Emma POVI was in shock. Coming back from the bathroom where I had just emptied the contents of my stomach fully, the room was spinning. I did not know what to think of all this, but one thing was certain. I had to find a way to run away from here, I had to leave and never look back. Mr. Locke, judging by the files that Myra’s friend brought, was a monster. A monster in every way!!! Numerous pictures of young children, some infants, their descriptions, places where they were found, some of them injured, some close to death – all disappeared. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! All disappeared mysteriously and all of their disappearances connected to one person – him.A long list of shell companies was at work. Some posed as international charities, some I found online as legitimate businesses in various countries. Again, they all had one thing in common. Him. Somehow, at the top of this horrible and ugly pyramid of children’s disappearances and obvious human trafficking was always him. There wa
Cassius POVI had a new pep in my step. I finally had a way of winning over my mother’s intrigue and strategies, and I was a happy man for it. She had been nothing but cruel and calculating, for all the eternity I knew her. I often wondered how a creature such as her was my mother, and at times, fleeting thoughts even asked me if we were related. “Sad to inform you Cassius, but she is indeed our mother. I can smell hers and Bella’s blood, it is her blood that is mixed into your veins”, Marcus offered an ever so unhelpful opinion. For once, I wished he was wrong, but deep down I knew he was not.“Never mind, I can daydream Marcus. She never felt like our mother, you know”, I clarified. “You are right, she is not exactly a mothering type. She is a cold, calculated, ruthless creature and while I admire those qualities in general, as our mother she is an abuser and utter failure”, Marcus decided to elaborate on his disdain. “But we have something now – we have a way to WIN!”, I said excit
Kal POV“Your aura has slipped mother!”, I said, venom lacing my words. I was ready to burst, I was ready to let the Beast out, even if it crumbled my sister’s kingdom. Her silver eyes looked at me knowingly and exchanged another short, fearful glance with Thalia. “ENOUGHT OF THIS!!! I need you to tell me the truth, Mother! Or is that something you are still incapable of doing after all this time???? So much for you telling me everything!”, I roared. I could not explain it – every fiber of my being was telling me that something was happening, that they were both hiding something. The Beast was screaming in my head, he wanted desperately to go to Makaha, and at this point I started believing that the answer to my questions and the reason for all this mystery was there. But none of it made sense, nothing made sense and I was never a man who liked ambiguity and things which did not add up.“Are you planning to talk or should I simply go to Makaha? One of you better start talking!”, I yel
Kal POV I was stunned. I looked at her, my world crashing around me, finding myself suddenly unable to speak. Would my children kill me? Why? I thought of Emma and Leo, thought of her gentle souls. There was nothing, not a sliver of darkness in either one of them – nothing even remotely evil or diabolical that the Beast and I could sense and if anyone could sense it out, we could. Something was wrong. Something was not adding up. Thalia came over and hugged me, her tears falling on me, saying nothing, just holding me as if I were a small child. I gazed upon her beautiful eyes and saw love and immeasurable sadness. “There is more Kal”, she said, and I did not know what more there was, and how and if I would be able to handle it. The Beast was breaking on the inside, roaring, wanting answers, but also wanting to understand what had happened, why this was the way it was, why our children would kill us. “There were two dreams though, Kal”, I heard his voice. “How do we know which one is t
Emma and Leo *** “I really do not know what we can do, Leo. I am scared. These files. So much violence, so much mystery, so many children impacted. We are talking about serious crimes here – human trafficking, in fact Leo! Single unavoidable truth. He is a monster. He must be! There is no other explanation for this, surely, you must agree”, I stated feverishly, even though I heard much protesting from my inner voice on this topic. She somehow disagreed, despite it all, she somehow still thought that Mr. Locke deserved trust and urged me to reconsider my opinions. I however, could not focus – I had all my alarm bells dinging in my head. Leo looked over the files Ro and Myra brought over. The evidence surely looked condemning, but my brother, a kind, considerate soul as always, had his doubts. “I am not sure what to think, Emma. There is a lot here, that much is true. But a lot of this can be conjecture – there is not a single shred of real evidence, not a single firsthand story. With t
Kal POVStanding there with my mother wiping my tears, I felt numb. I could not think of the possibilities which plagued my mind. I had so many questions, yet I was afraid to hear the answers, perhaps already knowing what I would be told. “We are a family. We define ourselves by those ties, by family bonds, by love, struggles, hate, fears, and our children. Ever since I created you, and since the world has birthed more, we entrust our family, entrust them with loving us, protecting that which we hold to our heart, that which we hold most dear”, Mother spoke again, her soft gaze on Thalia and me. I could feel she was going down the memory lane of emotion and I could sense a faint hint of regret in her voice.“Sad thing about this world, one I could not have protected either one of you are family ties. We value them, perhaps above all others and above all else, but inevitably, often we are forced apart. We promise and fail – promises made, yet unkept. Children…. Children, most of all, w
Bob POVThe putrid smell of blood was pungent down there. Settled deep under Queen Rowena’s Beverly Hills mansion, the torture chambers and cells, affectionately dubbed “The Dungeons” by our crowd and the Queen herself, housed those who dare incur her wrath, or those who disobeyed. Additionally, children that she fed on, or sold for parts were also there, in a separate wing, in slightly better circumstances. At least they were fed more often than other prisoners. After all, she liked her blood, and buyers of human parts would not pay for damaged goods. It has not always been easy to be in her service, but I was loyal to her, like my father before me, and his before me. Our bond was to Rowena, however maniacal and cruel she could be, we all believed in a word free of half-bloods or hybrids of any kind. Purity was the only thing that saved our species and that could save us; purity of blood ties.Of course, in the past and now, there were and there are those who disagree, to this day. I
Amelia POVFor days I had this feeling I was being followed. Yet, every time I tried to figure it out, every time I tried to catch whoever was on my tail, I failed. The only explanation for this was magic, of course, and as an Elven Princess, I had plenty of my own. Yet, I could not find the mysterious person or persons who were following me, for reasons unknown. I had plenty of suspects to think about - my own father, First Dragon, Verena herself. I did not know who would want me to spy on or why, but I hid plenty of secrets from each, so it was a fair game. I dodged them as best as I could and used the cloaking spells. However, even then, I still felt eyes on me. This was getting me stressed out. I needed to figure out a way, I needed to get to the bottom of all of this and understand what exactly I signed up for.My thoughts went to Darius again, as so many times, all this time. After his death I was never able to express how I feel, I knew my pain, I knew my heartbreak, sometimes
Leo POVThe night with Cassius was beyond words.. Beyond comprehension. I had never known love like this was possible, never knew that I could open up my heart to that extent. I did not even know that I had room for such love, that I was capable of such love. The only love up to this point in my life, the only belonging I felt was to my only family – my sister Emma. However, now, I understood that there are different kinds of love, that different possibilities existed within me, that I was capable of more, worthy of more, able to do everything, powerful enough to balance my life, and finally, my whole self. For the first time in my life, I felt complete. I did not know how to explain it. Being orphaned, Emma and I always missed that familial connection, that Sunday lunch with family, those kisses and hugs from your mom or dad, the way your parents smell, the way they smile at you.. The ways you will mess up and they will pretend to scold you, only to teach you about life, yet love you
Emma POVThese people were crazy! Totally and absolutely bat-shit crazy!!! There was no other explanation – no other possibility. Somehow, when I accepted the job opportunity with Mr. Locke, I somehow walked into a world of crazy people, a world of strange events and strange individuals, a world which almost seemed like an alternate reality. I should have known that all of this would have been too good to be true - regardless of their obvious support and well-wishes. It has become clear that whomever mysterious Ro is or was, that she was likely onto something, and her warnings obviously warranted. I should have listened when I had a chance, I really should not have been swayed. If only I had trusted Ro and Myra, I would have already been gone, safely somewhere with Leo, away from these crazy, cult-like people. Dear God, what did I get myself into???I felt a great sense of frustration, unease and felt completely stupid for trusting them, trusting them with my brother, trusting them wi
Angela’s POV “Was she going into heat??? Or shifting???” Celia asked the same questions that were stuck in my mind as well. The three of us were sitting in a lounge sipping tea after Emma’s episode. She was strong, much stronger than we anticipated and in a state that we did not understand fully. Dr Sina was thinking. He had this habit of rubbing his chin whenever he was in deep thought, and by the looks of his behavior, he was definitely going to rub some skin off his face. Looking at us both with his soulful, wise eyes, he nodded at first, getting up and starting to pace around, obviously stressed out. “It is possible. It certainly felt as if she was about to do both, and had we not injected her, chances are she would have become a full-blown dragon, likely leveling the hospital down, killing everyone in it”, he replied gravely. The confirmation did not surprise me. However, things were not adding up. Usually, she-dragons would go into heat once she found her mate. Dragons went int
Emma POVThe anxiety and heat within me subsided gradually, but the sense that I felt complete, where I was discovering something new stayed with me – even in the darkness of my dream. However, I was not sure if I could call this a dream. Once Dr. Sina injected something into me, the darkness claimed me. However, I did not sleep. Fully alert as if I was awake, I started moving toward a sensual scent, a scent of pinecone and berries, a scent that was pulling me in a very specific direction. All my senses were enhanced, and I could feel everything around me.“There you are!!”, I heard the now familiar voice of the mystery man in my dreams. His strong arms were wrapped around my waist tightly, while he pulled me to him from behind. I still could not see his face, but his scent, and the sense of familiarity, sense of knowing this person, and sense of belonging were overpowering me. It felt right to be in his arms. I felt happy.His warm breath was on my neck, his soft, warm lips gently ki
Emma POVMy heart was full for Leo. He had found him a man, a person to love him the way he deserved, the person to hold him, wipe his tears away when the skies go dark and cold, the person to make him laugh. He found his true love, or as the voice of my other-self within me said – his mate. Somehow, in my heart I knew this from the first time I ever saw Cassius. Everything within me screamed family, screamed recognition, screamed belonging, and the clarity hit me - as if I could see their life before them, their love and their day unfold. When Cassius called me to get advice as to how to set up a romantic date and dinner for Leo, I was only too happy to oblige. Plus, planning a romance took me away from dark thoughts about Mr. Locke, dark doubts and fears that were currently plaguing my mind. I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, as Leo suggested. I knew that life sometimes turns good people into bad ones. However, all that I have seen in the files could not be justifie
Lord Alwyin POVSo.. It was true. The prophecy of Amelia’s betrayal had come to pass. My wife and I had held on all this time, and tried our very best, including extreme measures to somehow offset and change her fate. Alas, what Lord Krimus had reported was dire. Aramah was back. And not just Aramah, its Queen Witch, Verena. I felt like I was in hell, betrayed by those closest to me, namely my child. I knew that in her own mind she held justification of what had happened, justification I could not negate, given that she thought her mate Darius was dead at my hands. When I saw her last, I could sense her anger and hatred towards me. At this point, she had hated me so long, that it was likely hard to pinpoint the origin of when that had begun.Xidna was a whole other story, her demands and her threats something completely else. I knew that I failed her, and whatever she had planned for us, was entirely my own fault. In truth, I should have known better. I should have known that she wou
Leo POVI had no words for what just happened. I had no explanations, no prior understanding, just the raw unbridled emotion cursing through my body, pure pleasure and euphoria. And another feeling which dominated every ounce of my being. Cassius was MINE!!! MINE ALONE!! I heard the grumble in my chest, the determination of those words. I had not spoken them as of yet, but my whole being was screaming that this was my guy, my person, and my love. MINE. And MINE ALONE! There was something that happened to me the moment he kissed me, the moment he fell on his knees. The moment of recognition of some kind, somehow, someway, I knew, without a shred of a doubt, that he was my soulmate, my everything, and the only person other than Emma that I would give my life for. The veracity of those feelings hit me unexpectedly, yet not irrationally. Right before he showed up in my life, things were different. And now, with him here, and what just happened, I found myself in a vortex of emotion, stood
Cassius POVI wanted tonight to be perfect. I called Emma in advance to learn more about Leo’s favorite foods, what he liked to drink, even what kind of flowers he liked. I realized that they came from humble backgrounds, and I desperately did not want to be a show-off, but at the same time I wanted to give him the world – everything I had, my heart included, already belonged to him anyway. I also had a surprise help from an unexpected source. His friend Theo, who worked at the garage with him, was there when I went to see Albert and asked discretely about him. Somehow, he overheard our conversation and decided to chime in and share that Leo’s dream car was a Mercedes G63, and I decided to buy him one as a present. The car I drove tonight was Leo’s and I hope he liked it. I was going to give it to him at the end of our date as a gift – I did not want to have him apprehensive during dinner. “We do not need to throw wealth in Leo’s face, Cassius. He is not like that”, Marcus advised. I
Leo POVCassius’ phone call was exciting. He said he had planned a special date for us, and I felt as if I was walking on clouds. My stomach tightened just at the sound of his voice, and I grew weak in my knees thinking of his plump, gentle lips, his chiseled jaw, and body the Gods themselves would be jealous of. My favorite thing about him was his smile. When he smiled at me, I felt like the only person in the world. That smile reached into the depths of my soul and touched my heart. Every time I heard his voice, my stomach and chest would both flutter as if dozens of butterflies danced around it. Timing worked out great - with Mr. Locke rescheduled the dinner. I had time to have my date with Cassius.Emma’s words and files I read weighed heavily on me. However, somehow, I was willing to give Mr. Locke the benefit of the doubt. Somehow, the timing of all this seemed too perfect, and too coincidental, and I was not a man that believed in coincidence. Moreover, the voice, my inner voic