Page 50 of Custodian

And now she knew why; they had planted their own trap for her.

“Ryker? Baby? Put me down, huh?” She asked sweetly, forcing a stiff smile past her lips. The man of her dreams merely smiled back, her fear obviously having no effect on him –probably because his heart was nothing but a cold slab of stone in his chest, she fumed internally.

“Sure, baby. I’ll put you down,” he promised her.

Her feet hit the floor and she dodged low, hoping to trick the second pair of masculine arms coming directly at her. She was too late. Axel knew her moves too well and was easily able to scoop her up, forcing her further into the brightly lit room with the device of torture perched evilly in the corner. Not even bothering to pretend anymore, she shrieked and bawled out her rage. The animalistic sounds of fury were met with loud guffaws and Max felt all hope slipping away. But she wasn’t going down without a fight. She was a street rat. Street rats fought to the death.

Bringing her heel back, she felt some satisfaction in the swift indrawn breath of her captor as her foot managed to graze his crotch.Damn,she had been hoping to nail Axel directly in his precious boys, but the man had moved at the last second and what should have been testicle-annihilation was only a close-call. Still, it was enough to scare him into passing her onto the next person in the nightmarish-congo-line-of-betrayal.

Arms that were slenderer but no less strong, gripped her tightly and continued her forward progression into the room. “Lark. Put me down this instant!” she demanded.

“Or what?” Lark cackled.

“Or I’ll poof you out of existence, you rotten cretin!” She shrieked, garnering the attention of the entire room. Lark merely laughed again, that was until she grabbed his nipple and gave a solid twist of her wrist.

“Shit!” He yelled. “Bloody hell, woman! Here, you take her.”

Max found herself engulfed in arms so large they made her feel positively dainty. And dainty was something she never felt. Looking up into eyes of amber, she gasped, “Et tu, Brute?Bey, how could you?”

Even Beyden didn’t have the grace to look repentant, “Now, Max. You’ve really brought this on yourself.”

“What?! How can you say that? What I have ever done to deserve this kind of betrayal? This treason? This perfidy? This –”

“This karaoke?” Diana finished her tirade with an eye roll, yanking her out of Beyden’s arms and pushing her into the room.

Max gasped, digging her heels into the hardwood floor, only to have Diana continue to drag her around like she was some kind of toy instead of a terrifyingly powerful goddess. “You said the ‘K’ word!” She covered her ears with her hands, “Not the ‘K’ word. Anything but that!” Max wailed.

Diana huffed, coming to a halt as the rest of her Order spread out around her like vultures waiting to pick at her carcass. “Beyden’s right. You brought this on yourself. If you didn’t make such a big deal out of it, we wouldn’t want to press the issue.”

“Di’s right,” Cali said, looking all pretty and pregnant. Max hated her. “You know if you have some kind of scab we’re going to want to pick at it. We’re a little sick like that.” She grinned.

Max narrowed her eyes at her blonde friend, really wishing she could punch her between her blue eyes but knowing it would be really inappropriate given she was growing the most perfect little bundle of joy in the world. Cali grinned and patted her rounded tummy as if hearing Max’s thoughts.

“You know, you won’t always be gestating,” Max reminded her.

Cali laughed, “Two and a half more months.”

More like one more month, Max thought, but didn’t say so out loud.

“Come on, Max. It was your idea to have this party. And what better way to celebrate than with good food, good drink, good company, and good music?” Beyden asked, trying to sound sensible.

“Karaoke is not good music. In fact, karaoke is not even a good activity,” Max assured them, eyeing the innocuous looking machine in the corner with the attached microphone like it might attack any moment.And it just might,Max thought. Anything was possible when it came to those machines. She knew a sentient creature when she saw one.

“Come on, can you really blame us for being curious? The way you talk about karaoke –” Axel said.

“What? I never talk about the ‘K’ word! Once! I have mentioned it once, voluntarily! The other times you all have brought it up.” Max pointed out.

“Exactly!” Darius pointed at her. “You always harp on about things but not this. It’s most interesting.”

“You too, Darius?” She groaned. She was sunk. She knew it. But if she was going down, she was dragging the whole miserable bunch of them with her. “What you’ve done here – it’s disgusting. I’m pretty sure I won’t ever forgive any of you. But if you insist, then –”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Look, you don’t have to play with the big, bad machine okay? Come and sit down. You’re driving me nuts. You all act like a bunch of juveniles,” Ivy muttered, steering her towards a table in the corner.

Max wanted so badly to pout but figured the big, bad ranger would believe that was even more juvenile. Still, she made sure to sit facing the monstrosity – she knew better than to turn her back on those things.

Two hours later and Max could admit, she had all but forgotten about the evil voice-machine perched like a gargoyle in the corner. She had made the rounds, chatting and comforting everyone there. She could hardly stop smiling because everywhere she looked, she saw chadens and wardens and paladins, all talking and laughing. Everyone was relaxed and having a good time. There had been some awkwardness in the beginning, but Knox and his fun-loving sons had quickly smoothed it all over as if they were professional party planners or something. There had also been a few tears as many chadens had been reunited with loved ones.

Max sighed, watching a dozen couples slow-dance in the middle of the ballroom in the dingy hotel. They weren’t all romantic couples of course, but fathers and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and family.

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