Precarious Possessions (Maxwell Investigations) (14 page)

Belle also stood and climbed out of the back seat. “Cute
misdirection,” she said simply. When she stood toe to toe with Madison, she
pointed her finger at Madison’s chest. “But don’t think for one second that I’m
going to forget this.” She stepped away from Madison and brushed her hair out
of her face. “Four years, Madison?”

Madison shook her head. “I didn’t know Troy was your son,”
she reasoned. “Otherwise you know I would have been at your door every weekend
for you to play with them.”

Belle looked at her skeptically. She ignored the sound of
the door to the house opening behind her and kept her focus on Madison. “You’re
lying,” she said after a moment. Before Madison could say anything she
continued. “You would want to bring them over. I don’t doubt that, but you
can’t sit here and tell me that you were going to
raise
those boys outside of whatever it is you’re involved in. And if they know about
magic, then you wouldn’t be able to let them near people that don’t know. Which
would be me, correct?”

“Damn it Belle, don’t go all DA on me,” Madison pleaded as Dennis
walked out of her house.

Dennis looked at the woman he had loved from afar for
decades. She was still as full of passion as she was nearly thirty years ago.
“There are safeguards we could have taught them,” he said in a low voice. When
Belle turned to him, he held her gaze. “But you’re right. It would have been
safer for everyone if you didn’t have any contact with the boys.”

Belle sucked in a sharp breath. It was like something in her
mind was ripped away at the sight of this man. She was terrified of him, but
she had loved him. The last time she went to see him was when she was going to
tell him she was pregnant with their first child. When she had gone into his
club and his “friends” changed into wolves, and tried to attack her, she
refused to have anything to do with him. Her eyes filled with tears as she
remembered how he asked a beautiful blonde to wipe her memory. After that,
Belle remembered only being with Connor. She believed that she had loved
him
. Even to the point where she married
and made a life with him.

Dennis saw her hand come up but did nothing to stop her. The
slap to his face stung, but it was the least he deserved from her. “Hello
Isabelle.”

The tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks as she glared
at him. “I have nothing to say to you,” she spat. When his eyes lowered she
wiped her face and stepped away from him. She looked at the house and saw her
husband standing at the doorway. “I have even less to say to you.”

Troy gently put his hands on her shoulders. “Mom, it was for
the best,” he said softly.

Belle’s back straightened as she looked at Dennis. She could
also remember him changing from a wolf into the man that called his friends off
of her. She glanced at Troy before turning to him. “What did you do to my son?”
she asked. When his head stayed lowered, she felt something inside of her snap.
“Answer me, you manipulative piece of shit!” she screeched.

Troy grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off her feet.
“Mom, it’s alright,” he shouted over her screams.

Madison walked over to Belle and forced her to look into her
eyes. “Belle, stop,” she said sternly. When Belle shook her head Madison
grabbed both sides of her face. “You need to calm down. Your son needs you to
be here for him, and so do your grandsons.”

“He ruined my life!” Belle screamed. “And now he’s after my
baby!”

Casper touched Troy’s shoulder and frowned. He slipped into
Belle’s mind and put her to sleep. Green eyes looked at the men in front of him
and mused. “You boys are going to have a hellcat on your hands,” he said before
making his way into the house.

Madison looked at Dennis and Connor and folded her arms over
her chest. “You two better get your stories straight. She’s going to take you
both to task for this stunt.” She then looked at Troy. “Come on. We’ll put her
in one of the guest rooms.”

Connor stayed silent as Troy walked past him. He didn’t know
what he
could
say. In his own mind
Troy was his son. While it was true that Dennis arranged everything for him and
Belle to be a couple, Connor had truly fallen for her.

Troy looked back at Connor. “Go spend some time with the
boys, Dad. I’ll be back as soon as I get her settled,” he said in a tired
voice.

* * *
* *

Jade green eyes looked out among the growing crowd of the
club. There was no more denying that she was hungry, but she also knew that she
would have to be careful with the prey she found. With rumors starting up, it
wouldn’t do to start feeding off someone and then having a Keeper stumble upon
her.

“Have you found anyone good yet, Lily?” A male voice asked.

She turned around and brushed her wine colored hair away
from her face. “Find your own food, Cord,” she snapped viciously. “Or better
yet, starve. If any more of your bodies show up, I’m sure the Council will send
out one of their precious Slayers for you.” She turned her attention to the
crowd again and inhaled as she saw one of the very Slayers she mentioned.
“Jimmy Maxwell,” she frowned.

Cord stood from his seat and went to her side. “I’m sure he
would be a perfect meal for you,” Cord whispered.

Lily growled as she felt his seductive voice wash over her.
“I will not flaunt myself under any Maxwell’s nose,” she replied before looking
at him.

Cord smiled as his eyes scanned the crowd. “Is that because
you have a taste for one of them?” he asked in a teasing voice.

With a roll of her eyes, Lily moved away from her brother.
“Grow up, Cord,” she said before moving away from him. “Not everyone is like
you.” She watched the crowd and saw a man with a tall, strong build. “If Daddy
shows up, tell him I’ll call him tomorrow.” Lily turned and walked away from
her brother. She knew that he would watch her from the balcony of the VIP room.
It didn’t bother her as she quickly made her way down to the dance floor, but
the situation she currently found herself in
did
bother her. Cord was losing his grip on the rules; no
fatalities, no
minors,
everything was to stay under
wraps. The lives they live in the
Normal’s
world
should be completely different from their natures. Just because she had to live
it up as a whore at night didn’t mean that she had to do it in the light of
day. As a matter of fact, she actually
liked
her new job.

A hard body pressed up against Lily’s back. Her anger
defused some of her hunger, but the feeling of male hands on her waist brought
her nature back to the fore. She turned in his arms and gave him a seductive
smile. His blue eyes quickly locked on the shape of her mouth, just as she knew
it would. “Take me to the back and we can finish this in private,” she
suggested.

It only took a moment’s hesitation before awkward lips fell
on hers. Lily inhaled through her nose as his lust threatened to overtake her.
She pulled away from his kiss and giggled when he stepped with her. She could
tell he’d never done something like this. And from the feel of him, he was
going to be delicious.

* * *
* *

Madison quietly opened the door to the guest room she and
Troy placed Belle. She wasn’t surprised to see the other woman sitting up and
gazing at the rising moon. “You hungry?” she asked quietly.

Belle looked at Madison with bloodshot eyes. “I’m sick,” she
answered. When Madison closed the door she wiped at the tears sliding down her
face. “How much of my life is a lie?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Madison answered honestly. She
crossed the room and sat at the foot of the bed. “Things about magic, general
stuff about wolves and vampires, how to get the twins to sleep, that I can
handle. Relationship stuff, not so much.”

Belle’s hands were shaking as she ran her hands through her
hair. “He’s a werewolf, isn’t he?”

Madison didn’t know if she meant Dennis or Troy. It really
didn’t matter. “Yes.” She stood and went to the window. “In a few years the
boys may change as well.”

“May?”

“There’s a 50/50 chance with one human and one non-human
parent. By puberty most start developing traits of the other species. For
werewolves and other shifters it’s tricky, they don’t enter puberty until their
twenties.”

Belle could remember Troy’s temper becoming short and nearly
volatile after he had come home from college. She closed her eyes and allowed
her shoulders to fall. “I feel like a horrible mother.”

Madison snorted. When Belle looked at her, she gave her a
rueful smile. “I can hold seminars about horrid mothers. Trust me, you’re
fine.”

Belle found herself eased by Madison’s reassurance. They sat
in comfortable silence for a while. As the moon rose higher, Belle replayed
what Madison had said to her. “Your boys also have a 50/50 chance,” she said.
When Madison looked at her, she returned the gaze. “They’re my grandsons. I
deserve to know.”

Madison shrugged. “It’s a little more complicated,” she said
rubbing the side of her neck. “I’m a Mage.
Not exactly human,
but not exactly
not
human.”

Belle looked at Madison for a moment. She couldn’t hold back
her laughter as an odd thought struck her. “I used to work with Harry Potter,”
she giggled.

Madison blinked before giving into her own laughter. That
was one thing she missed about working with Belle. They were fast friends and
easily made each other laugh.
“A little vague and a lot
general.
But yes, I’m Harry Potter.”

As Belle laughed harder a knock came to the door. Madison
opened the door and saw Dylan. “And here’s Hermione,” she said stepping aside.

Dylan looked between Belle and Madison and felt her eyes
roll. As she thought they talked some, but pushed some major issues under the
rug. “Don’t believe her,” Dylan said. “She’s more like Sirius Black.”

Madison pouted as she went back to sit next to Belle. “But
he died in the fifth book.”

Dylan smiled sweetly at her sister. “But he
was
bat shit crazy.”

Madison’s pout blossomed into a smile. “Gary
Oldman
played him to the bone,” she gushed.

Belle chuckled at Madison’s antics before looking at Dylan.
She had met the other Maxwell sister when Madison had worked with her. After
the woman had been married, Belle hadn’t seen or heard anything from her. “So,
tell me about the magic,” she requested. Madison’s laughter died as Belle
remembered the horrible creatures that had killed Leslie and Marie. “Can all of
you do that?”

Dylan shook her head. “Magic is normally passed down from
parent to child. Unlike Harry Potter, we have affinities to certain things. Our
brother Jimmy can call spirits into gems. He can make then into weapons or
guardians.”

Belle looked at Madison. “Can you do that?” she asked. “In
the stairs, you changed that ruby you wear into a weapon.”

“They’re called Jewel Witches,” Madison replied going back
to the window. “Our mother is one, so we can all do the basics of it. My
specialty hasn’t been in the family in about two hundred years.”

Belle remembered what Spencer had said to her in the
hallway. She also remembered the shape of Madison’s weapon. “You’re one of
those Necromancers,” she stated.

Madison looked at Dylan and smirked. “I knew I saw Kayin’s
stare someplace else,” she said before turning to Belle.
“If
it makes it any easier to know, yes.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then I’m not,” Madison said with a straight face.

Dylan frowned at the exchange. Even though her reputation
said otherwise, Madison was too used to protecting everyone around her. What
she needed was someone to protect
her.
“
Madi
,” she warned.

Before Madison could say anything, Belle held up a hand to
Dylan. “I know she’s lying,” she said keeping her eyes locked on Madison.
“You’re a Necromancer. You make those things?”

Madison shrugged. “Zombies are usually more trouble than
they’re worth, but yeah.” She continued to watch Belle. “Usually I just raise
the dead long enough to answer a few questions.”

Belle tilted her head to the side. “Your family has
positions all around to hide what you all are,” she deduced. “You’re like a
whole secret society hidden in the regular population,” she added in awe.

“Pretty much.”
Madison glanced at Dylan and rubbed the side of her neck again. “Listen, Belle,
why don’t you come downstairs and spend some time with us. Troy and Dennis are
going to be out for a while and the boys want to meet their grandma.”

Belle blinked at the thought. “And here I thought I was
going to spoil Chelle’s baby girl.” She stood and tried to fix her hair.
“Troy’s boys may be the death of me.”

Dylan scanned Belle’s mind and saw that she was trying to
cope with everything going on around her. She smiled, being careful to hide her
fangs. “They are little heartbreakers in training.”

Madison rolled her eyes. “Yes, but as long as they worship
Lacey, I don’t have to hurt anyone.”