79. Incessant bickering

[Alaric]

I looked from where Leena was lying motionless, then back up to Rafferty, unable to find the words to speak, as I honestly didn't know what to say. What could I possibly say after witnessing what I'd just seen? *'Only an anodyne or a fallen can kill a fae? Is that why they are so afraid of Maeve? They knew that she would turn into an anodyne, didn't they? That's why they pulled her into the faeverse to try and talk her out of it! They must have someone who can see the future, as that's the only way to explain how they knew.'*

"We are the only thing that can kill a fae? So what can kill us?" Maeve finally asked after a few minutes of silence, walking through the hole in the wall before looking up at the sky. "Where's the sun gone?"

"Behind the mist," Rafferty responded, pointing up and to the left where the sun used to be, but was completely blocked out by the thick purple mist that blocked it.

"Who is Ismenia, and why did you kill Leena? They're probably going to think I did that."

"They will not. Ismenia knows what she did by telling that girl of me. She knew I would kill her, and that would be her way of knowing if I was alive or not."

"That didn't answer my question as to why you killed her, though." Maeve pointed out as she ducked to walk under his wing to stand before Sinclair, taking his hand in hers, her eyes downcast and filled with upspoken pain after what we'd just seen. *'She must be scared, now that she knows that she can kill what very well may be the only true immortals in our world. I did think that vampires were immortal, but after what Rafferty said, it made me understand that we are nothing compared to their kind. Like ants, while they are literal angels or direct descendants of such.'*

"I cannot allow her to live, knowing that she knows of me. A pure creature such as herself would go back onto the island and tell everyone of my existence, which would only bring about thousands of deaths. I do not do these things out of anger or willingness. I do them out of logic and a greater purpose. I took one life to save the many."

"I see why you're fallen. You just killed her without hesitation." Samantha mumbled, then looked around the kitchen when she realized she'd said that aloud.

"Your idea of what angels must do is based on fairytales and not reality. I have killed while an angel, as it was my job to do so, to better this earth. Being a fallen is not as a result of the lives I've taken, as every life I have taken was for the better good."

"So, does that mean that the lives that were taken as a result of my actions aren't the reason I was turned into an anodyne?" Maeve asked.

*'She must not have realized the same thing that Sinclair and I did. I could tell in his eyes earlier that he realized it just as I did. Rafferty said that one of the rules would be altering a mortal's life, either saving them from death or bringing it about early. She did alter the life of quite a few mortals, as most, if not all of us, should have died at Edward's hand, and not to mention Edward's life. It's so absurd to be thinking about myself as a mortal.'*

"If lives were taken as a result of actions you have taken or caused out of malicious intent, you would be a demon, or a dark fae as you call them. I cannot know the exact reason, but from the amount of dark energy radiating off of you, it was not as a result of the lives you took."

"Wait, what do you mean? Are you saying that the people that died aren't the reason I turned?"

"I-" Rafferty started to respond but cut himself off as Ciaran and Azeneth ran towards him, watching them curiously as they did so.

"She's not going to heal from that, is she?" Azeneth asked hesitantly as she and Ciaran walked under Rafferty's wing to crouch in front of Leena, inspecting her curiously.

"No, she will not."

"She'll go back into the faeverse anyway, won't she? That's what happens when we die, any other time." Maeve asked after a few moments of thought, then cocked her head to the side as she watched him curiously. "You called it the island. Does that mean that you've been in the faeverse before?"

"What are you calling it? Faeverse? As in, the universe of the fae?" Rafferty asked as he turned around to glare at Maeve, then started chuckling softly. "They have filled your head with lies, you poor girl. The fae does not have a universe; they have an island. I know this because I am the one that showed Ismenia the way to get there."

"Wait, so, it's not a different universe? Whenever I died before, I would go into this white void until Leena and a group of fae called me to the faeverse, and then I was on an island." Maeve said as she let go of Sinclair's hand to close the distance between her and Rafferty, tilting her head back to look up at him.

"Angels were stationed on earth, as guardians of the doorway between this life and the afterlife. The island that you speak of is a real place, on this earth, hidden from anyone that does not have angel blood coursing through their veins."

"Why do I have to die to go there? Or, my body dies. Oh, bloody hell!" Maeve gasped as she took a few steps back, shaking her head in disbelief as Rafferty gave her an understanding smile. "It's because I'm going through the portal and into the afterlife, so my mortal body can't follow."

"You can take your mortal body there, but you cannot use your connection to the place to do so. Once I have regained my strength, I will be going to the island." Rafferty said, groaning as his wings began to fold themselves back into his spine, his purple eyes reverting to their usual sun-like golden color.

"You didn't answer multiple of her questions, and she is not the only one curious about the answers to them." Sinclair suddenly said, causing everyone to turn our attention to him instead. Sinclair leaned against the far wall in the kitchen; his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Rafferty.

"I apologize for destroying your kitchen, de- Sinclair. If you would be willing to show me how to, I will repair it." Rafferty responded to him, then looked down at Maeve, considering what he wanted to say for a moment before speaking. "Yes, we are the only thing that can kill a fae. Only one of our kind can kill us, and Ismenia is the woman I brought back to life. I believe those are the questions that I previously failed to answer?"

"Woah! Ismenia is the woman you brought back to life? And she's still alive? Weren't you trapped, for like, two thousand years?" Bast gasped, her green eyes going wide in shock and fascination as she watched Rafferty curiously. *'It is not hard to guess where the children got their giddy fascination with the unknown.'*

"Yes. Giving Ismenia my blood, made her the first fae, and giving her immortality. I suppose you could consider us the parents of the fae, as we are the ones who created them." Rafferty responded with a nod and tried to force out a smile to Bast before looking around the room with a soft chuckle. "I am attempting to get used to being surrounded by demons, but this is not an easy feat to accomplish when I was created to hate your kind."

"It's okay, Rafferty, we know you're trying. We can tell you are." Mercy responded with a grin, then took a deep breath before saying anything more. "Sorry if I'm not allowed to ask, but it seems like Ismenia is not very happy when it comes to you? You said she told Leena about you, knowing that you would kill her."

"Since the kitchen is destroyed, should we retire to the library where there is not a dead woman for my children to continue to stare at?" Damien said after clearing his throat, motioning for Ciaran and Azeneth to follow him and get away from Leena's body.

"Yes, it appeared she is still harboring animosity towards me, even after all of these years." Rafferty agreed with a nod, following us to the library before Maeve motioned for him to follow her instead.

"We'll be right back," Maeve said, kissing Sinclair quickly on the lips before walking upstairs with Rafferty and disappearing around the corner.

"We found a fallen angel under your house, and we've just found out that fae are not fae, but they are angels. Rafferty said he was made, whereas fae are born, so that must be the difference between them. Angels are made, the fae are born." Samantha said as she sat on the arm of a chair, watching as Sam, Sinclair, and Damien grabbed the couches from the second level of the library and carried them down the stairs to expand our seating.

"I do not know of the entirety of how much of Rafferty's power that Maeve can use, but I have the feeling that what we witnessed in the kitchen is nothing compared to what either of them is fully capable of." Sinclair agreed as he picked up the couch that the twins were sitting on and moved it to the side, grinning at them as he set it back down.

"Samantha and I are going to take care of Leena, then hunt," Sam said as he set down the couch, he was carrying, motioning to Samantha for her to follow him.

"Sam, I want to hear what else Rafferty tells them too!" Samantha gasped, her eyes going wide as she shook her head.

"Samantha, it has been two days since you've fed. You are still a newborn, and as such, breaking your feeding habits so early is not a good idea. If we wait, you may not be able to stop yourself from killing your lunch. I wish to hear what Rafferty says as well, but this takes precedence. Not to mention, we are not the only ones who will need to feed, and we volunteered to be the ones to hunt." Sam responded, pursing his lips as he motioned again for her to come with him.

Though it was clear Samantha wanted to argue, she chose not to and reluctantly nodded as she stood to follow Sam out of the house.

"Sorry, Sinclair, but it took about four pairs before we finally found one that would fit him," Maeve said as she and Rafferty jogged down the stairs and came into the library.

"You could not find him a shirt?" Sinclair responded as he eyed Rafferty, his golden eyes darkening slightly when he saw that Rafferty was wearing a pair of jeans, but nothing else, leaving his upper half bare. *'Does this mean she watched him change? No, Maeve still has quite a bit of her light nature in her. There's no way she would have done something like that. I did hear the bathroom door open and close quite a few times, so that must have been when he tried on the other three pairs.'*

"He didn't want a shirt, only pants."

"There is no point in wearing a shirt, as my wings would tear through it," Rafferty responded as he followed Maeve to the couch she'd sat on, sitting on one side of her, while Sinclair sat on the other. *'I have the feeling that this won't be ending well.'* I thought as I sat across from them, putting my arm around Mercy as she nuzzled against me.

"I guess the office dream was just a dream then, huh? There's no way things will ever be somewhat normal in this group." Mercy sighed softly, watching the three across from us with a glint of amusement and worry in her eye. *'I know how you feel, kitten. Rafferty says he has no interest in Maeve, but I can understand why Sinclair is still wary of him. The fact that he has to be near Maeve to stop himself from reverting to a statue means that Maeve and Sinclair won't have much time in private, for however long it takes him to gather his strength.'*

"We are only waiting on the paperwork to clear, and we will be starting our jobs as the elders of this continent. I apologize, but I thought you knew that we had to wait." I responded as I looked down at Mercy with a smile, watching her as she laid down on the couch, putting her head on my lap so she could look up at me.

"Oh, that's why we haven't started yet? No, I thought it would be immediately since Bartholomew and William are already in Europe."

"No, they are doing the same thing we are, in the ways of waiting. Since both Bartholomew and William have seconds, they are running the continents while we await confirmation from the other elders. Believe it or not, our jobs are filled with a lot of paperwork. Both for the legal side of our companies and in our jobs as elders."

"So, the other elders have to approve your switching? I thought Damien just said yes, and that was the end of it. Wow, I guess I should stop assuming things." Mercy responded as she tried to blink away her surprise, shaking her head with a small noise of amusement.

"As a way to amass our power over the world and make it as strong as possible, we linked our companies together. Bartholomew is part owner of the company in South America; I am the company's part-owner in Asia and the same across the other elders. We have contracts and partnerships crisscrossing through all of the seven elders, as well as ties to Lucifer's legal firm. Because we are all linked together legally, we must legally make the switch. With companies as big as ours, we cannot simply change owners at the snap of our fingers." I responded with a nod, then looked up to find that Maeve, Rafferty, and Sinclair were all watching me intently, wholly engrossed in what I was saying.

"That's amazing. I had no idea that the elders were so powerful. It's pretty smart to link all of the companies together and be shareholders and partners at the other companies. If someone were to follow the trail, they'd see that you were connected everywhere on earth." Maeve responded with a scoff as she leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms over her chest with a sigh as she looked back and forth between Rafferty and Sinclair.

"So, how long will it take for all of the paperwork to go through?"

"I have been keeping close tabs on the paperwork as it has been handed from elder to elder. Based on where it was this morning when I got my update, I would say no more than ten days until we can take over this continent. It is traveling from Australia to cross Lucifers desk, and once he has finished his paperwork, we are done waiting."

"Ten days? That's so exciting!" Mercy grinned as she exclaimed happily, sitting up on her knees to throw her arms around my shoulders, pulling me to her before pressing her lips to mine passionately.

"But if you're already in each other's continents, why can't you run them until the paperwork goes through?" Azeneth asked as she sat forward on the couch that she and Ciaran were sharing.

"We are running the underground part of the continents. While Mercy is asleep, I take care of anything that happens during the night, while Bartholomew's second takes care of it during the day."

"Wait, you've been doing what while I'm asleep? Why don't you just take me with you?" Mercy gasped, her golden eyes going wide in offense and curiosity.

"Because you need your sleep, Mercy. I do it during the night so that I cannot be seen during the day." I responded with a smile, brushing the stray hairs out of her face before bringing our lips together.

"I apologize if this is considered rude to ask, but why do you need sleep? I smell the same creature in you that is in this man. It is the evolution of the vampire, so you should not need to sleep because of what you are, correct?" Rafferty cut in, motioning to Sinclair, then Mercy, his brows furrowed softly in genuine curiosity.

"I'm not sure if I would call it an evolution, but they are known as recreants. A vampire turns into a recreant when our bloodline comes to an end." Damien, who was sitting to my left with Bast in his arms, cut in with a small chuckle.

"No, it is an evolution, and it was not the question I was asking. A bloodline never truly ends but is changed and expands throughout over the years." Rafferty argued with a curt shake of his head and then looked from Damien to Sinclair. "You only know what you have been told, while I witnessed the creation of your kind. It is not because your bloodline ends; it is when the vampire severs his last tie to humanity. Although it could seem a lot like losing your bloodline, it is not. You can be a recreant while there are still humans who share your blood. This may not always be the vampire's intentioned choice, but when there is nothing left in this world that you care for, you lose your humanity. That is why your eyes turn golden, much like my own. You are returning to the creature from whence you came."

"What the hell do you mean, we are returning to the creature from whence we'd come?" Sinclair gasped, his golden eyes clouding over as a mixture of emotions flashed through his eyes. Anger, confusion, and curiosity flashed through his eyes before finally landing on denial.

"You come from a fallen angel. Were none of you listening when I told you how you were created? Angels were clipped of their wings and turned to demons. Those demons procreated and experimented on humans and created new demons, such as vampires, different than the child, who was the first vampire. Those vampires evolve into what you call recreants, who have denounced their ties to humanity. Because they've renounced those connections, they get closer to returning to the creature that they were created from. I suppose it is an evolutionary devolution. You are both de-evolving while evolving." Rafferty explained, letting out a small laugh when he'd finished as if he found it funny that we didn't know this.

The eight of us remained silent for a long time as we tried to comprehend what Rafferty had just told us, as it was much too much to take all at once. *'Now I see why Maeve needed to get away when she found out that he was the reason fae were created. I don't know why, but I feel like he is telling us the absolute truth. That would mean that Sinclair is a step closer to being an angel than the rest of us? Wait that would mean that Mercy is half-angel, right? I suppose that explains why vampires are so attractive and only seem to get more attractive when they turn into a recreant.'*

"Wait, vampires are humans when they're turned, so they didn't come from angels. How can a vampire turn into an angel if they started out as a human?" Mercy said, being the first one to speak in a long few minutes, which seemed to come as a pleasant surprise to Rafferty.

"The human must drink the vampire's blood to turn if I recall correctly. And they must drink enough of it to overpower their own, while the venom ties the blood to the being. I can smell an old friend on you, Sinclair, which means you have turned from either the first demon himself or one of the first that the demoted angel turned himself. This is likely the reason you have been able to retain your sanity even while evolving, not to mention survive for as long as you have. I saw many a vampire begin to evolve, but the angel blood within them was not enough to overcome the change, and it drove them absolutely mad."

"Recreants regain our sanity, the same way newborn vampires do," Sinclair commented softly without looking up at Rafferty, still lost in his own thoughts as he tried to comprehend what we'd just learned.

"They do, but I am willing to bet that you regained yours much faster than any other was able to. I am also willing to bet that you are the oldest recreant in existence, yes? I know I am right, Sinclair. You and this man, Damien, you share a closely-knit bloodline." Rafferty said, then motioned to Damien as he mentioned his name, watching as Damien agreed with a nod. "Yes, as I thought. You were turned by the original, or someone very close to the original. That is why you and Damien are both arguably more powerful than the others of your kind."

"That must be why I arose to take the position of vampire king so quickly. The other vampires were always wary of me because my blood was stronger. I can turn a human only using a minimal amount, while others must give multitudes more. I did not know why I was turned with blood stronger than most everyone else." Damien finally responded as he looked up at Rafferty, his electric blue eyes overflowing with pain and disbelief.

"That would mean that Sinclair's blood would be even stronger than yours, right?" Bast asked Damien before looking up at Sinclair, who was still staring off into space, his eyes filled with hellfire as he sorted through his thoughts.

"I needed only a sip of Sinclair's blood to turn, yes," Damien responded with a nod, watching Sinclair as were the rest of us, as the look on his face was terrifying and only getting worse the longer he remained silent.

"If severing my ties to humanity is what turned me into a recreant, is there another step of evolution that lays ahead for me?" Sinclair finally asked, his orbs snapping into focus as he glared at Rafferty, the intensity in his glare making me shift uncomfortably, even though I was not the one he was staring at.

"There is, but I cannot tell you what it is. If you know what must be done to evolve past the recreant stage of a vampire, you could push yourself to that point much faster than you were meant to. When it comes time for your evolution, you will be ready for it, should you live to that point." Rafferty responded with a shake of his head, his eyes turning purple as he returned Sinclair's harsh glare as if he was daring him to attack. "You, Sinclair, are possibly the third strongest creature on this earth, after me, and then Maeve, depending on how many anodyne walk this earth, of course. The blood that courses through your veins can either be your greatest strength or your biggest weakness, and you are the only one who can decide which."

"Do you believe that you are satiating my worries by explaining our power levels to me? I am aware that you are the most powerful being on this earth, Rafferty. I only hope you will not be worse than the last man who held your title." Sinclair snapped back, his lip twitching in disgust as he continued to glare at Rafferty, who only seemed to be amused by his anger.

"Maeve has chosen you to stand by her side, demon. I am only trying to voice my respect for you, while you assume I am trying to offend you." Rafferty responded with a sigh, letting out a small growl as his wings began to rip through his shoulder blades. He refused to look away from Sinclair, no matter how much pain he was in and bit it back as he forced his wings to stop and fold backward into his back.

"Oi, can we stop, or at least wait until I'm not sitting between the two of you? Both of you, knock it the bloody hell off. Sinclair, Rafferty was paying you a compliment, and even I saw that. Rafferty, you are not helping the situation at all by being a smug prick." Maeve said as she sat forward, putting a hand on either of the men's chests, then pushed them both back, as far away from her as they could be, while still sharing the small couch.

"Yes, Maeve, I apologize," Sinclair said with a small nod of apology.

"As do I," Rafferty responded with a similar nod to Maeve, then leaned back on the couch, shifting uncomfortably as if it was disturbing his wings, despite the fact that they were folded into his back. *'I know it's painful when they go into his back and come back out, as I can hear the sound of his flesh being ripped or his bones being shifted to accommodate his wings, so I can only imagine how painful it is. But, I wonder, can he still feel his wings underneath his skin?'*

"Rafferty, do you have any idea how long it will take for you to regain your strength?" I asked him after giving the two men a few moments of silence to calm down, or at least I hoped they would calm down.

"I have been... I'm sorry, I cannot recall the word for it, and I cannot find it through Maeve." Rafferty started to respond, then turned to look curiously at Maeve. "I can only speak words that you know until I've finished gathering my strength and can use the collective as you do."

"What do you mean, the collective? I use a collective of what?" Maeve gasped, returning Rafferty's look of confusion.

"You have the ability to read and speak in any written or spoken language, correct?" Rafferty asked her, waiting for her nod before continuing. "All angels and fae have this ability. As guardians of the veil to the afterlife, we must be able to speak any and all currently used languages, including their dialects. There is a collective of sorts that we are all mentally connected to; this is how we are able to keep up to date with languages. For example, if an angel learns of a new word, or term for something, within a few minutes, every other angel and fae have it added to their knowledge base, making sure we are all kept up to date. That is the same connection that the fae used to call you to the island."

"That's how I can read all of those languages? Because other angels have learned it, and our brains work like a giant computer?"

"That is a more simplistic way of putting it, but yes. Until I have regained my strength and can reconnect for myself, I am linked to you and learning my words from you. I cannot find the word in your head, so for lack of a better word, I will say that I have been gauging how quickly I am able to absorb her power.-" Rafferty started to respond to me but was cut off by Bast, who interrupted his explanation.

"Absorbing her power? Like, you're taking it from her, or you're using it as a battery charger of sorts?"

"I suppose it could be likened to a charger, yes. I am not taking her power; I am using her connection to our kind to charge and replenish mine. As I was saying, based on how quickly I can feel the power building, I would estimate no more than a fortnight."

"Two weeks? You expect me to deal with the two of you for two bloody weeks?" Maeve responded coldly, looking back and forth between Sinclair and Rafferty for a long few moments before shaking her head no.

"I can suggest strenuous exertion of energy, which would shorten the wait time to mere days, but I assumed the answer would be no," Rafferty responded simply as if what he'd just said was completely normal. *'Did he just suggest that he and Maeve should have sex? Oh, Sinclair is going to lose his shit. I'm going to need that paperwork to clear already so that Mercy and I have a perfect reason to leave.'*

"What, pray do tell, do you suggest when you say 'strenuous exertion of energy,' Rafferty?" Sinclair responded in a low and calm tone, bringing a chill to my core as his voice was entirely too quiet for Sinclair, telling me that it was nothing more than the calm before the storm.

"I believe it is self-explanatory? The fastest way of exerting as much power as possible that I can, in turn, absorb to build my own would be through vigorous exertion of such."

"Rafferty, in the interest of stopping a fight that he cannot win before it begins, would it be possible for you to elaborate on what precisely you are suggesting that Maeve do?" Damien cut in as he stood and held his hand out to Maeve, who was looking back and forth between the two men, her eyes wild with both shock and anger. Maeve gratefully accepted Damien's hand and allowing him to pull her from between the two men, who both looked up at him after he did so. "You only need to be in the same room as her, Rafferty, not directly next to her." He responded as Maeve walked to the couch opposite them and sat cross-legged between the twins who were sharing a book.

"I do not have any specific suggestions, as there are quite a few that could achieve the same outcome. It could be sparring, exercising, running, teaching her to bring out her wings, and many other things." Rafferty responded as he looked around the group curiously, as he didn't seem to understand why we were upset.

"Did he just say he could teach me to bring out my wings?" Maeve mumbled softly, looking back and forth between the twins, who were both grinning and nodding. "Oh, bollocks."

"Oh, okay, so you weren't suggesting sex?" Mercy responded with a sigh of relief and a small smile at Sinclair.

"It was not what I was suggesting, but it could achieve the same result as well, depending on how active she is during such an act." He responded with a shrug, then chuckled as Sinclair growled, eyeing him with a look of amusement as he spoke. "I have told you already, Sinclair. I have no desires toward Maeve. I may be a fallen, but that does not make me a liar, nor does it make me a man who would do such a thing. If I wanted to have Maeve, I would have her, and there is nothing you'd be able to do about it. I am simply stating that, yes, doing such a thing could achieve the same thing."

"Oi, go feck yourself!" Maeve spat as she glared at Rafferty, scoffing as she shook her head. "That's assuming that I wanted you back, and I don't."

"That's simply not true in the slightest. Seeing as how I am stronger than you, as you are a fae and I am an angel, if I wanted to make you mine, neither you nor Sinclair could do anything about it." Rafferty responded with a disinterested shrug before looking back at Sinclair and repeating in a calm and even tone. "I do not have any desire to make Maeve my own. If you continue to attack me on such a matter, I may be inclined to change my mind, just to put an end to your incessant bickering."

"Oh, fuck." I groaned when I heard this, jumping to my feet just as Damien did, pulling Mercy to her feet before urging her to the door, motioning for Azeneth, Ciaran, Bast, and Maeve to follow her and get to a safe distance that would also hopefully be far enough to weaken Rafferty. *'The only way for Sinclair to survive a fight against Rafferty would be for Maeve to get far enough away to weaken him. Why couldn't the two of them just stop trying to get at each other's throats and try to get along until he'd gathered his strength and left? I understand both of their points while disagreeing with their reasons. Sinclair has every right to be suspicious of a man who'd attached himself to Maeve when he met her, while Rafferty has every right to be upset by Sinclair's continual accusations. Neither one of them should be reacting in this way, regardless of how annoyed or jealous of each other that they are.'*

"No, I'm not going anywhere," Maeve growled, waving away Damien's outstretched hand before sitting between Rafferty and Sinclair. Maeve gave them both a long hard look, watching as they ignored her and kept their orbs locked in an intense glare that made it feel like the room itself was on fire, then lifted her hands, slapping them both across the face with all the strength she could muster. Neither of the men so much as blinked when she hit them, but it seemed enough to snap them both out of it as they turned their attention to her instead.

"Wow, that was not a good idea," Bast gasped out, shaking her head as she continued to watch the three of them, waiting for something more to happen.

"What did we miss?" Samantha asked as she came running into the house, handing a bottle to both Damien and me as she stood next to Bast, peering into the library curiously.

"Maeve just slapped the fuck out of both of them, and they've done nothing but stare at her for a while now." Bast responded in an excited whisper, then looked down where Ciaran and Azeneth were crouched between their legs so that they could watch as well.

"You are aware that we can hear you?" Sinclair finally asked, turning his golden glare onto Bast and Samantha, shaking his head at them before looking back at Maeve. "Were you not slapping us to say something?"

"Aye, the slap is what I was saying. If you keep pushing your luck, the next time, you'll wish it was a slap." Maeve warned Sinclair before turning to her right to look at Rafferty. "You are purposely picking a fight, just because you can. You need to stop, or I swear on everything I hold dear in life, I will put you back in the ground where I found you. Both of you need to knock it the hell off and get along."

"Get along? With the man that just said he'd force you to be his?" Sinclair laughed out incredulously.

"He said he could, not that he would. Listen, I'm not even offended by what Rafferty said because you were pushing it. You shouldn't have been pushing it on him, and you, Raffey, need to stop playing into it. Jesus, are the two of you toddlers?" Maeve said with a sigh, then stood, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the two men, narrowing her eyes as she watched them. "Sinclair, show Rafferty how to fix the kitchen wall."

"I will do no such-" Sinclair started to respond but cut himself off when Maeve raised an eyebrow like she was daring him to argue with her, which he clearly thought better of when he sighed and nodded his agreement. "Very well, then. I will need to go to the warehouse to purchase lumber, so you will need to wear a shirt."

"We are going to town? Do you not need to come with, Maeve?" Rafferty asked as he stood, then took a step back when he saw how close his body was to Maeve's, as she was standing just in front of him when he stood.

"I'm not going anywhere with the two of you. I reckon you'll just have to make it a quick trip, then, aye?" Maeve snorted before walking out of the room, waiting for the rest of the group to move so that she could pass by us, then walked out of the front door without another word.