Chapter 16

 

It had been three weeks since I talked to Victor on the roof. When I’d gotten back to the room all the books were gone except the book with leaves on it. I still had not read it. He said we would together, yet if we were never together, how could we? He told me the next day it changed nothing, what I had told him, but it had. I saw him less. He would call or text, but there were no more moments alone.

I worked on tracking Emil. Which was annoying, as Daxx had put it, because neither of us were allowed on the other side alone, and we needed the internet from that side to track Emil. Daxx and I spent many evenings in cafes with Wi-Fi and guards in the last few weeks.

Rafael still went to the club to watch for Emil, but hadn’t seen him. A few days ago, visits to my side were canceled completely. Raf had heard that everyone was looking for a petite woman with bright red hair.

They were still checking for Alona’s mark on the wall, but there had been no x so far. I hoped the man with the yellow eyes didn’t get her, but had no flashes to give me a hint either way.

Since my talk with Victor, I had coaches I spent hours with each day… night. One was a seer and one was a telepath. They were trying to help me find a way to control the flashes. The seer was truly shocked at the amount I saw. I wondered a few times if she saw at all, but didn’t want to be rude and ask. The telepath was trying to help me learn to focus. So far, that wasn’t going well either.

I spent every free second I had in two places, my tower and the practice room. Daxx sat with me in the tower sometimes, we didn’t talk, just sat there.

I discovered the benefits of the practice room were many. I had so much emotion and energy to burn from being restricted that I enjoyed being physical. Everyone took turns working with me, all depending on who had time. I could tell Daxx had shared with all of them what I’d told Victor, and they were being very nice and understanding to me.

I didn’t go to family practice after breakfast, I told everyone that was my mind practice time, when I sat in my tower, trying to perfect the latest techniques. We’d had so many failures, that resulted in headaches, feeling ill or me being to frustrated to continue. Soothing music worked for a day or two, but I had to have ear phones in all the time, and would get startled too often, undoing all the good the music did.

Victor would come and watch while I was with my coaches, to encourage me and tell them to keep looking, there had to be a way.

I was siting in my tower now. Not practicing my focus, not working on finding Emil, and not being happy.

My phone beeped, I saw a message from Daxx.

Want company? I’m tired of testosterone.

I sent back, yes please.

She must have been messaging from the ladder to the tower, because when I opened the little hatch, she was there.

Sitting down, she looked at me for a moment. “How are you doing?”

I thought of the right words to explain to her but all I said was, “I’m not.”

“I know.” She nodded and looked around, even though we were both sitting and there was nothing but block walls to see. “I’m going crazy under this house arrest. I haven’t been allowed to hunt in Alterealm for a few week now.”

“So, what do we do?” I asked her because I had no ideas, but Daxx always did. “I haven’t had any flashes that would tell me where to look for those watching me.” I shrugged. “I think it’s because I haven’t gone back there.” I played with the glove on my hand. Today they were pink. Then I realized I didn’t need the pink gloves if I didn’t see Victor. “We don’t know where Marcus is either.” I blurted out so I wouldn’t think of Victor. “I can’t find Emil. I know Quinton tries to get me the lists I need, but I don’t know which I need, I only know when I see them. If I’m not there I can’t see them.”

Daxx nodded, she looked tired. “I may have some good news.” She told me.

“All the guys… except Victor and Troy agree we should try to stir things up.”

I leaned forward. “What things?”

She shrugged and then smiled. “Like go be seen on our side, and see if we can flush out whoever is looking for us.”

I bit my lip, thinking about this idea.

“I know it would mean putting you front and center, and possibly in a fight again, but it won’t work if you and your hair aren’t there.”

I looked at her and nodded. “I understand.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to see another battle again, but for the last several days I hadn’t seen anything with my own eyes. “I think I can do it.” I sighed loudly, “it is better than doing nothing, and maybe we can go to the other side again.”

“Exactly.” She huffed out a breath. “Getting Victor and Troy to agree isn’t going to be easy.”

I nodded, head knowing that it was true.

“Have to you talked to Victor?”

I held up the phone sitting on my cushion. “He calls or messages me. I see him when we eat or when I am with my coaches.”

“Really?” She leaned forward onto her knees. “Men are so stupid.”

“He was very upset when I told him I couldn’t wear his mark.” I nodded.

“I know, but he could still spend time with you.” She snorted. “Between his bouts of rampaging at least.”

“Rampaging?” I didn’t understand.

Daxx nodded. “He’s in full battle gear more than he isn’t lately. Mister Justice twenty-four hours a day.” She rolled her eyes.

“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“He’s just being a man. It’s what they do when there is a problem, turn into Neanderthals.” She got up and smiled at me. “If we can get all of us in a room, Victor included, do you think you can sit through it?”

“What do you mean? I have been getting better at not wandering while talking.” I grinned. “Although every muscle in my body hurting from practicing so much may be the reason.”

She laughed. “I understand that. I have an idea, to help convince Victor, but you need to sit in one place and looked bored.”

“I am bored.”

She gave me a thumb up. “Perfect. Come on let’s go see if Raf and Quinton figured out how to get him to stand still long enough.”

I stood up and grabbed my pack. “Have Mitz ask them.”

“What?” She opened the hatch.

“Have Mitz ask Victor and Troy to be somewhere and then everyone else will be there too.” I picked up my pack.

“Oh. You are so smart.” She pulled out her phone and typed.

~

Mitz must have called them all, because when Daxx and I walked into the dining room a short while later all eight brothers stood there. Well, Chase was sitting and looked like someone had dragged him out of bed, but he was still there.

Victor was, as Daxx had told me, in full battle gear, dark and very much the man of justice right now.

“Oh, good, you’re all here.” Mitz said as she came in the room. She set a large pot of coffee on the table beside the cups already there. Stopping, she clasped her hands and looked around at the men. “Give me a moment, will you. I have some things in the oven to check.” She gave Daxx an odd look and then walked out again.

Daxx looked at the chair beside me, then back to me, and once more to the chair. I remembered she wanted me to sit while we were here. I sat down quickly.

“Do you want a tea, Crissy?” She asked.

I nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“I’ll ask Mitz to get that.” She said and started toward the kitchen.

“Can you ask her if she has any of those scones left?” Rafael asked.

Daxx nodded.

“I wouldn’t say no to that pie from last night, if there’s any left.” Chase said with a yawn. “Since I’m up now.”

“Why are you up?” Troy asked as he stood there with his arms crossed.

Chase lifted his hands in the air and then dropped them onto the table. “I’m guessing I got the same call as the rest of you.”

“Does anyone know what this is pertaining to, exactly?” Victor asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Daxx looked at him for a moment before turning to walk into the kitchen.

“Do you wear the same clothes all the time now?” Chase asked him.

Victor looked down at what he was wearing and then back to his brother. “If you must know, I have several similar outfits.”

“All black and brooding no doubt,” Chase snorted. “Haven’t see you dress like that this often since the last uprising a few hundred years ago.”

“I’m certain my choice of wardrobe isn’t the reason we were called here.” He glanced to the kitchen making it clear he wanted to be somewhere else.

Daxx came out with a cup in her hand, she held it to Victor. “Take this to Crissy while I grab the other things.”

He looked at the cup and then took it with a quick nod, walking toward me.

I was going to get up and meet him to take it, and then remembered Daxx wanted me to sit while we were here. Victor set it in front of me. I smiled and looked up at him. “Thank you.”

He inclined his head as his eyes searched my face.

I almost breathed a loud sigh of relief to see he still looked at me with that soft look. It was hard to tell when he was always looking at his plate, or to others, when I’d seen him lately.

“How are you?” He asked quietly.

“I’m okay.” I told him. “Or as okay as I can be.”

His brows drew together. “Things aren’t going well with the coaching?”

I shook my head. “No. We’re going to try something different tomorrow.” I shrugged. “Maybe that will be the one that works.”

He crossed his arms over his big chest. “I have the scholars searching still, they are encouraged that they will find something.”

I watched his face as he talked. I missed seeing his face, and his mouth. I missed his eyes, too. Green or red, I didn’t care. Oh, and his fangs, I missed his fangs well. I realized he was just standing there watching me. I had forgotten to answer again. “I hope they do.” He continued to stand there and look down at me, and I would have been happy to do that all day.

“Ok, lets get the negotiations started.” Daxx said loudly.

I watched her slide a plate with pie on it across the table to Chase, and then look to her mate.

Troy raised an eyebrow at her and glanced around at his brothers. “If they’re all in on it, I have a feeling this is going to be more of an argument then negotiation.”

“In on what?” Victor demanded.

“Ah,” Troy nodded and crossed his arms and looked at Daxx. “If Victor and I are the only two not aware, then I know it involves you ladies.”

Frowning, Victor looked down at me, and then back to Daxx. “Absolutely not.” He nodded his head once. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

He turned to leave and I started to get up and Daxx shook her head at me. So, I didn’t.

“Victor. Hear us out.” Michael called after him.

He stopped in the doorway and heaved a deep sigh before turning around and walking back in. With a brief look at me, he walked to the other end of the table and sat down. I wondered how he moved so smoothly with all those weapons on his body, but figured he’d had years to practice sitting down.

He motioned to the table. “You may as well all sit, at least make an attempt to keep this civilized.”

“Says the barbarian in battle gear.” Chase mumbled with a mouthful of pie.

Chairs scraped back and everyone sat down.

“Oh,” Mitz came in. “Good then.” She nodded.

Victor turned to look at her for a moment. “We’ll discuss your part in this trickery later.” His tone wasn’t as hard as it had been with his brothers.

Mitz smiled and touched the side of his face for no more than a second. “You can discuss it to your heart’s content, love, and I may listen.” She chuckled and walked back into the kitchen.

I knew it before, but had never seen it with my own eyes to really know, but now I did. Mitz had always been here for them, and cared for them through the years. I must remember to ask her how old she is.

When he looked back from watching her leave he waved his hand again. “Get on with it.”

“We… well, the girls… ladies…” Rafael shook his head. “Daxx and Crissy…” he paused and frowned.

“Eloquently put, Raf, that’s good.” Leone glared at him. “Stop talking.”

Rafael leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You explain it then.” He told him.

Leone looked to Victor and then Troy, and then shook his head. “I’m just here for backup.”

I loved to watch the way they were with each other. Mitz had explained it was banter, or ribbing each other, and it was just how families were, even though they loved each other, they talked like they didn’t.

“Good job, brothers.” Chase said and took another bite.

Quinton grinned, then shook his head, he looked straight at Troy. “Its not right to confine the girls here. Daxx has a job to do, and she can’t do it if she’s wandering the halls here.”

Daxx nodded and leaned forward on the table. “I almost have the carpet patterns memorized.”

I wondered why she’d memorize the carpets and then realized she was being sarcastic, another thing Mitz had explained to me.

“That can’t be helped,” Troy told him. “Her safety is more important than hunting down offenders.”

“I agree,” Quinton nodded. “But… if we… or they…” He looked to Michael for a moment.

“You guys are terrible at this.” Daxx snorted. “Please don’t ever try to win an argument for me.” She turned and looked at Troy. “It’s bullshit keeping me under house arrest.” She pointed to me and then glared at Victor, “And Criss is like a wilting flower, not being able to roam,” She waved her hand around. “Look at her, she’s been still this whole time.” She slapped her hand on the table, “You may not realize it, but constant moving is her thing.”

Victor’s eyes moved to study me, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking this far away, but the muscle in his jaw was twitching. “I am well aware that she needs space to move, but it cannot be helped at this time.” He glanced briefly at Troy and then to Daxx. “We have no way of knowing who is looking for either of you ladies, and your…”

“Safety is of the utmost importance, yeah, yeah we know.” Daxx finished for him.

Arius, who sat there without moving, finally sat forward. “What if we could find out who was looking for them?”

Troy’s eyebrows furrowed together. “How?”

Victor held his brother’s stare. “What do you have in mind, Arius?”

“Setting a trap.” Leone blurted out.

“I’m listening,” Victor said in a low voice.

Rafael nodded. “We need to draw them out, we’d have to find a place that would work…”

Victor held up his hand and Rafael stopped talking. It was amazing how that worked every time. If I did it, no one would even notice. I looked at my hand and opened it, maybe it was because his were so big.

“If you are taking this where I think you are, forget it. I won’t allow…”

“Allow?” Daxx stood up.

“Oh shit, now you’ve done it.” Chase pushed his plate away and shook his head at his eldest brother. “One word in the entire English dictionary that sets her off and you, with all your vast knowledge of languages have to choose that one.”

“Are you finished?” Daxx stood there with her hands on her hips giving Chase an odd look.

He waved his hand motioning to the table. “The floor is yours, proceed.”

Taking a deep breath, Daxx turned and looked back to Victor. “It’s not up to you.” She glanced to her mate. “Or you. I know you want to keep us girls all safe in a bubble, protected and polished, but you can’t.”

She lost me right after safe. I took a sip of my tea and tried to figure out what bubble she was talking about.

Daxx looked down at me, and gave a nod. “We want to…”

“Are you talking about using yourselves as bait?” Troy asked not letting her finish.

“Great job, Sherlock.” Chase said with a sigh. “Nothing wrong with your detective skills at all.”

Troy scowled at his brother and then looked at his mate. “Not happening.”

Daxx glared at him. “Seriously, with the eight of you and the guards all watching over us, you’re worried?” She shrugged. “I’m not worried. I’m tired of feeling like I’m a prisoner here and looking forward to kicking the asses responsible.” She sat back down looking very upset.

I looked to see everyone was watching Victor as they usually did for the last say and decision. He did not look pleased to be the eldest today. He rubbed a hand over his face and moved it to reveal his eyes on me. “You’ve agreed to this? To be out in public, being watched to draw them out?”

I let go of my cup and pulled my hands into my lap, gripping them together. I looked to Daxx, not sure if I was supposed to be sitting, but I really wanted to get up and move. It would help, it always did.

“Cristy.” Victor said in a softer way.

I jolted and looked back to him. “I am trying, Victor, I really am.” I drew my knees up to my chest, hoping that was okay, I didn’t get up and wander, so it should be. “With the coaching, and more coaching, one way, then another,” I opened my hands and stared at them, “until my head aches and the flashes are then scrambled…” I squeezed my hands shut and remembered to look at him. To answer. “I need to climb, to get high and settle them down,” I nodded. “I need to move to sort through them. I love my tower and the ropes too, but they’re so closed in, I can’t climb as far when there’s a lid in the way.” I inhaled a big breath. “If feeling the eyes all over me is the only way I can have that space, that silence again…” I nodded. “Then yes, I have agreed.”

I stopped and looked to see everyone looking at me. Most of the eyes looked sad, and I paused to think what I had done to cause that. I nodded and glanced around. “I’m okay.” I told them, so they would feel better.

Victor cleared his throat. “You should have told me.”

I quickly looked back to him. “I… you are so busy.” I hugged my knees.

“Not that busy, that you couldn’t have come to me.” He told me and now he too looked upset.

“Yes, and you’re so approachable lately, brother, it’s silly she didn’t try.” Chase said with heavy sarcasm.

Victor stood slowly and I watched all his brothers tense.

“Get the maps and we’ll find a suitable location to set this trap.” He gave an abrupt nod and then walked quickly down the table in my direction. He stopped beside me and held out his hand. “Could I have a word with you, please?”

I frowned, not sure what word he meant, but put my hand in his and stood up. Everyone else got up and started talking again. Daxx went to the kitchen and Michael and Leone walked quickly out the other door.

Victor led me out into the hall and then stopped and just stood there holding my hand. His green eyes had so many emotions going through them I wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

“I am sorry that I haven’t taken the time to properly check on your well-being.” His thumb rubbed over the hand he still held. “I have been having a difficult time lately… uncertain how to proceed…”

I nodded. “It’s okay. Daxx explained to me that you are just being a man.” I smiled. “And when there is a problem you turn into Neanderthals.” I frowned. “I’m not sure what an archaic man, I’ve read about those… has to do with it, but she seemed to think it was normal.”

His lips twitched and he smirked. “While I’m sure Daxx’s explanation is colorful, if not derogatory in many ways, I still deeply regret my behavior.”

I smiled up at him, I loved when he talked all stuffy. I wasn’t even sure why he was apologizing, but I liked to listen to him.

“Victor.” Arius called from in the dining room.

“Just a moment.” He answered.

I knew that meant our word time was over. He started to straighten, I reached up quickly to touch his cheek so he wouldn’t leave me yet. I stretched up on my toes and kissed his mouth, then stayed there for a few seconds to look into his eyes.

He leaned down further and kissed me back softly. “We will figure this out, my heart, I promise, it will be so.” Kissing my forehead quickly he turned and went back into the dining room.

I stood there for a moment and just looked down at the carpet. It was an interesting design, I thought, maybe that’s why Daxx was memorizing them.

“Well, at least I think he gets the picture now.” Daxx said.

I turned to see her leaning against the doorframe. I wasn’t sure which picture she meant. “He deeply regrets his behavior.” I told her.

She snorted. “They always do. Come on let’s go have our say in this planning.”

“I don’t know anything about planning a trap.” I told her, following her back in.

“No, but you know how to hide and where the best places are for you to see in the city.” She grinned at me.

I smiled. “Oh. Yes, those I do know very well.”