Alpha Jaxon POV
I looked at the woman critically, taking her clothing into account, her long hair cascading down her shoulders in gentle waves, her dress clinging to her breasts and then gently molding to her frame before flowing to her ankles. She was pretty, by anyone's standards and would no doubt be dressed appropriately for the night ahead, her body tense and her expression wooden as she glared at me. I raised a brow amused, even as I threw the last bit of her disguise at her, a wig for her to adopt and hide that siren's hair of hers. She caught it in midair and scowled, even as she began to put her hair up and put the wig on to hide her tresses and locks.
"Are you satisfied now?" she grumbled impatiently "I have dressed as you required, surely this is enough" she complained.
I smirked. "Your attitude could use some work."
I adjusted my jacket, smoothing down the small creases and picking lint off the sleeve as I felt anticipation swelling in my veins. Finally, the night I had been waiting for, had finally arrived. It had been a long time coming. I sensed Marigold's antipathy, even from where she stood, her struggle to contain her temper almost amusing. "After this night, what do you intend to do with Riley?" her voice shook slightly.
I was surprised it had taken her this long to ask. Perhaps she hadn't wanted to know the answers, content to pretend that as long as she didn't know the details she didn't have to feel guilty about the role she was about to play in luring Riley away from everybody for me.
"I told you, Riley is to become my mate and my Luna. I made a mistake before, but I'm fixing that now. My wolf desires her, like no other. I will have her back at my side, where she rightfully belongs."
"What if she refuses?" Marigold bit her lip, anxiety written right across her face "Then what? You can't force somebody to love you" she protested faintly.
"The mate bond is still present. I never accepted her rejection and I don't intend to. If I have to, I will kill her mate and she'll be forced to turn back to me as a means of survival. I will do everything in my power to bring her to me, no matter what steps I have to take."
I motioned for her to follow me, my expression nonchalant as I considered the next steps in my vital plan. Marigold was silent as she walked out of the room behind me. We made our way slowly downstairs, onto the grounds away from the pack house, only to be greeted with the sight of Tiana being held by two of my men, squirming in their grasp.
"What is this?" Marigold gasped, turning to face me "Why is Tiana here?" she demanded.
"Did you think I would risk you betraying me once we made it to Riley?" I asked coolly as she gaped at me "Tiana is coming with us, in a separate car, with my men. All it's going to take is one phone call and her fate will be decided by me. You do anything to warn Riley of what's about to happen, or try to escape, Tiana is dead" I said grinning as the blood drained from her face "but not before she's tortured slowly and painfully because of your actions."
"How could you? She's just a little girl, I gave you my word" Marigold breathed "You don't have to do this, let her go."
I studied her callously. "I don't trust you or your kind. Tiana is my leverage and I plan on using her. I have every desire to see Riley again just as I'm sure you will want to see Tiana, in one piece" I emphasized "so it would be beneficial to us both to stick to the plan tonight without making, what I would call" I paused "adjustments."
Silence. Marigold looked frustrated now. Tiana's eyes were wide and beseeching. The man's hands gripped the girl tightly, the little girl whimpering behind their hands as they clapped them over her mouth. Marigold took a deep breath, a look of frustration and resignation on her face. I tried not to grin as I saw how defeated she was. I had her in the palm of my hand, exactly how I wanted her to be. I wasn't going to be asking too much of her tonight. She just had to do what I said and everything would work out exactly as I envisioned it. But if she tried to move away from the plan...things would not go well for her or the little girl, I concluded grimly, not to mention the other sirens still in the dungeon.
"You have my word" Marigold breathed, her eyes wide as she stared at me "I'll do whatever you want, for her sake."
She nodded at a sobbing Tiana. I gestured to the men. "Take the little girl and get the car ready" I instructed in a dangerous tone "be prepared to move out within a minute's time."
They nodded tightly and began to drag the little girl away as Marigold clenched her hands into fists, helpless to do anything but watch as the little girl was dragged flailing, kicking, and screaming away from the two of us. She closed her eyes and her breathing became shallow and nervous.
"When this is over" she began and I began to chuckle, walking over to the waiting limousine and opening the door as she studied me with nothing but pure hatred and contempt on her face.
"Don't start the threats" I interrupted smugly "You know that you can't follow through on them."
I looked pointedly at the collar around her neck. She touched it absent-mindedly, swallowing hard. It was a stark reminder that she now belonged to me. She was my possession as were all of the other sirens. They belonged to my pack and they were to obey my every whim. Tears shimmered in her eyes. I rolled my eyes and motioned for her to get inside.
"Get in" I snarled.
She walked past me, defiance etched on her face before she sighed and climbed into the car, tucking her ankles together and looking resolutely out the window. I climbed in beside her, settling back against the seat. The driver shut the door behind us.
"You know that in every story, the villain eventually gets their comeuppance" she commented as I raised a brow, observing her silently as she leaned forward to pin her gaze on me "And karma gets them in the end."
"This isn't a fairytale" I barked as she folded her arms across her chest and continued to stare at me, no doubt wishing I was dead or that I would burst into spontaneous combustion from the mere sting of her glare alone "and this villain is getting what he wants. Think of it this way you moronic mermaid" I sneered "If it wasn't for me, you would be dead already, you and your pathetic pack of sirens. Do you think another shifter would have suffered you to live? No, they would have considered you the threat you were and would have made immediate plans to neutralize you and the threat you presented. At least this way you're alive and proving to be useful instead of dead and useless."
She flattened her lips. "The only ones who consider us dangerous are you shifters" she snapped, her tone rising as the limousine began to take off "because you fear us instead of learning about our kind. You fear what you don't understand and you make no attempt to learn about us because you're too stupid to do so. All of your kind" she said with such vehemence that it made me blink in surprise at her "are too stupid to learn about us and what we truly represent. My kind is not violent, nor is it dangerous. But you would rather think that as a way of justifying killing us because otherwise, you would have to feel guilty about almost killing another race into non-existence."
Her voice was passionate, angry, and dripping with resentment. I was impressed by the way she spoke up about her desire to help her people and the sincerity of her words when she spoke about my kind, lumping all of the shifters together. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, even if it got her punished. It was admirable, even if it was frustrating.
"Curb your tongue woman" I advised her silkily as she shot me a look "because when we get there, I expect you to be quiet and meek until you're able to get to Riley."
She snorted "The mere fact you put it that way is an insult" she snapped "But I guess I have no choice but to do what you ask. You better promise me Tiana will be safe from harm if I do my part" she added, her eyes glacial as they rested on me "because if you harm a hair on that little girl's head, hell will not be enough to stop me coming after you."
I chuckled "So long as you do what I want, the girl will be fine. But I look forward to seeing just what you mean by hell not being enough to prevent you from coming after me one day. I think it will be" I paused and looked at her with a grin "Interesting to see how far you're willing to go for revenge should you ever get the chance to enact it."
My tone was tinged with amusement. As if a siren would ever get the best of me.
We passed the rest of the trip in silence.