We drive at an almost uncomfortable speed through the winding road, unlike Europe. The houses were few and far between in some areas, while in others they were packed tightly, it didn't compare to the stacked neighborhoods of our homeland. 

The amount of land here was genuinely astounding. I feel Eve's nose on my armrest and lightly pat the dog's head, she'd been an acceptable replacement for Badger. 

"So what are you hoping for in a car?" I allow, crossing one leg casually over the other, it would be a welcome distraction from the horrible motion sickness I was experiencing. "Were you hoping to run off and join the car races after this?"

"Car races?" he muses, toying with my accent for a moment before considering my question. "I like to drive, it's the closest I can get to my wolf nowadays. Alpha likes it, too, it would seem. He's calmer when I get to indulge. I'd like to have what I had back, perhaps better handling, but the original was plenty. This car is alright, it's good for you and the children, but it's quite the plug." Exhaling, I note the glare of frustration towards the lazy speedometer. 

Considering this, leaning back into my seat, it seems like a daunting task considering my knowledge on the topic was minimal. "How would you feel about me working?"

The mere mention causes his hand to tighten on the steering wheel. 

"Keep in mind, I'm not asking your permission, I'm asking for your cooperation." I remind him quickly, hearing his teeth grind, I reach over and place my hand over his to stop him from crushing my unsuspecting steering wheel. "Randy-"

"Nic." Verando's tone is hard, quick, and firm in its intention. He was against it. 

"It's not far from the house. I want to work in the shop, my shop." While it made sense, I knew that the whole idea of the shop had come around when I wasn't carrying our child. When I wasn't doing something physically impossible, under the gift of a god who'd given me an ultimatum. 

"Why?"

I sense the hurt, the fear, in his voice. Did he think I could ever replace him? That I was worried about his potential as a provider? Taking his hand in mine, his other hand takes over driving as I claim one in my lap and carefully smooth out his fingers to lace with mine. "I want to do this for you, I want to help make this car, I want to learn how to run this shop. I need to contribute, I can't just sit at home barefoot and pregnant."

Before he can speak, I feel the rumble in my chest at his pending suggestion. 

"I'm a King, damn it. I can't feel fulfilled with watching you turn our home into a well-oiled machine. You make a much better housewife than me anyway, the house always looks amazing. With you on the job, there's so little for me to do. I need purpose." Purpose beyond giving my life away to the being growing inside of me, as the thought hit me, I could see him already mulling it over as he frowned. 

"And your intention when you're further along, when you're going through... this?"

Verando still refused to say it. Slipping my fingers out of his, he snatches my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips with an apologetic exhale. I could feel the heat radiating off of him, his pulse pounding, his body struggling to hide the tremble underneath the surface of a wolf refusing to be out of control. 

The full lips skirt over my knuckles, Eve slides her nose under the armrest of his seat, resting her head as close to his thigh as she could, sensing the mounting anxiety. 

"Why do I have to think that far ahead? Why can't we just take it day by day, week by week? If I feel good.. I'll go, if I don't, I'll stay home. But I want to learn this-"

"We have eternity to for you do this. Why now? I'm trying to trust you to be careful but this seems reckless." His hard tone makes me grit my teeth, pulling my hands out of his, I cross my arms over my chest. 

I could see his perspective, but I also saw mine. "Why does everything have to have a reason? I've wanted to do this for some time, I thought that was the purpose of coming out here? I thought you were showing me my own shop?" Was it a means to tease me, or maybe appease my desire to be more involved by showing me how I was contributing in some roundabout way? "If there is a way to help our household, I want to do it. I'm pregnant, I'm not broken and I'm not incapacitated. If you can work with your spine-" My voice cuts off, it was to low of a blow. 

Sensing the sore spot, I exhale at my own temper. "I'm sorry." I manage, shaking my head as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"No. It's true. My body is trashed."

"Randy-" I snap, flinching as the car stops abruptly outside the shop. "Hey."  My voice is sharp, gaining his attention as he unbuckled his seat belt. "You are hurt, you're not broken. You're not defective. But, neither am I. You don't need to shoulder this all on your own. You've done a lot for us, I want to do something, too."

Meeting his gaze with my own, I search those light eyes, seeing the hint of relaxation in the corner of his mouth and knowing I'd reasoned with him for now. "Kiss me," I murmur, capturing his face in my hands as I pull him closer and melt my lips against his. Tilting my head, I deepen the kiss, knotting my fingers in the nape of his neck, shivering at the feeling of the tongue stud sliding past my own tongue. 

A knock on the window startles me, making me jump, but Verando seems unimpressed. "Shall we?" He grumbles, brushing his nose against mine briefly before sliding out of the car and coming to my side to open my door. Eve follows me out, placing herself at his hip as he offers me his arm. 

"Mr.Mercer. Mr.. er.. Mercer." The man greats us both with an awkward nod and wave. His accent was heavy, and southern, it was obvious he was used to dealing with my husband by the discomfort in his tone and his unease with us so obviously displaying that we were a couple. "Mace told me you were coming in today."

"Mace?" I raise an eyebrow. 

"District manager." Verando corrects. "He couldn't be here, some other business I'd say, but this Mr.Adkins, the general manager."

I extend my hand, noting the overly gentle way he takes it, I squeeze his palm firmly as a sort of punishment for treating me delicately. Noting the flinch, I smile sweetly. 

"Come now, darling, play nice." Verando scolds with a small smirk, "Remember, Mr.Adkins, my husband will be running this business under Mateescu."

"Right, sorry, Sir." He clears his throat, gesturing us to follow him. I glare up towards Verando who dismisses me with a look that suggests we'd talk later. I recall he'd wanted us to operate separately, in case anything should happen to him, I and the children would remain capable of moving forward with little worry of being tracked down. In this life, I was hardly known by my last name and often it was misspelled. 

It'd be hard to find me. 

Still, I didn't like it. 

We tour the shop quietly, Mr.Adkins is knowledgeable and kind though he seemed confused as to why I was interested in the ins and outs of the business. I got the feeling he was under the impression that I was going to be a silent participant. My questions on the functions and natures of the machines and people working here seemed to catch him off guard, though he seemed more than willing to be forthcoming with the information. 

Verando is in and out of our conversation, occasionally drifting off to respond to an email on his phone or answer a call. Tiberius was keeping a tight leash on him, much to be suspected considering their attendance to concerts had been down since Verando's hiatus. 

As my husband sneaks off once more, grumbling about having a second wife in the Siren, I turn to Mr.Adkins. "Take me to the office, I want to see the books and how all the paperwork is done."

"The books?" He asks, raising his eyebrows at me. "Uh, well, a lot of it's done on the computer-"

"An Artifice?" I question, searching his expression as he thinks it over. 

"I believe it's Gospel, but yes."

"Well show me what you have, and the back ups for them, I want to see how everything is tracked bookkeeping-wise and what the margins are." The place wasn't spotless, there was a lot to be done as far as streamlining and general maintenance on an aging facility, but there was plenty to work with. I'd socked away money from my time working with the heroes, I could invest a little to update the lifts and repair housings for the tools. Considering this, I hesitate as I walk into the office, shuddering at the feeling of a cold chill running down my spine the moment I stepped through the door. 

Mr.Adkins walked through as if it was nothing. Maybe we were used to the change in atmosphere, it immediately put me on edge. I sniff lightly, questioning the intention of the room before he notes my suspicion. 

"Ah. Mr.Mercer is... a particular... individual... This room is protected, demonic beings can't come in here. He wanted all the employees here to have a safe room, considering we are all human." He explains, making me hesitate as I place my hand on my stomach. Did that mean me? My baby? 

Verando rushes for the door, only to hesitate in the doorway and jerk his hand back as if he'd been shocked. Panting, horrified, he looks me over frantically. "Nic, gods.. are you alright?"  

I frown, seeing that he was kept firmly out of the space. It wasn't to protect them from just anyone, it was to protect them from him. Taking inventory of my body, I feel fine. The chill was unexpected, but I imagine it was my wolf sitting on edge at the change. "I'm fine. But.. you can't..?" 

With a pained smirk, he shrugs one shoulder, "'Fraid not, love." 

I knew that, of course, I did, but seeing it still hurt. How could someone who was so good, so kind, so selfless, be cursed? Be damned?  Stepping out of the room, I throw my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly as if somehow it were an apology for being allowed to go where he couldn't. "Does that mean.. the baby is yours?"

Mr.Adkins glances back and forth between the two of us with a cough, before stiffening as my husband catches his gaze. 

"Samuel, bring me the folder from the lockbox," Verando demands, shifting me out of his grasp to pull a pen out of his pocket. Mr.Adkins produces the folder after punching in the code, lips pulled into a thin line, smudging the folder with a greased hand that causes Verando to wrinkle his nose just slightly. "Cleanliness Samuel, I understand you wallow in grit but gods, a rag perhaps would remedy this?" Glancing towards me with a heavy sigh, he brushes the smudge as if it might help. 

"You're sure this is what you want?" 

The question is heavy, and tired, as if being here was a reminder of how disgusting I would be after a day spent in it. 

"Yes, it's perfect. It needs some updating, but I want to be the one to help make your new car. I want to give you that back, it's the least I can do." I wanted to make cars that were more than just war vehicles, I wanted to bring back the luxury car, and this seemed like a good place to start. 

With a dramatic eye roll, he pops the cap on his pen and opens the folder. "Every day you must shower without fail. If you grease our home, you'll be out in the dog house, do you understand? This..." Gesturing to Mr.Adkins with his pen and a scowl, he shudders in disgust. "I can do blood.. I can do dirt and grit, but this is just atrocious." After a couple of quick signatures, he hands me the folder over. 

Confused, I glance over it, spying that it's the deed to the property and all that was on it. "What's this?"

"Step one." He clicks the pen, putting it back into his pocket. "There is some legal work and taxes to deal with but you're right, this is your place and I want you to have it. I'm signing it over to you, so this is the deed to the land, which means I'll just have to sign over the business to you as well. I'll still keep a share or two, so I can be an investor, but other than that, it will be entirely your shop.  I'll call over to Mace, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to help sign it over. It'll take time but-"

I throw my arms around his neck, crushing my lips against his as he catches me around the waist. "I don't even know what to say." I manage as he lets my feet touch the ground, brushing his thumb over his lower lip as if I'd somehow dirtied him from spending time here. Clearing my throat, I realize now that I was standing before my manager, who probably was having a crisis as the thought of his psycho boss handing over this budding company to, essentially, his wife as a gift.

Clearing my throat, I take a firm step back, extending my hand to the gray-haired man. "I'll make sure to protect your investment. Thank you for the opportunity,  Mr.Mercer."

Verando chuckles, amused, shaking my hand. "Oh, you have no idea what you're in for. I'm a loan shark, darling, you just signed a deal with the mafia. The interest will be monumentous, you'll probably have to sell me your body just to keep up. You're mine now." Pulling me firmly against him, I can't help but giggle at his sultry tone. 

"A deal with the devil?" I manage, slinking out of his grasp only to be dealt a smack to the ass. 

"Entirely. Have a good evening, Mr.Adkins. If you'll excuse us, I have a down payment to collect."

I don't think I've ever seen a man so flustered as the poor mechanic as Verando leads me out of the shop with Eve trailing along. "Did you have to embarrass the poor man?"

"Absolutely. I'm an investor now, it's my job to be eccentric." He muses, running a hand through his hair only to hesitate as we near the car. 

Tilting his head, he drifts his attention toward the woods only to flinch, pressing his palm to his temple. Eve barks, growling low in her throat as she points her muzzle toward the thick overgrowth of trees surrounding us. 

"Are you alright?"I grip his arm, searching around us frantically for the cause of his sudden hesitation. 

"We're being summonded." When he looks up at me, I see one of his eyes has turned black, "Anubus is waiting for us beyond the tree line."