Sixteen
Kendrick handed the dead girl’s watch to his mom and waited. He paced along the wall like a caged animal.
“Sit down,” she said. “Good night. You’re so nervous.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He sat, but he twisted his hands together.
Her smile grew as she scrolled through everything he had. The pictures. The fake messages. All of it.
“Very good work, son. Was she easy to kill? Did you enjoy it?”
“Parts of it.”
“You kept your head throughout the whole thing. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, Mom. All you have to do is hit send, and it will break everywhere.”
“Have you picked the next one?”
“Yes. And she will be more painful than the others. Maddox actually cares for this one. He’s territorial with her. And she has a sweetness the others lacked. The public will want his head.”
“She sounds good, but don’t lose focus, son. This isn’t about Maddox.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Erin gaped at the house for a moment. “Wow. They live in that?”
He chuckled and pulled on her hand. “Cool, huh?”
“I like it. It’s weird. A good weird.”
Her watch pinged. A message from Jaris.
I miss you. Will I see you tonight?
I’m busy. Talk later.
“It’s Jaris,” she told him.
“Did you tell him you’re unavailable to play today?”
“No. I wasn’t that cute. I just said I was busy.”
The big door swung open for them. Erin’s heart sped up—face to face with Tesla. When she’d seen her before, she was so absorbed thinking her dad was dead that she didn’t get the chance to talk to or even really look at her.
“Come in,” Tesla smiled and moved aside.
She was rooted where she stood. Maddox pulled her in.
“Hi,” she managed. “I’m Erin.”
“I know. I’m glad you came to see me. Maddie’s told me about you.”
“Please stop calling me that,” he whined.
Her nerves bounced in her stomach. “I…thank you for saving my dad’s life.”
“No problem. Is he doing better?”
“Much. He almost looks normal again.” Erin tried to come up with something to say. “Um…I saw a few pictures of your wedding. Your dress was amazing.”
Tesla smirked, and it looked just like Maddox’s smirk. “That was a long time ago now.”
“You look exactly the same though.”
“Thanks. I’m actually only three years older than Maddie.”
“What?”
“Long story. I’ll tell you sometime if you decide you’re going to be my sister after all.”
Erin just swallowed.
“I promised her you’d make coffee,” Maddox interjected.
Tesla smiled. “Oh, all right. I’m going to have to teach you how one of these days.”
“Yeah, but if you teach me, I’ll lose my best excuse to just show up here,” he said.
They followed Tesla into her kitchen. Erin sat next to Maddox and waited quietly for her coffee. She observed the way the two of them spoke to one another. It made her sad she was an only child.
“Oh!” she shrieked and pulled into Maddox as the black smear of a nightmare stalked into the room.
It turned its red eyes on her and smiled terribly. Her blood ran cold. Maddox chuckled and rubbed her arm.
“Relax. It’s just Fluffy.”
The monster laughed an evil, demonic sound. “Just Fluffy? I resent that.”
Dumbfounded, Erin continued to cling to Maddox. Then X walked in.
“Hello,” he said casually to Erin.
“Hi,” she squeaked, staring at X. He was quite freaky and totally beautiful. Not as gorgeous as Maddox, but it was close.
X held out his hand, palm up to the monster. The next second it vanished.
“Wha…where did that thing go?” she asked.
“He’s in here,” X said showing her his hand. A clear stone, like a crystal, was strapped to his palm. He sat down across from her and pinned her with his ice blue eyes. “So you’re her? The reluctant life mate.”
“Um…”
“Do you really hate Maddox?”
“Yes.”
X laughed. “Are you scared to be here?”
“No.”
“You’re not very honest.”
“Stop it, X,” Tesla said.
“All right. All right.” He got up from the table and wrapped Tesla in his arms. “You’re making that nasty stuff again?”
“No one’s asking you to drink it.”
Everyone’s watches pinged at the same time. Scrambled words and images blurred the headlines. Incoherent flashes came through, then it was gone.
“What was that?” Erin asked.
Maddox’s watch pinged again. He stood and walked into the other room before answering the call, but his voice carried through anyway.
“Hey, Redge. I’m at Tesla’s house right now…I saw something. It wasn’t clear…Do you need me to come there? Okay…Yeah… Bye.”
Before Maddox came back, X got a call, too. He didn’t leave the room to answer it. “Kindel…Nope. Nothing was clear. Yeah, I’ll talk to him…Let me know.” He ended his call and sighed.
“Is there another dead girl?” Erin asked.
X gave her a hard stare. Maddox came back in and sat down next to her again. “It’s okay, X. I trust Erin.”
She looked at him, amazed. He said it so easily. Was it true? Did he trust her?
“Lots of ugly stuff leaked to the media. It needs to be sorted through. Kindel stopped it from breaking.”
“I deleted all my old contacts, but they’re still on my other watch that I left at Fortress. Those girls need protection, or at least to be warned.” Maddox said. “I’m worried about Mel and Erin the most. Someone was outside Erin’s window last night.”
“The dome for Erin’s house is ready,” Tesla said. “Mel’s already well protected and informed, but you’re right. What did Redge say?”
“That I need to be ready to make a public statement if the news actually does get through.”
“If you and Erin could go public with your relationship, that would—”
“She’s not ready for that,” Maddox cut Tesla off.
“I’m just thinking of things to protect you,” she argued.
“It doesn’t matter,” his voice made it clear the topic was closed.
“I’m sorry. I think I should go,” Erin said. “I don’t want to add to the stress.” She stood. “Could you open a portal for me, please?”
Maddox stood, too, and put his hand on her lower back, directing her gently out of the room and through the front door.
“I’m sorry,” he said once they were outside. “I saw that going a bit differently in my mind. I thought you would like them.”
“I do. It’s not that. I just don’t know what to do…I feel weird. Like I’ve encroached on something too personal. I don’t feel comfortable being a part of…I’m the outsider. And your family is in turmoil right now.”
“You’re right. This isn’t fair to you, and I’m trying really hard to be fair to you, Erin. I’m trying to not push. I’m trying to not charm you when I want to. But this whole business is scaring me. I’m worried you’re going to be targeted. Just last night—I can’t even let myself think about it because I get all freaked out and furious at the same time. And I don’t know what is going to be required of me in the next few days, or hours, in that case. But I have to know you’re safe.”
She took in his voice as he spoke, his eyes, and what he was feeling transferred from his heart to hers. Taking a deep breath, she made a choice. He needed her help.
“I won’t be that girl. The one who insists she’s fine and can take care of herself when she’s really just a helpless dumbass who causes more trouble and puts herself and others in danger. I won’t be that girl. I’ll listen.”
“Wow. I think I just fell in love with you.” He leaned in and kissed her lips, but just briefly.
“I am pretty awesome,” she teased, using snark to hide behind. “What can I do so you don’t worry about me?”
“Stay close. And when you’re not, stay under the protections on your house or mine.”
“Sounds like I need a guard to go anywhere.”
The door opened behind them, and X stepped out. “There already is one. Well, sort of.”
“What?” she asked.
“Fortress is already tailing Maddox. It’s not foolproof, and for the time being, they’re only a shadow in the distance, looking for the perp to slip up. But there are eyes. They’re only there when he goes out in public.”
“So what are you saying, X?” Maddox asked.
“Don’t do anything differently. If you start to look over your shoulder, so will the perp. It will screw everything up. Keep Erin close, but keep things looking status quo. Okay?”
“Okay,” they both agreed.
X handed a small box to Maddox before going back inside and shutting the door.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“The protection for your house. We should go back there and get it up now.”
He touched the mark on his wrist, opening a portal for them back to her house. They landed back in the living room.
Nathan jumped in his chair and put his hand over his heart. “Good grief!” he exclaimed.
“Sorry, Dad. Didn’t mean to startle you,” Erin said sitting on the armrest of his chair.
Maddox set the box on the floor and opened it. Pale light vibrated inside. It rose up and coated the air like the membrane of a soap bubble, spreading more and more. Erin gasped as it slid through her. It felt like a warm shiver and then was gone. The air sparkled, and then everything looked normal again.
“It’s done,” Maddox said. “No one meaning you harm will be able to get through. If you want it to shut out door-to-door salesmen, you should have mentioned that before.”
Her dad laughed. “I like this one,” he said to Erin. “The other guy seems like a kiss-ass to me.”
She patted his arm and stood up. “Okay, Dad, thanks for your input.”
“I have to second what he said,” Maddox added.
“Okay, thank you for your input,” she repeated in the same tone she used on her father.
“What are you kids up to now? You haven’t been gone that long.”
Her watch pinged. “I uh…hold on.” She went into her room and shut the door.
“Jaris. Hi.” She answered the call.
“Hey. What are you doing? I miss you. Your last message was abrupt. Are you mad at me?”
“Not mad. No.”
“Why did you break our date last night?” he asked.
“My dad. He’s so much better. Better than he’s been in so long. I wanted to spend the evening with him,” she explained, feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the moment.
“Oh. Why didn’t you say so? I was worried you were with Maddox.”
“Um…well, I was after a while. For our appointment, you know.”
Jaris was quiet for a minute. “Is he getting forceful with you? Pushing you for more?”
“No,” she said quickly, thinking how she had been the one last night to want skin to skin contact. She’d told him he could have her if he wanted…Something real or nothing. Was she being real? She wasn’t being open with Jaris. She blew out a breath. “Look, I’m spending today with Maddox. There’s some stuff going on. I can’t talk about it.”
There was another silence, an angry silence. “I see,” he said finally. “I thought you were smarter than this, Erin. I didn’t think he’d be able to fool you, but it sounds like you’re starting to believe his lies.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Where’s your loyalty to Selena?”
Insulted, she hung up and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Curious, she tried to tell Maddox to come to her through their connection. Come here, come here, come here, she thought, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her thoughts. She smiled at the soft knock on her door.
“Come in.”
He looked around the door, curiously. “Did you…call me?”
“I did. Come in and close the door.”
He closed the door, but he didn’t get any closer. “Are you okay?”
“That was Jaris. He’s angry.”
Maddox frowned. “So?” he asked slowly. “Was he mean to you? You want me to go kick his ass?”
She snorted at him. “Are you kidding?”
“Yeah…no…I totally am…I’m not.”
She wanted him to hold her, but he just stood there. Erin crossed her arms. “What X said about everything needing to look the same, does that mean you need to go out with Melina again tonight?”
He sighed. “I guess it does. Sorry.”
“Can I come, too?”
“Sure.” He smiled. “I’d like that, but…” his smile fell. “I don’t know if you’d be safer with me, or somewhere else.”
“You told me to stay close. Are you going to worry more if you can actually see me, or not?”
“Hmm…” he seemed to think it over for a second. “Please come with me.”
He came closer and reached for her. She let him fold her into his arms.
“I don’t know why I even hesitated, because the truth is, no one could ever protect you the way I can. Or the way I would. You’re my mate, acknowledged or not. I would die to protect you. I want you where I can see you, and not just because I love looking at you.”
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes so he could kiss her…only he didn’t. She blinked as he let go and stepped away from her.
“What?”
He ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry if that was too much. I’m not trying to persuade you. My mouth just ran away with me.”
Erin felt oddly let down and relieved at the same time.
His face pulled in a sour expression. “Maybe you should invite Jaris to come, too.”
She looked at him in shock. “Um…you want me to bring a date?”
“No!” he said quickly. “I just don’t want the person trying to frame me to focus on you. So maybe they won’t if it looks like we’re nothing to each other. You’re just a girl I danced with once and that’s all…maybe you shouldn’t go after all.”
“Maybe I feel the need to keep an eye on you as much as you feel the need to keep an eye on me.”
He cocked a brow at her. “Is that so?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. So where are we going tonight?”
“The venue will be the same. I’ll call the club and make sure they’re expecting me, and I’ll insist on more security than usual. I’ll check with Redge, too, and see what he says.”
“I need something to wear. Can Melina help me? Do you think she would?”
He grinned and touched his watch. “Mel?” he said.
“Hey, M.” Her voice rang out.
“I’ve got someone who wants to play dress up with you. What do you say? Help Erin fit in with us tonight?”
“Fit in or stand out like the last time she showed at a club?” Melina asked.
“Fit in, please. I need to be able to focus.”
Melina snorted. “I have my doubts about your ability to do that regardless of what I—”
“She can hear you,” Maddox cut her off. “Can you attempt to not embarrass me? And she knows we’re not together.”
“I see. Hi, Erin.”
“Hi.”
“I’ll meet you at your house, M, around sunset.”
“Sounds good. Bye.” He ended the call.
“So what do you want to do now?” she asked.
“We could go out to eat, but that’s a problem because we’ll be seen together.”
“I am hungry, but I can just throw something together for us and my Dad.”
“You want to just stay here and hang with him?” Maddox offered.
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Why would I? Your dad’s funny. I like him.”
She liked the idea, but she suddenly felt off, overtired, or something she couldn’t account for.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I feel a little overwhelmed I think. Jaris said I wasn’t being loyal to Selena by spending time with you.”
Maddox’s eyes turned cold. “Do you agree with him?”
She rubbed her head. “No. I told you I don’t think it’s your fault. He’s…I don’t know…”
“He’s worried you’re slipping away from him.”
“Yeah. I guess. I feel so tired all of a sudden.”
He looked down. “I’ll leave you alone.”
He moved toward the open portal on the wall. He couldn’t leave like that. She gripped his arm. As he turned back to her, she grabbed his collar and pulled, pressing her mouth roughly against his. He closed his eyes and groaned in the back of his throat, holding her tight. It was fast and desperate, and both of them had to catch their breaths as they pulled away.
“I’m going to rest for a while,” she said. “I’ll be back at your house when the sun sets.”
He put one hand on the side of her neck and tilted her chin up with his thumb. “Say it, Erin. Say that you’re mine,” he whispered.
She shook her head and took a step back from him. “I haven’t decided yet.”
He looked down again and left. She lay down on her bed and curled into a ball. Her tears were few, but she cried nonetheless before crashing into sleep.
Erin slept hard. A soft caress began to rouse her from sleep. Fingertips grazed her lips and smoothed her hair away from her face. "Maddox," she murmured, not quite lucid. She rolled over, her eyes opening slowly.
“Oh!” she was fully awake instantly. Face to face with Melina, smiling deviously at her.
“I thought about kissing you awake, Sleeping Beauty.”
Erin sat up eying Melina warily. “Why are you in my room, touching me?”
“Just curious what you’d do, and I thought it was time you and I came to an understanding…You did what I suspected you might when I touched you.”
“What was that?”
Melina continued to smile. “You said his name.”
Erin pushed her hair back and took a deep breath. “Well…I…that’s not…”
Melina snorted. “You are stubborn, aren’t you?”
Erin crossed her arms. “Let’s have it then,” she said aggressively.
“Have what?”
“Give me the run down on how if I hurt Maddox you’ll bring swift and painful retribution on me and I’m a fool for not just caving into him cause he’s the best thing ever, and whatever else.”
Melina blinked at her, then she threw her head back and laughed loudly. “Oh, hell. There’s hope you and I can be friends.”
“Who says I’d have you?” Erin demanded.
Melina laughed louder, and in a second, Erin dropped her attack stance and chuckled.
“I didn’t come here to threaten you, Erin. I came here to really talk to you for the first time, now that you know me and M are not together. And despite what he might tell you about the rundown on tonight, you’re going to need my perspective on what it will be like. Girls gotta stick together.”
“Sorry for the attitude. That’s very nice of you. I appreciate it.”
Melina crawled up on her bed and sat cross-legged next to Erin. For a moment, they just looked at one another, an odd kind of examination and understanding happening between them. Erin relaxed.
“You’ve known him your whole life?”
Melina nodded. “He hasn’t been himself since that hag, Bess. That’s when I lost him. That’s when he changed, and unfortunately, that was the same time his fame ratcheted up to what it is now. The combination twisted him.”
“He told me about her. He must have really loved her.”
“He did. He fell hard and didn’t try to hold back. He’d have given her the world. He tried to. And she was false.”
Erin frowned. “I feel weird about it…you know? Like I want to track her down and fuck her up.”
Melina smiled deviously again. “I did. M doesn’t know.”
Erin returned her smile. “He won’t hear it from me…Did you make her cry?”
“Oh, yes. And scream and beg. She wasn’t quite so pretty after I broke her nose and blacked her eye. I took some of her hair, too.”
“Damn…I wish I knew how to fight.”
“You’ll learn. Forest will see to it…well, if you stay in their family.”
Erin looked down. “You’re not going to try and sell me?”
“No. I really don’t see the need, but that could be because I’m biased. I’m interested in your hang-ups on it though, if you’d tell me.”
Erin grimaced for a moment, thinking it over. Then she opened up and found it was really what she needed to do. Melina listened as she told her about her feelings on Maddox before she connected to him. The night Selena died. Jaris. Everything she felt as she’d spent more time with Maddox. She almost blurted about him being the gift giver, but she didn’t know if Melina knew about that.
“So when it’s just you and him, what’s the problem?” she asked.
Unbidden tears began slicking Erin’s eyes. “Absolutely nothing and everything at the same time…I feel like trash with him. I’m poor. I feel so plain and ugly even. How could I ever be enough for him after all the women he’s been with? I hate that. I hate that I feel like I would need to compete with all these dirty memories.”
“Hmm…” Melina nodded, her expression thoughtful. “I can understand that.”
Erin wiped her eyes. “Thank you.”
“I really do get it, Erin. I’m going to give you a pep talk anyway.”
She snorted. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”
Melina moved forward and took her hand. “You are not plain or ugly, first of all. I’m jealous of how beautiful you are. That’s the truth. M told me about the first time he saw you and what it did to him. That was before your connection, so you can’t use that as your excuse.”
“I totally was, too.”
“I figured. Anyway, your beauty is not in question. You’re beautiful. You are not trash. You shouldn’t think that, and M doesn’t think that…If I was you, I’d be pissed about all the other women as well, but there is no competition. None of them mattered to him. And none of them had him either. As much as they might have tried to get a hold on him, they couldn’t. I’m not excusing him. I think it’s good he feels the pain of it now. I’m glad you’ve punished him over it. But his memories, whatever they are, have to compete with you, not you with them. See? You’ve been thinking about it backward. And here’s something else. Maddox is one of the most insecure people I’ve ever met. You’re worried you won’t ever be enough for him, and he’s worried he won’t ever be enough for you.”
“How could he be insecure about anything?”
“Look closer, Erin.”
“I’ll try. I need to think about what you’ve said.”
“You do that. Now we’re on the clock. We need to eat, and then move on to what you’re going to wear tonight and how you should handle yourself.”
Melina went through the portal on her wall and was back in a few minutes with a garment bag slung over her shoulder. She laid it down on the bed and ordered food to be delivered.
“Go shower. The food will be here by the time you get out.”
Erin obeyed, her stomach beginning to jump with excited nerves. Melina was making this a fun prospect and taking the fear out of it. She showered at top speed and came out into the living room in her bath robe, following the smell and the sounds of Melina talking to her dad.
Her dad looked up at her as she sat down at the table with them.
“I like your new friend. Although I’m not quite used to people just popping in the way they have been,” he said.
“I should have told you there’s a portal in my bedroom,” Erin said.
“That’s quite the thing. Tesla herself comes here and saves my life, you’ve caught Maddox’s attention, and now there are portals in my house.” He blew out a breath theatrically and helped himself to more food.
Erin ate quickly, not really even tasting the food, her mind wandering onto the approaching night. After dinner, she and Melina shut themselves in her room again. Melina went over to the portal and closed the shadowy curtain over it.
“We don’t want any snooping boys coming through right now.”
Erin snickered. “Definitely not. So what’s first?”
“Hair. Keep it simple. Leave it down. Tease it a little. M is obsessed with your hair, by the way.”
“He is?”
“Yeah. You know he’s never been with a redhead. Not ever. Ha! Look at you. You’re smirking. You like that.”
“Might be the only first I can be to him.”
Melina helped her do her makeup in the current trend before opening the garment bag and laying out the contents on the bed.
“I’m not rich like M. These are the best dresses I own. It’s all on the level we need for tonight, but I’m sorry I don’t have more choices for you.”
All three dresses were amazing, but she didn’t know which one to choose. “What do you think? Which one will help me fit in best? What color are you wearing tonight?”
“I was planning on blue. You wore black the last time you came out to a club. That was over the top. I mean it was awesome, but you’re not going to fit in if you pull a stunt like that again. And that’s how you start fights.”
“I don’t want to start fights. I like the grey one.”
“Try it on.”
Erin slid into the short, one-shoulder dress and looked in the mirror, instantly unsure. “I don’t know. This is really sexy.”
“Sexy is the point of clubbing. But you’re right, M is going to blister me for this. Ah, well, I think that makes it perfect. He’s not in charge. Make him crazy; it won’t hurt him none. And remember the past has to compete with you, and it’s going to fail, hard.”
Erin licked her lips and looked at herself closer. Melina stood behind her and put her chin on her shoulder.
“See how beautiful you are?”
“I see my freckles.”
“They aren’t a flaw, silly. Pay attention to M when he sees you. Look at yourself through his eyes.”
Erin nodded. “I’ll try. So where are the pitfalls tonight?”
“Kendrick is a big one. Don’t talk to him much if you can avoid it. I blame him almost entirely for the asshole M became. He’s a really bad influence. He likes to use M to promote himself in the spotlight.”
“I’ve met him once, at Selena’s funeral. He made my flesh crawl.”
“I think I’ve almost convinced M to cut ties with him, but since we have to go through this public charade right now, Kendrick stays.”
“Does he know about me and Maddox?” Erin asked.
“No, not about life mates. He thinks your M’s side hustle right now. It needs to stay that way. If he knew about you guys, he’d tell the world. But he will probably make a few passes at you because that’s who he is. Just ignore him. If he gets over the top with you, come to me, and I’ll handle him.”
“So who am I tonight?”
“You’re just a part of the group. I’m M’s girlfriend. Don’t answer any questions thrown your way. Let M answer if he decides to. Go along with whatever is said. Hang back. You can keep behind me.”
“Can I dance with him?”
Melina smiled. “That’s fine, just don’t monopolize him. Cause you could, and he would forget why we’re going out in the first place.”
“Okay. I think I got it. Anything else?”
“Don’t drink anything Kendrick offers you. He’s a drug pusher, and he always has something new. He’ll try to slip you things if you don’t take them willingly.”
Erin wrinkled her nose.
“Yeah. That’s how I feel about him, too,” Melina said in response to Erin’s facial expression. “All right, you’re ready to go. Help me get into my dress for the night.”