Page 25

James

A t least a hundred people loitered at the front of the church, waitingfor my mom’s coffin to arrive. The sad part was, aside from me, and a small handful of the household staff who’d cared for my mom, no one else gave a fuck. They were there for show, sucking up to my father who played his part of the grieving widow.

Of course, the only other person who’d given a fuck about my momwasn’t present. No matter what I’d said to convince my father to let Kiera attend, he wouldn’t permit his daughter to come to the funeral to say her last goodbye.

If I heldeventhe slightest shred of respect for my father, he lost it atthatpoint.

Willow waited by my side, her hand clutched in mine, and herpresence giving me strength I didn’t know I needed, especially when I watched Elijah follow my father around like a little lost puppy, greeting guests with sad eyes.

The man had the audacity to act like he was the one who’d lost hismom. When he came to live with us, he made my mom’s life impossible, and after she lost her ability to speak, he pretended like she didn’t exist. If I’d had it my way, Elijah wouldn’t have been permitted within a hundred miles of the church, let alone walking by my father’s side.

But my attention was drawn from glowering at Elijah when a barelyaudible gasp came from Willow. I glanced down at her to find her staring through the crowd of people slowly beginning to file into the church, to a figure loitering at the back.

Kevin Welch stared at Willow, his eyes lighting up salaciously, and asmall, devious grin on his lips, despite the environment. I dropped her hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me as possession streaked through me.

Willow burrowed her head into my side, her small hand restingagainst my chest. I glared at Welch, meeting his eyes and silently conveying a message.

He would never get his hands on my wife.

He turned away when the hearse carrying my mom’s coffin arrived,and I followed my father to the front of the church where we took our seats, my father sitting between Elijah and me.The inside of the church had been decorated with thousands of whitecarnations - my mom’s favorite flower - and as her coffin was carried to the front of the church, Amazing Grace was played on the organ, the lilting notes echoing around the small nave.

Throughout the service, I stared at my mom’s coffin. I meant what Isaid to Willow; my mom died the day my father cut her tongue out. But as my gaze fixed on the wooden box, a large gold frame containing a picture of her smiling from many years ago next to the coffin, it hit methatI would never see her again.

Never see her eyes light up with love whenever she looked at me.Never see the fond smile on her face when I would tell her about how well Billie was doing. Never get to tell her I was grateful for the years she spent making sure I didn’t turn out like my father.

As if Willow noticed my somberness, she laced her fingers throughmine, gently tugging my hand into her lap and holding it there. My gaze dropped to her, and she met my stare, a small, reassuring smile on her lips.

My cold heart skipped a beat.

When the priest finished talking shit about how my mom lived her lifeto the full, I stood shoulder to shoulder with my father as we walked behind the coffin to the plot where she would spend the rest of eternity.

We didn’t linger after the coffin was lowered into the ground. Thesooner I got to my father’s house, the sooner I could throw a glass of whisky down my throat.

During the short drive to the house, Willow resumed her position ofstaring out the window, taking in the passing scenery. I knew she had a ton of questions after I’d told her about what I’d learned. It wasn’tthatI didn’t want to answer them, it wasthatI couldn’t. I simply didn’t know.

As I pulled the car onto the driveway leading to the house, the nightbefore churned in my head.

Charlotte.

It suited her. Not as much as Willow did, and if I ever got to thebottom of her story before Peartree House, I couldn’t imagine myself using her real name.

She would always be my Willow.

My mouse.

Within the hour, the wake was in full swing. The staff who’d attendedthe service to pay their respects were now busy carrying trays of appetizers, the guests sipping glasses of expensive champagne.

I wasn’t in any mood to socialize. The majority of guests were Legionmembers, there for other purposes than to say farewell to a woman they hadn’t seen in years.

Willow stayed by my side, her head bowed as guests wouldoccasionally approach to offer their condolences before attempting to talk business. My scowl saw them scarper.

At the far end of the ballroom where the wake was being held, theenormous grandfather clock ticked down the minutes until I could make my excuses and get the fuck out of the house. Away from people I once admired but now held contempt toward. They were nothing but fake assholes.

“James,”a familiar voice said, dragging my gaze away from the clock. Next to me,Willow tensed as Welch held his hand out for me to shake.“I wouldjustlike to say how sorry I am for your loss.”

I glared at him, refusing to take his hand. I never liked Welch before,but knowingthatnot only was he the one responsible for Willow’s pain, but was also conspiring with my father to take her away, I wanted to gut the fucker with a blunt knife.

He shuffled awkwardly on his feet and lowered his hand, his gazedropping to my mouse.“Willow. It’s lovely to see you again.”

Subtly, she moved closer to me knowing I would protect her, andwisely, she didn’t speak.

Good girl.

Welch cleared his throat, his disapproving eyes meeting mine again.“James, I was wondering if I might have a few minutes alone with Willow?”

“No.”My answer would have been the sameevenif Willow hadn’tsqueezed my hand, telling me she didn’t want to talk to him.

Anger flashed on his piggy face, his puffy cheeks red from thechampagne he’d already consumed. Composing himself, he gave me a fake smile, letting out a humorless chuckle.“Come now, James. Don’t be unreasonable. I was her guardian for eight years-”

“And now you’re not,”I interrupted, my tone stern.

Welch’s eyes dropped to Willow again, a pleading look in them as ifhe was asking her to talk some sense into me.

She wouldn’t.

And to prove how much control I had over my mouse, I smileddeviously back at Welch.“Mouse, do you want to speak with your old director?”

“No.”

Her reply was instant, my grin turning smug. Welch’s features twistedinto a look of disgust, andjustas he opened his mouth to argue, I took a step forward, my stomach pressing against his bulbous one.“You might have been her guardian for eight years, but now you’re nothing to her. You will never get near Willow again. Now get the fuck out of my face before I do something I won’t regret.”

“Dude,”Jackson said, clapping me on the shoulder.“I’m sorry Imissed the service, my flight got delayed. You holding up okay?”

“Yeah,”I replied, downing the last of my whiskey.

My glass had been refilled four times. Any more, and I wasn’tgoing to be in a fit state to drive us home.

But I couldn’t help myself.

Watching Elijah preen around, lapping up the attention Legion members were giving him, coupled with my father and Welch huddled in a corner, surreptitiously casting glances at me and Willow, was making me angrier by the second.

“I see Elijah’s still a prick,”Jackson said, swiping a glass ofchampagne from a passing waiter.“But where’s Kiki? I haven’t seen her yet.”

I pulled my stare away from my father and Welch, meeting Jackson’sgaze. He’d made an effort, wearing a black suit and tie like all the other guestseventhough he hated wearing suits.“She wasn’t allowed to come.”

His brows furrowed. “Seriously?” I hummed in response. “Fuck. Your dad really is a callous asshole.”

“You can say that again.”

He shook his head, a grimace on his lips. His attention dropped toWillow, his eyes lighting up mischievously.“You going to finally introduce me to your wife?”

She lifted her head from where she’d been staring down at the floor,her worried gaze going from Jackson to me.

I sighed.“This is Willow.”

He laughed, holding out his hand to her.“Great introduction, dick.Willow, I’m Jackson, your husband’s business partner, and his bestest friend in the entire world.”I rolled my eyes.“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She looked at me, silently asking me what she should do. I bobbedmy head, permitting her to take his hand. Recognition dawned in her eyes as they shook, no doubt rememberingthathe collected her from Peartree House, but she remained silent as she pulled her hand from his grasp.

“Doesn’t say much, does she?”he whispered, an amused grin on hisface.

I ignored him, my attention back on my father and Welch. Elijah hadjoined them, and once again, the not-so-subtle glances at me and Willow resumed.

My fury bubbled over.

“What do you think they’re talking about?”Jackson hissed, notingwhere my attention had gone.

“I don’t know, but I’m about to find out. Stay with Willow.”

I didn’t give him a chance to talk me out of it as I stormed over to thethree of them, abandoning my whiskey glass on a table, otherwise it would have been embedded into Elijah’s annoying face.

As I reached them, they quickly composed their features, each manwearing a lookthattried to convey innocence.

“What the fuck do you keep looking at?”I growled, my words slightlyslurred. Maybe the whiskey was affecting me more than I realized.

Welch looked away, Elijah smirked, but my father remained stoic.“Wewerejustadmiring how close you and your wife appear. For someone who protested how much he didn’t care for the girl, youseemawfully fond of her,”my father said.

A muscle ticked in my jaw.“Things change.”

“Indeed. But it doesn’t change the factthatshe isn’t Legion.”

The insinuation in his tone made a murderous rage roll through me. Ididn’t like my father. I didn’t love my father. But I’d never wanted to cause him harm.

Until then.

“That can change too.”

Truthfully, I’d never given any thought to inducting Willow as amember of Legion, she didn’t have anything to bring to the society, there was no way her membership would be approved. But I’d be damned if I wasjustgoing to sit back and let my father take her from me.

Over my cold, rotting corpse.

But my father smirked, knowingjustlike I didthatWillow wouldn’t ever be a part of Legion.“You know, James, you always had a tendency to not listen to me, and it only ever ended in disaster for you. Maybe whenthatgirl is out of your life, you’ll finally do what I’ve asked, and marry someone from within Legion-”

“Willow isn’t going anywhere,”I snapped, my fists clenching.“She’smy wife and will be the mother of my heir. If anyone hurts her, I’ll take my time in removing every organ from their body.”

Elijah chuckled again.“That’s if you don’t run out of time to knock herup. How long do you have left to get her pregnant? A month, right?”

My eyes narrowed on him, the need to wipe the smirk off his facebecoming more and more overpowering with each passing second.

The cunt was right, there was one more month left until I losteverything. Which was why I had already put plans in place to buy myself more time.

When I’d discovered Willow had started her period a few days ago,I’d wanted to wrap my hands around her throat and ring the life out of her, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t her fault.

There was something I could do though. A measure I was hoping Iwouldn’t have to resort to, but with the whiskey swimming through my veins, and Elijah’s arrogant smirk on his face, I decided rightthento put my plans into motion.