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Piper had taken care that the stain on the wall was gone. Not only did she clean up, but she took the memory of what had happened from the people there. She knew she’d never forget what Mercy had shown her. The images of those poor children would haunt her for the rest of her days, she thought.
“May I join you?” After she nodded at Grant, he sat down on the chair across from her. “I’ve spoken to Duncan. He said in light of what happened today, he’s all right with scheduling the meeting with us tomorrow. Are you all right with that?”
“I am. Would you go out to the dive with me? I really would enjoy that, I think. Mercy told me they’ve found a great many artifacts already. As well as several trunks that none of us knew were on the ship. Joel said you were a great help. We had no idea you could dive so deeply.” He told her it was the fae in him. “I suppose. They’re very strong creatures. Did they help you breathe under the water as well?”
“Yes. Do you not want to talk about what happened today?” She shook her head. “All right. Yes. I can dive for longer periods when necessary. Joel is suited up in that thing Mercy found for him. I think she’d only have to give him a little magic, and he’d not need it. However, knowing Joel, he’d want things to be just perfect for him to want to go underwater. Or anything for that matter. I’m enjoying looking at the things they thought would be necessary to bring to a new place. I would guess you’d need a lot when traveling so far. But the jewelry I was able to bring up is something else.”
“Jude and Duncan are going to divide up the things they brought up between the six of us first. She said that way we can use it for some project we can fund with it. She had four children by Tag. They sold them to others to have sex with.” He said he knew and was sorry. “Do you know what is going to happen to the other things that are brought up? I mean, from what I remember, there were bodies on the ship as well. I doubt they’d be there anymore. Not after all this time.”
“There were a few bones lying around. I found a few, but nothing much more than that. There were chain leggings in the bottommost part of the ship. Mercy said that was where the woman was.” Piper said she remembered that now. “Dante made sure that her family, what was left of them, was well compensated for their loss before she died. I never realized she could see into the future. The king, he killed the woman’s entire family to have her simply because she had sons and no daughters.”
“Dante figured he was going to come here, demand that she marry him, then kill her on their wedding night. The other woman, the one on the ship, was going to be his wife when Dante was dead. No one, it seemed, cared a bit for him dying. There was never a missive sent here to find out where he was.” Grant told her there had been an inquiry about his death, but nothing more than that. “They would have seen the castle and figured that a storm had knocked the boat off voyage and it was lost at sea. I have to tell Abe what Mercy and I have done.”
“He knows.” She looked at Grant. “Jude told him what the two of you had seen. Not a lot of details, only that you saw that he’d had siblings, and they were killed as a result of their parents’ actions. I think he might have an idea of what happened, but he didn’t say anything. Jude told us he was sleeping when she left him. Abe hugged her after she told him. He has not been sleeping well since he found out how close they were. I love you, Piper.”
“I’ve fallen in love with you as well. I wasn’t sure at first, I will tell you that. You were there for me a great deal, holding my hand or even just being near to me when I needed it. It occurred to me while sitting out here that you’ve never asked me for anything. Not that you would—everything I have is yours anyway. But right now, you could ask me for the world, and I’d make sure you got it.” She looked away before continuing. “I’ve decided I’m going to find a way to make sure sexually abused children have someplace to go. I don’t have a great many details right now, but I’ll work them out with you. If you’ll help me.”
“Yes. I would very much like to help you with that.” She nodded. “There are ways that we can keep kids safe, too, I think. As we’re both fae, we can have the earth tell us when a child is being hurt badly. I’m sure it happens a great deal more than we’d be able to take care of all the time, but with our magic, we can scoop them up and bring them someplace safe.”
“I love that idea. I know there are times when a child thinks they’re being abused when they’re only being taught right from wrong. That’s not abuse, but parenting. Some
where along the line of having children, I believe we’ve forgotten that part of being an adult.” He told her he agreed with her one hundred percent. “Did you know that I can’t see into Jude’s mind? I never could read any of them, but it’s different now. I used to even be able to see things in Jude’s mind that weren’t blocked. Like something that was making her upset or happy. I can’t see a thing in her head, nor Duncan’s. It’s like a thick wall has been put up, and I can’t breach it.”
“What is it you were looking for?” She told him. “Ah. Yes, I can understand how you’d want to know how they felt about you and Mercy killing the other two. However, I don’t think they care. From the beginning, I think they knew they’d end up dead. I think the way they were killed was much easier on them than either Jude or Duncan would have done to them.”
“I think you’re right.” She stood up, and Grant did as well. “I’d like to talk to Duncan now. If he’s available. Then I want to lock us in our bedroom and get to know each other in the best possible way.”
“I love the way your mind works.”
They were walking hand in hand as they made their way into the house. Piper could get used to depending on someone else for some of her happiness. She, for sure, could be happy just living in their own home and doing what other couples did, whatever that might be. Smiling to herself, Piper wanted the mushy stuff too, she just realized.
~*~
“No. I mean, just no.” Grant looked over at Piper when she spoke to Duncan. Grant had been trying his best not to laugh since Duncan made his big announcement. “You need Mercy to do that. Mercy is the oldest, and she and Joel should go there. Not me. I mean, it’s not my place.”
“I believe we both understand that Mercy is not the type of person to help others get their lives back on track. The castle has been updated magically, and it has all the comforts of home. All you need to do is—”
“I don’t think you’re hearing me. I said no. I don’t want to run a castle with Grant. No offense to him, but I don’t have time to wetnurse a bunch of people that should have figured out their lives before now.” Duncan stood up, and so did Grant. “Don’t worry about him. He’s not going to hurt me. I’m stronger than he is.”
“Perhaps you were at one time.” When Piper began pacing the room, Duncan looked at him. “There are seventy people living on the outside of the keep. The walls were sealed up right after my mom realized that Burt, the lord of that castle, was dead, along with her own husband. When I say sealed up, I mean she removed any windows and doors to the place, and the drawbridge to get into the keep was turned to stone. No one has been in it for hundreds of years.”
“It must be a mess then. Why would you even consider sending us there to take care of things? For that matter, why are you sending us away anyway? Is it because of us killing that couple? I’d do it again if I had to. They were monsters.” Duncan told Piper it had nothing to do with that. His mom had said it. “Your mom said to send us away?”
Grant could hear the pain in her voice. She was feeling discarded. Unworthy. He could feel it like it was his own pain. When she sat down beside him, Grant took her hand. She was in so much pain he wasn’t sure she’d listen to Duncan at all now.
“They aren’t sending you away. Will you get your head out of your ass for one second, Piper? Christ. Listen to what he’s telling you.” Mercy grabbed Piper by the shoulders and turned her to face her while they both sat on the couch. “He’s sending the best there, and that would be the two of you. Can you imagine me going there and having someone whine at me that they don’t have enough to eat? I’d tell them to go hunting or some other shit like that. Of course, you’d tell them that too, but you’d be much nicer about it. We both know I’m not nice to humans. They’re stupid and can’t seem to think and walk at the same time.”
“I’m human.” Joel laughed. “Or I was at one time.” Mercy just had to look at him. “Okay, I get it. I wasn’t very smart when we first met. Go on. Ignore the one time human in the corner.”
“How will we have dinners together? I won’t have any of you around to just hang out with.” Duncan pointed out that it was only a two hour drive from their keep to this one. Less if she flew. “I don’t have any idea why she’d pick me. I can’t be depended on to take care of people. My studio is a testament to my inability to keep things straight.”
Grant laughed. He could no more have held it in than he could have told Piper no about anything she wanted from him. When she turned and glared at him, he kissed her on the mouth, then kissed her again. There was something so cute about Piper when she was pissy.
“I, for one, would like to help out with the castle and the occupants that have settled there. I’m assuming these people have no rights to where they’re living?” Duncan told him they were, for the most part, squatters. “So do you want them removed, or do you want them to figure out how to live there legally?”
“That would be something you two would figure out. I’m all for them staying, if they follow any rules, you would impose on them. They would have to have homes built. For the most part, they’re living in campers and tents. A few have been clever enough to have some kind of semi-permanent home. But that is something else you’d have to take care of. There is plenty of money for you two to make any kind of improvements to the housing they’re living in. Also, my mom made sure there are trees and a garden there for the keep to use. From what I’ve read in the journals she kept, as soon as Piper crosses over the threshold, everything will come alive and start producing.”
“You said it was all locked up. I don’t understand how that is supposed to work with me crossing over the threshold.” She glared at Grant. “Not that we’re going to do it, right? You want to live by your mom, don’t you?”
