shorts, and stood in front of the mirror towel drying her blond hair. Her eyes, a silver grey, blinked back the fatigue they felt. She grabbed her ponytail holder, and pulled her hair back, securing it with the elastic band, and sighed at her reflection.
She wasn’t ugly, she was aging well, and she still had a killer body. She had a lot to offer a male, aside from her position as Archon, and she was fertile, painfully so. Still she wasn’t a sweet young thing like Kira, and it was apparent Merrick was into that these days. It didn’t matter, once this was over she was going to forget him completely, and until then, all she had to do was avoid him, which shouldn’t be too hard as he was no doubt already ensconced with his lover for the night.
The thought infuriated her and she balled her fists, fighting the urge to cry. It took a few minutes, but she got her composure back and sighed, cleared her head, looking forward once again to the bed waiting for her, however lonely it would be.
As she opened the door and stepped into the bedroom proper, she stopped dead, blinking in surprise. Merrick sat on the chair closest to her closet, a blank expression on his face.
He started to smile then stopped a small pained crease forming between his brows. "We have to talk Elise."
"I have nothing to say to you John." she said and crossed the room to her hamper, stuffing the towel in it, she grabbed her hand and slipped the ring off her finger and into the pocket of her shorts.
"Though this is far from acceptable."
"I know," He sighed. "But I have no choice, I can't talk to you out there, not and be myself."
"Right. Well like I said, I don’t give a rat’s ass what you have to say John. You don’t owe me a damn thing, least of all an explanation."
"Don't I? I've been underground for fifteen years, you didn't even know if I was dead or alive. I didn't even get to see my mother before she died. Thank you for being there for her by the way. The only people to see my face have been rogues and outcasts, coupled with the occasional assassin and
~28~
now I show up here, with Kira... love, I think I owe you a bit more than an explanation." He watched her wringing her hands.
"No you don’t. And don’t you dare call me love; you don’t have the right to anymore. Solange was like a mother to me as well, so I didn’t do any of that for you." she said quietly. "So we are even."
"Elise, things are complicated but they're not what you think." He stood. "Just let me explain...
Things happened in South America and I couldn't come back. A friend of mine stuck his neck out for me and..." He sighed. "I couldn’t... I wanted to, hell I even tried. It just didn't work out, but not one day has gone by in the past fifteen years where I haven't loved you. You're always in my heart...
always. You're the reason I started picking up strays, giving them homes. I did something with my life.
It maybe hasn’t always been above board but I've saved a lot of kids. Scared and stupid ones like we used to be..." He chuckled, "They call me a saint, not to my face but I've heard it."
She gave a little chuckle, a nervous sound. "Glad I’m in your heart John, and I’m glad things worked out for you. Now if you’re quite finished, I believe the woman in your bed, your mate, is probably waiting for you." she turned to him. "You don’t owe me a damn thing John. Enjoy your life."
"Lise she's not my mate... or my Archon. Please believe me, I don’t have a mate...not since you."
He shook his head his eyes pleading with her. "I've known Kira and her brother Aiden since they were twelve. I rescued them from a traveling circus." He took a step towards her. "I can't enjoy my life without you... or at least with you hating me. If you've moved on then I'll understand but please just don’t hate me. I didn't want to hurt you today, but someone’s killing my kids Elise and I have to find out who that is before I lose any more."
She looked down and then up
She wasn’t ugly, she was aging well, and she still had a killer body. She had a lot to offer a male, aside from her position as Archon, and she was fertile, painfully so. Still she wasn’t a sweet young thing like Kira, and it was apparent Merrick was into that these days. It didn’t matter, once this was over she was going to forget him completely, and until then, all she had to do was avoid him, which shouldn’t be too hard as he was no doubt already ensconced with his lover for the night.
The thought infuriated her and she balled her fists, fighting the urge to cry. It took a few minutes, but she got her composure back and sighed, cleared her head, looking forward once again to the bed waiting for her, however lonely it would be.
As she opened the door and stepped into the bedroom proper, she stopped dead, blinking in surprise. Merrick sat on the chair closest to her closet, a blank expression on his face.
He started to smile then stopped a small pained crease forming between his brows. "We have to talk Elise."
"I have nothing to say to you John." she said and crossed the room to her hamper, stuffing the towel in it, she grabbed her hand and slipped the ring off her finger and into the pocket of her shorts.
"Though this is far from acceptable."
"I know," He sighed. "But I have no choice, I can't talk to you out there, not and be myself."
"Right. Well like I said, I don’t give a rat’s ass what you have to say John. You don’t owe me a damn thing, least of all an explanation."
"Don't I? I've been underground for fifteen years, you didn't even know if I was dead or alive. I didn't even get to see my mother before she died. Thank you for being there for her by the way. The only people to see my face have been rogues and outcasts, coupled with the occasional assassin and
~28~
now I show up here, with Kira... love, I think I owe you a bit more than an explanation." He watched her wringing her hands.
"No you don’t. And don’t you dare call me love; you don’t have the right to anymore. Solange was like a mother to me as well, so I didn’t do any of that for you." she said quietly. "So we are even."
"Elise, things are complicated but they're not what you think." He stood. "Just let me explain...
Things happened in South America and I couldn't come back. A friend of mine stuck his neck out for me and..." He sighed. "I couldn’t... I wanted to, hell I even tried. It just didn't work out, but not one day has gone by in the past fifteen years where I haven't loved you. You're always in my heart...
always. You're the reason I started picking up strays, giving them homes. I did something with my life.
It maybe hasn’t always been above board but I've saved a lot of kids. Scared and stupid ones like we used to be..." He chuckled, "They call me a saint, not to my face but I've heard it."
She gave a little chuckle, a nervous sound. "Glad I’m in your heart John, and I’m glad things worked out for you. Now if you’re quite finished, I believe the woman in your bed, your mate, is probably waiting for you." she turned to him. "You don’t owe me a damn thing John. Enjoy your life."
"Lise she's not my mate... or my Archon. Please believe me, I don’t have a mate...not since you."
He shook his head his eyes pleading with her. "I've known Kira and her brother Aiden since they were twelve. I rescued them from a traveling circus." He took a step towards her. "I can't enjoy my life without you... or at least with you hating me. If you've moved on then I'll understand but please just don’t hate me. I didn't want to hurt you today, but someone’s killing my kids Elise and I have to find out who that is before I lose any more."
She looked down and then up
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