Chapter 25

I was still dazed by the recent events. I don’t think I picked up the soap in the shower, I spent the entire time studying the design on my arm. I was mated. To a prince. In Alterealm.

I picked up the amulet and looked at it. If there was ever a moment in a daughter’s life she needed her mother’s council, it was now. I grinned at my reflection, of course she would have been jumping up and down and screaming in excitement over this. I was just looking very lost. Securing the chain around my neck, I looked at the woman in the mirror again. I was a princess in Alterealm. Sighing, I turned and picked up my jacket and went to the door. I pulled it open to see Quinton standing on the other side.

He gave me a sheepish grin. “I can feel what you are.” Quinton grinned. “It’s shed a whole new light on what my brothers have been going through.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. “I can’t feel anything, myself.”

He sobered, “well, part of your churning emotions and thoughts are probably mine.” He blew out a breath and looked down the hallway, “Controlling this link is nothing like controlling the one my brothers and I have.”

I shrugged, “that makes me feel a little bit better.” I shook my head, “I don’t regret that you’re alive and—” I motioned up and down his body, “well. I’m just…” I lifted both hands and then dropped them, not knowing how to explain it.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I get it.” He motioned down the hall, “let’s go eat and talk.”

I stepped out and closed the door.

Quinton walked beside me as we climbed the stairs, “The doctor wants to run all the tests again.”

I nodded, “I think that’s wise.”

“If this turns out to be permanent…”

I stopped at the top of the stairs, “If? You don’t think it is?”

His chest rose with a deep breath, then fell as he exhaled slowly, “I don’t know what to think.” He started toward his room, “I spent the last century hoping the doctor could find a way to fix it.” He opened his door and went in, “but every day I was convinced I deserved it.”

I put my hand on his arm as he reached the ladder going up to the roof. “It was a mistake.” He looked down at me, “there was no malice intended when it happened.”

A sadness went through his eyes, “no, but it doesn’t change the outcome.” He looked at my hand on his arm, “I took an innocent’s life.” He began to go up the ladder.

I waited until he’d reached the top before following him. He extended his hand and pulled me up the last step until I was standing on the roof. Of the palace. I paused for a moment, turning and looking around. “It’s breathtaking.” I whispered.

He motioned to some cushions and blanket on the roof. A small lantern lit the area. “It is.” He made a sound of exasperation, “now.” Sitting down, he looked around, “Arwan had control of the palace,” he paused while I sat down, “we don’t know for how long. No royals or anyone with magic in their blood could come near it.” He looked around the roof, “Autumn climbed up here to get to the trap door while some magic-wielder tried to electrocute her.” He looked at the roof surface, “but she did it to get inside and break the magic so we could enter it.”

“That’s—” I gave him a wide-eyed look, “horrifying.” I smirked, “and yet, fantastic at the same time.”

Quinton nodded slowly, “The past—” he waved his hand around, “I don’t even know how long since Daxx appeared,” He shrugged, “but it’s been one crazy thing after another.” He opened the basket and looked inside.

I watched as he took the food out. “I’d like to hear about it.” I nodded when he looked at me, “everything that’s taken place since Daxx.”

He pulled out two wine glasses and then looked at them. “I guess I can drink again.” His gaze flicked to me briefly, “I couldn’t before while taking the elixir.”

I grinned. “Please don’t get tipsy and fall of the roof.” I sobered, “one miraculous healing is enough for today.”

Quinton laughed. “Yeah, we’ve made history today, I’m sure.” He took out the bottle of wine and looked at it. “You like peach?”

I gave him a surprised look, “I do, actually.”

He nodded, “Yeah, Mitz definitely packed this.” He opened it and poured a glass, then handed it to me. He was quiet as he poured his and put the bottle back in the basket. “I don’t even know where to start.” He sipped the wine, then nodded slowly. “It’s been one moment of insanity to another since I found Daxx in the wasteland.” He frowned, “my appearance didn’t scare the hell out of her.” He said softly, “I knew there was something about her,” he glanced at me, “like when you recognize someone you haven’t seen in a long time.”

I nodded, “I guess on some level you knew she was the huntress.”

He grinned, “I began to suspect it when she was in Troy’s office, surrounded by most of my brothers, and threatened to slice Welsley a whole new lifestyle.”

I snorted, “Yes, she is quite blunt.”

He nodded as he opened a container and looked inside it. “I’m hungry, but not starving like I have been for decade after decade.”

“That’s good I suppose.” I picked up another container and opened it.

He nodded, “you have no idea. I could stuff my face, then be hungry ten minutes later.”

“I’ve been hungry before, so I do understand.” I said softly and picked up a plate.

Quinton studied me for a moment, “you lived through a lot of changes.” He stated.

I nodded and held up my tattoo armed, “apparently I still am.”

He held out his arm and turned it from side to side. “Yeah it’s—surreal. I never thought I’d see this on my skin.”

“Ditto.” I picked up a sandwich and put it on the plate. “So Daxx arriving was a bit unexpected?”

He chuckled, “that’s putting it mildly.” He pulled out another container and opened it. “It was chaos, all my brothers tripping over each other trying to be around her,” he shrugged, “except Victor, he said the prophecy was,” he frowned, “hog spittle, I think.”

“Yes, Crissy mentioned the prophecy in passing, the wording. I guess it’s not hog spittle.” I grinned at him.

“Nope. It could have been less cryptic though.” Picking up a plate he debated what he wanted to put on it. “Mine makes total sense—now.”

I chewed slowly, processing that for a moment. “So, which mate arrived next?”

He paused in taking a bite, “Crissy.” He shook his head, “that was,” he continued to shake his head, “terrifying at times. I’ve never been afraid of Victor in my entire life, but he was hell bent on,” he took a bite and didn’t speak until he’d swallowed it, “I don’t even know what.”

“They’re an odd mix.”

With his eyes-wide he nodded. “I know, but apparently she was who he needed.” He shrugged, “they work.” He took another bite.

We ate in silence for a moment. “Was Alona next?” I picked up my glass, “I feel like she’s been here longer.”

Quinton nodded, “yeah she was.” He grinned, “I never thought anyone would be able to take on Chase and last.”

“They seem to be good together.”

“It helps that she’s an empath and that he feeds on emotion.” He took another bite.

“Oh,” I grinned, “I suppose that makes them a perfect match.”

He studied me silently for a long awkward moment. “They all are.”

I knew he was thinking about our match as his gaze moved over my face. I wasn’t ready for deep emotional talk just yet. “Who came next?”

He took a sip of the wine. “Bethany.” He grinned, “she highjacked Leone’s mind and led him into a trap set up by Willis’ people. They were going to use him to trade for this one mage,” he shrugged, “and her best friend, a witch.”

I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut.

“It’s worse than that.” He took a deep breath, “Leone was, is, a human essence addict and when he realized his mate was…”

“A human.” I covered my mouth.

“Yeah, it wasn’t good.” He closed his eyes, “then she fell off a fire escape and broke most of her body, so it was a really rough time.”

“OMG.” I whispered.

“We all thought we were going to lose him.” He stared off into the night, “after just getting him back from being kidnapped.”

“That’s incredible. Someone should write a book about these,” I waved my hand around in the air, “events.”

Quinton studied his plate, “it would have to be a comedy.”

I grinned, “there are entertaining aspects, I’m sure.”

“You have no idea.” He mumbled.

“Okay, so Leone obviously has his addiction under control now.”

He nodded, “all it took was his mate.” He frowned, “stupid punk scared the hell out of us so many times.”

I smirked, “being a big brother to so many must be hard.”

He gave me a bored look, “it’s been a long three and half centuries.” He blew out a breath, “sometimes I almost wish it was still Victor, Michael and I.” He sighed, “but then I realize I’d miss out on those other idiots and life wouldn’t have been the same.”

“I wished for a sibling for many years.” I twirled the liquid in my glass, “my mother never looked at another man after me.”

“Your father was probably her mate.” He tilted his head, “I don’t know how that would work between the two races though.”

I blew out a breath, “a discussion for Prince Bastian, once we get other—things resolved.”

Quinton nodded, “yeah those things need to end soon.”

I cleared my throat, “which woman disrupted your world next?”

“Paisley.” He blew out a breath, “that was a rough ride.” He set the glass down and picked up his plate again, “that’s also when we found Emil’s daughter on an island where they housed women for their breeding campaigns.”

“Holy.” I hissed out quietly.

He nodded, “Paize was one of those women, she got away and dove off a cliff into the lake.” He set the plate back down, “Crissy saw her in a vision and it was a mad scramble to try to find her before she drowned.” Shaking his head, he leaned back on an elbow and looked up at the stars, “Arius almost drowned when we breached that island.”

I completely lost any interest in eating and set the plate aside. “So, Rena’s child is…” I didn’t know how to say it.

Quinton’s gaze met mine, “yeah, it’s from the island.”

“Autumn is going to raise the child?”

Quinton nodded, “she and Michael.” He paused, “none of us know a thing about babies.”

I smirked, “I’d imagine all your brothers are going to find out at some point.”

He frowned, “do you know how many nieces and nephews I could end up with?”

I chuckled, “a lot.”

He bobbed his head. “Uncle Quinton.” He said softly.

“Most likely uncle Quint or Q.” I shrugged.

He nodded, then was silent for several seconds. “Anyway, Arius has always been the scariest bastard among us, but Paize tamed him like a fuzzy puppy.”

I grinned. “I’m sure he’d be thrilled to hear your thoughts on it.”

He snorted. “I have no problem voicing my thoughts around them.”

“Just didn’t tell them you were dying for the last century.” I blurted it out without thought.

He sat up, “it would have changed everything.” He took a deep breath, “I always intended to tell them, I just kept…”

“Hoping the doctor would fix it so you didn’t have to.” I finished for him.

“Yeah, something like that.” He picked up a container and held it out. “These are the best pastries in all the realms, possibly the entire universe.”

I raised my eyebrows and took one, “I guess it would be a crime to not eat them.”

He nodded and took a bite of one, then closed his eyes like he was savoring.

I took a small bite and smiled while I chewed it. “They are divine.” I told him.

“Right.” He took another one, then handed me the container. “So, Autumn was next.” He shook his head, “damn she can fight.”

I swallowed the bite. “I’ve seen some of it.” I nodded, “she’s very good.”

“She should have kicked Michael’s ass.” He gave me a serious look, “she almost died,” he shrugged, “I don’t know how many times, before he had to mark her to save her life.” He winced, “Mitz was even furious with him.”

“He didn’t want a mate?”

He looked back at me, “it’s not a matter of a want,” I lifted his hand then dropped it, “I can’t explain it, but in Michael’s case he was hung up on the ghost of a girlfriend he’d lost hundreds of years before Autumn was born.”

“I’m sure it’s more complicated then you know.”

He shrugged, “maybe, but he let her suffer and put herself in harm’s way instead of manning up.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m pretty sure if Autumn decides she’s doing something, no one can stop her.”

Quinton huffed out a breath, “that’s true.” He smirked, “I’ll never stand in her way.”

I smiled, “I don’t think I would either. A surujin wouldn’t stop her.”

He sobered, “we’ll work on teaching you some more fighting techniques.” He looked out into the night, “although I’m hoping after we find Arwan, we can take a break from fighting.”

“Daxx will be heartbroken.”

He chuckled, “yes she will.” He shrugged, “we’ll find her someone to beat down occasionally.”

“Kara was next?”

He grinned wide, “she shot Rafael…” he waved his hand quickly, “Raf has always been our little playboy brother.” He laughed softly, “Kara shot him in the ass with an arrow.” He leaned back and laughed loudly, “most poetic thing I’ve ever seen in my long life.”

“That reminds me, how does she render her targets unconscious?”

“Oh, she doesn’t want to hurt people, so the elders and science people made her arrows that shock people enough to knock them out.” He shrugged, “I didn’t ask for the specifics on how it works.”

“Ah, I wondered if she had more special abilities than hearing a person’s thoughts.” I paused, “which in itself is amazing.” I frowned, “although I’m sure she hasn’t always thought it was.”

He shook his head. “No. Her own family had her locked up in that asylum.”

I gave him a wide-eyed look. “I hadn’t realized…”

“Yeah. Raf found the family, but she won’t let him go straighten them out.” His tone was quiet.

“I suppose she’s decided to leave it in her past.” I studied him for a moment. “Your brothers can’t right every wrong ever done to their women.”

He snorted, “we sure as hell can try.” He huffed out a breath, “some things are not acceptable or okay.”

I smiled at him.

“What?” He gave me a confused look.

“My mother was right.” I motioned to him, “she always told me the royal brothers were incorruptible, with morals harder than the hardest metal known to man.”

He looked at me, “I don’t know if—” he shrugged, “we’re all that, but there are just some things that are not acceptable.”

I smirked. “I suppose I’m next in the story of the princes’ mates?”

His look changed several times before he spoke. “You are and you’re the key to ending this with Arwen.”

I nodded and looked down at my gloved hands, I pulled off one slowly, then the other, “I have to wonder if that’s because I can see the traces of magic or if it was to heal you.” I looked up at him, he was staring at my hands, “losing one brother would render this family helpless.”

His gaze flicked back to my face, “I don’t…”

I shook my head, “it would. You’re each a part of the other, you may be nine separate bodies, but you function as one,” I nodded, “and now with your mates it’s like watching an intricate puzzle be completed.” I rubbed my hands together, needing to feel my skin and not leather. “Even in battle you’re a huge unit working as one.”

Quinton sat there in the low light looking at me. “You make us sound like much more than we are.”

“Maybe because I can step back and look without bias.” I clasped my hands in my lap. “Or I could before.” I looked at the intricate design on his arm. “Since our markings appeared, aside from the immediate confusion, I feel connected.” I blew out a breath, “I haven’t felt a connection to another since my mother passed.”

“Give it a few hundred years and you’ll be wishing you didn’t have all those people connected to you and trying to get inside your head.” He grimaced.

“Big tough brother, wanting his baby brothers to think he’s a rock and unmoveable.” I said in a low tone.

He shrugged.

I smirked. “How am I measuring against the other women when this,” I held up my arm, “appeared?”

He laughed then, deeply. “gracefully in comparison.” He shook his head, still chuckling, “Daxx and,” he closed his eyes for a second, “Bethany,” he shook his head again, “let’s just say they didn’t take it very well.”

I smiled, more for seeing him laughing, “Mitz told me some of it.” I gave him a brief wide-eyed look, “your brothers didn’t do a very good job explaining,” I motioned to the air, “Alterealm to them.”

He sobered. “No. They did not.” With a gentle look, he studied me silently for a few moments. “You’re taking all of this very well.”

I gave him a half shrug, “I grew up knowing of Alterealm, so that helps.” I smiled, “that’s not saying I still may not freak out, but fate knew what she was doing.”

“How so?”

I stared at my palm while I spoke, “I don’t usually rush into the middle of a fight with a group of unknowns and heal someone.” I glanced at him through my lashes, “yet for reasons unknown to me, I had to help you.”

He considered this. “While I’m grateful, now, that you did,” his eyes connected with my own, “I will lock you in a room if you ever put yourself at risk like that again.”

I laughed. “You can try.” Inhaling slowly, I breathed it out. I hadn’t been joking, at some point all of this was going to sink in and I may very well freak right the f out. I tilted my head and gave him a serious look. “What if I’m not the final key in this.”

Quinton frowned, “what do you mean? You can see where Arwan’s magic has been used.” He nodded, “we’ve found out more since you came than all we learned before.”

“The prophecy, there’s one more brother.”

His brows drew together, “you think the nine brother’s prophecy is linked to all of this?”

I shrugged, “seems possible. Each mate has had some key to figuring it out and reaching the end.”

He stared at the roof beside him for a long moment. “Emil,” he shook his head, “he was born on the other side, spent three hundred years over there.”

“I gathered that from our conversations.”

“He’s had five wives, many children—three are still alive.” He shrugged, “I’m sure he’s has a long list of descendants he keeps an eye on, watching for the longevity of the Alterealm blood…” He looked over at me, “you’d think if he had a mate one of his wives would have been it.”

I lifted my shoulders slowly, then let them drop. “Is he part of the prophecy? The one about mates?”

Quinton opened his mouth, then closed it and tilted his head. “yeah.” He said slowly. “I don’t remember what it says though.” He exhaled loudly, “so you think we won’t be able to end this until he’s found his mate?”

“Could he have already met her and not known?”

He snorted, “no.” He gave me a hard look, “trust me if we get without fifty feet of our mate, we know it.” He closed his eyes for a second then gave me a gentler look, “I thought I was hallucinating from blood loss when you appeared over me in that garage.”

“You looked afraid, or angry, I’m not sure which.”

“Yeah, well, I was mad that if you were my mate it was way too late… then your hair started to lighten like I was sucking…”

“Oh. I understand now.”

He nodded, “yeah, I thought I was killing you—too.” He said softly.

The air between us was tense again. I held up my hands, “a picture of health.” I smiled, “but that explains your reaction to me.”

Rubbing a hand over his face, “I could have probably handled it a bit better.”

I smirked, “maybe.” He continued to sit there and look at me, his expression was unreadable. I cleared my throat, “so, what are we doing?” I lifted my marked arm and then lowered it, “about this.”

“I want to see what the doctor…”

“Quinton,” I interrupted, “I know you’ve spent the last century hanging on doctor’s results, but this.” I held up my arm again, “is already done now.” I looked at my arm, “if the results are bad news, it’s too late.”

“Fuck.” He whispered, “you’re right.” He looked at his arm, then ran his other hand over it. “I guess my brain hasn’t caught up yet to the…”

“Quinton,” I whispered, he looked up at me. “I think you should kiss me.”

He looked at my mouth, then back to my eyes.

I shrugged, “unless you plan on this being a platonic union for all eternity.”

His eyes widened.

“Hadn’t thought about that either?”

He scowled at me.

I grinned, “or you have.” I got up on my knees and moved closer to him, “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of living every moment of my life alone, in my thoughts, physically, emotionally…”

He grasped the back of my neck and pulled me to him in one smooth move. I found myself in his lap, my mouth crushed beneath his in a matter of the single beat of a heart. I wasn’t some shy schoolgirl, hadn’t been for over a century, but this felt—new, unfamiliar.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and matched his heated kiss with my own pent-up passions.

He growled in the back of his throat and tore his mouth from mine. He rested our foreheads together, “I wanted to take the time so you could get to know me.”

I lifted my head away, “we have several hundred years to get to know all the annoying quirks we have.”

He grinned and lightly grasped my face between his large hands, “after we find Arwen, I want us to go away for a month.”

“Go where?”

“Anywhere, everywhere—wherever you want.” He whispered.

I nodded as best I could with him holding my face. “If that’s your way of proposing, or courting,” I tried to nod again, “yes. Yes.”

He made a noise in the back of his throat and then crushed my mouth with his again. He shifted and I found myself under him without breaking our kiss. My whole being was revealing in his nearness.

With a sudden move, he lifted his head and cursed. He pulled out his phone and glared at it. He answered it, “this better be life and fucking death, brother.” He growled into it. The hard look faded and he sat up, “what? Hang on.” He tapped the screen, “it’s on speaker, she’s here.”

“Thank the gods.” It was Chase. “We tried calling, Reagan, then found your phone in your room.”

I sat up and tried to shake the lust from my head. “I must have forgotten it.”

“Quinton, where are you?” Chase sounded out of breath, “hold on.” We heard muffled voices.

“We’re on the roof.” Quinton said.

“Of course you are.” Chase sounded out of breath.

“What’s going on?” Quinton demanded.

“Bastian is looking for Reagan, says it’s important.” Chase said. “He’s already here.”

“Is it about her father?” Quinton stood up and waited while I grabbed my gloves.

“He wouldn’t say, said Reagan deserved to be the first to know.”

He pulled me to my feet, I went over and looked down the hole to see Chase looking up at me. With a nervous quake I went down the ladder.

Chase gave me a quick appraisal. “I wouldn’t have disturbed you if it weren’t important.” He gave me an apologetic look.

“Yeah, you would.” Quinton stepped off the ladder and hugged me to his side.

Chase grinned, “yeah, I would.”