by KT Webb
Originally, the Old Immortals asked for the virgins to be delivered to them so they could keep them from being killed. Romulus was the one to bring her into the temple. He told Nora, in that moment, that he felt complete. None of the women in his race had ever caught his eye. He was one of the few unwed men. But he knew this was the girl for him. Her name was Anu, and to hear Romulus talk about her, Nora was certain she was the most beautiful woman who had ever lived.
Romulus finally worked up the courage to tell her how he felt, and was pleased to discover she felt the same. They wasted no time in becoming husband and wife. They spent a few years basking in the love they’d found, and their happiness radiated from them. When they discovered she was expecting a child, it was a miracle. Romulus felt the Creator was smiling down on their union by blessing them in such an amazing way.
But their happiness was short-lived. When it was time for his son to be born, he was devastated to discover his beautiful Anu was gone. Although his brothers continued to marry the virgin sacrifices, Romulus never remarried, and never had another child. But his son went on to have a son, and so on. His descendants were all sons, and all only children. The last in the Present Era was Kerr Mason.
“Nora?” She looked up to find Romulus and Tahlia staring at her with concern.
“Oh, sorry, did you say something? I was just thinking about the others again,” she said with an embarrassed grin.
Romulus knelt in front of her and pushed her auburn-colored hair out of her eyes. He patted her cheek and said, “Beautiful niece, you have nothing to worry about. You are strong, smart, and loved. The confidence and compassion you display are a testament to your old soul. They will see these things and appreciate them. Even I often forget you are only in your twentieth year. You'll see, Nora. They will love you, just as we do.”
“Thank you, Romulus, you can always make me feel better.” Nora leaned forward to pull him into a bear hug.
She heard the front door open and the low rumble of her grandfather's voice echoing in the foyer. Nora and Tahlia grinned at each other as Romulus jumped to his feet. He was surprisingly agile for his size.
Nora gave both their hands a reassuring squeeze. She took a deep breath and fell in line behind Romulus and Tahlia. As she walked down the familiar hall, she couldn’t help but feel nervous and giddy all at once. They reached the end of the hallway and stood facing the large open kitchen. The breakfast nook was to their right, and the foyer was to the left. They peeked around the corner in to the foyer, stacked on top of each other like kids trying to catch a glimpse of Santa on Christmas morning. She heard Tahlia gasp at the sight of her daughters, and felt the pride in Romulus' posture at the sight of Kerr. Nora knew this would be a very emotional day.
Dorian turned and smiled in their direction. “Well, you three might as well come out. I think it's time everyone met.”
Together, they came out from behind the wall separating the hallway from the foyer. Nora made sure to keep her distance from Tahlia until she knew how the twins would react.
Chapter Eight:
Hadley
Hadley and Whitley stood together, holding each other. The pain in her chest was indescribable. Her mother hadn't changed a bit in the years since she left. Hadley watched the woman she'd been searching for approach them with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Tahlia looked uncertainly at them and took another step toward them. The girls stared at their mother, trying to hold it together. Hadley had wondered what this moment would be like from the moment Dorian told them her mother would be here. They stood there looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity. She wasn't sure she was ready to forgive her mom just yet, but right now, all she wanted was to wrap her arms around her and feel that she was real.
Hadley let go of Whitley's hand, took a step forward, and collapsed into her mother’s arms. Before she knew it, Whitley had wrapped her arms around them both, and they sank to the floor.
She heard the others quietly leave the room, and they huddled on the floor until they were out of tears.
When they finally let go, the twins followed their mother into a sitting room off the entryway. They each took a seat in silence, and stared at anything but each other for as long as they could.
“I need you to understand something. The night I left was the worst night of my life. And every day since, I have felt the pain and regret of not being with you. But I know in my heart it was the only decision I could make to keep you safe,” Tahlia said, looking out the window.
“I can't speak for Whitley, but I'm not ready to accept that. I don't think it was better to leave, I think it was easier. You left a gaping hole in our family and didn't have the decency to even explain why you left,” Hadley choked out.
Whitley came to sit next to her and grasped her hand. Their mother slowly turned to look at them, and her eyes were red and puffy.
“That's not true. I wrote you letters, I sent them to you. I wrote you both every week! I can't believe Eric didn't give you my letters.” Tahlia's face flushed red with anger.
“Leave dad out of this. We are so not playing the blame game here. If you're going to talk about things he did or didn't do, you better make sure it's when he's around to defend himself,” Whitley snapped.
“I wasn't trying to blame him for anything. In fact, I don't blame him for not letting you have the letters. But you have to know he wasn't completely innocent in this. He told me to leave.” Their mother gave them a pleading look.
Hadley exchanged a questioning look with her sister. What did she mean dad told her to leave? Their father had always painted a picture of abandonment and loss when it came to their mother. Had it all been a ploy to get sympathy votes for his career? Hadley decided it was time to get some answers.
“What do you mean he told you to leave? He always told us you sneaked out during the night without a word,” Hadley said without blinking.
“I'm sorry to tell you this, but that is a complete falsehood. You're probably too young to remember, but the month before I left things started getting pretty rocky in our marriage. I had finally worked up the nerve to tell your father my story. I was concerned because I noticed you were both starting to show signs of the power you would grow to have. Whitley, you kept showing up in our bedroom when the door was locked from the inside, and every time Hadley threw a tantrum, a freak thunder storm would hit. I knew these things were connected to you both because those are the abilities you inherited from me.” Their mother paused to look at them.
“How did I manage that?” Whitley asked.
Hadley felt a pang of regret as she saw the strain on her twin’s face. She knew this was hitting Whitley hard, because before today she had no clue these things were even possible.
Hadley and Whitley listened as their mother explained.
"You have to understand that you are the only children ever born to a female Old Immortal. I'm sure Dorian has told you our history, so you must know you are truly unique. When you were born, I knew it would only be a matter of time before Silas and Absalom found you and took you from me. They wouldn't want to kill you, they'd have wanted to use you. You are a miracle. Not only are you the only children to be born to a female, you are also the only twins to ever be born.
"My abilities are your abilities. I can control energy, matter, and the weather. There's so much more that has grown through the years, but it all started that way for me. You mean everything to me, and I couldn't let anything happen to you. If I'd stayed, they would have found me, killed your father, and taken you. I turned to Dorian for advice, especially since your father knew nothing about us."
Hadley noticed her sister glancing at her from time to time. She could feel the ice daggers shooting from Whitley’s eyes. She had betrayed her by not telling her everything. She knew now by withholding information she thought made them different, she drove a deeper wedge between them.
“Okay, but get back to the part about dad telling you to leave,” Whitley said with
a hint of irritation in her voice. “We got the history lesson from Dorian.”
“When I finally broke down and told him who I really am, and that you girls were going to be special, he lost it. Looking back, I know he was just scared. We were in love. We had been together for years, and we had two beautiful little girls. We were a family. He looked at me like I was a stranger. He asked me to leave, and because I loved him so much, I did. I left, thinking he would calm down and think about it. I left thinking he would call me in a week or less, but he never called, and wouldn't answer when I finally called him.”
Tahlia had to take a break to compose herself. After taking a few deep breaths, and wiping the tears from her cheeks, she continued, “I tried to keep tabs on you guys. I tried to respect your father’s wishes, but he clearly didn't want me in your lives. I did send you letters every week, so you would know I was thinking of you, and you were always the most important thing in my life. Clearly, your father didn't even want me to have that much contact with you.”
Hadley wasn't sure what to think. Her father had always been such a great guy. He may have been focused on his career, but he had always taken care of them. It pained her to think he would keep their mother from them for all those years. Her mother had every reason to lie. She wanted them on her side. Hadley decided in that moment she wouldn't believe anything her mother said until she'd spoken with their father.
“Mom, if you don't mind, I think Whitley and I need some time alone to talk about everything,” Hadley said gently.
Tahlia nodded and left the room, pausing briefly at the door to look at them both with reluctance all over her face.
It took a moment for Hadley to work up the courage to talk to her twin. She knew Whitley was beyond upset with her, but she had to talk to her about all this.
“Look, Whit, we need to talk.”
“I agree.” Whitley gave her a look that told her she was waiting for a decent explanation.
“First of all, I began to notice my abilities the first month we got our periods. I was crabby, and it literally felt like I had a rain cloud over my head all the time. I started watching carefully and began to draw connections between the freakish storms we had and the times I was angry or sad.” Hadley paused and looked intently at her sister. “I should have told you, but I didn't because we have always shared everything. Physically, we're exactly alike. We think alike, talk alike, and share the same interests.”
Whitley rolled her eyes. “You don't have to tell me our life story. I was there.”
Hadley took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You're right. I just want you to understand I thought this was something that would set us apart. I didn't want us to be different. We've always had each other.”
“I get it. I'm not as mad about you discovering your abilities and not telling me. I've been thinking about it, and I think I may have done the same thing in your shoes. The part I'm angriest about is finding out you were looking for mom and didn't let me help you.” Whitley was clearly stung.
“I started looking for mom on our sixteenth birthday. I remember our friends talking about their mother daughter day—getting manicures and pedicures together. I felt a hot flash of anger inside because you and I never got to experience those things. We've always had each other, but I would have given anything for us to have a relationship with our mom.” Hadley shrugged. “I didn't think you'd want to help. Every time I bring her up, you change the subject.”
Whitley sighed. “You used to cry for her in your sleep.”
“What?” Hadley was shocked. She'd been plagued with nightmares about her mother since she left.
“I used to lay awake at night listening to you crying. Sometimes I would sneak into bed with you and stroke your hair until you stopped. When you calmed down, I would either stay with you, or sneak out and go back to my bed,” Whitley whispered.
“I thought you ended up in my room because you were scared,” Hadley said. “I didn't know. I'm sorry.”
Whitley reached over and hugged her sister. “I love you, Hadley. You're my sister and my best friend. Nothing you do will ever change that. I wasn't happy to find out you were keeping things from me. It made me especially mad to find out from someone else. But I'm okay, I understand why you did it.”
When she pulled away, Hadley smiled at her sister. “I'm glad we're okay. I was really worried you would be angry with me.” Hadley and Whitley grinned at each other for a few moments.
“We really need to call dad. I think we need to hear his side of all this before we make any judgments about either of them. I don't want to hate mom, and I know you feel the same. But I also know we can't just take everything she said and forget the life we've had with dad.” Whitley voiced the conflict Hadley was fighting inside.
Hadley nodded at her and pulled out her cell phone. Before she could press the speed dial, the phone started playing “Hail to the Chief.”
Smiling at Whitley, she answered the phone and began the longest conversation of her life.
Chapter Nine:
Kerr
Kerr sat at the table in the formal dining room. He looked around at his new friends and smiled. He had always been a loner and never found himself surrounded by so many people filled with good intentions.
“Seems a little stupid to be eating pizza in such a fancy room,” Thatcher said.
Nora laughed and smiled kindly at Thatcher. “This is the room we eat in. It's not supposed to be fancy, just tastefully decorated.”
“Right, well, it's a lot nicer than any place I've ever lived,” Thatcher responded quietly.
Dorian and Nora exchanged a look. Kerr knew Nora had been raised by Dorian, and he envied her chance to grow up knowing about their history. He hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to Nora yet. She was so quiet and smart. She had long auburn hair that cascaded down her back in loose curls. Her green eyes crinkled as she smiled at him, and she had a wide beautiful smile that lit up her face. He felt like he shouldn't invade her privacy by reading her. Kerr didn't really understand that. He'd never experienced that before. He tried to clear his mind.
“So, Dorian, how long have you lived in Benton? I've never seen you around,” Kerr asked.
“I've owned this home for thirteen years. We moved here when Nora started school. Tahlia and I posed as her aunt and uncle to enroll her. She was attending a private school over in Newall. As long as we paid them and she continued to exceed every expectation they had, they didn’t care if we kidnapped her and kept her in a closet.” Dorian laughed at his joke.
“Yikes, nothing like a creepy kidnapping scenario to put those of us who just met you at ease.” Thatcher gave a short laugh and tried not to look nervous.
“How old are you now, Nora?” Kerr asked to change the subject.
“I just turned twenty. I graduated from college in May.” Nora smiled shyly.
“Wow. I didn’t finish my degree until I was twenty-three,” Kerr said with surprise.
Nora blushed and Kerr smiled at her, holding her gaze a moment longer than he intended. He looked away quickly, feeling the heat rise in his ears. He noticed the man they called Romulus smiling at him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about that man reminded him of his father. He nodded at Romulus, and focused on his pizza.
“You know, you look just like my son,” Romulus said.
“I was just thinking how much you look like my father.” Kerr looked up.
“Well, that makes sense, considering I'm your many times great grandfather.” Romulus smiled.
Kerr dropped his pizza and stared open mouthed at Romulus. It was surreal to be sharing a pepperoni pizza with the man who essentially began his family tree.
“Don't look at me like that. You remind me of my wife. She always used to give me the most incredulous looks,” Romulus said.
“Wife? Seriously loose term to describe an innocent young girl you ended up killing,” Kerr snapped before he could stop himself.
He watched the darknes
s cloud over Romulus' face. He could feel the anger rolling off him. Kerr wasn't sure what was coming next, but he knew it wouldn't be good.
“You. Know. Nothing,” he said through gritted teeth. Kerr could see the control he was fighting to keep. “I loved her. She was my everything.”
Kerr sat in shocked silence as Romulus got up and strode out of the dining room. After a few moments, he heard a door slam.
“Romulus was right to leave,” Dorian said beside him. “You shouldn't talk about things you can never understand.” He slowly stood up and followed in his brothers footsteps.
“Are you an idiot?” Nora spoke in a harsh tone.
“Um . . . ” Kerr couldn't think of how to respond. Anything he said would sound like fourth-grade nonsense.
“That's what I thought. You don't even know him. How dare you judge the Old Immortals for their past. Especially the ones who cared too much about their future to allow their brothers to continue to marry and mate with human women.” Nora looked at him with fire in her eyes. “He's right, you don't know anything. Romulus is the biggest teddy bear you will ever meet, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He loved you before he even laid eyes on you.”
Kerr could tell she was clearly disgusted with him, and that bothered him for some reason. He didn't know what made him say something so ugly. He looked around the table, trying to figure out what to do next. He was surprised to see tears streaming down Nora's face. He had definitely crossed a line.
Before he could say anything, Nora got up to leave, but stopped when the phone began to ring. She turned to head into the kitchen, but her voice traveled back to Kerr and Thatcher at the table.
“Hello? . . . Oh, he's not available right now . . . I see . . . Well, I'm his granddaughter, could I help you? . . . In this kind of circumstance I'm supposed to ask for a key phrase . . . And also with you . . . Okay, what do you need? . . . What? Are you sure? How can that be possible? . . . Where is he? . . . What is his name? . . . Thank you for the information, we will take care of this immediately.” Kerr heard Nora hang up the phone and let out a low whistle.