Chapter 11

Daxx spun the cup in a circle on the table in front of her. “How much longer are we going to sit here?” She yawned. “I can’t drink anymore coffee.”

“I don’t even know whose daytime it is.” Bethany leaned back and closed her eyes.

“Why are we here again?” Kara asked.

“Yeah, I thought we were all waiting here.” Daxx looked unimpressed.

Autumn paced away from the window. “Because our guards are out on the hunt and we’ve been benched.”

“The vendors must have all checked out or Kara would have been called by now.” Paisley put in her earbud and tapped the screen of her phone.

“Again.” Alona agreed without looking up from the tablet. “On a good note, however, I think I’ve found the furniture for the sitting area on the second floor.”

“Thank goodness for that, maybe we’ll have a new place to sit and do nothing.” Paisley snarked before leaning over and looking at the tablet. “Looks comfy.”

“When they said we’ll wait, I thought that meant them too.” Bethany sighed, then looked over at Crissy where she sat beside the thrones. “Any more details on the climax vision?”

I didn’t think Crissy was listening, but her head popped up and she looked right at Bethany.

“No.” She lifted her shoulders, then let them drop again. “Yes. I don’t know how they fit together.” She looked at me for a second, “each time a girl has appeared, there was a connection to the rest,” she shrugged, “mostly.” Her solemn look turned to joy briefly, “even Victor can’t help. We tried, I let him…”

Daxx jumped up, “no details.”

“I was just going to…”

“TMI, sister.” Paisley grinned.

“Oh. Okay.” Crissy stared at her pencil for a moment, “there’s fog, but it’s not really foggy, I know that now,” she nodded, “then there’s—” she jumped up and pointed to me, “your necklace. It’s your necklace.” She nodded, a big smile on her face, then sat back down and dumped her pack on the floor. Grabbing a notebook out of the small pile of items, she began flipping through the pages. “I thought it might be a tattoo,” she glanced up at me so briefly, I wasn’t sure she really saw me, “but it's not. It’s the pendant.” Jumping up, she held the notebook open and stumbled in my direction.

Autumn had to catch her before she tripped and fell on her face.

Getting up, I took the book she held out and looked down. It was a sketch of the center portion of my mother’s pendant.

“I saw that so long ago.” She took a deep breath, then exhaled. “The fog has to do with you.” She nodded. “And nothingness too,” she frowned, “I don’t know if it’s nothingness, but it’s a blank space.” She turned to Daxx and grinned. “Each time one of us girls showed up, the visions were directly connected.” Crissy laughed softly, “Victor and I figured that part out when Autumn came to join us.”

Autumn snorted, “I wouldn’t have minded a heads up before,” she waved her hand around, “all that happened.”

Crissy’s expression became serious again, “we weren’t one hundred percent certain,” she shrugged, “Vic’s words.” Her expression became animated again, “but now I know for certain.” She hopped toward me and hugged me, crushing the notebook between us. “I have to tell Vic.” She released me, then dashed over to her pack again, “you’re the climax.” She paused and looked back to me. “You are the key. You have the answers to end this.” Standing up, she hugged her pack and then vanished.

The room was completely silent. I glanced around to see everyone looking at me.

“Does,” I scowled, “does that come with more explanation?” I watched a few of the women shake their heads. “So,” I motioned around the room, “what, what did she say exactly?”

Daxx rubbed her hands over her face. “Obviously there’s some sort of fog or maybe…”

“Smoke?” Bethany was on her feet now too.

Daxx nodded, “could be.” She pointed to me, “and somehow you have the knowledge or ability to help us get Hubert, or that other guy…”

“Arwan.” Paisley nodded.

“Yeah him.” Daxx mumbled.

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

“Basically, we have no idea, but it seems you are definitely meant to be here, now in this juncture in time.” Alona stood up and stretched.

“I have no idea what any of that is about,” Autumn grinned at me, “but if you can find either of those two, I will drop kick them so hard, their future will become history.”

“Should we call the guys and tell them Crissy’s latest?” Kara asked.

Daxx turned to look at Alona.

“I think not.” Alona mused quietly. “Perhaps we can figure out how to put the pieces together while they’re out grunting orders…”

“We’re going to need our guards.” Bethany nodded slowly.

“Who have been commandeered by our mates.” Paisley sighed.

“Well,” Kara glanced around at the others slowly, “we’ll see how far we can get before we need, need them.”

“Please.” Alona crossed her arms over her stomach, “we are not feeble women by any means,” she pointed to Autumn, then Paisley and Bethany, “you three can take out pretty much anything that comes at us,” she smiled at me, “and now we don’t have to call the boys when we have a mishap.”

I stood there, trying to figure out what they were saying. I didn’t understand any of this. “I’m not sure if I’m too tired, or…”

Alona chuckled, “I’d say let’s break out the wine, but we could explain everything over a light snack instead.” She touched her stomach, “I am feeling peckish.”

“I could eat.” Autumn nodded.

Loud music started playing. Autumn pulled her phone out of her hoodie pocket and smiled.

“Hey, Rena. Trouble sleeping?” She tapped the screen and continued talking, “I asked…”

“Autumn.” A woman’s breathless voice came out of the phone. “I fell. I didn’t want to call dad, he’d…”

“I’ll be right there.” She clasped the phone in her hand and closed the distance between us and grabbed my arm. “Come on.”

My adrenaline peaked and suddenly I was standing in a beautifully decorated room. Autumn let go of me and looked around, then darted forward. I followed her. A woman with hair almost the color of snow lay on the carpeting at the bottom of a few steps in a sitting room.

“We’re here.” I glanced behind me to see the other woman all standing where I had just been.

“Where’s it hurt?” Autumn knelt over the woman.

“My leg.” She grunted out a sound of pain as she shifted.

Autumn nodded, then pointed to the couch. “Someone grabs some pillows.”

Bethany dashed past me and went to the couch.

“Rena, this is Reagan.” Autumn looked over her shoulder at me, “she heals with her hands.”

Rena leaned back against the pillows and looked over at me, pain clear on her face. “That’s handy.”

I went over and knelt down beside Autumn. I checked the angle of her leg, it seemed straight and in a somewhat normal position. “Can you move it?”

With a grimace on her face, she nodded. “I don’t think anything is broken.” She rolled her eyes, “I’ve experienced broken bones in my life.” She slumped back and closed her eyes, “I just called because I need help to get off the floor.”

“No cramping or anything? From the fall?” Alona was the only one keeping her distance as the rest gathered around.

Rena shook her head. “No. When my leg twisted, I fell on my hands.” She held up her red-palmed hands. “A bit of carpet burn, but everything bends as it should.”

Autumn turned to me, a question on her face. “Do you need anything to do this?”

I sat back on my heels and pulled off my gloves. “No. We’ll see how bad it is as I go.”

“Okay.” Her expression was serious. “Just don’t,” she glanced to Daxx, “don’t overdo it, yeah?”

“Maybe a bit at a time, so you don’t collapse on us?” Kara sat down beside me.

I nodded, “Let’s see how bad it is.” I carefully pulled the pajama pant leg up to expose her skin. “If my hair starts to go completely grey, just lift my hands.” I gave Kara a sideways glance, “sometimes my need to help drowns out my logic.”

Kara nodded. “Got it.”

I held my hands over Rena’s leg, then looked up at her, “my eyes will go black, my hair will lighten, but it doesn’t hurt me.” I waited until she nodded hesitantly before placing my bare hands on her leg. I exhaled slowly, sensing the draw happening in my body. “It’s not too serious.” I said quietly and then closed my eyes.

“What the hell is going on?”

I heard metal clang together and opened my eyes to see Emil drop to his knees beside Rena. Two swords lay at his side.

“It’s okay, Dad. I twisted my leg. Nothing is broken.” Rena told him.

I closed my eyes again and focused on the draw I felt in my hands. It wasn’t too strong, but if it had been left, it would have taken her a few weeks to recover fully.

“What—” I heard heavy footsteps, “Reagan.” Hands grasped my shoulder and pulled me back.

I looked up to see Quinton looking very unhappy. Blowing out a breath, I pulled my hair forward and looked at it. It wasn’t entirely grey yet, but it was lighter than I would have anticipated. “I’m fine.” I said without looking at him. Ignoring his glare, I glanced down at Rena. “How does it feel?”

She moved her leg slowly, bending the knee and flexing her foot. “A little tender, but no real pain.” Her eyes teared up. “Thank you.”

I only smiled as a response. Turning I saw most of the royal brothers hovering around the sitting room space. They were dressed for battle in leather, holding large weapons covered in what looked like blood and dirt. I gave Daxx a hard look.

She frowned and turned to Troy. “I thought you guys were just out searching?”

Troy harnessed his swords on his back in a smooth motion. “We were. We found more than those that had taken off.”

Bethany went over and brushed off Leone’s face. “In a sand box?”

Leone looked unamused. “No. The wastelands.”

“I still don’t understand why they were just hanging out there.” Rafael went over and pulled Kara to her feet.

“Chase, the carpet.” Alona sighed.

Chase looked down at his dusty boots. “I’ll send cleaners over first thing in the morning.”

“Probably because we wouldn’t think to look in the middle of nowhere.” Michael clasped both swords in one hand, like they weighed nothing and came over to Autumn. “You should have called.”

Autumn shook her head. “There was no time.” She quietly ordered, “well, help her get to the couch.”

Emil jolted and extended his hand to his daughter as she stood up. With slow movements, Rena got to her feet and tested her weight on the injured leg.

“Oh, Reagan, thank you.” With careful steps she went over to the couch and sat down.

“I think we should get the doc over here to check her,” Autumn got up, “and the baby.” She looked at Michael. Without comment, he nodded and pulled out his phone.

“I’ll go bring him over.” Rafael disappeared.

I stumbled as I got up, “so if you didn’t call, how did everyone end up here?” Quinton reached out and steadied me. “Thanks.” I tried to give him a nonchalant look, but his annoyed facial expression didn’t change. “I’m fine. Just a little lightheaded.” I pushed my hair back from my face. “I’m just tired.”

“You can’t keep doing that.” He said in a tone that expected most people would obey immediately. I was not most people.

“That’s not your choice.” I pulled my arm from his grasp and focused on putting my gloves back on. “If you think I’m going to ask permission after more than a hundred years of looking after myself,” I glanced up at him, “royalty or not,” I put the other glove on, “than you are a delusional prince.” I bowed my head to him.

Someone snorted.

Quinton continued to stare down at me for several tense seconds. “I’ll see everyone back at the dining room.” Then he vanished.

Alona came over and handed me a glass. She smirked, but didn’t say a thing.

I took a sip, it was juice. “So,” I looked at Troy, then Michael, “how did you guys know?”

“They can sense our emotions.” Paisley paused and pulled out her phone. She put it to her ear. “I’m fine. Rena fell and twisted her leg. Yeah.” She nodded and hung it up again.

“Arius has new guests or he’d have been the first one here.” Leone told her.

“You sense emotions or just your mate’s?” I looked at Emil.

He shrugged. “I think it’s a royal family thing, because I don’t have a mate, but I sensed the spike in emotions just as they did.”

“We weren’t sure if we were coming to fight, or what the situation was.” Chase went over and hugged Alona. “After the last time we had to come here.”

Alona cringed. “Don’t remind me, those sops ruined my love of roses.”

Bethany made a face of displeasure. “How did you know to come here?”

Leone rubbed the back of his neck. “Raf shouted to get to Alona’s apartment. So here we are.”

Everyone turned to look at Kara, she shrugged. “Aside from knowing my feelings, he can sometimes see what I see, if I focus.”

“That’s handy.” Daxx commented.

Kara nodded. “Too bad we couldn’t do it when I landed in the snow.”

“Or when that spell trapped me in that dingy building.” Paisley said.

Rafael and the doctor appeared near the door.

“All right, everyone, let’s give Rena and the doctor some space.” Troy said in that kingly tone.

“I’m going to stay.” Autumn looked at Michael.

With an affectionate look, he inclined his head. “We’ll be meeting in the chambers dining room.”

“I’ll be there.” Autumn turned to help Rena to her feet.

Rena paused to look at Emil. “You don’t need to stay. I’ll call you as soon as we’re finished.”

Emil frowned, but nodded. He turned to the doctor, flashing him a stern look before disappearing.

The doctor looked over at me, “if you have a moment later, I have your test results.”

I stood there trying to decipher if his expression. He had a poker face like no other, I couldn’t tell a thing. “Okay, I’ll come to see you in an hour?”

“Very good.” He inclined his head then followed Rena and Autumn down the hallway.