I got to meet Phil's brother, Sam. Sam the doctor. Sam who looked nothing like his bulking brother. Well he did look like him, a small weedy version of Phil. His thin frame leaned toward my body as he checked me, asking me lots of questions. He was a paler version of Phil, the same dark blonde hair, the same brilliant hazel eyes. Phil was a buzz cut, Sam was a long at the front and short at the back style. Sam was impeccably dressed in a suit, even at this hour of the night he was dressed like it was nine am and he was on his way to work. He wrapped my wrist stating that it was just a sprain. After checking me over he said that I would be fine, that it wasn't a very big dose of the knock out drug that I had been given. If anything, I would have a really good night's sleep, be groggy in the morning and probably most of tomorrow. I should rest, apparently he didn't know what I was like. Phil snorted with a little laugh, Sam looked at him clearly wondering why he thought it was funny.
"Are you here for a reason?" Sam said dryly as he looked at his brother.
"Yes, I needed to speak with my alpha, is that alright with you?"
"Alright boys, enough. Phil maybe we should have an urgent meeting."
It was like they were all at the door listening, piling into the room as soon as I suggested having a meeting. Even Dylan was awake. He climbed up onto my lap and nestled into my embrace. Even though he had no idea what had happened, he knew something was wrong.
"I've sent an urgent message to all members." Phil starts as everyone settles into their seats.
Sid was still on the lounge beside me. Curtis and Stewart were on the seats opposite us. Lucinda walked in with Kayla in her arms, instantly her arms were out and she repeated the one word she knew. Mum. Lucinda smiled at me sweetly as she put Kayla onto my lap beside Dylan, then went and sat beside Phil.
"They know what is expected of them, they will kill on sight."
"And the pack they came from?"
"Said they were exemplary members and can't understand what possessed them to do this."
"Do you believe that?"
"Yeah, I do. The fellow seemed really shocked. He said that he would take them back if they survived the night."
"Even after they abducted an alpha?"
"Like I said, he was shocked. Remember the only reason they left that pack was because of some really well-paying job."
"Wait." Curtis interrupts "What if abducting Ronnie was the really well-paying job?"
"If that's the case then who paid them?" Stuart adds.
"There isn't a wolf alive that would order a hit or an abduction. This has to be either human or vampire."
"Well, come on people." I looked around the room "Who would want this?"
Their faces were bewildered, none of them had an answer, none of them knew who would want to abduct me or kill me. I was a born leader therefore there was no issues of power play or anyone trying to usurp the leadership, no, somewhere along the way I had pissed someone off. But who? Julius and Harry were dead; I knew Noah held no issues with me. If he did, he could have bundled me into the car and taken off, instead he hugged me as I cried. He had stated he held no issue over Julius and Harry's death but was that the truth? Was he lying? Could it have been someone who held a grudge because they were refused entry into my group? Was it the girl that Sid kissed, out for revenge for being kicked out? The list was growing fast and I hadn't realised how many people I had annoyed.
I looked at Phil, he was still confused and nothing had been said as I thought of all of the people that could want me dead.
"I want you to go through everyone that the two of you have refused entry into the group."
Then I turned to Stuart.
"Check out what Noah's been up to and that girl."
"What girl?" he frowned.
"The one that got kicked out because she touched something that didn't belong to her."
"Oh her." he said dryly.
"Ok. Meeting time over." Sid tried to change the subject "Phil and Lucinda are going to stay in the guest room. Lucinda will help you with the children until your wrist is better, Phil is going to be permanent security."
He looked at me, waiting for me to say something, to object.
"Drugs must have done something to you." he frowned "You are so sedate and compliant."
Sid tilted his head as his sharp gaze watched me.
"Forceful and focused. Almost like the drug has turned you into a leader."
"Maybe you should find that family and thank them if I'm so much better now." I said snippy.
"Well I think it's time for the kiddies to be back in bed." Lucinda let out a pained laugh.
Curtis, Stuart and Sam fled like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Lucinda was about to take Dylan and Kayla back to bed, Phil was looking around so uneasily. Kayla was still very clingy; Dylan was already asleep on me.
"It's ok, I'll put them back."
"Are you sure hun? I don't mind."
"Kayla's cracking up, she won't go to sleep like this. It's ok, really."
Sid said nothing as he took Dylan back to his bed, I soothed Kayla into a sleepy state, enough for her to willingly be put back into her bed. Sid was waiting for me when I returned to the room. I was tired of everything, people trying to end me, people lying to me, people keeping secrets from me. My mind was still hazy as I wandered into the bathroom to wash myself. Even though I was ordered into bed, I felt dirty from that boot.
"How many more times do I have to apologise?" he whispered behind me.
His breath was warm on my bare skin as I stripped off to shower.
"When will you trust me, I told you that I don't, yet you don't believe me. One little mistake and I'm paying for it time and time again. I never treated you like this when you kissed that woman in the shower and you were naked with her. It doesn't matter if you were feeding or not, you still returned that kiss, didn't you?"
He paused for a moment and then pulled back my hair.
"You think I don't know where her hand went Veronica?" he whispered in my ear "You think that I couldn't smell the stench of deceit on you. You let the blood lust rule your body and you betrayed me but what did I do? Hmm? Tell me."
I closed my eyes feeling the tears welling. I knew my anger was overdone, I had the right to be angry at him, just like he did with me. But just like he was pointing out to me, he had done nothing about it. He had said nothing and accepted it. I opened my eyes and let the tears trickle down my cheeks, wondering if I could ever get past this pain.
"Ignored it."
"Exactly. I don't expect you to ignore what I did but I do expect you to get over it. It's in the past, leave it there."
I started the water, hoping he would be done with his little speech. If only.
"You endangered your life, for what reason Veronica, why did you go downstairs?"
He watched me as I stepped into the shower, feeling the sadness creeping through me.
"You couldn't trust me. You thought that I was down there screwing some bit of random woman, didn't you?"
I could hear the anger in his voice, the sadness hissed through my mind, whispering dark and treacherous thoughts.
"You're down there for hours!" I snapped back.
More tears broke free, but under the gushing water they dissipated into nothing.
"I'm up here raising our children by myself and you're down there every night for hours and hours for what reason? You talk about trust, you can't even trust Dale to look after the club for one whole night. Even when you tried to stay here, you couldn't, you had to go downstairs. What am I supposed to believe? I have people whispering shit in my ears, making any trust I have crumble. So I didn't believe you, I didn't know what to believe. Why else would someone want to be there away from those that love him unless he was getting something better? Tell me, what was so good down there that made you stay there instead of being here with me?"
His head lowered as he stood there, his hand on the back of his neck trying to relieve the tension that was very evident. He sighed like it was some dark revelation that he was going to hit me with. Something I didn't want to hear. I held my breath in anticipation, worried anticipation. This was where my marriage was going to break apart, I was sure he was going to tell me something that would tear my world to pieces.
"Vampires." he whispered sadly.
"So there is another woman?"
Sid looked up at me and he shook his head, as I looked at him I saw sadness but I saw total honesty.
"Just other vampires."
"So you're socialising with them?"
"Yes." he said simply.
"Why?"
"Because you're so wolf these days. Every time you open your mouth it's about the wolf. Even my damned son is more wolf than vampire. What do you think that does to me? Cody turns up and is trying to lay claim to you, you think I can't hear what he said? Then Austin and his undressing in front of you. And even though you came back early, I knew you had fun, both nights you went running you had fun. All I can see is me losing you to a wolf, a man that run in that damned park with you, with my children. I can't even take Dylan out there and run with him like they can. If he wants to do it he has to have another man take him out, being his guide to that life. It was driving me crazy so I kept myself immersed in the world of vampires to try and forget that there were things in this world beyond my control. That I wasn't losing my wife that was once a vampire."
I moved away from the shower spray, closer to him, toying with the button on his shirt.
"All this fighting, all this worry. You should tell me of these things instead of keeping them bottled up. I worry that I'm losing you to another woman or to many women yet there was no issue. You know I would give anything to be down there, you know I crave live feeding but I can't. I have to be here for our children. Their sleep is so erratic; I can't risk being down there when they might wake. You worry that you might be losing your vampire wife, well tell me how she can be free when she has responsibilities to her babies?"
"I just want the vampire that I fell in love with." he whispered.
"You want vampire?" I ripped open his shirt sending the buttons across the room.
They pinged off the tiles and the vanity, Sid grinned as I leaned into his neck.
"I'll give you vampire."
I sank my fangs in, feeling the glorious hot ooze flow into me. It felt like heaven as I drank him in slowly, feeding my need. We had been fighting so much that I hadn't fed from him in a while. I withdrew my fangs and stepped back into the shower, waiting for him to undress and join me.
"Love me." I whispered as he pressed me against the tiles.
"Forever, you and only you."
My legs wrapped around his waist, sinking deep into me.
"Forgive me." he said quietly as he nipped at my jaw.
"Always."