\[Elise’s POV\]
“Uncle William,” Serenity’s voice comes out evenly, which is pretty damn impressive given the current circumstances. “Could we maybe talk inside?”
As she speaks, she looks around as if someone may be watching, and when William understands her discomfort, he nods and moves aside, allowing us to enter.
Remaining in place, I watch while the others easily enter his cabin, but for me, the feeling is completely different, especially given our past.
“Are you coming?” He asks when everyone else is inside. “Or are you too shy to enter a grown man’s home?”
Too shy. Was he full of shit? Picking on a young girl while thinking that it was because she was scared of a man. It was good to see that some of his joking nature was still around, but it also bugged me.
“I don’t see a man.” I shrug, moving forward and pushing past him. Where we touch comes alive with a delicious energy that I’ve never felt in my life, and before I can determine what it is, I pull away. “Pardon me.”
Ignoring my racing heart, I make my way toward where Serenity sits in an armchair and perch my ass on the arm of it beside her. Once I’m in place, I fix my gaze on William, who is watching me with a look of confusion on his face.
“What?” I smirk, intentionally spreading my legs and leaning forward so that my cleavage bulges. “Something on my face?”
“Eleanor.” Serenity hisses, clearly not happy with her new friend hitting on her uncle.
“Sorry.” I giggle. “When I see a handsome man, I can’t help but want to play with them a little.”
“Then why the hell didn’t you bother me?” Forrest challenges.
“Isn’t that answer easy?” I sigh. “You nor your lackeys are worth my time. I prefer an older man with a bit of angst around him.”
Opening his mouth, Forrest prepares to argue with me but stops as William clears his throat.
“Could someone please explain why the lot of you are here and where the hell that thing,” he continues, nodding toward the rogue. “Came from”?
“It suddenly appeared out of thin air and attempted to attack Serenity.” I respond in annoyance. “Who the hell knows where the damned thing came from?”
Wasn’t it obvious that we were just as oblivious to what exactly was happening as him?
“Out of thin air.” William repeats, giving me an odd look. “Are you saying that it has magical powers?”
“You,” I growl, my anger flaring. “Shouldn’t you know more about this than us?”
“And why should I?” He responds indignantly.
“Because the same beast is following your niece around.” I snap.
Sure, maybe it wasn’t the best of ideas to push William’s buttons, but for him to act so damn oblivious when a fucking rogue was sticking so close to Serenity was going too far. Although I was curious where the bastard Maverick came from and why he was up my niece’s ass, I didn’t expect for his past to be so shrouded in mystery.
“Pardon.” William hisses through gritted teeth. “What do you mean the same beast is following Serenity? Are you insinuating that Maverick is also...”
“That’s right.” Maverick confirms.
At his words, a growl of anger escapes William, but before he can say anything, the soft sound of footsteps reaches us.
Turning, I watch as a woman with bleach blonde hair wearing nothing but one of William’s button-downs appears from the hallway.
“Ooops,” she giggles, letting her light blue gaze move around the room. “It seems that I’ve interrupted something.”
“Lidia,” William sighs. “Go back to bed; I’ve got things handled here.”
Lidia… Who the fuck was Lidia, and why was she damn near naked and in William’s home?
‘This isn’t the time for your jealousy!’ Anna snaps, reminding me why we were here. ‘The biggest concern is why it seems these rogues are coming after Serenity.’
‘Coming after her? What do you mean?’
Who was to say that the rogues were coming for Serenity specifically?
Frowning, I once again consider how Maverick came to be beside her. Yes, that one was hard to explain, but at The Academy, how would the rogue know for certain that one specific person was there?
‘I think,’ I continue, tearing my gaze from Lidia and fixing it on the rogue. ‘We need more evidence before we jump to conclusions.’
However, the goddess did say that my mission to protect Serenity wasn’t completed yet, and that was the reason she granted me another life. Could this be what she was referring to? I didn’t know, but I was going to put the pieces of the puzzle together one way or another.
“What’s that?” Lidia gasps, drawing me out of my head. “Is that a rogue? Why is it here, and who are these children?”
As she speaks, she gives me a pointed look, which only irritates me more. Was she singling me out? Fuck her!
“I said,” William growls, shooting Lidia a glare. “Go back to bed.”
Shivering, I try to ignore the ice that is in William’s tone. That alone made it clear that he wasn’t serious about this woman at all. And although that should have made me feel better, it doesn’t. It looked like I had more than just Serenity to save.
“William.” Lidia pouts, her eyes sparkling with tears. “How could you...”
“BED!” William roars, letting his aura explode from his body. “Or leave.”
Growing quiet, he waits as she continues to watch, and when the silence becomes almost deafening, she simply nods and turns, heading away from us.
“Now,” William says when he is certain that Lidia has gone back to bed. “Tell me everything, from how exactly you and Maverick met to what happened with this rogue.”
‘Seems the big lug didn’t trust his own cousin with Maverick’s secret.’ Anna murmurs.
‘No kidding.’ I respond. ‘I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad one.’
Deciding it was simply better to go with the flow. I push Anna aside and focus on what is happening around me, and when William takes a seat, I prepare myself for whatever Serenity or Maverick has to say.
“Now, who is going to explain the situation to me?” William asks, looking from Serenity to her guard dog. “Since it seems that your father has been keeping secrets after specifically asking me to come here and watch over you.”
“Well,” Serenity says, her annoyance over being babysat flashing in her eyes. “I guess that is because, despite everything, he still doesn’t fully trust Maverick.”
At her words, I snap my gaze to the man in question and find that his normal blank expression is in place, giving way to no indication of how he feels about not being trusted. The guy was good; I’d give him that, but that only worried me further.
“Um… sorry,” Forrest says as William prepares to question Serenity further. “But shouldn’t we be focusing on the rogue wolfy? It could wake up at any minute and attempt to attack.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” I say, beaming. “When I knock out an opponent, they stay out for a while.”
“This isn’t any normal opponent.” Forrest argues. “This is a rogue!”
“Rogue or not, I am confident in my abilities, and if you refuse to believe me, I’ll gladly make you a test dummy. Now, let Serenity and the guard dog speak.”