“Challenge accepted,” he growled.
Chapter 4
“Plates!” I yelled, urging my clan members to run to the area in the current map we were playing in Ghost 2 that looked like it had plates on the wall. This map was a small forest and there were strange dogs prowling around. The tamers protected them and attacked us whenever they could.
“Tamer!” Dragonknight yelled.
“Down,” Alex advised, letting us know he had killed the tamer.
“Bones,” Turbo said.
We all ran towards the area we had designated with that call sign.
My mates had been summoned to a meeting with the four kings. Something urgent had obviously come up, but their fathers hadn’t filled them in. That worried me. I was glad that I had fully mated with all four of my mates now. It settled our group and my mates were happy and content now.
“Jo! On your right!” Orphan shouted.
I spun my character and immediately got tossed back by a tamer.
Orphan and Turbo dropped down from a rock that overlooked the spot I was in and pushed the tamer back.
My character stood, no longer dazed. “I’m up,” I said.
They killed the tamer and a large chime echoed through the forest.
I groaned and we all said, “Bugs.”
Hundreds of knee-high bugs rushed into the forest. Standing back to back, the five of us fired our weapons, lobbed grenades, and used magic to fend off the waves of enemies.
I loved the graphics of the game and reminded myself not to get distracted by the luminescent colored bugs. They looked like a cross between a cockroach and a pug dog, but with a luminescent shell.
We killed the last one and fireworks exploded overhead, announcing our victory.
“Yes!” we yelled. Finally, we had beat that part of the raid, the third of five steps.
My phone rang.
“Be right back,” I told the clan and muted my microphone on my headset. “Hello?”
“The kings want to talk to you,” Nico said. “Come downstairs and we will pick you up. We’re about two minutes away.”
“Okay,” I agreed, a lump formed in my throat.
“It’s nothing bad,” he promised.
“Thanks,” I replied and hung up. “Guys, I have to go,” I said to the clan.
None of them responded to me, still talking to each other.
“Guys!” I said louder.
“Did you see Jo get tossed back?” Dragonknight asked and laughed. The others joined in.
“Yeah, ha ha. Real funny,” I said.
No response. I looked at my mic and sighed. I was still muted. I hit the button and said, “I did it again.”
“Talked when muted?” Alex guessed.
“Yeah,” I admitted.
They all laughed.
“I have to go,” I said.
“Bye, Jo!” Dragonknight said.
“Bye,” said Alex.
“Later,” Turbo said.
“Bye-ee!” yelled Orphan.
I turned off the console, brushed my hair, and checked my armpits for body odor.
Good to go!
Nico leaned against the inside wall of the apartment lobby, messing with something small in his hand.
“What are you playing with?” I asked.
He opened his hand and showed me two bloodstones.
“Are they ready?” I asked.
He nodded and held them out to me. “I just finished adding mine.”
I took one and placed it under my eye, just below my cheekbone. It zapped me and then melted into my skin painlessly. I added the second and a surge jolted through our connections, sharpening them.
“Whoa,” I whispered.
Nico exhaled. “Well, now we are all official.”
“Happy?” I asked.
He smiled and pulled me into a deep kiss before whispering, “Ecstatic.”
We walked outside, and the media sent a barrage of questions at us while snapping pictures.
Nico threaded our fingers together and put a barrier around us, silencing the outside noise.
I squeezed his hand in thanks and smiled up at him.
“So, what did you do while we were gone?” he asked.
“Got through the forest part of the raid,” I answered.
“Solo?”
I laughed loudly. “No! With my clan.”
He smirked. “Fox got through it solo.”
I gaped at him. “No way!”
He opened the door of the SUV for me. “I recorded it.”
“Hey, gorgeous,” Thor greeted me from the driver’s seat.
I leaned between the front seats and hugged him. “Hey.”
Nico tugged me down beside him with our still joined hands. “When the kings talk to you, I need you to promise to hear them out. Then, think before answering.”
“Am I in trouble?” I asked.
He shook his head.
That was a relief.
Thor drove us to an office building in the center of the four territories I had never seen or been to before.
“What’s this?” I asked and stayed seated even though Thor already had my door open.
“This is an office we use for meetings in neutral territory,” Nico said and climbed out.
Thor looked at me questioningly.
“Something feels off,” I whispered. My entire back was tingling.
Nico stood outside my door, next to Thor, and held out his hand. “Come on.”
I took his hand, stepped out, and felt a bit better once he put a barrier around the three of us.
The building was ten stories, at least, with lots of windows. It had no distinguishing marks and looked like most of the other buildings down the street we stood on.
Fox waved at me from a window on the third floor, a huge smile on his face. I waved back, then walked inside. The lobby had no attendant, just couches, chairs, and three elevator doors.
Thor pushed the button for the elevators and rocked back and forth on his feet. It was a nervous habit he’d had as a teenager and it made me smile to see him do it still. The elevator opened, and he blocked my view with his body, stepped in, and held the door for Nico and me to enter.
In silence, we stood together in the chrome elevator, watching the arrow move from floor one to floor two to floor three. How old was this elevator not to have digital floor numbers? Was it safe to ride in?
“If we fell three stories in a metal box, would we survive?” I asked Nico.
He chuckled. “This elevator just looks old. It’s maintained every month to ensure it’s safe. But, yes, I could protect us.”
Thor walked out first then nodded for us to follow.
“Why are you acting like this?” Nico asked Thor.
“Jolie said something feels off,” Thor frowned, his eyes still shifting down the hall.
Nico looked down at me. “How?”
“My back is tingly, and I feel anxious,” I explained.
“We’re shielded,” he reminded me.
I nodded. “I know.”
Thor pulled open a door, and we stepped into an executive board room with the four kings, my other three mates, and Andras.
All eight men stood.
Nico dropped the shield and walked to the side to take a seat next to the other princes.
Dan smiled. “Daughter! So glad you came.”
“I had a choice?” I asked and pretended I was headed out.
Thor pulled out the chair that faced the kings and I sat.
“We have a proposition for you,” Katar said. “We’d like to offer you a position.”
“I have a job,” I interrupted.
“Jolie,” Nico whispered. “Remember what I asked?”
To hear them out.
“Sorry,” I apologized to Katar. “Please, go on.”
Emrys took over. “We’d like you to join our council. We haven’t had a human on it because most can’t, or don’t, understand us. You do. You also have some int
eresting suggestions that we’d like to hear more about.”
One of my mates had been talking to them. I looked at them and they all smirked. Maybe all of them had been talking.
“I mentioned your idea about the combined school,” Andras said with an excited grin. “I think it’s a great idea and wanted to bring it to the council to consider.”
“Oh,” I said and felt bad for assuming it had been my mates.
“What is your idea for this school?” Emrys asked.
“I think we should open a school, a private school for now, where humans, mages, dragons, elves, and werewolves attend together. They could learn about all of the Others and the Others could learn about the humans and by attending together, they would learn to interact with each other. I was fortunate to have the pack near me and attending school with me. But, here in Jinla, that doesn’t happen. Everyone is sectioned off and separated. Since the war is over, I thought it would be a great time to implement it.” I looked up at them after saying my piece.
“What ages?” Katar asked, his hand scratching his chin.
“For the trial, I would suggest high school ages because they’re easier for you to punish and keep in line. The council would be presented with candidates from each race and they would be vetted before being allowed to go to the school. That way, we wouldn’t have someone sneaking in some kid who is actually a plan to make things go wrong. Gavin would be a perfect candidate for attending the school, in my opinion, Emrys,” I said.
Emrys nodded. “Gavin would do well at a school like that. It would be good for him to be around other teenagers who aren’t dragons. It would give them more of a real-world experience,” he agreed.
“There’s a lot that would need to be ironed out for this to work,” Johann said.
I nodded. “There are a lot of steps to opening an institution like this, but I think it’s worth the effort.”
“We will begin working on it,” Dan said, and the other three kings nodded.
I smiled and felt useful for the first time in a while.
“Back to you joining us,” Dan said. “We would pay you and it wouldn’t be full time, just once a week for a few hours. Unless, urgent matters come up.”
“What would I be required to do?” I asked.
I wasn’t against the idea, but I wanted to know what I was getting into.
Johann floated a stack of papers to me while he remained seated. “This is your proposed duty statement. We are willing to make adjustments if you have concerns.”
I grabbed the floating papers and reviewed them. It all seemed pretty basic. I would be their fifth member, their tie breaker. I would make decisions and could offer ideas and opinions.
I would be an idiot to refuse.
“What’s the pay?” I asked. Knowing them, it would be way too much.
“You’ll be compensated at an appropriate rate,” Johann said.
“When would I start?” I asked. “If I accept.”
“Tonight,” Dan said.
“What are the steps?” I asked. A throbbing pain built in my temple and I rubbed at it. What was going on? Where was the pain coming from?
“I, King Daniel of the Werewolves, nominate Jolie Bernardo as human councilor,” Dan said loudly.
Magic gathered in the center of the room.
What the heck?
“Votes?” Dan asked.
“Yes,” Katar said.
“Yes,” Johann said.
“Yes,” Emrys said.
“Congratulations, Jolie,” Dan boomed.
The magic exploded outwards and punched me in the chest. I gasped and fell backward out of my chair, fighting to breathe.
“Jolie!” several voices yelled.
Everything hurt. I couldn’t move.
“What happened? Why did it backfire?” Dan asked.
“That would only happen if—” Johann began, but suddenly everyone was silent and even my mates stopped moving towards me. Everyone stood perfectly still. I blinked at them.
“It would only happen if she weren’t human,” a deep voice said near me. The owner of the voice bent over me and I stared at a perfect replica of my own eyes. “What’s happened to you?” he asked.
“Who are you?” I asked him back from my seated position on the floor.
He pulled me to my feet and I stared at the strange, but beautiful man blocking my mates from me. They were all frozen: the kings, my mates, Andras, and Thor.
“Your memories need restored,” the man with my eyes said, drawing my attention back to him. He reached out and tapped behind my ear.
Pain ricocheted in my skull, then the memories came.
Home. Familiar places, people, and things. The memories were in fragments.
There weren’t very many of them, since they were only from the time I was born until I was seven years old, but they opened a startling new reality.
My father wasn’t the vampire who had raised me. No, he and the old woman had been my foster family. The man standing before me, he was my true father.
“Dad,” I gasped.
He smiled and he was even more mesmerizing than I realized originally. “Hello, Jolie. It’s time to come home.”
Fear struck me at his words. I stepped back from him. “No. You banished me. This is my home.”
He looked at my cheek with the bloodstones and then at my chest. “What are these bonds?” He started to reach for them, and I slapped his hand away and stepped back, stumbling over my fallen chair.
“They’re my mating bonds!” I snapped. “Don’t touch them!” I wouldn’t lose the bonds again. Never again.
He looked at the men behind him. “Which of these men think they’re worthy of you?”
“Why are you here?” I snapped to get his attention off of them.
The beautiful man, who had come with Dad, held a trident and kept the kings and princes immobilized, but kept casting strange glances at me.
“I made a grave mistake sending you away. It’s time for you to return to Atlantis,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Who is this?” Nico asked, barely able to move his lips.
The spell silencing them was wearing off.
“I’m her father,” Dad said.
Nico’s brows furrowed. “Her dad was a man turned vampire.”
“That was her foster family,” he explained in a bored tone. “I’m her biological father.”
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“I’ve been tracking you,” the beautiful man holding the trident explained. His silver hair was long, reaching down to his waist in a thick braid and his face was angelic. “You heard me talk to you in your dreams, remember? When the magic hit you, we were finally able to pinpoint your location.”
“Who are you?” I asked, still confused, despite my memories being back. Memories before you were seven weren’t great once you past your twenties.
“Brayden. Your betrothed,” he said and smiled. “We were best friends as kids, too. You should remember that now.”
“I have mates already,” I said sternly.
He shrugged. “What’s one more?”
All four of my mates growled, and I agreed with the sentiment.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want any more mates,” I told him.
“We’re wasting time,” Dad said angrily.
“She’s ours. You can’t take her,” Dan growled, his eyes shifting and glowing, but his body still held immobile and holding back his change.
Dad faced him fully. “Jolie isn’t human. She’s the Princess of the Sirens, and we are separate from you and Jinla.”
“Sirens? She’s not a siren,” Emrys said.
“She’s a null,” Dad explained. “She can’t feed off emotions or sex, but she is alluring. I’m sure you’ve all felt the pull to her. How she’s likeable and her smile warms your heart?”
All eight males’ eyes widened.
“Come, or I break your connections and kill them,” Dad threatened.
“Can I at least say goodbye?” I asked, my heart tightening in my chest.
He sighed. “I’m getting soft in my old age. Fine, but Brayden is keeping them frozen, so they don’t try to keep you.”
I nodded and walked to Thor who was closest and whispered into his ear, “Keep them safe. Don’t let them kill themselves.”
“Jo, you don’t have to go,” he whispered.
“I do,” I said and sighed. “Please, Tim. Please, try to keep them safe while I’m gone.”
I kissed his cheek and then hurried over to Andras and asked him to do the same. I hugged Nico and kissed his lips. “I’ll come back,” I promised. “I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“He’s not lying, then?” he asked.
I shook my head. “The memories are mine. I am a siren, but a null, like he said. They banished me because of it, too embarrassed to keep me in the court.”
“Why go now?” he asked.
I smirked. “To keep you safe, idiot.”
“I love you, Jolie.”
I leaned my forehead against his and whispered, “I love you too, Nico.”
“Please,” Deryn whispered. “Please, don’t go. Not again. I can’t lose you again.”
I hugged him tightly and peppered his face with kisses. “I’ll come back. I promise. This isn’t goodbye. This is just an unexpected vacation.”
“I’ll find you,” he whispered.
I shook my head. “No, even if you tried, you wouldn’t be able to find Atlantis. It’s too well hidden. Please, just wait for me. I swear on the moon, I will come back to you.”
He kissed me deeply and growled softly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” The tears were getting harder to hold back.
Rhys was glaring at Brayden but dropped his eyes to mine when I stood in front of him. “You sure about this?” he asked.
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