Xander’s POV
Walking into mom and dads that evening, you could literally cut the air with a knife it was so thick. I knew with Eva’s power she fed off her emotions and I was pretty sure that was why it felt that way. They were all patiently waiting for me in the sitting room along with Jake, the first thing I wanted to do was smack the smug look off his face, it was irritating me, but I took a deep breath and decided to face them head on.
“Eva, you can calm down, it’s so stuffy in here I don’t know how you all are breathing.” I huffed as I took a seat on the hearth of the fireplace where I could face them all at once.
“If you weren’t such a jackass, I could probably calm down,” she grunted.
I opened my mouth to speak, and mom piped in, “How’s Tess son?”
Truth of the matter was I hadn’t thought much about her in three days, my mind seemed to revolve around the Lee girl. I took a deep breath trying to calm my mood just a bit, “She’s good. She will be in time for the wedding, she has a few more things to do at the school with Uncle Shaun.”
“Perfect.” Mom half-heartedly replied.
Deciding to start with the first subject I went ahead and kept my attention on mom, “Do you have the stone and book?”
Mom shook her head, “I do, and we will do it just before the wedding, we just have to make sure Tess is here. I already spoke with Simone and the coven is waiting for the call to come and perform the ceremony.” She took a deep breath, and I already knew her next question. “Are you absolutely sure about this? You know you could be hurting not only yourself, but someone else as well.”
I knew mom meant well, she had the biggest, purest heart of us all, and she always hated the thought of someone being hurt, whether they decided it or not. However, I had to do this, I had no other choice. I wasn’t getting any younger and all the chances of meeting my soul mate never happened, it was time to take a queen and provide an heir, it was time to fulfill all my obligations to our world and it was time to gain my full power. Our lives were long true, but why should I walk a hundred-year chancing meeting my mate when I could choose a mate of my own and being happy.
In our world you had one person meant for you, they were your other half, the part that made you whole, and I was tired of waiting. The book contained the spell that was needed to break that bond, and the rare stone was where the bond was placed and then shattered. Without breaking that bond, it could kill us both taking a chosen mate, if not quickly, it would kill us overtime as we succumb to the anger and hate that would build within us. Since Tess and I had chosen to be mates, we had both made the choice to break our true bonds seeing as how we had never met our mates.
“Did you hear me son?” Mom asked bringing me out of my thoughts.
“We are both sure about this.” I turned my focus to Jake, “Now I have a couple questions for you before I come to the reason why I am really here this evening.” Jake simply nodded which told me he was listening, “Have you learned anything more about the human woman with Lumen and Claire or the bounty?”
Jake opened his mouth, but Eva squeezed his leg and shook her head no before turning to me, “The woman’s name is Mildred. I did my own digging while over seas and come to find out she is from the states, and if my entail is right, she is a hunter herself, but she doesn’t get her hands dirty. She only infiltrates and feeds news back to group she works with. She has been doing this for years and hasn’t been caught yet, well that was until she left with Lumen and Claire. I informed the Marlette’s and they have decided to work with us in capturing her if she tries to return back to Paris or contacts them.”
“But if she is a hunter why did Arthur marry her and why is she working with Lumen and Claire?” Nothing was making sense at all, and I was pretty sure I would be committed to an insane asylum pretty soon if I didn’t get some answers.
“As far as the they go, no idea, but I plan on finding out. And as far as Arthur he had no clue.” She said softly, almost embarrassed sounding for the old man.
“And the bounty?” I turned to Jake. “On a human girl, no less.”
He shrugged his shoulders, “Who ever it is, is good at covering their tracks, but we are working on it. Now what did you want other than that, I am ready to go home.”
I let his rudeness slide and focused my attention on Eva, “Eva, you were in Paris, you infiltrated the Marlette’s well. And before you try to lie, no that I spoke to Scott and I already know he is lying, so I expect my sister to tell me the truth.” She raised her brows but nodded her head. “Where did the girl get her training and how did she end up as security detail? I know Scott didn’t train her.”
I watched as she slowly looked to dad and Jake as they both nodded their heads to her like they were giving permission for her to speak. She finely took a deep breath and pulled her phone out, “I am going to show you something, but first you have to promise to not get angry. And you are right, Scott didn’t train her.”
“Then who did?” I growled; I was beginning to get impatient. She tucked the phone back under her leg and I let out a breath, I had to promise to not get angry, but maybe I should share a little of my thoughts with them first, so they understood me. “Listen, I promise to not get angry, but you need to understand me a little. The girl is strong and good, I will be the first to admit. But she is also a threat, what if she comes here to attack us, sure we are well trained and protected and could probably take her on a rematch, but what if. What if someone gets hurt?” The four of them looked at each other and began to laugh excessively loud. I couldn’t help but watch them like a mad man, evidently, I missed the joke in my statement.
Jake finally caught his breath and sat forward so he was eye level with me, “One thing I can tell you that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt. That girl will not attack. You have to provoke her, and I don’t mean by words, she has to feel threatened or feel that her loved ones are threatened, and at that she will only defend. Think about it, if she was as vicious as your stupid mind is making you believe she would have finished you off, not put you to sleep and left you lay there.” He tapped my temple with his finger, “Think about it man, and get that thought of her being dangerous out of your mind.”
Eva stood up and handed me her phone with a video pulled up ready to play. She didn’t say anything as she pressed the play button and I sat silently and watched. Not really believing what I was seeing but at the same time being envious of the small girl on the screen. She wore a blind fold and moved in the ring against Scott’s attacks. Her motions were flawless and well calculated, it was like watching a dance. It was her; it was the Lee girl, and she was both intimidating and beautiful to watch. I wanted to hate her, I wanted to feel anger towards her, and when the video stopped, I felt it all. A tsunami of emotions washed over me, anger, hate, admiration, envy, heartbreak, and a touch of sadness. Emotions that I could make no sense of.
I stood up and threw the phone at Eva, “I have to go.” I stormed toward the door and flung it open, “Find that girl!” I shouted just before slamming the door behind me.