---

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
MADS
I anxiously wait for Ender to return from helping the VRC. Just because Abel is gone doesn’t mean all of the danger is gone as well. But of course I shouldn’t have worried because anyone who doesn’t immediately listen to Ender gets whacked across the head and threatened with beheading. It seems to work quite well as they’re loaded into transport vehicles.
“This is a fucking mess,” Brooks comments, surveying the scene. “But at least Abel is dead. The problem will be trying to find every area he was involved in.”
“And keeping someone from taking his place,” Finn says.
“That will be the true issue,” Brooks agrees. “You know some will try, but we need to regain control of the council and VRC and show them that we are not to be taken lightly. We have footage of everyone involved. We will send out police to arrest them, we will drive them from their homes, and we will do whatever we can to make this end.”
“Hopefully, we will also be able to find any remaining ammunition and drugs that Abel had, and we will keep Mads safe so that no one ever learns of it again,” Finn says.
“Right.”
Ender makes his way over to us, as does Marcus who is no longer needed now that most of the vampires have been taken away.
“Abel is dead… so… what does that mean for me?” Ender asks, seeming almost hesitant.
“It means that we need to keep an eye on your whereabouts as you are likely the only person who might be able to give us more information on who interacted with Abel in the past,” Finn replies.
“Can you guys keep Rylee safe?” he asks.
“You can keep Rylee safe,” Marcus says. “Finn is saying that you are not permitted to leave, but we don’t yet know who we can rely on or who might still be dedicated to Abel’s cause. I will not deny that you are stronger than I am, and we need strength right now when the VRC is in shambles and the council has officially lost its final member. We are requesting you stay in the area not only because you might have information to assist us but because we need someone to keep watch over Mads, who should not be alone at any point. If you can’t, we will find a safe space for him to be under observation. If you do want to, Orin has already agreed that you can stay at the house we stayed at last night. Once things have calmed down, both of you can leave, but not before then.”
“You’re going to excuse what I’ve done?” Ender asks.
I clamp a hand over his mouth. “Thank you! I guess I will suffer through Ender watching me. How torturous. I actually don’t know if there’s anyone else strong enough to do so. He’ll definitely keep me from doing nefarious things and keep anyone nefarious from doing things to me. I also know that he would be absolutely thrilled to help you with anything you need help with. I don’t know if you know this, but he is a significantly better fighter than I am.”
Ender slowly looks over at me as I remove the hand from his mouth. “I… uh… would… be indebted to all of you if you allowed me to do just that. And I’m indebted to you, Mads… because I’m not sure I’d have won that fight.”
“It felt a bit dicey there a time or two,” Marcus admits.
“How dicey?” Finn asks, looking anxious.
“Just… not at all, really. We were just playing a sick and bloody game of Twister in there,” Marcus says, looking a bit worried. He never looked worried any other time, but now that he’s facing Finn, this man is concerned. “I love you.”
Finn’s eyes narrow even more.
“I told you we should have just tossed the human at Abel,” Ender says. “Look at the way he’s just destroyed Marcus’s spirit.”
“My spirit isn’t destroyed,” Marcus growls.
Finn is not pleased. “How dicey?”
“Slightly dicey but we’re fine.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Look at us—we are all alive. Do some of us have less blood than we had going in? Sure! But we’ll just have a sip or a gallon or two and be fine! The bad guy is dead. And maybe we can get back to being actual detectives. That could be fun.”
Alexei grumbles something as he joins us.
“What happened?” Finn asks, and Marcus seems thrilled Finn’s attention is off him and on to a new subject.
“One of the vampires cut a chunk of hair off Claude’s head when he was trying to chop his head off. Claude acts like having his head cut open would have been preferable.”
“Because I would have healed! My hair can’t heal, love!” Claude cries as he comes up wearing someone’s hat.
“Where’d you get the hat?” Finn asks.
Claude refuses to meet his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Did someone die in that hat?” Marcus asks.
Claude is looking everywhere but at us. “Brother of mine, I don’t wish to talk about it.”
Marcus grabs Claude’s hat off his head and we all stare at the man who is missing a pretty decent chunk of hair. It’s so short that the hair in that area is sticking straight up and making Claude’s head look kind of lopsided.
“Oh, it’s fine,” Finn says, doing his utmost to just play it off. “It’ll grow back in like a week… or six months.”
Marcus, of all people, just starts laughing. Maybe he’s delirious. I think he came so close to death that he’s found a whole new meaning in life. “Your… hair. My god, it looks like someone took a fucking hedge trimmer to your head. Claude, you always know how to make me laugh.”
“Thanks,” Claude says with ample sarcasm. “Alexei, my love, I need a wig.”
Alexei sighs as he glowers at Marcus. “You don’t need a wig.”
“I look hideous.”
“You do not. You are still very handsome.”
“Can you even love me like this?”
“I would love you even if you were bald,” Alexei says.
“Don’t give me nightmares.”
“Should Marcus not love me because I’m missing two limbs? Eh?” Finn asks.
“But you’re cute no matter what and I’m… hideous like this.”
Marcus is still laughing. I’m not sure he’s ever laughed this hard.
“Stop!” Finn says, trying his hardest not to laugh just because Marcus is. “Let’s all forget about poor Claude and talk about Mads’s ability to pretty much win us that whole fight.”
I shake my head. “I did not do any of that. I just… leveled the playing field a bit.”
“How did you make him… look like that?” Alexei asks.
“I can tell you every step of it!” I offer, eager to share my research.
“Nope,” Ender says. “How about you don’t share any more of your mad scientist magic so this stuff doesn’t happen again. Especially out in the open when others might be listening in.”
“Huh… that oddly makes quite a bit of sense.”
Ender grabs my wrist and draws me back. “Let’s let them deal with the police aspect and laughing at Claude’s hair. Are you sure you even want to stay here? You want to be watched by me?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Uh… did you forget I was trying to ask for your hand in marriage like three days ago?”
“We barely knew each other three days ago.”
“We were held by a psychopath. That shit causes fated mates.”
“It… what? Are we werewolves?”
“I’ll howl at your moon, if you know what I mean.”
Ender shakes his head. “I don’t!”
I’m trying my hardest not to grin. “Weird. I thought it was pretty clear.”
“Well… it’s not.”
Honestly, I’m just feeling giddy and all of these wild emotions just swirled together. “Fuck… I was so terrified.”
Ender wraps his arms around me. Look at him. Refused to cuddle with me just days ago and now I get a hug!
“Don’t be stressed,” he says, voice soft.
“I think it was pretty reasonable why I was.”
“Hmm, I guess,” he teases.
“You guess?” I ask.
He laughs before setting his forehead on my shoulder, and I can just feel him sinking into my arms. “I’m tired. I feel like I’ve been tired every day since he took me… and suddenly, I can breathe.”
I squeeze him to me. “You deserve a break.”
“I don’t know that I do.”
“But you do,” I assure him. “Abel is gone. You no longer have to deal with that shit. All you have to do now is watch my ass, keep our friends safe, and raise Rylee.”
“I… I’m not quite sure they’d consider me their ‘friend,’ but sure.”
“Guys, is Ender closer to being your friend or your enemy?” I call out to them.
“Definitely closer to friend than enemy,” Finn says. “Even if you threw me off a bridge. You know… like friends do.”
“I have no friends,” Marcus states, which makes Alexei glower at him while Finn gives him a light smack.
“You do too!”
“You can be my friend!” Claude says. “Because you didn’t laugh at my hair like that monster did.”
“Uh… thanks.” Ender seems uncertain about that… and maybe we all do.
Marcus gives him a look of disbelief. “I’m the monster? That man tried killing you, but I’m the monster because I laughed?”
It is… kind of sketchy, but I just smile at Ender. “See? You made some friends. We’ll just skip asking Alexei.”
Alexei must feel left out because he says, “He threw his body in front of a sword for me, so I would say we’re no longer enemies but instead are foes.”
“Is that better?” Finn asks.
“Yes,” Alexei says. “By a very minimal amount.”
“See?” I ask Ender.
“You sound so excited about that,” Ender says. “And then one day I’ll turn my back and he’ll have stabbed it.”
“Yeah but… you’re well on your way! You’ll be best friends before you know it!”
“Great, I only have to throw my body in front of his—what? Eight more times?”
Alexei doesn’t agree with that, judging by the look on his face. “At least twelve.”
“Twelve more times. Perfect,” Ender says.
I grin and squeeze him to me again.


CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ENDER
“Why haven’t you told Rylee we’re staying here?” Mads asks as he rolls into the bed and into my arms. I didn’t have my arms open and ready for him so instead, he simply rolls onto them.
“Because they’re going to bust through the door and drag me off to hell any minute,” I say as I catch his eyes.
“It’s been a week.”
“Correct. They’re waiting for me to lower my defenses.”
“You don’t think that maybe they’re being honest?” Mads asks as he reaches out and pushes my hair out of my face.
“No.”
“No? You sure?” Mads asks with a playful smile. He really seems to think I’m being dramatic when I’m merely being sensible.
“They’re trying to get me when I least expect it.”
“I’m positive they’re not going to just come in and go, ‘Ha, we were joking. Off to prison with you.’”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“You’re so difficult. They’ve needed your help multiple times this week because they understand that now that you’re not so standoffish and chucking people off bridges, you’re a good guy. You just have to let yourself understand that and stop pushing them away. It’s okay to be scared that things might change. But don’t let it ruin things for you. I will Soup away all of your problems if I have to.”
“I feel like I should be concerned by that. One of Abel’s people spit at me today. Literally spit at me. Will you Soup her?”
“Maybe not but… you never know, I guess. Come on now. When Rylee comes busting in here, just tell her.”
“Nah.”
The door creaks open and Rylee loudly shuffles in.
“Perfect timing.”
“Did you hear me?” she asks in disbelief like she’s shocked Mads noticed her.
“You’re asking if we heard you drop something, crash into the door, yell, ‘Fluffybottom, don’t eat my hairband!’ then scuttle over here? Nah… heard none of that,” I assure her.
Rylee scrutinizes me for a moment. “I was stealthy.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
She leaps up and flops down onto me. “And now I’m hungry.”
“Yeah?”
“Can you make me something to eat?”
“Do you want French toast?” Mads asks.
“You’ll make me food?” she asks, looking far more delighted than when I volunteer to.
“I take it his food is much better than mine,” I tease.
Rylee hesitates even though it’s apparent she’d like to say yes. “He just… I mean… I love you!”
“Don’t try to distract me with words of love,” I say as I grab her and toss her to Mads, who catches her. “Here, she’s yours now.”
“Ooh, all mine?” Mads asks as he starts tickling her. She lets out a high-pitched squeal which no one should be subjected to in the morning. The look on Mads’s face tells me that it’s caused instant regret.
I smirk. “It’s her main defense.”
“It hurts my ears,” Mads complains as Rylee leaps on him. “You better not bust my ears or I won’t be able to make you food and you’ll have to eat Ender’s food.”
“Nooooo,” she says, looking horrified.
I grab her. “You once told me you loved my food!”
“Yeah, that was before I knew what Mads’s food tasted like!”
“Funny,” I say as I haul her off with her tucked under my arm. She hangs there like a limp noodle. “Let’s go get dressed and Mads can make you breakfast.” I set her outside our door and give her hair a ruffle.
So off she goes as Mads grabs me and draws me in for a kiss.
“I want to eat you for breakfast,” he mutters.
“We’ll toss her off to Orin at some point and do just that,” I assure him.
According to Finn, after the council hall was cleared out, they began questioning everyone involved, but of course most remained silent, refusing to give up any information. Those who were still alive came together for a council meeting where Orin was elected the head of the US council. Leona, who was clearly on Abel’s side, had been killed, as were a few innocents such as Callum and Harris. But for the most part, we were able to keep the death toll on our side to a minimum. The hardest part will be sending the council members back with this knowledge and hoping that each one is able to figure out who’d been on Abel’s side. Of course, no one is going to volunteer the information, and only time will tell if they regain some control.
But until then, I will keep Mads safe and be here if they need me.
I head into Rylee’s room to make sure she’s getting ready for the day and not choosing to dress like Claude. Once I’ve confirmed that she at least semi matches and a hairbrush has at least touched her hair, I walk out to find Mads working on the French toast.
“Did you tell her?” Mads asks.
“Tell me what?” Rylee asks as she comes out of the master bedroom, which she is still claiming as her own.
I give Mads a look, but it’s obvious he did it on purpose. “Rylee… we’re going to be staying here for a bit.”
She hesitates, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinizes me. “Like… a bit as in a couple of days?”
“For the foreseeable future.”
“So… like a couple of days?”
“We’re going to stay here until we decide to move somewhere else in the area. But think more like months,” Mads tells her.
“That’s a really long time,” she says, like this is some mystifying information.
“Orin said you could decorate your room… which will not be the master bedroom. You do not need that king while we sleep on the full,” I say.
“Fine! Can I go pick out my room? And I can put stuff in it? And I can really live here?”
“When we’re done eating, let’s go shopping,” Mads suggests. “We’ll find you some clothes and other stuff to fill your room with.”
“Really?” Rylee asks, looking so hopeful.
“Really,” I say. “You’re also going to go to school.”
“That sounds scary. I like you being my teacher.”
“You’ll get to meet friends your age and you will not eat any of them,” I warn her.
“Why would I eat them?” she asks.
“Just because you chew on your friends doesn’t mean she’ll chew on hers,” Mads teases.
“I really will go to school? I’ve never gone to school.”
Mads walks over and kneels in front of her. “Did you know I was a teacher?”
“No!”
“I can assure you that school is really fun. You get to meet kids your age who you can play with. And you can invite them over for sleepovers and go to birthday parties and have recess and art. And Ender will be here every single day when you get home to help you with anything you need.”
“You promise you won’t leave while I’m at school?” she asks me.
“I’m not going anywhere. If I was going to leave, don’t you think I would have left when you made me watch The Aristocats five times in a row? I’m not going anywhere.”
Rylee runs over and grabs me in a hug. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
“Can we get Señor Fluffybottom more toys?”
“He doesn’t even move or play with the toys you’ve already got him… but sure,” I say as her face lights up.
She rushes off to pick which room she wants as I walk over to Mads.
“Now when we have to move, she’s going to be very upset,” I say, not liking the idea of shattering her hopes.
He turns to me. “But we’re not going anywhere. You have to believe that, okay? You can have faith that we’re not going anywhere. You don’t realize it, but you worry as much as she does. Maybe more.”
“I don’t worry.”
Mads grins as he pulls the French toast off the stove. “You sure do. But don’t be alarmed. I’m here to fix everything for you.”
“With more ‘magic’ and ‘Soup’?” I tease.
“It’s my love language for sure.”
“I really like your love language.”
“Yeah? I really like you too,” Mads murmurs before drawing me in for a kiss.
When we pull back, I meet his eyes as I say, “I want to help you find the people who killed your family.”
“Me too, but right now… right now, I just want everything to be safe for a bit.”
“I promise I won’t struggle at all to murder them,” I assure him.
“I feel like I should be concerned by that.”
“Would you like me to torture them first? Because I will. I am not squeamish at all.”
“I’ve noticed that. But thank you. I really appreciate that.”
Just because Abel is dead doesn’t mean everything is perfect. The man still haunts my dreams, but this time, I have someone always by my side to pull me out of them. And maybe as the days pass into weeks and months and years… I’ll be able to pull myself farther and farther out of the darkness I’d fallen into.
Mads and Rylee have already pulled me out so far.
I squeeze Mads tightly, feeling so damn happy to spend every day with the two people I care about more than anything. It’s like I’m surrounded by family again.