My mom said, “That’s very true, Caleb.” She turned to my Uncle, “Please brother, you already set part of him on fire. So I hardly see how JP is taking your lines.” She opened a portal that Grimes and Cindy came through with Aunt Calista.
Rain chuckled, “Because Uncle Gunner and Uncle Harper were already here. Cindy jumped in, “My son’s feelings tell me he met his mate. So, who is she? Where is she? What happened? Did that Fairy hurt my future daughter in law?” Uncle Aiden answered, “Yes, he did.”
Cindy gasped, “Grimes, you help our son get him right now! I will pull all our kids to us, and you all will handle this while I track my daughter in law down and…” She trailed off then said, “I’m not a doctor so I can’t help but I can hold her hand. I’ll also find the kitchens here and start cooking up a storm of comfort foods.”
Uncle Aiden chuckled, “That’s heartwarming. It was an emotional hurt, not physical. He’d be dead already if he physically hurt my niece.” Grimes jumped in and held Jedisdale down. Beagan wiped her tears away. I nudged her, “He sees you as his daughter already.” She sobbed and the wind gently touched her back. I said, “I think your dad wants you to know he’s here for you.” She held onto me and cried.
Everyone knew we were here now. Cindy Turks trudged over to us with my mom. She asked, “Is that Bea?” I answered, “It is.” She grinned, “Good. JP has had such a crush over her voice and sparkling personality. I’ve never heard the boy talk so much about a woman. He actually used the words ‘sparkling personality.’ He’s quite verbose about her.”
Cindy held her closely. She said, “I wish I didn’t know how someone’s remarks disregarding the person you are didn’t cut, but I do. Until my cousin, Alyssa Blanch, set me up as the cook for the Hackura realm I was in a pack. I have a little wolf blood, but no wolf. I wasn’t ever made to feel as less, but the comments they never thought about hurt sometimes. I once dated a man for months who lost his mate. He was baffled when I broke things off after he told me he was passing the time with me.” I winced and so did Beagan.
Cindy turned to my mom, “Haley, let’s pop us to the castle. The boys will be out here for a while since I pulled all my kids. Oops. My kids all adore each other, but my youngest little girl goes full golden eyed about anyone upsetting her big brothers. I guess that Fairy is going to have a very bad day. I’d feel bad about that, but it does make JP happy. Which makes me happy.” Beagan giggled then sobered.
She said, “He doesn’t deserve to die because he doesn’t want me.” Mom agreed, “No, that’s perfectly fine. To say such hurtful things was uncalled for and the reason they are so fucking pissed off.” They seemed like an evasion which meant my mom was pissed too.
Beagan asked, “Are you going to stop them Aunt Haley?” My mom tilted her head, “You know, I have other things to do. I’ll get back here eventually. He might be fucking dead by then though. Oops.” Cindy chuckled and mom popped us away.
Aunt Lucinda and Aiylee joined us. Aiylee hugged Beagan, “I’m so happy for you! A mostly Hackura, a little wolf, and human mix just for Bea.” Beagan blushed, “He’s so hot.” She gasped and looked at Cindy. She apologized, “I’m so sorry.”
Cindy laughed, “Sweetie, I’ve been in the Hackura realm fourteen years now. JP’s birthday was yesterday. He’s our oldest and I tried not to let him feel how much I wanted to see him while he was on his mission. You finding out he’s your mate means I will get to throw his birthday party. So, thank you.”
Beagan asked, “How did you know? He’s not supposed to know for two more years.” Cindy took her hands, “His feelings told me he’d met his mate. I knew that narrowed down the supernatural his mate could be. I felt his jolt of possessiveness and anger before everything made sense to him. So, I could even tell you what time you told him he was yours.” Beagan blushed.
We spent the night drinking and laughing. My mom left to join the men and Cindy had gone to sleep. Beagan was faking it. I whispered, “You don’t snore.” She jolted up, grabbed me, and popped us to some strange house I’d never been in.
I asked, “What is this place?” She whispered, “A place from a dream that’s real. I have nightmares about living here with my half siblings other than Lila and Jarrod. My date said I wasn’t just a test tube experiment baby. He said I was pieced together, and I know it’s true. We all do.”
I winced, “Bea…” She cut me off, “No, it is true. Fig only has water and fire blood. Dad was Fire, Earth, and Sky. We should all have that, and we don’t. My mom is Earth and Sky. Yet I only have Earth and Fire.” I pointed out, “Those are your parents’ strongest powers.” She reasoned, “That’s not how blood words or you’d only have Sky.”
I sighed, “What are we looking for?” She answered, “Anything. My mom won’t tell me the story of how her and dad decided to have me. If my nightmares are real, and this place suggests they were, then they didn’t decide at all.” I asked, “What good comes from this?” She said, “I have to know. He called me a freak, Cass. Maybe this is why my sight is so different from anyone else with sight. Maybe they took that from me here.”
I said, “Well, he’s likely being tortured to death. You are NOT a freak. There’s literally a name for the type of sight you have. It’s rare which makes it special.” She shrugged basically ignoring what I said as she looked through papers.
I grabbed her hands, “Bea, no matter what we find I need you to know that you are person this world needs to know. Jed whatever his stupid name was is wrong.” She wiped her tears and nodded. I flipped through things thinking this Fabian dude was disgusting.
I looked over to check on her and she was staring at a piece of paper. I popped to her. It had a number on it. I asked, “What’s this?” She whispered, “Me. I’ve heard a horrid man in my dreams call me this.” I snorted, “It’s a number. It can’t be you.” She insisted, “It is me.” I rubbed her arms, “Ok.”
She cried, “He did experiments on my parents and I’m the result.” I reasoned, “The best result ever. This makes so much sense. Your mom has ALWAYS said you were the best blessing she prayed for concupiscence after concupiscence. She wanted you more than words could say. This Fabian jerk was clearly a deviant person, but he gave us you guys.”
She whispered, “Thanks for coming with me.” I held her in my arms. I told her, “I need to know that you’re ok or I’m getting an adult.” She told me, “I just needed to cry it out. It does make me feel better. I’ve always had these nightmares that flare up. I thought my dad knew about me and refused to be healed anyway.” I winced at that. She admitted, “Now, I know he really didn’t even know about me. Or any of us. It helps.” I popped us back to the room and we settled down as if we never left.
I noticed when JP picked her up and carried her away and managed to keep my smile off my face. I was so happy for Beagan. A Hackura would suit her nicely and I knew JP pretty well even though he wasa little younger than me. He was a good guy. Beagan went into her concupiscence the next week with JP at her side.
Aiylee popped to me. She said, “Let’s go have fun.” We popped away to a spa. She said, “You’ve been too serious lately.” I smiled saying, “I am so happy for Bea.” She nodded, “That entire thing was fucked up.” I agreed, “It really was. Thankfully, Exsis asked the question he did.” She grinned, “He is the best. I’m ever so glad your bitchy grandma died and he had to pop in to see Heath Scott.”
I laughed, “Yeah, that’s one of the good things about her dying.” Aiylee winked, “The best thing is she can’t upset you anymore.” I gasped, “I thought you’d say it was meeting Exsis.” She said, “I would’ve met Exsis eventually. I should’ve but that blasted Fabian…” She gasped and covered her mouth.
I asked, “So, you know him.” She blinked, “I’m sorry, you know him?” I evaded, “I read about him.” She frowned, “He’s supposed to be wiped from all the books around here. I’ll tell dad he’s not.” I admitted, “I’ve heard his name around too.” Since I’d read about him, I’d been listening harder. I said, “He sounds like a horrible person.” She looked haunted and whispered, “You have no idea.”
I reached for her hand, “Did he hurt you, cousin?” She flinched, “He was going to. I told my mom, and she ran away with me.” She wiped tears away, “Fabian is why I didn’t meet Exsis sooner. He didn’t want to be near the man.” Why was a man like Fabian near our family?
She waved, “I missed time with my dad because of him. I did meet your dad though. That was a combination of the Werewolf war and the man who shall not be named.” I asked, “Huh? How have I never heard this story?”
She laughed, “I truly don’t know. My mom and I were living in your territory when the war broke out. We’d gone to him when we moved and he promised us his protection. He came to see us personally and let us know that we’d be safe in his lands. I always thought he was a strong and courageous man.”
I agreed, “He definitely is.” I was proud of my dad for sheltering Fairies that he knew even when they were at war. He would’ve been perfectly within his rights to hold them under house arrest, but he didn’t. He was a good man. I sighed, “He gives one an impossible standard to meet.”
She chuckled, “But your Cayden could meet it.” I smacked her arm, “He’s not mine.” Rain growled at me. I appeased her, “That we know of.” She settled. Aiylee rolled her eyes saying, “If that man is smart, he will try to make you his whether you are his fated or not.” I told her, “You know I want my fated.” She urged, “But he intrigues you.” Rain purred in my head.
