Piper (Queen's Birds of Prey #4) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,33
and Mercy killing the other two. However, I don’t think they care. From the beginning, I think they knew they’d end up dead. I think the way they were killed was much easier on them than either Jude or Duncan would have done to them.”
“I think you’re right.” She stood up, and Grant did as well. “I’d like to talk to Duncan now. If he’s available. Then I want to lock us in our bedroom and get to know each other in the best possible way.”
“I love the way your mind works.”
They were walking hand in hand as they made their way into the house. Piper could get used to depending on someone else for some of her happiness. She, for sure, could be happy just living in their own home and doing what other couples did, whatever that might be. Smiling to herself, Piper wanted the mushy stuff too, she just realized.
~*~
“No. I mean, just no.” Grant looked over at Piper when she spoke to Duncan. Grant had been trying his best not to laugh since Duncan made his big announcement. “You need Mercy to do that. Mercy is the oldest, and she and Joel should go there. Not me. I mean, it’s not my place.”
“I believe we both understand that Mercy is not the type of person to help others get their lives back on track. The castle has been updated magically, and it has all the comforts of home. All you need to do is—”
“I don’t think you’re hearing me. I said no. I don’t want to run a castle with Grant. No offense to him, but I don’t have time to wetnurse a bunch of people that should have figured out their lives before now.” Duncan stood up, and so did Grant. “Don’t worry about him. He’s not going to hurt me. I’m stronger than he is.”
“Perhaps you were at one time.” When Piper began pacing the room, Duncan looked at him. “There are seventy people living on the outside of the keep. The walls were sealed up right after my mom realized that Burt, the lord of that castle, was dead, along with her own husband. When I say sealed up, I mean she removed any windows and doors to the place, and the drawbridge to get into the keep was turned to stone. No one has been in it for hundreds of years.”
“It must be a mess then. Why would you even consider sending us there to take care of things? For that matter, why are you sending us away anyway? Is it because of us killing that couple? I’d do it again if I had to. They were monsters.” Duncan told Piper it had nothing to do with that. His mom had said it. “Your mom said to send us away?”
Grant could hear the pain in her voice. She was feeling discarded. Unworthy. He could feel it like it was his own pain. When she sat down beside him, Grant took her hand. She was in so much pain he wasn’t sure she’d listen to Duncan at all now.
“They aren’t sending you away. Will you get your head out of your ass for one second, Piper? Christ. Listen to what he’s telling you.” Mercy grabbed Piper by the shoulders and turned her to face her while they both sat on the couch. “He’s sending the best there, and that would be the two of you. Can you imagine me going there and having someone whine at me that they don’t have enough to eat? I’d tell them to go hunting or some other shit like that. Of course, you’d tell them that too, but you’d be much nicer about it. We both know I’m not nice to humans. They’re stupid and can’t seem to think and walk at the same time.”
“I’m human.” Joel laughed. “Or I was at one time.” Mercy just had to look at him. “Okay, I get it. I wasn’t very smart when we first met. Go on. Ignore the one time human in the corner.”
“How will we have dinners together? I won’t have any of you around to just hang out with.” Duncan pointed out that it was only a two hour drive from their keep to this one. Less if she flew. “I don’t have any idea why she’d pick me. I can’t be depended on to take care of people. My studio is a testament to my inability to keep things straight.”