BK 3 - Chapter 7 - Bad Intentions
Alex and Lisa were tired after such a long day, and Melanie had a feeling that some of the drugs they had been given might still be in their systems. Once they had tucked the cubs into bed, she and Saxon sat on the floor next to the door that connected the two rooms.
"I can't believe I fell for them and their lies about rescuing shifters. Why would they lie about something like that? I've been talking to them for months." Melanie had tears running down her face. She was hurt and angry. The whole reason she came to Rio was to help shifters being trafficked. To find out that these people might be part of the problem rather than the solution hurt her to the core. Saxon scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry they tricked you. I thought only one couple was involved in something, not all of them." Melanie looked up at him in confusion.
"What do you mean one couple? Do you know something?" Saxon took a deep breath. He was hoping to have more information, but that seemed senseless now.
"When I went to get the cubs their snack, I overheard a man and woman talking about you. They seemed upset that I had come here. It sounded like somebody was paying them for you, but I can't be sure. I only heard them for a few seconds before they came out. I don't know which couple it was." He held her tighter.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Melanie asked softly, rubbing her hand up and down his back.
"I was hoping to find out who it was and their plan. I'm sorry." He felt terrible not telling her right away.
"This is really our first time alone, so it's not your fault. What are we going to do? We need to get out of here, but I'm not leaving without Alex and Lisa. I also want to do what I came here for. I want to help the shifters that are being sold." Melanie snuggled against him after turning sideways to sit fully on his lap. She felt bad about taking advantage of his calming touch, but she needed it more than ever.
"I agree we need to leave and take the cubs. We have to be careful because we don't know this place as well as they do. Once we get out and have the cubs safe, we can decide what to do about the others. We may need to call in reinforcements." Saxon pulled away to look into her eyes. Having her in his arms was the best feeling in the world. He would gladly sit on the floor holding her all night if she would allow it.
"What reinforcements?" Melanie knew what he was going to say before the words came out of his mouth.
"Our parents and Uncle Aiden and Aunt Kitty. Maybe some of our siblings too. I don't think we should try to handle this on our own." Saxon knew Melanie wouldn't be happy, but their families had been rescuing children for a long time, and their expertise was needed.
"You're right. We'll have to call them. Can I ask you something, Sax?" He shivered when she called him that name.
"You can ask me anything," He answered, leaving a soft kiss on her forehead.
"When we were younger, and I was so adamant about not being with you, why didn't you date other girls? I was dating boys; I assumed you'd do the same thing." Melanie couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was ashamed at how she'd shunned him back then, even when Chika told her not to.
"It's always been you for me, Lanie. I couldn't look at any other girls, or I would feel like I was betraying you. I know you've only just started feeling the bond, but for me, it's been there for eighteen years. I wanted your mom to carry me when she was pregnant just so I could be close to you. When you've spent your whole life knowing your soul is connected to one person, you can't entertain the idea of touching anyone else." Saxon pulled her face up to look into his eyes. He quickly wiped away the tears running down her face.
"I'm sorry I hurt you back then. I was young and foolish." Melanie laid her head against his chest, taking comfort in his warmth.
"Don't apologize. I don't blame you for being with other boys." Saxon's heart hurt thinking about the others she may have slept with, but he wouldn't let his face show it. She pulled away to look up at him.
"I went on dates, but I never slept with anyone. I'm still a virgin. To be honest, I rarely let them kiss me. It just didn't feel right, not to mention Chika was ready to rip apart anyone that touched me." Melanie's heart melted, seeing his face light up.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. They could forget about everyone else while in their own little bubble. Saxon wanted to get them out of there, but it was risky. The others were shifters, so they would be able to hunt them down. They both jumped when there was a knock on the door. Neither wanted to answer, so they remained quiet to see if whoever it was would go away.
"Mel? We wanted to go over the plans for tomorrow with you and Saxon." Karlee said through the door. Saxon and Melanie looked at each other and then at the sleeping cubs. When they stood up, they answered the door together. Karlee smiled at them, and they returned it even though their hearts weren't in it.
"So what's the plan?" Saxon asked, staring at the woman who started shuffling her feet under his intense glare.
"Uh, are the cubs sleeping? Did they tell you anything about the place we took them from?" Melanie noticed the others weren't far away, and all their attention was focused in their direction. She sighed and shook her head.
"Unfortunately, they don't remember much. They said someone gave them a shot, but it's all a little fuzzy." Melanie watched Karlee's face, and for a second, she looked worried, but she quickly covered it up by faking disgust.
"That's horrible. Who would do that to those innocent little ones? It's good that we got to them first before anything else could happen to them. I'm still surprised by how small they are for their ages. When we took them, we thought they were only two or three at the most." Saxon narrowed his eyes at her while taking Melanie's hand.
"You almost sound upset that you rescued them. Isn't the goal to help as many as possible? Does it matter how old they are?" Karlee rolled her eyes at his question.
"Of course, it doesn't matter how old they are. We just like to get them as young as possible so they don't have to endure more trauma." Melanie and Saxon didn't believe her for a minute.
"So, what did you want to tell us about tomorrow?" Melanie asked her.
"We heard there's another auction, so we plan on being there to do what we did today. Are you two okay staying with the cubs while we go?" Karlee asked, looking between them. Saxon didn't believe she was being honest about why she wanted them to stay behind, but he'd take it. It might be their only opportunity to get away.
"You're certain you don't need our help?" He asked as Vincent walked up behind her.
"We'll be good. It looks like you've bonded with those two, so I think it's in everyone's best interest if you two stay here with the cubs." Melanie didn't like his tone, but she chose to ignore it. She didn't want them to realize they were on to them.
"Okay, sounds good. We're going to bed. Who knows how long Alex and Lisa will be asleep. I wouldn't be surprised if they have nightmares tonight. It may be a long night for us, so we better get some sleep while we can." Melanie started to back up into the room when Harper stopped her.
"Oh, are you two sharing a room now?" Saxon snapped his eyes to her. Why did she look worried?
"We've opened the door between the rooms to make it one big room. Lisa and Alex didn't want to be separated." Melanie answered her while trying to read her expression.
"Why don't you just put them in the nursery?" Karlee questioned them, looking at Lisa sleeping on the bed behind them.
"They weren't comfortable in there. They asked to stay with us. It's no big deal. We just want to make them feel safe." The others looked at each other nervously. The way Saxon was glaring at them made them uneasy.
"Alright then. Goodnight." Harper said before walking away with Vincent and Karlee. Once they were back in the room, Saxon pulled the door shut, making it click, but he immediately cracked it open so he could listen to them.
"Do you think they suspect anything?" Ava asked quietly.
"I don't know. It doesn't seem like it. I doubt the blood sucker would let her stay here if they did. How are we going to get the cubs from them? We're supposed to deliver them in two days." Karlee answered her.
"We'll tell them the truth that they are being taken to their forever home. They don't need to know that it's a scientist who likes to experiment on shifter kids. Melanie and Saxon are bleeding hearts. If they think the cubs are going to a good home, they'll smile and wave as they leave. I've never seen a more pathetic excuse for a vampire in my life. Maybe he's really human." The others laughed at Vincent's joke while Saxon was seething.
He didn't care what they said about him. What they said they planned to do with Alex and Lisa made him see red. At least they didn't know they knew anything. He was getting them all out of there and calling for help tomorrow after the others left. It was time to show them what their families do to protect the innocent.
