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“What happened, Riley?”  Maddie whispered.

“Two weeks after she left the hospital, she
hung herself in her bedroom,” I said dully.  “Ma didn’t even know she was
home.  She came home from work and thought Andrea was at therapy.  She – she
heard creaking noises upstairs and she thought it was rats in the walls again. 
She called me and practically begged me to come over.  I didn’t want to.  I was
tired but ma started to cry so I went over.  I went upstairs and I could hear
the noise coming from Andrea’s bedroom so I…”

My voice stuttered to a stop and Maddie
hugged me again.  “It’s okay, honey.  It’s okay.”

“I opened the door and Andrea was hanging
there.  She had gotten a rope from the garage and a kitchen chair.  She’d been
dead for a few hours.  Her – her face was swollen and starting to turn black
and her tongue was sticking out.  It was windy that day and her window was
open.  She was swaying back and forth and the rope was creaking and I couldn’t
– I couldn’t…”

I cleared my throat roughly.  “Ma was
coming up the stairs and I screamed at her to go back downstairs.  I wanted to
go to Andrea, wanted to – to lift her down but when I touched her she was so
cold and I couldn’t do it.  I closed the door and went downstairs and told ma
that Andrea was dead.  She started screaming and tried to go upstairs.  I had
to pin her down on the couch until she stopped struggling.  She punched and
screamed but she was going through chemotherapy and she was pretty weak.  It
didn’t take long for her to stop fighting me.  Then I called 9-1-1.  We buried
Andrea two days later and a month after that, ma died from the cancer and I was
alone.”

I told myself to shut up, that Maddie had
heard enough but I needed to tell her about the nightmares, about how she kept
them away.  Maybe it would make her feel sorry enough for me that she wouldn’t
kick me out.

“I – I’ve had nightmares every night for
the last three years.  I would just live it over and over again – hearing the
noise, seeing Andrea’s body swaying and her – her face.  But then I met you and
you keep them away,” I whispered.  “I need you, Maddie.”

Maddie pushed away from me and terror
knifed through me.  Now she would tell me to leave.  Now that she knew what I
had done she would never want to see me again and I would spend the rest of my
life alone.  I deserved it.  After what I had done, I didn’t deserve Maddie’s
love.

“Riley, look at me.”

My entire body shaking I turned around and
stared at the floor.  I couldn’t look her in the face, didn’t think I could
stand to see the disgust in her eyes, but Maddie placed her hand under my chin
and forced my gaze up.

“Honey, it wasn’t your fault.”

She wiped away the moisture on my face as I
stared open-mouthed at her.  There was no disgust in her eyes, just kindness
and compassion and love and I couldn’t fucking believe it.

“Yes it was,” I rasped.  “If I hadn’t been
so fucking selfish, if I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my own life, I would have
seen how badly she was hurting.  I could have helped her sooner but all I
wanted was to get away.  I wanted to live my own life without worrying about
her or ma and my selfishness killed her.”

She shook her head.  “No, honey.  Her mental
illness, her depression, killed her.  Not you.  Even if you had done everything
right, even if you had realized what was wrong years earlier, that isn’t a
guarantee that she wouldn’t have killed herself.  People who are severely
depressed aren’t thinking straight, they
can’t
think straight.  Blaming
yourself for your sister’s disease is pointless.”

She cupped my face and stared at me.  “You
need to stop listening to that voice inside of you and listen to me.  I love
you and your sister’s death wasn’t your fault.”

“You really believe that, don’t you?” I
said as a huge weight lifted from my shoulders.

She nodded.  “Yes, and I promise that
someday you’ll believe it too.”

“You’re not going to leave me.”  There was
soft wonderment in my voice.

“Never,” she said.

“I love you, Mads,” I whispered.

She smiled her sweet smile and stroked my
cheekbones with her thumbs.  “I love you too.”

I picked her up and buried my face in her
throat, hugging her tightly before carrying her to the bed.  I curled up
against her, cupping her breast and feeling the steady beat of her heart
beneath my hand.

“I love you,” I whispered again.

“Of course you do,” she said teasingly and
I kissed her firmly on the mouth.

“You really had nightmares every night for
three years?”  She asked.

I nodded. “Until I started sleeping with
you.”

She touched my face lightly and I kissed
the palm of her hand.  “You saved me, Maddie.”

“You saved me,” she said.  She touched my
face again.  “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to insist you go to therapy.”

I rolled my eyes and squeezed her breast. 
“I don’t need therapy, I have you.”

“Sweet but you’re still going,” she said.

“Are you always going to be this bossy?” I
asked.

“Yep, so get used to it,” she said. 
“Seriously though, will you try therapy?  It will help, I promise you.”

I nodded.  “Yeah, I’ll do whatever you want
me to, Mads.”

Another small grin crossed her face.  “I do
like the sound of that.”

I rubbed my thumb across her nipple,
smiling when it hardened immediately.  “You know, if we work really hard at it
– I think we can make the magic ninety-seven number by the end of the month.”

“Impossible,” she said primly.  “But I’m
willing to give it a try.  For science.”

I laughed and nuzzled her neck.  “I love
you, Mads.”

“I love you, Riley.”

Riley slammed the front door shut and
dropped his gym bag on the floor. 

“I’m home!”  He shouted.

Tiny feet thundered down the stairs and he
grinned and kneeled down as the little dark-haired girl appeared in the hallway
and ran straight at him. 

“Hi, daddy!”

“Hello, princess.  How was your day?”  He
stood and set her in the crook of his arm before kissing her smooth cheek.

“Good!  I look just like you now!”  She
pointed to the princess tattoos plastered across her neck.

“Does your mama know you did that?”  He
laughed.

“Yep.  She helped me put them on.”

“Did she now?  And how are you going to
find a job with those tattoos?”  He said sternly.

She giggled.  “I’m only four!  I can’t have
a job!”

“Someone has to pay for those tattoos,” he
said before tickling her round belly.

“They’re not real, daddy!”

“Oh,” he said before kissing her cheek
again.  “Where’s your mama?”

“She’s feeding Ty again.  He’s always
hungry,” she said. 

“Babies eat a lot, princess.”

“And poop a lot.”  She made a face and he
laughed before carrying her up the stairs.

“Uncle Roman and Uncle Mark are coming for
dinner tonight,” the little girl said.  “I helped mama peel the potatoes.”

“Did you?  That was nice of you to help
your mama.”

She smiled and rested her head against his
broad shoulder.  “I’m going to put tattoos on Uncle Roman’s neck too.  Mama
said I couldn’t but Uncle Roman will say its okay.”

“I’m sure he will,” Riley laughed.  “You
have him wrapped around your little finger.”

He opened the door to the nursery and
smiled at Maddie.  She was sitting in the rocking chair, humming softly as Ty
suckled noisily at her breast.

“Hello, kitten.”  He leaned over and kissed
her before kissing the top of Ty’s head.  “How was your day?”

“Hi, honey.  Fine.  Justin asked me to
review a file this morning so I did that and then I plastered your daughter
with temporary princess tattoos.  Oh and your son is going through a growth
spurt,” Maddie laughed.  “I swear the kid eats more than you do.”

He grinned at her as Maddie smiled at their
daughter.  “Andrea, can you help mommy and get the diaper cream from the
bathroom?  Ty will need his diaper changed when he’s finished eating.”

“Sure,” Andrea said.  “Daddy likes my
tattoos.”

“I knew he would.”  Maddie grinned at Riley
as he set Andrea on the floor.  She skipped out of the room and he brushed his
hand against Ty’s warm cheek.  The baby turned his head and smiled toothlessly
at him before latching on to Maddie’s nipple again.

“Did you have a good day?”  Maddie asked.

“Yes.  I picked up another new client.”

“Again?”  Maddie gave him an admiring
look.  “You’re going to have to open up your own gym.”

He laughed.  “I don’t think we’re quite
there yet.”

“You will be soon,” she said. 

He squatted next to her and stroked her
thigh as he watched Ty feed noisily.  “Hey, Mads?”

“Hmm?”

She was stroking Ty’s thick, dark hair and
he squeezed her knee until she glanced at him.

“I love you.”

She smiled happily.  “I know, and I love
you too.”

END

Please enjoy a sample of “The Recruit (Book
Four)”.

The Recruit (Book Four) will be available in
late 2016.

THE RECRUIT

(BOOK FOUR)

Copyright 2016 Elizabeth Kelly

“Goddamn, sweetheart!  Do you have any idea
how much it turns me on to watch you kick vampire ass?”  Reid shouted.

Selena, panting softly, grinned at him.  “I
thought it was my all-natural tits that turned you on.”

“Those too.  Down!” 

Selena dropped to her knees and he shot the
vampire behind her.  She jumped to her feet and Reid pulled her into his
embrace and kissed her deeply.

“Jesus, Reid.  Now is not the fucking
time!”  Mannie shouted as he ran by them.  He drove a stake into the leech who
was creeping up behind Hannah.  It exploded and Hannah nodded her thanks before
thrusting her sword into the hissing, drooling vampire in front of her.

“Where did Will go?”  She asked as she
wiped her sword clean.

There was an answering growl and a grin
crossed her face, her eyes turning a bright green, as the giant wolf bounded
out of the darkness.  He was covered in ash and blood and he rubbed his head
against her hip.  She stroked his face affectionately before glancing around
the dark forest.

“Is that all of them?”

Selena nodded.  “I think so.  Fuck, another
group of them.  They’re never alone anymore.”

“Not particularly a good sign for us,” Reid
said gravely.  “If they’re getting better at playing house with each other,
we’re in trouble.”

“We’re in deep fucking shit,” Mannie said. 
“Every single hunt we go on we find multiples.  And they’re moving closer and
closer to the facility.  We’re what – ten miles from home?”

“If that,” Hannah said as she studied the
forest.

Mannie scowled.  “The whole goddamn town
will be overrun with vamps if we don’t do something.  What the fuck is
happening?”

“The uprising,” Hannah said.  “It isn’t
over.”

“Did we actually think it was?”  Reid asked. 
“I know I didn’t.”

Selena shrugged before holstering her gun. 
“I sort of hoped it ended with Samuel.”

“We need to talk to Jordan,” Mannie said
grimly.  “That asshole is keeping information from us.  We all know he is and
if he doesn’t start telling us what the fuck is going on, we’re gonna – oh for
fuck’s sake!”

A female vampire, hissing and spitting, had
dropped from a tree above them.  She took off into the forest, limping badly,
and Will barked sharply when Mannie took off after it.

“Mannie, wait!”  Hannah called. 

“I can handle it!”  Mannie shouted before
disappearing into the dark.

She rolled her eyes.  “I swear to God,
Mannie has a death wish.”

“He can take care of himself,” Reid said. 
“He’s been killing bloodsuckers for years.”

Hannah glanced at Will and then Selena. 
“Let’s go.”

“He’ll be right back,” Reid protested.

“C’mon, handsome,” Selena said.  “You need
to work on your cardio anyway.”

Reid grinned at her before holstering his
gun and following the others.

* * *

Olivia shrank into the shadows as the human
drew closer.  She held her breath, her limbs trembling, as he walked past her. 
He was tall and powerful-looking with muscles that bulged and rippled beneath
his dark t-shirt.  She clapped her hand over her mouth, muffling her whimper of
fear, when he pulled the wickedly-sharp stake from his belt.  He held it
loosely and scanned the darkness. 

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he
called cheerfully.  “Why draw this out?  You know I’m going to kill you - I
know I’m going to kill you.  Why don’t you stop hiding, you bloodsucking bitch?”

The wind moaned softly in reply and she
stiffened when the human turned and seemed to stare directly at her.  “It’s
almost dawn and you’re not going to get very far with that leg.  Would you
rather die slowly from one hell of a sunburn or have a nice quick death? 
Myself, I’d choose the quick one but then I’ve never been one for – “

Olivia’s cry of fear was masked by the
human’s hoarse shout of surprise.  A vampire had appeared out of the darkness
and Olivia watched wide-eyed as she grabbed the human and threw him head-first
into a tree.  The stake flew from his hand to land in the dirt and the human
dropped like a stone to the ground.  He moaned dazedly as the vampire
straightened her shirt and smiled at him.

“I may have been slightly exaggerating the
severity of my injury, human.”

The man didn’t reply and the vampire sighed
loudly.  “You humans are so stupid.  You go after me on your own when it is
obvious you have no chance of defeating me.”

She crouched next to the man and swiped at
the blood flowing from his temple.  She licked it from her fingers, smiling
happily.  “I can hear your friends coming but they will be too late to save
you, I’m afraid.”

She straddled the human as Olivia crept out
of the shadows.

Go, Olivia.  Go right now.  This isn’t
any of your business and you need to find the facility and the man named Jordan
before the sun rises. 

She hesitated, biting her lip in indecision
as the vampire yanked the man’s head back by his hair.  “Don’t worry, human. 
Your death will be quick – painful but quick.”

Mannie, his head ringing and his body oddly
weak, winced when the vampire yanked his head back.  He blinked dumbly at the
vampire.  It was speaking but its voice seemed to be coming from a distance and
he could barely hear it.

You are about to die, asshole!  Get the
fuck up!

His eyes widened as the vampire’s fangs
lengthened.  Shit, he was fucking dead.

The vampire’s back arched and blood sprayed
from her mouth as she hissed in shock and pain.  Mannie watched numbly as the
vampire ripped open her shirt and stared in surprise at the tip of the stake
sticking out from between her pale breasts.

She turned her head as her skin blackened
and stared at the small blonde woman standing behind her.  “What have you
done?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

She cringed when the vampire burst into ash
and, coughing and choking on the fine ash, she straddled Mannie’s legs and
tapped him lightly on the face. 

“Hey, wake up.  Wake up now.”

“What the fuck?”  Mannie mumbled.

“You’re okay,” she said as he reached up
and touched his throbbing head.  Blood coated his fingers and he stared at it
as the woman moaned hungrily.  She was staring at the blood on his fingers with
a look of pure hunger and he watched as her fangs lengthened.

“Oh, fuck me.  You’re a fucking leech,” he
whispered weakly.

“I’m so hungry,” she muttered.  “Forgive
me.”

He grunted when she bent her head and sank
her sharp fangs into his throat.  His body arched and she clung tightly to him
as she drank eagerly.  Mannie, his head spinning, slumped against the tree, his
eyes slipping shut as she continued to drink.

Olivia moaned in ecstasy.  The human’s
blood was warm and sweet and she shuddered helplessly as it flowed through
her.  The pain in her side diminished as the human’s blood healed her flesh and
she lapped at the blood as he groaned quietly.  His heartbeat thumped
steadily.  He was a big man and strong, she told herself, she could drink a
little more without harming him.

Olivia, stop!  He did not give you
permission!

Dr. Matton’s voice echoed through her head,
so loudly that she tore her mouth free of the human’s neck and stared around
the forest.

“Dr. Matton?”  She whispered.

There was no reply and, suddenly horrified,
she stared at the human under her.  She pressed her hand against his chest,
panic fluttering through her like a trapped bird when she felt nothing, and she
ripped open his shirt and rested her ear against his hard warmth.

“Oh, thank God,” she whispered when she
heard the steady thud of his heart.  She lifted her head and patted his chest
timidly.

“Open your eyes, human.”

His eyelids fluttered open and she smiled
tentatively at him.  His eyes were the warm colour of dark chocolate and she
brushed her thumb across his cheek as he blinked at her.

“Why are you not killing me?”  He asked
hoarsely.

“All life is precious,” she said softly.

He touched his throat before holding his
fingers out accusingly to her.  “You bit me.”

“I’m so sorry.  I – I should not have fed
from you without permission but I was very hungry and I – “

She screamed in pain when the wolf’s teeth
sank into her slender shoulder.  He tore her away from the human and she
screamed again when he threw her into the tree and her back broke with a loud
crack that she felt more than heard.  She went numb from the waist down and she
stared in terror at the wolf as it snarled and stalked toward her.

“No, p-please, I mean you no harm,” she
whispered before trying to drag herself into the bushes.

A woman with dark hair and two long curved swords
appeared next to the wolf.  “I’ve got this, Will.”

“Please help me,” Olivia whispered.  “I’m
so afraid.”

The woman hesitated, a small frown line
appearing between her eyes, as her swords lowered slightly.