Charlotte

Leonora and I came into work this morning to calm our nerves as we waited for our men to return. She had gotten off on her floor, and I waved goodbye with a twist of my lips. We were both scared, but I knew more than she did. As soon as I got off the elevator on the executive floor, I headed straight toward my office. I closed the door as soon as I passed the threshold, pressing my back against the door. I closed my eyes and hoped that it would all be over before it even started. This was the worst possible special ability to have. Why couldn’t I teleport or some shit? Why did I have to have these visions and live with the consequences?

“I can’t do this,” I sobbed in my hands. This was too much. Fate was asking too much of me. My heart had been pounding out of control since Draco left for the castle, leaving me to hold down the fort so to say. His safety wasn’t the only thing that played with my pulse and rattled my soul. I’d known what was going to happen for weeks now, but I was forced into silence. A part of who I was would always be hidden away in secrecy, even to those close to me.

Shaking my head, I pushed off the door and went around my desk. I plopped down on my large, comfortable chair that suddenly felt like a hard, cold, steel chair. I had to put on music to calm myself and hopefully not hear any sounds from below. I’d never heard anything from the labs; however, no one raised their voices or made loud noises down there. Either way, I popped in my earbuds and turned the volume up, ignoring the sound damage warning. I didn’t want to hear right now. “Work,” I said to myself. That was what I needed. I had to do some work or I would go out of my mind.

The seconds seemed to pass slowly, as though time was standing still. I took in deep breaths, having to remember I couldn’t rush down there. Lives would change, one of us could be killed, and that was a risk I deemed too high.

I didn’t know why these visions were so important until I had the ones with Draco. The visions weren’t always clear and often required me to make a choice that wasn’t easy. Falcon’s mother had them before me and she was the best. She was so strong. Despite knowing she would die if she carried on with her course, she did what was right. The day the Council was destroyed, it had to be agony for her and her husband to know and still march in like nothing was wrong. If I survive this war, maybe I’d grow to be as determined and brave.

I straightened the cuffs on my jacket every other minute. When pretending to work didn't materialize into actual work being done, I jumped out of my chair, moving so fast that the chair hit the wall forcefully, leaving a mark. I forgot that my strength was growing every day, not that I could use it when my best friend needed it.

The room seemed small as I paced back and forth, holding back the tears that wished to pour down my face. I took a deep breath and opened the door to my office. I was surprised to see Draco appear, his clothes torn and covered in blood. I rushed to him and into his open arms. My heart was pounding out of control.

“You’re back,” I sobbed, squeezing him tight. His scent calmed me down as he pressed my head against his chest.

“Yes,” he replied, sounding winded. I realized he was hurt and I was clinging to him like a monkey. My legs were wrapped around his and he was holding me off the ground.

“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to pull away.

“Don’t be sorry. I need you,” he growled, pushing us back into my office. I felt his meaning as his length pressed against my heat. The intensity of his gaze told me he needed this. I did, too. Closing the door, he slammed me against it, lifted my skirt, and pulled out his cock. Without a word, he pushed his way into me, claiming me. It was primal and carnal. His body slammed into me with each thrust and not one word was shared. We grunted and fucked until we were melded together as one. It was a quick, silent rejoicing of life. It was over in a minute and just what we needed.

“Thank you, my love. I needed that more than you could know,” he said, kissing my jaw and neck. He rested his head on my chest for a few moments before lifting up to look in my eyes. “Oh shit, I forgot about Leonora. We’ve got to see what happened.”

“What do you mean about Leonora? What do you know?” I asked, looking up at him for answers.

“Falcon killed Nero and saved Leonora, but she was injured. I wonder if they are in the lab or elsewhere. Shit, the staff will be coming in shortly.” He pulled away from me. “I’m going to change really fast. I’ll be back in two minutes.” He gave me a peck on my lips then disappeared.

I straightened my clothes while I waited for him to come back. I knew he wouldn’t be long and the first major battle was behind us. Relief flooded me, knowing my vision had been accurate and that I made the right choice. She would heal and hopefully forgive me for not saying a word about it or lifting a finger to help her. I knew without a doubt Falcon wasn’t going to take too kindly to my decision. He loved Nora like Draco loved me and she could have died. He wouldn’t understand, so I mentally forgave him before I could forgive myself.

I looked into my mirror, fixing my hair. My suit looked almost as pristine as it had been when I got into work, despite Draco screwing me senseless. Right now, I looked like the consummate professional, which reminded me that the staff were going to be here soon. Something would have to be said. No way could we cover up the incident in the lab without some excuse, and I didn’t have one ready. There would have to be some announcement and plan of action for the future. There was no way the lab wouldn’t be compromised with possible return attacks by The Lamian Army.

Draco returned, looking dapper in a fresh, clean suit and his hair combed through with his fingers. He was much faster than me and had managed to do everything before I straightened myself up. “I’m going to call Falcon,” he said. He sat at my desk and dialed Falcon’s cell, setting the phone on speaker. I was going to lean over the desk, but Draco gave me a come-hither look and patted his thigh. Good, I needed his touch right now.

“What’s going on, Charlotte?” Falcon answered abruptly, making me tense up. He was mad at me for sure. I couldn’t miss that tone.

“It’s me. How’s Leonora?” Draco asked, gripping me a bit tighter, easing some of my tension.

“She’s still unconscious.” Defeat was laced in his voice. I understood. Letting her suffer had been unbearable for me, but his pain was deeper, intense, and burning. “What happened at the castle? Tell me Mary and Dante are fine.”

“They are. The staff is cleaning the castle, just awaiting your commands,” Draco informed him. It hit me that things had just shifted. The few weeks of bliss were gone, and danger and hard work were headed our way. My combat skills weren’t even close to Leonora’s, and she was hurt. I could be easily killed. Training was in my near future, if only I didn’t feel like shit all the time.

“I’m not ready to make those decisions yet. I still have to deal with the lab and the staff. I can’t have them strike with my employees around. We don’t want our secret out.”

“I will deal with the staff today, and then we can meet to go over the rest when you are ready,” Draco said. I could see that he had already considered that Falcon wasn’t ready to deal with things that didn’t revolve around Nora.

“That’ll work. Come to me tomorrow. I need time to be with my mate, but we must ready to move before they strike again.”

“She will wake, Falcon,” I said to him. My vision was only that she’d be hurt not killed.

“Yes, but when? Have you anything to add?” he asked, his tone less than friendly.

“I don’t know, Falcon. I haven’t had a vision other than the course of action that was taken today.”

My mate eyed me suspiciously. “I will speak to you on the morrow. If anything arises at the castle, Dante will contact us,” Draco added.

“Very well.” Falcon disconnected the call.

“You knew what was going to happen to Leonora today, didn’t you?” he asked, but there wasn’t an undertone of anger. There was sympathy in his words.

I nodded because I couldn’t speak; guilt filled me up.

“Don’t be ashamed, Charlotte. Don’t feel guilty. It’s not your fault you were given a gift. If you didn’t have it, where would we be?”

I refused to meet his eyes because I wasn't sure I could let the guilt go. He grabbed my chin and turned my face to his. "Don't cry, my love. It's not your fault. You've been given a gift that comes with a burden, and now I understand Falcon's frustration with his mother's gift. I want to make it better, to help you, but I can't. Has this been what has had you waking up in tears?"

"Yes," I admitted, still sobbing in my hands. He held me every night regardless of me not being able say a word about them.

"Oh, Charlotte." He rocked me in his arms, easing the heartache I'd been coping with. "She's going to be well, and I'm sure you did the right thing.”

"Thank you, Draco. I know it was the right thing, but it still hurts. I let her suffer terribly."

"Well, how about we focus on something else? We have to address the staff about a temporary shutdown. Everything they are working on will be viable when we come back in a few days." We knew what everyone was working on. I didn’t know what was viable or not; I’d have to take his word for it.

"Okay. We better get down there then. They’ll be here in about 10 minutes."

I gathered up my composure and fixed my makeup. Draco smiled at me then kissed me hard. "I just put that on," I griped.

"I know, but you belong to me and they already think you're beautiful,” he informed me.

"Silly man," I teased because we both know he is so much more than a man. “Let’s get down there.”

“Oh, what about Vigo? Isn’t he already supposed to be here?” Draco asked before we stepped on the elevator. I hadn’t thought about that either. My thoughts had been full of dread for Leonora and Vigo wasn’t in the visions, so I completely let him slip from my head. It was strange since he was the only vampire Falcon had trusted to work on the cure before Leonora showed up in their world. Vigo was hard working and determined to find the cure for his wife and child.

“Do you think we should check the lab first?” I asked, hating the idea of seeing the aftermath, but it was probably a good idea.

“Hit the button, love.” I hit the lab level and closed my eyes, mentally bracing myself for what was to come. I took a deep breath as the elevator came to a stop. The moment we stepped out of it, Draco was holding me in his arms, my face pressed tightly to his chest. He smelled so wonderful; I didn’t want to pull away. I took in his scent and tried to use it as my strength.

“I know this is hard, Charlotte, I do, but you know that she will be well. This was a must. And now, we have to be strong and continue as we were meant to.” He kissed my forehead and took my hand, leading us to the lab. His hand in mine eased the tension in my body. I understood that our love was greater than just a normal love. Our bond was deeper than any human one could ever be. We felt each other, and his strength flowed through me when I needed it most. He was more than my rock, he was my everything. Until this moment, I hadn’t realized the depth of our connection. We were bound in every way possible. I wouldn’t be able to exist without him.

He pressed his card to the reader and opened the door. Vigo turned to us and smiled. It wasn’t the full genuine smile that he always had. I liked Vigo. He had a good soul and glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“It is good to see you made it back very much intact. I’m afraid to ask about the battle, but it is good to know you are safe.”

“Yes, well it has been a long while since I’d battled. I’m grateful I made it out.” Draco’s eyes turned to the floor around where Vigo was sweeping. He pursed his mouth, looking down at the mess. I scanned the area myself. My heart was in my throat as I looked at everything that was overturned - the blood splatter, broken equipment, and shattered glass.

I gulped, holding back the building vomit in my gut. Wow, nausea was hitting me hard. I rushed from the room as fast as I could and dashed into the women’s restroom down the hall. Draco was behind me in an instant and held my hair as I puked everything out. I only had a half bagel and a sip of coffee, so it wasn’t long until I was dry heaving and did that suck horribly. I suppose I deserved a bit of pain after my silence.

“Charlotte, are you okay?” Draco rubbed my back, then grabbed a paper towel, wetting it and bringing it back to me. I stood up and wiped my face. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay now. I guess it was too much to be in there.”

“Let’s go down to wait for the staff to arrive. I love you, Charlotte, and I promise that I will make it right.” He held me not knowing that he made everything right by just existing. I stood straight up and collected myself. There were things to attend to, and they couldn’t wait for me to get my shit together.

As we got down to the lobby, the head of security greeted us, and Draco replied, “Hello Meyers, please have all staff members wait here. We need to have a brief yet important meeting.”

“Okay, boss.” Wonder what this is all about, Meyers thought to himself. Shit, I hadn’t thought about what we’d say and we didn’t get to talk about it.

He pulled me to the side and we sat on the sofa farthest from the desk, my heels clicking fast all the way there. “What are you going to tell them?”

“I don’t know.” I intertwined my fingers with his and thought this conversation was better kept super private.

Maybe an accident in the lab? Someone broke in? I tossed out some vague options.

Yes, an accident sounds plausible. I don’t want cops in the lab. We need to either destroy what’s left in there or take it out of there.

Sounds good to me, just keep it short and vague and we’ll go from there.

They all started coming in like clockwork. It was about ten minutes after the first employee walked in that all of them were in the lobby. They were looking around curious and a bit nervous, especially since Falcon had suddenly fired two employees very recently.

Draco clapped his hands once and garnered everyone’s attention toward him. “Okay, now that I have you all here, there was an accident in the private lab this morning and we’re closing the facility for the next few days.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Henry asked. We could hear all their thoughts, which were running wild with suppositions.

Oh goodness, I hope no one died.

It’s what they get for keeping everything in there a secret.

Glad I wasn’t working in there now.

Draco answered, “Yes, the future Mrs. Lombardi was injured. She’s at home recovering, but she will be fine. The lab will need to be repaired, and due to flying particles from the repairs, it’s best to have the entire facility closed. You will still be paid for the days off. Think of it as a vacation. Thank you for your time and you may all go home now.”

“Do you think it will be all week?” I’d love to take a vacation.

“I’m not sure. It will depend on the builders,” Draco answered.

Ha. In that case, it’ll be a month. “What day should we come back?”

“How about we all come back next Monday. Make it a full week.”

“Sounds good to me. The wife has been asking for some time away,” Henry said.

They all left without any more questions, and we went back upstairs to meet with Vigo. Draco wanted to get some details from him. There were still things we didn’t know. I couldn’t even say what happened in there. I just knew the basics.

Vigo was waiting for us, picking up some of the broken beakers and tossing them in the garbage.

“How did it go?” he asked.

“Okay, I suppose. They believed the story of an accident in here,” I answered.

“Yes, but we need to talk to Falcon about what he wants us to do. There could be an attack on the lab again and we can’t have that,” Draco said, running his hands through his thick hair. My pussy twitched when he did that. Even though he did it in frustration, I found it sexy. My emotions were completely out of whack. I wondered if it was because of all the chaos and the heightened adrenaline.

Vigo dusted off his hands on a towel and said, “I’m about done cleaning. I need to check on my wife. I don’t know how safe it will be for her if they should come after me.”

Draco nodded. “Yes, well, stay close to her and call if you need us. We’ll talk to Falcon tomorrow about the lab. I think you should be at home, but it all depends on him. Is there anything you can tell us about what happened?”

“Leonora is a warrior. She managed to fight off death from Falcon’s nephew, and she remembered where I kept the sword and reacted correctly. I’m so proud of her. I would have been done for if I had faced him. I need to work on my fighting skills.”

“Well, you can always train with the other vampires,” Draco offered.

“If I knew my wife was safe, I would go right away,” he replied.

“Maybe we can work something out.” Draco patted him on the shoulder. “We’re going to get this resolved. I just know it.”

“I know. I feel that your mates are the key to it all, and I hope that Leonora won’t be too afraid to return to the lab. I’ll see you both later.” He slipped off his lab coat, grabbed his satchel, and walked out.

“Let’s go home now. I spent too much time away from you. I want to make love to you until we have to meet with Falcon with only occasional food breaks.”

“But we don’t meet until tomorrow.”

“And I need to feel you close to me for as long as I can.” He took my mouth with his and wrapped his arms around my waist. Then he transported us home.