her son. I'd never use a child against someone, but having Mel on our side will make a difference. My uncle can't ignore me if I have his son on my side? He's stuck without an heir. Something I'm sure Mel is well aware of.
"You have to take him. Take care of my Robbie." Before I know what's happening, she shoves the baby in my arms.
"Mel, no, you can come with us," I protest. It's exactly what I was just thinking of, so it can't be a terrible plan.
My cousin squirms in my arms and reaches a hand up to tug on my hair. A wide grin spreads over his baby face, and I melt a little inside. He's so beautiful.
"I can't," Mel insists.
"We can protect you," Hank promises.
She shakes her head and smiles sadly. "Robert will kill me for this. He won't rest until I'm dead. But if he knows where I am, then he might not look for Robbie until it's too late. At least then my baby can be safe."
The look she gives her child breaks my heart. As if I've already accepted that she's right, and this is the last time she'll ever get to see her son.
"Please. Give him a chance at a good life. He won't get one with Robert," she begs.
"Mel, calm down," I say with my eyes on her son. "Of course we'll take good care of him. But you can come with us, back to our hideout. You don't need to drop your son and run." I desperately want her to choose to stay with Robbie. He'll need his mom.
"I knew your mother," she whispers. I look up to see Mel staring lovingly at her son. "She ran with you. And he hunted her down and killed her. I won't do that. I'm going to go back to the castle as if nothing has happened, and I'm going to try to kill him. He trusts me. I might be able to get close enough to put a knife in his eye."
Her expression turns from loving mother, to protective mother wolf. I know she'll do anything to save her son.
"No," James says. "Come with us. We can protect you."
"No. You really can't." Theresa's voice grates all over me, and before any of us can react, blood blooms from Mel's throat.
I gasp and jump back, so shocked I don't know what to do. One of Theresa's husbands stands behind Mel's falling body with a bloody knife in his hand.
As I gather my power and push past the shock, I feel my guys do the same. Clutching the baby close, I back away and prepare to snare them both in my power.
They must have a portal on the other side of the same dune Mel came around, because before I can turn them to trees, Theresa appears with Hank's mom in front of her. And a knife at her throat.
"Turn anyone to trees and she dies. Give us the baby and you get your precious mother back."
She's not bluffing. There's no doubt about that. They already killed Mel without hesitation.
"How do I know you won't hurt the baby?" I ask.
Theresa laughs. "He's the heir. We're simply returning him to his father and Nanny. He'll be safe in the old woman's arms."
The one who killed Mel holds out his arms, his knife gone. "Don't be an idiot," he says quietly. "The baby will be safe. You know Theresa will kill her without a thought if you fight."
My guys haven't moved. They're full of power behind me, but none of us know what to do. Hank's terror washes over me, though.
"Okay. At the same time."
Theresa shakes her head. "Come this way. I know how fast you can make that tree thing happen. She backs up, to the other side of the dune. We follow, slowly and carefully.
Sure enough. A portal. I see the stone walls of the castle through it.
She steps back and her men go through it. "Bring me the baby. I'll let go of this bitch to get Robbie." I'm sure as soon as she has Robbie, she'll close the portal and it hasn't escaped my notice that she's got Hank's mom standing in the spot where that would happen.
I have no way of being certain considering I know next to nothing about them, but it seems the portal closing on her would kill her.
But Theresa and her cronies have made a mistake. They don't know what I'm capable of. Even after all I