by Morgan Fox
Tiffany frowned. “You’re not coming?”
“This is as far as I’m allowed to go. The rest is up to you.” Augustus opened the door. “Good luck, Ms. Miles.”
Tiffany swallowed hard as she crossed the threshold. Off to the left was the front desk where a long line of people waited to check in. To the right was the hotel lounge where several people were enjoying a cocktail.
As she approached the glass elevators a man that was dressed similarly to Augustus held the doors open for her, and as she entered, he pushed the number three button and stepped back outside. She studied him as the elevator rose to the third floor. The doors reopened, and she bit her lip, inhaling deeply. Slowly she released her breath and exited. To the left was a door cracked open, and she was sure that was what Augustus meant when he said they’d be expecting her.
Slowly, Tiffany pushed open the door and tiptoed inside. As she passed the bathroom, she saw the foot of a large king-size bed. A woman with long black hair sat at the desk with her back to her and a long and lean, golden-haired man lounged on the bed with his feet crossed at his ankles, reading a book.
Tiffany cleared her throat, and as the dark-haired woman turned to face her, Tiffany nearly collapsed to the ground. “Mom,” she cried, balling up her fist and clutching it to her breast. “What are you doing here?” Tiffany immediately faced the man lying on the bed who had just closed his book and placed it on the bed beside him. “What have you done to my mother? Why is she here?” Tiffany charged at the man, her hands burning with magic. She flung herself at him, landing on the bed. Her hands clamped around his throat as she felt the fire of her magic blaze through her body.
Why had they kidnapped her mother? Tiffany had come willingly. Why had they taken her mother prisoner?
“Tiffany, no,” Eve screamed. “Stop! He didn’t hurt me.”
Tiffany’s eyes felt hot as the energy in her body begin to boil up as if to erupt into steam. “Then why are you here?” she asked through clenched teeth. She loosened her grip just enough to let him talk. “Who are you?”
Silence filled the room as Tiffany waited for the man to speak. Her mother’s grip was unyielding as she held her arms. “Please, baby. Don’t hurt him.”
“Why doesn’t he tell me what the hell’s going on?” Tiffany’s eyes widened. “Speak or I’ll rip your throat out so you can never speak again.” He swallowed hard, and his Adam’s apple glided roughly along the flesh between her thumb and index finger. He held her gaze, but sat unmoving. “Well, do I need to show you I’m not joking? Explain yourself…now!”
He swallowed once again. “My name is John.” His eyes deepened with a longing she’d only seen reflected in her mother’s eyes. The sort of look one gives when a child is about to be disappointed. “John Miles.”
Every muscle in Tiffany’s body tensed and then instantly grew limp. Slowly she moved off of John and stood beside the bed. She glanced at her teary-eyed mother. Tiffany was putting the pieces together, but still nothing made sense.
“I don’t understand,” Tiffany said, her body trembling.
Tiffany’s mother moved closer to gently stroke her arms. “I’m sorry, baby. This wasn’t exactly how I wanted you to find out.”
Tiffany glanced over her mother’s shoulder at the man sitting on the bed. His eyes were a fierce green, the same color she’d masked from the world. His hair was a golden shade of blond. Again, the same color she’d masked from the world. More importantly, she resembled this man as only a daughter could her father.
“How is this possible? You’re supposed to be dead.” She locked eyes with her mother. “How is it that my father is sitting on a bed two feet away from me very much alive? You told me he died when I was younger. I put flowers on his grave on his birthday and Christmas every year. Why did I do that if he was alive?”
Tiffany’s heart was pounding so hard the muscle and ribs that covered it threatened to give way. The air that filled her lungs was not enough. She thought that at any moment she would black out. Her mind was on overload.
Just then the phone rang, and John quickly answered it. He put the phone to his ear, listened to whatever was on the other end, and returned it to the receiver. He then glanced at Tiffany’s mother and said, “We’re about to have company.”
In that moment, Ryder blasted into the room. The opened door slammed against the wall. His body was enlarged and thick with muscles. His dark eyes pierced into hers as they locked gazes. She knew her expression revealed her emotions, and she knew Ryder would react to them with aggression since he was her guardian.
Quietly, she whispered, “Ryder, are you all right?”
Her concern must have startled him. Instantly he calmed, moving to stand beside her. Instinctively she went to him, hugging him. Never had she been so happy to see anyone.
“Ryder, how did you find me?”
“I don’t know. I think I felt your energy calling to me.”
“That’s the connection the two of you share. It’s the same one that I have for your—” John abruptly stopped speaking only to glance at Tiffany’s mother.
“Tiffany, I haven’t been honest with you,” Eve admitted.
“You think?”
Her mother frowned. “I know this all must be a shock to you.”
Tiffany huffed out a breath. “A shock is getting hit by a bus and surviving it. I’m not really sure what to call this.”
“Your mother was supposed to be the chosen one, Tiffany, but she got pregnant with you before her powers could fully manifest.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Tiffany folded her arms across her chest.
John eyed her intently, his expression deadly serious. “Her powers manifested, but in you.”
“That’s how you became the chosen one,” Ryder said, glancing down at her.
“That’s correct,” John murmured.
“Okay, great. So I’m the reason my mother couldn’t assume this great responsibility. Was my punishment not having a father?”
Tiffany’s mother closed the distance, forcing Tiffany to face her. “I did what I had to do, and so did your father. Our people, the Lupinari, would not allow us to be together because we broke the rules. The chosen one and her guardian are never meant to be together. They are not supposed to fall in love.”
Tiffany couldn’t believe that her father had been her mother’s guardian. The world began to spin out of control. Nothing seemed to make sense. Everything she had believed about her parents had been false.
“But you did,” Ryder added.
“Yes,” John said, glancing at Tiffany’s mother with a longing Tiffany had seen reflected in Zane’s eyes.
“I couldn’t let you just show up here and not be here to support you. When I arrived, I saw John, and together we waited for you. We convinced the others that you could learn best from us. We believed you’d accept your birthright if you learned the truth from the people that love you.”
Tiffany scoffed. “A man I don’t even know is supposed to love me? That’s ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous is allowing power and magic to come between me and my family. I loved your mother.” John gazed at Tiffany’s mom. “I never stopped.” Then he turned his attention back to Tiffany. “I never stopped loving either of you. Tiffany, I attended every single one of your choir events, cheerleading games, competitions, and graduations. I watched you cross the stage in your black gown as you accepted your college degree. I sent your mother money to pay for the things you needed or wanted. I may not have been allowed to see you or for you to know who I was, but I wasn’t about to let them strip away my responsibility as a father.”
“A father’s responsibility is more than just financial,” Tiffany said, crossing her arms over her chest. Anger and resentment filled her heart. “I needed my father.”
John sprung to his feet and moved closer. “I’m here now. I will no longer allow them to dictate what I can and can’t do with and for my family.”
“What
if I don’t want you in my life? I’ve managed this far without you.” John hung his head as shame washed over his face. Tiffany’s mother held her hand, but she pulled it away. “You could’ve told me he was alive. You could’ve told me the truth.”
Eve’s eyes widened. “No, I couldn’t,” she said plainly. “Telling you anything about your father was forbidden. I wasn’t allowed to tell you he was a lycan. You would’ve been taken from me. They would’ve raised you like a warrior instead of a young, independent woman with a future.” Eve grabbed Tiffany’s arm and spun her to face her. “I did what I had to do to keep my daughter in my life. I lost your father, and I wasn’t about to lose you, too. Your father and I gave you a chance to be normal and not live in the shadows of magic as I had done for most of my life. I begged Sebastian to help me, to take you away so that you were safe from the torment of our kind. With them, you would not be shunned for the deeds of your parents.” Eve brushed her hand over Tiffany’s cheek. Both their eyes watered. “Women like us, chosen for a purpose, don’t get to live normal lives. We don’t get to have true love, and we don’t get to have a happily ever after. We are forced to abide by the magic of our people. We fight wars. We die young.” Tiffany’s mother wiped the back of her hand over her damp cheek. “We sacrifice everything.”
Tiffany sucked in a sharp breath and released it slowly. She hadn’t known what her mother had been through, and truthfully she still didn’t. What she did know was the energy that pulsed out from her mother and father. The power left her breathless. They did love her, and they spoke the truth. They never stopped loving her, and they never would. Everything they did was for her own good, and that was what parents did. They protected their young and loved them unconditionally.
Tiffany swallowed the dryness in her throat. She had a choice to make. She could either embrace her newfound magical life with a family who cared for her, or walk away and run from the demons that wanted her dead. The decision wasn’t really that difficult to make. “Now what do we do?”
John locked gazes with her. “Now you learn to be the best witch you can. You learn a few tricks to your magic and you protect Brie’s baby.”
Brie…
“Wait, Brie’s my sister.”
John nodded. “Yes she is. Before I met your mother, I was married to Brie’s mother, but we divorced, and the Lupinari took advantage of that and called me back to duty. Brie was just a baby when I left.”
Tiffany felt a twinge of guilt as she considered herself lucky that she at least had the opportunity to meet their father. Brie still didn’t even know he lived.
“Yes, she does,” John said, obviously reading her thoughts.
She would never get used to that intrusion. She’d have to do better blocking her thoughts. That was one of the things she would master once she figured out how to control her magic.
“You’ve met her,” Tiffany asked, suddenly feeling jealous.
John frowned. “No. I did for her the same as I did for you. I loved my daughters from a distance to keep them both safe.” He moved closer. “I showed Brie visions, explained things to her. Her power is different from yours, and because she’s older, she transitioned sooner. Brie was also eager to learn more, which made teaching her all the easier.”
Guilt sank to the pit of Tiffany’s stomach. She knew she’d been resistant to her magic and seemed to make things for everyone else all the more stressful. If she’d only known sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have been such a pain in the ass.
Ryder’s voice broke her from her thoughts. “Look, I hate to bust up the family reunion and all, but we really should get the show on the road. Last I saw, the vampires were swarming all over the hotel in Dusseldorf and Brie was going into labor. I would really like to get back to them.”
John’s expression was stoic. “Sebastian and your other friends arrived shortly after you left. They’ll be able to hold the fort down for a bit while Tiffany learns what she must before facing her enemies again.”
Tiffany licked her lips as a sudden rush of relief flooded through her. “Oh, thank God,” she said, leaning into Ryder. She locked eyes with her father. “What do I need to do?”
John stepped forward and placed his hand on Tiffany’s shoulder. His eyes brightened the moment he touched her, and she could feel his soul-warming energy. “You learn how to be the best witch possible. Brie’s new baby is counting on you.”
Eve raised her hands and placed the palms together. A bright, white light radiated from between them. The further apart she pulled her hands, the more intense the light became.
“Holy crap,” Tiffany muttered, staring at her mother. “Teach me that.”
Her father stepped up behind her, and her mother stood at her front. John wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands over top of hers. Eve did the same. The three were joined together.
A warmth unlike anything she’d ever felt before began moving through her body, surging through her veins and pulsing with euphoria that had her breathless. Her parents were fueling her body and sending their energy, their magic into her.
Tiffany gasped. “I can feel you both.” She locked gazes with her mother. “That’s amazing.”
“We are giving you what we can to help you fight. Now you will have the magic needed to defeat Lilly,” Eve whispered.
Tiffany sucked in a sharp breath. “But how do I control all this magic?”
“Close your eyes,” John said leaning forward to place his chin against the hair at her temple. “Think of the one thing that you love most.”
Tiffany’s mind filled with visions of Zane. Her heart had always known his love, but her mind had been too stubborn to accept it. She would no longer be able to deny him or herself the love they shared. She could feel their bond from several hundred miles away.
“Your mate?” Eve asked with a motherly grin. “I knew he would be the one.”
Tiffany’s brow furrowed. “How?”
“He’s always been the one, my dear. I saw him in your future. I saw you in his.” Eve smiled. “He was the one that stimulated your magic. Your energy recognized him even when you were young.”
Tiffany didn’t understand. How had her magic known that she would fall in love with Zane? How had her mother?
“One afternoon I was out with you, you were just a small child. You were playing with this young boy, and while you were with him, your aura exploded with colors. Together you completed each other.”
“That boy was Zane?”
Eve nodded. “Yes, and I kept my eye on him over the years, and as the fates would have it, he was a lycan in Sebastian’s pack.”
Tiffany couldn’t fight the smile tugging at her lips.
Her father placed his hands on Tiffany’s shoulders. “There will be more time to discuss this,” he reminded them. “Let’s focus on gaining control over your magic.”
“Right,” Tiffany agreed. “Any quick tricks I can learn to speed this along?”
“Oh yes,” John said, eyeing her mother.
“I need to infiltrate your mind, Tiffany. I want to show you all the magic I’ve learned over the years and the best way to do that is—”
“Holy shit,” Tiffany gasped. “I did this with Zane. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I showed him my past.”
“See.” Eve smiled. “You already know more than you think you do.” She placed her hands up alongside Tiffany’s face. “May I?”
“Yes,” Tiffany breathed, waiting for the moment that her mother’s mind would open up, revealing all the magical knowledge she would need. The idea had her heart racing at warp speed.
Like a rush of flooding waters, her mother’s mind released everything into Tiffany. The powerful energy robbed her body of breath. As if the magical knowledge had always been her own, she felt a level of confidence she’d never possessed before.
Overcome by the visions, she sank back against her father, waiting for the flash of images to subside. Relief filled her.
Ryder pushed his way t
oward her. Taking Tiffany from her father’s arms, he asked, “Tiffany, are you all right?”
Tiffany’s head finally stopped reeling. Everything was returning to normal. Smiling up at Ryder, she said, “I’m great.” Her body tingled and pulsed with the combined energy of her parents. “Let’s go kick a little ass, shall we?”
* * * *
“Holy shit! What the hell are we gonna do now?” Dominic barked as he dove behind a car in the hotel parking lot.
Zane glanced up to the sky, wondering if Tiffany could see the same stars he could. He prayed Ryder had found her and they were together. Zane tried to assure himself that the Lupinari were there to protect her and teach her how to better control her powers. He was desperate to find her, to help her, but mostly protect her.
All these years, he’d been the reserved one, the doctor who helped others. But now he wanted to be the powerful lycan who swooped in to rescue and protect his mate. Nothing, not even Dominic and his massive size, could stop him from doing just that.
Zane had fulfilled his obligation to his patient. Brie’s baby girl was safe and sound with her mother and father. Now it was Zane’s turn to find and protect his mate.
“I’m going to make a break for it,” Zane hollered toward Dominic.
“Are you an idiot? They’re going to eat you alive,” Dominic said. His voice was tight with tension.
“I’ve got to get to Tiffany. At least if I die it won’t be because I didn’t have the balls to get off my ass and fight.”
Dominic laughed heartily. “Damn, boy. You’ve finally grown a pair.”
“Fuck you, Dominic. And stop calling me boy.”
Dominic laughed again. “Whatever you say, Dr. McCoskey.”
“What’s the plan?” Ryken called out from the other side of Dominic. He and his brother Luken had arrived just in time for the fun to start. Lilly and her vampires had taken over the hotel floor by floor and the only way out was through the window, which was tricky since Brie had just given birth. “Should we cause a diversion?”
