Peter
The past beats inside me like a second heart
I've considered it, Merida. Many times.
I toss my phone on the stiff motel bed. A small puff of those tiny white dots shoots out from where the device lands. I've always hated this motel. The moldy, stagnant air that often accompanies cheap motels invades my senses, dulling them.
Sorrow stirs within me, eager to be let out. He hates this place as much as I do but for an entirely different reason.
I wish I could've managed to provide my mate with somewhere much better than a one bed, half bath shit hole, with enough fake wood furnishings and mismatched flora patterns to make an old widow cry.
Even more so, knowing that, by tomorrow, she'll understand why I renamed my wolf Sorrow.
Unfortunately, this cheap motel is the only place open in the small town that sits on the edge of the mountains. Past the border edge, is a steep road that ends about halfway up the mountain side. From there, it's a three hour hike through the jagged forest.
The terrain is a tough one. It was the reason I chose it. The landscape along with Natalie's magic was supposed to be enough to keep any suspicious bastards out.
But it seems we'd underestimated the Coven.
A mistake I won't make again.
"I know but..." My Stephanie's silhouette paces outside. "Can you just-" She snaps frustratingly. "Please— I don't know anything!"
It's been like this for days. Over the course of the trip here, she's made endless phone calls and visits to distant relatives and friends of her ex-husband, Desmond. Every single one of them couldn't tell us a thing.
Either Desmond is really good at keeping secrets or he's really good at making sure no one tells. Either way, that bastard is still a threat.
And now we have Stephanie's oldest, Alexandria along with a horde of vampires she possibly could have trailing behind in her wake.
She's a brilliant young woman that I've only heard of in passing. When Mia left, Stephanie rarely spoke to and of her family members. Even before, the phone calls between them were short yet formidable.
"I know what I did but he was still my husband." Her voice falters.
I move before I could even think about what I was doing. Ignoring the chill air, I come around her. Her tense body melts into my chest as my arms cage her in. I didn't care about what anyone thought when I met her and I damn sure didn't care now. And neither should she.
My lips go to her neck, placing a soft kiss there. "I don't care if you're upset by my decision, Christy." Good. Neither of us regret a thing.
"We both chose what was best for us. But this affects our children. Your nieces."
"He's my brother, Stephanie." The woman's, Christy's, voice shakes from the other end.
"I know, but these are my children. Something, anything you can tell me about him. I need to know what he's hiding. And if my children are in danger because of it."
"He would never put the girls in harms way, you know that."
"I don't anything."
Christy sighs. "Fuck— look I can't say much. I promised."
"Anything you can give me is fine."
There's a pause on the other end. "Desmond is, was, adopted by my parents as a teen. Our families knew each other going way back. Generations back. I can't tell you what he is because I don't know much about them. But I can tell you what I am."
"Christy—"
Sorrow leans forward as we both listen in.
"We're not the same. He and I. But our bloodlines— our lineages are close. My family travels often, carrying out tasks that the other bloodlines need us to do. Taking in Desmond was one of them. A task.
We're called the Kinyonyi. Nomads."
The name sounds familiar but it's difficult to place it.
"There are many bloodlines, some stronger than others. Each one with a unique set of abilities."
Now this catches my attention.
"Desmond is— well, they call him a Judge. He's the only one of them, so the others look to him for guidance or answers. His bloodline is different, much stronger, closer to the Orishas than any of us could ever hope to be." She draws on as she says this. Like a subtle ramble. "The bloodlines protect him. It's the one thing we've agreed on."
Bloodlines. Kinyonyi. Orisha. Judges.
"My brother is not the threat you think he is. Ever since you divorced, he's been hidden. No one could find him."
"Then why? Why did he come back? Like this?"
"I don't know. The Judges have a weird way of doing things. It's not our place to question."
We ponder Christy's confession for a moment before Stephanie thanks her. My mind runs through Christy's last statement.
....it's not our place to question.
Her statement makes it seem like she's a worshipper bending to the will of a god. Is that what Desmond is? A God? No, if Mia was linked to something that powerful, I would've known from the moment we met.175Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkng43Z6NNr
But then I remembered that the day we met wasn't exactly a good one.
"Is there anything else that might help us?
"If you want better answers, then I suggest you stop asking those close to Desmond. Rather, you should just stop asking altogether."
Stephanie shakes her head. "I can't do that."
"I know." She sighs. "If Desmond is doing this, then he must have a good reason for it. And if it has something to do with your new family, then he must've found something he wants you to see."
She pauses for a moment and breathes. "There's a reason." She repeats. "But if you're hell-bent on doing this, then you're better off trying to find the Laibon. Perhaps one of the other bloodlines can give you a better understanding."
Something clicks within me. A term I've only heard used once or twice but the stories that came with it stuck.
"Laibon?" Stephanie questions.
"That's all you're getting from me." Christy hangs up immediately after.
I don't know Desmond sister but what she said was too serious to be a lie. The Laibon. A group of various bloodlines so powerful, it's amazing how well hidden they are.
But that's exactly how they are. Secretive and dangerous.
"Mia was asking." I said quietly. The slow realization started to creep in. Mia has magic. And knew she had it, even if she didn't fully understand it.
"About the Laibon?" She replied with a look of horror.
I shook my head. I needed to call Merida.
"I didn't know what she was asking but after today, it makes sense."
Mia has magic. I knew it before but now it was confirmed. Mia has magic.
"Christy said that Desmond was the only one of his bloodline." Stephanie whispers.
I've considered it. The possibility of Desmond being a threat. But now it was confirmed. "Until now." I told her. First Desmond, then Alexandria, followed by a vampire attack on the pack shortly after I leave. It wasn't a coincidence.
Mia's a Judge. And like Christy said, the Judges are highly valued. I've considered it.
"I don't know what my past has to do about this, yet. But we know one thing. Desmond wants Mia. And he'll do anything to get her."
Desmond is a threat.
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