Precarious Possessions (Maxwell Investigations) (17 page)

“Are you sure?” Belle asked. She moved back and clutched at
the railing.

A soft smile crossed Madison’s face as Troy came to her
side. “It’s either him, or Jacob Black. Either way I’m a happy girl.” Madison
laughed when Troy nudged her hip. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt
so content. Madison sank her fingers into his fur and smiled as she knelt next
to him. “Don’t worry,
Sharkboy’s
got
nothing on you,” she whispered into Troy’s ear. She laughed as he started to
lick her face and neck. “You know, that’s
kinda
gross.” Madison pulled away from Troy and looked over to Belle. The other woman
was nervous, but was trying to hold back her fear. “He’s still your boy,”
Madison told her.
“Different shape, but still there.”

Belle slowly reached her hand out to the wolf. She gasped
when he rubbed his head against her hand. A small laugh escaped her. “He’s so
soft,” she said running her fingers through his fur. Belle blinked when he
turned and looked into her eyes. The look in his eyes told her everything she
needed to know about her son. More tears fell as she shook her head. “I’m not
scared of you,” she said before she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Madison smiled as Troy moved closer to his mother. She then
glanced at the house and saw both Conner and Dennis, in his wolf form, watching
them. “The night isn’t getting any younger, Puppy. You want to get running now,
or what?” she teased.

Dennis walked up to Madison and growled. He then stopped
when he heard Belle gasp. It wasn’t as bad as the last time she had seen his
wolf, but he still hated the fear he put in her large blue eyes. He lowered his
head and walked off of the deck.

Troy looked at his mother before nuzzling her cheek. He
turned to Madison and licked her hand before running off after his father.

Belle took a slow breath and looked at the door. She wiped
her eyes as she saw Connor about to make his way to her. “How long will they be
gone?” she asked. She needed to know how much time she had to build up her
walls against Dennis and what happened to her.

Dylan glanced at the man standing alone in the living room
and nudged her husband. “They should be gone for a good part of the night.”

Blue eyes looked at the man in front of her. Part of her
knew that Victor was right. With the number of years they spent together, some
of the times she and Conner had had to be real. She looked at him across from
across the room, but she couldn’t bring herself to go to his side. She turned
to Madison. “I’m going to find the boys,” she said before leaving them all
behind.

Barry walked out of Madison’s home and spotted Thorne
smoking a cigarette by his car. The Mage mused as he looked at the stricken
man. “When in doubt, smoke it out, right?” he reasoned.

Thorne took another drag and held it. Since he and Barry had
been assigned to work together, he had seen more than he ever thought possible.
Thorne slowly released his breath and looked at his friend. “I had quit before
today,” he said lowly. There was something close to regret in Barry’s eyes, and
Thorne hated it. “The things you told me about magic and what you can do...
wasn’t
what went down today.”

Barry could only nod. “Sometimes it can get a little out of
control.”

“That was
not
a
little out of control and you know it, Barry. People died today.” Thorne tossed
his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. “Did you know that your little
sister was the one that had to kill them?” The memory of the way Madison looked
as she left sent shivers down his spine.

There was nothing Barry could say that would shake Thorne
out of his mood. The facts would only make him angry, and they swore not to lie
to each other. “Madison is better trained to deal with dead bodies. She’s the
Necromancer.”

“Then why the hell were we there?” Thorne spat.

Before Barry could answer, a car drove up from the gates. He
frowned as he recognized it. “Well shit, there goes the planet,” he sighed
tiredly. Brown eyes looked at the man in front of him. “I know you’re pissed.
You have every right. But I hate to tell you, it’s too late to have your mind
wiped now. You know too much and have been around me too long. Everything will
work out somehow, and you’ll be in the clear of any investigation that may
happen.”

Thorne looked at the car that pulled up to the main entrance
to the house. It was simple to recognize Barry’s father behind the wheel and
his mother in the passenger seat. “Are they here as your parents or your
supervisors?”

That was the million dollar question. Barry looked at Thorne
and shrugged as his mother opened her car door. “Mom, Dad, I can’t even begin
to explain,” he started. Barry froze when Tina threw her arms around his neck
and held him close.
“Mom?”

“Are you okay?” she asked. “We were told that you were here
unconscious. What happened? Did Dylan call a Healer out here for you? Are there
any traces of that Magic left on you?”

Barry returned his mother’s embrace before stepping back. It
shamed him to hear his mother worry and fuss over him while Madison was forced
to clean up his mess. She never gave Madison a moment’s thought. “Madison
checked me over. She says I’m fine.”

Tina frowned as she looked him over herself. “I would rather
a real Healer look at you,” she said clucking her tongue. “Madison deals with
zombies and freaks. Not live people. She has no clue what she’s doing.”

“My mommy’s the best!” a small voice shouted from an
upstairs window.

Barry looked up and saw the twins sitting in the open window
just above where they were standing. He looked at his mother and saw the shock
on her face. Aside from pictures from Eric and Sloane, and stories from Dylan,
she had never met her two grandsons. “Kayin, Aiden, what were you told about
eavesdropping?” he asked.

Thorne smiled at the pair. They were a handful at the best
of times. Now that someone had been talking about their mother, they looked
like they wanted to raise pure hell. Kayin was standing on the window seat and
Aiden was already halfway out of the window. “Boys, don’t hurt yourselves,” he
called as he walked towards the window.

Aiden was nearly red with anger. “My mommy doesn’t miss
anything. She’s a Werewolf Alpha and a Vampire Princess. Take it back!”

Tina looked at the pair with wide eyes that were quickly
filling with tears. It was the first time she had the chance to see the twins
that were only whispered about in the Council. She quickly followed Thorne.
“I’m sorry Sweetheart, I take it back,” she said quickly.

Kayin growled low as he jumped from the window to the
ground. He didn’t care that the woman with his uncle screamed. He simply rolled
into a crouch ready to protect his uncle. “We don’t believe you,” he said
lowly. He stood in front of the Barry with his arms open wide.

Tina’s heart was in her throat as the other boy jumped from
the window and landed in front of her. She fell to her knees as she looked at
the boys. They looked like little warriors ready to go to war for their mother.
She looked at the one in front of her and wiped her eyes. “I really am sorry.
Your mommy is the best mommy on the planet.”

Aiden sniffed at her. “I know you.” His normally golden eyes
flashed red for a moment. “
Grandpup
said you threw
Mommy away.”

Tina looked at James for a panicked moment. How could she
explain to a child what happened, when she still couldn’t fully explain it to
herself? “That isn’t what happened, Sweetheart. I would never throw your mommy
away.”

Kayin walked to his brother’s side and touched his shoulder.
He turned narrowed eyes on the couple in front of him. “Leave before Mommy
finds you,” he ordered.

Barry’s lips thinned. This was getting out of hand. He
grabbed both boys by their collars. “Back off, both of you,” he said sternly.
When he turned Aiden to look at him, he saw the hurt in the little boy’s eyes.
His eyes softened and he released them. “Neither of you know what happened back
then. And if things had been different, you wouldn’t have your grandfather. Now
say you’re sorry and go to your room.” He ruffled their hair affectionately.

Tina had to admit they got their looks of pure defiance from
their mother. Neither said anything before they turned and went to the house.
Just as one of them started to reach for the door, Madison and Dylan came out
of it.

Madison looked at her sons. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“She said you didn’t know what you were doing,” Kayin said.
He held onto Aiden’s hand as his brother started to turn back to Tina.

Madison knelt down and made Aiden look at her. “What
happened, Puppy?” she asked softly. She saw the way he was shaking and gently
ran her fingers along his jaw. “It’s okay. Just talk and let it out.”

Aiden lunged for his mother and buried his face in her neck.
“She’s the one that threw you away. She’s the mean monster, not you!” he cried.

Dylan inhaled as she looked into both boys minds. She then
turned to her sister. “Dennis and Alex were talking a few months ago. They
didn’t know the twins were listening,” she whispered.

Madison lifted Aiden into her arms and looked out along the
grounds. She rubbed her son’s back and shook her head. “They’re alright, I’ve
got them,” she called out.

Tina looked at her in confusion until five large wolves
stepped out of the shadows. “I only came to check on my children,” she said to
them all.

“Well, you see Barry’s alive and Dylan’s still a Vampire.
You both know which way to leave,” Madison snapped. She reached for Kayin’s
hand and started for the house. When she didn’t hear anyone moving, she turned
and looked at her mother. “What?” she asked. “Don’t sit here and tell me that
you wanted to see me too. We all know that’s a crock of shit,” she spat. When
Tina just continued to stare, she started to lose her patience. “James, take
your wife home,” she ordered. “I don’t want you here and I don’t need you here.”

James straightened his back and looked at his daughter. “I
wish I could, but
there’s
a few things you need to
know.”

“You don’t have anything to say to me that can’t wait,”
Madison said sharply. “In case you haven’t noticed, I have two children to take
care of.”

Barry saw the way their father pulled his shoulders back and
jumped between the pair. “Just relax, Dad. She’s only reacting this way because
the twins are upset.”

Dylan watched Madison as she took the boys inside the house.
After all this time, she was getting tired of the war between her sister and
her parents. They were either going to have to leave her alone or talk out
their problems. She turned to James and Tina and noticed Tina was thinking
along those same lines. “What’s so urgent?” she asked tiredly. When Tina looked
at her in confusion she sighed. “Madison is quick to anger normally. With what
happened today, upsetting the boys is only going to shorten her fuse.”

James narrowed his eyes at his youngest daughter. “You need
to stop buying into her press. Just because Victor took her in doesn’t make her
some all-powerful being. She is still my daughter.”

“Oh, grow up, Dad,” Dylan snapped. She ignored the look he
gave her and continued. “Madison hasn’t acknowledged you two as her parents
since her sixteenth birthday. If you try to pull that card now, she’ll only
laugh in your face.” Dylan stepped closer to her father and lowered her voice.
“Take a look around, Dad, Madison isn’t treated like she’s some type of
all-powerful being. She’s being protected from the assholes that ripped out her
heart.”

Tina inhaled and huffed out a breath. “For God’s sake, this
is too much,” she said before pushing past Dylan and Barry.

Dylan watched as Tina walked up to the house. She knew
Madison would be angry, but this was something she and Tina needed to hash out.
Dylan turned to her father and frowned when he moved to follow his wife. “Why
did you come here?” she asked as she stepped in front of him again.

James growled as he paced from where Dylan was standing, to
his car, and back. “The Council wants a full report on what happened.” His eyes
then darted to his son. “Barry is to be held in solitary for questioning, and
Thorne is to be taken into custody.”

Both police detectives straightened. “I was only doing what
was asked of me,” Barry said quickly. “And Thorne sure as hell didn’t have
anything to do with it.”

James shook his head. “We can straighten everything out in
the morning. You have until then to turn yourselves in.”

Dylan looked at Thorne and sympathized as he pulled out
another cigarette. “We’ll get everything settled as soon as possible,” she told
him. “For now, you can stay with Crispin and me. We can tell the Council that
you turned yourself over to us. In turn, you’ll be our responsibility.”

Barry nodded. “And I’ll go and find Mathias. If all of this
is being laid at my feet, then he deserves his fair share of the blame.”

* * *
* *

Madison sat Aiden on her bed and pulled Kayin up with them.
She looked at her two boys and gave them a sad smile. “Now you both know
better. You shouldn’t speak to an adult they way you did Nana Tina.”