You Belong To Me

Chapter Nine: Genevieve

After the body had been safely removed to my house, I grabbed a quick shower to wash off the sweat from the day and changed back into my shorts and threw on a tank top with no bra.

I tied my hair up and slid my feet into a pair of sneakers, then packed two bags for the trip.

One for my clothes and cosmetics, the other with my weapons. I packed my guns, ammunition, a few daggers, and briefly considered taking my crossbow, but decided against it.

I hesitated briefly over the grimoires in my vault, chewing on my bottom lip for about five minutes, then reluctantly grabbed the most coveted one in the entire collection. It was ancient, dating back centuries, before the fall of the Roman empire. I needed something to trade with Maddox in exchange for his assistance, and this was the only thing I knew he wanted.

He had been begging me for this particular grimoire for years. I had refused because I wasn't sure about his intentions. His kind didn't really have a good track record in the supernatural world.

But the image of Wren covered in blood, his life draining from his body with each second, is enough to make me take the book from the shelf and place it in my bag.

If there was anything I could do to keep him from getting hurt again, I would do it. Without question.

I threw my bags in the trunk of my car and secured my house before I jumped into the front seat and drove back to the manor. While the staff loaded Wren and Rehan’s bags into the back, I went inside to find my parents.

I found them both in the conference room, stacks on stacks of files on the table and floor. Their heads were bent over an open folder, and I came in silently and closed the door behind me. They both looked up, and my mother smiled softly at me while my father diverted his gaze back to the document in his hands.

“So we’re about to leave for the airport.”

My mother stood up from her chair and came towards me, hugging me fiercely.

“You be strong out there, okay? Are you okay to do this by yourself?” she asked.

I nodded, and she pulled away to look at my father.

“Dad?”

“Hunter.”

He put the file on the table and looked up, his gaze meeting mine squarely.

“Dad, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

He says nothing.

“I know how much you hate it when I keep things from you but I promise I’ll never do it again.”

He lifted a brow as if to say, “Oh, really”, then redirected his focus back to the file he was working on. I sighed softly and looked at my mother for help, and she moved to stand behind my father, gently massaging his shoulders with her slender fingers.

“Hunter, Gene is your only child. Do you really want her to leave without you saying goodbye?”

“Lorelei-”

“Now, now. I understand that you’re upset with the both of us for keeping something like this from you, but that’s no reason to behave this way. The two of you can work everything out when she gets back, but at least say goodbye.”

For years, I had wondered how my mother had managed to calm my father’s raging temper with just a few words and a gentle touch, but I was beginning to understand that it had to do with their bond.

The two of them were mates, and they’d had decades of practise getting to know each other. Even now, I could feel my father beginning to relax, his anger towards me dissipating long enough for him to rise from his seat and walk towards me.

The guilt that had been gnawing at my gut eased somewhat, and I wrapped my arms around his waist and returned his squeeze with one of my own.

He even placed a kiss on my forehead the way he always did when I told him I was leaving, and brushed the hairs off my face so he could look down at my face properly.

“Please be careful, Genna. I still need to yell at you for keeping this from me.”

I smiled at that, and he returned it with one of his own.

“I promise.”

After that little emotional scene in the conference room, I give both parents one last hug before I leave. I find Wren and Rehan already waiting for me outside, their parents standing anxiously at the top of the stairs.

“I’ll guard them with my life, Your Majesties,” I promised. Wren’s mother nodded graciously, but her shoulders remained stiff as she watched her sons chatting by the car. Her eyes held this distant, almost sad look in them when Wren laughed at something Rehan had just said.

I didn’t need to know the details to guess that some kind of argument had probably taken place between her and her sons at some point during the day. But, of course, I kept my thoughts to myself and glanced at my watch to check the time.

When I get to the car, both brothers look up at me and smile. I return the gesture and open the door.

“So which one of you is riding in front with me?”

“As the oldest, I get the option of choosing first, so obviously Rehan will sit in the back.”

His younger brother rolls his eyes dramatically, and opens the door to the backseat.

“You just want to sit in front so you can be closer to Gene. Don’t forget we both heard you growl like an animal at me for hugging her.”

I chuckled, then got into the car. I’m assuming Wren gave his brother some look, because Rehan is laughing when he slides into the vehicle.

We pass by Mary's for a bunch of burgers and soda, and I pay the bill before making my way back to the car. Thankfully, the windows of my car are dark enough that nobody can see them. Mary’s place is always incredibly busy, and I know for a fact we’d never leave if anyone realised I had both heirs in my car.

I get in and hand the food and drinks to Wren, who hands the burgers and fries to Rehan in the back. His brother rubs his hands in glee before opening the brown bag and sniffing the contents.

“Mm, chilli cheese fries.”

“That’s custom leather, so you’d better not get cheese sauce all over my seats.”

“What am I, five?” he asks, passing the rest of the food to his brother in the front.

I drive off before anyone decides to knock on my window to say hi, and hand my phone to Wren to play some music. Instead of the punk rock playlist I insist he play, he opts for an alternative indie band named Cigarettes After s*x and places my phone where I can’t reach it.

The roof of the car is pulled up, and I turn off the air conditioner so I can open the windows. The best part of driving down any highway is feeling the breeze blow in my hair while good music blasts through my speakers. And I’ll admit - albeit reluctantly - that the music was pretty great.

I grab the extra large soda and sip, blinking to ward off the sleep exhaustion that suddenly rushes through me. I am reminded that I’ve not had much sleep over the past week.

Wren takes one of the other sodas, slowly sipping from his cup and doesn't say much for the first ten minutes. It's only when we take a right onto the I-90 that he finally turns to me.

"You're tired."

"So are you," I say, lowering the volume.

"You haven't slept in a day, and you haven't eaten anything since lunch earlier today."

I wave my hand in dismissal at his words, and replace the soda in its holder.

"I'll eat on the plane. It's an eleven hour flight, so I'll get tons and tons of sleep. Don't worry."

He frowns, but doesn't press the issue any further.

“So Gene,” Rehan says, sitting forward in his seat so his face is between Wren and I. “How do you afford a car this awesome?”

“She’s like, super rich.”

Rehan lets his gaze dart between us before he settles on me, his eyes narrowing.

“Your mother pays me a lot of money to do what I do.” I explained.

“Which is what, exactly?”

“Whatever she needs done. Some things are like, super easy. Others are a little dangerous.”

“Do tell,” Rehan encourages.

“Well, there’s this guy I was hunting a few months ago. He was targeting exiled supernatural creatures and feeding off of their energy to strengthen his own powers. He literally just drained them of all their supernatural power, which obviously killed them. I was sent by your mother to investigate the threat. That’s actually how I met Maddox. He was asked to create the vessel where that creature is contained right now.”

“A wraith?”

I shook my head. “Incubus.”

“He was incredibly hot, wasn’t he?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

Rehan laughed. “Nice.”

The conversation eventually leads to other supernatural creatures I’ve met or seen in the past few years. I tell them about the wendigo I was tasked to hunt down, the chimera that tried to kill me, the vampires that I had a rather uncomfortable dealing with.

“Gnomes are actually really nice, if you don’t piss them off. Leprechauns, on the other hand, are incredibly malevolent and mean. I was this close to falling for one of their mischievous, little tricks.”

"So what's this guy like, anyway?" Wren asks about an hour out from the airport.

"He's very… eccentric and a bit of a man-w***e. But deep down he's a great guy and an absolute romantic. He just hides it very well beneath the cocky grin and sarcastic remarks."

"And you're sure he can do this?" Rehan asks from the back.

"Yeah. He's over a thousand years old, and has centuries of experience. If anyone can do this, it's him."

"Is he cute?" Rehan asks me.

I grin at his words, and our eyes lock in the mirror.

"Careful now. You don't want to upset Wren, do you?"

Wren throws his hands in the air as we chuckle at his expense, and he rolls his eyes and jacks up the volume so he can't hear us anymore.

When we arrive at the airport, I park my car in short-term parking and remove my bags from the trunk.

The guys take them from me, absolutely refusing to listen to my rant about being an independent woman who can carry her own luggage.

I take the bag containing my sword when the crewman offers to carry our bags. Wren lifts a brow when he hears the sound of metal clanging against metal in my bag.

I shrugged. "Girl's always gotta be prepared."

We arrived in London just after noon the following day, having slept through the entire flight.

Abby, our flight attendant, woke me up just before ten to get ready for the day. I showered and changed into my usual shorts and t-shirt, and made my way to the dining room for breakfast.

We meet a formally-dressed man who introduces himself as Edward, Maddox's pilot. He takes our bags to a helicopter waiting for us on the helipad closest to the airport building. Rehan smiles the entire trip, pointing out several historical buildings as the helicopter makes its way to Finchingfield, Essex, where Maddox was currently hiding out from the hustle and bustle of London, where he was usually found.

Edward gives the okay to exit, and lets us know he’ll bring our luggage in as soon as he’s landed properly. I took my bag of weapons and slung it over my shoulder, making my way towards the house, where another member of his staff was waiting for us.

"Ms. D'Almeida and guests, welcome to Maddox Manor."

The elderly butler bows graciously before us and leads us down a pristine, very well manicured path towards the house. There aren’t even birds flying around, it’s so neat. But I think that has more to do with Maddox’s dislike of the creatures than anything else.

"This puts our house to shame.”

“Maddox is old, old, old money. He has more money than God.”

The butler smiles discreetly, and leads us to the back, where I assume Maddox must be.

"Mr. Maddox is on the terrace. He's asked that you please join him for lunch."

Sure enough, we round the corner and spot Maddox sitting at a glass table overflowing with food. He stands when he sees us, and I widen my eyes in surprise at his appearance.

The last time I saw Maddox, he'd been cleanly shaven, his golden hair cascading down his back like liquid silk.

He'd also lost a s**t load of weight and was up to his ears in prostitutes of every size, gender and colour. He’d been so out of it, he’d barely even realised I was in the room.

Now, though…

Well, he actually looked pretty hot.

His golden locks had been cut to shoulder length, and had been freshly washed if the scent of coconut shampoo was anything to judge by. He had a neatly trimmed, yet full beard covering the lower half of his face.

Unlike the birthday suit he’d paraded around in last time, he was currently dressed in a button-down shirt folded at the sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms. The shirt was paired with comfortable slacks and stylish loafers.

"Gene, it's great to see you again. How was your trip?" he greets in his upper class English accent, pulling me into a large bear hug.

"It's good to see you too, Mad. You look f*****g amazing.”

He smiles warmly at me, his dimples flashing.

"As do you. I see you took my advice and let your hair grow out a little longer?" he asks with a cocky grin.

I laugh, remembering the reason he’d made that suggestion in the first place.

I turned to the guys, introducing Wren first, then Rehan. Even though I leave out their titles, Maddox makes the connection immediately. His eyes narrow in suspicion when he looks at Wren, as if he’s trying to figure out where he may have seen him before.

“You look very familiar.”

“Perhaps you’ve met my mother, or my father.”

He tilts his head, his features relaxing as if his brain has finally made the connection. He takes Wren’s hand and shakes it, his eyes softening in approval.

“Yes, I think it’s your father. A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”

The second his eyes lock on Rehan though, they warm with interest. He shakes his hand slowly, his thumb caressing the back of the other man's hand gently.

"Hello, a pleasure to meet you,” Rehan says.

"You have a fascinating aura," Maddox announces, his eyes scanning the space around Wren.

Rehan blushes at the compliment, and he doesn’t immediately pull his hand free from Maddox’s grip. I can literally feel the air around then change, their pheromones excreting come-f**k-me vibes everywhere.

“That’s a new one. Have you been using that line all your life?”

Maddox fights the grin tugging at the corner of his lips by biting down on his bottom lip, which draws Rehan’s gaze to his mouth.

“I think it would have caught on after a thousand years, don’t you?”

“Maybe it faded in and out of style like those questionable fanny packs everyone is wearing lately,” Rehan responds, his eyes locking with Maddox’s gaze once more.

Maddox lifts a brow, and Rehan pulls his hand from his almost reluctantly.

“I happen to like fanny packs,” Maddox admits.

Rehan makes a face, as if his point has been made, and Maddox finally grins, widely.

“Perhaps I’ll have to do better.”

“In regards to your debatable fashion choices, or your mediocre pick up lines?”

“Mediocre?”

“At best.”

“I assume you want me to say… both?”

“Desperately.”

The adorable moment between them is broken when both Wren and I clear our throats dramatically.

"I hate to interrupt your meet cute, but Maddox, we need your help.”

Irritation shadows Maddox's face for a second before he turns to me, all traces of his good mood gone from his features.

"I'm getting really sick of your kind constantly asking me for my help during my vacation time."

I sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I wouldn't have bothered you if it wasn't very important though."

“Please, have a seat. I think this conversation will go a lot better over some tea.”

We quickly filled him in on what he needed to know over a variety of sandwiches and fruits, cheeses and pie, carefully excluding Russell's murder and our altercation with the venatoribus in the forest.

I put the bullets in his outstretched hand and watch as he rolls them around on his palm for a few seconds, his brow furrowing in concentration.

"I can't feel any magical essence from them, but I'll do my best to help. Provided, you have something to trade for my valuable time."

He raises his brows in question, pinning me in place with that amber gaze.

I open the bag I'm carrying, and pull out the book. Maddox's eyes widen in awe and shock, and he spares me a brief glance before he takes the grimoire.

"You're… giving me this?"

I nodded.

He looks up at me, then plants the book on the table and folds his arms over his chest.

"What the f**k is going on, Gene? You and I both know you would never part with this. I've been begging for this for years, and suddenly you give it to me in exchange for tracing a magical signature off these bullets? I'm sorry, but I think you're keeping something from me."

Fuck, I hate when people see right through my plans.

The only other hand I had to play would betray my intensifying feelings for Wren, something which I hadn’t been planning on admitting out loud so soon, and in front of an audience no less. I inhaled deeply, then looked Maddox squarely in the eye so he would know I wasn’t lying.

"Okay, look. Someone I care about nearly died from these, and I very badly want to find out who was behind that. It’s the only reason I’m parting with this grimoire."

I can feel Wren’s intense gaze on my face, but I refuse to look at him. For once, Rehan doesn’t say anything inappropriate, but it doesn’t take long for Maddox to piece the puzzle together. His gaze darts between me and Wren, then softens considerably.

He looks down at the bullets again, his guard lowered momentarily. I felt bad for not telling him the whole truth, but I couldn’t risk the events of the past few days getting out just yet.

"That's all there is?" he asks.

I nodded. "Yes, I’m asking you to do this for me."

“No tricks?”

My gut clenches, and I fight the urge to tell him the truth.

The pack comes first.

I shook my head. “None.”

"Alright. I think you should get comfortable. This might take a while."

It's been two hours since Maddox locked himself into a room upstairs by himself.

He waved his hand in dismissal when I offered my assistance, telling me I would simply ‘be in his way’.

Wren had stared at me for half a minute after Maddox shut the door in my face, perhaps sensing the guilt I felt about lying to Maddox.

Rehan ignores us entirely and decides to immerse himself with the books lining the shelves of Maddox’s private library.

“Why did you lie to him?” he asks when we’re on the balcony overlooking the garden.

“Because we’re supposed to keep this on a need-to-know basis, Wren. What if he’s involved?”

“If you really thought that, you wouldn’t have made us come all the way here for his help. And you wouldn’t have given him that grimoire from your private collection. Or told him you cared about me.”

I look away from his gaze, and tuck the loose strands of my hair behind my ears.

“I can’t just go around telling everyone the truth about everything, Wren.”

“You were honest with me.”

“That was different.”

“How?”

I let out a frustrated breath and met his gaze.

“Because you’re involved in this. Besides, it’s my job to protect you and Rehan. I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”

“You sound like my mother,” he whispers, his tone laced with disappointment.

He looks away from me, his gaze falling on the lavish green of the grounds.

“And if you haven’t noticed, I don’t have the best relationship with her because she’s always lying. The worst part is that she justifies her crap with that same reasoning. We were able to get along and work together just fine when you were being honest with me. If Maddox really is your friend, then you should have told him the truth.”

I don’t know why, but I hated that he was disappointed in me.

Normally, I wouldn’t give a s**t if a man was disappointed in me for doing what I needed to do, but Wren’s reaction made the gnawing turn to a raging, burning sensation in my gut. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he was always so honest with me about things, even when it was awkward. I realized that I really liked that about him.

He was sweet, considerate and funny, in a goofy kind of way.

“Is this all really just a job for you? Because back in the meeting, you implied that you only stayed by my side because you had to.”

“It is my job.”

"Good to know."

I am saved from responding when an explosion goes off somewhere in the house. The balcony we were standing on shook, and I immediately reached for the sword in my bag. I pulled it from its scabbard and rushed back into the house, pulling Wren with me while I screamed Rehan’s name.

“I’m in here!”

Wren and I hurried to the room Maddox had disappeared into hours ago. We are swallowed in a dark green cloud of smoke that makes my eyes burn and closes up my throat, making it hard to breathe.

“Rehan!”

“Down here.”

We made our way to Maddox, who was being assisted into a sitting position by Rehan. His outfit from earlier had been scorched to rags on his body, and his skin had been burned badly from the explosion.

"Holy, s**t. Mad, are you okay?"

I kneel beside him, reaching out to help him stand as he groans from the pain, coughing to clear the smoke from his lungs. He blinks several times, and rubs his arm over his eyes. Maddox looks around the room, and the second his eyes lock on my face, he reaches out, wrapping his large hand around my neck.

He lifts me, his eyes glowing an ominous gold.

He looks very, very pissed off.

My eyes are wide in my face and I drop the sword in an effort to diffuse the situation, but he barely notices. My hands reach for his wrist, and I try to pull free from his grasp, but he tightens his grip painfully, and I choke.

"You lied to me, Gene."

Goddamn it.

“I could literally rip your heart from your chest without-”

Maddox’s hand loosens around me, and his body is sent flying across the room. I watch as he slams into the wall, groaning as he falls to the ground on his knees. I land on my ass on the wood floor, grunting from the pain and drawing large lungfuls of breath, which I immediately regret because of the smoke in the room.

Rehan squats down beside me and helps me up carefully.

"Are you okay?" he asks, his gaze searching my face in concern.

I nod, and we both look up to see Wren standing between us and Maddox.

“You don’t ever touch her like that again.”

“She lied to me,” Maddox argues, his magical essence swelling to a resplendent orange around him as his eyes glow almost white.

“I know. And while I understand your frustration, I swear I’ll tear you apart if you ever put your hand on her like that again.”

The room swells with tension, filling it up so quickly that Rehan and I barely move, barely breath, as we watch them stare each other down. Wren's breathing was unsteady, and I could actually feel the overprotective possessiveness wafting off of him, and my heart squeezed at the idea that he would face off against a thousand year old sage just to protect me.

Maddox’s gaze lands on me, then sweeps towards Wren before finally landing on Rehan. His eyes dim to their usual gold, and his essence fades until we can’t see it anymore. He clenches his fists for a second, but loosens them as Rehan and I stand.

“Gene, I apologise.”

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Maddox. I should have just-"

He raises his hand to shut me up, and I look away from him.

"It's this exact reason that I've chosen to distance myself from werewolves and vampires. There's always some trick, some f*****g lie that results in a near-death experience. I know we're not friends, but I didn't think you would lie to my face. Please leave."

"But Mad-"

"Get out."

Rehan nudges me, his eyes still locked on Maddox's face.

"Let's go."

"Wren?"

He turns to look at me and Rehan, then says, "I'd like a minute alone with Maddox, please."