War of Prey

43) Daughter Mine

"And suddenly the stone crumbled to clay, now soft when the rough exterior is broken."

***

They pull up to Lane's old farmhouse, the one where he was banished by his father when he failed to beat his older brother, Malcolm, at fencing. "You're who?"

"Lane Davis, heir to the throne of King Aaron Davis. Now, are you done ogling, or would you like a signature, too? Lena is in there with my father, who doesn't give a damn about her life."

Matthew looks at Lane with a look of disbelief and anger before nodding and slipping out of his car. He loads a gun out of the glove compartment before turning his eyes to Lane's. "What? I'm not going in there without something to kill that bastard, father or not."

Lane shakes his head and proceeds into the house, gathering his wits and deepening his voice until it is authoritative. "You wanted me; here I am. Father. Bring her out now, unharmed."

"Always such a demanding boy you were. Your mother hated it," King Davis grins, eyes locked on his son's. "It's a shame it took so long to get you to visit your old man...too bad it had to be like this. You give me what I want then I give you the girl. Tell me where Sàvia is, where that killer went."

Lane laughs. "I would never betray Sàvia like you betrayed Mom. So go ahead, she can fight her own."

Just as King Davis looks down at Lena, Matthew buries a bullet in his shoulder and knee, sending him crumbling down to allow Lane to scoop her up in his arms and rush her out to Matthew's car. "Lane? You got the message?"

"Of course I did, anywhere you go, I go. I'm sorry this happened to you in the first place, it was my fault--"

"No, it was also Matthew's. Thank you for coming after me," she smiles up at him. The way she looks at him makes his stomach quiver, the way her lips part...he hasn't noticed this before. She notices his eyes on her lips as she leans up, her pink lips inching close to his.

"Let's go, he won't be down for long--ah dammit Lena. Why the hell do you have to do this in my car? And with him?" Matthew groans, looking as if he wants to throw up; Lane glares at him.

"It is none of your business who I kiss Matthew, and besides, you interrupted before he could kiss me anyway," Lena bites back, his sharp-witted girl. His? She isn't his. She isn't anyone's but he wants her to be his, intense feelings storm his senses for the first time since Sàvia. Her name doesn't even bring him pain anymore. "You okay? Hey, I've only been gone for a few hours."

"It should have never happened. My father wants me to tell him where Sàvia is. He's accusing her of murdering my brother and his Falls Moon Ceremony. I wouldn't be angry if she did. Malcolm was an ass."

"Well she's still safe, not that she'd ever be caught, and I'm safe as well. I want to go home and sleep," she yawns. Lane nods at her and brushes her hair from her face as Matthew rives them the hour back to Nene's. "Thank you, Lane."

"Anytime Princess."

***

They sit opposite each other, her brother sitting on the blue couch with his boyfriend as Ashely sits on the blue chair with her girlfriend. They look across at each other, Ashely and Rhett having a look of misery as Ace and Rosé look at each other with matching smirks.

"I still can't believe this. Marriane was right. She always said our kids would be together, she knew there was a love between you from birth. Rhett was an infant but would immediately stop crying when I walked in the room while I was pregnant with Acce, it was so strange, you both responded to each other in the womb. And Rosé, you were due a week before you were born, it seemed like you were waiting on something. Marriane asked me to come to stay with her, she was doing a home birth with you Rosé, and I walked into the room with Ashely who was just talking. You always called her A, you saw her and squealed and laughed. I kid you not, not a minute later Marriane went into labor, and you were born forty minutes later. It was so strange the connection you all had but we had Mother's Intuition and knew, I know Marriane is proud of you both, I know she is so happy to see the both of you in love."