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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.