The Town That Went In Flames

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Maddie was tired of receiving pity from everyone she looked at. She received a least a dozen apologies, but all of them meant nothing to her. They were just empty apologies from people she barely knew, or people she never liked. Maddie couldn't even breathe through how she felt because all she wanted to do was dig her baby brother back up and hold him forever. That was not possible, and Maddie knew it was selfish to cry; she couldn't let Lizzie see her so upset, and she couldn't let Mason see it either.

Maddie stood outside in the cold, staring at the plot that had her mother and Paul underneath. She remembered the words her father had told her at her mother's funeral years ago; they were to not cry because they didn't need pity. Maddie felt guilt-ridden that her brother's death was all her fault because he tried to save her from Ryan's assault.

Maddie heard someone approach her, looked over, and saw it was her father staring at the graves with her. Her father looked like he wanted to cry for the first time ever, but he seemed to hold himself together for the sake of appearances. Maddie remembered waking up after her assault and seeing her father with a bow and arrow in his hand. He shot at Ryan to get off of her. Her own father saved her life.

"Daddy, thank you for saving me yesterday," Maddie said, biting back her tears.

Tyler Mason nodded his head. "I couldn't lose two children in one night," Tyler admitted solemnly. "I know what Pride did to you, so I had some friends take care of her mother. Those faeries will no longer be in our lives. Now, we just have that demi-god that killed Paul."

Maddie nodded her head. "I'm sorry you lost Paul because of me, and I'm sorry for getting mommy killed because of me—"

"Their deaths weren't your fault," Tyler interrupted. "The Hunter's Council were careless. Turns out that Ryan Volkov kid Clemens let in was accused of sexual assault multiple times, and now he's still out there."

Maddie's throat got dry when he mentioned sexual assault. Her father still had no clue that Ryan raped her when Caleb kidnapped her. "Daddy, there's something you need to know about that." That sentence burned her throat as she said it.

"Madison, don't tell me what I already figured." Tyler Mason held up his hand. "I overheard the fight at Cotillion, and Madison I'm so proud of how you handled that situation. Keying his car was a good play."

Maddie blinked. "Did I just hear you condone my law-breaking?"

"I only condoned it that one time," Tyler pointed out in a fatherly way. "That doesn't mean I want you to go rob banks, and murder innocent mortals. If I catch you doing anything along those lines, I swear Madison I'll—"

"Daddy, not in front of the dead people!" Maddie covered her ears to block out his embarrassing words. Once he was done speaking, Maddie uncovered her ears.

"Madison, Mason is running off to Barbados," Tyler informed her. Maddie's raised her eyebrows, but all her father did was shrug. "You know how he is when it comes to stuff like this. Also, I'm leaving Black Chapel for a while, so I'm instructing Robert to let you take care of Elizabeth while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" Maddie asked him. She stared at him and glanced back at the church. There she saw two guards armed with guns, staring at her father as if her father was going to attack them. Then it hit Maddie why. "No, Daddy. They can't!"

Tyler nodded his head. "They are getting rid of the corruption, The Hunter's Council," he explained. "I broke a lot of laws, and one of them was having two affairs."