Lyon on a Leash (28 page)

Vera bit back a remark. That was why she wanted Marcus; the nurses had already trained him how to move her without causing pain. “I’m not sure, exactly. We have to watch out for my arm and leg. My ribs still hurt when I move too much.”

Marguerite looked her over with a determined glint that made Vera wary. Inhaling, she winced at the pain but figured she’d need it to deal with whatever her mentor was about to say.

“I want you to come to Tennessee with me so I can help you more. We’ve got that big ole place. James, Reeves will help with your therapy. Victor keeps the house and will make sure you have whatever you need. I’d feel so much better watching over you while you recuperate.” She spoke so fast, her accent thickened. It took Vera a few moments to understand the meaning behind her words.

“Go to Tennessee?” She frowned at the ludicrous notion. “Why? I mean why go all the way there, when my doctors are here?” Marguerite wasn’t making any sense.

Robe forgotten for the moment, Marguerite sat on the side of the bed and took her hand. “I want to make sure you get the best care as you recover. I can’t do that from here.”

Vera shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. For a moment, they stared at each other. Honored that Marguerite would do that for her, she squeezed the older woman’s hand in gratitude. The past few days she’d been missing her grandmother. She’d even given thought to contacting some of her family back in Missouri.
When death knocks on your door, it doesn’t take long to recognize how short life is and what’s important
. So far she hadn’t made the call, but she and Marcus had discussed it in detail. Of course, it was her decision, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to knock on that door. Her family hadn’t responded to her attempts to stay in touch before.

“You’re the best.” She placed a kiss on Marguerite’s cheek. Perhaps this was how things were supposed to be; she belonged to a new family who cared. “Thanks, so much. You have no idea how much that means to me.” Her eyes watered as she recognized the love and concern in Marguerite’s eyes.

“I know, pumpkin. I just want the best for you.”

“I know. I’m just…I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Words failed her at the magnitude of the offer. Vera was under no illusion that her recovery would be quick and easy. The variety of therapists lined up were a testimony to what they’d face. Marguerite’s offer to make changes to her household to accommodate Vera boggled her mind. And if she didn’t have Marcus, she might’ve considered the offer.

“…Marcus moves on,” Marguerite was saying.

Vera closed her eyes to concentrate. “Wait. Hold up. What’d you say about Marcus moving? Moving where?” He hadn’t said anything to her about going anywhere.

Marguerite straightened and offered her a tight smile. “I said, the deal you had with Marcus was temporary. Don’t you remember? At first, you said you wanted to try something different instead of the vanilla guys you’d dated.”

“I said that?” Vera frowned, trying to remember. That didn’t sound like her.

Marguerite nodded. “I convinced you to give the auction a try so you could meet a nice submissive to help around the house. I have three subs and you thought you’d like one of your own.”

“What? That don’t sound…doesn’t sound right,” Vera said confused. “I wouldn’t mess with someone’s life like that.” She looked at Marguerite. “Would I?” Tendrils of uncertainty threaded through her mind. The relationship between a Dominant and submissive could be intense, in some cases as close as that of a married couple. To take on a sub as though he were a science project didn’t sit well with her. Was Marcus a temporary fix? He didn’t act like the kind of man who’d agree to that. He’d been by her side from the beginning, making sure she had everything she needed.

Marguerite patted her hand. “It’s not fair to keep him like this. You’re going to need a lot of care with all your appointments. When you bought him at the auction, he never agreed to stay if you got hurt or sick like this. He’ll understand when you release him to find another Mistress.”

Vera’s heart clenched. Her mind rebelled at the notion of him and another woman. She wouldn’t let him go. Still, had she been expecting things from him that he’d never agreed to do? They’d never really discussed it. She assumed they’d be together because he said they would. Was she taking advantage of him?

Thoughts of her bleak future without Marcus volleyed through her mind. Her chest tightened at the idea of him leaving and being with someone else. Each breath hurt. One moment she burned hot, and then an ice-cold chill assaulted her. Marguerite’s voice became dimmer as the thought of life without Marcus blindsided her.

“The last thing I want is to leave you with someone you never intended to keep around long. What if he leaves and you’re alone? Or he decides caring for you is too much work or trouble? I’ll be too far to get here and—”

“Hi, Vera, how are you today?’ Brinks asked as he walked in. He nonchalantly placed a stuffed animal on the chair with the others.

Vera tried to focus as dots flew in front of her face. The bleakness of her future squeezed her heart, cutting off her air. She gasped. “Marcus
?
” She slumped back.

“Oh my gawd…Vera.” Through a misty veil of excruciating pain, she watched Marguerite jump up and run to the side of the bed, screaming. Nurses ran into the room and ushered Marguerite and Brinks out.

Marcus walked up to see Marguerite crying buckets and Brinks leaning against a wall, looking grim. His heart slammed against his chest. With a virtual iron fist, he beat down the fear that threatened to overtake him. “What happened?” he asked them both.

Brinks spoke, since Marguerite appeared incapable of speech. “I walked in and spoke. Her eyes widened and she slumped against the pillows.”

Jaw clenched, he marched up to Brinks. “Damn you!” Marcus grabbed the man by the lapels of his coat and jerked him forward. “I told you to leave her alone.” He cocked his fist back and punched Brinks in the stomach.

“No…no, stop, Marcus!” Marguerite grabbed his arm as he pulled it back to hit the bent-over man again.

“Let me go,” Marcus growled, not wanting to hurt her. “He was always causing her trouble. Sniffing around her like a fucking dog in heat.” He pulled a struggling Brinks up and looked him in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you she was taken? Why didn’t you leave my woman the fuck alone? See what you’ve done?” He shook the smaller man as though he were a rag doll.

“He didn’t do anything, not this time at least,” Marguerite said from somewhere behind him. Her soft voice rang in the silence. “I think…I think she had a reaction to something I said.”

Marcus froze. It took a moment for the meaning of her words to penetrate. A frigid iciness slid through him. Vera trusted Marguerite. They were like family. Anything Marguerite said would impact his woman. He looked at Brinks, who looked at him with both pity and residual anger. Even the smug punk knew Marcus didn’t stand a chance against Vera’s mentor. With measured movements, he released his prey. “I’m not going to apologize. That was long overdue.”

Brinks nodded and stepped back, straightening his coat while looking around the area.

Marcus exhaled, ran his hand through his hair, and turned in slow motion. James stood in front of Marguerite.

Marcus’ lips inched up a bit. He couldn’t take out his anger on Marguerite, but he’d wipe the floor with James. She must’ve seen his intent on his face because she stepped in front of her submissive to face him.

“What did you do?” he asked in what he assumed was a calm tone. Her flinch suggested that wasn’t the case.

Her nose went up in the air. “I brought her a new robe, and we had a little talk.”

He could imagine. Just because most of the tubes had been taken out and Vera was able to talk more lately didn’t mean she was well. She was still fragile. “Your talk caused her to pass out?” He hadn’t realized he’d moved closer until James held up his hand to stop him.

She had the grace to appear ashamed. Red-faced, eyes filled with tears, she looked up at him and then toward the floor. “I…I asked her to move to Tennessee to recover.”

Groaning, he closed his eyes tight and held his head back, wanting to scream. “You are such a bitch,” he whispered in a gravelly tone. “Why couldn’t you wait? Why couldn’t you wait until she was stronger?”

“I…I didn’t think—”

“That’s damn obvious,” Marcus snapped, his mind on fire with no viable outlet.

“That was uncalled for,” James said. “You see she feels sorry for what happened.”

Unchecked anger roiled through him. He snatched James from behind Marguerite. The man grabbed him around the wrists. They stood face to face, as though they were involved in an edgy, sinister dance.

“My woman is having a freaking attack, fighting for her damn life because Mommie Dearest here wants to have her damn way all the time. I don’t give two cents about how sorry she is.”

“But Vera will care. No matter what, she loves my Mistress. Think about that,” James said in a lowered tone as he watched Marcus through a narrowed gaze.

Knowing the older man was right, he shoved him away and glared at Marguerite. “What did you tell her? How much damage control will I have to do?” He crossed his arms, waiting to discover what poison she’d spewed to cause this problem. Hearing voices, he looked over his shoulder. Brinks talked to security, keeping them away for the moment. He owed the man one, he thought, returning his gaze to Marguerite.

He knew it was bad by the way she hesitated and wouldn’t meet his eyes. As she started talking, dread filled his gut. By the time she finished, his fists clenched and unclenched in time with his speeding heartbeat. He could feel the vein in his forehead throbbing as he fought to keep his hands from around her neck.

James walked a sobbing Marguerite to the waiting room. How the hell could anyone do that to someone they loved? It made no sense to him. To take advantage of Vera’s fragile mental state…he couldn’t believe that woman had padded the truth on purpose.

The doctor walked out of Vera’s room, his face grave. He met Marcus halfway. There was a team of doctors who worked on her and he hadn’t gotten their names straight but remembered their faces. It was simpler to call them all Doc.

“Hey, Doc, how’s she doing?”

“She suffered an anxiety attack. With her ribs healing, she couldn’t get the air she needed. Any idea what brought that on?” He looked at Marcus.

“Her mom wants her to go to Tennessee to recuperate and told her the best thing to do would be to let me go so I could live a great life, or some BS like that,” he growled, still pissed.

The doctor whistled. “Her mom?”

Marcus shrugged. “More like a surrogate mom who thinks she knows what’s best for everybody.” He swiped his face with his palm. “Can I go see her?”

The doctor hesitated. “I don’t want her upset,” he cautioned. “Stress is not something she needs right now.”

Marcus nodded, wishing he could smack Marguerite for causing this mess. “I understand. But she needs to know that I’m not going anywhere. I want those lies chased from her mind right now.” He tapped his pants pocket, where he had her surprise. “I need to see about her.”

The doctor eyed him for a moment. “Okay, only you right now, but promise to keep her calm.”

Grateful, Marcus nodded.

The doctor turned away. “I’ll tell the nurse you’re approved to visit.”

“Thanks.” Marcus headed toward Vera, hoping Marguerite hadn’t done severe damage. Opening the door into the darkened room, he waited a beat for his eyes to adjust before heading to the bed. He didn’t think she was asleep, although her eyes were closed.

“Hello, Mistress Vera,” he whispered as he pulled up a chair. “I’m here and everything’s going to be okay.” He rubbed her right arm while watching her intently for signs she’d heard him. “I’m not going anywhere, not without you, Vera. We make a good team. Knight and Lyon.” He chuckled dryly. “More like the lady Knight and her Lyon, because that’s the reality. I am yours.” He watched for a response. Nothing.

Taking her hand in his, he rubbed it and looked at her face. The shea butter had worked wonders. Most of the small cuts on her face and right side had disappeared. He took note of the tilt of her lips and shook his head.

“Vera, I love you. I’m going to be here when you wake up and I’m going to be here while you’re sleeping. I’m going to keep you safe.” Her hand jumped but she remained quiet.

He swallowed the bitterness he felt over Marguerite’s meddling. But James was right. Vera loved the old bird and he didn’t want her to feel she had to choose. “I’m not your father or your mother who left you. I’m not your relatives who won’t return your phone calls, or any of your friends who are too busy. I’m your man. And I’m not abandoning you. Not now, not ever. So please wake up. Let me see your pretty, dark eyes.” He held his breath, waiting.

“Marcus?” She looked at him from beneath lowered lids.

His chest expanded and still couldn’t hold all the joy he felt from hearing his name as it escaped her lips. “Vera. Baby, thank God.” He leaned forward, and placed his palm on the side of her face.

“Marguerite…she said you wanted to leave. Serve…serve someone else.”

The pain in her voice cut him deep. Would she forgive him if he slapped the meddling busybody, just once? “No. I’m never going anywhere. Not now, not later. The only woman I want to serve is you.” He looked at her and met her gaze. “Do you understand me, Vera.”