Violet leads me out of the building and towards the side of the building. Thorn was gone when we emerged from her bedroom. Snowy stood in his place hopping nervously from one foot to the next long ears folded forward.
"We're going to be late," he keeps saying.
"Relax," Violet says, "Thorn shouldn't have left."
"You took too long," Snowy says hoping ahead of us.
"You took too long," Violet mimics scrunching her nose at Snowy, "your just as bad as he is."
"He's not wrong," Thorn says stepping out of the shadows.
Snowy takes of the moment he spots Thorn, I guess he was just supposed to lead us to him. Thorn gives me a once over but says nothing as chains wrap around us pulling us into darkness and then into a massive library.
"Yes," I say, running over to one of the many shelves.
"No," Thorn pulls me back, "not for you."
"Why?" I try to break free but he's too strong.
"You have to earn it."
"I hate you," I try to step on his foot only to miss-step and fall into his arms.
"Now where have I seen this before," Fie walks into the room with a beautiful female who wobbles with every step. She smiles at me and heads straight for one of the chairs next to the fireplace.
"Sorry but this kid's killing me," she takes a seat running circles around her swollen belly, "don't listen to Fie," she adds placing her bare feet on top of a footrest.
"She's just upset the baby keeps using her bladder for a punching bag," Fie says ushering us to sit.
"I tell you; it has to be male, they're condescending from the start," the female smacks Fie on the shoulder, "you should sit," she points to the loveseat before her.
Violet walks over to the female kneeling she places her head against the female's belly, "Hello little cousin," she looks up and starts running her hand in circles, "when will you come out?"
"Two more weeks," the female says, "or at least that's what Ruby keeps telling me, Fie I'm hungry again," she pouts.
"Then we're just on time," Violet's grandparents walk in carrying a basket with a mixture of divine odors.
"Mama Ruby, Papa Night," Violet jumps up and rushes over to take the basket from them. She walks over and sets it on the center table that just appeared. Violet smacks Thorn's hand away as she starts setting the food on the table, she hands the pregnant female looks like a tamal.
The female devours it with just two bites, "Thanks," she takes another not paying much attention to anything else.
"So, I guess Camilla will eat while we explain your origin," Fie takes the seat next to Camilla while Night and Ruby take a seat in the remaining chairs leaving the spot next to me free for either Thorn or Violet.
I take one of the tamale's grateful for the food and the fact my stomach has avoided growling despite the mauling hunger I feel. The tamal has a chicken filling with just the right amount of spiciness to it.
"Can't go wrong with food," Night says, "should we start, or is there anything you want to know?"
"What do you mean by my origin?" I ask around mouthfuls.
"Where you came from, who you truly are," Camilla takes a small bundle and unwraps it revealing three tacos, she devours one smiling contently, "I guess to explain your beginning we'd have to explain a bit of mine. While we do not look it, I'm close to a hundred years and so are you. Your father and my mother were siblings. My mother went to a foreign Kingdom as a spy for the Old Dark King," she points at Night who just shrugs it off and takes one of the little buns, Violet, hands him, "the night I was born she died so just like you, I was raised believing I was someone and something other than who I truly am. Like you, I was made to believe that what I was should be feared, ignored, buried deep within.
"That no one could know, see my own father left me out to the wolves, he thought me an ill omen, the person I believed to be my mother wanted nothing more than to use me. Of course, I didn't learn about it till later, on thanks to a series of trials I eventually got my lost memories back and with them my family.
"Your father fell in love with a gatekeeper, granting you the ability to transverse worlds. After returning home I got to meet him and he told me how he hated himself for not being able to protect his little sister, my mother. He was the gatekeeper's guardian and on the eve of my birth, as my mother gave up her last breath to ensure I survive, your father and mother consummated their forbidden love nine months later you were born.
"The Celestial Realm wanted your parents' heads but above all they wanted you. See the Celestial Realm believes you shouldn't exist but then again, they believe that about anyone who doesn't hold their same values if you can call them that. When you were eight you fell through one of the gates ending up in the world previously known as Chaos a world ruined by war and greed. The Celestial Realm believes you can open any gate and that includes gates that where sealed long before any of us where born.
"Gates leading to worlds long forgotten while I was born under the star of Seren you were conceived under her star and born under that of Celeste or as most of the people within our realm call her Rania daughter of the Stars, Empress of the Underworld. They fear her as much as they fear us, the Celestial Realm believes the Empress has returned to the secular world and will stop at nothing to keep her from reuniting with the Deity of the Underworld my mate's namesake. They were supposed to be reborn after a hundred years, but the Celestial Realm interviewed delaying their rebirth."
"Question," I wipe my hands with the cloth napkin Violet hands me, "what do deities have to do with me?"
"I'm trying to explain our world while explaining your connection to it," Camilla says, "the Celestial Realm believes you can open a gateway to the Underworld. Their new hope is to use you to enter the Underworld and destroy it creating a massive imbalance."
"What they don't realize is Deity Cerin is just as powerful as her parents and just as ruthless," Ruby says, "if the Celestial Realm were to breach the Underworld the world would permanently end. It would take over a thousand years before this one could be rebuilt. See despite their efforts Fie and Rania where reborn and as all present know, they have a tendency, to go against all odds. That's why they left a contingency plan should the Underworld be breached during their current reincarnation."
"World's end," I say.
Ruby nods, "They want you, we thought you safe in your old world but there has been a shift in the stars. The planets are aligning odds are their planning something dreadful. When you fell through the gate the Witch Sonia found you took your memories and made you believe you where her dead sister's child. She made everyone believe and then she tried to make you weak. See Sonia's not even her name she took that name as an insult to our Ancestor.
"The imposter, Witch is a descendant of the Witch Queen Nathalia, when the Nether Realm was merging with our world, she escaped into Chaos changing her name and face she gave up her essence and became a demon possessing your "Aunt Sonia". The Witch was hoping to siphon your power but as a demon, she has to follow different rules so see made a deal with the Celestial Realm your life in exchange for her original vessel and power."
"Aunt Sonia was a wolf," I say my head feeling like it'll burst with all they say, "she's dead."
"She wasn't a wolf, she just had a Witch help her with the illusions and she is not dead. Spencer figured it out that's why he wanted to send you to us, but Helga killed him. Luckily, he got word to us in time, she's currently searching for you, everything you've ever been told everything you've ever believed has been a lie, you are not just half-wolf, half-vampire, you are everything."