I pace back and forth until I have myself under control. Blaze calls Kieran. Then he calls my father. I sit beside the bed holding onto Remi's cold clammy hand. Her skin now has a sickly green tinge to it. Kieran and Gunner come shouting down the corridor. "Where is she? Where's Remi?" The door to Remi's room opens with a loud bang. I can't even lift my head to acknowledge they've come into the room. Kieran runs to the opposite side of the bed. He kisses her forehead. Gunner's knees hit the floor as he cries. "She's gonna die thinking the worst of us. Thinking we didn't value her.""She's not gonna die! Fate couldn't be so cruel as to take another person I love." Kieran whispers against Remi's forehead. The only man I have ever looked up to besides my own father; stands there with tears rolling down his face. He runs his hand over her small delicate face. The machine Doc hooked her up to is monitoring her heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure. The machine is beeping too slo
I feel my father's heavy hand on my shoulder. "I'm headed back to the clubhouse. Gonna get some ears to the ground. See what we can find out about who did this. Maybe find the fucker and get them to reverse this. Son, if anything changes; call me. No matter how minor it may seem. Don't hesitate to call me. I'll come right back here." Axel squeezes my shoulder then starts to walk away."Thanks, father." I say listening to his heavy foot falls against the floor. They suddenly stop. "Aiden, how many people know you and Remi have sealed the bond? How many know Payne is Remi's dragon?""Only the people in this room know that we have sealed the bond. Oh, and Chance Masters. It wasn't a secret. Tonigth Remi wore her mating mark like a badge of honor. Only the people here know Payne is her dragon."Kieran clears his throat. "Actually, the members of the Council know that Remi and Payne are one and the same. Do you think someone on the Council could be behind this?" He runs his hand over her
I'm starting to doze off when Remi starts squirming. "Fucking A!" She groans. "Remi, baby." I try talking to her to get her to talk again. She yanks and pulls against the restraints at her wrists and ankles. Her groggy voice fills the room again. And I swear it's the most beautiful sound. "I'm gonna fucking puke." She says, and I'm clueless. "What's she talking about?" I yell asking no one in particular for clarification as to what the hell is going on. "Move!" Xavier shouts as he runs across the room with a trash can towards Kieran. Kieran and I look at him like he has lost his mind. But before Xavier can reach Kieran's side of the bed; the most god awful smell and horrific thick yellow substance spews out of Remi's mouth. The gruesomeness of it reminds me of a scene in a classic horror movie; Remi made me watch. The stuff just keeps coming out of her. Then all of a sudden she slumps back against the bed. "What the fuck was that?" I'm horrified. My stomach is turning. I feel lik
"We have to get her out as soon as possible. Purgatory is another route demons take to get from hell to earth. With the war to take over the throne; she's fair game in there. Waylong, does she have access to her dragon or any of her powers?" Lucifer is panicking, which is making all of us start to panic. "Not that I can tell. Part of the spell was to trap her dragon. The poison was meant to render her helpless. I feel her dragon, but she's not stirring or fighting this off. Meanwhile Remi's mind and body are fighting tooth and nail. If her dragon was available to her; I have no doubt they could fight this off.""I don't know about anyone else. But from where I'm sitting my sister isn't fighting shit. She came to hours ago, and nothing since Doc injected her with that shit." Gunner is restless and worried. Others may think it's just concern, but I feel the fear radiating off of him. The fear he will loose his sister. "Remi's body is fighting off the poison like a mortal would a sickn
I wake up to the sound of pounding at my front door. Then the door bell starts ringing. I sip up off the floor. Wait! Why the hell am I on the floor? Why is the floor so cold and hard? Where's the carpet? Those thoughts take a backseat as my head starts spinning. A dim light comes on and a white door is only a mere three steps. But I'm so weak. Why am I so weak? I use the wall for support as I push myself to standing. I wait for the spinning to subside. Then I walk the few steps over to the door. I turn the doorknob and nothing happens. I twist it a few more times, and still nothing happens. Then with little to no effort it swings open wide. My mother's garden is filled with bright beautiful flowers. All kinds and colors fill the space surrounding the stone benches placed in a circle in the middle of the garden. Something's not right. I look behind me expecting to see the pool house and the swimming pool. Instead there's a stark white empty room. I push my palms against my achy eyes
The sound of a little boy's voice slips past Remi's lips. "Hurry daddy. I can't stay with Remi much longer." Kieran's eyes fill with tears as his hands lightly hold Remi's face. "Romeo. Son is that you. Oh my beautiful boy!" Kieran rains kisses down on Remi's face."Daddy, sissy fell asleep twice. You're not supposed to do that here. If she falls asleep in the room again she might get stuck. I don't know how much longer I can keep her awake. Sissy, is so tired. So, sleepy. The room is taking her strength and energy. It kept her in the dark and sleeping when she was first put in it. She slept too long. She loves you so much Aiden. I can feel it. It's so beautiful and strong. It's warmth flows keeping some of the cold from this place at bay. Promis me; you'll always protect her and love her.""With everything in me, Romeo." In that moment in front of everyone in that room; I pledge to protect and love the one that meant everything to him. The one he gave his own life for. His twin sis
They shrug their shoulders. I can see the little hamster running on the wheel inside their brains; as they think through possible scenarios before they decide on an anser. "A soul being sent to Purgatory while the being was alive and well has happened many times. It was easy to go in and help them. This case is different. Remi was given a lethal dose of poison. Sure the serum is keeping the poison from going to her heart; but her body is essentially dying. The soul of a dying being trapped im Purgatory is in a whole other ball park." Waylon says as his fingers tap against his chin. His brows are deepened as he starts thinking of more possible scenarios. You can almost see the scenes play out on his face. "I get what you're saying Kallista. If her soul is trapped then her mind knows and believes itse;f to be trapped too." Waylon once again stares off into space.Gabriel's face is contemplative. I see the lightbulb moment the second it happens."It's possible; that if the person going
Blaze lifts Kallista onto a chair so that she is eye level with me. Her tiny hands grab onto my face and latch on. A wealth of knowledge floods my brain short circuiting my body. My eyes roll into the back of my head and my knees start to buckle. Someone grabs me under the arms holding me up until Kallista lets me go. In two minutes everything Kallista knows about shields is lodged inside my brain. I know the different ways they're erected and taken down. How they can be labeled or color coded. I can now open my mind and hear every thought in a room and funnel through the information to find what I'm looking for quickly. I can hide my presence inside someone else's mind or let myself be known. I can also tell when someone is trying to get inside my head before they do it. I can mind fuck a person by planting thoughts, images, and memories. I can also erase a memory. And I can do all this while digging around in their brain. I can plant something subconsciously inside someone's brain;
"I have a question. How do we know Skullz isn't the traitor and you're both helping Chance and Bael?" Gunner asks standing along side Aiden and Xavier who have taken up the position of blocking me from Vlad and Skullz view. "If we were the one's working for Bael and Chance; your sister and the twins would be on their way to hell with Bael. Not sitting in a room specifically designed for her to give birth comfortably. I wouldn't have invited you all here to figure out our next move or even told you we are her mates as well. If I was conspiring against you."Skullz stands there with his head hung low. When he raises his head his eyes lock on mine. I see the questions in his eyes. Do I trust him? Do I care for him as I always have? Can there ever be more between us? The answer is yes, I trust him. Skullz has been a part of my life almost as long as Aiden has. Skullz has proven time and time again he would lay down his own life for mine. I don't have to question his loyalty or devotion.
I shove away from Skullz. Remi yanks me into her side pleading with her eyes for me to calm down. "Talk." I demand staring Skullz down. "The first time I scented my mate was the night Remi was attacked. Her seventeenth birthday. Her scent was strong, but it was mixed in with yours. I was sure I was mistaken. Especially with the way you were acting. And everyone saying that Remi was your fated mate. I mean there was no way she was my mate if she was your fated. So, I thought what I was smelling and feeling wasn't right. The more time I was around Remi, I knew she was my mate. I never said anything or came forward because she never showed any signs of feeling the same. So, again I was confused. Vlad here picked up what was going on with me at 318 for casino night. He was having the same problem. Neither of us wanted to step on your toes. Neither of us wanted to force anything with Remi. Remi and I are so close because of the bond we share. Not just because we're friends. She's my mate
When I walk back into my bedroom, everyone is here. I can't believe that my kidnapper called in my calvary. Tears cloud my eyes as I rush over to Aiden and my babies. I hug them as tightly to me as I can. "I can't believe he called you. He said he would. He did." I mumble into Aiden's chest. The twins begin to stir and whine a little because I'm squishing them. One by One my family passes the twins around. Aiden and I look on with pride. "So, what's their names? Remi refused to tell us until you got here." Kallista asks Aiden bouncing on the balls of her feet. She's dying to take my son away from his father again. "Ashton Romie Ramos and AshLynn Yanessa Ramos." Aiden says finally passing Ashton back around the room."Those are perfect names." My father beams with pride as he holds his first grandchild. AshLynn squirms and we all hear a noise and my father cringes. "I think she left her father a surprise." Kieran says handing my daughter to her father. Aiden looks lost as hell. I b
It's been hours since Remi and the others went missing. My phone keeps vibrating in my pocket. When I finially pull it out to check it; it's a number I don't recognize. "This is Aiden. Speak." I growl into the phone not at all worried about how I might come across to the person on the opposite end of the line. "Aiden, it's Vlad. We need to talk. It's about our mate. Remington." "She's mine! Only mine!" I growl into the phone. "No she's not. I've gotten her somewhere safe. The twins are safe. At least for now. There's a traitor walking among you. He has Blaze. I got to the scene just in time to get our mate and the other females to safety. They're all here. I'm sending you the address. Bring just the ones you know beyond a shadow of doubt that you can trust. I'll explain everything once you get here." Vlad hangs up leaving me speachless for a moment. I snap my head up looking at everyone in the room. No one here would dare to double cross me and Remi. Flashes of a soft pale yellow
I'm in the middle of a meeting with a vendor for 318 when a flash of images fills my mind. Gunner and Weston rush into the office shooing the two males from the booze delievery company out of the room. "Blaze and Kane's vehicle was found on the side of the road smashed to pieces. No sign of either one of them. Tianna's car was found a few feet away down the small ravine. We gotta go Aiden." Gunner says helping me out of the chair. "Remi was in labor. Where's Remi, Tianna, and Kallista?" I ask forcing myself to finally move. "They were taken. We think Blaze and Kane are on their trail. We don't have all the answers. Xavier and Skullz are at the scene now. Come on! We're going to catch the fuckers scent and go after them." Weston says. I point over at my truck and throw Gunner my keys. It feels a little awkward to have him here. But since Doc and Waylon got him from under that spell Mace casted; he's been trying to do everything he can to make up for the damage he feels he caused. D
Kallista calls Aiden, but doesn't get an answer. I continue to do breathing exercises. "Where's your go bag?" I point to the bag next to the couch in the little sitting room of our suite. Kallista helps me waddle across the room. I have another stabbing pain in my vag and stop walking. I cross my legs and pray the twins don't fall out. "I know it has to hurt. But we have to move. I called Dr. Williams. She knows we're on our way." I nod my head at Tianna, but the pain is too much. Blaze flashes into the room and picks me up. He carries me down the stairs through the house to the garage and puts me into Tianna's car. He pushes the seat all the way back; then leans the back of the seat as far back as it will go. "Follow me. Kallista, keep calling Aiden and Xavier. One of them has to answer. I'll call Kieran. Remi, keep doing your breathing exercises." We all nod our heads and he closes the door. We follow behind his SUV. We're just past the clubhouse when a huge truck crosses over in
The day after my zombie moment is peaceful. Tianna, Kallista, and Aiden's sister, Trinity all come over to keep me company while Aiden works. I feel horrible about all the time and hours he puts in between the mechanic shop ran by the hellhounds and 318. I try to keep in touch with Shade as much as possible to see how things are running and to help out as much as I can. She's training someone to take over for her because she is also going to have to leave in a few weeks. Aiden tells me he has everything under control, but I still worry about my business going up in smoke. I'm about to fall asleep during movie number three when I hear Aiden's heavy foot steps stomping up the stairs. Instead of turning to come to our room he heads towards the nursery. I realize the banging and racket coming from that side of the house has stopped. When I move to sit up all three of the females laying in my bed jump up. "What's up? What's wrong?" They yawn and stretch their sleeping asses out. "Nothin
The grumpy old fae answers on the first ring. "What now Aiden? You have my ass so busy I had to hire another crew to take on some of my other clients." Amos grumbles. But if I say I'm hiring someone else for a job; he bitches my ass out and insists he's the one doing it. "I need the twins' nursery done. Like yesterday." Amos huffs and puffs. I hear him whistle as he flips through the pages of his daily planner. He grunts acting as if he will be too busy. I know what he's doing. He wants more pay for the perfection and rush job only he can do. "I'll pay you double the agreed upon price. Remi, could have the twins any day now. We need it done and fast. And we both know; only you can do what we want done as fast as we need." I listen to him tapping his fingers on his desk. "You don't have to pay me double. Just the original quote plus half that. I'm fae. We both know I can have that nursery done with the snap of my fingers. Besides you and Remi are good people. I'm only gonna cut yo
"Okay, Remi. Tell me what's going on." Dr. Williams says as she pulls out a few hand held machines, a measuring tape and her stethoscope. She lays them on the bed as I explain what's going on. "I started having pains. They're not contractions because they're sparatic. They don't last long. What hurts the most is; it feels like the twins are about to come falling out my hooha." I pant as I continue to try and breathe through the pain in my vag. Dr. Williams lifts my shirt and tucks it under my tits. She measures me, takes my blood pressure then heads back to her bag. Sitting beside me on the bed she squirts some gel on my stomach and begins using a probe wand looking thing on my stomach. When the sound of my baby's heartbeat fills the air I know what this machine is for. "Ordinarily, I'd do this down at the office. However, since we're doing a house call today. I'm going to have to do it here. Remi, I need you to remove your pants and panties. I'm going to check to see if you're dia