Four Abused Mates| DISCONTINUED

Post-Redemption Life [Incomplete]

Third Person

[Thorns, Slades, Zale, Liam in pack house backyard. It is empty otherwise. Nick is dead at this point, killed protecting Jacob from an inferi attack prior to SKAB's kidnapping.]

"Master!"

Liam turns at the shout, a frown crossing his lips as a small child runs up to him. Zale raises an unimpressed brow at the sight, his hands on his hips.

Kaine frowns, "Is that...?"

James nods, "Jacob's friend Nick. Liam, when did you take him?"

"Um, when he was killed," the warlock replies as if it were obvious. A grin crosses his lips as he picks up the boy, "I needed a child anyway. No one ever suspects the children."

"You're going to use him?" Sora growls in anger and disgust. "He's a kid. He didn't deserve to die just for your sick games."

"And the idiot inferius who killed him now knows that," Zale snaps. "However, that doesn't change the fact that the boy was killed and I decided to make his death useful rather than meaningless."

"You're experimenting on him?" Zac demands, sneering at the wolf.

Zale gives him a droll look. "Experimenting with him, not on him."

"How is that any different?" Constance growls.

"Don't be mean to Master!" the young boy shouts, pointing angrily at Constance.

Liam also glares at the tiger, making her sneer back. Liam's eyes flare red and sets Nick down. He goes to step forward only for Zale to hold an arm out in front of him and give him a stern look.

"It's a psychological experiment," Zale says, distracting his mate with the slight change in topic. He rests a hand on the boy's shoulder, Nick grinning up at him. "Children's minds are still developing. They make decisions based on emotion. They learn and they take things in. However they may also forget things. Events, objects..."

"You're seeing how long it takes for him to forget us," Blake accuses.

Zale hums then shrugs. "Essentially, yes. I'm seeing if it's possible for a child his age to lose all memory of the important figures in his childhood yet still grow up happy. Except Nick will never grow up."

"Not unless I allow it," Liam finishes. "He will remain a child until I die, at which point he and all my inferi will die as well. Dear, there will be a lot of bodies to bury then... Yours will probably be there too, my love, I don't plan on dying until you do."

"That's the thing with death though," Astrid mumbles. "Rarely does death ever make its plans known."

Liam claps his hands together with a pleased smile, "Exactly! Why stress about which day could be your last when death ruins only the one? No need to stress for days or months or years about it!"

[Incomplete]