The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7)

by Sarah J. Stone

“Don't look at me,” Ariel smiled. “My wedding was a drunken whirlwind, and the best part was the hot sex after. But hey, it worked out for me.”

  “Ariel!” Alexander called in the background, embarrassed.

  She grinned. “So, you'll be fine.”

  “Thank you,” Rosa smiled, used to Ariel's comments. “I'm sure I'll see you soon.”

  “Hopefully safely,” Ariel said. “Congrats, sister.”

  Rosa handed the phone back to Enya as Yvette put the final flowers in her hair. “Well, I think it's honorable to do this. I think it's beautiful,” Enya said.

  “I just…I want to be able to know we were locked together for our lives,” Rosa said. “Even if it goes wrong.”

  “It won't,” Yvette assured her. “Unless Peter trips as he walks you up the aisle.”

  “Excuse me,” Peter swept into the bridal room then. “I have never tripped in my life.”

  “You tripped on the way to breakfast yesterday morning!” Yvette cried, and he smiled.

  “I suppose there was that,” he said. “Are you ready? Everyone who is going to be here is here.”

  “I think so,” Rosa said. “So, by everyone, do you mean five people?”

  “The priest, two of my brothers–one of whom is your future husband, I give you–your sisters in law…,” he counted on his fingers, “and myself.”

  “Oh, six,” she said. “Excellent.”

  “Come,” he held out his arm. “What matters now is your wedding day and your happiness.”

  She accepted that and took his arm.

  She didn't care that it wasn't a grand wedding. She didn't care that there weren’t a thousand people in the church, or that it wasn't in the palace. As soon as she saw Nicholas at the end of the aisle, all she could think about was how much she wanted to be his wife.

  Peter's arm was tight around her waist, guiding her as carefully as he could. Her legs had barely recovered, and they had placed a chair at the end of the aisle. It looked plain without any dressings. She had enough time to make an IPod play list, but not much else. She wished she had gotten her dress tailored or had asked a few friends from work. But it was too late for all of that.

  As soon as Peter put her hands in Nicholas', she forgot about everything else. He held her steady while Nicholas took off her veil, kissing her and then letting her sit. She focused on his face, his sparkling eyes, and everything melted away.

  They were getting married, at long last. That was what mattered.

  Nicholas turned to the priest, who nodded and cleared his throat. Everything had been so hastily planned that they hadn't even had time to look over the vows properly. They had read them over just once from an internet printout before handing them over to the priest. Rosa hoped that she remembered what to say.

  The priest looked to the few of them gathered at the front pew, standing silently. She could feel their eyes boring into the back of her head, but she didn't turn around.

  “Into this union, Rosa and Nicholas now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace.”

  Of course, no one said anything. She didn't really expect any noise, although, she supposed, there was always the excuse that this was pointless. She knew that his brothers thought they couldn't stop the cycle that had already happened. But they had to try.

  “Rosa,” the priest said as he turned to her. She was so glad that he was feeding her the lines, because there was no way that she could remember them.

  “Will you have this man to be your husband, to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do,” she whispered. Somewhere in the middle of the words, it hit her. This was forever. They were getting married; their dream forever. She just prayed that they had some time for happiness. She didn't want forever; but she wanted a few years to live in this wedded bliss before she slipped away. The way things were looking, though, even a year was a stretch.

  “Nicholas, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”

  “I will,” he said, looking up at the priest with emotion in his eyes. None of those words really compared to what they had already gone through. It seemed like they had been to the ends of the Earth and back without even thinking about it. Sickness and health would be easy compared to what they would be facing.

  As for forsaking all others, he had done that the moment he had seen her. There was always Rosa, and no one else ever held a candle to her beauty. He would be faithful to her until the end of her days.

  “Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?”

  “We do,” the small crowd behind him said.

  “Rosa and Nicholas, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife. Nicholas, you may kiss the bride.”

  He leaned over to kiss her gently, and she relished in his touch.

  “We're married!” she said, leaning her forehead against his.

  “We are,” he whispered, “and I promise to take care of you forever.”

  Chapter 13

  “Nicholas. Nicholas!” Rosa poked him and then poked him again. He grunted, rolling over.

  “My love?” he asked, in confusion. It took him a moment to figure out where they were. In the past ten months, they had adopted Rosa's style of living. In league with the witches, they had been on the run. This time was a little bit different because he had the money to fund their exhibition. They never went hungry, and they were never cold. The witches were just glad that the Halloway line was due to return, and at any moment. At forty weeks, he should have guessed exactly why Rosa was calling to him.

  “It's time,” she said.

  “It's time?” he asked in shock. “Oh, God, it's time.”

  He practically fell off the bed. Despite her contractions, she laughed.

  “It's okay, we have a little bit more time than that. We don't have to fly me there.”

  “Right,” he said. “We should…I forget where we are. What do we have to use? Are there emergency numbers? Are there humans on this planet?”

  “We're on Terratuva,” she said softly. “It's like Earth. There's a phone right there. They deal with lots of humanoids, and the emergency number is the red button.”

  “Right,” he said. He remembered they specifically chose Terratuva because it mimicked Earth, in many ways. They did deal with humans, and the magical content was even lower than Earth's atmosphere. It wasn't too far from Umora, considered a more remote planet. “Red button.”

  He pushed the button, barely able to get out garbled speech about where they were. The dispatcher though, told him to remain calm and breathe. “Aren't you supposed to be telling that to my wife?” he asked.

  “Sir, your wife seems calm in the background. It's you who seems to be having a panic attack.”

  He blushed.

  “Sorry. It's my first child.”

  “That much is clear,” said the weary dispatcher. “Help will be along shortly. I'll stay on the line. Just put the phone down and hold her hand.”

  “I can do that,” Nicholas responded, leaning over to Rosa. “Are you all right, love?”

  “I'm fine,” she said. “My water broke, but it doesn't hurt too badly yet. Should you, um…do you want to call your brothers?”

  “I can,” he said. “But I thought maybe we could just enjoy this moment, you and I? After this, everything will change.”

  “Yes,” she squeezed his hand. “Everything will change”

  They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sound of distant sirens
.

  “Do you think this will bring balance back to the magic world, like Cole said?” Rosa asked. “I love our baby more than anything, but it's hard to believe that one baby can bring balance to an entire world.”

  “That is what some religions believe,” he said. “Also, some movies.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Are you seriously talking about Star Wars while I'm in labor?”

  “And Christianity!” he pointed out. “And other religions that have had a prophet. You always think the prophet is someone other than yourself, but it could be you and I and our baby.”

  She smiled.

  “I'm just happy for a healthy child,” she replied. “The rest is bonus.”

  “Yes, me too.”

  Rosa had asked Cole whether the gender of the baby mattered, and he assured her that it didn't. So, she had insisted on it being a surprise. Everything was going to be taken care of for them. They would have unlimited funds, a nursery, help, clothes, and everything else they needed once they made it back to the palace. She didn't have the added stress of choosing clothes to suit a budget, or painting a room blue or pink. All she wanted was to meet her child, boy or girl.

  “Do you think your father has figured it out yet?” she asked.

  “I doubt it,” Nicholas replied. “Father used to yell at me all the time for my tantrums. He's probably thought that, since I'm not in the palace, I've just done something like that again.”

  “Vanishing to see me?” she asked, and he smiled, kissing her forehead.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “You endured all that for me?” she entwined her hands in his.

  “Rosa, I would endure anything for you,” he assured her, sitting on the bed beside her.

  The dispatcher had been right; it wasn't long before help arrived. The process was actually very smooth, given that Rosa's pain increased. And, Nicholas noted, she was flexing her hand, letting out tiny sparks of magic.

  “Rosa,” he whispered, covering her hand to not alert the paramedics. But he realized why she was doing it right before it was too late. Neither of them had thought about things like heart monitors and vital signs. Fueled by magic, Rosa had none that would show up. She was trying to imitate them.

  He shot his own magic through them just in time. The monitors began to beep, and the paramedics look satisfied.

  “Well,” Nicholas said to her in dragon lore as they headed toward an ambulance, “good thing I learned what human vital signs are supposed to look like.”

  “It will get better once I have the baby,” she said. “I will be able to do that on my own.”

  “You will,” he assured her, although he knew there was a chance that she wouldn't.

  Cole's guesses had been only that–guesses. They were probably the most educated guesses someone could make, but they were still taking a huge risk.

  The other option, though, was certain death for all of them. So, Nicholas chose to be happy and excited about this child and dreamed about their life. He couldn't think about what would happen if he didn't.

  He missed his brothers so much, but he respected her wishes. He also wanted a moment alone with her, to revel in being a father.

  He hadn't been frightened until they got to the hospital. Then, his heart rate rose as she started to struggle with pain. She held his hand, and he tried to flood her with as much magic as possible to keep her calm. She wasn't afraid, but she certainly wasn't comfortable.

  “Is this your first?” the doctor asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Nicholas replied, “but it won't be our last.”

  “Yes, it will!” Rosa cried. He would have smiled if she wasn't in so much pain.

  It was over in a moment. One minute, she was in terrible pain, and then the next, there was a different cry in the room.

  “It's a girl!” the doctor said, handing Nicholas the child as soon as he had checked. “Congratulations!”

  Nicholas wasn't sure what he was going to feel in this moment. He thought he would be excited; he thought he would be over the moon. But he was also full of emotion, tears popping into his eyes.

  She was beautiful. With his blonde hair and Rosa's dark eyes, she was stunning. As her tiny hand reached out to grab his, he burst into sobs, turning to Rosa.

  “I have a daughter,” he managed. She met his eyes, tears equally filling her own.

  “We have a daughter,” she reminded him. She was exhausted but happy.

  They only had one moment of peace before the alarms suddenly pierced the silence. The doctor and nurses rushed to Rosa's side, but she was fine.

  She was more than fine, in fact. Her cheeks suddenly flooded with color, and she took a deep breath as if she hadn't been breathing in months.

  He knew exactly what was happening. There were four Halloway heirs now, four witches to carry that magic. She could finally be flooded with the line force she should have.

  “I'm all right,” she assured them. The doctor looked confused and took her pulse. It beat strongly, and she had bright eyes.

  “Perhaps it was a machine error,” he said at last. “I will get you new ones. For now, take a few minutes with your baby, and then I'll be back.”

  “Thank you,” Nicholas replied, settling onto the edge of the bed with Rosa. “You did wonderful, my love.”

  “What should we call her?” Rosa asked. “The first baby born of the new generation.”

  “Charity,” he smiled. “We are going to call her Charity, because that is how our rule is going to go. No more tyranny, no more terror. Only goodness.”

  “Beautiful,” she said. “I approve.”

  “Well, I sure hope you approve,” he said, “because you'd have to live with it the rest of your life otherwise.”

  “Oh, what if I didn't like it?” she teased

  “Then we would change it immediately.” He was a smarter man than to anger his beautiful wife. “She is lovely, though, isn't she?”

  “What now?” Rosa asked. “Immediately back to Umora?”

  “I think as soon as you are able,” he answered. “It's the safest place. Now that the Halloway magic is active again–”

  “I can kill your father,” she finished for him.

  “Or at least control him,” Nicholas answered.

  She took a deep breath. “What do you want?”

  “He's my father,” he said, “but we cannot live with him threatening our lives at every turn. I know how he is. He won't stop until he has what he wants.”

  “Immortality and the throne,” she turned to Charity. “And he won't get it, not from me or my daughter. We will defend the throne.”

  “The four of you should be enough to send him back to the Other,” Nicholas said.

  “Do you think he might stop if he met his granddaughter?” Rosa asked.

  “Any other man, I would say yes,” Nicholas answered. “But him…I don't think so. That's the sad bit.”

  “Then we won't take any risks,” she sat up straighter. “Give me a day to recover, and then we shall go.”

  “I should call my brothers,” he answered. Gingerly, he handed over Charity, who smiled at her mother. “I don't want to leave her for an instant.”

  “We won't go anywhere,” Rosa assured him. “But maybe if you just stand at the other end of the room to make a phone call?”

  “Brilliant,” he said, standing up. “What would I do without you?”

  “Just make the phone call, Nicholas,” she rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to her daughter.

  Pulling out his phone, he punched in the numbers and then stopped himself.

  “What am I doing?” he said, switching to Facetime. They may be able to call each other over Wi-Fi, but the technology of making phone calls did not go through planets. Clearly, he was distracted.

  He called Alexander first, expecting the calmest response. Each brother had always taken care of the one closest in age to him, and Alexander had practically raised him, encouraging him despite Nicho
las' shortcomings. He wanted to tell him first, and hopefully the rest of them were close by.

  To his surprise, Alexander didn't answer, which was odd. Alexander always answered his phone, no matter where they were.

  It rang and rang before he hung up, trying Cole next. Surely, Cole would be waiting for the news, excitable as always.

  Except, Cole did not answer his phone either.

  “What is happening?” he asked himself, confused.

  “Maybe they are throwing us a party,” Rosa suggested. “Ready for our return.”

  “Maybe,” Nicholas said. He tried Peter, although he knew that Peter was terrible at answering his phone. Peter hadn't quite grasped Earth life as well as anyone would have liked, although he was much better these days.

  “Try the wives?” Rosa suggested. “I have their numbers if you don't.”

  “One of them should be answering their phones,” Nicholas frantically dialed Ariel. To his relief, she picked up, right before it went to voicemail. “Oh, thank God. Precious, is everything all right?”

  “Why wouldn't it be?” Ariel answered, confused. In the background, he could hear strains of music.

  “Are you on Umora?”

  “No, I'm at rehearsal,” she said. “Did Rosa have the baby?”

  “She did!” He was momentary distracted by the terrible feeling in his chest. “A girl. Charity.”

  “Really? I mean congratulations, but so old-fashioned.”

  “That's us,” he answered. “Where's your husband?”

  “Everyone is on Umora,” she replied. “I think there's some strategy meeting going on right now.”

  “So, they are all in the same place?” Nicholas responded

  “They should be. Why?” Ariel answered, confused.

  They were all in the same place. They weren't answering their phones.

  “Ariel, text me exactly where you are,” Nicholas answered. “We have to get back, and now.”

  He hung up without giving her an explanation. Rosa clutched Charity closer, confused.

  “What's the matter?” she asked.

  “Something is wrong. Hold her tight,” Nicholas replied. “We're going to get Ariel, and we need to go.”

  “But…” Rosa answered.