Merry & Seduced Read online

  “The lady tried to steal me,” Autumn said.

  “Look after your daughter,” Ry ordered. “We’ll take care of Amme.”

  “What do you mean she’s offline? I couldn’t find a pulse.” Anguish wrapped around him. Shock. He shook his head, trying to reorder his thoughts. “I couldn’t find a pulse. I think she’s dead.”

  His front door flew open, Jannike and Kaya leading the rush, weapons in hand, their faces hard and determined.

  “Amme!” Gweneth cried.

  “Gweneth.” Camryn grabbed her before she could reach Amme. “We think she’s okay. I need you to find me a T-shirt. Can you do that?”

  “Yes,” Gweneth said. “You promise she’s all right?”

  “I think so. Mogens will tell us.”

  “Where is Mogens?” Ry demanded.

  Marcus sank onto the floor, fear and disbelief stealing his ability to stand. Autumn went to him, pressed against him and he wrapped his arms around her quivering body.

  “Mogens stopped to get his satchel,” Nanu said. “Kuf! I can see her circuitry. Kaya, I need my kit too.”

  “On it,” Kaya said.

  Olivia sidled up to him, her features pale as she dropped onto the floor beside him. “What the fuck is going on? We were dancing in the nightclub, having fun then all of a sudden, they sprinted from the club. They were muttering code blue.” Olivia paused to smooth some hair from her cheek. “I have never travelled so fast in all my life. Jannike…my god! I can’t believe we made it here in one piece. Marcus, they aren’t speaking English. I think…I think they’re aliens,” she finished in a whisper.

  “Shut her up,” Ry said. “She’s getting on my nerves.”

  “On it,” Jannike said and stalked up the stairs. She yanked Sophie to her feet and manhandled her to the ground floor. Jannike came to a halt beside Marcus. “What do you want me to do with her?”

  “I’ll call the cops. Look after Autumn for me,” he said to Olivia.

  “We’ll take Amme back to the cottage,” Ry said. “Mogens, will that work?”

  “Yes, I can fix her.”

  Ry picked up Amme and strode to the front door.

  “Wait, you can’t just take Amme,” Marcus objected.

  “You can’t help her,” Ry said.

  “Marcus, call the cops,” Camryn said, and she darted after her friends, leaving Marcus alone with his sister and daughter and a sobbing Sophie.

  Autumn patted his bare leg, and he realized he was naked apart from his boxer-briefs. “Will they make Amme better?” she asked.

  “I hope so,” he said.

  He picked up his phone and dialed 1-1-1, the emergency number, and spoke to the dispatcher in a hard voice. He hung up. “The police are on their way.”

  “You understood them,” Olivia said. “Autumn understands them too. How is that possible? All I could hear was clicks, interspersed with snaps and snarls. They really are aliens.”

  “We’ll discuss it later,” Marcus said. Right now, he was having trouble wrapping his brain around Ry and Camryn. He’d heard Amme mumble something before he reached her but hadn’t realized she’d called for help.

  “I wonder if Max knows,” Olivia said.

  “We’ll discuss it later,” Marcus reiterated in a hard voice.

  Sirens sounded in the distance, quickly becoming louder.

  “Cops are here. Let me do the talking.”

  “It’s not fair,” Sophie sobbed. “You’re mine.”

  Marcus sent her a disgusted look and marched to the door. “In here, officers.”

  “What’s the problem?” one of the policeman asked.

  “This woman entered my home uninvited and tried to kidnap my daughter.”

  “Do you know who she is?”

  “An ex-girlfriend. I broke it off some time ago, but she refuses to take no for an answer. I want her charged.”

  One of the policemen went to Sophie and helped her to her feet. “He belongs to me. He’s mine. Mine!” she shrieked. “You ask him. He’ll tell you. He belongs to me, not that other woman.”

  “What other woman?”

  Marcus shrugged. “I have no idea what she’s talking about. She’s obviously unbalanced.”

  Marcus patiently answered their questions and finally they left, taking Sophie with them. When the door shut behind them, Marcus started to clean up the glass and found materials to board up the window while Olivia put Autumn back to bed. He was just finishing when Olivia came down the stairs.

  “How is Autumn? No, don’t tell me. I’ll go and see for myself.” He strode up the stairs, only slowing when he entered her room.

  He found her curled in a ball beneath the covers, the night light glowing. Her breaths were slow and even, indicating she’d fallen asleep, despite the traumatic evening. He crouched beside the bed and resettled the covers over her slight form. Thank god, she wasn’t injured.

  If Amme hadn’t been there…

  He shuddered and stood, leaving Autumn’s bedroom door open, so he’d hear her if she woke in distress.

  “You want a cup of tea?” Olivia asked.

  “I need something stronger.” Marcus stalked to the pantry and retrieved a bottle of whiskey. He found two glasses and poured a healthy measure into each one. “Hell of a night.” An understatement.

  His mind kept shying from the vision of Amme lying at the bottom of the stairs.

  “They’re aliens, I tell you,” Olivia said.

  “Do you know Camryn’s cell phone number?”

  “It’s on the bit of paper stuck to the fridge. Amme wrote it down for me the other day since she doesn’t have a phone.”

  Marcus gulped down some whiskey and stood. He retrieved the number and dialed, his stomach bucking and hollowing while he waited for Camryn to answer.

  “Yes.” Camryn sounded impatient.

  “It’s Marcus. How is Amme?”

  “She’s conscious now.”

  “Is she going to be all right?”

  “I think so,” Camryn said.

  “Shouldn’t she go to a hospital?” He asked the question, knowing what Camryn’s answer would be.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Camryn said carefully. “What happened to the woman?”

  “She’s in police custody. The consensus is she’s mentally unstable, and they’re going to get a psychiatric report. She told the police there were strange people and big cats and she thought they were aliens.”

  “I see,” Camryn said after a pause. “What did you tell the police?”

  “That she was stalking me, and it was a case of breaking and entering and attempted kidnapping.”

  “You knew about her?” The sharp note from Camryn brought a wave of guilt.

  “She’s been ringing and emailing me, but not to the point where I thought she was dangerous.”

  “Jannike said she’s seen her around when we visited the mall.”

  “God.” Marcus’s hand tightened around the phone. “I didn’t know.”

  “No one is blaming you, Marcus.”

  “I blame myself. I should’ve known she was unstable.” He paused, took a gulp of his drink, enjoying the burn as it slipped down his throat. “Can I come and see Amme?”

  Camryn hesitated. “She doesn’t want to see you.”

  “Why? None of this is her fault. I don’t blame her.”

  “I know. Ring me again tomorrow. She might change her mind.” Camryn hung up abruptly, leaving him listening to dead air.

  “How is Amme?” Olivia asked.

  “She’s awake, but she doesn’t want to see me.”

  “She’s had a shock,” Olivia said. “Give her time. The party is in two days, then there’s the wedding. Do you think they’ll cancel?”

  “Not if I have anything to do with it,” Marcus said.

  Olivia took a sip of her drink. “They’re aliens, Marcus.”

  Marcus sucked in a deep breath, drank more. “Well, they’re not human, but you know what. It doesn’t matter a damn. I’ve never been so happy. Amme has made us into a family, and I’m not about to let that go.”

  “But they’re leaving the day after the wedding.”

  “Amme’s not leaving with them. I love her, and I’m not willing to let the best thing—the only woman I’ve ever loved—get away without a fight.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Amme, sweetheart,” Nanu said. “Please stop crying. The water will hurt your cybertronics.” He frowned and shot her an enquiring glance. “I didn’t think cyborgs could cry.”

  “I’m not meant to.”

  “Amme’s body seems to have adapted and modernized itself,” Mogens said. “Not a bad thing, but certainly unexpected.”

  “Are you sure Autumn is all right?” Amme asked for the third time.

  Camryn wandered into the cottage bedroom where Mogens and Nanu were fixing Amme’s broken arm and leg. “Marcus rang.”

  “Did you tell him I didn’t want to see him?”

  “Yes,” Camryn said. “But I don’t understand why.”

  “He deserves a woman who is whole, one who can give him more children, and I can’t because of my childcare designation. Only those with parent designation can produce children on Sheng. I thought I’d told you that. Marcus deserves a human woman, one who can give him children.”

  “Rubbish,” Camryn said. “You love him.”

  A tear rolled down Amme’s cheek. “I’m a childcare cyborg and that’s all I’ll ever be.”

  “You talk a load of crap,” Camryn shot back. “You are the most caring person I know. Gweneth is a credit to you and you’re a valued member of our crew. But you deserve personal happiness, Amme. You want Marcus, and I think he wants you.”

  “There,” Mogens said. “Test your arm.”
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  Amme lifted her arm and it functioned as normal. It didn’t look natural though with the workings showing through the jagged hole in her skin.

  “Good. We’ll place some healing gel on the wound and bandage it. I think the gel will promote new skin growth. At least that’s what the healer said when I purchased it at the Intergalactic market on Shrimpton.”

  “I am lucky you’re a skilled forecaster and predicted the need for the gel,” Amme said. “This is the first time I’ve ever injured myself.”

  “Hopefully it won’t happen again,” Mogens said. “But make sure you pay attention to how we fix you. You never know when you’ll need to mend your own injuries.”

  Camryn yawned widely. “It’s late. Do you need me for anything or can I go to sleep?”

  “Go and recharge,” Nanu said. “Mogens and I are almost done with Amme’s leg. Do you think it will be all right if we go back to the guest quarters at Marcus’s place?”

  Amme watched Camryn frown.

  “I think so,” she said finally. “We need to know what he’s going to do, now that he knows there is something weird about us. Set the perimeter alarms to give yourself warning if strangers come around.”

  “Will do,” Nanu said. “Jannike and Kaya have already placed alarms. We didn’t bother setting them tonight since we were all out. There, all done.”

  “See you in the morning, Amme. And don’t worry. I’m sure everything will work out fine,” Camryn said, and with a wave, she left the room.

  Mogens applied gel to the patch and dressed it with a medicated bandage. “You’ll need to recharge for the rest of the night. You can put weight on your leg in the morning. Com me if you suffer any unexplained pain.”

  “Thank you,” Amme said.

  “You’re welcome, child,” Mogens said.

  Left alone, Amme recalled the expression on Marcus’s face secs before her system shut down. Horror had marched across his features. Shock.

  No, her friends were wrong. How could everything be all right after this?

  * * * * *

  “What are we going to do?” Camryn asked, her gaze roving over her mate’s naked body. Despite the circumstances, it was difficult not to gawk at all that gorgeousness. And her mate would soon be husband. The thought brought satisfaction and excitement. Peace.

  Ry sprawled back in the bed, the sheet pooled over his groin. “Normally, I’d say we should leave, but this time is different. We want to come back to visit your family. We need to speak with Marcus and make sure he’s willing to keep our secret.”

  “Olivia too,” Camryn reminded him.

  “She’ll be easier. We could intimidate her, put the fear of godly terror into her. Marcus is stronger, confident. His own man. He will do what he thinks is best, no matter how we apply threats.”

  “I’m sorry,” Camryn said and laid her hand on his arm.

  “You have no need to apologize. We discussed the risks before we came and tried to minimize them. I promised you we’d visit your family, and I’m not sorry. These weeks have been good for all of us.”

  Relief struck at the heart of Camryn, and she moved closer to kiss Ry.

  “We’ll go and speak with Marcus, try to gauge his attitude and take things from there. We should go soon.”

  “I wish this hadn’t happened before the party tonight. Everyone has worked so hard getting ready. Marcus will probably want to cancel,” Camryn said.

  “We’ll ask, but no matter what, we’re getting married tomorrow. I want to see you in your special dress.”

  “Good, because I would’ve dragged you up our makeshift garden aisle.”

  “That would make an excellent wedding photo. We could frame it and place it in our cabin on the Indy.”

  “Very funny, Cat Man.”

  “I thought so. We should visit Marcus now. Nanu and I are going to the Indy later to do our final maintenance checks. The repairs went surprisingly well. We were even able to stock up on parts we can adapt for use on the Indy. The junkyard Max told us about was a treasure-trove.”

  “Good. Can you take my chair and find a place for it?”

  “It’s old.”

  “It’s comfortable.”

  “It belonged to your husband.”

  “And then it belonged to me. You are my mate and soon, you’ll be my husband. I want the chair because it reminds me about how far I’ve come in the last year.” Camryn climbed out of bed and stretched. “I suppose we should get this done, so we know exactly where we are with Marcus. What? What’s wrong?” she asked when Ry didn’t move.

  “You are beautiful, Camryn. Kidnapping you was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

  She grinned and leaped onto the bed, throwing herself at him. “Maybe we have time to say a proper good morning.”

  Their lips met, their hands became busy, and they didn’t surface for another hour.

  * * * * *

  Amme tested her limbs and found they were working in the normal method. Apart from the bandages, she looked and felt like her usual self. The pipes in the walls banged when either Camryn or Ry turned on the shower. Such a different sensation from the sanitizers they used on the Indy. A shower with real water was one of the many things she’d miss when they left.

  Amme climbed out of bed and realized she didn’t have any clothes. She found a baby-blue robe on the back of the door and wrapped that around her waist before she wandered from her bedroom to find the kitchen. Camryn would have coffee. Sure enough, she found beans and filters, and she soon had coffee underway.

  Ry entered the kitchen first. “How are you doing?”

  “Almost as good as new. I’m sorry I’ve caused trouble.”

  “Not your fault.” Ry drew her into a quick hug. “You were protecting a child. Camryn said she has some clothes you can wear.”

  “Thanks.”

  “We’re going to see Marcus,” Ry said.

  “I want to come with you.”

  “I thought you never wanted to see him again,” Camryn said, appearing behind Ry.

  “I’ve changed my mind. Hiding is cowardly, and I would come to regret not seeing Marcus one final time.”

  Ry nodded. “We’ll wait for you to change.”

  “You have time to shower if you want,” Camryn said.

  “I need to check with Mogens about the bandages first. I don’t wish for water damage.”

  Half an hour later, they strode out to speak to Marcus.

  “I’m nervous,” Amme said, the tremor in her hand highlighting her nerves.

  Ry squeezed her arm, showing her that yet again, despite being alone, she’d ended up with a supportive family. “It will be all right. I’ve commed the others. They’ll be on standby if we need them.”

  Camryn strode before them and thumped on the front door.

  As they waited for someone to answer, Amme’s stomach seemed to swirl—another anomaly in a string of many.

  Mogens hadn’t seemed concerned but she couldn’t help but worry about the changes—the emotions and physical reactions that shouldn’t appear yet kept occurring.

  The door opened and they were face-to-face with Marcus.

  His haunted gaze went straight to her. “Amme.” He pushed past Ry and Camryn and hauled her into his arms before she could speak.

  At first she held herself stiffly, unsure of how to react. Marcus trembled, his eyes closed as he held her. He was so big and strong and confident. That he would react in such a manner took her by surprise. Gradually, she relaxed into his embrace.

  “We should go inside,” Ry said in a low voice. “We need to talk.”

  Marcus pulled back, but he took her hand, as if he were afraid to lose contact. “Of course. You’re all right. I can’t believe you’re okay after your fall.”

  He led the way into the kitchen, the scent of coffee fragrant and enticing. Amme pulled out three more mugs and poured coffee for them all as well as topping up Marcus’s cup.

  Footsteps heralded an arrival. Olivia and Autumn.

  “Amme, Amme, Amme,” Autumn cried and flew at Amme. She flung her arms around Amme’s legs and hugged her tight.

  “Careful, Autumn. Don’t hurt Amme’s leg. It’s still sore after last night,” Marcus said.

  Autumn frowned. “The lady pushed us down the stairs.”

  “She did,” Amme said.

  “Olivia said the police are growling at her now,” Autumn said.

  “That’s right,” Marcus said.

  “We need to talk,” Ry said. “But not in front of the child.”