"Daughter, since Marcus will only be back tomorrow, and he's having trouble with reception, he told us to act on his behalf, so call Cat. Order her to have your people brought into your safe houses. Triple security and tell them to make haste," he requested.
Even though Kay found herself nodding, the word "daughter" still seemed so alien coming from him, just like him calling Marcus' vampires "her people" as if she had any sway over them was even more disconcerting.
"Now," Darius suggested, and despite her doubts, she phoned Cat.
"Marcus will be home tomorrow. Triple security and have everybody brought into the safe houses. Now, please," Kay was tempted to explain why she was giving orders, but just as Cat started to ask questions, Marcella nicked the phone from her hand and disconnected the call.
"Leaders do not explain themselves—they give orders and expect those commands to be obeyed. Explanations take time, which is a commodity we do not have right now," Marcella said, returning the phone.
"But I am not..."
"Yes, you are."
"Inside, now," Darius ordered, ushering them into the building. Outside, the men hauled away the dead, and more armed werewolves kept arriving.
***
Darius's phone rang, and then Kay's did, and she had to make decisions for people she barely knew.
Cat acted differently toward her now, and she regretted that the camaraderie they shared before was gone. The vampire's businesslike, almost distant, didn't sit well with her.
The vampire directed her direct underlings to call Kay as needed to avoid wasting time, and by the end of the day, she knew more about Marcus's world and his people than she ever thought possible.
Even with their quick actions and responses, there were eight more casualties before all the werewolves and vampires under their care, were safe.
Kay felt personally responsible for the three vampires who were killed. She had never even met them, and until Cat sent over their files, she never saw their faces.
How much worse must all of this be for Darius and Adrian?
She put the phone down for the last time and rubbed her face, sighing heavily, taking a moment to recover.
***
Marcus and Claudia walked in the door. Day had flowed into night and into day again, and Kay hadn't even noticed.
She had not slept or eaten, and she was shaky with tiredness and hunger, and for an instant, she almost gave in to the temptation to fling herself into Marcus's arms but did not.
Claudia walked over to her father and hugged him. The way he clung to her revealed his fear that she may have come to harm.
Marcus walked over to Kay, and before she could gauge his intentions, he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. She was cold and stiff from sitting still for too long, but he was warm, vibrant, and alive. Although vampires ran a little cooler than humans, it was almost negligible, just like werewolves were only marginally warmer.
She feared that she might never see him again and avoided admitting that she didn't know what she would do if he were killed.
That familiar scent filled her senses, but it had altered, and she could smell Claudia on him. Her heart kicked against her ribs and tore, which was a shock to her.
How could she have fallen in love without knowing? Was it just the bond? No.
Where had the thunder and lightning been, the heavenly choirs and the stars?
The situation hit home. How had she come so far, yet here she was, a captive again? Once more caught up in circumstances out of her control. Taken prisoner by her forbidden love for a man married to another woman and bound to suffer silent pain and torture not of her making.
Kay stepped away from him, and he let go. Even as she did, she hid her emotions.
***
Marcus sensed the distance she placed between them like a barrier, but there was no time for him to speak to her as Darius claimed his attention.
Kay became hard to read as she and Darius filled him in on the situation, and not even his bond could penetrate the wall between them.
When he was finally up to speed, his father-in-law started running ideas by him, and despite his urge to find out what was wrong with her, he concentrated on the fate of their people.
She looked tired, but it was more than the death had witnessed, or the people they lost that bothered her, and glancing at Claudia, he could tell she noticed it too.
"Sorry, but I have to sleep," Kay admitted as if it were a weakness.
"Of course, you need to rest," Darius said a little testily, gruff after so much trauma and no sleep. "Go, daughter, all will be well," he assured her, and Marcus frowned at the casual endearment.
The succubus flushed at the word and glanced uneasily at Claudia, looking guilty.
But seemingly too tired to argue, she nodded and left.
***
"Do you mind me calling her daughter?" Darius asked Claudia, and she grimaced.
Only he would be so direct, and she would not want him any other way.
Darius rarely took so easily to people, but she understood. Her father admired strength, and Kay was strong. The bond made Kay family—blood of their blood, even though she was not of their species.
"The heart chooses what it chooses, and I understand what you see in her, Father. Naturally, you would adopt her; you would have wanted Jade to grow up as strong and independent as her.
"Kay needs a family; she needs us. Also, I am a grown woman, and I understand that I am not being replaced."
The word "Jade" caused a ripple of pain through them both for the girl who never got to grow up.
Marcus had always been part of her life; he knew everything about Jade, why she had died, and why this war was more personal than even Thane knew.
Gunning for Azera was one thing, but to find out Carduran was involved was another, and with Megan thrown into the mix, the rules had altered.
"Thank you for this, Father. Although we didn't give you much of a choice, we had our reasons. Thank you for accepting her. Despite my werewolf not enjoying this sharing of our mate, Marcus and I have a great basis for a relationship. We do like each other, have been best friends for years, and are sexually compatible. Even though we are not in love and will never be, we love each other.
"The two of us share the same pain and similar goals; it is why we did this. Kay did not initially factor into our plans, but she is part of us now, and we will make it work," Claudia said, holding Darius's gaze, but deep inside, concern gnawed at her.
Blind, she was not. Although Marcus may not have noticed, Kay's love for him blossomed in her eyes, and she concealed the hurt and surprise in her heart.
Claudia had lost the love of her life and understood the succubus' pain. Although sympathy filled her, the die was cast, and their lives were not theirs.
Oh dear, it was inevitable that one of them would fall for him. Newest Version ©2014-2023 All rights reserved. If you find this on any other platform but Wattpad under @CSDreamer, please report it. No part of this book may be copied or reposted without the author's permission.
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Captive: Hopeless
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