by Sydney Addae
Gem continued eating and a few moments later placed her fork on the empty plate. The waiter removed the empty plates and offered desserts, which Gem declined. He topped off her wine, emptying the bottle, and placed the check on the table. Gem glance at the total and gave him her card as Damian returned.
"Did you want dessert?" she asked him.
"No, I'm good," Damian said and pulled out his wallet. "We can leave after I take care of this."
"I put it on my card," Gem said. "La Patron gave me an expense account too."
He nodded and put his away.
"Were you raised in a lab?" Heat raced to her face at the surprised look he gave her. Goddess what was the matter with her? Why would she blurt something like that? Now he'd think she was some nosy bitch intruding in places she didn't belong.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing. Just... you mentioned that when you looked at the cross earlier and I thought... no, I wondered. Nothing. Forget I asked." Face on fire, she stood and took a couple steps to the door.
"Miss... Miss Okla," the waiter called, waving her credit card and the check at her.
She forced a smile as she stopped and signed the slip, leaving him a large tip. Damian placed a large bill in the waiter’s hand as well, and they left.
A few moments later they were back on the highway. Quentin seemed revived and played light jazz on the radio. Gem wished she could sit on the third row of seats instead of the one behind Damian. What would he think? That she was interested in him or something? It was the ‘or something’ that bothered her most. Shifting her position to directly behind him, she stretched out, grabbed her jacket from the back, balled it up and placed it behind her head, fully intending to try to rest. Or hide so he couldn't see her pretend to sleep.
"Yes, I was born and raised in a lab."
Gem froze and looked at the back of Damian's head. Swallowing the pity rising from his stark words she had no comeback, nothing to say to his answer.
"Speechless?"
"In a way. I'm not sure if you'd appreciate questions, you seemed offended before."
"Surprised, not offended. I'd forgotten about the cross."
She nodded and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Did you know your mother?"
"No. I may have seen her but didn't know who she was."
"Who raised you then?"
He chuckled but it lacked humor. "Raised me? That's the $20.00 or $2,000,000.00 question. I had several instructors over the years. When I was older, a man named Gordon took interest in me and we bonded."
"Human?"
"Sort of. He was a member of the Liege. They had similar powers as us in healing and long life. Something to do with a covenant with Alphas a long time ago. My sire, Hawke, was taken as a pup and bred. I was one of his offspring."
She swallowed her gasp. "Did he know? About you?"
"Not until the Liege thought it'd be fun to pit me against him. He knocked me on my ass and slapped sense into me. It wasn't pretty at the time, but it was the best thing to happen to me."
Gem smiled. "I can only imagine."
"What?"
"I’ve talked to Hawke and he is super-intelligent. Hearing he's a warrior makes it better."
"After several experiments on his body he's almost impossible to kill, so he rarely fights. He thinks it's unfair. And as long as his mate or den isn't in danger, he's peaceful."
"What about you?"
"I love to fight."
"I know that. I meant has your body been altered?"
He was silent for a long moment. "Yes, metal in my arms and legs."
"That's why your hybrid is so big?" Gem recalled him moving the tree from the road.
"I suppose."
"What about the cross?" she asked, sensing his alterations were a sore spot.
"Cross?"
"The one we took from Ivona's bag."
"Oh, it was in the laboratory on a shelf, he used it in training. I asked Gordon about it and he said it had been a gift from someone. Later I found out he'd had a Mistress and she'd given it to him. Strange, he never said who she was and I never asked. I never saw the woman and haven't thought about it until now."
"That's a huge coincidence. Maybe that just looked like the cross on the shelf. There's got to be more than one, right?"
"Maybe. I don't know. Ivona would've been too young for his Mistress."
"Perhaps her mother?"
"Could be."
"There's a younger child, a daughter."
"Yeah, there is. The only kids he mentioned were his two sons."
"He came from an era where male offspring were the only ones mentioned," she reminded him.
"Good point." He paused. "That would suck big time if it turns out Gordon's daughter is Ivona's sister."
"That would explain her knowledge of pack and breeds," Gem said.
"Yeah, it would," Damian said. "But I don't want to think of her when I think of him. He was the one bright spot in my life growing up. Now that I know what a sire is, I can say he wasn't that, but at the time I would've died for him."
"I understand. I don't know my sire, my mam refused to ever speak of him. They had a tempestuous relationship at best. She ran away, relocated, changed our names, and hid from his pack. When she met her mate, he accepted me, but I always sensed mam was ashamed of my connection to her past. We don't talk much and when we do, it's brief, as if she has little to say unless it's to brag on the little ones." She inhaled and covered her mouth. What had gotten into her? She never discussed mam or her home life. Her chest tightened in shame. She'd said too much.
"Well, I don't know your mam or sire, but I doubt either of them have the ear of La Patron as you do. He's extremely pleased with your work and he's seen a lot of doctors over the years. If your mam is ashamed of you, La Patron certainly isn't. In my way of thinking that's a higher praise."
Gem's chest warmed as she basked in the sincerity of his words.
Damian stiffened and looked at Quentin. "I'm sorry, Sir. What did you say?" he asked La Patron.
"I just received a ransom note, for lack of a better word, from Agatha, the head of a coven over there. The gist of it is she says we overstepped and took the Lamia, and they took Raoul. Now they'd like to switch."
"Switch? But we don't have the Lamia, she's in Barticus' compound surrounding his den."
"Yes, but at my request. I am waiting for Barticus to contact me so we can determine how to answer this threat. Continue to the compound and wait my instructions. Be careful, I'm sure they're watching. The last thing I want is to start an international incident with witches for attacking my representatives, but I've made it clear that's what will happen if they touch a hair on your bodies."
Damian appreciated the support. "And Raoul?"
"Barticus is his Alpha but I'm sure he feels the same. Stay alert."
"What happened?" Gem asked, watching expressions chase across his face.
He repeated what La Patron said.
A sharp pain lanced Gem's head and she held it tight in both hands, screaming in agony.
The car swerved as Quentin jerked at the noise.
"Gem," Damian yelled. "What’s wrong?"
"Lamia, she's in my head."
Chapter 21
Silas strode down the corridor at a fast pace, creating a staccato sound from the clicks of his boots on the concrete. His thoughts raced ahead as he fought his beast for control. When he reached the conference room the door opened and Hawke met his gaze. Silas stopped, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled.
"Are you okay?" Angus asked.
"Yes, just need a few minutes, I'll be inside soon."
"Okay." Angus said.
"Silas? What happened?" Jasmine asked.
"Can you leave the pups and come to the conference room? I'm about to brief everyone."
"Give me a few minutes."
Thankful for the extra time to squash the rage bubbling inside, he turned, walked a few feet from the door and placed his hand on the wall. Tak
ing deep breaths, he prayed to the Goddess for wisdom. He needed to tread lightly in this, but he didn't want to. Hawke closed the door and remained in the hall with him. Silas wasn't ready to share and appreciated Hawke's silence.
The click of heels coming closer drew his gaze. Dressed in a long beige sweater, matching beige skirt and heels, with an open collar white blouse, his mate's beauty and grace took his breath away. The concerned look she wore as she searched his face warmed him. He reached for her and she took his hand.
"The pups okay?"
"Yes, just finished homework and are having a snack. Are you okay?"
"I will be, just pissed. Come on, Barticus and Amynta are inside waiting with everyone else."
"Are you ready? Your beast is still agitated." She placed her hand on his chest and moved it in a circular motion. Nothing topped this closeness she had with his wolf. A chuffing sound escaped his lips and he pulled her close in a loose embrace.
"What he'd like, he can't have right now. Later though."
"Whatever you need, Wolfie, you know that." Those few words spoken with promise and confidence calmed his beast.
He kissed the back of her hand and thanked the Goddess again for the gift of his mate. They walked inside and greeted everyone. Silas' gaze landed on the two chairs Angus left for them and started in that direction. Jasmine pulled away with outstretched arms.
"Hi Mom." Tyrese, one of the twins, called to Jasmine as he came around and hugged her.
"Hi sweetie, how's Danielle?"
"Good, out on an assignment in Richmond. She'll be back tomorrow."
Angus smiled at Silas' disgruntled look, crossed his legs and continued working on a crossword puzzle.
"Mom." Tyrone, the other twin, said as he placed a kiss on Jasmine's cheek.
She patted his face. "Hi Rone, how are my grandsons? I stopped by to see them the day after you guys got back from the beach, but they were sleep and I haven't had time since then."
Silas glanced at Jacques, his administrator and mate to Jasmine's mother, Victoria. Jacques held up his coffee cup in greeting.
"Growing but doing okay. Rose plans to take them to the playroom to hang with the kids in a little bit." Tyrone and Tyrese both returned to their seats as Silas guided Jasmine to the chair next to his, but she slipped away again.
"Amynta, Barticus, it's good to see you. Asia told me how much fun you had on your trip to Orlando."
Amynta, Asia's mom, smiled and it was apparent where Asia got her exotic looks, the two could be sisters. "It was fun and relaxing at the same time. Sarita kept us on our toes, but we wouldn't have wanted it any other way." She smiled, looking at Hawke and Asia, Sarita's parents.
Jasmine accepted a one-armed hug from Barticus and returned to Silas' side and sat. Silas remained standing. For the next few minutes he brought everyone current on the situation with Damian, starting with the itching, the rational for the trip to Scotland, and the current dilemma.
"The Scotland witches are behind the itching?" Angus asked when he finished.
"No, that was Ivona, at least she claims it's all her." Silas looked at Hawke. "That's been taken care of, right?"
Hawke nodded. "Yes, we developed a serum that killed the itch and have alerted all Alphas of the potential problem. From now on the serum will be a part of their pharmacies."
"Everyone's been released from the clinics?" Jasmine asked.
"Yes, there have been no new cases," Hawke said.
"At least there's some good news," Jasmine said with feeling. "Something positive came out of the trip after all."
"Yes, Ma'am. If Dr. Okla hadn't gotten the ingredients during the trip, it's possible we might still be searching for a cure," Hawke said.
"So let me get this straight," Tyrese said. "Damian went to free the witch's mother, but that was a lie? She really wanted Raoul to help her find someone else?"
"We don't have all the pieces to the puzzle yet," Silas said. "After Raoul disappeared, Ivona told Damian she was searching for her ten-year-old sister. Seems the mother took the child to Scotland and Ivona's concerned."
"Why? Is Tara a bad parent or something?" Amynta asked.
"We don't know much about her other than she came into a large sum of money recently and the child is supposedly away at school. Although the servants don't believe that. They think something happened to the child," Silas said, glancing at Jasmine.
"Damian put Ivona out the car?" Tyrone asked with a wry grin.
"Yes," Silas said, glancing at Barticus. "But it was because she knew Raoul was her mate and sought to use that connection as a tool even though she had no intention of mating with him. Dr. Okla found a book in Ivona's bag that had notes on full-bloods, breeds, and breeders." He paused. "She also had a cross from the Liege's lab."
Asia and Hawke straightened while meeting his gaze.
"Damian identified it, he remembers seeing it when he was younger."
"The Liege?" Asia ground out. "Why won't they just die?"
Silas appreciated the aggravated expression on her face.
"They are obsolete, my dear," Barticus said, covering Asia's hand. "I've got most of the remaining ones locked away. I'm after one more. Roderick's time is running out and he knows it. But I'm enjoying the chase. This cross is something Damian recalls from his youth, which could've been ten or more years ago. What is Ivona doing with it?"
Silas shrugged, they had no real answers. "Damian and the doctor think it's possible Gordon had a relationship with Tara, Ivona's mother, since the cross once belonged to Gordon. Damian remembers the man had a mistress, but since Gordon never brought the woman around and never said anything particular about her, he never thought about it."
"Until now," Jacques said.
Silas nodded. "All of these are possibilities, nothing's been confirmed."
"Is it possible the witches took Raoul because of his mate?" Barticus asked.
"From what I was told, Raoul heard Ivona bragging of how she planned to use him for what she needed since he was tied to her, but not the other way around. He walked into the woods to calm down," Silas said.
"Or to shift," Asia said. "I'd need to run a bit if I heard that."
No one spoke for a few moments.
"So the witches were watching, they probably followed the Lamia in the woods, saw the doctor take her inside, and waited. They didn't attack which means they won't fight physically," Jasmine said. "Chances are some followed the Lamia and others followed Damian and set up the ambush. They thought it through, made plans on the run. I get that. What I don't understand is why? Why would Ivona risk her life the way she has? Why would Tara disappear? What is so important a coven of witches would risk a war by taking the son of the Alpha? I think the answers connect and we need to understand to make the right decisions. Because if we don't, who will the coven take next? What will they do? How far will each of these women go to get what they need and what will it cost us?"
Silas looked at his mate with pride. She nailed the crux of the situation to the table. Whereas his beast had no problem starting a war if necessary to protect pack, it was always better to think the matter through from the right perspective.
"Let's take each concern one at a time," Amynta said, and looked at Hawke. "Is there a way to check into Ivona's medical records? See if she was pregnant or had a child. Also her date of birth and sire. You may need to check her mother's travel records." She looked at Jasmine. "I can think of one reason I'd walk through Hades, face anyone's wrath with no thought of my own life." She looked at Asia. "To find my child. Ivona's actions remind me of myself. We won't know until it's confirmed, but my gut says the sister is really her daughter. If that's the case, it changes the complexion of this entire situation. Because she won't ever give up and Raoul will need to help his mate find her child."
"I agree," Silas said and covered Jasmine's hand. "My mate is on the right track with motivations." He looked at Hawke, whose fingers flew across the keyboard. "If Ivona is the child's mother,
and the child was sent away, it would answer the next question, Tara's disappearance. She left by boat when Ivona was on the way."
"Sounds like she was afraid to face her daughter, or the full-bloods," Tyrone said. "Which doesn't make sense. KnightForce has no jurisdiction over there. Once she told Damian she wasn't a prisoner, they would've left."
"Unless she thought they were coming to take the child, and the child wasn't there, so she ran," Tyrese said.
"The witch who left, the older hag," Amynta said, waving her hand. "She would've told the mother Ivona was on the way and why Damian was there. No, Tara knew Ivona lied to La Patron, which meant she understood her daughter's serious commitment to reclaim the child. If the child is in school, why not tell Ivona? As a parent or sister, I would not be upset over that. Instead of searching for Tara, Ivona would've flown to the school to see the child."
Asia nodded. "True." Her gaze met Jasmine's. "You said Tara came into a large sum of money lately?"
No one spoke as the ramifications of the question set in.
"That would make the witch run," Angus said into the silence.
"According to legend, the Lamia always takes the body of a young virgin female through a special ceremony. History places her allegiance with witches, something to do with them offering her spirit ease at the height of her pain when her children were taken." Barticus shrugged. "Whether you believe in it or not, the coven does. It's possible they are responsible for the transference and the child is the host for the Lamia. That would explain why the coven wants the child."
"But to take a full-blood and seek an exchange? Alpha Barticus' reputation precedes him, they know better." Jacques said. "There's more to this. A special ceremony? A spell? More power? Something else is at work here."
"Agreed," Silas said. "Maybe they didn't finish the ceremony and need to cement the deal. Or they made promises they need to keep. That was a large sum Tara received, the coven must be doing something to earn that type of money."
"Didn't the Lamia choose Dr. Okla or something like that?" Jasmine asked.
"Yes, she wanted to rest in the doctor, but our beasts don't take to sharing. When I arrived to assist in ridding her of the Lamia, her beast had already done a good job. It's possible the coven hadn't completed the ritual. I got the impression from the Lamia she wanted to remain with the doctor because she was a good, wholesome host."
