The house was quiet as I laid in my bed, the thoughts of everything echoing over and over through my head. It was nearly dawn, and I hadn't slept a wink all night, but I still couldn't get my mind to shut off and allow it.
The events in that Fox den kept running through my head, along with the visions that I'd see when Michael had freed Missy from the curse. I had no doubt that they were from the past. I just wished I could've made out more from them.
But the two of them still stood front and center in my mind. The first was the vision of that Angel. I was sure he was the one who started our family, and that he'd passed a message to me. He wasn't abandoning us, and he planned on coming back to our family very soon.
I wondered what had happened to make him have to go to the Heavens again. There had to be more to this story than any of us understood, even Michael, Raphael, and Gabrielle. Something had happened to our family back when he was here with Annabelle. It was probably even connected to the curse that had been affecting us for generations now.
However, this alarmed me too for the other vision I'd seen. Noah had alluded to it in that den as well. He was talking about an Angel who had been communicating with him, one who had claimed that we could break the curse by finding an anchor that Missy no longer had, and also told him that our Angel had abandoned us, that he'd never wanted us in the first place. It had just been his duty to create us.
None of this sat right with me, especially after that vision. Was it possible this was the demon behind the curse?
No, I really didn't think so.
Call it a sixth sense, but I was sure that while this was connected to the curse, it wasn't the demon who made it. She might not have even been a demon at all. There was something that felt familiar about her. As weird as it was, she'd almost felt like... family.
Lenore shifted beside me as I thought about this, sitting up on her arm to look at me.
"Have you been to sleep at all Sevee?" she asked softly.
"Nope." I answered.
"Are you still worried about Noah?" she probed.
I let out a long breath, turning my head so that I could look at her. She was a pretty sight in the early lights of dawn.
"A little." I confessed, "I know he's tough, and he'll probably handle this stuff with his wing just fine, but I still feel guilty about the whole thing. I should've just said no when he suggested going there. I knew something didn't feel right. I was just too desperate to listen to my intuition."
"It's not your fault. You and Noah both thought you were doing the right thing, and I know it's been really hard for you to see your sister like this, and see everything else that's happened. It was tough on your dad too when he came home to all of that."
"No kidding."
Tough was probably putting it lightly for how Sean was feeling right now. I knew my dad, and I knew how protective he'd always been of us. To come home and learn about that stuff happening in his absence was heartbreaking for him. I'd even overheard him talking to Mia about it before I'd gone to bed. Even with their door closed as I was passing by, my hearing was good enough to catch their conversation. Sean had sounded like a broken man, even though Mia was trying to comfort him. It was hard to hear him like that. He'd always been so strong before. He had strength that I'd aspired to have.
Well, I admit that I aspired to be like my dad in so many ways, ever since I could remember. He was always the most amazing person to me, the biggest influence I had in my life.
"Everything always works out Sevee." he'd always tell me, "You're a good kid, and you have a great heart."
Lenore rested against me, her head on my shoulder and hand laid against my chest. I took in her sweet scent, allowing it to relax me a bit more.
"Hey Lenore." I whispered.
"Yes?"
"Do you think Missy really chose me to haunt just because of my dad and that other Fox?"
"I don't know." Lenore responded, "It's all been strange too. Your family's apparently had this curse for a long time, and no one knew how to break its hold until recently, and you also said that you think it was that Angel using your grandfather to do it. But I still don't get it. Why wouldn't he break the entire curse then if that was the case? Did he not have the power to do it because he wasn't physically here?"
I shook my head, "I don't know, but I agree with you. It's not broken yet and he wasn't able to do it right now for whatever reason. That's what worries me too. Something else is happening with Noah. I'm sure of it."
Now I had Lenore's attention, "What do you mean?"
"When we down in that den, he told me that he was told to come there by an Angel that was talking to him. He claimed that they'd told him the truth about things with our family, and that our Angel abandoned us." I explained.
"If that's true, then it could be the demon disguising themselves to trick him. They're well known for things like that, and most creatures can easily be fooled by them." Lenore suggested.
"Yeah, I thought so at first too, but now I don't think it fits."
"Huh?"
I knew I was being a little confusing with that, so I did my best to explain.
"I get where this is gonna sound weird, but just hear me out. I saw visions when Michael freed Missy, and one of the visions I saw was of this silhouette of someone in this dark place. It looked like a woman, and she had wings coming from her back. But she didn't feel like a demon to me. As weird as this sounds, she felt familiar, almost like family."
Lenore was quiet as she listened to this, then sat up. I sat up with her so that I could face her.
"You're sure she felt more like family?" she confirmed.
"Yeah. I'm sure of it." I verified.
She gave it some thought before continuing, "Something's felt off here Sevee. I don't know why, but I've been feeling it since I woke up here and met your family. It's felt like there's this lingering darkness around us. Missy was possessed by it, but only a small part of it. It feels like the main part is still trying to claim us."
A prickle when up my spine as she said this, like I knew instinctually that she was right. This was far from over, and we weren't any closer to destroying the core of this curse.
But I did my best to push it to the back of my mind. Things were okay for now, and I had her there with me, along with knowing that she was carrying our baby. That was enough for me to relax again.
"I get that, but let's drop it for now. I do need to try to sleep, and you need to rest too. The last thing you want right now is to get sick." I reminded her.
Lenore returned my smile, "Yeah, you've got a point." She moved closer to me, and the two of us shared a long, lingering kiss before she pulled back a little to whisper to me, "I'm happy that I'm here with you too. I love you."
"I know, and I love you. We can finally be together, and we'll make a good life for us and our baby." I promised.
We shared a few more kisses before lying down together, and I somehow managed to fall asleep embracing Lenore, praying as I drifted off that things would be at least a little better when we woke up.
Unfortunately, not a whole lot felt like it had changed when we finally did get up, and not really in the following weeks either. Seraphina remained silent, even though she was able to get herself to move around more on her own and begin smiling again. It was a relief for us, even if it was just little things. We at least had hope that she'd start talking again soon.
As for me, my life was also drastically changing. Lenore's pregnancy was progressing quickly, which Musket had warned my father about. When he'd said that Astartes were breeders, he meant every word of it. From his memories of them, the pregnancies they would carry only lasted around two months. It was convenient for the Foxes, considering the ones who had once made them wanted many kits under them.
While I'm sure most guys would've been panicking at this news, I actually welcomed it, and immediately went into my own plans for our future. Since it was still summertime, I took up my father's offer and began working in bookkeeping with him under my grandfather and uncle. It came pretty naturally to me too once my father showed me how to do it, and I actually enjoyed it.
I also decided that I'd do homeschool for my senior year of high school, both because it would free me up more to keep working with him and to be with Lenore and my sister. I knew that Seraphina wasn't going back to the high school, not with her not being able to speak. For that much, Lenore and I were making sure that we'd be around for her, and support her however she needed it along with my parents.
But there was also another underlying reason that I needed to do this, one that I didn't talk to Lenore about. It had to do with the long, private conversation that me and my parents had the morning after the events with Missy about Noah.
Mia and Sean weren't stupid about what seemed to be happening, and they'd apparently known about Noah's passes towards Seraphina even before she'd told me. They admitted to me in private that this had been the main source of the nasty arguments between him and Raziel, and with Seraphina's still healing mind, they didn't like the idea of her being pulled into all of that anymore then she already had been.
Of course, hearing this, I knew that I had to tell them about what Noah had mentioned to me. This wasn't really stemming from him, and I didn't want any of us to blame him or look at him differently. So I explained that I felt like the curse was messing with his mind too, the demon's influence pushing him to think these things.
For that, all three of us decided that it would be better if we kept Seraphina away from him as much as possible. Mia also spoke to Raziel and Anna about that, and they were quick to agree. To protect Noah and Seraphina from anymore pain, we'd keep them separated most of the time, and if they were together, someone would always be with them.
This was the topic that my father and I were speaking about as we walked together through the cemetery. The heat had died down that day, the wave finally breaking, and we'd decided to head out there with some flowers for the family graves. It was something that Sean had wanted to do on his own for a while now, and I had talked him into letting me come. This way, both of us could take some private time together to pay our respects, especially to Missy.
"You really think Noah's getting worse?" I was asking.
"I hate to say it, but I believe so. He certainly isn't acting like the Noah we've always known. Him and Raziel can barely stand to be in the same room with each other half the time anymore." Sean admitted.
"That's sad." I shook my head, "They've always been close before. I can't imagine not being able to even talk to you. It's always helped whenever stuff's gotten heavy."
"I understand, and I couldn't imagine such either, even if you and I don't always get off on the right foot with some things." Sean agreed, a small chuckle escaping him.
One left me too, "Yeah, I'll admit to that."
We were finally coming to the graves for the Renaldi family as we said this. Standing there near that big tree, I took in the sight of the headstones embedded into the grass. It was kind of sobering seeing all of them. A lot of this family had died, and some of them way too young.
Sean stepped in front of Missy's headstone, kneeling down and placing a white rose in the holder for it. I walked over and did the same, then stepped back to stand near him.
"I've waited far too long to say this, but I am incredibly sorry for everything that happened back then Missy. You didn't deserve to die like that, and I wish I had been stronger so that I could've saved you. Please, rest in peace now. I promise you that I will always love and protect your daughter, and our children." he said softly.
He meant every word of that, and looking up as the breeze blew through the leaves of the tree overhanging the graves, I felt like she heard him; like this was her ways of telling him that she forgave him.
No, I didn't believe that Missy was ever truly a vengeful or spiteful person. Too bad I hadn't gotten the chance to know the real her.
My gaze wandered as I looked down again, and my eyes fell upon another gravestone nearby. The names engraved into that stone were very familiar.
Melvin and Elvira Renaldi.
I couldn't stop myself from walking over to it and kneeling in front of it. I reached out to touch the engraving, taking in the smooth feel of the marble. I could still envision both of them; Elvira in my dream and Melvin standing with me in that den. A grateful smile crossed my face.
"Thanks for the help. Hope I can see you both again sometime." I whispered.
I could feel Sean watching me as I whispered this, and he stood up and moved beside me.
"What are you speaking of Sevee?" he inquired.
"Just what I said." I answered as I stood with him, "I know it sounds crazy, but I saw them both during all of that. Elvira was the one who helped me save Seraphina, and Melvin was in that den when I almost destroyed Missy. He stopped me Dad. He made sure I didn't make the worst mistake of my life."
Sean looked at the grave in front of us, his expression turning thoughtful now, "Perhaps Melvin and Elvira still wish to help where they can because they feel their work isn't finished." he surmised.
"Hey Dad," I said as I looked at the nearby graves of the other Renaldis. I could see Melvin's brother and sister's graves there, along with Annabelle's, "why didn't Melvin and them change too? Do you really think all of it was part of this family curse?"
"I believe it's incredibly possible, especially with what Musket discussed with me. It appears that there were rumors about some of this within the Veil. That's what's made me wish to speak to Jekia even more now. I believe he may know more of the truth behind what occurred in that time." Sean admitted.
"Maybe. It does sound like the ones like him would have their stake in stuff with the Higher Powers." I agreed.
"Very much so." Sean nodded.
I looked around us again, taking in the quiet of this place. Everything here felt so serene and peaceful. I took a few steps away from my dad, thinking about walking over to the water to look at it closer.
But as I did, my eyes fell on a stone that was set a little further away from the others. The last name on it immediately caught my eye, and I had to go over there and brush away the grass that had blown over some of it. My eyes widened as I did.
Noel Renaldi.
"Hey Dad," I called, "this is Gabrielle's twin sister, right?"
Sean came over there with me to look, "Yes, that's her. I remembered Mia mentioning to me before that she was buried here. I just kept forgetting to look for her when I've come." he confirmed.
I stared at the stone as that vision from the den came back to me. Was it possible? Could she have been that Angel that Noah was talking to?
But I couldn't voice it. Something inside of me feared doing that. It was like I knew that it would only make things worse for Noah if I did.
Instead, I decided to bring up the subject that I'd been avoiding for a while too.
"I know this might be out of the blue." I stated as I stood with him again, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to either. The thing is, Noel and Gabrielle were twins, and so are me and Seraphina, and Lenore told me that there was a rumor that you're a twin too. Is that true?"
Sean looked startled as I asked him this, like he'd never expected it to come up.
"There truly has been rumors of that still floating within the Veil?" he finally responded.
"Yeah, at least, according to Lenore. That Fox that created her was talking about it before." I confirmed.
"I see." Sean closed his eyes like he was lamenting things now. I waited patiently for him to continue, "Well, I suppose this is the best time to be honest with you about such things. Yes, I am a twin, and my brother is still alive. He's chosen to remain within the Veil with Musket while I have lived on this side, first with your grandmother, then marrying your mother and having you."
"Does Mom know about this?" I had to ask.
"No. Me and your grandmother haven't told anyone, but that was on request from my brother. You see, he's always been the weaker twin between the two of us, so he's always felt safer staying under the radar. I'd imagine that there will be a day when he'll decide to finally come out and see our family, but I'd never force him into such." Sean explained.
"What's his name? Does he look like you?" I pressed.
I was incredibly curious about all of this now, and really wanted to meet him. Who would've thought that there was actually another half Fox like us in our family?
Sean chuckled, amused at my persistence, "His name is Tico, and yes, we do look a lot alike, although he inherited our father's silver hair. I like to think that our personalities are close to the same as well, but I do confess that he's at times a bit more levelheaded than me. At least, he was before I met your mother."
That one made me laugh, "Yeah, I heard you there."
"Be as it may," Sean continued as the two of us headed back to the walkway, "I am relieved that Lenore is only having one. As much as I've always loved the idea of twins, they can be a handful."
"So you admit that it was tough with me and Seraphina as we were growing up."
"Who said it's still not? You both can be quite a handful."
Both of us laughed at that one. It felt nice too. There had been way too much tension lately. I wondered if we'd be able to plan a family day out after Lenore had the baby to forget about some of this for a while.
But as we reached the area for the parking lot, both of us stopped. There was a strange feeling in the air, like we weren't alone now. The wind picked up, and swirled about two feet in front of us, kicking up dust and grass like a small tornado. A man stood there as it slowly cleared.
Well, I say a man only in his form. His appearance certainly wasn't like a human.
This man wore dark pants and an old-fashioned tailcoat. His skin was more of a pearl color, shining a bit in the sunlight. That skin was offset by his dark red hair, which swept around his face while the back of it was pulled into a long ponytail.
But the most stunning thing about him were his eyes. I swore that he had holographic irises which alternated between gold, blue and green as he regarded us.
Sean looked extremely uneasy as we stood there facing him. I halfway noticed that he'd moved closer to me, like he was being protective.
"Um, Dad," I said quietly, "what is this?"
"Just stay by me. Let me do the talking." Sean ordered.
The man took his suspicious attitude in stride, flashing a smile at him that appeared sincere.
"Ah, I see you haven't forgotten me. You are the twin called Sean, correct?" he spoke.
"I am, and you are the Mage who works under Jekia. I believe they call you Emelio." Sean responded.
Now I understood why my father was so on edge about this. This Mage worked for Jekia, and it didn't take much to guess that he'd appeared here seeking us.
Emelio gave us a polite bow, "Yes, you are correct. While I would say that it is good to see you again, you do not seem to feel the same."
"Let's just say that I and my mother have bad memories of the last time you spoke to us. But enough of this. Why are you appearing to me and my son? Did Jekia send you?" Sean continued.
"Yes, that would be correct." Emelio confirmed. The breeze blew around us again as he went on, "I have come on his orders to let you know that he wishes to honor your request for a meeting. He is very interested as it is to meet some from one of the Nephilim families, not to mention to speak with you face to face. One could say that he has waited years for you to wish to do so with him."
I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. With what Lenore told me, it might've been good to clear the air, but if that Fox had been lying, then this could turn into a possible death sentence for my father.
Sean remained where he was, although I noticed that he looked a little less tense.
"Is that so? Well, I am not one to decline his invitation, and I admit that I also have wished to meet with him at least once. So, please, inform me of the terms and time that he wishes for us to see him." he requested.
Emelio held out his hand, and a golden envelope appeared within it. He then stepped to us, handing it to my father.
"The letter from Lord Jekia is enclosed, along with all of the information you will need for this meeting. I regret that I cannot remain longer to speak to you, but my place is monitoring issues within the Veil for him, so I must take my leave now. I do look forward to your visit though, and please, pass that along to the Renaldis." he told us.
A swirl of wind came up around him, and in an instant, he'd disappeared. I looked at the envelope closer as I stood beside my father.
"Can we really trust this?" I had to know.
"We don't have much of a choice." Sean admitted. He tore open the envelope, pulling out what looked like a parchment. On it was elegant writing. I realized right away that it was a personal note from Jekia. As Emelio had said, he was honoring our request to meet with him, and offered a formal invitation to us to do so, along with the Renaldi family. I noted that the tone didn't seem threatening at all. It was more like very inviting.
"Seems like he really wants this too. It's just two days from now." I pointed out.
"Yes, there is a sincerity in this writing, and he does have a genuine interest in the Renaldis too. Not that I'm surprised. I highly doubt that any of these rulers have been able to meet any of the Nephilim from the clans as of yet. It may even give Jekia bragging rights." Sean responded. He folded the parchment and put it back in the envelope, "Let's get back so that we can share this with the others."
He wasn't getting an argument out of me. I was actually kind of excited about this now. I wasn't passing up going with him to the other side and meeting this creature. Not only would I finally get to see what the Veil was like, I was going to see what one of their rulers was like. Jekia was one of the most powerful creatures under the ranks of Angels and Demons.
But my excitement was abated when Sean and I pulled up to our house. We could see Seraphina standing near the backyard, clasping her hands at her chest and looking at the woods with pensive eyes. Mia was out by the tree line, but looked afraid to go in there.
"Mia? What's going on?" Sean called as the two of us got out.
Mia immediately hurried over to him, looking panicked.
"It's Lenore! She's gone!"
"What do you mean gone? What's happened?" I asked her.
I was feeling some panic rising with me. Lenore was so close to giving birth now. She shouldn't have been anywhere away from us.
"I don't know!" Mia breathed. She looked at Seraphina, who was now standing with us, "Sera came and got me, and she was pulling me outside and pointing at the woods, and I couldn't find Lenore anywhere. I asked her where she was, and she keeps pointing at the woods."
Seraphina tugged at my shirt, pointing at the woods again. Her eyes looked afraid now.
I held her shoulders, "What happened to Lenore Sera? At least try to tell us." I begged her.
Seraphina looked around us, then motioned to her ears, then mine. Then she pointed to her lower back, then the woods. When she saw that we still looked confused, she grabbed our dad's hand, tugging at the chain around his wrist. It was the Limiter that he always wore to hold back his more Fox appearance.
That was when it dawned on Sean what she was trying to say.
"Sera, are you saying another Fox took Lenore?" he asked her.
Seraphina immediately nodded her head, pointing at the woods again.
It felt like my entire world was crumbling around me in that moment. This wasn't just any Fox. It had to be Anari, the one who had created her. He'd come there and grabbed her to take her back.
"Sean..." Mia started.
"Go inside and call your father." Sean interrupted, "Ask him and Raphael to meet me and Sevee at the gateway. We're going in there to find Lenore."
"Are you sure about that? I mean, I want her back, but fighting another Fox on the other side..." Mia responded.
"We don't have a choice Mom. We have to help Lenore, and if we don't, he might kill the baby." I insisted to her.
Seraphina shot her a pleading look. This along with my words made Mia relent on her fears.
"You're right. There is no choice. I'll call Michael while you head out there. I'm sure they'll meet you there right away." she told us.
I looked back at Seraphina as Mia hurried inside. She was very upset now, with her hands to her face as she began to cry.
"Hey, it's okay." I comforted her as I pulled her into a hug, "We'll bring Lenore back, and we'll make sure the baby's safe."
Sean was scanning the woods around us, and I noticed him discreetly sniffing the air.
"We should get moving quickly Sevee. His trail is already starting to fade here, and it will be even worse if that happens beyond the gateway." he told me.
"Yeah, I get it." I acknowledged as I let Seraphina go.
Sean kissed her forehead, "You did the right thing. You haven't gotten your wings yet, so you never could've fought that Fox. Just leave this to us. We'll find Lenore." he promised her.
Seraphina nodded, wiping her eyes.
"Now," Sean continued, "head inside with your mother, and try to stay calm. We'll be back very soon."
I admit that my heart was sinking as I watched Seraphina go into the house. It was like I knew that this wasn't going to end well, even though I didn't want to acknowledge it out loud.
"Dad," I said quietly as we got back into the Jeep, "do we even stand a chance here?"
Sean shook his head, "I don't know, but we're going to try."