The station was a mad house. The chief of police had come in and was talking with the twins in the office he used when he came. Her captain, Percy Oliver, didn't know what to do. Luckily for him Emery had put someone in place to watch over the captain while things were not so great.
There was a silent agreement that no one talked to the men they had brought in the night before. There was a high level of discomfort. No one wanted them around but there was no way to get rid of them until someone questioned them. They had been in holding for ten hours and no one had questioned them.
Anna was slightly surprised when she walked in and everyone flooded to Paycen. She knew the man was good at what he did but she hadn't realized he was this good. They stopped as the crowd of people got bigger and bigger. Everyone talked at once and no one was heard. When it finally resorted to yelling, he held his hand up and started delegating what was to go on.
Knowing that if she didn't move she'd get pulled into the fray even further, Anna jostled everyone until she had breathing room. Emery handed her a cup of coffee and leaned against the desk to watch the master work. She did the same, and she realized there was more to the Healer than just temper, power, and medicine. He carried himself with poise and dignity of someone who knew how to do his job and do it well. He was patient with these people as he was her daughter. He used a sharp tone with some people as he did his dog. In a time of crisis he was a sturdy foundation.
She sat down quickly on the edge of the desk. So quickly in fact Emery jumped to make sure she didn't fall. She smiled at him to tell him she was fine then she went back to watching the red head. Calmness oozed off him. It was the first time since the night before she had sensed it. At the house he had been more on edge because he had been coming down from an adrenaline high. Now as she watched his body language, she could tell this was what he liked to do. He was going to make a great doctor someday.
But even with his calming sturdiness, something felt off about the place. As she looked around, Anna understood. Their holding cells were through the double wooden doors and down a long hall. Everyone was keeping away from the holding cells. It was as if they were taboo or something.
"Why's everyone so afraid of the doors?" she asked.
"We still have the men who attacked you last night in holding," he replied.
"Why hasn't anyone questioned them?"
"We're under strict orders not to talk to them just right yet. It's some power play the Royals have going on. If you give them an inch, they'll take three thousand miles. Sometimes I think they do it to get in the heads of normal humans."
She frowned. "Why are you here?"
"My Sector Leader said I needed to be. He wants someone here at all times. He's a bit of a butt head these days but we love him. I can't wait for his wife to have that baby. Then he'll settle down a bit."
The chief's office door opened and he ventured out. He looked frazzled and annoyed. Emery snorted then covered his mouth as the man walked past them. He kept right on walking until he went out the door. Anna held back a laugh as well. She had met the chief twice and he seemed like a nice man. From what she heard from some of the others, he didn't like things to get out of hand.
They looked towards the office door. Aiden was leaning against the doorjamb and looking as if she belonged there. Anna got a good look at her without feeling nervous. She was very beautiful with long dark blond hair. Her face was a bit rounded with high cheekbones and pronounced jaw. Her shoulders were a little broad. Her chest was a little bigger than Anna's but that was all right.
Anna was happy with the way she looked. The other woman was very trim, reminding her of Abby. Instead of the groups' military styled clothing, the woman wore jeans, a loose white t-shirt, and boots. There was a wedding ring on her finger so Anna knew she was taken, but she wasn't very old.
"They seem so young," she commented as Mikey stepped into the doorway.
Emery made a noise in the back of his throat. "They are. They're only twenty-three, almost twenty-four."
"And they're in charge of millions of people?"
"Why do you seem so surprised? The British Empire had young monarchs from the time they came to power until the time most of their acquisitions filed for independence. It's the nature of things. We have a new regime that understands us and will help us with anything we need. That's why they're here. They want to help Paycen and you."
She watched the woman turn her head. Her brother came out the double doors. Mikey looked to be the stronger of the two. He was lean muscle and no brawn. He had an intelligent air about him that made others defer to him the second he walked into the room.
If she could guess, he was the twin that dressed impeccably well. At the moment he was in khaki pants and a white button up. His hair was a little on the long shaggy side but that was all right because he made up for it with confidence.
Beside her Emery stiffened as the two started talking quietly. Anna watched him squint his eye as he tried to focus on something. He made a small gasp that had her turning her head back to the two. Mikey was staring at him but all of his attention was on his sister. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime, Aiden shrugged and pushed off the wall. As a united front they made their way over to the others.
Paycen had been talking with the other officers in the station when he had felt a sudden chill creep into his mind. Aiden and Mikey had closed their minds to them so they couldn't hear the conversation they were having. It was rare for them to do that but when they did it meant something was about to go down. He excused himself from the people which he was talking and moved to intercept his friends.
He read Aiden's raised eyebrow as an amused sign, but the air around them was anything but amused. He slid into the spot beside Anna, effectively blocking her off from anyone not included in the conversation. Mikey raked an eye over him then nodded. Paycen wasn't sure if the others caught the nod, but it meant only one thing. The Golden King approved.
"How's Arin?" Anna asked.
"He's awake but not really with it. I think it will take a couple of hours before we can actually sit down and talk with him," Aiden said. "But that's not what I want to talk about now."
"Is it that bad?" Emery asked.
"We're afraid so. Ever since we came out to the world about who we are, there have been many different groups of people wanting to lock us up and experiment on us. Even people in the country's government. Luckily, we've been able to foil their plans," Mikey said.
"There's something different about this case though." Paycen said it like he had been thinking it all along, which he had. Something about this attack wasn't right. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
Aiden nodded then motioned them to the chairs of the nearest desk. When they were all seated, she leaned forward with her arms braced on her knees.
"This case is completely different now because this is the first time they have gone after one of our mates on purpose," she said. She looked at the two guys who had the most shocked expressions. "Bryony was targeted because her brother was a con man who had gotten mixed up with the wrong people. Kasta was helping us figure out who poisoned me. There have been a few more in between but nothing like this."
"All of those instances had the mates involved, but never in this sort of way," Emery said. He leaned back in his chair with one hand cupping his chin. "We are very careful in dealing with this kind of situation. We try to keep our friends' mates out of these kinds of things for their own sanity. But Anna is a police officer whose daughter is going to one of our schools. She works with one of us."
"That's the key," Paycen stated. "Anna. Anna's always been the key. They knew that she was intended for one of us but they weren't sure which one. So they went after the ones they knew were in the fire department, police department, and were EMTs. It was a setup from the very beginning. They wanted to draw us out so they could find out which one of us it was."
"The question of how we find them remains," Mikey said. They all looked at him. He was picking at his fingernails, looking very relaxed. It was all a lie.
"It's an inside job," Emery replied. The Golden King nodded his head slowly. "But who's inside enough to tell someone about all of this?"
Paycen gripped the chair arm so tightly it nearly splintered. "Arin."
"No," Anna said. She said it so harshly that everyone looked at her. "Arin wouldn't do something like that. He isn't that type of person. He's the one that helped me understand what it is like to be you."
"He's also the one who told you what school closest to your house to enroll your daughter. He also knew that your mother lived with you. He told you about the mating process because he wanted to mate with you himself," Emery said. Every word he said had Paycen coiling like a cobra ready to strike.
Anna shook her head as if it were going to fall off. These people were completely wrong. There was no way Arin was involved in any of the attacks on the people. He was a good guy. He had helped her in many ways no one else could have. He had talked about asking her out sometimes but he never did. She wouldn't have minded if he had. He was a nice guy that she loved being around. Why would he do something like this?
She was drawn from her thoughts when a hand landed on her knee. When she looked up, she looked straight into golden eyes. Aiden was looking at her with a mixture of understanding and sadness.
"Let me tell you a story. It might help you understand what we're talking about a little bit. It's not a story that has a happy ending. It's not one that people like to tell," she said. "Are you ready?"
Anna nodded. She wasn't really sure what was going on, but the air around them was very sad.
"A few years ago there was a group of friends chilling in an apartment. They had grown up together so it was a normal occurrence. They would met, have dinner, watch a movie, and talk about anything and everything. This night wasn't to be like that. Three of their members hadn't shown up because of things going on in their lives so when the rest finished their movie, they went about the normal routine."
Aiden clenched her hands together until her knuckles were white. "In the middle of their talk about world politics, there was the tell-tale sign of someone Shadow-walking. They didn't think anything of it until one of them was hit from behind in a blow that rendered him unconscious. A second one tried to get up and fight but he was at a disadvantage. He was two feet away from the intended targets so he jumped over the others only to be thrown into the wall.
"The remaining two were scared but one was angry. Before he could protect his lover, he was snatched by the hair. His neck was badly burned with second degree burns. As he was struggling to his feet, he watched the person that was supposed to be his friend yank his lover to his feet. He screamed and pleaded for mercy but he was met with a twisted smile. Before he could get up, his friend snapped his lover's neck, killing him instantly."
Anna gasped at the horror of the story but Aiden wasn't finished. "Seconds before the lover was killed, the man had cried out telepathically to his friend. There was a second popping as someone came into the house via Shadow-Walking. The attacker turned to the person he had been in love with since the friends formed the group. When asked why he had done this, he had said that he wanted to prove his worthiness to the one person he cared for most.
"The last friend recited the law of the people, making sure he knew what was going to happen to him after his trial. He didn't care. When he asked that the friend come with him and was rejected, he turned to finish his job. As he was going after the others, including his own brother, there was a loud bang and he fell to the floor."
"She killed him?" Anna whispered.
Mikey nodded, not even going to ask how she knew the second killer had been a woman. "She did. She knew the law inside and out because she had hunting serial killers for a long time. The only difference was she was going to bring him to trial before he was executed. Only he went after others so she killed him. It was a justified killing."
Anna took a moment to let it sink in. She looked to Emery and Paycen. This had to be the first time they had heard the story because they looked just as shocked as she was. But they were missing one emotion that was clinging to her like a soaked t-shirt. She was sad for the people who were involved. She was hurting for the people who remained.
"Who was the remaining lover?" Aiden tilted her head so Anna changed the question. "Who was the lover of the man killed?"
"I was." Emery, Paycen, and Anna turned around to see Keldin leaning against the desk behind them. "I was the lover of the man who was killed. His name was Eric Martin. We had been together since we were in high school. He knew everything about me, including what I was, and was helping put together a list of the abilities we had encountered."
"That means," Anna turned back to Aiden, "you were the one who killed your friend."
"Tallyn had been my friend from the moment we were adopted. He was like us, except he was a Pyro. He could manipulate fire with ease, even going so far as to create it. But he had one huge flaw. He was very arrogant, which isn't unlike Fire Wielders. My brother Cole can be the same way sometimes. Tallyn's power came in too hard and too fast. It warped his mind. I had already known he liked me but I knew in my heart that we weren't meant to be. When I told him, he didn't want to believe me," the other woman replied.
"We tried to help him control his power but he wouldn't listen. He disappeared for a few months towards the end of his life. We found out later that he had found his mate but he wasn't concerned about making her happy. His power hard twisted his mind and made him obsess over Aiden," Mikey said.
"When Aiden killed Tallyn, she was eight months pregnant," Keldin said. "We didn't know how Shadow-Walking was going to affect him so no woman had ever done it that far into pregnancy."
Anna looked back at the woman. Aiden held her gaze. "And the baby? How is it?"
Aiden's smile lit her face up. "Dylan? He's fine. He turned four in March. He's got a brother and sister to keep him company while he's at home, plus a whole slew of cousins."
The other woman sighed and sank back in her chair. Her children were fine even after she put her body through that whole ordeal.
"Is that what happens?" she asked. "Is that what happens when one of your kind tries to force the bond on someone who doesn't want it?"
Everyone deferred to Keldin. "Some of us are determined to choose our own mates. Most of the time the true mate tries to kill the chosen mate. Tallyn was so consumed with making Aiden his, he neglected his own mate. She in turn went after Aiden when she had the twins and tried to kill her by poisoning her."
"Why did you defer to Keldin?" Emery asked.
"He's not going to bond to his intended mate," Mikey said.
"Because he's gay?" The Golden King nodded. "I'm sorry, man."
Keldin shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'll handle it when it comes around."
The double doors opened as Deuce shoved them open. He had been in charge of watching over Arin until they had returned. He ran a hand through his buzz cut hair and sighed.
"Arin's up and he's pissed," he said.
Aiden stood and held out her hand to Anna. "He'll talk to you."
Unsure what to do, Anna looked at Paycen. He was starting to buzz with energy but he nodded. She slipped her hand in Aiden's and the women walked through the doors.