Page 10 of Little Mate

“Please forgive me.”

“You’re not making sense. Did someone harass you?”

My twin shakes her head, tears falling from her eyes. “No.”

“Did something happen at home?” A whimper leaves her, the sound so full of sorrow. “It had to be this way.”

Before she finishes, I’m standing. My eyes dart around, my hands pushing her out of my way so I can see past the tree line that leads to a small ravine on the back of the family home. Smoke billows above the foliage and a sinking feeling settles in my chest, the sharp tendrils of a last breath being exhaled shaking me to the core.

I know that presence.

“Tell me I’m wrong.” Reaching out, I grip the front of her dress and pull her closer. My head turns, and blue eyes meet my green ones. So much sorrow. So much guilt. “Where are they?”

“We’ve been attacked,” she says, voice breaking at the end. Her entire small frame shakes. “Dad sent me and Leo out through the tunnels. We made it out before they breached his office.”

“Who?”

“The Rossi.”

“Lilibeth’s family?” A girl I grew up with. One of my closest friends; she’s spent days in our house and ate with my parents. We were taught about our history in the same school. We learned about our distinct abilities from the same oracle—my nonna—when we were kids. And years later, when she met her mate, I blessed her union to a human when her father made his disappointment known. “That can’t be right. She—they’d never...”

“I’m sorry, Gabby. It had to be this way.” Betrayal stings, my stomach churning, but that quickly turns into ire, and I step back. Fire races through my veins before I’m done taking in my next inhale, her words settling deep. “Dad wouldn’t let me intervene. He forbade it.”

“You knew.” Not a question. The timbre of my voice is dark, harsh, as a veil of black overcasts my senses. “You fucking knew.”

“Everyone did, but you and Leo.”

“Why?” Isabella raises a hand, asking me to take it, but I won’t. I don’t want to share our energy or feelings through touch. Let them fester right now. Eat away at my soul that turns black, decays as pain rattles my bones. No. Not now. “Answer me, Isa. Why the hell would you hide this from me?”

“Because you couldn’t save him without dying, sister. And his last wish as king was for his children to save his people. We are what’s left.”

“And Mom? I didn’t feel her—”

She closes her eyes. Hides her shame. “They took her.”

I’m going to kill them all. Drain their essence and feed it to the earth. “Where’s Leo?”

“Hidden inside our tree.”

Walking past her, I head toward the hiding spot we’ve kept secret from everyone except those with familial ties. A large hollow oak stands a few feet inside the Moore property line, and which has been here for over sixty years; the inside is large enough to fit three, and the entrance is high enough to block the sight of those within.

Her steps fall in line with mine a few seconds later. Her anxiety mirrors my own. She’s wondering if I’ll forgive her, and I will, but not today. “First, we need our little brother safe, and then I need every detail, Isabella. No more secrets.”

“Yes.”

“We also need to find Mom.”

“We might not, and when the time comes, don’t hold back. I need you to embrace the pain; the outcome will be horrific if you don’t.”

“You’ve seen this, or—”

“Her destiny has always been intertwined with Dad. They will meet again.”

“Let it out. Just let yourself feel.” Isabella’s pain intertwines with mine, and everything around me darkens. The room feels as though it’s caving in on us. My throat feels hoarse, her energy feeding off mine as turbulent emotions ravage my soul.

I’m still hurting. I’m angry. I focus on the last tendrils of our parents’ spirits who linger near, something my siblings aren’t aware of. Our loved ones can’t find rest, their souls clamoring for peace, but the feeling of worry seems to dominate that small tether licking at my senses.

It’s not unfounded, and the future is uncertain: ours and those we are meant to lead, while so many want us dead.

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