“And I know you love him too,” Armand continued solemnly. “Which is why we need to talk. We need to come up with a strategy for presenting this to Lucian if you want to save Paul’s life.”
Jeanne Louise stiffened. “Lucian can’t—”
“Lucian does what he thinks is best for our people. Paul kidnapped you, hoping to get you to turn his daughter. Kidnapping is wrong even in mortal law, Jeanne Louise. But Lucian won’t stand for a mortal kidnapping an immortal.”
“Paul may have kidnapped me initially,” Jeanne Louise said carefully. “But as soon as I was fully awake and realized I couldn’t read him I was there willingly. And he was only hoping to convince me to turn Livy. He wouldn’t have forced me.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Armand said on a sigh. “Paul was originally hoping to convince you, but he was also desperate. I don’t think even he knew what he would do if you refused, or how far he would go.”
Jeanne Louise frowned at this news, but shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. The problem never came up and Lucian can’t punish Paul for something that
might
have happened.”
“Lucian might not agree with you on that.”
Jeanne Louise glanced toward the door at her cousin Etienne’s words as he entered the cottage with his wife, Rachel, and Jo, who was her brother Nicholas’s wife, on his heels. The trio had gone out for food and each carried a cardboard tray of drinks and a Tim Hortons bag.
Nicholas and Etienne and their wives had arrived shortly after her father had removed Paul from the room. With the added help available, her father had sent Etienne and Justin to see to the neighbors, to make sure they didn’t think anything of the pained shrieks and wails Livy was eliciting and were plainly heard outside. The others had stayed in the room, helping to hold down Livy and keep her from hurting herself as her struggles became stronger.
Even with the added help, it had been hard to keep the girl still and Jeanne Louise had been relieved when the Enforcer Anders had arrived with the drugs and IV. The drugs hadn’t stopped the pain for Livy, but they’d made it more bearable and stopped her from thrashing about.
“He can’t punish Paul for taking me. I was willing,” Jeanne Louise said firmly as Etienne and the women began to unpack the food they’d fetched. Nine sandwiches and nine drinks, she noted, and guessed they hadn’t bothered to bring Paul food.
“Anders doesn’t eat or drink,” Jo said quietly. She leaned sideways in her seat to offer a piece of her sandwich to Boomer with one hand and a pet with the other.
Not being allowed into Livy’s room, the dog was apparently mooching for food from anyone and everyone, Jeanne Louise thought, but then spotted his full food dish several feet away. He wasn’t going hungry, so perhaps he wanted affection and reassurance as much as food, she decided, and then let go of the concern as Jo straightened and reassured her, “One of the sandwiches and a drink are for Paul.”
“Oh,” she murmured and smiled at her sister-in-law with gratitude. She liked Jo and was glad the woman and Nicholas had found each other. As if called by her thoughts of him, Nicholas now entered the kitchen on Eshe’s heels and Jeanne Louise frowned at the sight of them. “Livy—?”
“Paul is with her,” Eshe reassured her at once. “I showed him how to change bags as necessary.”
“You were willing after you realized he was your life mate, Jeanne Louise, but not at first,” her father said, drawing her attention back to the matter at hand. He then added sadly, “And sweetie, your being willing or not doesn’t change the fact that he kidnapped an immortal with the intention of making them turn his daughter.”
“She was dying,” Jeanne Louise barked with frustration, and then asked grimly, “What would you do to save me or Nicholas or Thomas?”
That brought a moment of silence that she filled by adding, “Besides, he only kidnapped me because Marguerite told him to follow his heart.”
“What?” Etienne asked with amazement, head jerking up at the mention of his mother’s name.
Jeanne Louise nodded firmly. “Paul was going to try to convince a coworker who would have been easier to get alone, but Marguerite told him to follow his heart, so he took me.”
“You were his heart’s desire,” Eshe said softly, her gaze concentrated on Jeanne Louise’s forehead. She was reading her mind, of course, Jeanne Louise thought with a sigh, but didn’t fight it. Seeing everything that had taken place could only help her cause. At least she hoped so.
Her gaze slid around the table at the silence suddenly surrounding her, and Jeanne Louise found everyone staring at her, concentration on their faces. They were all bloody reading her. It made her realize that some of her memories were somewhat personal and private and definitely X-rated. Not something she wanted her father and brother to see.
Standing abruptly, she said, “I love him. He’s my life mate. I wanted to turn him and have him turn Livy so that we could be a family. I can’t have that now, but if Uncle Lucian harms a hair on Paul’s head I will stop him, or die trying. If you love me, I suggest you figure out a way to convince him to leave Paul alone.” Gathering two sandwiches and two drinks, she added, “Now I’m going down to sit with Paul and Livy. Excuse me.”
Jeanne Louise turned and headed for the stairs then, pausing and stepping around Justin Bricker and Anders as they appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Jeanne Louise,” Bricker said, catching her arm as she passed. When she paused, he said, “I’m really sorry. I wish I could—” Sighing, he let go of her arm and said simply, “I’ll do what I can to help.”
Nodding, Jeanne Louise turned away and continued downstairs. She knew he felt bad and her silence wasn’t helping. And she didn’t want to blame Bricker for the way things had gone. Jeanne Louise knew he hadn’t intended for any of this to happen, that it hadn’t been deliberate on his part. But while her head was able to reason all this out, her heart wanted to lash out at someone with all the frustration and rage she was forcing down over the way things had turned out. Jeanne Louise was afraid if she said anything at all to the Enforcer, she would pour all that rage and frustration on his head. Maybe with some time . . .
Jeanne Louise grimaced to herself. She very much doubted time would help here. In fact, she wasn’t sure anything would.
Sighing as she stepped off the stairs, Jeanne Louise crossed the sitting area to the bedroom where Paul and Livy were . . . or where they were supposed to be. However, when she entered the room, a somewhat forced smile in place, she found the room empty.
P
aul hurried around the side of the cottage, his heart in his throat. He’d sat down to watch over Livy as Eshe and Nicholas had left, but moments later had become aware of a terrible need to relieve himself. He’d decided that it wouldn’t hurt to step into the bathroom next door. Livy was resting peacefully now, and her blood bag had just been changed. Leaving her alone for one minute shouldn’t cause any problems . . . or so he’d thought. He hadn’t been gone long, just the amount of time it took to go to take care of the matter and then splash cold water on his face and dry it off. But he’d returned to the room to find Livy missing, the fresh bag of blood torn open and lying empty on the floor beside the bed.
He’d whirled and hurried out of the room then, pausing when he noticed the open screen door that faced onto the lake. While this was technically a basement, the cottage was on a slight incline. The basement was half above ground and a small area had been dug out and reinforced so that a door could be installed along with a short six-step stairwell up to the backyard.
Cursing, Paul had hurried to the door and out, desperate to find his daughter.
It had only taken a quick glance to realize she wasn’t in the backyard or on the beach. Now Paul was rushing around the side of the cottage, very aware that the sun was hot and strong and Livy shouldn’t be out in it.
A car was pulling into the driveway as Paul came around the front of the cottage, but he hardly paid it any attention. His sole focus was on the two girls by the edge of the road. Livy and Kirsten, standing by the dead bird that they’d thought was just sleeping. Only their focus wasn’t on the bird now. Instead the two girls seemed to be tussling, and as he hurried forward, Kirsten managed to push Livy away and ran for home shrieking, “She tried to bite me!”
Livy was off at once, rushing after her with hands extended and fingers clawed. Her fangs were out.
“Oh God,” Paul muttered and hurried forward to intervene. He managed to catch Livy around the waist just as she was lunging at Kirsten’s back. He immediately swung her up into his arms and held her in front of his face, and then froze at his first sight of her. Her eyes were glowing silver, her fangs were out, she was growling like a rabid dog and there was blood around her mouth, whether it was from chewing open the blood bag or biting Kirsten, he couldn’t tell.
“Livy?” he said with amazement, and cried out when she suddenly lunged at him. Paul didn’t react quickly enough, wouldn’t have been able to stop her. But he didn’t have to. She was plucked from his hold before she got to his throat.
Blinking, Paul stared at the man now holding his daughter—tall, fair-haired, blue eyes burning silver, and his body and stance radiating confidence and strength. He was impressive and intimidating.
The man took one look at Livy and she suddenly passed out in his hold. He then glanced briefly at Paul before looking past him and saying, “Handle the mortals, Anders.”
Paul glanced over his shoulder to see the Enforcer nod and turn to follow the path Kirsten had taken. He then peered back to his daughter as the blond man shifted her against his chest and eyed Paul.
“Not quite what you were expecting is it, mortal?” he asked grimly. “All you were thinking of was Livy healthy and well. A happy ever after. It didn’t occur to you that she’d change. That it might be a nightmare rather than a dream.”
“She—” Paul began, and then paused as a very pregnant brunette reached them and brushed her hand along the blond man’s arm.
“She’s his daughter, Lucian,” she said softly.
Paul stiffened at the name. So this was Jeanne Louise’s uncle, the man who would decide his fate. The guy was one scary dude.
“He loves her,” the brunette continued. “And Jeanne Louise too. What would you have done to save your daughters in Atlantis? And what would you do to save the child I carry now?”
Lucian Argeneau glanced to the woman, taking in her pleading expression, and then turned back to Paul. He wasn’t exactly softer, but he was more relaxed suddenly. His eyes no longer seemed on fire, and the power he radiated was now muted, still there, but not raging.
“Livy isn’t herself right now,” Lucian said quietly. “She’s still in the turn. What you just witnessed wasn’t really your daughter. She probably wasn’t even fully conscious. Once the turn is done and she’s recovered she’ll be the girl you remember. Mostly,” he added dryly, then shifted Livy against his chest so that he only needed one hand to hold her. It freed his other to clasp the brunette’s elbow and urge her toward the cottage. “Come.”
Paul released a shaky breath and followed. He’d now met Lucian Argeneau. And he was still alive. So far.
J
eanne Louise stared at the empty bed, and then scanned the room as if the father and daughter might be playing hide-and-seek with her, but knew they weren’t. They were gone. Both of them and the only thing that made sense was that Paul had grabbed Livy and run rather than risk Lucian’s wrath.
She could understand that. She was immortal and a relative and her uncle terrified her. Paul was mortal, presently looked on as Public Enemy Number One by her people, and in a heap of trouble. Jeanne Louise could understand his running. What she didn’t understand was why he hadn’t taken her.
Swallowing, she turned and moved out of the room, unable to bear being there alone anymore. Moving without thinking, she started upstairs, her mind sluggish and stunned. She had no intention of revealing that he was gone. She’d do what she could to help him make his escape and simply keep quiet, Jeanne Louise decided, but had barely stepped off the stairs onto the main floor when Anders and Bricker were on their feet and rushing past her.
It was then she realized just how stunned she had been at Paul’s abandoning her. She’d forgotten that new life mates were very easily read. She probably also looked rather stricken, Jeanne Louise supposed, and that everyone would have wondered why she was back so quickly. She supposed she probably would have helped Paul more by staying downstairs for a bit.
“The blood bag is mangled on the floor beside the bed and the screen door is open.”
Jeanne Louise glanced to Bricker at that announcement as he returned from downstairs.
“Anders went after them while I came to report,” Bricker added, as he crossed to the kitchen door. “I’m going to help him loo—”
Bricker paused abruptly, then pulled the door open and stepped out of the way as Leigh entered with Lucian behind her, a sleeping Livy in his arms. Paul was right behind them, Jeanne Louise saw. She was torn between being happy to see him and upset that he hadn’t managed to get away. There was also a little wanting to smack him silly for leaving her behind. Nice mix, she thought dryly, and had to clutch the back of the chair she’d stopped behind to keep from running to him.
Her gaze slid back to her uncle as he passed Livy to Bricker.
“Take her downstairs, hook her back up to the IV and give her more drugs,” Lucian ordered. “Take the father with you, and stay until someone replaces you.”
Bricker nodded and waited for Paul to lead the way, then followed without comment when he started across the room.
Paul’s eyes sought hers as he passed. He offered her a weak smile in passing, but she couldn’t respond in kind. Jeanne Louise turned and watched as the two men walked to the stairs and disappeared down into the basement.
Once they were gone, she turned back to find Lucian eyeing her. She could tell by the way his eyes were narrowed that he was reading her thoughts. Knowing she couldn’t stop him, Jeanne Louise simply waited for him to finish.