Page 108 of Back In the Shadows

“I did. It will be a forever reminder of who holds the power, little lamb. We do. Always.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “Ya know, most girls like jewelry.”

“Not my girl.”

She threw her arms around my neck and pressed her eager mouth to mine.

“I love you, little lamb. You will always be my queen.”

“Always.”

I rubbed her back before I spoke. “Kip and Ryan will be here shortly. Let’s get cleaned up and leave.”

She nodded eagerly and I led her out of the room and to the small bathroom we used to clean up. After our shower, I toweled her dry and handed her a change of clothes. Ella laughed, realizing how prepared I was.

Forty-minutes later, I’d collected my tools and left the cleaning supplies for the guys.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.” She beamed at me as we made our way out of the building and into the remaining moments of sunlight.

“Where to next?” she asked as we walked to the truck.

The hair on the back of my neck rose as I spotted our vehicle. I slowed and placed my finger to my lips, silencing her. Her shoulders tensed as we both looked around, holding our breath as we surveyed our surroundings. No one had followed us here, but I was well aware that we were always being watched.

“I don’t see anyone,” she whispered. Ella squeezed my hand, and I understood what she was telling me. She didn’t see anyone, but she sensed them.

The sound of fresh twigs snapping caught our attention, and we waited on edge and ready to fight.

Clapping rang through the forest before we saw him appear.

“A beautiful show, Ella. Congratulations.” The Pied Piper appeared in front of us almost out of thin air.

I stepped ahead of my wife, my eyes narrowing on him. “What do you want?” I snarled.

“Relax, Death. I just wanted to see what this young lady is made of. Very impressive stuff I might add. Next time you should check your table for a hidden camera.”

I growled, knowing damn well I’d scanned every inch of that place before I brought Ella. The son of a bitch must have snuck in during my wedding.

Ella’s body stiffened against mine, and I reached behind me and kept my palm on her leg.

“We’re just leaving.” My fingers flexed, itching for my knife. If I needed it, I knew that Ella would remove it from the back of my jeans and place it in my palm. After all, I had promised not to kill the motherfucker the last time I saw him. I never promised about the next time.

“Don’t get all riled up. I just wanted to congratulate the happy couple on their nuptials.” He took a few steps forward. “And this.” The Pied Piper reached into the front pocket of his slacks and removed a white envelope, then handed it to me.

“What is it?” I asked, not trusting anything he did.

“Look inside.”

Ella peered around me as I opened it and lifted out a piece of paper.

“The deed to your house is now in yours and Ella’s name. Not your real names of course, but it’s yours. Tear it down, live in it, do whatever you need to do. Xavier won’t need it any longer.”

“Why?” Ella asked. “What motivated you to give us the rights to the replica of Sebastian’s childhood home?” Ella questioned.

The Pied Piper smiled. “Because to move forward into the people you’re meant to be, you have to destroy the past and create a new future. This house meant pain for both of you. Now you have the power to do with it as you wish.”

A car pulled up next to ours and the Pied Piper nodded. “That’s my ride. Again, congratulations on the wedding. I’ll be seeing you around.” He gave us a wolfish smile and a small wave goodbye.

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