"So, we protect her," said Mike as he stood up and brushed out the creases in his pants. "I have to go back to the precinct. Let her know that she has a few days off, but I'll expect to see her on Monday. We still have to go after The Specialist."
"Knowing what you now know-" started Viktor.
"Changes nothing. She is still my Nads, the daughter that I always wanted. And now, my Alpha," answered Mike as he walked towards the door.
"One last thing," said Viktor. Mike turned around towards him, his hand on the door handle. "Your life is now connected with hers. As long as she is alive, so too will you be."
"Huh," grunted Mike. "I wish I had met her sooner. That way I wouldn't be stuck looking so old for the rest of my life." He turned the handle and walked out of the condo, leaving Van Helsing to his own thoughts.
Neither one knew about the girl that was leaning against the wall in the hallway, out of sight.
------
I sighed as I listened to Viktor telling Mike the story of my family, of me.
I remember the heartache of my mother as she sewed Elena's body back together, hoping against all hope that she would turn into the Ribbon Girl.
It was always supposed to go to the oldest girl of our family, and knowing that it hadn't was as much of a tragedy as what actually happened to her.
I always thought it was a blessing though. After all, if Elena was the Ribbon Girl then she would have the memory of that night engraved into her mind for eternity. It would be inhuman torture, and I didn't think that my sweet, gracious sister would remain sweet or gracious for very long.
Were we the Weavers of Fate? Yes, we were.
We have the ability to decide who lived and who died. And those with the gift could pass eternity on to whomever they wanted.
Momma Bear? My Beta? He would never grow old, never die. His string would never be cut.
I remembered one night when my mother was crying after the first time I died. She said that in some way, she wished that I was not the one with the gift, that I didn't know the power it held, what it entailed.
And she was right. I did not have a peaceful life. All my memories were of death and suffering. And I was not a forgiving person.
Being hunted for hundreds of years, and being torn apart, both mentally and physically, countless times had made me who I am now. And that was all their fault.
Can I undo their curses and allow them to leave a pain-free life of immortals? I could.
But why would I?
I was not the forgiving one in my family. Too bad someone in one of those Houses killed her off. Better luck next time.
I turned around and made my way back to the room. The more I moved, the better I felt and by now, I was almost back to normal. My ribbons were working their magic, and, except for a little blood loss, I was good to go.
And I wanted to go get an iced green tea latte.
I quickly got dressed and returned to the living room where Viktor sat.
"I assume that you overheard the history of your family?" He asked, not even bothering to turn around.
Huh, I guess he could sense me listening in. Well, he is the Hunter. If he couldn't sense people in his vicinity, then he could be a pretty crappy hunter.
"I heard," I said, going to sit down beside him.
"So, are you on the team to kill or not to kill?" I asked him, this time looking him in the eyes.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "We deserved what we got that day. Justice needs to be served, one way or another. I will protect you until my last breath and I will make sure my Knights protect you as well," he said.
I will fully admit that I relaxed a bit more hearing that. He won't kill me for being a Weaver. Hopefully, he won't kill me for being a monster either.
"I want a dessert in coffee form. I'll see you around Van Helsing," I smiled at him.
"You sure your okay to be out and about? You took a pretty hard hit from that wolf," he reminded me.
Ah, crap. I forgot that as a human I should be dead, let alone well enough to be walking around.
"I heal quickly," I told him. Once again, nothing but the truth. I did heal quickly. Probably because I was an immortal monster, but he didn't need to know that part.
"All right, as long as you are fine. I've imputed mine and Sasha's number into your phone if you need anything," he said, standing up.
He placed his left hand around the small of my back and picked up my right hand in his. Kissing the top of my hand, he gently let it go.
I smiled and quietly left his condo.
---------
I walked into the nearest coffee shop that would have what I wanted.
As much as an iced green tea latte sounded simple, you would be surprised at how many places managed to screw it up.
I opened the door to step in when I halted, my blood singing as it had twice so far. A Pure-blood was here.
Ah, fuck.
Do I walk in and get what I needed? Or do I turn around and run away from whatever House was waiting for me?
"Hello, domnisoara," came the smooth chocolatey voice of a very attractive man in a red dress shirt and black pants. There was the tiniest hint of a black tattoo crawling up his neck and peaking out of his shirt.
Whelp, I guess that answered that question.
No point in not getting what I wanted when he had already found me.
I looked at him and then walked towards the counter, ready to put in my order.
He looked like sin on a stick and I was not in the mood to deal with another House.
I've had enough of that for the past few days and I didn't want or need anymore.
I turned my head back to look at him and he smirked at me.
Or... maybe I could deal with him after a latte.