Chapter 2

 

I opened my eyes slowly and looked around. I hadn’t thought to ask how we ‘crossed over’, my mind pictured us walking over an invisible line. We hadn’t. They teleported me or something like that. Whatever they’d done to bring me here, my stomach wasn’t happy about it. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly and looked around. We were in a room with a long shiny wooden table and many chairs. Portraits of couples with loving eyes looked over it.

“Crissy,” Quinton came dashing through a door. “How are you feeling? Any pains?” His big brown eyes were searching me from my feet up.

I smiled at him and did a quick check. “No. My stomach is a bit wishy-washy, but I don’t hurt.” I touched my forehead and closed my eyes briefly. They were still there, not as many but at least it wasn’t overwhelming. Quinton was right in front of me when I opened them. “I’m okay.” I smiled and hugged him tightly.

“Interesting.” A deep voice came from behind me.

I let go of Quinton and turned to see a big man with long blond hair pulled neatly behind his head. His hazel eyes moved over Daxx for a moment before he looked back to me. I’d seen him before. Going over, I looked up at him. “I know you.” I looked at Daxx. “Your Daxx’s king.” Something was different though. “You shaved your little beard off.”

Rafael laughed. “I think you’ve seen Chase … this is his twin, Troy.”

I smiled up at him. “Oh. But you are the one Daxx chose?”

“I am.” His brows were creased as he studied me, a strange look in his eyes.

I looked at his mouth. “Do you have fangs?”

He raised one eyebrow at me and glanced at Quinton over my head before nodding slowly. “I do.”

“I like fangs.” I told him and then turned to look at one of the portraits. “When I saw Rafael’s fangs, it was the first time I knew I wasn’t insane and that other stuff out of my head was real.” I didn’t know the couple in the portrait, which was comforting in an odd way.

“She has hundreds’ of visions a day, Troy.” Rafael told him.

I moved to the next portrait, the man seemed familiar, but then again, his relation was standing across the room with the same brown eyes, most likely watching me. Quinton was a silent observer, despite the front he let everyone see. The pretty lady in the portrait was looking at me with soft eyes, she must have been a loving mom.

“Really?” Troy asked, I didn’t bother to turn around and clarify, I stopped trying to validate what happened in my head to strangers a long time ago. It was safer that way.

“Glad you’re back. I don’t know what happened over there, but Victor came back in a mood.”

I turned around to see who the new voice belonged to. It was him. Or was it? It could be, but if it was him, then he wasn’t lost at all. I went over to the man and looked into his grey eyes. They weren’t the same, but close enough that they could have been twins. “Your brother looks just like you.” I told him.

He looked over to Troy slowly and then back to me. “Which brother?”

Standing on my toes, I searched his face carefully. “The one you’ve never seen.”

He leaned down, closing the space between our faces, his long black hair framing us. “You’ve seen him?” I watched the pupils of his eyes redden slightly, and nodded. “Where?”

Reaching up, I touched his mouth so he would open it, smiled on seeing his fangs when he reluctantly did. Dropping my hand, I stepped away. “In my head.” I looked at Daxx and nodded, she knew it was true, and that’s all that mattered to me.

Daxx smiled at me. “Arius, this is Crissy, my friend.”

He straightened and looked me up and down.

I went over to my bags and opened the big one to pull out the pages and held them out to him. “I haven’t found him yet, but I’m in this century now, so soon you can see him too.”

Hesitantly he came over and took the pages and flipped through a few. “You’ve tracked him through these name changes?”

“Yes.” I clapped my hands together lightly. “He’s not easy to find.”

Looking up from the papers, he searched my face. “Do you know who he is now?”

I shook my head. “No,” then frowned, “I’m at eighty years ago right now, so that will probably mean two more names to find and track before I’ll know who he is today.” I took the papers out of his hand and went over to the table to spread them out. “Other than when he tried living in a different country for forty years, he seems to stick to a pattern, always going back to the same areas…” I pushed the pages around until I found the one I’d written that on, then tapped it. “It’s sad really, it’s like he can’t be away from them.” I glanced to Daxx, “his wives are buried here though, so I think that might be why.” I remembered the others and leaned down to dig out those pages. “Or it could be his children…” I shook my head, “No they’d be dead now, but he has grand and great grand children…”

“What?” Troy came over and pulled the page from my hands.

“How is that possible? I thought only true mates could have children.” Daxx looked from one man to the other that were in the room.

Arius with the pretty hair, rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s technically not true-blood, his mother wasn’t one of us.”

“I don’t know what you just said, but I love your voice, so please keep talking.” I told him. He grinned at me.

“How many children?” Quinton came over and looked down at me.

I bit my lip and thought. “Five, which if you look at how long he’s lived, that’s not a lot.” I rubbed a hand over my throat, it always made me feel sad to think about him. “Three of them are still alive, I mean he had them with his first few wives and that was…” I blew out a breath as I did the math, “between two hundred and fifty and one hundred and fifty years ago.” I glanced to Daxx and frowned, “He’s never married again, that I’ve found, for the last one hundred and fifty years. He’s just been alone. It’s very sad.” It was, I knew better than most how hard alone could be.

“If the children died, they weren’t of our blood then. Or they didn’t know enough to sustain their lives properly. Do you know where the great grandchildren are?” Rafael asked as he sat on the corner of the table.

“I don’t…” I looked at Daxx then back to him, “I only follow him. I didn’t know you’d want to know about the others.” I shrugged, “I don’t think he has been able to stay with his wives for long, because they’d sort of notice he wasn’t aging, wouldn’t they?” How long would I live, I’d always questioned that. I loved life and seeing new things, learning unknown pieces, but to live too long I would grow tired of the constant flashes inside my head. I would never know peace, that I knew for sure. Shaking my head, I remembered they were talking.

Troy hissed out a loud breath. “We’re going to have to find them. All of them, to be sure.”

“Find who?”

I looked to see Troy’s twin come through the door. It was quite clear, now that I was seeing him, that they were nothing alike. He stopped and looked me up and down then gave me a charming smile.

“Ah, the infamous Crissy has finally joined us.” He grinned. “Love the hair color.”

My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks flush, he knew of me. Moving over, I stopped and looked up at him for a moment. “Your eyes don’t go red.” I found that interesting.

He shook his head, looking amused.

“Do you have fangs?” I looked at him mouth.

“No cutie, I’m afraid I was left out of the gene pool on that one.”

I studied him for a moment longer. “Hmm, that’s okay, I think you got something the rest of them didn’t.”

He exhaled and held his hand over his chest then glanced to his look-alike brother. “Can we keep her?”

Daxx laughed, “She’s not a puppy, Chase.”

He chuckled, “Good thing, kitten, or you two might not get along.” He touched my hair and smiled again. “I do love this color.”

I blushed again. “I wanted to feel bold and daring when I did it.”

“I don’t know about that, but it takes a daring person to try it.” He smiled down at me for a moment, then looked around at the others. “Who are we finding?”

I remembered what we were talking about before he came in. “Your lost brother… who looks like Arius and his great grand children.” I bit my lip, “Or maybe they’re great, great,” I shook my head, “I’m not sure, I didn’t know I should trace those branches of the family trees with his wives.” Turning, I went back to the pages and started to flip through them to find the dates he’d been married. “I don’t know if any of them lived a longer than normal life span, but those that didn’t wouldn’t be hard to track…” I frowned, “if any of them did though, that takes hours of reading and searching to find who they became next, or are now…” I looked at the papers. “I’m going to need more pens and paper too.” I nodded.

“I don’t know who pissed off Victor, but they can go fix him. He just fired one of my constables.”

A man with short black hair and blue eyes came in and then stopped and looked at me. I’d seen him before too. I was sure this time, his scar on his face confirmed that it could only be him.

I had to pause for a second and wonder if all people were this large in this world we were in. I wasn’t tall, just five foot five, which worked out fine for me, easier to hide in small places, but everyone I’d met here so far had to be well over six feet tall.

He glanced around at everyone else then walked toward me. I could feel he was safe, knew it matched what I’d seen of him. When he stopped in front of me and held out his hand, I looked at it and then reached up and ran my finger over the faded scar that ran down the right side of his face. “It’s sad, how you got this.” I looked to see surprise in his blue eyes. “You shouldn’t have kept it as a reminder.” I offered him a little smile, “you’ll never forget.”

He pulled his hand back and frowned at me.

“This is Crissy.” Daxx offered, “Criss, this is Michael.”

His eyes searched my face.

“Michael, call everyone now.” Troy said as he tossed the papers on the table. “We need to discuss what Crissy has found out.”

Straightening, he suddenly looked like a warrior, on alert. “Regarding?”

“Our lost brother,” Arius said without looking up from the papers, “and his children.”

Michael’s head snapped toward him so fast, I was sure it must have hurt. He nodded abruptly and pulled out his phone.

I needed my notebook, many things I’d put in it were standing right in front of me, for real. I couldn’t write down everything that came to me, some were so brief I didn’t even see them, but the ones that last long enough to note, or those that played on repeat, I did write down. Turning, I went back to my pack and squatted down to dig through it. Someday I’d empty this and see what long forgotten treasures were in it.

“I was just going to put coffee on, does anyone else want some?”

I glanced around the chair I was behind to see a normal sized lady coming out the door Quinton had run through. Her aura had such warm vibes, I could feel them from this far away. She had a sweet smile, understanding eyes and her pretty strawberry blonde hair was twisted up like she was going to a party.

“Oh. Hello, dear.” She started walking toward me. “Aren’t you just too cute for words.”

I stood up slowly and glanced to Daxx quickly, she nodded.

“Mitz, this is my friend Crissy.”

She stopped in front of me and gave me a fast hug, then clasped my face between her hands. “I’ve heard a lot about you, dear. Are you hungry?” She let go of my face when I nodded.

“I’d like toast and marmalade, please.” I nodded again, “three pieces, white bread if you have it.” She smiled at me. “Two always feel like I need more, but four is too sweet and makes me feel ill.”

“I’ll go get that. Would you like some juice with it?”

Quinton and Rafael had both told me all about Mitz, and brought her food often. It was no wonder they were all so large, her cooking was so tasty. “Cranberry if you have it.”

“I’m sure we do.” She smiled at me again then turned and walked back through the door.

I looked to see everyone there going through the papers I’d set on the table. Grabbing my pack, I turned slowly until I spotted a corner with a small table in it. Going over, I sat under the table and pulled out my notebook. It took me longer than I’d like to find a pencil, confirming I needed to clean out my pack soon. Flipping through the pages of writing and sketches, I tried to find the one that kept playing through my head.

New voices had me looking up. The man with the red hair, Victor, was back, and with him was another man with short, spiked red hair. It may have just been my view from the floor, but they looked as large as the others.

“What do you mean children?” Victor asked.

“Is that possible?” The man I didn’t know asked.

Troy shrugged, “Our lost brother…”

“Would you like to know his name? I mean, I don’t know who he is now, but I know what his name was when he was born.” I frowned, “so you can call him something other than lost brother. He’s not lost to him, only to you.”

Everyone looked around, then Rafael turned and tilted his head at me and smiled. I smiled back, you had to with him, even if you didn’t feel like smiling. Coming over, he squatted down and looked under the table at me. “You don’t have to hide here.” He held out his hand.

I took his hand and grabbed my pack, clutching it and my book to my chest as he helped me out. “I feel better in little spots.” He didn’t let go of my hand. “I feel safe then.”

Pulling my hand gently, he went over to the table. “You’re safe here. I promise.”

He didn’t let go of my hand until I stood by the table again, surrounded by so many tall men it was like land of the giants. I looked at the new one, him I didn’t know. He looked more scared of me than I did of him, which was completely silly. Hesitantly, I held out my hand to him. “Crissy.” I said with a soft voice, knowing that tone always made me feel better when I wanted to run the other way. His eyes flicked to my hand then back to my face. He took it and squeezed once, then dropped it.

“Leone.”

I smiled at him and then remembered. “Oh. Emil.” I nodded and looked up at them. “That was your brother’s name when he was born.” I exhaled like I just told a secret held for too long. “He always changes it to another one that starts with an E, which took me a hundred years to realize, but that’s who he was when he was born.”

“Emil.” Victor said quietly. “Wasn’t our great grandfather’s middle name Emil?” He looked to Quinton who nodded. Exhaling slowly, he glanced around at the others. “That confirms it then, father had a hand in naming him.”

Chase snorted, “and making him, then leaving him to live on the other side with no clue.”

“You’ve found him?”

I looked around Raf to see Mitz coming back with my toast, her brows were knit together with worry. “No, but I’m close.” I told her. “I promised to find Emil, and I will.” I nodded, hoping to make her feel better.

The plate in her hand started to shake, so she set it on the table with a clank. “Emil?” A soft smile appeared on her face. “Emil,” she repeated with more reflection as she set my juice beside it. With hurried steps, she brushed through the tall bodies and hugged me tight. “I can’t thank you enough for trying to find him.”

I looked to Quinton for help. I wasn’t big on being touched and her emotions were enough to drown me right now. He understood my silent plea and came over and gently peeled the lady off me.

“We’ll find him, Mitz.” He wrapped his arms around her small body.

She sniffled, “he needs to come home. He’s been out there alone for so long…”

“Not as alone as you’d think.” Arius said with a smirk.

Quinton grasped her shoulders and leaned back to look down at her. “You need to sit down, Mitz. Everyone does, we have some interesting news to share.”

I wandered around the room as the ten sat at the long table, going through my notes. I didn’t know much about what they talked about. Their father—and yes, they were all brothers, which explained how they lost one in the first place, with so many to watch over. I back-tracked, they didn’t know how dad had managed to have a child with someone not his wife, or how Emil had had children. It was all very strange and mysterious to me, and I couldn’t get too bogged down with figuring it out because my brain already had more than enough to process, I didn’t need to add to it right now.

I found the tattoo on Daxx’s arm intriguing though, and the fact her king had one to match was something I made a note to inquire about later. Nibbling on the second piece of toast, I stood back and looked at them. Never having had family that I knew of, it was so clear the connection they had by how they interacted, that I’d missed out on something became quite obvious. Then again, with my tendencies, I doubt a family would have wanted me.

My eyes stopped on Victor, I still couldn’t figure him out. The way he held himself, I was fairly sure he was the eldest, he just had that watchful way about him that told me he’d been looking out for all of them the longest. He wasn’t a bad man, but there was something hard and unmovable about him. I may have to ask Rafael or Quinton about him, not knowing always bugged me. It was better to ask and get answers, so not to tax my mind with things I didn’t have space for.

Chewing the last bite, I glanced at my plate at the other end of the table, then decided not rushing to eat the last piece was a better idea. Meals weren’t always guaranteed in my life, so when I could, I took my time. I did.

Hands tucked into my pockets, I wandered closer to the end of the table where Victor sat. His dark red hair was brushed carefully back from his face, and I swear there wasn’t a hair out of place. How did one manage such a thing? My hair did not follow instruction at all, but hung to my shoulders in every direction possible, some wavy, some straight.

I didn’t miss how his green eyes tracked my every move, and that was fascinating to realize. When I watched him watch me, I felt… I wasn’t sure, warmer didn’t quite cover it but I didn’t know how else to describe the feeling. Normally, when someone looked at me too closely I felt uncomfortable, with him it was kind of like a fever, but without the germs and sickness.

Deciding I needed to study him closer, maybe to get some answers, I went and hopped up and sat on the table right where he was sitting and leaned in closer to look into his green eyes. So many emotions went through them I didn’t catch one long enough to be sure of anything, they changed that fast. “You feel like an allergic reaction, minus the sickness.” I told him.

His eyes widened and then he scowled at me. I realized everyone had stopped talking then and was glad my back was to all of them. I didn’t like being watched.

“Are you demented?” he asked me in a quiet tone, then glanced beside him to where Daxx sat, “Is she crazy?”

“Do I need to be?” I asked him, I tilted my head and continued to watch him, “I can do it if there’s a need…” He didn’t answer, just sat there and held my stare. His eyes started to change and I knew there would be fangs to go with it, but I didn’t want to touch him to see. A cool hand touched my shoulder and I scrambled across the table off the other side. Hitting the floor, I turned and backed into the corner.

Victor jumped up and knocked the chair back, but didn’t move any closer.

Troy stood there beside him and held his hands up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

My heart was in my throat and beating too fast. “I don’t like…” I exhaled slowly, “being touched.” I told him quietly. “Unless I know, then it’s okay, but not before.” I nodded, hoping he understood.

Victor took a step toward me, then stopped and jammed his hands into his pockets and just stared at me.

Quinton got up and came around the table to me. I almost jumped into his arms, needing to feel the steady calm he always projected when I was near him. “It’s okay.” He said hugging me back. “Troy wouldn’t hurt you.” I looked up into his brown eyes and he nodded.

Letting go of him, I turned so I was facing the others again. Uncomfortable didn’t begin to describe how I felt, every single one of them was looking at me.

“How is it, Quint that women new to Alterealm throw themselves in your arms?” Chase drawled with a smirk on his face.

Quinton looked down at me and winked, then back to his brother. “Its my irresistible charm.”

Chase snorted, “It’s your something.”

Troy moved around the table slowly. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, I only wanted to ask if I could take a look.”

My eyes darted from him to Daxx, then back. “A look?”

He stopped and nodded. “I can read people’s minds, see their thoughts…” he glanced to Daxx and smirked, “mostly. I just wanted to see if I could see yours. Maybe see our brother for myself?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. “You want to look inside my head?” He nodded again. “I don’t think you’re going to enjoy that.” It was fascinating though, that he could do something like that.

“I’ll take my chances.” Troy said motioning to the chair beside him.

I looked at it then back to him. “Do you have to touch me?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

I clutched the book to my chest. “Will it hurt?” I shrugged, “I’m not a fan of pain.”

Troy smirked, “I don’t think anyone is.” He tucked his hands behind his back. “It won’t cause you pain.”

Did I want to do this? It would be something new, that was for sure, but what was in my head, might not be what he thought it would be. “Okay.” I walked over and hopped up on the table beside the chair he’d motioned too.

Chuckling quietly, he pulled the chair out and sat down, putting us at eye level. I held the notebook in my lap and tried not to show how nervous I was. Who wouldn’t be, when someone was going to look inside your head? His eyes turned red and I smiled, and knew I needed to look. Leaning down, I touched his bottom lip hoping he’d open his mouth, he did. Sure enough, there they were, fangs. I touched the tip of one and he grinned and sat back.

“Sorry.” I whispered.

“Criss,” Daxx stepped beside him, with that look on her face letting me know I was doing something that wasn’t sociably acceptable, again.

I shrugged. “Rafael doesn’t mind me touching his fangs.”

She shook her head. “Raf doesn’t have a mate.”

“No, he’s just a manwhore.” Chase snickered behind me.

“Kettle, pot.” Rafael retorted.

“If you’re finished…” Troy interrupted.

Everyone went silent. He took a deep breath and looked back at me. “Okay?” he asked with his mouthful of fangs.

I nodded. “I’ll behave this time.”

He grinned and gave me a quick nod, then leaned closer, his red eyes locked on mine. It was a bit weird, but then again, I wasn’t one to judge what was normal. I didn’t feel anything, which was disappointing, and was just about to say it wasn’t working, when he grabbed his temples and fell back against the chair.

“Troy?” Daxx leaned over him.

He held up a hand to silence her, then opened his eyes, hazel again and looked at me. “How do you function with all of that happening at once?”

I shrugged. “It’s always been like that.” I glanced around to see everyone looking at me like I was a bug under a microscope. “I told you that you weren’t going to enjoy it.” The closer everyone moved, with those looks on their faces, the more the walls seemed to close in on me. I Jumped off the table and went over to grab my pack. Butterflies, so many of them fluttering about. Turning, I looked around at them and stopped to focus on Victor. “I don’t like being inside. There are no butterflies. I like butterflies.” I backed up and then turned and ran out the nearest door.