Back when Dad reported her missing, we’d hoped to find her even when we’d been scared to death that something had happened to her. But I’d never forget the look of shocked surprise on Dad’s face when the local police said they couldn’t find anything on Danielle McAdams, as she had said her name was.
There was no history that pointed to the possibility of her ever having existed anywhere. Dad figured she was probably a junky or something, and returned to a hippie lifestyle after growing tired of playing housewife, but I always wondered if her motives for leaving had been due to completely different reasons.
“I see.” Bray reached inside the front pocket of the dark gray jacket he wore and retrieved a card, which he then handed over to me. “I am sure there is much you wish to know about your mother. In the event that you wish to hear it from me, personally, you may call me at any point in time. Be it by phone or”—he pointed to his head with his index finger—“by other means, I will answer.”
I took the card and stuffed it inside my sweatshirt pocket. “I think I’ll start catching up on my family history too.”
There was a look of satisfaction on Bray’s face and I could only assume he was pleased that I’d want to take things a step farther.
“Knowledge is never a bad thing. In most cases, it can be the only weapon we have to defeat opponents.” He retrieved the book and handed that over too.
“Right now, the only opponents I want to defeat are the doubts swirling around in my head.” I took the heavy, leather-bound book in my hands, pausing briefly to inspect the lock. Was it possible that I was a ValKhazar? “When will I see you again?”
“Perhaps tomorrow.” Bray glanced over my shoulder and I could instantly feel a presence behind me.
I turned around carefully, and spotted Bayard walking in our direction.
“Princess,” he greeted me with a smile. “I must say, the resemblance between your mother and you is uncanny.”
Dad had always accused me of being the spitting image of Mom, but now that I was in my young adult years I could definitely see it for myself rather than have others tell me.
“You haven’t changed a bit,” I offered, my gaze quickly assessing his handsome features.
Bayard came to a halt right in front of me, easily towering over me.
“Well, you’re hair is longer.” I gestured to the dreadlocks.
“That it is.” He in turn, gestured to the book in my hands. “Getting acquainted with the family history?”
“I hope it will help give me some insight on where I need to go. I’m feeling a little lost.”
Bayard’s smile turned sympathetic. “Give it time. I know that it is hard to do given the circumstances, but a day or two will help clarify things.”
I didn’t know what it was about Bayard that inspired trust, but he did. I felt as if I could trust him even though, technically, I just met him.
“I’ll see where I’m at tomorrow morning.”
Bayard cocked his head to the side. “Have a good night rest then.” He laid one hand on my forearm, and far from giving me the jitters, a serious case of déjà vu hit me. It was almost as if he had played an important part in my life, though I knew that was impossible. Before today, I had never actually seen him.
“Bayard, you test me every day more and more. What is it you are trying to prove?”
A teenage Cole practiced fighting with Bayard in a meadow came to mind. There was a single log cabin nearby. Behind the house, I saw nothing but tall trees full of luscious green leaves.
Bayard’s sessions were planned so that Cole could develop skills he had but was unaware of possessing.
“Your strength. Your stamina. You must learn how to prove yourself,” Bayard explained.
Cole relaxed his stance, his arms falling to the sides as his hazel eyes glanced around. He studied the background with interest for a moment before turning his focus back to his mentor.
“I see no threat here. Why the urgency?”
Bayard, too, relaxed his stance. He lifted his chin up stubbornly. “There is no urgency, young prince. But these are skills you must sharpen. They will help you greatly in due time.”
By the look on Cole’s face, I could see he didn’t understand the significance behind Bayard’s words, but I did. Eventually, he would have to face his old enemies—enemies he didn’t know he had.
I’m broken out of the trance when Bayard removes his hand. In an instant, I could understand so many things. Bayard wasn’t only the historian but the only fatherly figure Cole ever had. Through Bayard, Cole learned not only how brave his father Dorian was, but the significance of his birth.
“You had to tell him at some point,” I said, referring to Lykos and the death of his father.
“Soon afterward,” Bayard admitted.
“I don’t suppose Cole took it well.”
Bayard shook his head. “No, but that was to be expected.”
Having had my fill of historical facts for one day, I said, “Good night, Bayard.” I turned to Bray. “I might have some questions for you.”
“I will wait for you to contact me then.”
“Where are you staying?” I asked, curious as to where he drove off to.
“Wolf Cove Lodge. We have rented a large cottage. Do you know where it is?”
Wolf Cove Lodge was the only source of tourism our small town offered, mainly because it was near the mountains where tourists came to ski and, depending on the cabin, live as off the grid as can be afforded out here.
I also knew they had three luxurious lodges for our more upper class visitors.
“I do,” I replied. “I know where to call if I need to talk.”
He dipped his head. “Very well then. We will take our leave now and let you rest.”
As if on cue, the Trackers exited the Rousseau house one by one. Acknowledging me with a dip of the head, they walked past me and climbed inside a series of cars I hadn’t paid much attention to beforehand.
I waved goodbye to both Bray and Bayard before starting toward the house. I heard the cars drive off just as I got through the doorway. I limped into the foyer and bumped into Alexis, who was sitting half way up the stairs, with his wrists resting on his knees, his hands hanging in between them.
“So, you’re leaving us?” Alexis asked as soon as I walked in.
“Are you here to argue over why that’s such a bad idea?” I strolled over to the foot of the staircase. “Because I don’t think I have the strength to plead my case.”
The only thing clear on my mind was taking refuge in Kyran’s room with the book Bray had just handed over so that I could go over the information within.
“I’ll do no such thing.” He stood. “I’ve been advised against it, actually.”
I could imagine by whom. “Could you help me get back upstairs?”
He descended the rest of the stairs and carefully looped his arm in mine.
“Aren’t you going to eat dinner? Simone prepared a feast.”
“I’m not really hungry.” Anxiety had my stomach locked in a vice grip and food had no room in it. That was partly the reason I was probably losing so much weight.
“Really? You look like you could use some nutrition.”
I leaned on him as we started up the stairs.
“What a way to flatter a girl,” I quipped.
Alexis’s head snapped to his left, his gray eyes searching mine. “I didn’t mean...sorry, I sounded like a total jackass.”
Pain radiated up my thigh and I was forced to hold back my retort.
“Never mind,” he muttered a second later. “Can I ask you something?”
I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the direction of our conversation but I doubted Alexis would let things drop. He normally didn’t. It was part of his nature to be curious. And a little nosey too.
“I guess so.”
“If you leave now, without this problem being resolved, don’t you think you’ll be risking more than your life?”
Somehow, staying had become my biggest problem. The alpha and his army of minions were now a nuisance.
“I’m not trying to be selfish here, Alexis. I have valid reasons to help support my decision.” It wasn’t like I wanted to put my family at risk either. I figured putting some distance between myself and those I loved would be a better solution than staying.
“That does little to change the reality we’re in.”
Exasperated, I met his gaze. “Don’t tell me you don’t understand either?”
“No. I get it. I do. I don’t like it. Neither does Kyran, but we get it.”
Good, so we were on the same page.
“If we are fated to be together, no amount of distance can keep us apart.”
“If?” Alexis wiggled his nose as if he caught whiff of some awful stench. “You’re basing your decision on if we’re fated? I think the bond has already taken care of the fate part.”
We made it to the top of the stairs and I stopped, shifting slightly to my right.
“No. Fate pulled one on us,” I argued. It couldn’t be destined to be. Two brothers bonding with me? At the same time? How was that fate? How was that healthy? I didn’t want to be the wall that came in between two brothers.
Alexis let go of my arm. “When have you heard of fate being anything but complicated?”
“Don’t turn things around on me.” I took a step back. “If I stay I will never know for sure if...” I lowered my voice, “...Kyran loves me. I won’t spend the rest of my life attached to someone who’s tied down to me due to forces neither one of us can control.”
“And you think leaving will help put things in perspective?”
“Among other things.” I looked away. If I wasn’t around, Alexis and Kyran didn’t have to worry about the bond or who was meant for whom either. “I can’t continue to rely on your family for support. I feel like an intruder.”
“You’re not,” he argued.
I disentangled our arms and started toward Kyran’s room, alone. He followed.
“I don’t know if you realize, Marjorie, but this is our fight too.”
I could feel him right on my heels. Albeit, I could only compete with a slug at the pace I was going.
“How’s this your fight?” I went through the doorway of Kyran’s bedroom and carefully placed the book Bray had handed me on the bed.
“You’re Kyran’s future mate.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. It couldn’t have been easy for him to say that.
“Am I really?” I doubted even this so-called fate of ours.
“You are. I don’t mean to sound cliché here, but you’re his better half.”
I sighed, trying to keep my emotions in check. “If we are...then this separation trial should help convince us both that that’s the case.”
I couldn’t see his face since he stood behind me, but I could almost feel the tension between us. For him to call me Kyran’s mate must’ve cost him a lot more than I could ever understand.
“Marjorie, I can sense how hard this has all been on you, but you can’t let your disappointment dictate what you should do from this point on. We kept quiet because we had to. Under other circumstances, do you think Kyran would have sat back in silence?”
Kyran wasn’t all too keen on talking about this messed up bond between the three of us, so how could I know for sure if he would have come forward with any other information.
I turned to face Alexis. “I’m very confused.”
“I can see it on your face.”
“But I feel like I’ve made the right decision.”
Far from showing disappointment, Alexi’s lips curved up into a half smile. “Princess, you’re as stubborn as a mule.”
“I know,” I muttered with a smile.
Looking resigned, Alexis took a step back. “I’ll let you have some privacy, then.” He pointed to the book. “It looks like you have some catching up to do.”
I dipped my head. “Thanks.”
“If you need anything just call.”
“Okay.”
He marched out of the room without another word.
Chapter Nine
I sat on the edge of Kyran’s bed, with the huge book containing historical facts about the ValKhazar family on my lap, turning page after page, skimming through the contents of the first 100 pages. A lot of the written material was in reference to the queen, Ellora ValKhazar. Apparently, she was the one suspected of passing down her genetic differences to her descendants. Beginning with her sons Dorian and the infamous, Lykos.
In reality, I was only reading about Ellora because I was trying not to turn to the page where my mother’s painted portrait supposedly was. After Bray shared one of the many memories he had of Mom, I was more than a little hesitant.
Seeing it would confirm what I already suspected. Bray was being truthful. Mom was his cousin, granddaughter of the queen herself. Denying our bloodline seemed pointless. Chances that Mom kept her identity secret along with mine in order to protect me—well, that was something a concerned, caring mother would do for a child.
Did she leave to protect me? Or was I trying to cover the sun with one finger?
Deep down I wanted to believe her departure had everything to do with this war brewing and her need to protect her only child, but doubts filled my head with all kinds of different scenarios and what if’s.
Alone, I could finally release some of the pent up anger and frustration I’d been feeling for a while now. My mother? An immortal descendant of a royal werewolf family? Of all the scenarios I’d imagined, this had honestly never crossed my mind as being the reason why she abandoned me.
How could I? Accepting who I really was wasn’t coming easy to me. As much as I admired the Rousseaus, I had no desire to become a werewolf myself. All I really wanted was to have my old life back, but even that was growing farther and farther away. And then there was the possibility that Mom was alive out there somewhere, hiding. Surviving. Looking for a way to come back home to me.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. Was she alive? Had she really left to protect me? Or to save herself? Bray had said she’d never leave me behind unless she feared for my safety, but did he know her well enough to be certain her abandonment was not due to other reasons?
I had to find her. If she was alive, I had to find out for myself. I had to confront her, know with no uncertain terms what led her to leave so abruptly for so long. Know for sure if she cared and loved me as much as I wanted to believe she did.
It’d be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Chances were, she was possibly hundreds of miles away—if she was even alive. What if she’d been killed? No. I couldn’t fill my head with negative thoughts; otherwise, I’d never find the bravado to go in search of her.
Then, it wasn’t easy to ignore these doubts—and I had many. How was it that I had never telepathically communicated with her? Supposedly, members of the same pack possessed this ability. But I couldn’t recall any incident where Mom and I spoke to each other using this unconventional method of communication. Could she have blocked herself so that I wouldn’t know what she really was?
Unable to hold back any longer, I skimmed to the back of the book and found the painted portrait of my mother. Mom wore a Victorian era dress with long sleeves, a low neckline, and wide skirt that appeared to fall over multiple layers of petticoats. Her apparently long, sandy hair was pulled back and away from her face in a stylish bun, leaving but a few locks free to frame her cheeks. There was no smile, but her expression was serene, perhaps even a little bored.
It was uncanny just how much we looked alike. Bray, Mom, and I could pass for brother and sisters. Family traits, the Rousseaus called it. I could see for myself just how powerful these traits were in my own family.
Mom’s appearance in the portrait was a stark contrast to the woman I knew up to the days leading to her disappearance. She had been a happy, usually giddy person. That had changed drastically over the course of a week. I
hadn’t seen it then, but she had been so distant. Hardly spoke, seemed guarded and even a little afraid at times. I wanted to believe she had been contemplating the possibility of running away and taking me along, but that obviously hadn’t been an option since she had left me behind.
I closed the book with a bang and set it aside.
Answers. I needed to find out what was going through her mind, but first I needed to know if she was even alive. To do that I needed Bray’s help. He was the only one who could help me locate my mother, but I had to run the idea through him.
And Kyran.
I got back to my feet and made my way out of Kyran’s bedroom. Trying not to aggravate my knee further, I put most of my weight on my other leg, but that only worked for the first five steps or so before my awkward gait forced me to use both legs instead of just the one. Moving around like this wasn’t going to do anymore. I needed my independence and for that I had to get used to using my crutches. Now, if I could only get someone to retrieve them for me. I made a mental note to ask Gage to get them for me and continued on.
Sighing, I limped along the hall and made it to the top of the second staircase when I caught sight of Kyran and Alexis, talking in harsh whispers in the foyer. At first, I thought they were in the middle of another argument, but then Kyran glanced up at Alexis and smiled. He actually smiled. I found this both fascinating and odd. He hardly ever smiled, even more so when his twin was around.
The smile didn’t last long though. As soon as I started down the stairs Kyran’s smile died and a look of utter shock darkened his handsome features. I’d taken maybe two steps when he suddenly lurched forward, bending at the waist as he clutched desperately at his abdomen with both hands. In a matter of seconds, he was on his knees, panting heavily and bleeding through his nose.
I’d seen him in a particularly similar situation once, but this appeared to be so much worse. The way his entire body shook paralyzed me with fear. I had no idea whether I should go to him or run away. He had advised me to stay away during these episodes, but a part of me wanted to help him.
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