*** The Distant Past ***
"You useless child! I rue the day your mother gave her life to see you into this world!" The elder glared at the trembling boy who fought to keep his hand from his stinging cheek.
"Be gone from my sight!" The elder man snapped, turning his back on the boy. "Let those mystical monsters rid me of hours for good!"
The boy stared into the silver eyes of the raging beast before him.
"Nīṅkaḷ vāḻa virumpiṉāl nīṅkaḷ kuṭikka vēṇṭum (You must drink if you wish to live on)."
"No- I'll kill this child-"
"That he understands is a good sign." One hooded creature whispered. The silver eyed man shoved the boy from himself, "Flee child. Save yourself!" The boy looked at the man, his own silver eyes lacking emotion.
"Eṉṉai kuṟaittu matippiṭa avacarappaṭa vēṇṭām, avarkaḷ colvatu pōl ceyyuṅkaḷ (Don't be quick to underestimate me, do as they say)." There was a finality in the boys words that had the male complying. He felt a pain in his gums as his canaines lengthened.
The man struggled assist the compulsion he felt as he sank his fangs into the boys neck. And drank for all he was worth…
*** Present ***
Nicholas shot up with a gasp, waking the petite woman next to him. Haru, despite her pregnant condition was an oddly light sleeper.
"Are you well, beloved?"
"A nightmare, nothing more."
Haru frowned, "You should know better than to …"
"One cannot deny the call of Āciriyar." Nicholas interrupted. "I will see the Korayson brothers." Haru frowned, "Why?"
"The girl…"
Nicholas eyed Haru and offered a small smile. "You should rest. You want to be strong for when our child comes to meet you." Haru sighed, "I want to come with you."
Nicholas shook his head, "If anything happens to you… I will burn this world and all in it to the ground." Haru curled into his form.
"I'm safest with you."
***
Myriah wouldn't leave her room. Axel was the only one who could enter. The pattern started to concern Angalo.
"Brother…"
Axel sighed as he stood outside of Myriahs door. "Alexander is on the move. He's seeking his sister, I reckon Myriah is a close second on that list… why did you take her to the hospital?"
Axel shrugged, "I never anticipated he would take them… I also didn't anticipate that he'd already sacrificed a child before Myriah to his bloody cause."
Angalo seamed to visibly deflate.
"Tell me what happened?"
Axel sighed as he recalled the events of the past few days.
***
Myriah and Jasmine seamed to come together and fully connect to one another. There was hope to making sense of what was going on…
Myriah and Jasmine seamed fo be in their own world for hours… only for Myriah to come to a gruesome conclusion:
Jasmines recollected timeline of her past to par is a farce. Her timeline of events was too cluttered and chaotic… Myriah said the memory format has to be sensory which indicates pre childhood.
Then there were the memories of her seeing Myriah at the facility…
Myriah has no recollection of seeing Jasmine. She saw a blue eyed girl, who she seemed to know and never saw again. Myriah was thoroughly confused when she recalled jamsines kidnapping: the memory seamed to be imprinted… which she guessed… wasn't an actual memory of Jasmine.
When asked who it could have been, Myriah shrugged helplessly, "it could be her mother? A family member of hers? Based on the memory, I feel like that memory is like the ones I saw of Lucien…."
"So she's a trafficking victim as well?" Myriah shrugged, "I cannot say…"
Then Tyler supplied his theory… Jasmines blood had to have supplied her survival. He held his hands up before he could be shut down, "Hear me out: the only plausible way she could have multiple sets of memories is if she had multiple personalities. Since that can't really happen with us, what if she has various parts of various brains?"
It was a theory Axel had landed on when Jasmine and Myriah collapsed into one another hours prior. Jasmines brain wasn't fully hers… at least not naturally.
"You lot say Alexander figured out the memory thing we can do and the language.. jasmine has no understanding of her own language and no imprinted memories…"
"At least none that she has access to.." Myriah murmured thoughtfully.
"Is there anything you can do?" Jasmine whispered. Myriah shook her head, "not without the reports of Alexander's experimentation on you… and the people whose brains dwell within you…"
Axel sighed as he shook his head, "She's been pouring herself over Atolis files and finally made Atoli hack the hospital where her mother was… she watched a hooded cloaked man creep into the room…" Axel paused as his breath hitched.
"Are they…" Axel nodded, "completely drained of life and blood."
"What could possibly do that?" "An undead…" Myriah slowly came from her room, dabbing at her eyes as she did.
"I want to find my mother…" she whispered.
"How do you even know that she's alive?"
"How do I know that she's not?" Anglao sighed and Axel placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Alexander is on a blood path. We need distance between you and him." Myriah clenched her fists. "He's going to come regardless… actually. The creature. I need to see the creature."
"What- Myriah you don't even know what that thing is-"
"Sitting here hiding isn't gonna figure out what he is. So let me go!" She snapped. "I need those reports. That creature is how to get them. Either you take me to the Whitman manor, or I'll go there myself."
"Well well, stubborn and reckless, Pure one." Nicholas greeted. "So eager to meet your death?" Myriah snarled at Nicholas and shot her hand toward him, sending him flying down the stairs.
"You dare to underestimate me?" She caught the dagger in his hand and flipped him over her shoulder, "Are you so eager to meet your own death, Whitmalson?" Nicholas's stance flattered and Myriah threw him down the stairs a second time.
"Unless you want me to delve into your mind, tell me what you know of that creature."
Myriah demanded. Nicholas grinned, "Not a very nice way to ask for a favor, Pure one."
"I can say the same to you." Myriah whispered as she leaned close to Nicholas, "Little Haru over there looks like she's about to fall over." Nicholas struggled in the bind that Myriah had him in.
"I can help her, or I can kill her. Take your pick." Nicholas's fangs lengthened and he snarled as Myriah smirked arrogantly.
"Myriah." Axel murmured her name with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come now, I'm sure Nicholas will tell you all you want to know. You don't need to threaten his mate."
Myriah scoffed, "I still remember when he threatened you."
"But I handled it…" Axel murmured, at her pointed glare he opted for the gentler route: her heart strings. "Come now, you wouldn't harm a new mother." Myriah pursed her lips, eyeing haru, and remembering how her self declared child was recently ripped from her arms. To let the world hurt as she did wasn't too unappealing of an idea… with that she replied: "Wouldn't I?." Axel sighed. Violence it is… he narrowed his gaze and zeroed in on Myriah whose cheeks flushed at his proximity. "Myriah." His voice dropped an octive. Tinting eyes glowing at the shiver of her body. Axels arm slipped around her waist.
"That's enough." Myriah pouted at his command. "Apologize." Myriah glared at Axel who raised an eyebrow in expectation, then at Nicholas who watched the whole interaction avidly. So they really are lifemates…
Nicholas had heard how temperamental Myriah was. It took alot of bartering and cajoling to get her to be compliant most times… then Axel would have to finesse the situation. He wondered if this would be any different.
Moments ticked by in which Myriah glared at Nicholas then at Axel who leaned against the wall waiting. Anglao was also watching, anxious. Nicholas was about to speak once seconds turned to moments when Axel glared at him.
'Piss her off, and I'll watch her kill you and your mate.' Is what his glare said. Nicholas opted for peace so he watched Myriah pace and step toe to toe to Axel like she was going to tell him off when he only smirked at her and tilted his head as if saying: "You know I'm right." He watched her cheeks puff out and the she sighed.
"I'm sorry." Myriah muttered with a pout. "For….?" Axel prompted. "For threatening you and your mate. Those are methods that I am above. I am an intellectual who knows how to use her words and not violence to get what I need." Axel nodded. "Very goo-"
"Doubtful. You mindless frea -" Myriah snarled and roundhouse kicked Nicholas in his jaw. Axel palmed his forehead. At least she only knocked him out…
"Hmph! Help your own mate. I'll find out about the cloaked man myself." She stuck her nose in the air and marched from the area, in search of Atoli.
Anglao glared at Axel who shrugged, "In her defense… He shouldnt have provoked her in the first place." Anglao palmed his forehead. "Why?"
"Why what?" Axel snapped, giving way to his own impatience, "Why did Nicholas have to barge in and provoke her when she's already on the verge of losing her shit?" Anglao sighed, "Or why did Nicholas have to be an incentive smart ass once I got her to comply?"
"Axel-"
"Don't. I'm not using my connection to her to tame her temperament when people want to fuck around and find out. I say do so at your own risk."
"Axel-"
"She's not some animal that I train and tame." Axel snapped. "She's not some all powerful Goddess or weapon either…" Axel ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Don't ask me to treat her like one… I won't."