by Jaymin Eve
The vampire clipped his brother across the back of the head, although even I could see he wore an expression of relieved happiness. He was okay with me and Braxton. I did briefly wonder if he’d have felt the same way if he hadn’t just found his mate. But fate circumvented that little issue for us.
Jacob chuckled. “I think my brothers are turning into whipped bitches, but I’m all good with that. Although I’m instilling a rule right now: no frisky business when we’re all in the bed.”
I wrinkled my nose in his direction. “In your dreams, Jake.”
His chuckles increased. “Hell yeah, only not with my brothers as the other parties.”
Okay, overshare much.
Braxton growled again. I pinned him with squinty eyes. “Stop that, Braxton Compass, your growling is giving me a headache.” It really wasn’t, but I needed to keep on top of his dominance or he’d smother me.
His fierceness faded under his amusement. I tried to ignore the way his smile heated my insides.
Jonathon cleared his throat. “I’m a little surprised you didn’t end up being true mates.”
Small beads of pain flashed through me as I narrowed my eyes on him. “How do you know we aren’t true mates?”
He turned his head as if the fierceness of my reaction surprised him. “Because you would have told us, and I don’t sense the sort of energy connection which should be bonding you.”
Louis leaned in toward me, his brow wrinkled. “Actually, they are bonded, but it seems to be … there was a problem with the bond.”
A variety of expressions shot across the faces around me. There were a lot of furrowed brows.
Braxton and I took turns explaining what had happened, from my journey to the land of the white mists, and Braxton’s two mate theory. The Compasses registered some recognition. They remembered Jo’s story too.
I growled. “I’m not exactly happy that fate seems to think I’m going to have to make a choice about my mate.” I hadn’t even known at the time that this choice bullshit was going to involve Braxton.
Louis tented his hands in front of him, before leaning into them. “That story from Jo is true,” he finally said. “The bond between you and Braxton will come to fruition in its own time. But there will be a choice and a challenge. Your young bond will be tested.”
“That’s some pretty obscure mumbo jumbo bullshit you are muttering there, sorcerer,” I snapped.
He was unfazed. “When it’s something this rare, and not caused by magic, then obscure is all I got.”
Braxton shook his head, his icy eyes taking in everyone at the table. “It doesn’t matter, Jess and I will weather any obstacle. We are true mates. I will accept nothing less.”
“Yes,” I agreed, but the tendrils of fear which were scooting through my veins indicated I was more worried than I was pretending. I couldn’t imagine anything in this world, or any other, which could make me doubt Braxton. But I hated overconfidence, it made you stupid, blind to what might be coming right at you. I wanted to be smarter than that. Especially if the choice I’d have to make could save or destroy the entire supernatural race.
We were all distracted as food landed in front of us. I was ecstatic that it seemed to be share platters, a mix of seafood, pasta, and lots of breads. I was too busy for the next little while to talk, but eventually I noticed that Cardia was not here.
“Where’s your mate?” I asked Maximus. He slowed his food intake just long enough to answer.
“She’s with her nest mates. They’re celebrating something.”
I stared at him for a few long beats. “You know you don’t have to miss out on those moments for us, we understand that you’re part of her family now too.”
I sort of understood that.
His lips narrowed, like he had some heavy thoughts going on. “We decided to take it slowly, this blending of two families. For now, I’m okay with that. I can feel her here.” He touched his chest. Lucky bastard didn’t have some weird, half-bond thing.
I squinted, trying to see the energy ties that Jonathon had talked of to recognize mates, but I saw nothing.
I caught my sister’s eye. She had been quiet for most of the meal, eyes downcast as she finished eating her ridiculously small amount of food. I seriously had to get some cake into her, she was becoming uncomfortably thin – fading away even, which was never a good sign for a shifter.
Melancholy seemed to have settled over her and I wasn’t liking it.
She caught my eye. “I’m sorry about your partial bond … maybe you got my share of matehood as well.” She attempted a grin, it was a ghost of true happiness.
I realized she must have been pondering my half bond, and behind her pitiful smile I could see the layers of pain radiating from her. Something was wrong with my sister; heartache bled from her. Could this just be about Maximus, or was there more? I needed to take the time and figure out what it was.
“You have a mate out there, Misch, and hopefully it’s a little less complicated than my … thing,” I said.
Tyson snorted then. “She called you a thing, Brax. God, I love Jess, but she’s going to destroy you, man. Run now, run while you can.”
I leaned across and punched the wizard on the arm. He ruffled my hair like I hadn’t just whacked him. Ass.
Pulling back, I met Braxton’s blue eyes. The dragon shifter didn’t reply to Tyson’s assness, but I could see the anticipation of a challenge in his gaze. I knew he wasn’t worried about us. We totally had this.
I was just reaching out to link my hand with his, when a thin, cold voice trailed over us. “Mischa, it’s time to introduce us to your sister.”
Swiveling around, I focused on the two females about ten feet from us. Judging by the Compass’ expressions, they were not friends. Both were blond, a smooth creamy yellow, unnatural, with large eyes that were dark and empty, and stick-thin figures. They looked to be about the same height as me.
Even without the energy of old magic coating them, I knew who they were. The identical expressions, the cold stares. They were the twins who had been breaking out dragon marked from prisons around the world. And corrupting my sister.
Chapter 12
I stood wordlessly, my eyes locked on them. My instincts were screaming that they were the enemy. They looked nothing like the females in my demented little dragon dream, but I knew it was them. I could feel their energy.
Mischa jumped to her feet, and before I could reach out and stop her she had dashed to the females, embracing the closest as if they were the best of friends; then she turned and hugged the other. Neither of them lifted their eyes from me, even over my own sister’s shoulder. It was as if they were taunting me, showing me how much they’d infiltrated into Mischa’s life, how close they were to her. Something cold was in my hand. I looked down and realized I’d reached out and snatched up one of the knives. It was pretty blunt, but it would work as a weapon.
Mischa had turned now and she waved at me. “Jess, come and meet the girls. They’ve been waiting for you to return.”
I’ll bet they had.
When I didn’t move, her green eyes darkened, and she did that nibble-on-the-corner-of-her-lip thing. “They’ve been helping me look for you. I don’t know what I would have done without their support.”
Both of the twins turned from me then, bestowing my clueless twin with smiles that gave me the creeps, but at least they had lost the dominance contest. They weren’t shifters like Mischa and I, though. I couldn’t tell which race they were from. I turned to my pack.
“What the hell happened with you all and Mischa while I was gone?” I was mainly directing my soft, but bluntly spoken question at Maximus.
His features hardened, although it looked a little like guilt and a lot like worry flashing across his eyes. “Let’s just say she didn’t react in a positive manner when I found Cardia.”
I had figured that was the issue. But why was she taking it so hard?
Lienda clued me in. “She thinks like a
human, not a supernatural. Especially when it comes to love.”
On occasion I forgot that Mischa hadn’t been raised in the supernatural world, so things like true mates didn’t mean anything to her. I had explained to her before that most supernaturals mated within their race, but there was so much more to it.
Supes had three types of relationships: a chosen mateship, which was not a destined match but still committed; a true mateship, which was forever and determined by the fates; and casual relationships.
It wasn’t easy to find a true mate, but if you were mated or in a relationship with a supernatural who found their true mate, you had no choice but to accept that it was over. No fighting, arguing, or even thinking twice about it, it was understood and very little drama occurred.
Which is why I never thought for a second that Mischa would take the whole Maximus and his little mate thing so hard. Firstly, I was pretty sure my sister and the vampire had never really been together, they just had this weird flirtation going on. And secondly, she knew they could never be true mates.
But the whole human part of her clearly felt differently. And now to ease her heartache she’d jumped straight into bed with what was quite possibly the enemy.
I catalogued the twin’s features. They were like Mischa and I, mostly the same but with a few flairs of difference. One was a little finer boned than her sister, and her hair had orange streaks through the blonde. I was going to call her Orange for the hair, and the other one Lemon.
The fruit twins.
Orange was speaking to me. “We have much to discuss with you, Jessa. You’re the fourth of our compass.”
I shook my head. “No thanks, Orange. I have my own set of Compasses, I don’t need to be the fourth of another.”
Jacob cracked up then, he drew the attention of most of the supernaturals in the street.
I snorted. “It wasn’t that funny, Jake.”
He doubled over as he continued laughing. “Shit, yes, it was funny as hell. You named her Orange. I’ll bet the other one is yellow … no, not yellow.” He squinted, his laughter trailing off. “Lemon.”
Our pack had clearly spent too much time together over the past twenty years.
Lemon – ignoring the comedian fey – took over the negotiations. “The dragon king rises in a few days, and you’re important. Don’t you want to fulfill your destiny? You’re chosen.”
“Chosen for what? To murder everyone?”
She shook her head. “Our destiny isn’t to kill anyone–”
“No, but the dragon king will kill the lot of us. I won’t be a part of it.”
“You have no choice. It’s your destiny.”
I sighed, shifting my fingers for a better grip on the knife. Jonathon was standing at my side and I could see the tension radiating off him, his hands were clenched. Most of us around the table were standing now. It was like a high-noon showdown. Mischa was looking more and more miserable from where she lingered between the two groups.
I let my wolf and dragon rise to the surface, just enough that my energy was strong. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen up, fruit twins. I am never freeing the dragon king. Never. Ever. Ever. Ever.” I drifted my gaze across to Mischa. “You need to step away from them, they are just using you for their own gains. You can’t trust them.”
Lemon grinned, showing all of her teeth. “Mischa has sworn an oath to help us with this task.”
In my head I had already flung the knife into her smug face, somehow I restrained myself. And more than a little of my annoyance was directed toward my twin. Could she really be so stupid as to promise these bitches anything?
Mischa’s large eyes widened even further. “No, you never said the task was for the dragon king. You said it was to help proliferate the supernatural race.”
Okay, apparently she wasn’t stupid, just naïve again … or maybe both. We needed to get her a keeper or something, because she was shithouse at making decisions herself.
“The rise of the dragon king will proliferate the supernatural race. He will bring about a strength and unity which has been sorely missing with all of the divided races.” Orange waved her arm in a circle. “Look here at the sanctuary, all different races existing together, all bound because of the mark we wear. That mark is our birthright, our loyalty to the king of all races.”
I held up a hand. “I’m going to stop you right there, because the crazy train has already left the station and I think you missed your seat.” I sat back down and turned away from them. “I’m done giving you any of my time.”
Lemon and Orange took a step toward me, but the growl and wash of power from my father had them pausing. Braxton hadn’t said anything, but together with his brothers they were more than intimidating as they stood side by side.
I continued watching the fruit twins, even though I was acting dismissive. They were examining the powerful members of my family. Then they straightened, and dialed back some of the dominance they’d been broadcasting.
“Mischa…” Lienda’s voice was soft but to the point. She held out her hand for her daughter to join her.
Thankfully the fruit twins didn’t have their slimy grip too tight yet, because there was barely any hesitation before Mischa crossed back to us. I thought for a moment Lemon was going to reach out and grab her, but she didn’t.
“We’ll see you both soon.” I got double grins of malice before the twins faded off.
I turned to Quale. “Tell us everything about those two before I smash you in the face.”
I slammed the tip of the knife into the table, lodging its blunt end in about an inch. I was not liking this place, or the freaking dragon mystics.
Louis rubbed a hand over his chin, interrupting before his brother could answer. “Jess, it’s not Quale’s fault.”
I swung my glare around to him. “Like hell it isn’t. It’s his fault and it’s your fault. Why the crap did you send us here? This is like a cult recruiting to raise the freaking evil king. And I’m apparently one of the four females required for the job.” Panic and betrayal swelled in my gut, my throat tightened. “Did you know about that? Did you send me here for that reason?”
He reached out to take my hand, but a hard glare from Braxton had him backing off. “No, Jess, I promise it was just about keeping you safe. The sanctuary is the one place the Four will never find you, and it’s only for a few more days. Once we pass the thousand year mark, we can make a new plan.”
I tried to think. “I have to leave. I can’t stay here. I can’t be in Romania.”
My father took my hand, trying to calm me. “If you’re not in the sanctuary or Drago at the time of the rising, you’ll die. I can’t lose you. If the king rises, we will deal with it.” Jonathon’s voice had a layer of ice over it. I recognized the tone, he was both worried and pissed.
I rubbed the back of my neck, the tension there becoming painful. “So … even if I don’t help them open the tomb or raise the king or whatever bullshit plan they have, I still have to be here or at Drago? All of the marked do?”
Quale spoke, “That’s the rumor, and there is no way to know until the final strike of midnight on the Day.”
He said “day” like that was its title.
“Tell me about the twins.” I was focused on him again. “How do they break into the prisons?”
Quale looked around, I think to determine if anyone was listening in. I was pretty sure lots of supernaturals were listening in. We were in the middle of a freaking restaurant.
“I’m not totally sure, they keep their secrets very close to their chest. I have guessed at a few skills: they can sense dragon marked supernaturals – which makes it easy to find them hidden in the prison – and they can also influence the minds of males. Mostly those who are weaker, but still, in every prison they have found someone to help them.”
Influencing minds, like controlling other supernaturals? That was both wicked and scary as heck.
“Why don’t Mischa and I have cool power
s like that?”
Louis answered me. “They’re old and have had a long time to develop their abilities. You and Mischa are young, and your powers have been blocked and bound for most of your lives.” He turned to my shell-shocked twin. “Mischa’s marked powers still are.”
I lowered my voice. “Do they have a large dragon mark too?”
There was a few confused looks around the table, but not from Louis. The damn sorcerer always knew everything. Well, clearly not everything, we still had a crap-ton of unanswered questions. But he was on point most of the time.
I explained for the confused. “From what I’ve seen the supes in here have small dragon marks. Mine is like half my side and back.”
Quale shrugged. “I’ve never seen the twin’s marks, and the other mystics haven’t either, but I can tell you that there have been none to enter in the last few hundred years which have a large mark.”
I was sure that the fruit twins had massive marks too. Why would I be the only one in this compass? Mischa lowered her head but didn’t say anything. Her expression troubled me.
Tyson pushed back strands of brown hair. “The spirits – magical essence inside – is urging us to unlock Mischa’s mark, let her and Jessa figure out what their twin-abilities are.”
“No!” Jonathon’s tone was short and hard. “I don’t think there could be anything worse right now than releasing more energy for the dragon king to manipulate.”
Mischa’s chair screeched as she lurched to her feet. “You think I’m weak and stupid. You don’t trust me with my powers. Shit, I was raised with humans, I freaking think like one, and you’re doing nothing to help me adjust.”
She was yelling and waving her hands. Plus she’d just sworn in front of her mother, who had very definite ideas about ladies and bad language.
Mischa turned tail and took off. I could see my parents were about to go after her, but I stopped them. “I’ll go. We need to have a bit of a talk, and I think it’s better if no one else is there.”
