***Eliana***

 

“Are you sure she’ll be okay?” I ask Alistair for the tenth time.

His face softens. “Yes, love. She’s in good hands. Or did you mean Velma? If so, she’s in good hands too.”

I release a deep sigh. “Velma too of course. But I meant the one Jagger took with him. So unfair, I don’t even know her name.” I feel like a little whiny kid whose candy been stolen.

“Tessera. Jagger just called me when you were in the shower. He told me her name is Tessera. Well, she calls herself Tess, but Eliana?”

My heartrate picks up. Jagger called when I was in the shower? We’ve been at Alistair’s house for about an hour now. He brought me here because he said it would be too crowded at the clubhouse with the new members.

They had everything under control, and burned the Heaven Charter’s clubhouse to the ground. Well, after they did a thorough walk through. In the space where we found Tess, there were two double beds, a table with five chairs, a bathroom, and that’s it.

It feels weird being here. I feel like I should be with Velma, or together with our other sister. Like we need to talk, or have answers, anything other than sit around here. Okay, I might have needed that shower after all I went through. And I can also imagine Os wanting to spend some time alone with Velma. And I do realize now that the problem with our father is solved we have the time to take things slow and be together at a later point in time so we can each share a moment alone with our mates first too…but still.

“Love, you need to sit down for a moment because there’s something I need to tell you.” He takes my hand and guides me toward the couch.

I plant my ass on the large, black, linen couch itching to know what he’s going to tell me.

Alistair starts to pace and rubs his neck. “Jagger managed to talk a bit with your sister. She told him what she saw and knows...and…”

“And?” I ask, my ass now on the edge of the couch.

“There’s no other way to put it, so I’m just going to ramble for a bit, okay?” Alistair waits for me to react, or give the okay, but all I can do is stare.

A part of me is afraid of what he’s going to tell me, another part is curious. A tiny part inside me doesn’t really want to know, and would like to live in the moment. Without ugliness and enjoy the fact that this amazing man is mine. A man who’s now clenching his jaw.

Oops. My cheeks heat and I mutter, “Okay, just…lay it on me, I guess.”

“Tessera is Greek for the number four.” Alistair pauses for a moment and seems to wait for that little fact to sink in before he continues. “She told Jagger there was another woman there, you freed her, she had red hair?”

“Shit,” I snap and stand up. “It happened so fast, I forgot to tell you. She was bound with some kind of rope and when I removed it from her wrists she was gone. I mean really, I blinked and poof, gone.”

“She blinked.” Alistair chuckles. “You didn’t blink and she was gone, but she has the ability to flash. To cross a distance without time. Only a few paranormals have that ability. Those ropes she had on her wrist were probably laced with magic to prevent her from blinking.”

“What kind of paranormal could she be?” I ask. And is it weird I think I feel a little left out because that right there is an awesome ability. No cab needed, always on time for everything. Wow.

“Well, the most common would be Fae. And that happens to be what she and her twin were,” Alistair informs me.

“Fae.” I muse. Wait…what? “Twins?”

“Yes, Fae have exhilarated growth. They are fully aged after seven years. This is because they age three times as fast as humans and then they freeze and become immortal. A lot of children have been murdered before they could become an adult.” Sadness washes over Alistair’s face. “At one point they were rare amongst paranormals. And, Eliana, from what Tess said…they haven’t reached the seven years yet. Tess said that she told her they were barely six years. What’s not rare is the fact that they are twins; that’s normal with their pregnancies.”

“Okay, so, what? My father screwed every paranormal out there to create an army of half-bloods or something? Waiting years to do so?” I wonder out loud, something that seems even more crazy to my own ears.

“Or something. I think he wanted to create something that would lead to a weapon, or an answer for revenge. And, gorgeous? A few years is nothing for an immortal, you have to realize that he was just getting started.” Alistair nods.

“Revenge on who?” I ask, confused, before it rings a bell. “Oh, he wanted revenge on The Orderly.”

He nods again. “That’s what I’m thinking. Create a huge gap in their balance. Fuck with creation so to say.”

“Well, that’s just sick,” I state while my mind is reeling. “Wait…you said Tess was named number four, the two twins…that leaves one more.”

“Yes. That leaves one more.” Alistair plunks his ass on the couch and puts his elbows on his knees.

“And?” I ask with my hands spread wide, wanting for him to continue.

He shakes his head. “I got nothing.”

“I got nothing? What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap.

“Calm down, I’m not the enemy here.” Alistair sighs. “What I mean is that we don’t know shit about the first one. Seems she was gone before Tess was brought in, and the twins are gone too, we don’t even know anything about them, except for their names and that they are a mixture of what you are, each trading the witch for something different. So half Heaven, a dash of human, along with Fae…and in Tess’ case, she was turned a vamp by Aura before Aura was killed.”

“Will you help me find out?” I whisper softly. “Where they are? All of them?”

“It’s kinda my duty, but even if it wasn’t, I would vow to you that I will find all three of them. I will always be there for you, whatever you need.” His voice is fierce.

Crawling up on his lap, I cuddle close to his chest. “Thank you,” I murmur while I relish in the warmth and comfort only he can give me.

“You’re welcome, love.” Alistair’s chest starts to rumble with laughter, making me turn and look at his face.

“Why are you laughing?’ I question.

“Remember how Jagger’s centuries old and never found a mate?” Alistair asks.

I remember, because Alistair told me about Jagger and a little of his background after we met him the first time.

Alistair continues, “How he always felt the need to protect Aura because he felt some kind of link to her, but not as a mate?”

“Yes?” I slowly answer.

“Well, turns out, he found his mate. But Jagger has a problem, and because it’s Tess…so do we.”

“Oh?” I gasp. “So the connection he felt with Aura was because she was kinda like his future mother-in-law or something like that?”

“Yeah.” Alistair sighs with sadness.

“Well, that sucks,” I add with equal amount of sadness because Aura was killed by my father. I’m sure he did so either to cover up his tracks for creating a vampire or to dispose of something he had no further use of.

“But I am happy for my sister, and for Jagger, to have found each other.” I cuddle back against Alistair’s chest.

“Yeah,” Alistair chuckles again, “about that…”

“What now?” I grumble, getting a little tired of the highs and lows, all these events and information are giving me whiplash.

Alistair’s arms hold me tighter against him, before the words rumble through his chest. “The problem Jagger, and we, face that concerns Tess? Vampires aren’t allowed to be created, they are to be born.”

“No.” I gasp in disbelief.

“As I said, love… I will always be there for you, whatever you need,” Alistair swears to me.

“Yes, but you also said it was your duty to find out. You have to do what The Orderly tells you to do. What if…” Oh, God no… “I haven’t even gotten a chance to know her yet. How can they decide she’s not allowed to live? She didn’t want this, my father laid this on her. Can’t they make an exception?”

“Breathe, Eliana, we’ll pass that bridge when we get there. I haven’t gotten any direct job concerning Tess yet. But, love?” he swallows, “I wouldn’t be getting it…Jagger would because that’s for him to deal with. Unless it escalates and the job is given to me.”

I feel like mere minutes ago I was handed the world…right now, I feel like said world is falling apart.

“I’m right here. We’re going to handle this, one way or another. But you have to understand something.” His voice is harsh.

I wait for him to continue, but he grabs my shoulders and creates some space between us so I have to look him in the eyes.

“We’re going to get through this, together. We’ve barely even started and haven’t had the time to actually be together. We have a future in front of us and I intend to give you everything in my power to make you happy. Because to me, you are everything; the foundation of my existence.” The look on his face is laced with a kind of love that is all-consuming.

I cup the right side of his face and feather my lips against his. “Together,” I agree with a fierce promise in my tone.

“Hell-fucking-yeah.” He gives me a wink that makes my heart flutter.