Page 21 of Mistletoe (Monsters of the Nexus #3)

Chapter Twenty

Emma

Mistletoe Farm

Hal was too big a secret to keep. They had a week. She knew it was a matter of time before the angry mob turned up, but she hoped.

Naively, as it turned out.

Hal heard them in the distance. If they hoped the night would allow a surprise appearance, they should not have traveled on foot. Horses were far too loud.

“How many?” Emma asked.

“There are too many heartbeats. More than six.”

The situation was far from ideal. There was no reason for so many people to visit the farm.

“Do you think the sheriff has a warrant?” Hal asked.

“The sheriff doesn’t have that many deputies. It must be the military. When they conscripted Felix, at least half a dozen soldiers were present.” She remembered Felix’s warning. “They’re here to conscript you.”

To his credit, Hal did not question her or ask how she knew. He rolled his shoulders and stretched. “They will not take me.”

“What? No,” she said. “Even if you win a fight against a dozen soldiers, they’ll come back with more. You have to hide.”

“Where? That trick won’t work twice.”

Hal was entirely too calm for her liking. “You must leave. Get on a horse and go,” she said with urgency.

“No time for a horse.”

“Then run!”

He stubbornly shook his head. “Those people may threaten and harm you. I must stay to protect you. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t be myself. I’d be a monster in truth as well as name.”

Save her from philosophers.

“There’s no time. They’re here to take you—they’re not interested in me. Please, Hal. I can’t let anyone hurt you again,” she pleaded. “We’ll figure out what to do after they leave.”

He nodded and pulled her into a crushing embrace. “This is not farewell.”

“I refuse to allow it.”

He took off in a run, his long legs eating up the distance. Soon, he was beyond the barn, into the pasture, and receding in the distance.

Before long, a dozen soldiers arrived. Horses trampled through the dormant vegetable bed and the herb garden, taking the most direct path to the house.

Emma waited at the front steps. Her mother and father joined her.

“What’s going on, petal?” Oscar asked.

“The army is here to take Hal,” Agatha answered in a whisper.

“Why would they do that? How do they even know he’s here?”

“Felix is obligated to report any monster sighting,” Emma said.

“Felix did this? Never,” Oscar said, having more faith in Felix than Emma did.

“He warned me it would happen.”

The soldiers formed two rows directly in front of the house. It wasn’t an outright threat, but the numbers made it clear that fleeing from the house would be impossible.

The crowd parted. A figure emerged, wearing a uniform of noticeably higher quality. Emma recognized him from town, the day Hal sprung the vampire. The day they kissed for the first time. The major.

Felix followed. At least the traitor had the decency to look ashamed.

“Where is it?” the major asked.

Oscar stepped forward. “Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

His gaze went straight ahead, missing the major by about a foot.

The major’s jaw flexed in irritation at the slight. Oscar had perfectly good hearing and could detect where someone stood when they spoke to him. It was quite the intentional cut.

“I am Major Anthony Pearson.” He dismounted and approached the porch.

“A major? Why would someone as esteemed as yourself visit our humble estate?” Oscar continued to stare past the man, even as he stood only an arm’s length away.

“Sir, Mr. De Lacey, you are harboring a monster.”

“Being a monster is not a crime,” Oscar said.

Emma flinched. He should have denied Hal’s presence. Instead, he inadvertently confirmed the accusation and removed any doubt that the blind man knew his hired farmhand was a monster. At least he continued to speak past the major, who took a step to the left to stand directly in front of Oscar.

“I am authorized by the Enrollment Act to conscript those who will be useful in service to Nexus,” the major said, his tone sharp. “A monster is useful. Bring it to me.”

“Is he a monster? First, I’ve heard of it, but we all have our struggles. Cruelty to others is what makes us truly monstrous?—”

The major backhanded Oscar. Agatha gasped. The old man stumbled back, clutching his jaw as he tripped over his own feet.

“What are you doing?” Emma rushed to her father. She and Agatha helped him to his feet.

“The orc. Do not try my patience.”

“Do you see an orc? Don’t you think he’d have made himself known by now?”

“Those creatures are very territorial and will go to great lengths to protect what they consider theirs.”

Emma did not like where this was heading. “If you think you can…threats won’t work. He’s not here. He left. Days ago, because he knew he would rat him out!” Emma pointed to Felix. She was so angry with Felix that she could spit nails.

The major gave her a look that said he was not impressed by her lie.

He sauntered back to his horse. “Sergeant, draw the beast out. Smoke should suffice.”

“With pleasure, sir.” A man stepped forward, holding a bottle with a cloth stuffed into the mouth and a flint. “Any building you’d prefer?”

“Hmm, let’s start with that eyesore.”

Not the barn. Not the barn.

If the soldier torched the barn, she doubted they’d let her save the animals. All the goats, the two horses, and the chickens would die horribly. Their screams already haunted her. Any hope of turning enough of a profit to buy more sheep and keep the farm going would die, too.

“Take them with you,” the major commanded.

Soldiers seized Emma and her parents, hauling them away from the house. The soldier’s grip dug into her arm, sure to leave a bruise, and he walked too fast for Emma to catch up. She kept tripping on her feet. This rough treatment continued as she was dragged past the barn and toward the bunkhouse.

“I will ask you once more as a courtesy: where is the monster?” The major did not wait for Emma to answer—not that she would—before he flicked his fingers.

A bottle was lit and tossed through the bunkhouse’s window. Emma smelled alcohol, then smoke, oily smoke.

She struggled against the soldier’s grip but could not break free. He pressed a blade to her side and ordered her to behave.

Emma stilled, but she would never behave . In a fit of petulance, she stomped her foot down on the soldiers, those heavy boots doing most of the work.

That earned her a slap across her face. She spat at the soldier.

“Surrender the monster, or another piece of your property will be touched,” the major said.

Hal

Hal did not go far. He heard the demands, and if even one soldier had bothered to search the property, they would have found him crouched behind a stone wall. Instead, the major chose to terrorize the De Laceys.

His family.

His mate.

He had to stop this. The major would burn the entire farm down if he did not get his way.

Hal skirted the perimeter, hiding behind the workshop and the woodshed. When he was close enough, he rushed the soldier holding Emma.

He hit an invisible barrier, crossed some hidden threshold, and felt as if he were inside a ringing bell. The sound of blood pounding in his ears drowned out everything else. His eyes were drawn to a tall man with scars as if claws had been raked over his face.

Somehow, Hal knew they were the same: both monsters.

Emma shouted, snapping the beast’s hold over Hal.

Her eyes were wide. While she shouted, it was from anger, not fear or panic. She tossed her head back, slamming the back of her head into the man’s nose.

Hal tore the soldier away. He twisted the man’s arm until he heard a pop. Shoulders dislocated so easily.

“Hal!” Emma shouted.

A pair of soldiers had her now, one with his arms wrapped around her to pin her in place and the other with their pistol pointed directly at her head.

The bunkhouse burned uncontrollably, casting an orange glow and dramatic shadows.

“Surrender,” the major said, “or the woman will suffer.” Fire flickered over his face, reflecting in his eyes.

Hal wanted to fight, but there were a half-dozen rifles pointed at him and the De Lacey family. There was no escape. He couldn’t outrun bullets. There was one thing he could still do to protect Emma, which was no choice at all.

Hal held up his hands in surrender.

“No!” Emma broke free from the soldiers and dashed to Hal, throwing herself between him and the rifles. “You can’t have him. He’s mine !”

“Stand aside, woman,” a soldier ordered.

The rifles did not waver; neither did Emma.

“If you think I’m letting you take this man away from me, you’d better think again,” Emma said.

The major stomped forward; his cool demeanor had vanished. He pointed a finger at Emma. “You test my patience. This orc,” his finger swung toward Hal, “cost me a vampire. Made me a laughingstock! I’m owed a new monster for my collection.”

“You were embarrassed, so now you burn down my house?” She had to shout to be heard over the roar of the fire.

Embers floated through the air. Smoke hung in a haze close to the ground. The fire scorched his back, promising to blister if he took so much as a step in that direction.

“So now I will arrest the criminal that stole military property.”

“People aren’t property.”

“That vampire was not people .”

Emma sucked in a breath. Whatever she was about to say, it would only escalate the situation.

“Emma,” Hal cautioned. “Do not provoke him. You cannot win this fight.”

“If you will not step out of harm’s way, so be it.” The major spun on his heel, giving them his back. “Seize him.”

Several bodies swarmed Hal, pulling him away and restraining him as Emma was knocked to the ground. Her top lip had a split. She smeared blood across her face.

Hal growled, incensed by the blood. How dare they? His vision narrowed, focusing on the nearest body and locating where to strike. Knees were always effective and didn’t take much force to completely wreck.

Knees. Throat. Eyes. Good plan.

Hal leaned back and raised his knees, using the soldier holding him to provide leverage. He kicked the nearest soldier, once in the gut and then in the knee. He twisted, breaking free of the restraining hold, and lunged.

He wrestled away a rifle, swinging the butt like a club. It gave a satisfying crunch when it connected. Blood sprayed, landing on his face, and the soldier crumpled to the ground.

He threw his head back and let out a bone-shaking roar.

“Hal!”

Emma’s cry cut through the violence surging in him, leaving him with dread. What did she see? How horrible he must appear to her.

Hal turned to face her, expecting to find fear and disgust. Instead, her eyes shone with pride. Light from the fire flickered across her face, giving her a fierce appearance.

The major grabbed her from behind, pressing a pistol to her head. “I do not recommend testing my patience. I’d hate to take a civilian life, but she provided aid and comfort to a monster.”

Hal dropped the rifle.

“That’s a crime now?” A new voice cut through the chaos.

The sheriff’s horse skidded to a halt. She dismounted in a smooth motion and was on the major in a heartbeat.

“Sheriff Navarre,” he said.

“Major Pearson,” she replied with disdain, and that filled Hal’s heart with hope. Spite was a powerful motivator, and his gut told him that she intended to deny the major. “What are you doing so far from your nice, warm barracks?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to a civilian.”

She hummed and nodded as if she expected that answer. “Because it looks like you’re terrorizing this family. Arson. Threats of bodily harm. It’d be a shame if your finger slipped and you murdered Miss De Lacey. It would be murder, not manslaughter, if you were wondering if I’d go easy on a man of your rank.”

“The sheriff doesn’t do favors,” Emma said.

A vein pulsed in his forehead. He snarled and pushed Emma away. She stumbled to the ground, catching herself with the palms of her hands.

“Take the monster. That’s what we’re here for.”

Hal growled, ready to tear out the man’s throat. Hands grabbed him. Cuffs were placed over his wrists. The metal did not burn or tingle, but it was too tight.

“Major, do you intend to conscript this man?” the sheriff asked.

“That is exactly my intention.” The vein pulsed. Maybe they’d have a stroke of good fortune, and the major would have a stroke. Such a warm, soothing thought.

“You cannot conscript an active-duty deputy,” she said.

“He’s not a deputy. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“He has the coat,” the sheriff said.

Hal felt every head turn his way. He did indeed wear his stolen deputy coat.

“Where’s his badge?” Pearson demanded.

“Right here,” she said, producing a shiny silver badge from her pocket. “Special order.”

She held it out like an offering to Hal.

Hal glanced from Major Pearson to Emma and then back to the sheriff.

This was the solution that seemed so impossible just minutes ago.

In the end, it was no choice at all.

“You caught me shorthanded,” he said.

The sheriff raised an eyebrow at the weak joke. She pinned the star to his coat.

“There. Now you’re officially a deputy.” She turned to Major Pearson. “Satisfied? Or is there another building you need to set ablaze?”

The major pointed a finger at Hal. “This isn’t over.” He retreated, taking the soldiers with him.

Hal watched their retreat until they vanished in the night, the fire burning hot behind him.