Chapter 29
Discord
I ’m sitting in the center of my bedroom with my legs crossed as I remain perfectly still. I’m meditating, or at least I’m trying to. Taylor has been quietly reading a book while she lies across the bed.
For the last three days, I’ve been spending time meditating and trying to search for my nephew. It is all our hope that one of us will be able to connect with him. Especially if he takes after one of us. We’d be able to sense the similarities in our powers.
Being able to do that will link us to him and we might be able to find where he might be. How does a baby walk out of a fucking womb? I’m still seething because I know the gods are involved.
Why give us mates to disturb our peace? I grind my teeth and refocus. There’s a jumping of energy I keep catching, but when I reach to follow it, I’m blocked. I’m not sure if it’s Knox or not.
It seems too strong to be a child, but I’m not ignoring anything. It has a trace of us, so I’ve been trying to lock in on it. I catch it again and go to grasp for the connection, but I’m interrupted by a mind link.
“This better be fucking important,” I growl at Raja as he breaks through my meditation.
He is the captain of the genies. I usually don’t hear much from him if it’s not about his reports. They don’t really need much support from us.
Genies have a way of making things happen on their own. They follow the rules, and we leave them alone, so it’s enough to get my attention when their captain mind-links me.
“There is a problem in our community. I need assistance,” the djinn says.
“You motherfucking grant wishes. What the fuck kind of problem could you all possibly have that you can’t handle on your own?”
My temper has been shorter than usual with all the problems that have been brought to my attention. While it’s my job as VP to know everything going on with the supers, it’s never been this hectic. I’ve bitten off a few heads in impatience over the last three days.
“Someone has revealed our existence, and we are being called upon by humans at an alarming rate. I’m sure you understand the kind of problems this is causing. I need to find out who and they must be punished.”
Genies are one of the races who are pure energy. Calling on them en masse can cause ripples in the fabric of the atmosphere of the earth realm. This can cause issues in travel between realms. It could open unwanted portals, or it could mess with the powers of certain others.
This is a fucking problem. All genies know better than to reveal themselves. It’s an even bigger crime to reveal the race as a whole.
Whoever did this is a fucking idiot. They deserve to be locked away in a bottle or lamp for a few centuries to think about what they’ve done. Or worse, to be honest.
“Find them and bring them to me. I will pass judgment,” I snarl.
“Please inform the prez that I will not allow something like this to happen again. We are working to cover the imbalance this is causing in the realm. My apologies, brother.”
“You did the right thing coming to me, brother. We need to stay ahead of this. I’ll talk to Reilly about securing portals and other necessary security measures for now.
“Keep me posted. I’ll let Kendrick know. Do not, under any circumstance, go to him with this. You feel me?”
“I will report directly to you, brother.”
I cut the link and roll my eyes. The genies aren’t the only ones who have been reporting on drama in their community. The mermaids, vampires, and witches have been reporting crazy shit.
These days, I feel like I’m running a day care. I hate taking this bullshit to Kendrick, especially with Knox missing and so much other shit on his plate.
I’ve been teetering on the edge, ready to snap a motherfucker’s neck. Some of this shit could be solved with some common fucking sense. The supers have never come to us this much with straight bullshit.
“Bray.”
I close my eyes and smile. That voice is my calm in the middle of the storm. In the last three days, she’s been the only reason I haven’t collared each and every being that’s crossed my path.
I’m grateful for the break she’s on from school. It’s allowed me to focus on club business in the last few days. She’s been settling in with her court and getting to know them.
My mate is happy. This brings me great joy. I didn’t know another’s happiness could mean so much to me. However, if she’s not smiling, I take personal offense.
Opening my eyes, I turn to look at her. She’s staring back at me from her place on the bed. I stand and saunter over to kiss her sweet lips.
“What’s up, baby girl?”
“Have you found anything yet?”
“No, nothing tangible. Maybe Kendrick is onto something. Knox might be safer where he is. Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying,” I reply.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I’m done for now. I keep getting interrupted. How about we go for a ride? I could stand to get out of here and clear my head.”
“Sure, that sounds good. Tangy called and mentioned a package arriving for me. I should probably go pick it up before someone opens it.”
I run my hand through her hair and capture her lips. I’ll never get enough of the flavor of her mouth. Kissing her sets my blood on fire.
I break the kiss before I get too carried away. I put in work on her body last night. She needs the rest.
“How about this? We take a ride first, then grab something to eat, and I’ll take you by the apartment after.”
“Works for me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to grab it quick, and we can be in and out.”
I groan as another mind link pushes through. I roll my shoulders back. All this drama is getting on my damn nerves.
Taylor
I feel for Ray and Kendrick. No one would have thought the baby would up and disappear. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that.
I needed this ride more than Bradan could’ve known. I feel so useless and helpless not being able to or knowing how to help. Bradan has been trying so hard to focus and locate Knox. However, his role as VP has been getting in the way.
I wish there were more I could do to help with all the supers as well. I lived in this one foster home where the mom always told me how small and useless I was. I’ve had a lot of hard times in my life, but that six months stuck with me.
To this day, her voice rings in my head. It’s been worse the last few days as I watch my family going through so much and I’ve been totally useless. I finally have a family and I can’t do anything to help.
“You’re going to stop that. Reel that shit on in,” Bradan rumbles from beside me.
We pulled over to watch the Ferris wheel from a fair out in the distance. I didn’t think to close my thoughts off, so he’s probably seen way more than I would have liked. I move close to his side, craving his warmth as we sit on the edge of the cliff.
“It’s hard to get over some things. I know it’s the past, but when I think about all that stuff, sometimes it rings true. I’ve always been the runt. Some families would send me back right away because I was so tiny for my age.
“Sometimes I wonder if my dad didn’t pick me because I was the tiny one. If I could do more, if I were stronger, I could help. I could?—”
“Stop, baby girl. I can sense how strong you are, and I still don’t think that’s the extent of it. I may not know what it’s like to be a tiny human, but my temper has always been bigger than I am. It took a long time for me to gain control.
“Being a fire being without control can make you feel small. Especially when your brothers find it so much easier to control their powers. There were times when I felt like something was wrong with me. Like I was the reason our parents abandoned us.
“I’ve had a lot of time to get over that shit. I promise you, if you give me some time, I’m going to erase all that shit that has happened to you. There is a confidence in you that I see, and I’m determined to bring it out. That’s why I push you so hard,” he says, cutting my words off.
I give a sigh. “You were lucky to have your siblings around.”
“Having them has its advantages.” He shrugs.
“Are you saying you would prefer to be on your own?”
“Not what I said, baby girl. If a single pillar is weak, it destroys the entire structure. We’ve had to master ourselves to be an asset to each other.”
I wrinkle my nose and look up at him. Is he calling me a weak link? My heart begins to break.
I’m trying. I’m doing my best to get stronger. I would never want to hold the others back.
“Taylor, have you noticed that I train you outside of your sessions with your sisters?”
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. Why did I get the mate hell-bent on torturing me? It’s because I’m the smallest, right?”
I can hear the sadness in my own voice. I’ve thought about this a lot, but I didn’t want to ask because I’m afraid of the answer. Bradan is the last person I want to hear telling me he doesn’t believe in me because of my size.
“No, it’s not because you’re the smallest or because I don’t believe in your potential. If I leave you to only train with them, you will become dependent on them. You won’t see the fire within. Do you know why they place blinders on horses?”
“So they can keep them focused on the path ahead?”
“Yes, horses will get spooked and can become extremely distracted. However, Belgian horses are unique. One Belgian horse can pull up to eight thousand pounds alone. You would think that would mean two can pull sixteen thousand pounds together, right?”
“Yeah, that would make logical sense.”
“But that’s not the case. When they work together, they pull twice that.”
“Okay, so wouldn’t it make sense for me to work with my sisters?”
“Not if your blinders aren’t working. When you train with your sisters, you’re always comparing yourself to them, looking at your size and what they are able to do. Baby, I need to get you to the point where you can see your potential alone. Where you’re hauling that eight thousand on your own back with confidence in who you are.
“Then, when it comes to a time that you need to work with your sisters, you all become an unstoppable force. My brothers and I respect each other and the gifts we individually have. A motherfucker would be crazy to take any of us on. However, we’ve spent time perfecting who and what we are.
“Take one on alone; you’ll be sorry. Allow us to work together; you won’t have a chance to regret it because you won’t even see what’s coming. You’re doing what we all need from you for now.
“Don’t worry about Knox. We’ll handle that. Center your attention on your training and getting stronger. Focus on graduating so your old man can stand in the crowd cheering like a proud human.”
“You want to come to my graduation?” I gasp.
“Who the fuck is going to keep me from going? You earned that degree. I’m proud to be able to watch you finish.”
“I love you so much,” I choke out.
“I love you too, my little mate. Come on, let’s go get something to eat.”