Page 15 of Silverproof Damsel

His obligation to me or our child would have been lifted if I had died. The only requirement was for him to wait for it to unfold, and then he could walk away unscathed. Rhys hadn’t, though. He’d intervened and saved me from the asshole who’d done his best to cut me in two.

After safeguarding me, Rhys had the choice to leave my awkward ass on the floor where I’d fallen. Instead, he opted to take me to a neutral place, causing even more confusion. It would have been effortless for him to bring me to House Van Helsing had he decided to. He could have done it without anyone stopping him. There were no witnesses to the attack who could report where I was taken or by whom.

What was stopping Rhys from doing it? I felt completely overwhelmed, pondering why he didn’t detain me when I wasunable to fight back. Why had he done the honorable thing when he was the villain in my tale?

“Remington, are you alright?” Daisy’s soft-spoken interruption brought me back to reality.

“I’m fine.” The words flowed effortlessly from my mouth, leaving a bitter aftertaste. Lately, I’d managed to perfect the art of lying. Whenever Nyota or Nyx asked how I was doing, that was my automatic response.

I couldn’t honestly say how truly unhappy I was being trapped in a tiny, miserable dwelling, day in and day out. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful, even if that meant being dishonest.

Nyota had ensured I never went hungry. Nyx provided daily reports of the club and what was occurring there. Luckily, Nyota made sure I was kept busy while they were gone through long days and endless nights when they left.

She’d supplied cards for playing solitaire. That kept my mind occupied for a few hours. Next, she’d gotten yarn for knitting. Unfortunately, that ended with me tying knots in the yarn. I then presented her with the results, of which she’d sworn beneath her breath, irritably. After she’d discovered I could not knit, Nyota had brought in bags filled with secondhand books.

Nyx had then assumed I’d preferred Nyota’s gifts to hers, which had resulted in the daily delivery of sex toys. Refusing them hadn’t gone over well. I was more than willing to soothe my own needs. It had more to do with her saying they were samples people had brought to her at the club. However, it caused a wedge between us, one I’d been repairing slowly.

Who knew adult companies sent people driving around to clubs to offer samples of sex toys forshows? No thanks.

It had forced me to ask her what she’d put in the permits she’d filed in terms of the type of‘club’we were currently opening. Luckily, that section of the business was hers, while I’d deal with my forge and weaponry shop. Not that I for one momentbelieved that I’d be so lucky. It was merely what I continually told myself to prevent a full-blown panic attack from striking me.

I’d uprooted so many lives with my mistakes that I had no reason to burden them with my problems. They hadn’t caused my current situation. I had. No way in hell would I add my troubles to the list of shit they were already worried about.

“What do you think of the chateau?” Winchester asked, nodding toward a house hardly visible through the tree lined fence as we sped down the highway. At first, I thought Winchester was fucking around with me. Savage grinned as she yanked the earbud from her ear.

The air left my lungs as the opulent French Country chateau came into sight ahead of us. It wasn’t what I’d expected the house to be. Far from it, in fact.

“Holy shit.”

A massive French-style manor was surrounded by vibrant oranges and reds of the coming fall. Manicured lawns and colorful shrubbery, along with blue and violet flowers, lined a long-paved driveway to the mansion.

House Silversmith made one hell of a first impression. It was magnificently built and stood like a beacon, with sunlight sinking behind the mountain range surrounding it. The magnificent house held lofty, sweeping glass towers and arches.

The dramatic and stunning exterior was enhanced with the lavish courtyard and enchanting flora. The silver embellishments and stonework on the outside bespoke the interior within.

The wrought-iron gates surrounding the property held silver spears every few feet, warning those seeking to harm the inhabitants within its protection. Statues coated in silver had been scattered throughout the landscape as well.

To an outsider, they’d appear as statements of wealth. To everyone else, they’d see them for exactly what they were. Weapons to use in case we were attacked.

The entire property made a statement of old world sophistication. It was a statement of wealth or power, one not to be ignored.

Winchester chuckled, then leaned forward to place a finger beneath my jaw. With an upward movement, she made a clicking sound with her tongue against her teeth. I focused on her and smiled.

“Welcome to the Chateau Silversmith, Remington.” The pride flooding Winchester’s voice spoke volumes. “My house is your house. I need you to know that. You’re safe here. Stay for as long as you want. You and your child are of our blood, making you both precious to us.”

“All of us,” Savage added with softening blue eyes as she aimed the weight of it at me. “You’re the youngest of the original Silversmith line. That makes you ours to protect.”

Savage’s words made the smile on my face falter. “It isn’t that, Savage. I’m not worth starting a war over. Our family barely survived the last one. Some of usdidn’tsurvive. I don’t want that to happen again. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to any one of you.”

Savage snorted as she flicked her silver hair over her shoulder. “You think we’re weak? I assure you, we’re not. We’ve trained to face off against the Van Helsings since the moment we were old enough to hold a weapon or wield magic.”

The others muttered their agreement. A knot of worry formed in my throat, choking my words off. I didn’t want either side to be harmed or involved in another bloody war.

“I don’t want anyone fighting over me. I know that we’re all trained for battle.” Looking around at the faces of my siblings, I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Mother made sure wewere all weapons to use against anyone she chose to decimate. That’s never been in doubt. The thing is, we’re in this mess because of her. I’d prefer we not repeat history if possible.”

“You don’t want your lover harmed?” Daisy asked, blowing on her nails before she buffed them on her pink sundress.

“No one is to harm Rhys or any other Van Helsing. We don’t make a move unless we are sure there’s no other recourse. We don’t invite war until we’re certain there’s no way around it. This time, let them make war upon us without reason. Last time, they had the backing of the other houses because Mother was a monster. That cannot be the reason they give for the houses this time around. We’re not monsters. The world has evolved. So have we. Let’s not give them a reason to burn our house down—” Winchester’s soft chuckle made me hesitate as uncertainty clawed at my chest.

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