Michael
My heart ached in my breast. I rubbed at it as if I was going through what Soren had just done. Or as if the supernatural world I was a part of came through the screen and slapped me. Maybe trying to wake me. It wasn't the first time either. Something wasn't right, and nothing I did could fix it.
Behind me, a group of people stood to witness the branding… Bertram clapped my shoulder, "I didn't think it would work… I know it's a thing even among the humans, but a branding! F— I thought Sam was insane."
"The humans aren't willing participants. Juliet—she didn't seem the type either, " one of the other men said.
"What the hell was the point?"
"Sam has some crazy theories. We'll have to wait and see."
I couldn't move or respond. Share in the astonishment or the theories, although I had many. Juliet wasn't special. Liam had raised her strict… Maybe he prepared her more for the compound life than any other father, but not once did he mention the option until Soren gave her a ring. Things changed after he came into her life. She changed. It was like he brought out a side in her beyond understanding; much like the previous night, when his watcher and I witnessed their first time. Both of us had taken ourselves in hand under the table and jerked ourselves to release. Not my finest moment. We could've turned off our screens; although, not many of the men did… With no streaming porn service or regular vacation— No… Sometimes it was just too tempting to watch. Since Juliet manifested, she'd taken care of herself. The last five years, she gave me a painfully full view of her sweet ass and face in those final moments.
I sighed because at least I had a wife to take my pent-up desires to, and Juliet was no longer under my care. Soren's watcher would take both of them on. I would get a new woman to monitor. The idea turned my sigh into a groan. Did Louis have to choose his second wife on the last day of the auction? One from En-gannim! It was the only reason I wasn't being decommissioned. And I wanted to be free. Staring at a screen my whole life for no purpose— No, I never should've taken the job. My mind turned into a mess after Juliet's birth. Now it felt like I'd go f—ing insane.
Bertram slammed his hands. "Everyone good to go?"
The response was a few grunts. I agreed. This branding would cause a s—storm.
"Come back to work. Qadir will begin his campaign, and we need to be ready. Michael, take your month off… Jack, you can take over with Soma until he's back." Bertram touched my shoulder. "You need a break."
I had no arguments.
***
At home—a few hours from Utah—I sat in the backyard, staring out over the desert… A beer in hand. Usually, any time off was a godsend. A reprieve from the boredom. My bike stood waiting for me… I didn't even want to ride.
Stevie put her hands on my shoulder, and her teenager came around the chair. "Hey, Michael."
"Hey Brett. How are you? Sit. Let's catch up."
"You were gone longer this time."
"Yes, my deployment had an unforeseen development."
"How is the Middle East?"
I waved at the desert. "Much like here. I got a month off this time."
"Epic! Can we go somewhere?"
"Sure." I pulled Stevie around and plunked her on my lap. "Where do you want to go?"
For a moment, she thought about it… "Maybe Disney World?" I laughed. "You don't like it?"
"No! I do. You, Brett?" The boy's eyes sparkled. "Guess we're going to Disney World… Tell me how things have been going here?"
"My restaurant's doing great… Thank you for buying, by the way. Brett helps me every chance he gets. His grades are still up in the eighties… He wants that bike."
"The bike! You said you wanted to learn to ride. Have you taken your exam yet?"
"I did and passed."
"Good, now the lessons start."
Brett smiled sheepishly. "I don't have a bike yet."
I ruffled his hair. "Mom? What do you think?"
"I think I want to be there to see your face, tomorrow."
Brett jumped and ran inside, screaming excitedly, whooping already on a call to a friend. "I'm getting my bike. Tomorrow."
"Thank you, Michael. I don't know who we have to thank for bringing you into our lives, but I'll gladly kiss their feet."
"No, then you should kiss my stomach and the road trip I took."
"I don't know about kissing your bike. But you—" She leaned down and kissed me. My hand strayed to caress her, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.
"Aa, gross, the two are at it again." Brett's voice came from inside.
Stevie laughed against my lips and ended our lovemaking. "Michael… Are you okay? For a few days, Brett and I have been worried about you… We always give you some time to—"
"I'm sorry, it must be hard… So many months alone. And you have to wait for me to find my place in the world."
"If you were more absent, I'd care. You never are. I can see how hard you work… How difficult it is for you. Many army wives struggle with the military life… I feel like I found the one guy who would never stray and can handle the workload."
"Cheat! No. And the money I make. We live comfortably, don't we?"
"More than, Michael. I'm so proud of you. And you trust me enough to manage even that… I love you so much."
"Oh, there it is," I said playfully. She laughed. "Still waiting for the three little words." She giggled again. Juliet said it so easily. She did it so effortlessly. A young vamp able to love, and there I was, as scared as she was, over that chair just to utter the words. How pathetic. Soren, on the other hand—
"Michael!"
I laughed and pulled her lips closer. "Sorry. Intruding thoughts are getting the better of me… My last shipment—" My spine straightened, barely able to contain the shudder. "Hey… I do love you." Her eyes widened, and she jumped and ran into the house, screaming and whooping.
Did I mean it? Not really… Not in the way any woman would want. However, a forty-year-old guy without any family was even more pathetic than lying to someone as sweet as her. Who deserved so much more than my pretense. This fake life I'd eventually have to leave anyway when I didn't get older and she did. They did. I'll die in action at some point… Or if I ever love her for real, just cut the cord on my new ward after Louis gets settled. He would eventually… I didn't like this woman—Soma—at all; although, any vamp who didn't make it in the camps had to be different. She can be very happy she ended up here, even if Louis treated his women like sex slaves.
The way he looked at Juliet—at the auction—how hard he bid to get her… I bit my nails the whole night—to a bloody mess, for Sam's plan to work. And then Marcus actually asked his father for a second wife. Both of them wanted my Juliet for a second wife! To trod! Underfoot!
I jumped to my feet and downed my beer, taking a walk through the garden.
Marcus! The cold f—ing bastard. Now he embraced his lineage. Broke like we all knew he would… Poor Rana. Her watcher was on our floor, and when Marcus enjoyed himself, her watcher had to put his hand in the air for relief. Have someone else sit and make sure we didn't miss a second of the guy's life.
At some point during the auction night, I phoned Sam. Hearing Juliet's voice over the phone. She wanted to go to the bathroom… A smile tugged at my bearded mouth. Soren's watcher and I had decided we would pitch in when we saw how hard the two Ahmeds were going at it. Louis and Qadir fighting. One wanted to have power over the Furrows. The other to have a vibrant young girl in his bed. Luckily, my secret stash of millions was hidden away… Both our accounts took a significant dive. But neither of us watching the only two people in that place fall in love could let them end up apart. F— even Louis told Sam to help them. Little did he know.
"Hey, dinner's ready."
I turned and walked into the house, putting on my face. It was getting harder and harder. Yes, lying killed wherever it went, but I didn't want to see either of them in body bags. So, pretend I did. Absent? All the time. And boy, could I put on a mask of interest. And sit happily eating the food I knew would be hard to swallow, for Brett and me. We had a bet going… The one who caved first and couldn't finish a meal had to do the other's chores. Neither of us wanted to hurt her, so I had a talk with him one day after he threw a tantrum about the taste. And when she was out of the house, we made serious sandwiches for lunch to carry us over… Inside jokes and his mother kept stepfather and son connected.
Stevie's happiness was all that mattered.