Chapter Eight – Grayson
After the conversation they'd had, Grayson hated knocking at Arabella's door later that night, but he really had no choice. She answered with angry eyes and a hostile expression, her hair mussed up around her head, flannel pajamas hiding her figure.
"Sorry for waking you," he said gruffly, his own embarrassment coloring his voice. "I just got a call from my lawyers about . . . well, about what I'm working on. I need to go."
"In the middle of the night?"
"They said it couldn’t wait."
Arabella shrugged. "Okay. That explains why you're in a suit again. Although I suppose it wouldn't be all that surprising if you slept in them."
When had she become so snarky? Grayson's frown increased. He had come off too strongly during their discussion, he knew that, but she was being rude. Although, considering how their discussion had gone down, he supposed it wasn't exactly unwarranted. He'd been up all night tossing and turning, wishing he had acted and spoken differently. It had almost been a relief when his colleagues had phoned him.
"I'll call you around nine if I'm not back yet," he told her, still stiff and gruff. "If you need anything, call my secretary."
"Okay." She shut the door without another word.
Grayson stood there for a moment. He wanted to open the door again and apologize for how he had acted and explain it was just because he felt so vulnerable himself. Maybe beg her not to leave, promise that he could actually behave the way he should and treat their relationship professionally.
But, of course, his insistence was what got him in this problem in the first place. He pushed too hard too fast and now it had opened a rift between them that he wasn't sure could be closed. He had done exactly what he had promised himself he wouldn't do and he had hurt Arabella and the twins in the process. They had already lost Christine and now he was driving Arabella away.
He headed out, trying to force Arabella and his messed-up life from his mind. He needed to focus on the twins. He had lost sight of that, but he'd gotten the kick in his head that he had needed and now he could do what he needed to do again. Make sure Olivia and Hudson were safe and leave them a better world than he had been given. It was the duty of every parent.
There would be other nannies. Someone else who loved them as much as Arabella. Next time, he wouldn’t let himself fall in love and ruin it all. They needed stability. Maybe in a few years he would consider dating again, but he didn't have the time for that now.
He quickly got to his offices where the lawyers and other lobbyists he was working with were waiting. The doors were closed and he received the news. Senator White had called for a vote in the senate on a bill he was trying to pass that would allow mining companies even more freedom – well ahead of schedule. Somehow it had all slipped through quietly without them finding about it until then.
"Get this out on all of our social media sites," Grayson ordered, fire flickering in his belly. "This can't happen. I want the country to know exactly what that little weasel is trying to get away with. And get me White on the telephone."
One of his aides flinched. "Sir, the senator is going to be sleeping—"
"Do I look like I care?" After everything that had gone wrong in his personal life, he was glad to be able to channel his aggression into something else. Even if it did mean terrifying his aides until he could terrify the senator. "I want to talk to him right now."
The aide gulped and turned away, dialing his cell phone. The office buzzed with activity and Grayson shooed them all out so he would have privacy for this discussion. He allowed the one aide to stay until he got ahold of the senator.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, White?" Grayson snarled.
"Mr. Alexander. Do you have any idea what time it is?" the senator's half-asleep voice was no less furious. "What can possibly be so important that it could not wait until morning?"
Grayson let out a lungful of smoke. The burning scent helped to calm his frayed patience and he lowered his voice to dangerous levels. "You know exactly what I mean. This bill you're trying to push through. It will destroy communities across the nation."
White didn't reply. He just hung up. Grayson snarled, flames searing his tongue. How could this be happening? It wasn't just the Shifters being targeted anymore. Just because it wasn't going to affect the rich, it meant that thousands of people should be put at risk? And they were the most vulnerable groups – the marginalized ones that were repeatedly silenced or outright ignored.
Grayson closed his eyes, considering his next move. The first thing was, of course, letting the people in on what was going on. This sort of legislation was snuck in for a reason. Public reaction was a factor that representatives would consider, but it wasn't always enough. There were two weeks until the vote would take place. He would need to conjure up a strategy to talk with the other senators.
His cell phone rang. He answered it, mind still elsewhere. "Hello."
"Grayson Alexander." The voice was deep and robotic. "Step back and refrain from involving yourself in Senator White's politics."
His brow furrowed. "Who is this?"
"This is the only warning you will receive. If you continue, we will take action against your children."
Dread flooded him, drowning his fires in ice. Grayson stiffened, his grip tightening on his phone. Olivia and Hudson flashed through his mind. Their wide, joyful smiles, innocent eyes, and trust in him. The voice continued, explaining to him to withdraw from his current political activities and Grayson already knew he would do so. Nothing was more important than his children. Nothing.
There had been threats, but never against the children, and never by someone who was able to contact him like this.
As soon as the call ended, he dashed from the office. His colleagues and aides tried to talk to him, but he brushed them off. The car waited in the parking garage but he didn't bother going after it. He took off into the air, his suit shredding from his body as he Shifted. The wind that usually calmed him did nothing. The ice left his veins, his fires roiling. If anybody had harmed his children, he would destroy them. He'd stop at nothing to see them reduced to a pile of ash.
He overshot the landing platform when he got home, landing instead on the screened-in balcony. He tore the screen in half and Shifted before he swung in. He charged into Arabella's room – only to receive a baseball bat to the abdomen. The air rushed from his lungs as pain exploded through his body. He doubled over and the bat smacked him across his back. He lashed out blindly, grasping handfuls of cloth. He yanked and it tore in his hands. A female voice shrieked; the bat came at him again but this time he was able to grab the wrist holding it and slam it against the wall.
He pressed against his attacker. As soon as he saw who it was, though, his eyes widened and he released her, backing away. Heat rose in his cheeks as he looked back into Arabella's shocked eyes.
"I didn't know you had a baseball bat in here," he mumbled.
"I have to protect—"
He turned before she finished and left the room. Arabella gave a strangled shout and followed him. Grayson's heart pounded in his chest as he rushed to the twins' room. They were sleeping tucked into their beds, Olivia with her thumb in her mouth, Hudson curled on his side. Grayson sagged against the doorframe, blinking back a rush of grateful tears.
"What is going on?" Arabella hissed. "You break into my room naked, then practically tear my nightgown off—"
"I received a call," he interrupted. "I don't know who it was, but they said I had to back down from politics or something would happen to my children. I had to make sure they were okay."
Arabella's eyes widened and her face paled. She pushed past him, glanced in at the children, and let out a sigh. She leaned against the other side of the door, closing her eyes. She trembled from head to toe and he reached out to comfort her but stopped. He didn't have the right to touch her.
"I'm going to hire some more security," he said. "Jeremy White is trying to pass a new bill that will have devastating effects on Shifter communities."
"And you need to stop him."
"I need to protect my children." Grayson snorted, shaking his head. "But it seems like I need to sacrifice the future I dreamed for them for their safety now. I will be stepping down. I can't let anything happen to them."
Arabella looked hesitant. Her arms wrapped around her middle, making her breasts spill from the torn nightdress. She opened her mouth but said nothing. Grayson had nothing more to say at the moment, either. He needed to forget about whatever personal messes he had. His children were everything. They needed to stay safe.