CHAPTER TWELVE
– FOSCA –
Equal to Neptune and Jupiter. Holy shit. Twins? Not only was Sevrin right about us conceiving...I’m pregnant with twins? Not to mention, due to our strong family backgrounds they have what legends mention the perfect DNA alignment, making them carry the power of the Roman Gods.
I accept the strength and warmth Sevrin surrounds me with as he pulls me against his body. It’s a lot to process on top of the shit we’re already wrapped in. Sevrin tightens his arm around me and I feel the barest touch on the top of my head, as if he just brushed a kiss against my hair.
“We need to get you back to the clubhouse where my brothers can help protect you,” Sevrin states.
The soundproof dome disappears as Karev asks, “Do you need to process...Holton?”
“Dave is handling it. We’ve already discussed the basics and he’s going to make sure everything is processed.”
“What about the genie maid?” Triton questions. “I could make a spell in an effort to track her.”
“A genie?” I whisper, swallowing hard at the reminder of the one and only genie I once knew a long time ago.
Sevrin turns me in his arms and places a finger under my chin to tip my head back. “Do you know a genie?”
Sadness hits me. “I used to. Asra. She was a friend of mine who lived down the road from my parents. When my brother killed my family...I had to leave and never saw her again. Asra was seven months pregnant at the time. She didn’t have anyone, but I couldn’t stay.”
“No one would have blamed you, and I’m sure Asra didn’t either,” Sevrin tells me, his voice firm and his eyes filled understanding.
Still, it emotionally drained me to leave my life behind and everyone connected to me.
A genie doesn’t have a fated mate. They prefer to choose a human, get pregnant, and raise the child by themselves.
Asra explained it to me when she decided we were friends.
Another thing she mentioned was how she would never be able to help me.
It’s why I blurt, “How can she have killed Holton when they can’t kill or grant wishes for a supernatural?
” The image of Holton enters my mind. “Shit. His pants. The belt was loose and his jeans were unbuttoned. She was the distraction because the angle of how he was beheaded...someone was standing behind him. We need to find her.”
“And we will,” Sevrin vows. “Though, right now we’re going to head back to the clubhouse to make sure you’re safe. Triton is going to use his magic to see if he can track her. I need to inform Holton’s family.”
Sadness is coming from Sevrin, and the grief feels as if it’s my own. It must be the bond between us. Wanting to comfort him, I lean closer and slide my arms around his waist. He buries his nose into my hair and inhales deep.
“Does his family live close?” I mumble against his chest.
Sevrin pulls back. “Texas. Holton was a nomad before he joined our MC. He prospected with a Cowboy Bikers MC chapter filled with centaurs. Lucan was his president and I will call him as well.”
I bob my head, feeling the urgency to inform all these people. “Let’s go.”
Dave is still working on Holton’s body when we walk to Sevrin’s bike.
Nathan blocks our path. “People are asking questions, Sevrin. I can’t keep you guys out of this shit if bodies keep showing up on your property.”
“Let the damn evidence speak for itself,” I snap. “It will clear Sevrin, along with the others. Or do you really think they would kill one of their own?”
Nathan’s gaze slides to Sevrin and it instantly annoys me. Stupid horse shifter.
Sevrin laces his fingers with mine. “You heard my old lady. Process the evidence and keep us out of it so we can do our part in chasing down the killer.”
“Got it,” Nathan grunts and leaves.
I watch how Sevrin straddles his bike and take in my fated mate.
His bare chest, six-pack, muscled arms, denim vest, along with dark jeans and biker boots.
He’s sitting on the bike as if he owns the road and I guess in some way he probably does.
At least, who would dare to defy him with the fierce look on his face?
“Get your ass on the back of my bike, darlin’. I don’t like having you stand around with a huge target on your back,” Sevrin rumbles.
I roll my eyes. “Do I need to remind you we both have a target on our back, and that my brother wants your death before taking mine?”
“Just hurry the fuck up,” he snaps and fires up the bike.
I grab the helmet and do as I’m told. For a moment in time I let myself put everything on hold and simply tighten my arms around Sevrin’s waist. Within this moment there are no questions about what is going on between us.
The emotions running through me, or obligations concerning our bond.
There’s no discussion about being pregnant, what the future holds, or if we even have a future.
Right here it’s only me and the man guiding the bike that’s eating up the road in front of us. If life could only be as simple as enjoying the ride, feeling the wind tug at your clothes, while the scenery flashes by.
All too soon it’s back to reality when Sevrin parks the bike in front of the clubhouse.
Karev and Triton are right behind us when we walk through the door.
Sevrin keeps walking and enters his office.
Deciding to give him space, knowing he needs to make some hard phone calls, I stroll to the fridge and grab a bottle of water.
“Can you grab me one of those as well?” Triton asks.
I turn and place one on the bar in front of him.
He lifts the bottle. “Thanks. Hey, the genie you knew? Asra? She got pregnant by choice, right?”
Uncapping my bottle, I take a few sips before I answer. “Yes, she told me it was time.”
“Right. Well, this genie is still at what they call a ‘before baby’ appearance. If it’s any comfort, it can’t be your neighbor. You are aware a genie loses her powers as soon as their child becomes an adult, right? It’s the way their powers work, shifting from one to the other.”
We both nod and sip our water in silence until suddenly my stomach turns with a single thought.
My voice is a mere whisper when I ask, “What if my brother killed Asra and took her baby?”
Triton’s water bottle makes a noise after almost being crushed, and he quickly places it on the bar before him. “It would make sense because no genie would work for a dark entity...unless she’s oblivious to what she’s involved in.”
Dammit. I hoped he would contradict my thoughts, but deep down I know it’s the truth.
“Is she...would she...is there any hope for her?” I’m rambling and probably don’t make any sense at all.
Though, Triton seems to know exactly what I mean when he tells me, “I’m now fairly sure your neighbor and friend is dead.
If your family lived next door to her and even you knew details about her?
Your brother knew exactly what her abilities were and the perfect opportunity the baby could be for him.
Also, this genie is still blinking and has a normal appearance.
Tainting her, pulling her to the dark side?
She’d loose her powers and be useless to him.
So, yeah, there’s still hope for her...even if he probably brainwashed her and created a world she thinks is her version of the truth. ”
He pulls a tiny marble from his pocket and holds it between his thumb and forefinger. “I took her handprint with me to track her. There’s one way to find out if she’s Asra’s daughter.”
“How?” I wonder.
“Do you have a clear memory of Asra? If so, I could collect a fragment and...”
I can feel my eyes go wide. “Do what? A mental DNA test by comparing a memory to a...a...handprint in a marble?”
The crash course of learning how to use my powers, along with extra information about supernatural beings clearly hasn’t been enough. There’s so much I don’t know about all of it.
Triton smirks. “I might be more powerful than normal witches and warlocks.”
“If you’re so powerful, why can’t you locate my brother and kill him from a distance? Now that would be considered powerful in my book,” I grumble.
“If I could? I would have a long damn time ago.” The look in his eyes lets me know he’s telling the truth.
At least we’re on the same page. “Okay. Let’s do this. What do you need me to do so you can snag a fragment of my memory?”
Triton gives me a smile. “Just close your eyes and think of a clear memory of her.”
He reaches for my temple but instantly pulls back when a voice thunders, “Do not touch my old lady.”
Sevrin stomps toward us, murder in his eyes, when he towers over Triton. “You can’t lay a hand on her, and you fucking know it, you asshole.”
Triton holds Sevrin’s gaze. “Worth the try to prevent a huge fucking risk.”
“I don’t care about any damn risks,” Sevrin snarls.
Triton slowly stands and faces his president. “Not even if she’s carrying the power her brother wants? Because if he gets to her and takes those two souls? No one can stop him.”
What? My heart hammers against my ribs. Did Triton just try to do something to me? Risking the pregnancy? Would he? No... yet, the look on Sevrin’s face confirms my assumptions.