Precarious Possessions (Maxwell Investigations) (27 page)

Madison kept her eyes trained on Tina. “Ashton is dangerous
Mom. He’ll hurt any of you to get to me,” she said seriously.

Tina frowned as she made a note to talk with Victor about
Madison’s history with Ashton. She then shook her head and stood. “I’ll figure
something out. And I’ll keep the boys close.” Tina easily walked over to
Madison and kissed her forehead. “In the meantime you have a wedding to plan.
Start looking for a dress. We’ll have everything ready before you start
showing.” With the ease of a mother, she turned and left the room.

“So I guess Vegas
is
out?” Troy
asked before kissing her cheek.

Madison laughed as she turned her face and kissed him
tenderly. “Yes, Vegas
is
out.”

Dylan frowned at Madison’s reflection. “If you mess up your
make up or hair, I swear I will hurt you,” she said swatting away Madison’s
questing hands.

“It feels funny.” Madison chewed on her lip.

Tina laughed as she finished pinning the last ruby into her
daughter’s hair. “You’ll get used to it,” she said before touching Madison’s
shoulder. “Don’t chew on your lip Sweetheart. You’ll get lipstick on your teeth.”

Leigh walked into the bridal suite and smiled at Madison. “I
was able to find something new, something blue, and something borrowed,” she
announced holding up a small bag. Her violet eyes glittered as she started
pulling out the items she gathered. “A new handkerchief, a blue garter, and I
was
able to borrow this necklace from that jeweler that
Dennis let into the Pack.”

Dylan picked up the necklace and smiled at the delicate
strands of silver, diamonds and rubies. “Very nice,” she complemented. She then
turned to her mother. “You think you can get something like this?”

Tina smiled as she looked at the necklace. “Actually, I had
something like that commissioned for
Lacey’s
sweet
sixteen,” she said. When she looked at Dylan and winked. “It’s going to be amethyst
and sapphire.”

Madison chuckled as Dylan went back to doing her makeup.
“Crispin should love that.
Lacey and Antonio’s birthstones?
It’s perfect Mom.”

Dylan shook her head. Everyone enjoyed teasing her husband
about
Lacey’s
crush on her bodyguard. “He’s
threatening to send her to school in Paris. I never thought he would be this
protective.”

Madison’s hand drifted to her lower abdomen. “I did. I was
once one of his wards. And if the past few weeks are anything to go by, Troy
will be just as bad.”

“You’re having a girl?” Leigh asked. When Madison nodded,
she squealed. “She’s going to be precious. Do you have any names picked out?”

Victor knocked on the door and entered. He looked at the
women hovering around his foster daughter and smiled. “I will have to veto your
first choice my dear,” he said before carrying a dress bag over to the changing
screen. “Briar Rose is a nice name, but it is not good enough for my
granddaughter.”

Dylan frowned.
“Briar Rose?
Really Madison?
That’s as bad as what you wanted to name the
twins.”

Tina looked at Victor. “What did she want to name the boys?”

“Cain and Able,” the Vampire answered. “We compromised and
came up with Kayin and Aiden.” He then turned his eyes to Madison. “I will have
to agree with Troy on his idea of Aurora.”

Madison frowned. “I’m not letting you dictate what I’m
naming my kids.”

Dylan put the tip of her finger on Madison’s nose. “It’s a
better name. Deal with it,” she ordered. “And stop frowning. I’m working here.”

Madison rolled her eyes. “We should have gone to Vegas,” she
mumbled.

“We would have hunted you down like animals and dragged you
back here kicking and screaming,” Leigh replied. She then sniffed at the dress.
“This is something old.” She turned to Victor. “Can I see it?” she asked.

Victor smiled at the young woman. She was bright, curious,
and adventurous. If he wasn’t careful, he would find himself trying to find
ways to spend time with her. When Dylan looked at him sharply, he cleared his
throat and went to the bag. “While I should appreciate Madison thinking of me
as her “something old,” I think I have a better replacement.”

Madison felt tears coming to her eyes as she looked at the
white lace gown. She remembered that gown from her first trip to London. “That
gown was the one from Lady Tabitha’s wedding,” she whispered. “I played the
violin for her and thought she was a princess.”

Victor smiled. “This dress had been in Tabitha’s family for
centuries. I told her you were getting married and she sent it right over. You
left such an impression on her, she wants you to have it and pass on to your
daughters.”

Tina smiled as she looked over the gown made of white lace
and silk. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She looked at Madison and laughed as
she quickly grabbed a tissue. “Sweetheart, don’t cry. You’re going to be
gorgeous.”

Madison shook her head before turning and running into the
bathroom. While she had been working through her abandonment issues, there were
times when she just couldn’t believe that Troy actually loved her.

Dylan sighed as she looked at Victor. “I’ll get her.” She
went over to the bathroom and followed Madison inside. When she saw her sister
standing at the mirror and shaking, Dylan folded her arms over her chest. “You
want to talk about it?” she asked.

“I’m getting married,
Dyl
.”
Madison turned and looked at her sister with frantic eyes.
“With
a dress and flowers and everything.
Who would have thought that?” she
asked.

Dylan shrugged. “A lot of people get married. I did it once.
It’s not that hard. Just follow the prompts. You know, I do, the whole with
this ring speech, and then kiss your husband.”

Madison took a deep breath at her sister’s calm demeanor.
Dylan was right, this would be easy. She, Troy and the boys all became a tight
family. They would be fine. She just had to get through this one ceremony.
“I’ll be okay,” she breathed.

* * *
* *

Troy stood at the altar with Casper and Crispin at his side.
He looked at the crowd that showed up for his wedding and took a nervous
breath. “She’s going to run,” he whispered to them.

Crispin frowned. “She loves you. She wouldn’t run,” he said
with complete faith in Madison.

Casper snorted. “Loving him is one thing. Pledging herself
to him in front of this crowd? Twenty bucks says the old man had to sedate
her.”

Troy frowned at his best man. “It shouldn’t come to that,”
he whispered as the organs started to play the bridal march. He stood watching
the faces of Madison’s bridal party as they walked down the aisle. A smile
crossed his face when he saw Kayin, Aiden, Lacey, and a little girl from the
Pack named Laura walk in one large clump tossing flower petals. When he saw
Dylan calmly approach, he raised his eyebrows.

“She’s
just nervous,”
she told him mentally.
“
Madi
should be fine now.”

Everyone stood when Madison stood at the entrance with
Victor and James on her arms. He smiled as they made their way to him. Madison
was a vision in white as she wore a turn of the century gown that made her look
the sultry aristocrat. He glanced at Casper and Crispin when they chuckled.
“What?”

Casper leaned over to his ear. “She had been eyeing that
dress since she was a teenager,” he said lowly. “Pop says it’s her something
old.”

Troy nodded as he returned his attention to Madison. Her
hands were shaking as James and Victor stepped back and allowed Troy to take
his spot next to her. He smiled at the woman that would soon be his wife. “I
love you,” he whispered to her. His heart started to race when she returned his
smile. “You look beautiful.”

“Next time we’re going to Vegas, family
be
damned,” she replied squeezing his hands. She pressed herself to Troy’s side as
they both stepped towards the waiting priest.

* * *
* *

Ashton watched from the back row. Madison was getting
married and going to live her life as if it were some fairy tale. Little did
any of them know that things were progressing
quickly.
There were only three more seals needed for the spell to work. After that, the
Horsemen would awaken and bring about chaos and change.

He applauded as the happy couple kissed and turned to make
their way down the aisle. With everything that happened when she was younger,
he truly wanted Madison happy. At least she would know what it felt like. As a
Necromancer he knew it was almost impossible to find someone that would
understand him and his desires to bring change to the world.

When Madison looked at him, he simply nodded his
congratulations to her. She returned his nod and smiled at her new husband.
After the reception they would run off to their honeymoon, and Ashton would run
off to make sure the final seals were destroyed.

He would give her the happily ever after she wanted. Then he
would take his own.

Thank
you for reading Precarious Possessions!

Aston’s
plans for the Maxwell family continue next time in Barry and Lily’s novel.

Dangerous
Dalliances

Turn
the page for a sneak peek....

People were
dancing and singing as they celebrated the life and death of a world famous pop
icon. Barry Maxwell made his way through to club and found himself at the bar.
He looked at the bartender and waved him over. “A shot of Jack,” he ordered
easily.

The bartender
nodded and quickly moved to fill drink orders. Barry turned around and scanned
the crowd. The dance floor was a huge living mass.
 
There were plenty of women dancing in barely
there outfits and there were also just as many men willing to take advantage of
them. Barry glanced at his elbow and saw his shot waiting for him. He couldn’t
help but sigh as he downed his drink.

It would have
been easy to coax one of those women to his side, then to the back room.
Then possibly her apartment.
But lately he had been
preoccupied by a beauty that tried to be anything but.

His older
brother’s secretary, Lilavanti, hid behind sari and bulky clothes. The only
three times he had seen her, she had her long wine colored hair pulled back in
tight buns or ponytails, and her gorgeous green eyes were always covered by
fake glasses.

Barry turned to
the bartender and raised his glass. His thoughts of Lily focused on her true
nature. She was a Succubus. A creature everyone thought was extinct. But
somehow she and her twin Cord had blended in with society. At least until Cord
went wild and started killing people. Barry’s own brother Eric was still
comatose after their fight.

But Lily was a
different matter. She had tried to hide her nature as much as possible. And
while it seemed like everyone else backed away from her mousey image, Barry
found it hot as hell.

He sighed as
his drink reappeared. He reached for his wallet only to pause when the
bartender shook his head. “We know your sister,” the bartender said with a
smile. “Dylan’s family is always on the house.”

Barry was
confused by that bit of information. Usually it was Madison that people spoke
of. He leaned forward. “Mind if I ask how you know her?”

The bartender
shrugged and reached for another glass. “A cub from my Skulk went missing. Your
sister found him before something happened.”

Barry nodded as
he looked at the bartender. With his red hair and lean build, Barry knew
exactly what he was dealing with. “Foxes, huh?”

The Fox Shifter
held out his hand. “Ethan,” he introduced.

“Barry,” he
replied as he shook Ethan’s hand. He glanced around the club again and spotted
a familiar form writhing against another one of the dancers. Barry frowned as
he spotted her long dark hair and slim figure. “You’ve seen her here before?”
Barry asked Ethan.

Grey eyes
looked at the woman dancing. “That’s Lily,” he said easily. “She comes in here
about once a month.” Ethan smirked as he watched her seductive moves. His smirk
then fell when both he and Barry saw Lily lead her partner from the dance floor
to the bathrooms. “I can tell you she’s a Supernatural, but exactly what, I’m
at a loss.”

Barry finished
his drink and tried to calm himself down. Even though Foxes ran the place, he was
in a bar full of normal pedestrians. He looked at Ethan. “I’ll tell Dylan you
said hello,” he said before moving into the crowd. Barry found himself seething
in anger. It had barely been a month since Cord’s death. Now she was out
clubbing. Dancing and grinding against some poor unfortunate asshole. He
couldn’t even entertain the thought of her following in Cord’s footsteps and
killing someone as well.

He reached the
men’s room door and found it locked. Barry tried to calm himself as he gripped
the door knob. He allowed his Magic to flow down his arm and in seconds the
lock sprang open. The scene he spied as he opened the door made him want to
take out his own eyes. Lily was on her knees making quick work of the strange
man’s belt and zipper. Barry cleared his throat and gave them both his best
frown. “Lilavanti,” he said harshly.