Cathy left the room and headed downstairs. It was a breath of fresh air to see that her brothers hadn’t stood guard in front of her room like they did the other time. Maybe they were finally learning.Or maybe Ted’s presence made a difference.Nah. Chase and Carl were too stubborn to care whether or not Ted was there to protect her. They still thought they were in a better position to keep her safe. She rolled her eyes.The man who could keep her safe was struggling with his desires for her yet her brothers who didn’t know how this rare opportunity of a lifetime that presented itself before her meant to her thought they could do a better job protecting her.She didn’t want to be protected. She wanted to be loved and wanted.Was it so bad that she wanted Ted to be that man for her?She was still thinking about this when she walked into the kitchen and met Maggie by the counter. There was a blood bag in her hand which she held up as soon as Cathy walked into the kitchen.Cathy raised a
“Wow, what a way to wish me a good morning,” Chase smirked as he walked right to the fridge for the carton of eggs.“That’s because you both,” Cathy said pointing between him and Carl with accusing fingers, “Always pick the most inconvenient times to show your faces. Maggie and I were having a conversation.”“And I hope it doesn’t involve you running away from us again,” Carl said, narrowing his eyes at her.“Unless you give me a reason to,” Cathy retorted in a bratty tone as she gave her brothers a dubious look. “Which reminds me, I seem to be doing a lot better now so I’ll be leaving today.”Silence as Chase stopped mid-way through picking some eggs and Carl stood beside him glaring from Cathy to Maggie and back again.“With Ted,” Cathy concluded.As expected Carl blew a fuse. “That fucker is still here?”“Obviously.”“You are not leaving with him, he’s going to his home alone and you are staying here right where you belong.”Cathy crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And why is
Cathy’s jaw dropped. Those were the words she wanted to hear but it seemed unreal coming from him. Wasn’t he the same person who fought her verbally about staying here with her brothers? Now his words caught her off guard. “Well… um… yes. We… I mean I am ready to go.”With the slightest shake of his head, Ted acknowledged that he heard her. Then he turned to Maggie and offered a tight smile. “Do I need to sign papers to take her away? Or is there some kind of ritual your pack members have cooked up that I need to perform?"His attempt at humor did not disguise the hard tone of his voice. Maggie sensed it and offered a small smile of her own. Her eyes drifted to Cathy for a brief moment and she realized that even Cathy could feel the change in him. “Well… uhm… you might want to talk to Chase and Carl and maybe Asher.""Right. I think Chase has given his blessings so maybe Asher?" He asked. "Yeah. I can show you to him if you want," Maggie said quickly, eager to get away from him
They were in the car. Cathy reached for the seat belt and was about to buckle it when he grabbed her hand. She turned to him in surprise. There was something about the way he was holding her. His fingers trembled slightly but when she looked at him he was smiling. "I know what you are thinking. I didn't want you to come with me, especially with all the bullshit I have said about how dangerous my life is and it's not just about the mob."Cathy nodded. "I know and I have told you a I don't care..."He grinned at her. "You are a very stubborn woman," He said in a low voice. Cathy was about to say something when he held his hand up. "I am tired of fighting you. I realize that I could keep fighting you and you would just keep fighting back. If I had left without you you would have found a way to me eventually so," He shrugged off the rest of his statement. Cathy held a breath. "So?"He pressed his free hand to her forehead. "I'm going to put a seal on you to essentially mark you mine."
"Any new leads?" Ted asked once Cathy was out of sight. "Nothing new. We can't find this Shadow Michael's men talked about. Also, we didn't get any Intel on Joe. We still haven't found out who Lucky was meeting at the hotel."Ted blew out a sigh. "Well, Lucky couldn't escape death but let's hope Joe does. And about Joe? I don't think he's behind any of this. The man is all bark and no bite. In the meantime keep an eye out for anyone looking suspicious even if it's a Brother. When I see Jazz tomorrow I'm sure we'll get a break about this case.""Yes sir," both men replied. "Have some boys situated across this apartment too. Cathy has come to stay. I want to make sure she's safe if she's going to be one of us, Teddy."Teddy's mouth twitched. "Yes, sir."Ted raised a brow at him. The man had lived long enough to see his dark side and what it did to those around him yet he was excited to have Cathy as a member of their dysfunctional 'family.' Ted shook his head. The man was a bigger fo
Cathy woke up the next day to the refreshingly delicious smell of blood. It was that mouthwatering smell that woke her up and when she opened her eyes she saw a huge cup of blood by the bedside table with a straw in it. It was warm to keep it from coagulating. But that was not all she saw. Cathy was surprised to see Ted dressing up in semi-formal wear. It was the first time she ever saw him in formal trousers and a white long-sleeved button-up shirt. He even had a pair of patent leather shoes on. He was looking into the mirror adjusting his collar. Cathy blinked, confused. She rose on her elbows to squint her eyes at him. "What are you doing?"He stopped adjusting his shirt and grinned at her, even coming over to kiss her fully on the mouth. "Hey, baby."Cathy smiled but she still couldn't help but wonder why he was getting dressed up. "What's the event?" She asked glancing out the window to see that it was dark outside. "Isn't it too early for a dinner or whatever it is you're ge
The drive Eastward was long and for Cathy, though it was a nice ride, she could feel the tension radiating from Ted. He looked over at her from time to time with those hungry green eyes but in them, she could see his concern both for her and what he would learn about the death of his bosses. Cathy laid her hand on his. "I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of whatever is happening."He smiled. He didn't want to tell her that in his world people never got to the bottom of anything without blood. Jazz was sacrificing everything by talking to him. After he left the Brotherhood and after they realized that they could not bring him back no matter how they tried, they turned against the people who supported him. People like Max and Teddy. Now Jazz. If the Brotherhood knew that she was helping him even though they were both technically no longer members, her business would suffer for it. So he owed her a lot for her help. In a few minutes, they pulled up in front of a buzzing club not much
It was several hours in the morning before sanity returned. The once-crowded environs of JAZZ' was no longer crowded. No more music, no more drunken partygoers staggering out of the club. No bouncers lining the sides of the small club. The busy parking lot was now empty, free of people. But there was blood. Blood splatters on the road, cars, and the outside walls. Blood on the steps leading up to the club. A long thin river of blood streamed from the inside of the club to the outside and all over the ground were the body parts of both humans and supernaturals. Nothing moved, no one breathed. But among the pile of blood and flesh was Ted. He opened his eyes and crawled into a seated position groaning. His face, hands, legs - every part of his naked body was covered in blood. Even his hair was matted to his head with blood. The red lights in the club had been replaced with bright fluorescent lights which caused him to squint his eyes. "Ugh, what the hell...?" He crooked. But there