I couldn’t remember the last time I’d cried.
There was a sharp rap on the doorjamb as Tally walked in. She’d been in Stasis for weeks, but you couldn’t tell. She looked as tough and ready for battle as she ever had. “Is she asleep?” she asked, coming up to me. “Here, let me take her. The witches tell me she hasn’t slept much since I disappeared. The separation has been hard on her.”
I transferred the sleeping child into her mother’s waiting arms. “I can imagine,” I said. “She must’ve been worried sick.”
Once Tally had her daughter back, she appraised me. “They told me what happened out there, what Ceres threatened to do.” Tally’s voice was stony. “That goddess has never played fair a day in her life, as she constantly griped about all the unfairness she felt was heaped upon her. I should’ve known all along that she was going to be a problem.” Tally shrugged. “But I always maintained I was stronger than she was, so it didn’t matter if she bitched and moaned and threatened, because if it came down to a fight, I would win. But when you have other people depending on you”—she patted Maggie’s back—“you have to make sure you cover all your bases. I didn’t do that, and I’m sorry. We paid for it. It won’t happen again, I can assure you.”
“You were stronger than she was,” I replied. “You just didn’t count on the fact that she had a powerful ally. Or at least one Ceres thought was an ally. Romy, the Angel of Fertility, is the one who captured you and forced you into Stasis. And although the angel didn’t specify, I think it was for the greater good, because it ended up giving us this moment right here. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise? I’m just sorry your daughter was caught in the middle of it.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Tally said. “This was ultimately about the Coalition forming. And since I have a place at the table, it’s my battle too. And truth be told, Maggie was muttering things about angels and goddesses and trouble for a few days prior. I ignored her because we were hyper-focused on keeping that circle open. It was a hard lesson learned.” She placed a kiss on her daughter’s head. “I forget that even though she’s only two years old, she’s still a very powerful seer who can’t be ignored.”
I was thoughtful for a moment. “Is it hard to juggle?” I asked curiously. Tally raised an eyebrow in question. “How do you treat her like the child she is and bring her into her own as a seer? It seems like it would be complicated.”
“It’s not terribly hard,” Tally answered. “She dictates, and I follow. It’s that simple. There are days when she wants to be coddled and treated like a child, and there are days when she needs me to sit and listen. I do both, unconditionally. And I can tell you, I won’t ignore her again. She is living her destiny, and that’s just the way it is. There’s no lamenting what could’ve been. She knows I love her. She knows her aunt Marcy loves her. She knows all of you love her. No matter what, she’s cocooned in that love. For now, she seems to be content. If that changes, I’ll let you know.” She rubbed Maggie’s back. “Now I’m going to put her to bed. My witches have taken up residence on the terrace for the night. We’ll figure out where we’re going tomorrow.” As Tally left the room, Marcy trailed them, arguing that she wanted to hold her little cousin-niece and that Tally was hogging her.
I met Rourke’s gaze.
He opened his arms, and I walked into them.
His strength enveloped me. He pressed one hand tightly on my back, while the other twined in my hair, his lips at my temple. “We are a family, no matter what. It doesn’t matter where in the world any of us are located in time or space, you will always be my wife, my lover, and the mother of our children. The same holds true for our children. Nothing will ever part us.”
I nodded into his shirt. “I know, it’s just hard. Everything is still sinking in. We have nine months to adjust. I’m sure we’ll figure it out, but I’m worried about talking to Enid tomorrow night. Now we know why she insisted she speak with me alone. If I don’t convince her that we’re willing to give Annie up when the time comes, she could end my life right then and there. By doing so, she will also end the lives of our unborn children. You just killed Ceres for even threatening to do such a thing. I feel helpless, like we have no recourse, and it all comes down to if Enid believes me or not.”
“Jessica…” Rourke set me away from him. “Enid isn’t going to just go by your words. She’s going to see Annie’s life—whether she wants to or not. She will see her sister thrive, laugh, grow, and be loved. Just like Tally said. And you can’t dismiss what Maggie told us. That little tyke told me she can’t wait to do all these things with our daughter and that they’re going to be best friends. I choose to believe that.”
I nodded. “I want to believe too.”
He encompassed me back in his arms and chuckled. “After that, she said the damnedest thing.”
“What?” My voice was partly muffled by his shirt.
“Your father came through the front door”—I lifted my head—“and she called him Daddy.”
I was stunned.
Then immediately started to laugh.
Tally and my father were perfect for each other.
Two dominant leaders, neither willing to give an inch. I didn’t know why I didn’t see it before. “What did my father do with that particular news?”
“The better question is how Tally responded.” He started laughing in earnest. “She said something equivalent to ‘over my dead body.’ To which your father deadpanned, ‘I don’t sleep with the dead.’”
31
The house was quiet. It was a few hours before dawn. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Rourke had finally drifted off, both of us restless. We had talked into the night, sharing tears and love.
Before we’d adjourned to our room for the evening, the wolves had accepted my father’s leadership and were grateful for it. It seemed Julian had been slacking for years, not months. Tyler had been christened temporary Alpha in front of everyone, and my father planned to leave immediately after the coronation.
He would remain stateside for the most part, busy running the U.S. Territories. He wanted the wolves here used to new leadership immediately. It made the most sense, but I was going to be sorry to see him leave.
We agreed that the villa would become our new home base, at least for a while. It was secure, and Julian’s wolves had gotten down on one knee and pledged their protection to me, headed up by none other than Lucas. It seemed the sly fox had explained to them what my new role on the Coalition was and that I would need extra protection.
They had given it willingly, and my heart had been full.
I slipped from bed, giving up on trying to sleep, being as quiet as I could so I didn’t bother Rourke, and padded to the balcony. We’d left the door ajar to let in the fresh air. The moon was low in the sky, but still bright.
I walked outside, inhaling the scent of fresh vines and pine trees, placing my hands on the thick stone balcony. I liked it here. My wolf recognized this area and was content. It was peaceful. It would be a good place to raise children. They would have miles and miles to run and play.
I stood, cupping both hands around my abdomen, entreating a silent plea to whoever would listen. Please, let them be happy and healthy. Let Rourke and I be good parents. Let no danger come to them.
Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I spun, my body dipping low, my claws already out at sharp points.
“Hold on there,” Romy said as she mockingly put her hands up. “You were praying somebody would listen, and I’m someone, so I came to tell you to let some of that worry go. At least for right now.”
My claws retracted as I eased out of my crouching position. “Why are you here?” I asked.
“On this balcony? Or in your world in general?”
“Both.”
“Well, I was ordered to this realm, so I followed that order. If I hadn’t, I’d have faced punishment. Not a big fan of lengthy jail stays, so I figured it was my best bet to show up,” Romy
said. “Then when I heard your plea, I came to talk to you.”
I sat on the railing, facing her. “I thought you weren’t a seer?” I asked. “How do you know so much?”
She shrugged. “I’m not a seer, as in predicting the future, but I am extremely good at analyzing. One gift any angel has at their fingertips is information. As much as he or she wants, whenever they want it. Not of what is yet to come, but everything that has happened up till the very minute we speak. I’m not going to stroke your ego by telling you I knew who you were before a few weeks ago, because I didn’t. Where I come from, we don’t bother ourselves with this world. At least not most of us.”
“You’re referring to Leo, aren’t you?” I said. “He lives here because he wants to.”
A wisp of her long, blonde hair flicked in front of her face, and she tucked it behind her ear. Her features were perfectly precise, everything aligned. “I am,” she replied. “A long, long while ago, he was among the mightiest of our kind. He was sent here on an errand—I believe to facilitate one of your earliest Coalitions, which is what we angels have been tasked to do. The rumors were he became fascinated with humans and supernaturals alike. He gave up his prominent position for a quiet life here.” She strode to the other side of the balcony, her dark silhouette in stark contrast to her pale face. “No one has ever understood why he did such a thing.” She turned and gazed at me directly. “Until now.”
“Are you saying you understand?” I asked.
“I’m beginning to,” she said. “And my fascination starts with you.”
“Why?”
“You represent the kind of strength and independence we have in abundance in our world. The epitome of it. But here, there is so much weakness. Just look around at all the helpless humans who have no recourse to combat anything you might choose to do to them. They are the lesser species. You could reign over them with absolute authority, and the innocents could do very little in the wake of your power.” She sat on the railing, curling her legs beneath her. “Yet, you don’t see the world the way I do. Your lens is focused on goodness, democracy, and forgiveness. Those are traits we do not value where I come from. You cause one to think.”
“Thank you?” My tone was reserved. Romy was intense, and ridiculously powerful, full of a kind of magic I didn’t understand—one that didn’t originate from here. “Your world sounds dark and intimidating. If your world doesn’t look favorably upon ours, why come here now to help us?”
She had one knee drawn up. “You have just learned of your creator, Marinette, the goddess who first created your kind, have you not? The one who tore her soul in half to create the only female of your kind.” I nodded. I was all too familiar with Marinette—the battle still fresh in my mind. My wolf howled her agreement.
“She was one of us,” Romy said. My eyebrows rose. “A distant relative of the first descendants who came to this world to live by choice. So by chance—or not by chance at all, depending on how you interpret things—you are a direct descendant of my world, more so than others because you harbor Marinette’s very soul inside of you. But I digress. The story is much more intricate than that. When the first group of angels came here and had children of their own, they realized their offspring had diminished powers. They’d left our fertile lands, where the very air we breathe and the food we eat give us strength.” She tilted her face up to the sky as she spoke. “Over time, their children’s children became gods and goddesses, finally figuring out that humans—the weaker population they coexisted with—could, in fact, keep them alive and flush with power through the energy of prayer. Once the children achieved that power, they began to create supernaturals to ensure their protection in case the humans ever decided to rise up against them. With the birth of the supernaturals, the first Coalition was born. There had to be a rule of law—some way to deal with all the new powerful creatures roaming the earth constantly in search of more power, hungering for it. Hundreds of years later, when Marinette broke the rules and created your predecessor, they found the Coalition they had established was too weak.”
I hung on every word.
“The Coalition could be easily overcome by these new, powerful supernaturals,” Romy went on. “It needed strength to keep everyone in line. So the elders, the first gods and goddesses, sent an emissary to our world to beg for our assistance, and in return, they would provide us with resources from this place that we had come to value, such as iron and gold. A deal was struck, and with each new Coalition, we journey here to bless it and infuse it with our power, making the council stronger than any rivals.” She turned to face me. “That’s the long answer to why I’ve come to Earth to help you. Together, Leo and I will grace this Coalition with our power, honoring the bargain we struck all those long years ago.”
I had no idea what to say. “Wow, that’s quite a history lesson. I don’t even think my father knows most of what you just told me. It’s hard to believe that, in essence, all supernaturals here sprouted from your world. But I guess it makes sense, because they had to originate from somewhere. They weren’t conjured from thin air. So, in return for your continued favor of power, do we still owe you iron and gold?”
“No,” she mused. “Leo has amassed great wealth in his time here, and he makes more than enough contributions to cover our needs.”
“If you don’t need our resources,” I asked, “why would your powers that be choose to honor the age-old agreement?”
“Because Leo desires it,” she stated simply, unfurling herself from the railing. She stood and gazed out over the expansive rolling hills. “You are worried about the safety of your unborn children.” She turned to face me. “You need not worry.”
“How can you say that with such certainty?” I desperately wanted to believe her. “You’ve already said twice now that you don’t see into the future.”
“Because even though you will give birth to a reincarnate, she will be created from your own flesh and blood—a gene pool that has descended directly from angels. Your daughter will be the strongest, by far, of her three sisters. Enid can see this. Pandora can see this. Enid will want herself and her sisters to remain strong at all costs, for nothing is certain in this world. As Fate changes, so do our roles. They are all intertwined. Strength and power are coveted by all.”
“You are the Angel of Fertility, is that correct?” I asked. “Does every angel have a specialty?”
She plucked a small stick off the railing and twirled it in her fingers. “More or less. In our world, we are all powerful, but in different ways. It takes all of us working together to make us whole.” Her voice sounded distant, almost tired.
“Did they send you here because they knew I was pregnant?” I asked. “Your role was to facilitate what happened today, but also to protect me from Ceres?”
“Yes, in a way.” She brought the stick up to her nose and inhaled. It was safe to say all the scents here were likely different than in her world. She turned to meet my gaze. “The elders in my world have been following the progress that has led up to the formation of the new Coalition. They know of Enid’s desire to have her sister back, and when you killed the other, Ardat Lili, a dangerous rent ripped through our world as well as this one. If this realm were to fall into chaos, ours would eventually follow, as we are separate but linked. If forced to fight, angels would pick sides, leading to chaos for us all. They couldn’t have that, so they sent me. If you had not conceived, Ceres could have rendered you infertile—and would have out of spite as soon as you came near enough. As luck—or Fate—would have it, you had already conceived. I stayed to make sure no harm came to you and your unborn children.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I appreciate what you’ve done. I’m humbled by it,” I said. “Knowing there are angels watching over my children brings me great peace.” Leo had also pledged his protection in the church. He must’ve known what was at stake.
She turned toward me with fluid grace, her blonde hair swaying. We were almost the same height, but
she had me by an inch. “There you go, confounding me once again.” She chuckled. “If you were anything like others of your kind, you would claim that our protection is your right, that you are deserving of this, and that it’s your entitlement.” She made a show of looking me over. “I believe you will be a good leader, because your traits allow you to see things in a broader sense. Do not take them for granted.”
“I won’t,” I assured her. “When this is all over, are you going to stick around? Or do you plan to go back to your…world?” Realm? Plane?
“I will linger here for a time,” she answered. “I must report back, but expedition is not necessary as long as things go in the correct fashion.”
“Can you answer me one more thing before you go?” I asked. “Eudoxia told us that the vampires were gossiping about white angels and dark angels, each created from a different place. Are you a dark angel? I’m only assuming that by your style of clothing, which isn’t very scientific on my part.”
She seemed amused by my question. “Humans love the idea of heaven and hell, good versus evil. Their pious views of my realm couldn’t be further from the truth. But, for all intents and purposes, yes, I am a dark angel,” she affirmed. “There are also white angels. You can tell us apart by the color of our wings. But there is no good versus evil. We are simply dark and light, two cultures sharing the same world.”
It didn’t sound as cut-and-dried as she wanted me to believe.
“And there is no strife between the two cultures? No struggles for dominance? Here on Earth, it’s a constant battle. Many are judged by the color of their skin and to whom they pray.”
“There is certainly strife. As I’ve stated, our world has been on the brink of chaos for a long time. In sending me here, our elders, both dark and light, greatly hope to avoid falling into that abyss. Only time will tell if we’ve achieved it.” She climbed up on the railing as a pair of huge gorgeous black wings emerged seamlessly from her back. They glittered in the moonlight like shiny pebbles lying just beneath the water. “I shall see you later tonight under a new moon.” She leaped off the balcony without a sound. I tracked her for only a few seconds before she disappeared from sight.
Blue Blooded Page 23
