Chapter Ten: Love Adventures

“Concentrate on their hearts, June,” Balthazar told me.

I frowned. “If they don’t have hearts, how do I do that?”

“We do have hearts. They just stopped beating,” one of the vampires told me.

“So, you’re like dead all the time?” I asked.

“Pretty much,” they said, nodding in confirmation.

I was with Balthazar, Domitius and Boris, as well as nine other vampires from three different covens. Domitius and Balthazar wanted me to practice the spell on them. If I could lift all three coven signs, then I would officially be ready to perform the bigger spell on the dead vampires.

“Alright, so I must focus on their hearts, while calling on the elements?” I asked Balthazar.

He nodded. “Exactly pumpkin!”

I took a deep breath in as I closed my eyes. I had to first center myself and my mind. Balthazar says I need to do that before any big spell I have to make, or else it will go wrong. When I was sure that I was centrerd, I focused on the elements and called upon them.

The Old Naturalist dialogue flowed right off of my tongue as I called upon the elements. It took a while before anything happened, and I faintly heard Balthazar tell me to get more connected.

Following his words, I reached out more until it felt like I was actually touching the connection between the elements and I. There was a sound of lightning before my eyes flashed open.

Everything seemed clearer, but not clearer in a ‘werewolf enhanced abilities’ kind of way. It was clearer in a ‘Mother Nature’ kind of way, and that’s when I knew that Marissa was in control.

Above the nine vampires were nine glowing symbols. I could see the three different covens that they came from. Everyone around me looked stunned and awed, save for Balthazar.

“You did it, pumpkin!” he said happily, hugging me.

I hugged him back. “Only because you believed I could.”

“Hey!” Boris pouted.

“Come here you big goof!” I said while everyone laughed at his childish antics. He was more than happy to come get his hug though.

“Alright! So when are you casting the spell?” Domitius asked after sending the other vampires away.

“If I’m not mistaken, tomorrow,” I replied.

“Well, Mateo must be proud of you,” Domitius smiled.

I sighed. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning.”

Domitius frowned. “When are you going back home?”

“After I cast the spell tomorrow, although I’d much rather not go home,” I admitted.

“Why not?” they all asked me.

How could I tell them?

“Uh, let’s just say that my mate won’t be happy to see me,” I said nervously.

Boris and Balthazar narrowed their eyes at me. “What did you do?”

“Uhm, I gave him an answer to an important question and he didn’t exactly like the answer,” I said.

“Oh Juniper,” they said in unison.

“What? I refuse to be forced into doing something I don’t want to do,” I pouted.

“Is this thing important to him?” Domitius asked me.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then can’t you compromise?” Boris asked.

I shook my head. “Nope!”

Balthazar sighed. “The two of you are just impossible!”

“I just want to defeat Odessa and then move on with my life,” I pointed out.

“Let’s get you inside,” Boris suggested.

The four of us headed inside and they let me go and shower. To be honest, I was freaking out about the spells I had to perform. It didn’t help that I didn’t have Mateo here with me, but Balthazar insisted that I need to be away from him in order for me to succeed with the first spell. He would obviously be there for the second spell.

I was about to step into the water when my link was nudged.

“What?” I replied.

“Your mate said to ask you what colors you’re both wearing to the inauguration,” Valentine requested.

“Why must you ask me?” I asked.

“Because you’re the woman,” she replied.

“Isn’t he the Alpha?” I mocked.

“Look here, I’m not going to be dragged into whatever is going on between the two of you right now! Just tell me the color so that I can be on my merry fucking way,” she growled.

“Fine! Just go with navy,” I replied.

“Navy?” she asked unsurely.

“Yeah! That’s the color of Marissa’s eyes,” I replied.

She gasped. “You’re going as Marissa?”

“Yep! That way, Royce still doesn’t know that I’m alive and my whereabouts,” I explained.

“Won’t Odessa pick up on Marissa though?” she asked.

“Star is going to cover Marissa with her scent, so I’m going to look like Marissa but with Star’s scent,” I replied.

“That is so cool,” she giggled.

“Are we done here? I was about to shower,” I laughed.

“June, what’s going on between you and my brother? He’s had a scowl on his face since you both came back yesterday morning,” she observed.

I sighed. “It’s nothing for anyone else to worry about. Your brother just doesn’t like not getting his way.”

“So it’s nothing serious?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t say so, but just don’t worry about it,” I replied.

“Well, alright then! When will you be back?” she asked.

“Tomorrow night, why?” I asked.

“Well, I’m going to get your dress tomorrow and obviously you have to try it on and make sure that it fits and all,” she pointed out.

“Oh, I’ll try it on when I come back then. How is your brother anyway?” I asked.

She sighed. “He’s been in his office since you left. I don’t even think he’s slept yet.”

“Just give him space. You know how he gets,” I suggested.

“Yeah! Anyway, I’ll check you tomorrow. Good luck with that spell!” she said happily.

That’s Valentine for you.

“Thanks!” I said before shutting off my link.

I took my shower and went downstairs to eat. We were staying at some house that apparently belongs to Boris. It’s a very beautiful mansion actually. Speaking of the devil, I found him in the kitchen, attempting to cook. One thing I’ve learnt about Boris is that despite all his years alive, he can’t cook.

To save his soul!

“Please tell me you’re not cooking,” I groaned.

“Oh no, I’m just soaking the pots with food,” he replied sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes as I sat on the counter. “Hardy ha ha.”

“What are you doing down here anyway? You should be resting up for tomorrow,” he scolded.

I rolled my eyes. “You sound like Mateo.”

He glared at me. “With good reason June.”

“I know, I know, but I’m still fine,” I pointed out.

“You have to be more careful Juniper. It’s not just about you anymore,” he reminded.

“Please don’t lecture me Boris. You’re the cool guy remember? I’ve already been lectured by Mateo, Balthazar, Mark and Max,” I grumbled.

“Max knows?” he asked, sounding surprised.

I shrugged. “You know I can’t hide anything from Max.”

“And did he tell you how wrong you are?” he asked.

I looked at him in disbelief. “Are you seriously lecturing me after I just asked you not to?”

He scoffed. “I need to make sure that you’ve received the message loud and clear.”

“You’re also supposed to be the cool one,” I whined, grabbing the carrot from his hand.

“Fine! What do you want to talk about then?” he asked.

“Tell me about all your past lovers,” I smirked.

He paled.

“Why do you want to know that?” he laughed nervously.

“Well, I didn’t really want to know for any specific reason, but after that reaction, I want to know everything, so spill!” I squealed excitedly.

“There’s nothing exciting about this, Juniper,” he admonished.

“You literally paled. I’m pretty sure that means you’ve got quite the stories for me,” I giggled. He looked so tortured.

He looked defeated. “I will only tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else. I’d say you should promise not to laugh, but this is you we’re talking about.”

“Am I going to need popcorn?” I asked excitedly.

“Probably,” he said as he nodded. I hopped off the counter and put a packet in the microwave.

“How many exes are we talking here?” I asked as I got some other snacks out.

“Well, I’ve had flings here and there, but I’ve only had five girlfriends,” he replied.

“And how long have you been single since your last girlfriend?” I asked.

“Twenty-one years now,” he said thoughtfully.

I gasped. “Boris, that’s longer than I’ve been alive!”

He frowned. “Let’s just say things were busy around the time.”

“Am I going to know what things these were?” I asked.

He nodded. “Probably when the time is right.”

I scowled. “So I still have more to learn?”

He ruffled my hair as the microwave beeped. “A lot more, my duckling.”

“I hate you,” I said, glaring at him before attending to my popcorn.

I put the popcorn in the bowl and got some soda cans out. I took everything to the lounge. When I went back to the kitchen, Boris was pouring something brown into two cups, before putting whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and mini marshmallows on top.

“Is that hot chocolate?” I asked.

“Yeah! It’s better when you make it with real chocolate. I melt the chocolate in a pot first and then add milk,” he replied. I was impressed.

“So what was the carrot for?” I asked, remembering the carrot I’d taken from him just minutes earlier.

He shrugged. “I like to eat raw vegetables.”

“You freak!” I said, giving him a weird look.

He raised a challenging eyebrow. “Were you not the one who ate the raw carrot?”

I frowned. “Well, yeah.”

He smirked. “And so we are alike.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Damn you!”

“I can always choose to not tell you my story you know,” he said, his smirk widening.

“Okay, I’m sorry, O’ Great Boris!” I apologized.

“Ah, music to my ears,” he chuckled.

We headed to the lounge and got comfortable on the couch. I was dressed in leggings, a tank top and one of Mateo’s sweaters. He only has black sweaters, by the way. My mate is such a freak.

Boris sighed. “So, where do I start?”

“From your first girlfriend, duh,” I giggled. His eyes glazed over like he was traveling back to the memory.

“Ah, Melody! I was thirteen when I first met her, but we only started dating when I was twenty. You see, my family always knew that I would be a somewhat powerful witch, so I spent most of my childhood training. Only when I turned twenty, was I free to do anything with the rest of my life. Now Melody, sweet Melody, had waited for me. She’d been infatuated with me from the very first time she met me, and so she was hoping that something would come from that. We were together for a year before I realized that the woman was dense,” he started off, shaking his head.

I chortled. “Dense?”

“You don’t understand June. There’s stupid, and then there’s dense, and let me tell you, Melody was as dense as they come. The woman only got some jokes days later. Like we’d be sitting six days after the joke was told, and she’d suddenly jump up saying that she finally got it. I have never face palmed myself as much as I did when I was in that relationship. When I broke up with her, it took her three months to finally understand that I didn’t want to be with her,” he explained.

“Did you have to explain yourself?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Nope! I just kissed another woman in front of her.”

“Boris! Did you at least date that woman?” I asked.

“As if! I did get chased around town by her husband though,” he chuckled.

“I can just imagine you being chased by someone’s husband,” I laughed.

“And that wasn’t the last time it happened, which brings us to girlfriend number two. Her name was Cynthia, and let me tell you, she was ALL woman. I was thirty-one at the time, and she was thirty years older than me, but she looked younger than me. At the time, I obviously didn’t know that she was older than me, although I suspected it from the amount of experience she had,” he said as he smirked.

I smacked him with the cushion, making him laugh. “Eeuw!”

“Anyway, so things were going great between Cynthia and I, except I didn’t know what she was exactly. She would get super possessive over me, and I found it hot, but it creeped a lot of people out. After two years of dating, I came back to my house one day, and she was pacing non-stop. I asked her what was wrong, but she just attacked me. That was the wildest sex I’d ever had in my life, and it was almost my last. Right in the middle of us getting dirty, my bedroom door flew off of its hinges. Right there, stood the ugliest demon I’d ever seen in my life! It turned out that I’d been screwing the Demon Queen for two years and someone had reported it to the Demon King. Let me tell you kiddo, demons are creatures you DO NOT want to piss off,” he said seriously.

I, on the other hand, was gone with laughing.

“So, what happened after that?” I asked him.

“He scorched my ass first and then chased me around town. Funnily enough, that’s how I met Balthazar,” he smiled.

“You met Balthazar in the nude?” I wheezed in-between laughter.

“As nude as the day he was born! He had to go into hiding for the next ten years because Damien was still looking for him,” Balthazar informed as he joined us. He came and sat next to me so that I was sandwiched between them on the couch.

“Damien is the Demon King, I assume?” I asked.

“Nicest fella around,” Balthazar smiled.

Boris scoffed. “Pssh, yeah right!”

“You were screwing his wife for two years, Boris. Did you expect him to be best friends with you?” I pointed out.

“Well no, but I deserved a fucking medal. I screwed the Demon Queen for two years,” Boris smirked.

“And almost caused a war,” Balthazar said, deadpan.

“No, that was with the vampires,” Boris corrected.

Balthazar rolled his eyes. “Oh right, how could I forget?”

“What happened?” I giggled.

“It brings us to girlfriend number three, Leona. Now, there was a freak of note. The things that woman could do with her t…” Boris said dreamily before we interrupted him.

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” both Balthazar and I said.

“Fine! Anyway, so since I’d been in hiding for ten years, I didn’t have much of a complexion. The day I decided to go out, Balthazar had sent me out to get some spices for him. I only agreed because it wasn’t hot out. Anyway, I made it to the market, and I bumped into someone. Her cloak fell off of her head and I was faced by a pale beauty. She obviously thought I was one of them as well since I was so pale. All it took was one look at me before she jumped me right there and then,” Boris chuckled.

“I never got those spices by the way,” Balthazar added, making me laugh.

I frowned, turning to Boris. “How long were you guys together? Didn’t she pick up that you’re not a vampire?”

“That’s the beauty of being a witch, young one. We have spells for almost anything. Leona and I were together for three years and I’d managed to keep the whole ‘I’m totally a vampire’ thing going,” he said.

“So what went wrong?” I questioned.

Balthazar laughed. “Leona declared that she wants to marry Leopold!”

“Who’s Leopold?” I asked, confused.

“That’s the name I told her,” Boris chuckled.

“Okay, so she wanted to get married to you. What was wrong with that?” I asked.

“Leona hadn’t mentioned that she’s the Vampire Princess. I was sitting in my house, completely myself, when a squad of vampires rained down on my house, demanding to see Leopold. Of course they were confused since I was just a witch. When Leona walked into my house, that’s when all hell broke loose,” Boris explained.

“You lied to the Vampire Princess?” I asked, wide-eyed.

“Well, she’s the Vampire Queen now, but yes, I lied my ass off. I told her that Leopold was my twin brother and that he’d fled when he heard that she wanted to get married because he wasn’t ready for such a commitment,” Boris replied.

“And she bought it?” I asked. I’ve heard a lot about the Vampire Queen and she’s a smart lady from what I’ve been told.

“She’d bought it for about twenty-six years. Boris forgot all about his little lie, so when he and Leona met again, she asked him about his brother, and he insisted that she was smoking her socks and that he didn’t have a brother. She called to the King and asked that he wipe out all witches in existence. The King, being the doting father he is, would do anything for his little girl. He sent all witch covens a letter telling them that the vampires were calling a war on all witches. All the witches were confused by the need for the sudden ambush, so the Witch Council approached him asking for his reasons. When he explained that a witch had broken his baby girl’s heart and therefore all witches should pay, the council was outraged. They called for the killing of the said witch, but they couldn’t find him,” Balthazar explained.

“What happened?” I asked, wide-eyed. I was so hooked.

“Balthazar here came and saved the day. He wiped the princess’ memory of me and our relationship, which means she had no reason to exact revenge on me or the witches. The King retracted his call for war. Leona found her soul mate and became Queen of the Vampires and they all lived happily ever after,” Boris replied.

I laughed, smacking Boris. “Oh my Goddess! You’re so unpredictable!”

“I’m adventurous,” he corrected.

“The perfect word to use for your relationship with girlfriend number four,” Balthazar said. I was hooked once more.

“Ah, Valerie,” Boris said in thought.

“What was she?” I asked.

“A Viking Warrior,” they both replied.

“Those actually exist?” I questioned.

“Oh yes they do! They’re not as common as they were back then, but they definitely exist,” Balthazar replied.

“So, I met Valerie in Scandinavia. I was one hundred and twenty-three by then. She was with her large family, and they were going out to sea. I asked her where they were going, and she told me that they were going to battle sea monsters. The supernatural world is full of surprises, but at the time, I honestly thought they were mad for going after something that doesn’t exist. Boy, was I wrong! I decided to join them on their little trip, and it turned out that sea monsters really existed. It also turned out that witch magic didn’t work on them, so I was basically useless at sea,” Boris started off.

“Wimp!” I teased.

“You try battling sea monsters without any fighting skills whatsoever,” he defended.

“So what happened?” I giggled.

“When the monsters had been defeated, Valerie’s father demanded that I be thrown off the ship and into the sea, but her mother argued that I could come in handy if I was taught their ways. Valerie was put in charge of teaching me their ways and we spent three months with her taking me on the craziest adventures to ‘test my skills’. After three months, I had to duel with her father to prove my worth. It was a draw, but it was enough to get me to stay in the group. I stayed with them for another five years as we traveled around stealing dragon’s eggs, fighting angry mermaids and battling trolls. Again, after five years, it was announced that I had to marry Valerie. I told them that as much as I loved their daughter, marriage wasn’t in the cards for me. That did NOT make them happy at all. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a cage and they were going to feed me to a dragon. Luckily for me, the dragon belonged to a good friend of mine who set me free in the middle of the night and told the Vikings that the dragon ate me,” Boris finished off.

I was dying of laughter.

“Ah man, I can just imagine how terrified you were,” I said breathlessly.

He shook his head, smiling at the memory. “I was pissing my pants, June.”

“How come none of these women had your children?” I asked curiously.

He shrugged. “Luck, I guess.”

“Well, it sounds to me like you have serious commitment issues,” I noted.

“I used to think so as well, until he met Auriela,” Balthazar told me. Boris froze and unexpectedly got up and walked out.

“Who’s Auriela?” I asked Balthazar.

He sighed. “The love of his life.”

“How long were they together?” I asked.

“Technically, they’re still together. Auriela was taken twenty-one years ago. We know that Odessa has her, but we don’t know if she’s still alive. He gave up looking for her and he shuts down when anyone mentions her,” he explained.

“Oh my Goddess! Poor Boris,” I said teary-eyed. I can’t imagine what he must be going through.

“I don’t want to add any more stress onto your shoulders pumpkin, but I hope you realize how important it is that you defeat Odessa. If there’s any chance of him getting Auriela back, Odessa would have to be defeated first,” he pointed out as he put his arm around me.

I snuggled into his side. I loved how he smelt like flowers. It’s so out there for someone like him. It took me a while to figure it out, but Balthazar was the father that I’d never had. He treats me like his little girl, and there’s no one more deserving of the title.

“I know, Dad,” I said to myself. He froze.

“Did you just call me ‘Dad’?” he asked incredulously. I looked up at his stunned green eyes.

“Yep! You’re the only man in my life who deserves that title,” I informed him.

“Are you serious?” he whispered.

I frowned, confused by his reaction. “Yes! Is that wrong?”

“No, it’s not. I’m just shocked,” he smiled, but tears were shining in his eyes.

I hugged him. “I love you, Balthazar.”

He held tightly onto me. “I love you too, pumpkin!”

We stayed there talking about different things as he told me all about all his adventures. Unlike Boris, Balthazar hasn’t had any adventurous relationships. With him, he’s only been in love once, but he wouldn’t tell me the story. Apparently, it’s a story I will know once the time is right.

I didn’t press the matter after that.

When I started yawning, he told me to go and sleep. I kissed him on the cheek before heading upstairs. On the way to my room, I stopped by Boris’ room. His door was open and he was sitting on his bed, looking at a picture frame.

I walked in and sat beside him, looking over at the picture. It was a picture of a beautiful woman with golden hair and red vivid eyes. She’s absolutely stunning. In the photo, she was smiling, and her hands had made a heart.

“She was taken on her birthday. I’d just proposed and she’d just agreed to marry me,” he whispered, as a tear landed on the photo. I hugged him. It was so painful to see the ever so lively Boris look so heartbroken.

“I’m sure she’s alive,” I told him.

“I’m sure of it too, June. The hard part is freeing her from Odessa’s grasp,” he said.

“How come Odessa has her anyway?” I asked.

“She’s the last woman of her kind and she’s a virgin,” he replied.

“Her kind?” I asked.

“A pure oracle, the second most powerful witches after Naturalists,” he informed.

“She’s a pure oracle?” I asked, wide-eyed. I’d heard of them, but they were apparently wiped out or tainted.

“Yes! She can see anyone’s future for as long as she’s not tainted. When they’re tainted, they can only see random visions of the future for certain people,” he explained.

“If Odessa has her, then doesn’t that mean that she can see that we’re going to attack Odessa?” I asked worriedly.

“With this situation, it gets complicated. Firstly, she wouldn’t be able to see your future because you’re a hybrid,” he replied.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a third human, a third werewolf and a third Naturalist witch. When Auriela first met Balthazar, she couldn’t see into his future, and that ultimately meant that she couldn’t see into my future anymore. She explained that she can’t see into Naturalist witches’ futures, no matter the degree of Naturalist witch that you are. Also, anyone directly linked to you also can’t get read by an oracle, and since Balthazar and I are linked, she can’t see my future anymore. That’s why we didn’t even see Odessa coming since she can’t see her own future either,” he explained.

“Hold on, so how does one become linked to me exactly?” I asked.

“Well, with you, Marissa would have to link herself to the person. Right now, your whole pack and Jacob are unreadable, because, like you said, they’re linked to you. The Alpha Female in you, Star and Marissa thought this through. By linking your whole pack to you, you are able to protect them all,” Balthazar explained from the door. I guess he heard us talking.

“There’s so much I don’t know,” I complained.

“But you’re learning. It takes patience Juniper, but you’re doing a great job so far,” Balthazar smiled. Even Boris spared me a smile.

“So, Odessa is sort of blind when it comes to us?” I asked.

“Pretty much. It’s one of the reasons why only we can take her down. You are currently the most powerful being and anyone linked to you is protected from Auriela’s magic,” Boris replied.

“We will get her back!” I told him.

“I know we will,” he smiled.

“Now it’s really time for you to head to bed, little one,” Balthazar instructed.

I hugged them. “Okay! I love you guys.”

Boris ruffled my hair. “We love you too kiddo.”

Boris is also like my brother, as much as Balthazar is like a dad to me. I headed to my room and snuggled into my blankets. I was a goner as soon as my head touched the pillow. I didn’t even realize that I was that tired.

I woke up the next day at close to midday. I’m surprised no one had come to wake me up. I headed to the bathroom and got ready for the day. I got dressed in yoga pants, a tank top and trainers. I mean, it’s not like I know what to wear when casting a major spell. My hair was in a ponytail. Since I’d only cut it to shoulder length, I was still able to tie it up.

When I got downstairs, I was given a plate with food enough for three people. These people are crazy, I’m sure of it! I reluctantly sat down and started eating. It took me thirty minutes longer than it normally would, and I was surprisingly not as full as I thought I’d be after eating.

“Alright, we’re going to give you an hour to let the food settle before heading out. Is that okay with you?” Domitius asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s okay!”

“Maybe you should check in with him?” Balthazar suggested, even though he knew I didn’t want to.

“Do I really have to? Can’t one of you just tell him that we’ll be leaving in an hour?” I pleaded.

“It would be nice if you were the one to tell him, Juniper,” Boris scolded.

“Oh, come on! I’m not ready to face him!” I pouted. I even added the puppy dog eyes and I could see the three of them giving in.

“Alright fine!” they grumbled.

“Yay!” I cheered.

I’m really good at this.

For the next hour, I sat there not doing anything. I was just lazily lounging around, waiting for the time to come. When it was finally time, Domitius held my hand to teleport me. Even though I could teleport myself, since I didn’t know where Ana’s home was, he had to take me.

When we arrived, the first thing that hit us was the stench of death. There were dead bodies all around and it was absolutely revolting. There were insects crawling on the bodies and I was barely able to contain my brunch.

“We didn’t clear the scene because we didn’t want to tamper with it. We wanted it to be as genuine as possible,” Domitius explained to me.

“Are you okay pumpkin? You look a little green,” Balthazar said worriedly.

“I’m not going to be able to perform the spell,” I barely got out. Suddenly, I couldn’t smell anything anymore.

Boris smiled. “Is that better?”

“How’d you do that?” I asked in awe.

“We’re witches, kiddo,” he reminded.

“Oh yeah,” I blushed.

“Well, do what you have to do so that we can get out of here,” Domitius said encouragingly.

I nodded and they stepped back. I cleared my mind and centered it on the elements. When I was sure I’d grasped it, I started speaking in Old Naturalist tongue. Once again, the language just rolled off of my tongue.

Unlike with the nine vampires, there wasn’t any thunder. Instead, there was a loud rumble from beneath the earth, before the coven signs lifted and glowed above each vampire.

There had to be at least ten different covens, and Domitius couldn’t believe it as he snapped a picture of each coven sign. He was taking pictures of the signs for later evaluation and for Mateo.

One thing we all noticed that was different, was that there was a letter over each different coven sign. Any of the same coven signs had the same letter above. I wasn’t sure what that meant, and by the looks of it, neither did Balthazar or Boris.

“What’s with the letters?” Boris finally asked.

“I’m going to guess that they’re a message. We have to put them together to come up with a word or words that make sense to us or have anything to do with what we’re doing right now,” Balthazar told us his theory.

“Well, I have all of them on camera, so we can head out,” Domitius told us. He didn’t need to tell us twice before we were back at the house.

“Alright, there were eleven covens there. I’ll run the coven signs back at home, but for now, we’ll focus on the letters. There are eleven letters here. We have a V, an I, an L, an E, a H, an A, a T, an O, an N, a U and an S,” Domitius announced as he laid out the letters across the table.

Boris handed each of us a notepad with pens and the four of us got to encrypting. My knowledge is very limited, so I gave up after an hour. While the three continued scribbling on their notepads, I went on and made myself some food. After another two hours, Domitius gave up, and an hour later, Boris gave up. Balthazar was already on his third page of words and phrases.

I picked up one of the pages and found that he was working with words, phrases and even different languages. Every time he moved on to something, he crossed out the previous thing. After about forty five minutes, he finally stopped.

He gathered his papers, scanned them, and finally came up with three possibilities. He sat down and really analyzed the three possibilities. He then crossed out the other two and was only left with one.

He sighed. “The Vaulsino.”

“The what?” Boris and I asked.

“The Vaulsino. It means ‘The Passage of Secrets’ in Old Naturalist tongue. It’s a spelled chamber in Rome that reveals itself to those it deems worthy. Inside it, lies one of the truths that you wish to know. If you’re lucky enough, it’s very direct in its answer, but most of the time it only gives you a clue on how to find out the truth. Once it has given you an answer, you can only go back after ten years,” he explained.

“So, are we supposed to go there to find out what it has to say?” I asked.

“I have a feeling you’re the one that’s supposed to go and find out whatever that needs to be found out. This could be pertaining to these cases, or it could even be pertaining to the Santiago curse,” Balthazar replied.

“When should I go?” I asked.

“As much as we would love for you to go earlier, for now you just need to prepare yourself for the inauguration. Besides, we would have to explain your disappearance to your mate,” Boris replied.

“Are you not going to tell him about this?” Domitius asked exactly what was I was thinking.

“Preferably not! This is Mateo we’re talking about. The secrets to his family aren’t going to come easy, and quite frankly, some of these missions may be dangerous for you. Mateo isn’t going to allow you to go if he knows,” Balthazar explained. I hadn’t even thought of that.

“So, you’re suggesting that I lie to my mate?” I asked.

“I agree with them June. It’s the only way if you’re going to truly help him,” Domitius told me.

“And you can’t tell Max either because he’s sworn to his Alpha,” Boris pointed out.

“So this stays between the four of us?” I asked.

“Preferably, since we’re not bringing your brother into this either,” Balthazar replied.

“Okay, I guess,” I said. It would be hard, but I would have to just go with it if I wanted to help my mate.

We stayed together for a short while before I teleported myself back home. I was surprised to find Valentine waiting for me in Mateo and I’s room. I know that it’s Valentine, but I was still shocked that she was actually here since people never just came in here willy nilly, especially if Mateo and I aren’t around.

I jumped. “Val!”

“You said you’d be back tonight! It’s almost midnight and only now you get back? Mateo’s been going crazy because you shut him out,” she scolded.

I did?

“Where is he?” I asked.

“On a run, but I’ve already linked him to tell him that you’re back. He was ready to hunt you down. Anyway, try your dress on before he comes back because I don’t want to be here when he comes back,” she said.

“I’m sure the dress is fine, Val. I’m too tired,” I complained.

“Whatever!” she said as she rolled her eyes. She picked up the dress and was about to walk out when I stopped her.

I frowned at her attitude. “Is there something I’m missing here?”

“I don’t know what’s going on between you and my brother June, but you’re being selfish. He was literally losing his mind two hours ago. He couldn’t even call many people because people don’t know that you’re here. Please be more considerate when you’re out without him,” she shouted. Star and Marissa both felt challenged.

“Excuse me? You make it seem like I was out gallivanting the world without my mate. I didn’t want to be away from him, but I had to be. You have no idea what I’ve been through, so don’t you dare stand there and shout at me over something you know nothing about. What’s going on is between your brother and I, and I know you’re the protective little sister, but right now, the last thing I need is you telling me that I’m being selfish when I’m out there risking my life so that the people I love are safe!” I shouted right back at her, tears trailing down my face. I watched guilt flash through her eyes and she was about to say something when the door flew open.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?” my mate’s voice thundered through the room. He looked hot as hell with sweat dripping down his abdominal section and I had to restrain myself from jumping him.

“Nothing,” I whispered before turning and heading to the bathroom.

I heard Mateo going off at Valentine, but I just shut them out by stepping into the shower. As much as I wanted to defend her, she set herself up by attacking me regarding things that are of no concern to her.

This is Mateo we’re talking about.

Of course he was going to freak out, but he would’ve eventually got over his anger and remembered that all he had to do was really nudge my link. I may have been distracted, but if he nudged my link enough times, I would’ve paid attention.

“Baby doll,” Mateo said from outside the door. I was still in the shower.

“Come in,” I told him.

I heard the bathroom door open before he stepped inside. I could also hear him taking off the jeans he had on, before I was blessed with the sight that is my Adonis. He pulled me into his arms and I happily rested my head on his chest. We both needed this, to just be in each other’s arms as the warm water slid off of us.

“You only tried to link me once, didn’t you?” I asked him knowingly.

“Pssh, no,” he replied.

“You’re a bad liar, babe,” I giggled.

“I was freaking out, okay. When you didn’t respond the first time, I automatically assumed the worst. I tried calling Boris, Balthazar and Domitius, but their phones were off. That’s when I really lost it,” he admitted.

I traced my fingers along his face. “I’m sorry for making you worry. We stumbled upon something and we got distracted trying to figure it out.”

“So you’re okay?” he asked worriedly.

“I’m fine babe,” I smiled.

“What did Val say to you? You were crying and I heard her shouting at you,” he asked.

I sighed. “It’s fine babe. Let it go because if I tell you, you might harm her.”

He frowned. “I wouldn’t harm my sister.”

“Star and Marissa almost harmed her, and I would never harm Val either,” I pointed out.

“That bad?” he asked wide-eyed.

I nodded. “That bad.”

“Okay, I’ll forget about it then. What about us?” he asked. I couldn’t stop the smile on my face.

“I still want to plan my own wedding, and announce our engagement when I want to,” I smirked. This is what the big fight was about.

I bet you thought I said no.

Ha!

As if.

I love this hot headed Alpha and would want nothing more than to marry him. Our big fight was about a couple of things.

Firstly, he wants us to get married as soon as possible, while I’d rather wait for everything to be over. Secondly, he wants to leave my wedding planning in the hands of someone else because he doesn’t want me to be ‘stressed’.

Thirdly, he wants to name our son after him - if we have a son that is. I honestly want our son to have his own name. Fourthly, he wants us to announce our engagement now. Again, I’d rather we announce the engagement after everything has gone down.

“But…” he tried to argue.

“Mateo, either we do this my way, or you can have your ring back,” I threatened.

“June, you’re making it hard for me here. You’re not even compromising to one thing,” he argued. I guess he had a little bit of a point.

“You can announce our engagement tomorrow after dinner,” I offered.

He sighed. “What about everything else?”

“I’m still planning my own wedding, and we’re still getting married after everything goes down. Our son can have your name as his second name,” I proposed. He was quiet for a while, even though I was still in his arms.

“Okay, fair enough, but you’re not planning the wedding by yourself,” he added.

I nodded. “Deal.”

“We couldn’t agree on this before you left?” he chuckled.

“Nah! We’re too cool for that,” I giggled.

“You mean that we’re too hot-headed for that,” he smirked.

I blushed. “Or that too.”

“You’re an infuriating woman, but I wouldn’t have you any other way, Juniper Evigan, soon to be Santiago,” he winked.

“I wouldn’t have you any other way either Alpha Santiago,” I smiled before kissing him.

It took us an hour or so before we ended up on our bed. Make-up sex has to be the best kind of sex, especially when your hormones are riding high.

Oh!

Did I not mention?

I’m pregnant!