sigh escaped him as he
let her go. “Just, make sure you come back to me.”

Madison
looked into his eyes and knew that she wouldn’t see him before she left. It was
going to be too painful to watch her walk out of his life again. In a way, it
killed her too. But she had to go. She reached up and caressed his face. “I
will,” she said in a whisper.

Barry
snapped his phone shut as he leaned back in the orange monstrosity Lily called
a sofa. As much as he wanted to argue, she was right. It was the most
comfortable sofa he ever sat in. It was even more comfortable when Lily pushed
him back and straddled his waist. He couldn’t help the grin that crossed his
face when he realized she was wearing one of his shirts.

“How’d
it go?” she asked as she made herself comfortable. Lily ignored the hard bulge
under her, delighting in the way he groaned. “I’m sure your captain wasn’t
happy to have you resign.”

“He’s
pissed, but he understands. He knows that Dylan’s business needs the extra help
and with everything that happened, I would be a better fit there.” Barry ran
his hands up her legs and smiled as she moved against him. After dealing with
the Nephilim, they returned to her apartment. They then proceeded to make love
countless times on various pieces of furniture. A low chuckle escaped him as he
pulled Lily closer. “You know, I don’t think I told you how hot it was that you
stood up to Famine,” he said against her lips.

She
smiled at his pseudo-kiss. On instinct, she licked his lips and sat up
straight. “You think everything I do is hot,” she commented. Lily couldn’t help
but laugh when he shrugged. She leaned forward and kissed him again, this time
slowly grinding against him.

“I
knew I would like watching you,” Famine said from the armchair across the room.

Lily
instantly shifted forms and hissed at him. When he started to laugh, she moved
to attack him. The only thing that gave her pause was the gun pointed at the
Nephilim. She looked at Barry and saw that he was sitting perfectly calm with
his gun aimed at the intruder.

Famine
smiled as he shoved popcorn in his mouth. “You two really are made for each
other,” he said carelessly.

“What
do you want?” Barry asked.

“I
want you to prove me right,” Famine answered. When Barry frowned at him, he
smiled. “My dear Lily is under the impression that you love her. I say she’s
wrong. You’re just using her so that when you’re old and grey you can tell your
children you tapped a Succubus and survived.”

Barry’s
frown deepened as he lowered his gun. “What makes you think I would do
something like that?” he questioned.

“In
cop terms, it’s your MO.”

Lily
frowned at Famine as she slowly changed back to her normal form. Before she
could say anything, the Nephilim snapped his fingers. She was fully clothed in
an instant. She shook her head in order to remain focused on what she was about
to say. “We’ve already been through your judgment.” In a flash of movement, she
was in Famine’s face. “You broke into my home for no reason.”

Famine
smiled as he looked at her. She really was adorable. “
You
have been
through Judgment. Not him.” He flashed from the armchair to sit next to Barry.
“You two do the hot teacher, bad student role play yet?”

Barry’s
frown deepened. “I will shoot you,” he said darkly. When Famine blinked
innocently at him, Barry pulled back the hammer to his gun. “And I think you
need to apologize to her.”

Famine
watched Barry for a long moment. “You’ve been with countless women. You have
lived the bachelor life from the time you were 16. What makes you think that of
all people, mousey little Lily will keep your attention?”

The
gun lowered in shock. “That’s what this is about?” he asked before looking at
Lily.
“A Meet-the-Dad lecture?”

Lily
frowned as she went to sit next to Barry. “I don’t know what he’s up to. But
while I do hope you shoot him, part of me is worried about getting the stains
out.”

Famine
smiled at her. “So heartless,” he breathed. When the couple looked at him
again, he leaned back into the sofa. “But you’ve never answered my question,
Barrence.”

Barry
frowned as he stuffed his gun back between the sofa cushions. “You still
haven’t apologized to her,” he countered.

Famine
turned to Lily and sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said with blandly. When she
continued to look at him, he ran a hand through his hair. “What? I’m a curious
person. And it really should go without saying that I have a stake in your
welfare. If he’s just going to play games with your heart, he can find some
other little trollop to fuck.”

Lily
blinked as Barry lunged forward with his hands wrapped around his Famine’s
throat. She never expected him to move that fast. With a shaking hand, she
reached out and touched his shoulder. “Barry, it’s okay,” she said trying to
pull him off.

Barry
looked into Famine’s eyes. “You want to know how I feel about her, fine. I’ll
tell you how I feel about her,” he growled. “I fucking love her. How do I know?
It’s real simple asshole. Like everyone throws in my face, I’ve been with more
than my fair share of women. And none of them,
none
, make me feel the
way she does. You like to sit here and throw the fact that she’s a Succubus in
her face. Like that means she’s worthless or something. Lily will never be
worthless to me. So if you want to stand here and treat her like she’s some
piece of shit, I will kill you right now.”

Lily
wrapped her arms around him. “Barry, that’s
enough
!”
she shouted as she tried to pull him off of Famine. Her eyes widened when
Famine quickly turned and had Barry pinned underneath him. “I swear, if you
hurt him,” she growled.

“You
just don’t get it, do you,” Famine snapped. He glared down at Barry. “She’s my
successor.
Famine.
She has to know what it’s like to
do without. But with every incarnation, each harbinger has had one thing that
they would destroy the world over. For the first time, it’s a person. It’s
you.”

His
words were slowly sinking in to Barry’s mind as Famine pressed him to the
floor. Barry turned dark eyes to Lily and saw that she was just as stunned as
he was.

Famine
wasn’t done. “I need to know that your love for her is as strong as her faith
in you. If not, I will kill you now and deal with the fall out of her losing
the only mate she can ever have.” He pressed down on Barry’s throat and leaned
in close to the mage. He ignored the hands grabbing at his wrists and kept his
focus on Barry. “Now, do you love her enough to stop fighting me?”

Barry’s
eyes burned with hate as his arms fell to his sides limp. When Famine released
his throat, he started to cough. As he started to lift himself up, Lily appeared
at his side. He glanced at her and saw that her eyes were filled with tears.
“I’m alright, Baby,” he whispered into her ear.

Famine
looked at the pair and frowned. It was possible for them to be happy together,
but there were a lot of obstacles in their way. “I only have one more
question,” he said lowly. When Barry pulled Lily behind him, Famine fought a
smile. “If everything came down to one choice, would you live for her, or die
for her?”

Barry
frowned as he looked into the Nephilim’s eyes. “What kind of question is that?”
he asked in turn. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Barry paused and
looked at Lily. She was standing behind him, biting her lip. His eyes were
tender as he took her hand and gently kissed it. “It’s a trick question,” he
said softly.

“Barry?”
Lily asked.

He
smiled before looking at Famine. “If I said I would die for her, you would say I
was being selfish. That I thought death was an acceptable way to end our
relationship. You would try to convince her that I would damn her to an
eternity without me. If I said I would live for her, you would still say I was
selfish. But this time you would twist things around and make her believe that
I would never want to stand by her side. The truth is much more complicated
than that.” Barry faced Lily and brushed her hair away from her face. “I would
die for you. I would do everything that cheesy song says. I would do my best to
protect you, and what we have. And you need to know that I would live for you
too. While I can’t say that I’ll be perfect, I can say that I will do my
damnedest to make sure you’re happy and don’t want for anything.”

Famine
finally smiled at the pair. “That was so lovely,” he said as his bag of popcorn
appeared in his hands. “I now pronounce you, Succubus and Mate.” His eyes
sparkled as he looked at Lily. “You can kiss your baby-daddy,” he said softly.

“What?”
the couple asked.

Famine
waved his hand. He smiled at Lily as her hands went to her lower abdomen. “I should
have warned you, the Maxwell family is a lot on the fertile side. He got you
knocked up that first time.”

Barry
wrapped his arms around Lily as he looked at Famine. “Why did no one notice
this?” he asked. “Why did you let her fight?”

Famine
shrugged. “It’s an early pregnancy. No one noticed because I hid their magical
signatures and scent. Plus, there was no way I could not let her fight. She
needed to be there for her judgment.”

Lily
inhaled sharply through her nose as she turned his words over in her mind.
“Their signatures,” she said in a whisper. She looked at Barry with wide eyes.
“A boy and a girl.”

Barry
helped her over to the sofa and eased her down. “Are you sure? Twins do run in
my family.” He stopped when she started to shake her head.

“We’re
always born in pairs.
A boy and a girl.”
Lily looked
at Famine and felt her eyes fill with tears. “You wanted to make sure we were
happy,” she said softly.

Famine
shrugged. “I’ll admit, I’m an asshole,” he said easily.
“But
not that much of an asshole.
I know what’s coming. You’re going to need
all of the happiness you can find. I had to make sure you were looking in the
right place.”

Lily
jumped to her feet and pulled Famine into a hug. “You do something like this
again and I’ll kill you,” she whispered into his ear.

Famine
returned her embrace. “You’ll try,” he teased before vanishing.

Barry
looked around the room and sighed when he saw no sign of the Nephilim. A frown
crossed his face when he saw Lily wiping tears from her eyes. “Baby, you okay?”
he asked.

She
wrapped her arms around him tightly. “We’re going to be parents,” she said
lowly.

He
savored the feel of her in his arms and kissed her neck. “We’re going to be
awesome parents.”

“How
do you know? There’s so much that babies need.”

Barry
pressed his fingers to her lips and smiled at her. “First thing’s first. We
have to call Eric and Sloane.”

Lily’s
mind was stuck on the fact that she was pregnant. “Why?”

A
laugh escaped him as he reached for his cellphone.
“Because
you’re going to need someone to stand up for you in Vegas.”

Lily
slowly started to smile. “You’re serious.”

“You
wouldn’t believe how serious I am,” he said before putting his phone to his
ear.

Lily
watched him as he told either his brother or Sloane about their unexpected
bundle. Part of her was sad. With everything going on, she was sure Madison
wasn’t going to be completely overjoyed. But a larger part was thrilled, and
growing more giddy by the moment.

Lily
walked over to Barry and wrapped her arms around his neck. When he smiled at
her, she gently kissed his neck. With him, she finally found a place to belong.

Barry
laughed as he disconnected the call. “Sloane is over the moon. He was going on
about how we’re going to live happily ever after.”

Lily
snorted before kissing him. “Has he met your family?” she asked playfully.
“There will be another crisis in a few months.”

He
couldn’t help but wince. She was right. A small smile crossed his face as he
lifted her into his arms. “It doesn’t matter,” he said as he carried her to the
bedroom. “We’ll face it as Mr. and Mrs.”

A
laugh escaped her as she let him seduce her. “I thought we were going to start
getting ready for Vegas,” she said as her clothing vanished.

Barry
kissed her savagely and laid her back. “Eric and Sloane will be here in about
an hour,” he said as his own clothes disappeared.

“Is
that enough time?” Lily asked. Her back arched when his lips surrounded a
nipple and started to suck. Her mind blanked out as he eagerly entered her.

Barry
looked at the woman that captured his heart and smiled. She was a vision spread
out across the pale sheets. “Honestly? Never,” he whispered before allowing the
mutual passion they shared to sweep them away.