Surreptitious Alliance: Marked by My Alien Slave

Rain pov.

I run the washcloth over Morgan's skin in gentle circles, smiling a little as her eyes drift close and she rests her body against mine. I've washed her twice now and she's done the same for me but neither of us seem to be in much of a hurry to get out of the tub that's been warm since we got in. I don't even question the Fairie magic that more than likely has a hand in that. I just hold her in my arms, giving her gentle kisses wherever I can, whenever I feel like it. "We need to get out." I whisper, trying not to disturb the quite around us. She lets out a soft hum and I realize she must already be half asleep. With a chuckle I gather her in my arms and lift us both from the bath. She opens her eyes, blinking up at me in sleepy confusion before settling against me, her eyes drifting closed again. Back in the bedroom I make quick work of getting her dressed and into bed before pulling on a random pair of underwear and sweatpants and leaving the

room.

"What do you want?" River asks as she opens her door, her glare going away when she sees me standing in front of her. "Oh, where's Morgan?" I'm a little surprised she even cares about my mate, but I point to the door of our room. "Asleep. I need to talk to you." She nods, throwing the door open a little wider and walking inside. I follow her, closing the door behind me as I enter. Her room has a very different layout to ours, much smaller as well but it suits her, so I don't question the logic of the Fairie's magic that undoubtedly had a hand in the living spaces.

"Is this about our parents?" She knows the answer to the question before I nod. "I'm not interested in meeting them." She rubs the back of her neck as she sits down on the edge of the bed. I take a seat on the couch facing the bed and watch her. "I mean, they abandoned us, Rain." She chews her bottom lip, showing me she's more hurt than she's letting on.

"I abandoned you." I remind her and she shakes her head.

"It's not the same and you know it. When I got that scholarship to attend school in the castle you did what you had to in order to make sure I had everything I needed. I mean, I would have preferred it if you had stayed home but I knew you couldn't. I've been stupid, keeping that against you. What possible reason could they have to run away without us? If their lives were in danger, doesn't it mean our lives were as well? Or did they just not care enough?" She asks the questions that's been plaguing my mind since I started chasing Benjamin around in the woods.

"I don't know, pebble." She smiles at the nickname.

"You haven't called me that in a while." I shrug my shoulders.

"You haven't been worthy of it in a while. Being all bratty and a general pain in my ass." She kicks out her foot, but it doesn't reach me. "Morgan isn't going anywhere." I tell her and she nods.

"I know. I feel kind of bad for her." The gremlin admits and I frown. "I mean, we knew our parents and they're shit, that's for sure." I want to scold her for her language, but I curb the desire. Another day. "But she doesn't even know the man who's responsible for half of her DNA. I mean, how messed up is that? I would be questioning all I am if I was here. Everything I've done and how I got to where I am. I mean, I'm questioning it in any case, learning that an ancient vampire apparently altered my mind. I can't imagine how she must feel. At least we know where we came from." She sighs, running her hands across her thighs as if the mere thought of being in Morgan's position makes her uncomfortable. "I have a question."

"Shoot." My bran is so scrambled right now I'm not sure I can answer it if I'm honest.

"Are we staying here? Like, are we really staying with these creatures? How safe are we here, really? Cause like, I know we can't trust the humans, but can we trust the supernatural?" It's a good question. One I don't have an answer to, and I tell her as much.

"I have no idea. We have no where else to go now. They've dragged us into this mess whether we want to be a part of it or not. It's only been a few days. Let's just see how things play out and then we can make a choice afterward. Just, know I'll keep you safe. No matter what happens, I'll always keep you safe." She pulls a face and shake her head.

"No, Morgan said if I step out of line, she'll leave me behind." I chuckle and get up from my seat, before I pat her head.

"Leave Morgan to me. I'll deal with her, but if you're a brat the deal is off." She pushes my hand away from her head and glares up at me.

"I'm not a child." She huffs and I raise my eyebrow at her. "I mean, yes big brother. Have I told you that you're the best big brother ever?" I roll my eyes and walk to her door as she laughs.

"Get some sleep, pebble. I'll see you in the morning." She nods and waves as I step out of her room. Outside her bedroom door I contemplate going back to our room, curling up with Morgan and allowing the stress of the day to melt away but there's too much anger still just sitting underneath the surface of my skin. Laying down won't make it go away and then I'll just keep Morgan from getting the rest she so desperately needs, so I head in the direction of the sitting room Luca lead us out of.

When I open the doors, I'm glad to still find Benjamin in the room. He looks up from the giant book he's reading, and I try to remember the last time I saw a book that old, there's a glass of amber liquid in his hands and he looks more tired than anything when our gazes meet. Luca is hovering in the corner of the room, a screen floating in front of him, and I can see the Fairie tense as I stare at the vampire in front of me.

"Come to kill me now that no one is here to stop you?" I look over at Luca who blinks himself away. "He's on your side." The vampire mutters, looking amused.

"I'm not here to kill you." I tell him, surprising us both. "Maybe break a bone or two, but I'm not going to kill you, old man." He snarls at the insult, placing his glass down on the table with an audible clank. I watch him as he uncuffs his sleeves and neatly rolls them up until just above his elbows.

"Rules of engagement?" I roll my shoulders as I watch him step out behind the couch set and into the fairly empty space between them and the doors.

"I thought I already said I'm not going to kill you?" He smirks and then charges towards me as I shift into my wolf. I have no idea if I'm going to regret this in the morning, because I might just accidently end up killing him, but I figure it would be fair pay for the shit storm he's turned my life into. A life for a life or some shit like that.