“Close to two hundred years. That day you saw in my memories was the last day I was a human on this earth.” He forced the brutal memories of what happened afterward down as bile rose up in his throat.
“What happened?”
Gio shook his head and pulled her up off the floor into his cold embrace. “I adore you for wanting to know everything about me. But that memory is far too painful for a happy occasion like this one.” He forced a grin and kissed her nose. She tried to speak, but his lips caught hers, and they were pulled into another kiss. “I promise, I’ll tell you when the time is right.” He nibbled her bottom lip and she opened herself to him. He growled low in his chest as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. He loved the way she responded to his touch, his kiss.
Sophie couldn’t believe the feelings he created in her body. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone in her life. She hated and loved the power he had over her. She wanted to know more about him, but he was adept at subterfuge.
“I love the way you open up to me.” He said against her lips and scorched a path with kisses from her mouth to her neck.
She sighed and decided to drop the subject for now, but she wanted to know what happened between Beatrice and him. A part of her needed to know. “Okay, I’ll hold you to that promise. So what should we do now?”
Gio stopped his kissing assault and sighed heavily. “While I’d like nothing more than to remain here and explore your amazing body, you, my little witch doctor, should go save Tiffany while I find a way to rescue my father, Luke, and Christopher.”
Sophie looked concerned. “Are they in danger?”
Giovanni nodded. “If the telepath gets to them first, they are.”
“Okay, just be careful.” She felt a burst of pride in her heart that he was trying to do the right thing. Vampires weren’t as bad as people thought, at least her vampire wasn’t. She was surprised at how fast things were moving between them. Nervous on one hand, and exhilarated on the other. She’d read romance novels, and heard of the concept of ‘attraction at first sight’, but she never believed it was something in her future.
The reality of the situation was that she couldn’t walk away from him now if she tried, and instinct told her he was feeling similar emotions. Whatever was between them was undeniable and remarkably real, which was saying a lot since she just discovered this magical side of reality.
“You, too.” He kissed her again and squeezed her tightly. Amidst the bad things that had happened today something good did also. He got the girl, and he wasn’t going to let this one get hurt. Memories of Beatrice, and what happened to her at his biological father’s hand flooded his mind like a torrential downpour, one he wasn’t about to let muddy the waters between him and Sophie.
Chapter Thirteen
Giovanni’s memory was unnerving, and Sophie needed to get her mind off of the weird things he said after they kissed. If she allowed herself to obsess over who this Beatrice was and what happened to both of them, she’d go insane. When she tried to focus on it she got a strange sense of déjà vu, but nothing tangible she could hold onto. The more she tried to grasp the lost déjà vu moment the farther away it seemed to float out of reach. She didn’t like the fact that she felt jealousy over the other lovers he’d had in the past. It wasn’t like her, especially in a relationship that was so new, and one developed under extreme circumstances. Being a student of medicine and psychology, she knew that relationships developed under highly stressful situations were not built on solid foundations, and had a greater chance of failure. She’d definitely classify the last few days as highly stressful.
Her brain tried to remind her of the logical aspect of the relationship that is most likely doomed - he’s a vampire and she’s a witch. He’s immortal and she is mortal. He is royalty and she’s middle class. He is over two centuries old and she’s barely twenty-one. Her brain tried to relay these messages to her heart, but her heart and her emotions weren’t listening. In fact, since her powers were becoming unlocked she was far more emotional. She ventured a guess in assuming it had to do with healing compassion, but she couldn’t be sure of anything at the moment, even her feelings for Giovanni. She needed to stay alert and keep her heart guarded, at least until they’d had time to get to know each other better. She didn’t regret committing to him. She knew it was what they both wanted, but she wasn’t going to be one of those women who got her heart broken for acting on impulse.
One thing she was sure of was that Tiffany needed her help. So she focused on her patient. Sophie tried over and over again to connect with Tiffany’s subconscious, but had no luck. Worse, she could feel the girl’s soul slipping away. There was very little fight left in her. It made Sophie’s attempts to help her even more urgent.
“You need to relax, Sophie.” Regina’s voice spoke softly behind her.
Despite the softness, recognition of her recently deceased mother’s voice was startling. She dropped Tiffany’s hand and turned around to see a transparent image of her mother. It was odd looking at the woman who’d raised her and seeing right through her body. It was like looking at a hologram. She still looked so beautiful. No longer was she plagued with sickness or pain. She looked like she did when she was younger, and had first met her father. Sophie had seen pictures of her mother in her vibrant years, and Regina looked the same today as she did back then. “Mother, you shouldn’t be here.” She spoke softly so as not to alert the rest of the house of her presence.
“Take a breath, you’re the only one who can see me.” She smiled.
“And father?” Sophie ran a hand through her black hair and pulled out the ponytail, a nervous habit she’d had since she was a young girl. “I thought you wanted to stay away from him?”
“I did, but you already let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. So I figured I’d pop in and give you a hand.”
“Wonderful.” Sophie plastered on a fake smile. “Not only am I seeing monsters now, but my dead mother insists on popping in to give me magical advice. All of this makes perfect sense. I’m not going crazy at all.” Sarcasm dripped from her words as she reverted back to using sass as her coping mechanism.
“No, you’re right, you’re not crazy. This is a normal day in the witch world. So tell me what you’re trying to do with this patient?” Her mother ignored the sarcasm like she always did and pushed the conversation along.
Sophie sighed heavily. She just needed to accept all the craziness that was her world now, and talking to her recently deceased mother was part of it. “I’m trying to connect to her mind so I can talk to her again.” Sophie turned helpless eyes toward the blonde girl dying in the spare bed.
“I suspected as much. Your instincts were always strong, my sweet.” Regina tried to put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, but it only went through her body leaving Sophie feeling chilled to the bone where her hand slipped through. At least in the dream world she could touch her. Sophie missed her mother’s gentle touch. “The key is to relax. If you get too caught up in the emotion from the patient you’ll lose the ability to heal.”
Sophie looked at her with frustration. “How do I relax? I can’t.”
“You can. Close your eyes.”
Sophie followed her mother’s instructions with no argument. “Take the girl’s hand and focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly. In, and out. Good. I can feel you relaxing already. Continue to focus on your breathing, at your own pace. Allow all other thoughts to come and go on the soft wind caressing your skin. Imagine, pretend if you need to, that you’re someplace in nature. Anywhere will do. Look around and notice the colors growing vibrant; the greens deeper and darker, the blues clearer and crisper…”
Sophie found herself in her favorite place, the hot springs by the waterfall. The sun shined above, and warmed her body like a blanket would in a blizzard. The scents of nature filled her senses, and pulled her deeper into the mental visualization.
“Why do you keep trying to pull me back? I’m ready to go.” Tiffany aske
d from behind her.
Sophie turned around and came face to face with Christopher’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed, human sister. There were purple half-moons under her eyes, eyes similar to her brothers. “Why?”
“I’m tired.”
“I can understand. Your body is fighting off a deadly virus, but…”
“No, I’m tired of everything. Tired of being part of this world, tired of being weak, and unable to defend myself against all the monsters- monsters I shouldn’t know about - I don’t want to know about. I’m tired of watching my brother lose his goodness, his humanity with each assignment he takes from the other nephilim. I’m tired of lying to him that I don’t know the evil things he does. Most of all, I’m tired of failing as his big sister.” Tiffany sat down on a rock next to the hot pool. She straightened her white dress and dipped her bare feet into the water. Sighing heavily she said, “it’s so peaceful here. If you’d stop pestering me I could just let go and be free. How hard is that for you to understand?”
Sophie shook her head violently. She couldn’t understand Tiffany’s logic. She was so young, and had so much to live for. Everyone gets tired from time to time. Everyone has wanted to quit now and again. The strength is in overcoming those obstacles and becoming a champion. The easy out was to quit. The real win was to give it all you have and find a way to live. Tiffany needed to understand Sophie’s viewpoint. “I’m a healer. I can’t just give up on you.” She insisted as she sat down with the sad girl.
“Even if I’m ready?”
“If you’re ready then why are you still here?” Sophie looked Tiffany in the eye and continued when she was sure she had her full attention. “I don’t know everything about this healing business, but the little I do understand is when it’s your time there’s nothing that I can do. I can promise you I’ll keep trying until that time comes.” Her words hit her hard, touching the still bitter memory of her mother’s untimely death. “There is something that has you hanging on, and according to the medical professionals there is no reason for you to be in a coma. So that makes me believe it’s not your time.”
Dark clouds covered the sky like a cloth over a bedside lamp, stealing the light around them like a thief in the night. A feeling of dread snaked up Sophie’s spine as she recognized the signs that dream weavers were on their way. “I think we should leave.” Sophie grabbed Tiffany’s hands and pulled her up. Lightning snapped against the ground, and three white ninjas appeared. In this case, she knew the white warriors were not on her side.
Sophie pulled Tiffany along with her as she ran down the hill. She didn’t look back when lightning cracked against the path behind them. She was sure it would leave behind ninjas dressed in black. The clash and clang of metal filled the air behind them. “Are you ready to wake up?”
“No.” she felt Tiffany try to pull her hand away and dig her feet into the ground.
“Fine.” Sophie stopped and pushed her into a cave. Tiffany stumbled backward and rolled ungracefully across the dirt ground. “Mother, we could use a little help here”, she called out.
Regina appeared beside her and smiled. “You rang?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to actually hear me.” Surprise written all over her face. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you.”
“I’m tethered to you.”
And that was supposed to explain things? Sophie shook her head; she didn’t have time to worry about it at the moment. “The weavers are back. I’m sure they’re after me. Can you keep her safe?”
Regina looked between the two girls. Sophie could see the inner battle going on in Regina’s eyes. After only a few tense moments she sighed heavily and said, “Sure.”
“Great, thanks!” It was time for her to face down the evil clouds and let them know she wasn’t going to live in fear of them. She headed out the opening of the cave. She looked up at the cloudy sky. “Hey! Come out, come out wherever you are?” she yelled up at the sky waiting for the five heads to appear.
“You are a very stupid girl, aren’t you?” One of the female heads, with long straight hair asked as they all appeared in a circle around her instantly.
Chapter Fourteen
Giovanni watched as the Amazon guards and Captain Carter took Christopher, Gregor, and Luke into the Mystery Springs police station. The small community of Mystery Springs maintained a down-home country feel with the cobblestoned roads and tiny shops downtown. The police station was nestled comfortably in between Arnold’s hardware store and the Springs Café owned by the Lavenders.
The small town feel had two purposes; the scenery was nice to look at, and the council was able to keep big business out of city limits. Most would think hiding in a large city would be easier than blending into a smaller population. In most situations it was easier, but this small town partnered with all races, including humans, and everyone worked together to keep each other safe.
No one questioned the odd height and strength of most Amazon women, especially when they won state competitions in volleyball and basketball. No one wondered why the elves with prosthetic ears were remarkable hunters and ran the butcher shop in town which was also situated across the street from the police station located between the post office and the Djinn’s novelty and home décor shop.
They were thankful for the solid football players with amazing speed that came from the werewolves. The fairies ran most of the farms on the outskirts of town and many of the local musicians came from their ranks. Their magic touch and affinity to nature produced the best crops around, and while most modern farmers export their goods, the Fae kept a good portion of their amazing foods local and sold them at the health food grocery store a few blocks down from downtown.
The shape-shifters were an interesting bunch. Their unique abilities made it easy for them to slip into any kind of business profession so they, and the humans, made up the majority of the industry in the town. The vampires and witches worked closely together at the hospital and the blood bank. Everyone worked hard at ignoring the best kept secret in town, and they functioned like a well-oiled machine. No one asked and no one told.
Everyone enjoyed the benefits and there were only few injuries. The way things were set up made it easy for the supernaturals to blend in with society and feel a little normal. It also made it a breeze for them to protect the spiritual nexus which was first and foremost - the most important job in town.
Thanks to Sophie, Gio had the missing piece to the puzzle. Gio suspected the attacks on the vampires and werewolves were a diversionary tactic. If the dream weavers and nephilim could get two tenuous factions to fight against each other it would distract the rest of the community from an attack on the nexus. Of course, he couldn’t prove anything, but he planned to try again.
“Do you really think this is a good idea, Gio?” Hector asked from the driver’s seat next to him. They were in Hector’s car instead of his recognizable town car.
“I don’t see any other choice. If we let the telepath rip into Christopher’s mind we may never get what we need from him. You told me yourself father and Luke were being treated poorly when you visited them earlier tonight. I think we need to do what we can to help them too. Otherwise, I fear our enemies might get what they want.” Giovanni ducked down when he saw the Amazon ladies leave the station, and Carter was behind them.
Carter looked in their direction and offered a tight nod to Hector who grinned back with a wave. It was always better to be obvious in those situations so people did not get suspicious. It was something Gio had taught Hector, and he was proud to see his old friend was following through.
Carter frowned for a moment, then took another minute to look up and down the street looking for Giovanni, Gio suspected, and then he headed back into the station.
“The coast is clear.” Hector smiled as Gio slid back up in his seat.
“Well done, Hector.” Gio patted his friend on the shoulder. “Now, are you up to a little distraction?”
Hector nodded and without an
other word opened his car door. He knew the drill, as Gio opened his own door. Giovanni slipped across the street with unbelievable speed and headed down the back alley of the station house while Hector made his way to the front door.
He waited in the shadows as one of the human deputies slipped out the back door. Gio slid out of the shadows and through the door as it was closing with ease. His speed made him invisible to the human eye. A convenient tool at his disposal which he used often.
Gio used his enhanced ears and waited until he heard Hector talking to Carter. With this distraction in place, he headed down the hall to the prisoner cells. He’d seen the small cell block plenty of times. His fingers snatched the door keys from the hook on the wall and he rushed to his father’s cell.
“Father, it’s time to go”, he whispered, drawing attention from Christopher and Luke. He was suddenly thankful they were the only prisoners in the jail. He was also counting his blessings that the same guard that unwittingly let him in the station while he went out to smoke a cigarette was also the cell guard.
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