Lady of the Night (Downworlder Series, #3)

Chapter Twelve: Picture Perfect

I stomped my way up the stairs toward Sutton's old room, it was where the boys had been staying for the past two weeks. It's also where I knew I would find Margo. She'd turned into quite the little monster. Tonight I had returned to my room after an evening out with a client to find my make-up in disarray. A beautiful picture drawn on my vanity mirror in different shades of lipstick. I ground my teeth together in frustration. Somehow, I had been turned into the bad guy. None of them had really agreed with my taking them from Miles apartment, but Margo and Jovan had made that point more clear than the others.

I heard giggling trickling down the stairs, the sound had my steps faltering for a moment. I felt the urge to turn away and slink back to my room with my tail between my legs. It had been a hard couple of weeks. I finally had the kids with me like I had longed for but it still wasn't right, they had put me on the outside. All their cold shoulders had left me with frostbite on my heart. I had never felt so alone.

Mama had been kind enough to let the kids stay at the brothel. Told me they could stay for as long as they needed too but I knew it was no place for them. There was too much going on here that I didn't need or want to subject them too. I didn't want them to think that this was the life they should expect to live. All the girls in this house had been bought and paid for. Of course, we had all been spared from a worse fate but that didn't change that we belonged to Mama. We were not free people. We were belongings. I didn't want to think that's was the best they could aspire to be. I wanted the world for them and I was going to make sure they got it.

I sucked in a breath knocking my fist against the door, the laughter cutting out. It caused a deep ache to fill in my chest. I didn't want things to be this way. I didn't want them to hate me, but I needed them to be safe. I knew they would be safest with me. I didn't know Miles. It didn't matter that he was my mate. I couldn't let that rule my judgement. My beast whined at me. She had been happy to have her pups around but she'd been mopey, longing for her mate.

I shook my head, knocking again, "I know you're in there, Margo. We need to talk. Now." A stomp of heavy feet and the door pulled open with a loud creak.

"What do you want?" Jovan hissed through his teeth, standing in the crack of the door.

I blinked down at him, putting my hands on my hips, "Open the door. I want to talk to Margo."

"Well, she doesn't want to talk to you." He replied shortly, moving to close the door.

I stuck my hand quickly, slapping my palm against the wood, "Tough luck." He glared at me as he stepped away from the door as I pushed it open. I let my eyes scan the room, the boys had gone to decorating it the way they saw fit. Two futon mattress rolled out on the far side of the room, Macon leaned up against the wall with a book in his hand and Maurice trying to read over his shoulder.

Azuka sitting on the floor with Margo between his legs. She had a crown made out of colorful construction paper setting atop her head. Her face was smeared with the remnants of my make-up drawer. Collette was beside them, making her own crown. She glanced in my direction, giving me a small apologetic half-smile.

I cleared my throat, stepping into the room, "Margo. We need to talk." She ignored me, face scrunching up slightly to tell me that she'd at least heard me. I rolled my tongue over my teeth, swallowing my agitation, "Margo. This is not a game. You did something you shouldn't have and we need to talk about that." Silence reigned in the room, the only sound was the soft sound of scissors cutting through paper.

"I told you that she doesn't want to talk you. None of us do." Jovan's words were like a knife in my heart.

I tightened my hand into a fist at my side as I turned my eyes toward my brother, "Since when did you two become so close? I thought you couldn't stand each other." I could hold the bitterness from my tone. My stomach was twisted up in knots. I couldn't handle having the kids hate me, I couldn't.