Marcus
I groggily patted the bed next to me—half asleep, anticipating finding Juliet and coming together again after so long apart. She wasn't there. I quickly turned and felt the other side. Nothing. I dug my face into the soft sheets and gripped them tightly, twisting the fabric. I had so hoped she would stay. After our fight in the arena, we both took separate baths and by the time I was done, she was sleeping. Too tired, I joined her… I decided to let her rest, and she chose to leave. This was the one thing I had longed for, to reach out and have her there when I woke up. Or in the middle of the night… The way it was before all this… Why would she go before we had sex? After so long?
Lazily, I stood and got dressed, huffing under my breath. What was the point of hurrying and finding her?
Outside the door, the servant told me they were all in the quad. What were they doing? Maybe she was needed somewhere… As I walked toward the entrance to the palace, I heard a lot of voices conversing above the usual drum of the marketgoers in the street. There was some activity going on… I couldn't really blame her. Everyone was suddenly there, in one place, together, and she'd seen Charlene only a few times.
The doors to the palace stood open to the glaring midday sun. Down the large, wide steps, broad enough for a full-grown man to lie down on, was the whole family seated, watching the quad. All the steps were layered with thick cushions and more so people could recline underneath wide sheets of material tightly pulled from one column to another.
In the middle of the square open space, Romero sat on a podium surrounded by a crowd of men and women. Each student was diligently moving their hands in a certain way, following his example and teachings. I scanned the crowd; Naji and Fia were next to each other, listening intently. How did they form such a strong bond? He had no problem with always being at her side. Naji placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her to the center to take her turn.
I looked down and searched the stairs for my other half. Juliet was waiting, her hand stretched out toward me so I could join her. We, the adults, were watching our kids's extracurricular activities. I had other things on my mind we could be doing instead.
***
A few days later, we were all still on the steps the whole day, enjoying the part of the city we were in. The palace wasn't isolated on a hill behind high walls, separate from the rest of the commoners. The surrounding market was more of a communal hangout for us to be together outside. When the kids came to practice, I couldn't let Naji out of sight, even though he was a full-grown man.
Juliet was in my arms on a cushion or stuck to my body in some way or another. Her hand was constantly caressing some part of my skin. I noticed every sensation… With Chris out of commission most of the time, I was probably only a replacement. He was ordered to follow the doctor while he did rounds through the city. Chris needed to be continuously healed, like being stuck on a drip. Three times a day, two or more dheka would sit with him and nourish his body for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I laughed lightly as Ira pushed a plate stacked with different foods under his nose. Silvanus held out a cup of some drinkable medicine. The two were at his side, making sure he gained his strength. Chris was determined to get better, so he gladly took a cake and stuffed it into his mouth. His parents smiled happily.
My gaze drifted over the steps… Michael's eyes were closed, snoring softly, resting after the hectic time he had, bringing the whole lot from En-gannim to Mirach… Juliet had slept with both of them as soon as she saw them… What was going on? At night, we all slept in one big bed with her. Our current schedule didn't leave much room for anything else but family time.
My gaze returned to the podium. Naji and Fia were a couple… The two spent all their time with Romero, who taught her to hone and channel her abilities. Naji was like a little child who had not seen anything else but the boundaries of an island—like I was the first time seeing En-gannim with Qadir. The smallest thing intrigued him... No, most of them were a little behind in a way…. More than even we were.
"He's not going to disappear," Juliet whispered. I glanced down to see her eyes glued to the man. Then I caught sight of her lips; they were a temptation, begging me to delve in there and violate my way to satisfaction. What was she waiting for? Juliet caught my lust-filled eyes on her and quickly looked back at the quad. "Julie," I whispered.
She tapped my arm and pointed at the quad… Kaia and Nami were in the crowd with the others. I laughed regardless of my sex-deprived state as Warden shrieked, jumping in the air. The three human men were in the middle, taking jolts of pain from the students, learning how to channel their black clouds out toward an enemy. They took turns. Nami was next and eyed Jack. He closed his eyes tightly, tilting his chin—like it could help. She sent out her shadow and hit him to the ground—right off his feet. "Wow, she knows what she's doing."
"Yes, I've been teaching her for a year."
"You have?"
"Kaia is best with gold. Watch! She can dull anyone in pain from a good distance."
Kaia's gold and black sphere spiraled out and consumed Jack. His pain turned into a smile, and he stood back up. "I feel like we're being used for entertainment," he complained.
Juliet laughed, digging her face into my chest. She took a deep whiff of my body and sighed. F— I didn't know what was going on. How could she be all over me and not want to sleep with me?
Sammy and Selena landed in the middle of the circle the students created. Nami jumped up, slicing through the air. Sammy disappeared before the piercing sword could hit. She was also practicing her teleportation, which she had no control over. Selena was on guard duty to follow or find her. The tall blond instantly stirred my withdrawal symptoms. Guilty, I closed my grip on Juliet…This really was my own fault. Luckily, Mael and Minè walked down the palace steps. I growled in Juliet's ear. I almost killed him when they fought, whether he was her brother or not. Mael played dirty. Cowardly. He had a look in his eye—out to kill her—not to make a statement. He was the truest vamp I'd seen since Ian. Juliet followed my gaze and sighed heavily. The next time Mael made a move, I would step in whether she allowed it or not. Romero also seemed to have hardened over the last hundred years… He wasn't so easy anymore. Or maybe he would relax once the wolves were taken care of.
Kubra sat down next to us, a little greyer around the temples. Yet he stretched out his legs and leaned back on his arms, lifting his head to the sun like a boy sitting under a tree, "Not in all my years did I ever think this was what was going to happen the day you branded Juliet."
I laughed lightly, "No? Why not? It was so predictable."
"Marcus! You've changed."
"I hope so… It only took me a hundred years to find myself."
Kubra sighed, "I've never been this happy… Minus all the separation, anxiety, war." Juliet and I chuckled. He tapped Juliet on the shoulder, "Your plan worked."
"And?"
"You won't believe it… They're thinking of stealing the stones."
Juliet chortled. What were they doing? Everyone was in these weird little clicks, doing things. Why was I still on the outside? Why did I not understand what was going on? Or why didn't they include me? I pushed away from under Juliet and stood heading into the palace.
***
The arena was quiet so early in the morning; all the dheka were still asleep before the long day started. Around the boundary lay a circle of built-in stones, creating a constantly illuminated space to practice whenever anyone felt like it. My sword was an extension of my body, and my wrist sliced through the air in a practiced sequence. My footing was less sure than it always was; coupled with the added strength and speed of a hundred years to my creature side, I needed a lot of time to coordinate and condition myself.
War was coming, and this time, I was ready, unwilling to sit by anymore or run from a fight. Naji and Fia were a couple… therefore, my daughter-in-law was also Romero's daughter. Mirach was now more our home—my home—than even En-gannim would be. For the last couple of days, I had watched Naji every minute to figure out who he was, what he was interested in, and begrudgingly how much influence Silvanus and Ira had on the kids on the island. I cursed every minute we were apart, where I thought he was dead, where I thought he was still alive but not with me. He was my son, but not really. No, Naji had bonded more with Juliet in the last week than with me. Irritated, I fumbled a move and swore loudly. I never considered how hard it would be for me to connect with my own child. In Juliet's time travels, I had a few years with him, but it wasn't mine and his. Naji had no recollection of me. My wrist bent too much, and the blade rippled in the air. I rubbed the back of my hand over my brow to swipe the sweat from dripping too much. The only people—other than Juliet and my mom—I ever had a connection with were Chris and Kubra. I would probably never be the guy with twenty friends and the life of the party; nevertheless, I really wanted my kids to at least like me.
Naji was also the total opposite of me; hesitant, withdrawn, and sensitive to violence… Well, maybe not completely different then. Is this how I would've been if Agatha had raised me… Mael was a complete idiot, and he was raised by Cindy… Is that what Juliet would've been like if Liam wasn't in the picture… Maybe he was breastfed too long. I laughed at my own joke and destroyed the fake mannequin propped up on stilts.
Manifested, every noise out there drifted my way; a door opened; a child called out to parents; guards walked past and only looked in briefly to see who was practicing. They would pass by and whisper among themselves. The respect the dheka had for the community was admirable. Soft footfall in the sand behind me made me turn. I smiled and dropped my sword, meeting her halfway.
Agatha [ Couldn't sleep? ]
I shook my head and led her to the stands where we could sit down.
"How did you survive all those years with Qadir?"
[ You ]
"Is he just timid? Why did you raise him so far away from our ways."
[ Well, if you can't speak… The child grows up quiet to match you ]
"And Mael? How will we leave him and Naji to fight for En-gannim one day?"
[ No, Marcus, Naji will never want to rule… He was in the garden most of the time. Helping the beasts populate and grow. Fia was right there next to him to heal the beast or take care of a difficult birth… Naji creates and draws… Something I think you like to do ] She nudged my shoulder with hers.
"Did I sometimes not feel like your son?"
[ Yes ]
"I don't like this life… It's difficult… And long…"
The familiar hmm, chuckle sound from Silvanus resonated in the street, talking to someone. Irritated, I just had to wait; it would be my son—or brother with our new father… I could barely hear Naji answer him. Agatha followed my gaze to the doorway. She wouldn't know who was coming.
Both men came around the corner, "Here you are," Silvanus said, "We've been looking for you." Silvanus, ever vigilant, scanned my tracks in the sand; his eyes darted at all the destroyed props, and he pouted his lips. Hmmm, chuckle. He scratched his sideburns, "If you needed company, I would've liked to join you."
"I'm here every morning."
"Good, good."
"Marcus, Silvanus, and I came to spar for a few minutes."
"Please… Go ahead… I'm done."
First, the two had to clear my mess before they could start. With Silvanus, Naji joked and played around; with me, he was hesitant… Was it a vamp thing? The two laughed and tossed stuff at each other.
Naji made the first move, which was solid, strong, and in perfect form. I sat up, a little intrigued. The two stayed human and fought hand to hand. My son knew every step and counter. His bones were thick to take the constant hard buffet from Silvanus. My brow furrowed, I looked at Agatha. She chuckled and placed her head on my shoulder. My eyes went back to the men moving with practice and determination.
Naji was the first to manifest and intensify his effort. Silvanus joined him, teleporting and maneuvering to catch Naji off guard. He was aware, always ready for the suddenness of the appearance. He blocked every unpredictable blow with force and a follow-up strike—thwarting even the massive beast. I pushed Agatha off my shoulder and turned to look at her, "You were lying. He's leagues above Mael."
She giggled naughtily and shrugged. [ I might not have agreed with Cindy's way with Mael… She spoiled him… ] Agatha shook her head. [ Maybe I had more practice to see balance in the way to raise a son… Naji is his own person, but I was also not going to raise one who couldn't protect himself ]
"Mom!"
[ Silvanus is a good man, Marcus ]
"I have no issues with the two of you," I said with a soft tone to set her at ease.
Her eyes met mine. [ You don't. We were worried. You are so different. ]
I took her hand and held it, "I'm happy for you… My behavior has nothing to do with your sex life."
She laughed, and the two men in the ring also stopped fighting to laugh, unable to continue.
[ Then what's bothering you? ]
"Juliet and Caleb are sneaking out at night." The two men chuckled, coming closer. "They have been walking around the camp Chris was kept in… taunting the wolves… Semaj mentioned seeing scouts again, and the two have been canvasing for our next attack…"
"They disappear, and the wolves can do nothing but watch them walk around spying?" Silvanus joked. We all laughed at mother and son with an extraordinary bond.
[ You still don't like fighting? ]
"No, no, it's not that… I…" I rubbed a hand over my brow, "Urgh, I feel so stupid…"
[ Tell us ]
"I have been slacking for a hundred years… I thought… you were all dead… On Mirach, there is no point in fighting, training… Juliet almost had me in the ring the other day." Naji chuckled; I looked up at the man I thought I'd never see. "We didn't really have time to exert energy to practice our sword fighting… Jack, more than anyone else, took over the limited time the others had to keep fit."
Agatha looked at the ring [ You still know the basics. So what if you're not the best fighter in the galaxies anymore… If you want to be, you could be ]
She looked at Silvanus, who was the only one staring at me with narrowed eyes and quiet. I met his gaze full on, "So are you going to tell me if Ira's plans were calculated with Mael."
Naji and Silvanus met each other's eye and shared a moment about something they'd discussed at length. Had Silvanus changed his loyalties? Would he still follow Ira without question?
The short man sat down next to Agatha, resting two elbows on his knees, "Ira has nothing to do with the way Mael turned out… He has been selfish and insensitive since he was a child… Ira wanted to beat it out of him, but Cindy missed the signs and said Mael only needed an outlet… We were all bored and had no purpose for our lives… I can understand she had no hope… So Ira channeled all his energy into fighting… It didn't help… And no one was going to drop him at our door to whip him into submission…"
My eyes went to Naji, "The rest of you? How did you manage your creature sides?"
"Oh, no, I met Silvanus swing many times." My shoulders shook. "And so did Sammy…"
"Really?"
[ A little terror, but where she was concerned, Ira put his foot down with Cindy… Naji was my responsibility ]
"How did you manage the other three?"
Naji answered for the adults, "Fia and I had always been close… So when I was punished, we were usually together in whatever we did… Cindy stood aside when Silvanus took over with Jaali and Fia… Minè… hit puberty, manifested, and stuck to Cindy… The two grew really close… It didn't help because, at the same time, Mael's lust kicked in, and Miné fed all his pride… Poor Sammy was left behind, and they drifted apart."
"What happened to Cindy? She was never like this!"
The three looked down at the ground… Guiltily couldn't meet my eye.
We all yelped when Juliet and Caleb suddenly appeared right beside Naji. He screamed and laughed, "Stop doing that."
Juliet threw her arms around the man and squeezed the life out of him, lifting him off his feet and twirling him in a circle. "How much spying do you guys do? When will I ever know my conversations are private. You could at least take me with you…" Juliet put him down. "You look so scary in that face, I'll have nightmares… Can't you reverse it?"
Juliet tapped his nose with a finger. The man flinched back. "When are you going to tell your father the truth?"
"He's your husband."
"He's your father!" Naji shook his head, hesitant to tell me. What?
Juliet chuckled, walked toward me, and kissed me, "Marcus… Cindy slept with Ira."
My smile fell, and my eyes hardened, "I'll kill him… After everything he put us through… He sleeps with a vamp!" I stood to my feet. "What about Liam… He'll be devastated… Juliet, how can you let this go?"
"What do you want me to do? Go back in time and fix it."
"I can't believe it! No wonder Mael is so screwed up… F— we don't need this division in the family… Why aren't you more upset?"
"Oh, I'm plenty angry… I have to lie to one parent to protect a marriage… And suddenly have to take sides."
"Cindy should tell Liam herself… How can she put it on all of us to lie to him."
[ Why are you so angry? ]
"Because their relationship was sacred—"
"So this is about you?" Juliet scoffed. "What you wanted out of life, and if they didn't make it, we wouldn't have."
"You cheated on us once already, Juliet; that ship sailed a long time ago."
"That's uncalled for, Marcus," Naji chastised. Juliet stayed him with a hand on his arm.
I waved away his words and her platitudes, turning away from them. My insides were out of control. F— why was I so upset? Liam didn't deserve this… It wasn't about me, was it? I spun back around, "I… I just thought—their bond was one of the reasons our family… this…" I gestured to the group, "Made it through all it did… Liam and Cindy were always there… In the background, but still united, together with a common cause."
[ Didn't you just say that you gave up because you had nothing left to fight for… It was the same for us on the island… No one could have children… Mixed races forced together… All we had—was a century of nothing… So Cindy gave up… Can you put yourself in her shoes?"
"No, I never could… She was the model of En-gannim… Argh, I don't mean you weren't Mom… I should stop talking… F— Ira was so against it…" I turned to my wife, "At least with you, I know where I stand."
"Do you remember the night Louis was almost assassinated?"
My eyes lifted to the sky… One of the hardest nights of my life… Juliet begged me to sleep with her, and all I could do was masturbate. If I only took a stand back then—she never would've slept with Soren… We would've had the discussion. "Yes."
"We had a girl's night."
"Yes."
"My mother told us the story of how they met… And I can tell you—if I was any older—I would've seen this coming… My mom settled… It took her forever to even like Liam."
"No," I shook my head.
"Yes, Marcus, life is not black and white… It's very grey… My own brother is turning out to be—"
"A villain! Well, I'm telling you now, if he touches you again, I'll kill him on the spot… Then we'll see how strong this family really is."
I spun away from the crowd and left. I couldn't lie to Liam… How did I get over Cindy's choices… All her choices with raising Mael and causing all these problems… She was always there for everyone, ready to console and comfort. A rock to the family. Understood every feeling. Was it all fake? Will Ira and Silvanus go back to Zoreah? Where will my mother be in a few days when Silvanus decides being a riphath is more important and leaves her all alone!
Agatha had to do the same, Marcus… Do you think she wanted to marry Qadir… No woman on En-gannim married for love… If Liam and Cindy had not been forced into one house on Earth… the two would've had… yes, the relationship I wanted… The women submitted the way they were taught. Men married for only one reason.
I dunked down into the bath, submerging myself—holding my breath. The quiet of the pressure soothed me; only my heart's rhythmic pounding settled my feelings. Juliet was so different in her life with me than any of the other lives she lived... But even on the compound at the age of fifteen, Juliet loved me… And it was so easy for me to leave her alone for a hundred years. Roa's face came to mind, and how I lusted after her... Selena was a constant temptation all those years… I was really no different than Cindy or Juliet… Was I any different? I didn't, though? How much would it take for me to break a promise? Did Liam and Cindy never have the discussion?
Two voices droned underneath the water, muffled yet calm and in a discussion. I sat up, wiping water out of my eyes. "So, what did Basaam say?" Chris asked, seated on a chair outside the bath.
"He said it's Juliet's choice. Juliet said Basaam has to go first and give Louis the good news… I think she's scared he would've moved on with how weird his texts were." Michael said on another chair right beside the rim. Was I ever going to be left alone? Is that my problem? I was alone for so long, and now it was France all over from every angle.
Chris laughed, "Texts?"
Michael stroked his beard around his chin and followed the long strands down to the tip. His scruff had doubled in length and thickness in the last hundred years, and he never gave up… he was larger, and his muscles more defined than they were going into this mess. "Chris, the full moon on Earth is in seven days… You've not manifested, and it's been more than a week."
"Do you think we can get this part of Mirach sorted out in seven days?"
"Yes, with all the surveillance Juliet and Caleb's been doing, it will be easy. They already dropped the stone in the water, and in two days, it will only be a formality… Romero and the ten thousand soldiers here began marching this morning."
"Where is Juliet?" Chris asked.
"The trio went with. The whole crowd followed the leader and left this morning except Kaia, who decided to stay."
"What about Mael and Minè?" Chris asked.
"We drugged them, and I took him to the colony planet and her to Plamyra."
"You what?" I finally interjected.
"Hey, there he is. What's going on with you?" Michael prodded.
"Nothing! How did Liam and Cindy allow it? He just got his son back. And Charlene, her daughter!"
"Liam said—after Mael's and Juliet's fight—it might benefit his new son to see how the other side was living. What En-gannim is really like and what he was fighting for… Last night at dinner, Charlene kind of cornered the two about the future of the couple. Never able to have kids if she didn't go through what Juliet went through… The two wanted to bring two races together with two totally different systems of government… It's idiotic, was Charlene's exact words… Juliet said if Mael and Aries were so close, how could he want the werewolves to go back and take over Palmyra—that's rightfully the chadari's... Either way, Juliet said she couldn't do it to Jade. So, if the wolves don't submit, Romero is still going to kill off a race. He has no problems with it."
Chris continued, "And Charlene actually went to talk to this branch building the wall. They were vehemently opposed to surrendering to the dheka. Their ways or integrating in the long run."
"Did Romero send out all the communications?" Michael asked.
"He did, and before the end of the seven days, we will have a clear number of wolves left around Mirach."
"Well then, you and I wait till Juliet nudges, and I'll take you to see if killing a few of your capturers can't bring out your animal side…"
"Thanks, Michael, you've been working really hard… How did it look on Palmyra? The teleporter? Mael's theory of the power?"
"I don't know—they were a little skeptical when I landed. Domitrios's son is twice Fahan's size, and luckily I think he's a twat and had not branded anyone, but of course, for the men, it could still happen. When I left Miné there, I told him if anything happened to her, our allegiance with Fahan would be severed… It was the first time he dropped the tough guy act and looked at Minè. She's obviously not afraid of them, so let's see if she can man up and negotiate some alliance with them again."
"I know we hate the wolves, but there has to be a few willing to at least let the race survive… Do they really want to die out? Brylee did so much for them. Will they really throw all her hard work away?"
"What happened when Francis and Jack met with Minè? No harem there?" Chris joked.
Michael laughed, "Let's first get the teleporter stone from your mother, and then we can assess again."
"I'll be going to Earth to get my manifestation and meet my mother… Weird… And hopefully, Marcus and Jessy can get it integrated with the machine… If she's willing to give it to us… Rightfully, Juliet's supposed to get it anyway, being the mother of my children."
"Me and Jessy? So that's what I'm going to do?"
"Well, we have to assign jobs if you're not going to sit in when the family meets in the dining room, which we've done breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a week, and you've been off somewhere else."
At that point, my fingertips were wrinkled after being cornered in the bath, forced to listen to all the decisions everyone had made. We really were back to a hundred years ago. I was off reading, and Michael and Chris were running En-gannim better than I ever could. A chuckle escaped me; I still haven't given Juliet an answer to how or where I'd fit in with the greater scheme of things.
I also hadn't retorted to Michael's jabs about my absence. Chris turned to me, "Talk to me…" I stood, and a servant brought me a robe. "Come on, I feel like a girl having to drag the emotions out of a guy she likes... Are you still so triggered by feelings?"
I huffed a laugh, "Why did Juliet not tell me they were leaving? Is Naji with them?"
"Silvanus is there… Agatha and all the women march with the men; you know this."
"Juliet said you had something else you had to do," Michael prodded.
I was pulling up my pants and tying them, trying to understand what she meant. Liam's head popped in around the corner. "Hey guys, you want to do something? I'm so bored. If we're going to live here, where the hell will we settle."
It dawned on me. I was supposed to tell Liam. "Where's Cindy?" I asked.
He came deeper into the room, "Cindy has been working with the dheka in their fields… I don't see her all day…" I pulled a shirt over my head. "To be honest, she's been so different since we've gathered again… Can't even sleep next to me."
"Join the club," I mumbled.
"What?" The three men said in unison.
"You and Juliet?" Liam asked. I shook my head. The shared looks between the three were just humiliating. "Who doesn't want to?" I gave Liam the don't be stupid look. "My daughter does not want to sleep… with… you?"
Michael and Chris laughed. "What? Just spit it out! Is she still angry I didn't spend the last hundred years with her? If we didn't, we would've never found you, Chris… Michael could never take the chance… Not easily or before the teleporter is working again… I did it because we could cover more ground."
Chris shakily stood. I cringed inwardly at the size of his wrists and his cheekbones still protruding from his once chubby cheeks. "I'm very happy you did. No, you wouldn't have found me… Only think how long it would've taken you to catch up to her anyway… If the two of you were together, I don't think you would've found Michael in the time it took…"
Liam interjected, "The fight in the arena was to settle it… I asked her because I could see she was angry."
I lifted my eyes and met his. Juliet was hesitating… Why? I sighed, "I know you did. The fight was supposed to solve it… We were both so tired after—we fell asleep. Later, she was gone, and every night it's all four of us in one bed. We're outside the whole day… She wants to spend time with everyone."
"Maybe she's waiting for the same thing I was a minute ago," Chris said.
"What do you mean?"
"A declaration of your reasons; a conversation; maybe she's waiting to emotionally connect before she can, you know—get it up for you."
"For me? Like Liam said, something is seriously wrong if she doesn't want to sleep with me… It's all we had at one point."
"Liar!" Michael stood. "Maybe Charlene told her you saw all her timelines… Granted, when I found out, I was a little ticked off, too… But it was a crappy thing to do."
"Me! Why? Like you haven't been there."
"I have," Michael said so nonchalantly—like going into the room hadn't shaken him as much as it did me.
"See! How can you tell me I'm wrong."
Juliet hadn't even talked to any of us about her motives or how she could do it to us—at all! Trying us all out like shoes.
"Because the whole reason she sat down in that room was because of you."
I frowned, "No, it's not!" They disagreed. "It's too much if that's the case!"
"No… I think it was just enough. Juliet tried her heart out to make it work with you… Anyway, we all know she is a little stupid in her presumptions of how much she thinks she can handle… You, out of everyone, know this to your core."
Oh, now I understood why I had to be the one who told Liam… Juliet was actually scared. She didn't want to hurt her father, and she was calling out to me—for help… How many times had she needed me, and I wasn't there for her. "Chris and Michael, can you give me a minute with Liam."
"Yeah, sure, I need to see the doctor anyway."
Michael pulled the room door closed, and Liam headed for one of the chairs in the little lounge area. I slipped some sandals onto my feet and sat on his other side. How did I do this? I had to. I would've wanted to know. Louis even told me after Soren. Someone has to sort this out… "Liam, I need to tell you something."
"If you're going to tell me you slept with Selena, I'll kill you."
I laughed at the irony, "No…" No one would ever know how tempted I was. Well, if Liam guessed it, he must have noticed something… Louis would know… eventually. F—! "Liam, no, it's about Cindy and what happened on the island."
"What happened on the island?"
"She was… tempted… and did sleep with Ira."
"Ira slept with my wife?" He was on his feet. "Ira raised my son! Now she doesn't want to sleep with me!" His manifestation came abruptly; he headed for the door. It slammed.