If you were Cordy, would you forgive him?
[Cordelia]If this crazy world has taught me anything, I have learned that you should never throw love away. So few of us find family even when we are born into one. Stephen Greyson didn't need to come to Napa from LA to give me a necklace. He came because he cares. He could have said everything he just did over the telephone or via video conferencing, but he didn't. Vulnerable and brave, he came to me "Wait," I call after him and he stops, his back turned. "Can you help me put these on?" His expression is carefully blank as he asks, "Are you sure?"With a tiny smile, I nod and he lets himself relax. Coming over to me, he moves aside the veil and clasps the beautiful necklace around my neck while I adjust the earrings. Giving my shoulders a gentle squeeze he places a kiss on the back of my head like he always did when I was a little girl. My heart feels heavy as I watch him walk away again. "Hey, Dad?" He turns, "Yes Cordy?""Did mom come too?"He is very silent, his eyes shifting
[Cordelia]I close my eyes. This can't be real. It must just be the stress of the evening getting underneath my skin. Angelica was buried. Her body was brought out from beneath the rubble. I saw her body. She was dead when they pulled her out. Atlas was also dead and I saw his body too..."Are you okay," Dad asks and I blink my eyes open, smiling, pretending that I'm not secretly chilled to my core. "I'm fine," I lie as I scan the room briefly. After the stunt Atlas pulled, I understood that anything is possible and that things are often not what they seem on the surface. Angelica might be dead, or not. The one thing I know for certain is that she isn't really a ghost. Ghosts aren't real. Either she's here, my mind is playing tricks on me, or Magnus is trying to scare me. Either way, hallucination or party crasher, I know I'm not being haunted. But I can deal with this later. Right now, there is a nervous, handsome man waiting for me at the end of this very long aisle. He's waited
[The Messenger]When I got the message that I needed to drop off an important package at this vineyard I groaned. It seems that I always get chosen for very difficult, very long assignments, and no other courier wanted to come out the Silverado Trail on the bike while the sun was still high. It gets hot in this valley this time of year.But our client was insistent that it be delivered before the wedding started. I almost refused myself, except that my boss insisted it be me. "If your dad is going to drop off last-minute packages, you're going to deliver them." He huffed. "I don't care if he's willing to pay double, let's see how he likes risking his daughter getting sunstroke." I could have saved him the trouble by just letting him know my father stopped caring about me years ago when he sent me out to boarding school in California, but he didn't care, so I didn't bother. "Here you go, Ms. Fisher." Derek shoved the box in my hand. "The wedding is at sunset. You have 45 minutes."
[Clark]If I hadn't seen the truth with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it. Shortly after Atlas and Cordelia retired for the night, the party started to wind down, and all the remaining guests seemed to hover around the bottomless wine bar. That's where I found Cordelia's dad, Stephen, talking to a beautiful young blonde girl. At first, I thought nothing of it. But then I saw her face and I stopped in my tracks. Thinking maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, I left in search of my fiance to see if I was indeed losing my mind. "I need you to take a look at someone and tell me what you see," I pull her away from the clothing rack where she had been putting dresses back on hangers. Confused but also curious, she goes along with this, letting me take her to the edge of the bar. "Who do you see speaking with Stephen Greyson right now?" I point to where he is sitting at the bar. She squints and then opens her eyes extra wide. "You've got to be kidding me! She's dead! I know this
[Cordelia]For someone who only a moment before seemed so eager to disrobe me, it feels like time has stopped as Atlas slowly unbuttons my dress. "It has a zipper too," I remind him and he chuckles at the rising frustration in my voice. "So eager," he kisses the newly revealed skin on my back. "Patience, Lover, I want to savor you." "I thought, you wanted to devour me," I tease.A mischievous spark flashes in his eyes, "If I must," his hands are rustling underneath along the edges of my skirt, pulling it upwards, bunching it between us until his hands are touching my thighs. As he rubs up and down along their outer edges, he leads me until my back is flat against a wall."What are you doing," I giggle as he gives me a quick peck before diving under the voluptuous layers of my skirt even though I have a pretty good idea what his intentions are as soon as he begins kissing a trail along the inside of my leg. Using his teeth, he unbuttons my garters and rolls each silk stocking down,
[Atlas]As I watch her sleep, the sun shining on her dewy skin, I know that I am the luckiest man on Earth. She and I are an improbable pair and every moment I'm with her feels like a denial of the universe's plans for my life. If I had made the mistake of marrying her sister, Angelica, I would have never known the paradise which is loving Cordelia Steele. Placing a gentle hand on her waist, I let it fall to her small belly. I hope we created another child last night, not to replace the one we lost, Jasper will be coming home, but because I want our next child to be created in love, not as a mistake. I want to remember this night forever. I never want to forget how it feels to be near her, knowing that there is no other place either one of us would rather be. "You know it will be weeks yet before we know if your plan succeeded," Cordelia smiles as her eyes flutter open. "I know our next little one is already in there," I reply as I bend down and kiss her belly button. I'm tempted
[Cordelia]The daylight streaming through the windows touches the edges of the young woman's face. She looks a lot like my dead sister, but there is something in the set of her eyes and the way she holds herself that isn't Angelica at all.But in the dim fading light of sunset, I can see why I was confused."That's not Angelica," I step forward and the closer I am to her, the more stark the differences become. Her hair is darker, her eyes are bluer, her face thinner, and her body more toned. "You were at the wedding last night.""Yeah," she swallows a sip of orange juice and holds out a hand to shake. "That was a beautiful ceremony, by the way, I was totally fangirling over your Tilly and Clark here," she points towards Tilly.I raise an eyebrow. "I don't know who you are, or I didn't when I kinda dropped in on the wedding. I was just sent here to deliver a package, I'm a bike messenger."She's babbling so I take her hand and watch as my touch seems to stabilize her. She's a bit more
[Cordelia]Delilah was more receptive to hearing what we had to say once the connection between my son and her brother was made. But she also seemed firmly set against believing any of it. She agreed to a DNA test but only if we paid for it."I have a question for you, Delilah," Clark said as we were finishing breakfast. "Were you the one who made the delivery right before the wedding?""Yes," she startled, the question surprising her. "And did you know it was your father that was sending the package?""Of course," she shakes her hair out of her face. "I mean, my boss was being a bit of a dick, so he sent me out in that heat on a bike because my dad was sending us out on another last-minute delivery run." She shrugs, "Something about wanting my dad to see what it feels like to risk his kid for once. Which is stupid, my dad doesn't even know I work at a messenger place. He thinks I'm out here going to school."Atlas and I look at one another. Last minute? That means he didn't know unt
[Atlas]Delilah Fisher steps around the corner in a long, silver gown, her makeup flawless, and her smile large and welcoming.She looks so much like Angelica did when I first met her that my heart stutters. I love Cordelia with my entire being, and yet a part of me still reacts to the memory of the shining girl who captured my attention almost a decade ago. But this isn't Angelica. Delilah, while beautiful and poised, lacks the immaculate grace that Angelica exuded. Each of the sisters has a unique nature that shines through, despite having almost identical faces."Atlas Steele," her heels click in the silent room as she steps into the light. "Why is it so hard for you to believe your brother? Haven't you seen enough wonders in this world yet to understand that anything can be possible?""There's no such thing as mind control," I repeat. "Believing in psychic powers is for fools.""And you pride yourself on not being one," she smirks, amused. "But a true wise man would keep his mind
[Jude]Sydney. Now that she has me under her control, I'll never be free of her. When I came to save her, I was convinced she was pregnant with my child. She had sent a distress signal to me using our private channels letting me know of her pregnancy and it was enough to get me to betray the Steele family and derail their plans to find their cure. Using what I knew about Atlas' missing mother was just a distraction.My goal had always been to claim my son.But then I discovered that beyond all logic Angelica is still alive.I should have realized this was possible and known that Magnus wouldn't give up such a valuable tool so easily. Angelica had been Magnus' toy for years before she was sent into my world. I knew he had modified her, and turned her into the perfect weapon, but I had no idea how deep those modifications went until I saw her face staring at me on that magazine cover.She shouldn't have survived that explosion. And yet here she is, unscathed, awaiting a new uterus in
[Atlas]I twist my arm away from the guard in black. His face is blank as he reaches forward again. "Don't." My voice carries forward, and although it isn't loud, it holds a note of command that makes the armed guard pause."Sir," he blinks retracting his hand. "You are trespassing. I was ordered to take you into holding." My face remains still as my voice rings out again, "You will not touch us. You have no right." The guard swallows, taking a step back, my words hitting him with the force of a slap. "We will leave," I inform him. "You will report our apologies to your boss." He nods, accepting my command. "Atlas," Clark calls my attention to our situation. Blinking I snap awake, and pull my gaze from the guard. As soon as I blink, the guard stumbles backward shaking his head in confusion, as if my words and stare alone were enough to entrap him in some kind of trance. Around the edges of my vision, I see more guards headed in our direction. If we are going to make it out of h
[Atlas]Damn it, Cordelia!"Pick up, pick up, pick up," the phone rings but nobody replies. "This number is unavailable as dialed, please try again," the message on the other end informs me as my blood pressure rises and my hands shake.A moment ago I had been talking to my wife. And then the line was dead. I sent her to Canada to keep her and our children safe, and she chose to bring herself to Magnus' attention. Sending a quick message to the guards in charge of watching over my family, I stare at my screen waiting for word of their status. "Atlas, is there anything I can do to help?"Blinking away from the screen I look up at my brother as our rented van parks a few blocks away from the luau. Our driver informs us of our arrival and waits for further instructions."I'm sorry, Clark," I close my eyes, rubbing my temples. "You were saying something?""Is everything okay?" He tries again and I groan. "No." I groan honestly. "Or at least, I hope everything is fine. Lately, it seems
[Clark]The message "Tilly SOS" flicked across the screen three times before winking out, leaving my screen blank. I open my email that I keep under an alias on a secure server. There is a single message alerting me to new information available on my server. I've used this system when working with people who needed to keep their identities safe and their messages secret. The last time I needed it was working with Jude while he was still under Magnus' watch.Even though it has been months since I used it, my fingers remember the passcodes. Soon, I'll be on the server. Two emails are waiting for me, both are from Tilly's parents. In the first message, they inform me that they have landed and are settling in their new place. It is a secure facility, surrounded by several acres of land, disconnected from the distant towns and cities. The Madisons, sparing no expense, went to extra lengths to include copious additional security.They are, after all, securing their legacy. Tilly is their o
[Cordelia]There is a loud explosion just to the right of the airplane. "What was that," I lower the phone, turning it off as I gaze out the window to see what had caused the noise. "Nothing, Ma'am," the co-pilot says over his shoulder, "Just a little turbulence.""Turbulence?" I shout back as another boom resounds just outside the passenger's cabin as a curtain goes up between the pilots and the rest of the plane, blocking our view. "But we aren't even in the air yet!""Calm yourself, Mrs. Steele," Jake, the security guard, takes his phone from my numb hand. "Sit next to your children and trust your staff to get you out of here safely. We've got this, Mrs. Steele."He almost seemed offended in my lack of faith as he types into his phone what I'm guessing is a message to Atlas to calm his nerves and let him know we are alive. "But nobody is telling me what's happening," I grumble as I buckle in next to Jasper and the little girl I've decided to call Saphira until I learn her real na
[Atlas]"What do you mean gone," I barked into the phone, my hand clenching it tight enough to hear it crunch. These new smartphones seem to get flimsier with each model. I've broken 3 in the last 6 months from anger or nerves. I love my wife, but I'm pretty sure she's going to stress me into an early grave. "Your mother created a distraction, Sir," my lead guard, Jake, apologizes over the phone, not making excuses as much as stating facts. "Mrs. Suzanna Steele arrived late last night along with a young man she called Sasha. The next morning, while your mother and Ms. Devaroux kept me distracted searching for a false threat, your wife and this young man escaped."Cordelia has always been sneaky when she needs to be, and until this point, he had been very good at keeping her from falling into mischief. I wasn't expecting my mother to be part of the problem. At least now I know where she ran off to. Her room had been empty when I returned to the boat yesterday. "Are you sure it is m
[Clark]There are things that I need to keep secret from my brother, not because I do not trust him with my secrets, but because I do not want to burden him with them.Which is why I needed to get away. Without Tilly, there is no reason for me to stay on the boat."I'll meet you later, when it's time to go to the luau," I promise Atlas as I give him a hug and take my leave. I know that I could just stay at our family hotel, but I need to be somewhere else, somewhere that nobody recognizes me. And also, I want to ensure that what I am about to do is as untraceable as possible. "Mr. Janus," the man at the front desk smiles when I hand him a wad of cash in exchange for a key card. "Enjoy you stay. Please call down if you need anything."Adjusting my sunglasses, lower the bill of my baseball cap, grab my small bag, and make my way through the other guests milling around in the hotel lobby. Located along the beach it has a spectacular view of the the ocean.And the location of tonight's
[Jude]Opening the door, I push back the clinician waiting for Angelica to rise. The poor man looks lost, most likely expecting Angel to greet him and not a gruff guard in black."Excuse me," he calls out as I walk down the hall. I don't owe him any excuses or explanations. I'm her bodyguard. I can be seen coming and going from her room. Besides, I don't have time for niceties. I'm already late reporting to work. The guards all bunk together in a large room on the basement level. There are beds and a shared shower as well as a kitchen so that we don't disturb the rest of the house as we take care of our daily necessities. There weren't any free bunks when I arrived, so I sleep on a camping bed on the floor. As I march down there, the leader of the group raises his eyebrow. He can tell by the unused state of my sleeping area that I haven't been back to rest."Late night?" he questions me as I walk down the stairs, "Whoever she was, she better be worth it." He smirks. "Mr. Fisher will