by Lacy LeRoch
I’ve been trying to warn the council and anyone who would listen, that I could see the warning signs of this happening. Just because the twins are only nineteen, doesn’t mean a thing. McKinley would shoo me out of the meeting room, and refer to my warnings as mad ramblings. Times are changing, it would seem the girls are coming into their power earlier than they should.
Why won’t anybody ever listen to me?
I tried to warn Rafe earlier today, he knows what chanting can do to a Lyian. He was warned not to play in her head. Just because he’s one of our leaders, he seems to think he can ignore all the warnings. What a load of crap. I could see she was his Lyian from a mile away. But, nooo, he’s always right.
He didn’t take any notice of the signs. Although I really can’t talk, since neither did I. When we saw Lucy walking in the forest, I tried to warn Rafe then. I could see that they had the same color aura. It’s a gift that I was born with. I’m a Seer, but with mates and auras—not futures. I can tell a mated couple by the colors that surround them. Each mated pair will have the same color as each other, and no two are the same.
Both Rafe and Lucy had the same bright crimson red. It was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before. That can only mean one thing—they will be a power couple and unstoppable once joined.
The Dragons have been warning the Judadic Council all along that we should fear the Buzzock will try to take claim of the twins. If the Buzzock were to claim even one of the girls, it would be the end to us. The Seers have seen the powers the girls will grow to have. Markus might have thought he was doing the right thing by hiding them, but in reality, he’s only holding out the inevitable. It doesn’t take much for one of those traitors to drain the powers of an unmated Lyian.
I look from Lacy to Lucy, smiling. They share some of the same features. Same button nose, and pouty lips. But that’s it. Lucy hasn’t gone through the transformation yet, whereas Lacy has. Lacy has taken on the change of the Phoenix since the last time I saw her.
Lacy has red hair, where Lucy’s is a mousy brown with red highlights. The differences don’t stop there. Lacy has brown eyes with tinges of blue specks. Lucy’s are as blue as sapphires. Both of the girls are small in build but hold the perfect hourglass figure. They are only tiny in height, only standing about five foot tall.
I stare between the two girls, unsure what to do now. Out of respect for my Lyian, I’ve stayed clear of all women in any form. I don’t even play poker with the other council members anymore because I fear one of the unattached females will want to have sex with me. We use the poker as a way to lose ourselves in the game, to feel the connection of friendship and brother bonding. It never hurt, there would always be women hanging around. While we only feel excitement during the act itself, it’s never stopped us from hooking up with one or two of the willing females.
I am not afraid to admit it, I’m what the girl’s class as a catch. I would never disrespect my Lyian by being around other females. Besides, I don’t feel any urges around anyone but Lacy and… well, I’m not going there.
“Umm… Bev, what are you doing? Did you just cast a spell over my sister? Earth to Bev, are you in there? I suppose I need to ask…” Lacy holds her hand over her mouth, stifling the laughter, “…are you okay? That had to hurt.”
I turn my head toward Lacy, she’s no longer sitting where she last was. There goes that sexy visual for now. She’s now standing in the doorway with Lucy. Lacy has her hand wrapped around Lucy’s arm as she pulls her into the room.
“Would you help me? She’s stiff and I can’t move her,” she growls.
“All right,” I huff, walking over to pick Lucy up placing her gently on the bed.
She can’t move from the spell I cast on her. Turning my attention back to Lacy, I can’t believe, I’m going to break another rule.
“I think we need to explain everything to her, Lace. Well, as much as I can without getting into trouble.”
Lacy gives me a skeptical look and places her hands on her hips. “So basically, you can only tell her what I know. That isn’t a lot.”
I walk over to Lacy, place my hands on her hips, and drag her body close to mine. Kissing the top of her head, I try to reason with her.
“Lacy, be fair with me. Trust me, my love. Please. Have I ever treated you badly?”
Lacy shakes her head, reaches up on her tip toes and places a kiss to the crook of my neck.
“I’m sorry, Bev, it’s been a long day. I’ve just about had enough, I need sleep.”
I use my palm and lift her jaw up, kissing her on the tip of her nose. “I know how you feel, my love.” I sigh, disheartened. “All of the sweet wonderful things I wanted to do to you, are just going to have to wait.”
Lacy’s whole body shivers at my words. Oh, I know she wants it as well. Lacy raises an eyebrow and leans into my chest.
“All the sweet wonderful things, hey?”
I’m glad that she’s finding light in such a sticky situation.
“Hmm… I had big plans, baby.” I kiss the top of Lacy’s head. “I don’t have much time before they call me back outside, my love. You know I can’t say no to a call from a leader. As much as I love the feel of you in my arms, we can’t leave your sister this way.”
Lacy melts into my arms further, kisses me softly on the chest then steps away, nodding. She walks over to the bed and sits down next to her sister. Lucy stares us down, she looks panicked and curious at the same time. I walk over and sit down next to Lacy.
I’ve wanted to meet her sister for a long time now. Lacy is always talking about her. But I’ve tried my hardest not to meet with Lacy too many times. Because of the curse, mating is preferred to happen right away. It is why we fall in love before we even have a choice. The downside is, if you end up in a situation like me where you aren’t mated, but have the pull, the female goes through emotions that shatter her when we aren’t together.
They feel empty and lost as if something’s missing from their lives. It’s why I’ve tried to make Lacy think I was just a dream. That was another reason I could never come and meet Lucy. Even though she’s not my Lyian, she would feel the emptiness after I left. Because the girls are twins, it makes them feel as the other does.
When we need to talk to mortals, we put a form of haze in their minds. It doesn’t work on Lyians though. They will forget at the time, but not long after the memories start to flow in. Unless, of course, they’re Phoenix shifters then they remember within minutes after the haze has been put into place.
The elders believe it’s a sure sign of a Phoenix shifter. Sometimes the Watchers are aware of it, even before the girls start to feel the power running through their veins. It’s how we’ve kept our existence a secret from the mortals for as long as we have. But a Lyian holds onto the memory. So we need to be careful how often we come to them in this realm.
I raise my right hand and face it palm up. “I’m going to remove the spell. Only if you don’t scream or attack me. I swear I’m a good guy…” I pause, letting her register what I’m saying. “Nod your head if you understand.”
Lucy’s eyes dart to Lacy. “Lucy, I know you don’t know him, but you know and trust me. Don’t you?” Lucy nods her head. So Lacy continues, “Okay, so trust that this is something good, and he’s someone very special to me. I promise he will answer anything he can, okay? If you agree, all you have to do is nod at Bevan.”
This right here is a good example why I love my girl as much as I do. She’s the calm in my storm. Lucy narrows her eyes and nods. I raise my hand turning it in a clockwise direction and speak the spell that will give her back the ability to move.
“Freedom in speech, freedom in movement.”
Lucy starts talking a million miles an hour, the minute she’s freed from the spell. “Wow, so you must be Bevan, huh? Are those really wings? What the hell did you do to me? Wait… no… wait. I want to know this question first. What are you doing with my sister?”
I chuckle at her sudden elat
ion. “One thing at a time. Yes, I am Bevan. And yes, these wings are real.” I shake my wings up and down, proving they’re attached to me and I have control. “I placed a spell on you so you didn’t freak out. I’m with Lacy because she is my Lyian.”
Lucy jumps up and down on the bed, laughing she throws herself into Lacy’s arms. “You weren’t lying to me earlier. This really is happening,” Lucy replies in awe.
“Sis, I told you it was true. I just couldn’t tell you the details, because Dad was always around the corner.”
Lucy narrows her eyes, putting her hand up in the air. “Wait, wait, wait… you called Lace your Lyian. What’s a Lyian?” She stares down at the bed and adds under her breath, “Why does that sound so familiar?”
Ahh… Lucy is a clever girl. Not many pick up on the names we use. They always ask everything else except what our words mean. Lucy brings her gaze up to mine, points her finger and waits. I think I’m going to get along with her just fine. She’s straightforward, just like me. I love that.
“A Lyian is a lifelong mate. Someone made just for us. We only ever get blessed with one.” I hold up one finger, reach over to Lacy and take hold of her hand, pulling her out of Lucy’s embrace.
“The easiest way I can explain it is a Watcher…” I point to myself, “…that’s what I’m called.” Lucy goes to speak but I cut her off by shaking my head. “When we’re born, we believe the great Goddess Lylian made you… for us.” I point between Lacy and myself. “We only have one chance at love. There are different theories on why it is only one, but honestly, I’ve never thought about it.”
I look over to Lucy to see how she’s taking all this all in. I’m getting ready to stop her from freaking out. Her eyes widen, and she sucks in a harsh breath. Please don’t freak, I don’t have the energy left to put another spell on you, I think to myself. I push on, hoping to delay the meltdown, “Goddess Lylian picks our mates when we’re each born. She holds onto her for us. Your sister is my Lyian.”
Lucy takes a deep breath, narrows her eyes and stares at mine and Lacy’s clasped hands. “Okay, so let me see if I understand this… Lacy, is what you call a Lyian. Your perfect match. Yes?” I nod letting her know she’s correct, she’s fast at piecing it all together. She isn’t freaking out the way I thought she would, maybe she remembers Rafe more than I’d initially thought.
“I understand all that. Come to think about it, that’s pretty romantic.” Lucy clasps her hand over her heart, flutters her eyelashes and sighs dramatically.
“I like you, Lucy.” I laugh.
“And I you, Bevan.” She chuckles, before getting serious again. “The big question is… how do you know that my sister is your Lyian? You should know now, she farts and speaks in a different tongue in her sleep.”
“Hey,” Lacy growls, throwing a pillow at Lucy.
Lucy laughs, ducks the oncoming assault and shrugs her shoulders. “Whaaat? It’s true. Okay, let’s be serious. What happens if you pick the wrong one? Or worse, you don’t like the match that the Goddess gave you.”
I let loose a big belly full of laughs and look at Lacy.
“I wouldn’t if I was you, Bev. I would shut it or I’ll kick you in the nuts,” Lacy says, rolling her eyes.
“Lace, why so violent?” I joke, stifling my laughter.
She knows she has me by the balls here, I love it when she gets so feisty. It turns me on like nothing else before.
“Okay, what did I miss? Why are you going to kick him in the nuts, sis? And why on earth are you laughing, Bevan?” Lucy asks suddenly serious.
Rafe is going to have fun training Lucy. In a split second, she went from joking, to ready to rip my head off, because she thought her sister was upset with me for real.
I’m trying hard to stop laughing, but when Lucy asked that she sounded so much like Lacy did the first time I tried to explain all of this to her.
I take a deep breath to try and calm my laughing down. I stretch over to Lacy, take hold of her arm and drag her onto my lap. The need to have her close is overpowering. I love nothing more, than being able to hold my girl in my arms now it’s in the flesh, not the dreamscape. I lean down, kiss the top of Lacy’s head and continue, “I’m sorry, I laughed.” I press my lips to hers, kissing her chastely. “Forgive me?”
Lacy kisses me back and snuggles deep into my embrace. I bring my dark blue wings around the front of my body, wrapping them tightly around her. Sheltering her from all harm. This is a Watchers way of making our claim or protecting what’s ours.
“I know your sister is my Lyian Lucy because she feels the pull to be with me, as much as I do. We have both experienced the mating heat. Not as strong as most true mates, but we still have it. Before I answer what that is, I need to explain that you only go into the mating heat if, and I mean if, that person belongs wholly to you and you alone.”
Lucy twirls her finger in the air, waiting for me to go on.
I can’t wait to sit back and watch her and Rafe work each other out. He’s a control freak in absolutely everything. And from the looks of it, Lucy is a bit of a smarty pants. I get a mental image of the two of them meeting in person, and I start laughing hysterically. Both the girls stare at me scowling.
Uh-oh, I’m in trouble.
“Okay, as I said, we both feel the pull to be close to each other,” I add on tentatively, trying to avoid the wrath of both the girls.
Lucy furrows her brows, confused. I push on, not wanting her mind to overanalyze that bit of information.
“So…. the mating heat usually starts when we hear her sing, or… and I love this one if we get to steal a kiss. The second one of the two isn’t usually how it happens. An unmated Watcher doesn’t feel the urge to claim that way, but it’s been known to happen.”
“So, what you are trying to say is, you don’t get horny unless you’re in the mating heat.” Lucy lifts her fingers in the air and makes the quote movement.
I wait for Lacy to comment but she’s mysteriously quiet. I move my wings outward slowly, just enough for me to be able to see her. To my utter shock and disbelief, Lacy has fallen asleep in my arms. Well hell, that sucks. I lower my head, lean down and press my lips to hers softly. I bring my wings back in tight, being careful not to wake her.
“Yes, I suppose you could say it that way. The mating heat opens up our urges, everyone will go into the heat differently. For some, it comes on slowly, for others, it could hit like a freight train. For example, when I first met your sister, I was called in to take out those weak fucking men who hurt her. The Watcher, who was assigned to her, sent the sign out for help. We all came running, well… flying, if you want to get technical.” Lucy opens her mouth to say something, but I stop her by raising my finger up. “No, I know what you want to ask, and that isn’t my place. Please, I can only answer so much, and I don’t have much time left.”
Lucy nods her head in understanding. “That’s okay Bevan, and just so you know, you just earnt my respect.”
Her words hit me hard, my chest swells with pride. From everything that Lacy had told me about her sister, I know it’s hard for her to accept someone. I like her even more because she understands that some things just won’t be answered today. Lucy groans and glances toward the window.
“Lucy, are you okay?”
She spins her head back toward me, blinking rapidly. “Sorry, what?”
“Are you okay?” I ask again.
She licks her lips and nods. I notice her gaze cuts briefly to the window before she brings her attention back to me. Interesting, I wonder if her mind and body are letting her know that Rafe is outside.
“As I was saying, when my team was called in to take care of business, I heard your sister’s humming. She was holding onto her legs and was rocking back and forth, as you drove like a bat out of hell. Before you ask. Yes, that black smoke in the backseat of the car was me.”
Shit! I don’t want to think about that day.
I shake my head, wanting to clear the horrifi
c memory. “Anyway, when her humming turned to quiet singing, my heat came on. I wanted her with everything in me. I wanted to protect her and take her with me. I never wanted to have to share her with anyone. Do you sort of understand what I’m trying to explain?”
“Yes, I think I do. I’ve worked out that the heat is a need, a want almost. You wanted to keep her and claim her. Is that right?”
Damn, this girl is a smart one. She’s managed to work it all out with only having the very basic information.
“That’s exactly right. You’re catching onto this pretty fast. I was and still am one of the lucky ones, my mating heat is only coming on slowly. I’m still able to resist most of it.”
What I don’t tell her is that I’m finding it extremely hard sitting here with her in my arms. Tonight, for the first time, I’m struggling to keep my head together and not take her right here and now.
“This is a good thing. The love I have for your sister is strong. If I weren't able to resist, the council would find out about us, and they would kill me for claiming her before her twenty-first birthday.”
Lucy’s eyes narrow, and her jaw clenches tight. She looks between me and the window. Shit, I should have thought this out. Now I know for sure that she can feel Rafe’s presence. It must be playing on her. And from what I just explained, I think she might be placing the pieces of the puzzle together.
Goddess Lyian, what do I do about this now?
My whole body starts to burn with the call vibration. Shit, not now! I need to try and work out what I’m going to do about Lucy. I can’t leave her like this, not when the pull is playing on her.
“This can’t be happening now,” I say through clenched teeth, my voice cracking with pain.
The vibration travels up my spine, burning and scorching my skin. I look down at Lacy asleep in my arms. I stand holding her tight to my chest. I hate this part, I don’t want to go, but I can’t ignore the call from the council.
“I need to go, Lucy. I’m being called to return. I’ve explained everything I can right now.” I hiss in a breath as the burn runs down my legs. “They’re sending out the call for my presence. I cannot ignore the callout.”