Her Father's Daughter

[Maira]

She was gone again. Somehow, nobody at the compound had seen her leave. It wasn't like the main Dahl holding was expansive, it was modest in comparison to the main Delorme house. Yet still, his gods blasted daughter was missing again. Kayden, Luc and the rest of the children were present for breakfast, getting ready for their morning lessons, and Alessia was nowhere to be found.

Rune stalked from the dining room into the sunroom that Zhara was relaxing in with her morning coffee and sat down with a huff before snarling under his breath, "We need to get that girl a shock collar for one of those invisible fence things." Zhara laughed at him and reminded him smugly, "She is her father's daughter remember. She's just like you were at that age." Rune snarled some more before lifting his own mug of coffee to his lips and glaring out the window at the garden.

*****

The reason nobody had seen her leave, was that Alessia hadn't left by conventional means. Since she was small, Alessia had taken to exploring all the nooks and crannies of the manor. Unlike her father, who had been to busy being trained as a warrior, Alessia had plenty of time to discover the hidden passage in the library. Once she'd found that first passage she had been obsessed with exploring the tunnels it led to.

Her favorite tunnel as she got older, was the one that was inside the wall surrounding the family garden. The same garden that was overlooked by the sunroom that her parents took their morning coffee in. The same garden that Vincent had snuck into, via the tunnel in the garden wall, to give her a birthday kiss only a month ago. The same garden that her bedroom looked out onto, through which she had snuck Vincent into her bedroom two nights prior to give him her virginity.

It was after another night spent in Vincent's arms and bed that Alessia awoke to find she hadn't made it home in time for breakfast. In fact she had slept so long that it was nearly lunch time and Vincent was nowhere to be found. His home was small compared to the Dahl house, but it was a private place that they didn't run the risk of getting walked in on by her twin, other siblings, or parents.

She had been slipping out of the Dahl house at night for months to train with Vincent and various weapons, her lessons provided by the house tutor not enough to challenge her any longer. The only lessons at home that were worth her time were the ones with either of her fathers and they were both so incredibly busy that they only really had time to train one of their children at a time. And as he wasn't as much of a natural as she was with weapons, he needed that private training more than she did.

*****

Just after lunch, Alessia wandered into the dragon compound and got to work helping the new caretakers with their young charges. She had yet to be chosen by a dragon herself, but she had been helping at the compound for years thanks to her mother convincing her fathers that the dragons weren't going to hurt her. Something about her having a connection to the great beasts. Alessia didn't know what her mother had meant but since her mother's dragon insisted it was true she didn't feel the need to argue.

She had been at the compound maybe 30 minutes when she saw her father Rune stalking toward her from the direction of the main gate. He looked like a thunder cloud forced into the shape of a man and Alessia had a feeling she was about to be on the receiving end of the scolding of her lifetime.

*****

Knowing that it was her day at the dragon compound, Rune had alerted Tavi to the likelihood of Alessia's tardiness and asked his brother-in-law to let him know when she got there. Luckily Rune had been rather busy most of the day, and by the time he got the call from Tavi he had mostly calmed down. Still, when he arrived and spotted his daughter, her flinch let him know that his anger and frustration still showed.

As she was mid-lesson on teaching a new caregiver how to dress an animal carcass before letting their young charge feed from it, Rune stood by and waited until she was finished. When she finally took a break from her student, telling the young man to give it a try and she'd check on him in a few minutes, Alessia walked over to Rune head held high.

Rune raised an eyebrow at the girl's confidence and inside him the emotions of pride and anger warred. She truly was the female version of himself at that age and while he was proud she was so confident and strong willed, it also infuriated him that she seemed to have no respect for any of her parents. Waiting to speak to her while she finished her lesson had clearly given the girl time to brace for what Rune was sure she thought was coming. When he finally spoke in a quiet and stern tone however, the shock was clear on her face.

"One more morning that you don't meet us for breakfast, Alessia, and you will find yourself training for your grandfather's army. It's hard work, it's early hours, you will -not- be the only protege in the ranks. You will no longer be able to come to the compound because your duties will be with the army until such a time as your commanders see fit to promote you to dragon duty. I don't care what your mother's dragon says about your connection to her kind, if you refuse to learn discipline you don't get to be around dragons, let alone ride, until you do. If you think I can't make that happen you're wrong."

When Alessia remained silent, staring wide-eyed at him, Rune asked in a milder voice, "Do you understand?" The girl nodded slowly. "Good," Rune declared and turned on his heel and made his way to Tavi's office explaining that the man may be losing one of his prime teachers because she kept sneaking out at night.

*****

When Vincent came home, Alessia was in his study throwing darts repeatedly at the board. The more she threw, the angrier she got, because the angrier she got the more accurately she threw. It was too simple for her to hit the bullseye because it was too much like knife throwing. She didn't hear the front door open, but when it shut it startled her and she finally missed her mark. She yelled in triumph at having finally missed, and that yell was likely what brought Vincent in to investigate who the hell was in his study.

[Demeter]

Kayden slouched down in his chair at the breakfast table and hoped that his father's ire towards his twin wasn't turned onto him. Kayden could only assume that Father's anger at Alessia slipping her guards again would pale if he knew just what his eldest son and heir got up to at night. Kayden, feeling the blush creeping up his neck, ducked his head; he'd never be able to sit on that particular bit of furniture in his bedroom without having visions of the night before. Evan, the cook's son, had been quite inventive.

His blush deepened as Evan wheeled in Father's breakfast. He was followed by Mac, the cook's assistant, who winked at him. It took all of his focus and skill but Kayden managed to not choke of his juice and spray it all across the table. Mac had also been there last night. His fathers might have been seeing to his education first hand but those two, Evan and Mac, were giving him a whole new sort of education.

Kayden was thankful for the renovations that were done to this particular estate a handful of years ago. Without the soundproofing, his parents would have found him sandwiched between the two men last night. Kayden, looking up, squeaked when he saw his mother and father staring at him. He quickly excused himself and scurried from the room.

***

Vincent wasn't all to surprised to find Alessia in his study. For several months now, he'd been tripping over the eldest Dahl daughter. It was only recent that the relationship between teacher and student had taken a drastic turn into something else. Very recent, Vincent mused as he watched her wiggle a dart free from his board. She was talented with weapons and most lessons bored her so he'd taken to challenging his student with duels. Four days ago, a duel had turned into something else and, in the sparring room beneath his home, he'd gotten the girl out of her clothes. To be fair, she'd done a number on his clothing - that shirt would never be the same.

Two days ago, she'd snuck him into her bedroom and they'd gone farther then before. To use a particularly juvenile term, they'd gone all the way. If Carmine, Rune and Zhara knew that he'd deflowered their seventeen year old daughter right under their noses, his life would be forfeit.

But that was a worry for another day. He came up behind her, one arm around her waist, while the other pulled the darts from her hand. "Bad Day?"

[Maira]

She knew he was home, heard him coming up behind her, but continued to throw the darts instead of turning and running to him. As he slipped one arm around her she melted backwards into him, tilting her head back to rest it on his chest. After a moment of standing that way, she turned in his arms and kissed his chin before answering his question about her day. "Apparently I've missed too many breakfasts since I've started training with you at night, Father threatened to send me to Grandfather Darius's army if I miss again."

She didn't want to stop training with Vincent, and she certainly didn't want to jeopardize their budding intimate relationship, but she didn't know how to approach her parents about allowing her a private tutor for weapons training. While they all knew she was good, the household tutor hadn't been cutting it for quite some time and it had been even longer since she had trained with either of her fathers. She had to figure something out though, and she hoped that Vincent had ideas.

*****

She and Vincent had decided that the only way for her parents to realize just -how- beyond the household tutor she was, she needed to show them. For that, they planned to just start having their training sessions in the family garden when he was finished with his daily duties training other students. The first few days, none of her parents were around to witness what was now happening in their own house. Her siblings and the staff, however, got quite a show. It finally took one of her younger half-brothers asking at breakfast, "Can I train with Ali's trainer today Papa? He looks more fun than Solon.

With a spoonful of cereal partway to her mouth, Alessia felt her parent's eyes turn to her all at once. Putting her spoon back in her bowl she lifted her head, looked directly at Rune, and stated simply, "If I can't sneak out at night to train with somebody more competent that Solon, we decided to train when he had free time instead." Then she picked up her bagel and excused herself from the breakfast table. Today was another dragon compound day and she didn't have time to stay and discuss things.

*****

Rune eyed Alessia's back as she practically sauntered away from the breakfast table, then he turned and shared looks with Carma and Zhara, asking them silently through their bond, *Do you know who she's training with?*

[Demeter]

Vincent could only really hope that his employers never found out about his intentions towards Alessia as they weren’t all that honorable. His reason for hiring on with Lord Dahl as a trainer wasn’t the same as his current plans. Even though Father had been an Alati but his gluttonous ways still caused his death. He’d choked on a piece of beef and keeled over in his stew. Father had been a very productive Alati and, at the time of his death, he’d given Vincent 18 brothers and 13 sisters.

The last two years had reduced that number to 11 brothers and 8 sisters. Father had left Charred Forest Abby, the family seat in Scotland, to which ever of his offspring could survive the others. He’d left the estate, leaving his siblings to kill each other off, and planned to return when the weaker ones had been killed off. Alessia had become a pivotal part of his plan. With the weight of the Dahl family behind him, he would be a force to be reckoned with.

He just had to tie Alessia to him. Showing up with her as his wife with either a brat on her hip or one growing in her belly would be preferable. He’d prefer both one of her hip and one in the belly but he’d take either situation. His claim on the estate would be stronger if he already had a heir.

Besides, the only siblings he had to worry about were the twins Tore and Taide. Tore was a weapons master like him and Taide was a genius with potions and poisons. He doubted they’d kill each other so he’d wait until one of the unstoppable pair was killed off before making his move. Now, he just had to get Alessia.

***
Vincent walked his fingers down Alessia’s bare shoulder. In his private thoughts, he was thankful that she was attractive; it made the idea of getting a child on her less stressful. “Alessia, why don’t we make our relationship known to your parents? I really don’t like the idea of continuing to sneak around them. One of these days, one of them will find out and then my life would be forfeit.”

[Demeter]

Taide regarded the sporty black car speeding down the Abbey’s drive with a scowl. “Do we have to be nice?” she asked her brother.

“Coolly polite, I think. If we were nice to him, he’d never let his guard down. My goal is to kill him, you know, not keep him around.”

“What about her?” Taide spoke, watching as one of the gardeners hurried over to the help a very pregnant woman from the car.

“We watch and we wait. She may have married him but she is our cousin, sort of.”

“Will Caine be returning during Vincent’s visit?”

“Yes, once the children are settled and his business in Wales is complete, he’ll be back.” Tore had sent his two youngest siblings and Vincent’s bastard daughter to Caine’s estate for the duration of his brother’s visit. While he may not know what his brother would do with his child, Tore knew that Tory and Baylor weren’t safe with him around.

“Do you think he’ll try for the blade?”

Tore snorted. “Of course he will. It’s shiny, you know, and he can’t resist claiming shiny things. He’s like a crow that way.”

“I want to be around when he does it.”
***
It was a near things but Vincent managed to keep his eyes from rolling as a gardener heaved his wife from the sports car he’d rented. He wouldn’t have bothered to bring her, or his sticky fingered daughters, along if it he weren’t dealing with this particular set of siblings. They may have done him a favor, knocking off the rest of the Craine siblings, but the twins were soft around children. He doubted they’d attack a pregnant woman. His wife would make for an excellent shield if they weren’t for him and he’d finally be rid of her.

He’d managed to wed her three years ago. She’d been so very young and so very desperate to be away from the control of her parents that convincing Alessia to elope had been laughably easy. Oh, the in-laws had been pissed but he’d played the part of a lovesick young man well enough that they’d forgiven him.

He’d been quick enough to get his new wife pregnant; it was the only way to keep the girl’s feet on the ground. While his new mother-in-law agreed with him about not pursuing a career as a dragon-rider while pregnant, he firmly believed that a woman’s place was in the house and not in the air. Not long after his first legitimate daughter was born, he moved them away from the Dahl family home. They needed to try and make it on their own, he’d explained to the in-laws. He’d told them a sob story about how his older half-brother had stolen his birth right and, while he appreciated all the help, he had to try and support his family on his own. Alessia was pregnant for a second time not long after the move. They also hadn’t seen the in-laws since the move; which he was just fine with.

Now that the twins and the infants were the only siblings left, he’d returned to Scotland. He’d finally claim the Abbey and the title of Lord Craine. And, if they didn’t perish protecting him, he’d also be arranging a tragic accident for Alessia and the brats.

Climbing from the car, Vincent watched as the twins pushed open the heavy double doors at the front of the Abbey and strolled down the front veranda.

*****
As they grew closer, Tore finally got a good look at his cousin turned sister-in-law and he raised an eyebrow. She was far too skinny for woman with a nearly finished pregnancy and ashen in color. “How pleasant to see you again, Vincent. Shame it isn’t for your funeral.”

“At least you’ve kept the Abbey in shape. Thank you for that. I assume you’ve prepared father’s rooms for me? Alessia will take whatever room is closest to the nursery.”

“You’re not Lord Craine yet, little brother. Your childhood bedroom has been dusted out for you. We have ample staff to care for your children but if you wife doesn’t care to remain awake from your snores, another can be readied for her; just let the staff know. I believe you remember the way. Dinner will be served in the family dining room at six.”
***

Dinner would be a naturally tense affair. Not wanting Vincent to feel superior, Tore had the staff remove the chairs from the head and foot of the table. To ensure that Vincent didn’t order the chairs returned, Tore arrived early. He leaned against the paneled wall of the room and, whole pouring wine into a decanter, stared at the head of the table. It was at that sport that their father had perished.

The poisons Taide used that night had burned through the table linens, leaving the wood scorched black and pitted. The rug below was still splattered with the rust-red stains of blood from when he’d stabbed his father’s heart. They’d earned the monikers Tore Kinkiller and Taide the Black that night. The look on his father’s face, as he squirmed on the blade of Tore’s Great-Grandfather’s dirk, when he’d seen the mark of the Monroe clan tattooed onto Tore’s wrist was well worth being guilty of patricide.

Once he was the official lord of the abbey, the table would be kindling for the bonfire that would consume his father’s belongings. First, he just had to the world of his little brother. Naturally, if they had known how their father had set up the inheritance, they would have gotten rid of more of the siblings first and this confrontation would have happened sooner.

Tore smirked when Vincent stalked into the dining room and scowled at the table settings. “Neither of us is Lord Craine yet, Little Brother.”

Vincent shook his shoulders and straightened up. “A situation that will soon be rectified. I’m please to see how well you’ve maintained the abbey. I hope you haven’t spent all of father’s money too extravagantly; I have plans.”

“If you’d stuck around, you’d know that Father’s money was frozen except for needed household repairs. Still, replacing three-quarters of the roof was a costly repair but it was either replace the roof or have birds nesting in the attic.”

Vincent sighed; the upkeep on the abbey would be a drain on the pocketbook. “Still, how kind of you to care for something you’ll never own. For the sake of the gods, would you hurry up, Alessia!”

Tore shifted his weight and looked past Vincent to see the man’s wife slowly making her way into the dining room. With one hand pressed to the small of her back and the other resting on the bulge of her belly, she took slow, measured steps. Now that she was even closer to him than their first meeting in the driveway, Tore realized that she wasn’t just fashionably thin but barely above the skin and bones mark. He stepped around his half-brother and offered the woman his arm. She took it, sagging against him for a moment before taking another step. “This way, Lady Alessia, a special chair has been set out for you. Our step-mother, the Lady Ladonna, claims that these cold chairs are hell for pregnant women has threatened to castrate me if I ever let an expectant mother sit on one.”

“Ladonna is still around?”

It was Taide who responded to their brother. “Yes but she won’t be dining with us tonight. She’s taken Baylor, Tory and her daughter to an undisclosed location because, you know, we don’t exactly trust you to not kill children.”
***

Tore watched, amused at his brother’s antics, as the man inspected his plate, glasses and flatware. He covered a chuckle when he noticed his brother only serving himself portions of the dishes that were to his wife first. He couldn’t blame the guy for being cautious. After all, the perpetrator of Father’s poisonings was sitting next to Vincent.

Tore remembered his sister’s snarky comment to their siblings about having to waste a perfectly good pot of stew on killing Armand Craine and that if anyone wanted to live they’d better get ahold of an emetic. Of course, they’d all just blinked at her; none of them were feeling any ill effects of poison. After a two minute pause, Taide had mentioned something about the poisoned stew being an extra guarantee seeing as how she had coated Father’s place setting with a different substance. The scramble of his siblings from the table had also been amusing.

“Taide favors all these dishes, Vincent, you’re safe from poisonings tonight,” Tore said while serving himself some potatoes. “Besides, poisoning you on the first night wouldn’t be very sporting and we’d like to keep you guessing.”

Tore glanced at his sister-in-law to she’d taken offense to his not so subtle threat to her husband but Alessia seemed more interested in ripping a chunk of the table off with the way she’d clenched her fingers around the wood. While his siblings traded barbs, he watched her. Her grip loosened after a few seconds but tightened every ten minutes or so.

“Brother, it seems your wife has gone into labor. Would you prefer to escort her to her room or shall I?”
Vincent broke off from his conversation with Taide to cast a glance at his wife. “Damnit, Alessia, now is hardly the time for that.”

Tore ignored Taide’s shriek of outrage (if she hadn’t been so mesmerized by poison as a child, his sister probably would have been a healer) and muttered. “Guess I’ll be doing the escorting. Lady Alessia, if you can?”

Tore sent a maid ahead with orders to first open the doors to the Green Room and then to call the midwife in the village. He stayed with Alessia until Taide arrived with the midwife in tow and kicked him from the room. She didn’t mention on how his own chambers had become the birthing suite; she simply stopped him and pointed at the sheathed blade hanging from the bedpost. “Take it with you before it electrocutes someone.”

He sheepishly took a step back and collected the sword before wandering down to the kitchen to find more food. Taide had said how their dearest brother had stuffed his gob and then hurried off to the village pub. Tore considered his options and made a few calls. After the last call, he sat on the kitchen counters and counted the minutes. Lady Zhara had estimated that she and Alessia’s birth father would be there around midnight.

[Maira]

Rune couldn't help but gawk at the news that Zhara was dumping on him. Only when she finished speaking did he realize that he still had his soup spoon halfway to his mouth, though all the soup had managed to spill back into the bowl. "Why the hell is Alessia in Scotland? And when did she get pregnant with another baby? Why didn't she tell us?" he finally demanded as he hurried to scoot his chair back from the table. He had already turned from Zhara when the darkness rolled through her eyes. If he had seen it, he might have exploded before they got to the Abbey and Tore had mentioned wanting the fireworks to happen within striking distance of Vincent. Zhara was inclined to agree.

*****

After eloping with Vincent, Alessia was scolded soundly by all three of her parents. The scoldings were based mostly out of worry that Alessia was taking things too quickly with the weapon master, though, so she didn't really take them too hard. Only Carma, her ever practical second father, had anything productive to say to her when she got home from her wedding jaunt. He helped her fill out an inheritance agreement between her and Vincent. Since the Crane family didn't traditionally consider girls as being qualified to inherit, being more placeholders for their future husbands, Carma had suggested that Alessia require any girls she might bear be declared Delormes.

As Carma had expected, yet much to Alessia's surprise, Vincent agreed to the terms with barely a glance at the legal document. It was well known that Carmine Valerio was one of the best damn lawyers of the Alati world, and even Vincent's pride didn't stand up to the knowledge that the agreement would have no loopholes for him to wiggle through.

The sneer on Vincent's face when he essentially signed away any claim he'd have to his future daughters shocked Alessia even more than his willingness to do so. What did that look mean?

She didn't really have time to think about that, because only weeks later Alessia was declared pregnant while visiting her grandparents Darius and Genesis. Her grandmother was a healer, but more importantly a midwife, and she had sensed the new life straight away upon seeing Alessia.

When she shared the news with her parents, her mother Zhara grounded Alessia from flight duties immediately. Alessia fought and yelled and cried, but with her doting husband standing in agreement with her mother, she finally aquiesced to their demand she stay grounded until after the baby's birth.

When the time came to find out the gender of the baby, Alessia insisted that it be a surprise. Vincent insisted otherwise. Seeing how upset he got, Alessia eventually agreed and she was trilled to find out that her firstborn was going to be a girl! Vincent let on that he too was excited, at least around other people, but on numerous occaisions before their daughter's birth, she heard him muttering to himself about "that damned girl-child". Blaming on new father anxiety, Alessia pushed those moments from her mind and focussed on her quickly swelling belly.

When their daughter was finally born, Vincent had to be away attending to family business. Alessia gave birth surrounded by her mother, grandmother, and a few of her younger sisters. She had never felt so powerful, or so complete, as she did on that day. Her body delivered the baby girl with a few bumps along the way, but with Genesis on hand they were handled quickly and things smoothly got back on track.

A few hours after her daughter's birth, her youngest sister asked what she planned to name the baby girl and Alessia couldn't help but smirk. As if on cue, both of her father's chose that moment to peek through the open door to check on her and the baby. Alessia answered her little sister, "I'm naming her Valerie, after Papa's family. He raised me as much as Father did and he helped make sure that she would always have a safe place in our family." Her little sister crowed with delight, and clapped her hands softly. Alessia turned to look directly at Carma then, catching the tears in the fierce warrior's eyes and the smile on his lips. Rune slung an arm around Carma and kissed him on the temple before summoning their youngest from her big sister's bed and shoving Carma in the room with Alessia and little Valerie.

After Valerie's birth, Alessia barely had time to recover from delivery before Vincent returned and immediately came back to her bed. He also came to her with the notion that they needed to move out from her family's home and into their own space. At first Alessia objected, happy to be surrounded by her family, but when he reminded her how controlling her parents could be, she eventually agreed.

To Alessia's surprise, part of the "family business" that Vincent had been dealing with was securing them a home. Alessia was trilled to discover this, but less so when she discovered that for whatever reason, the region the home was in was almost totally impervious to gateways. Travelling home to her family would not be as easy as she had hoped. Cell service was also non-existant and Vincent explained that he had tried to get internet and phone set up at the house, but it was too rural and nobody would service the area. The two of them had always talked about running away to their own little corner of the world where nobody could find them and Alessia couldn't help but feel loved that Vincent had managed to find just such a place.

Within weeks of moving into their new home, Alessia felt the familiar sensations of a new pregnancy and she excitedly told Vincent. He promised to notify her family when he went to work the next week. When no congratulations came, Vincent told her that her family must just be incredibly busy. Any time she asked if he had heard from them, he gave her a similar answer. After the entire pregnancy with no contact, Alessia didn't bother to alert them that she had given birth to another girl.

This delivery was harder than her first, which she blamed on Genesis's absence. She lost a lot of blood and it was nearly 2 days before she was strong enough to hold her daughter. As she was a girl, and not destined for his family, Vincent let Alessia name this child as well. Even though she hadn't spoken to her family in almost a year, Alessia still loved them and knew that her brother would be honored by her name choice for her second child. The new baby girl was named Kaydence after Alessia's twin brother.

Despite her love for them, Alessia felt bitter toward her family after Kaydence's birth. Because of this she didn't even bother to ask Vincent to tell them when she yet again fell pregnant. Working out the dates in her head, Alessia realized early in her third pregnancy that by the time the third was born, she would have given birth to three babies in less than three years.

*****

When, Alessia was 4 days bas her due date with their third child, Vincent came raging into their home and declared that it was time to pack and go see his two remaining siblings. Alessia looked at him in shock for only a moment before calling to the irish-twin girls, "Ree, Kaydee, lets give Dada some space and go pack your bags"

Valerie and Kaydence were only 11 months apart, and Kaydence had only hit 9 months a few short days ago. Alessia looked like a pregnant skeleton (if she was honest with herself) but she bent to pick up the baby and grab the toddler's hand to take them out of Vincent's presence and go pack.

Alessia had grown up as a member of high nobility. She had been used to a certain standard of living when she had married Vincent. That standard was upheld until after they found out that baby number two was a girl. Every time that Alessia walked into the girls' nursery she was reminded just how much things had changed.

Vincent had stopped buying her new clothes, despite her growing belly, and had not bought the girls anything new since they found out baby number three was also a girl five months prior. Alessia honestly had no idea what to pack for Valerie as she literally had no clothes that fit properly except the couple of dresses that Alessia had cobbled together from some of her own pre-pregnancy clothes. She had no idea what she would wear once number three was born, because the few things she'd had left had been cut apart and handstitched into things for the girls.

Not for the first time, Alessia was glad to be too dehydrated to actually shed any tears. The girls went about playing on the nursery floor while Alessia sobbed tearlessly and packed the nicest things she could find for them. When it was her turn to pack, Alessia threw in the two pregnancy dresses that she wasn't currently wearing, the extent of her wardrobe that fit her, and a few undergarments.

Only when baby number three stretched, solidly kicking her bladder, did Alessia even think to remember that she should probably pack things for the baby, just in case she came while they were away. Only, when she looked to where she had tucked away the newborn clothes, she found the boxes and drawers empty. Her family had showered Valerie with so many clothes upon her birth that she grew too quickly to wear them all. When Kaydence was born, she too wore those clothes and still left some unworn. Now, all those clothes were gone!

Confused, she put the girls in their cribs and then went to find Vincent to as if he had ordered the clothes cleaned. His answer to her question about the clothes was clipped and harsh. "Three girls. You chose to not have them be a part of my family line, so I refuse to support them any longer. I sold those clothes to reserve our car for the trip."

Alessia was left standing, mouth gaping. "You did what?!" she finally demanded after a moment of silence.

"I sold them. You've gotten good at making dresses for the other two, so you can clothe this one yourself as well. She's your responsibility after all." Vincent sneered at the shock on her face.

Unable to hold in her sudden flash of rage, Alessia screamed at Vincent and charged at him wishing to all the Gods for one of her old daggers back. She wailed on his chest, even tried decking him in the nose, but before her fist connect with his face, Vincent shoved her away from him. Hard. She hit the wall behind her so hard that she heard her head smack into the wood panelling. As she collapsed to the ground, she couldn't help but wonder if the cracking noise had been her head or the wood...

*****

When she woke up, Vincent had just slammed on the breaks of an unfamiliar car. She groaned quietly, her head spinning and throbbing at the sudden stop, Kaydence whimpered behind her, and Alessia tried to turn and comfort her, but her neck was too stiff. Seeing that she was in the same dress, and so were the girls, Alessia couldn't help but wonder how long she had been unconscious.

After being hefted out of the tiny sports car by a man who smelled pleasantly of the earth and growing things, the rest of the day became a blur. Alessia's head continued to throb, and her vision kept blurring. She also kept dozing off. As a warrior herself, Alessia was well aquainted with the signs of a concussion and she did her best not to give any indication that she was suffering. That would either excite Vincent, or infuriate him. Either way, she didn't feel like him laying hands on her in any manner.

When Vincent finally came to gather her for dinner with his siblings, Alessia had a strong feeling that either her dehydration had thrown her into labor, or her concussion and sudden impact with the wall had... She did her best to hide it from Vincent, making sure to walk behind him so he couldn't see her cringe when a contraction hit her.

Dinner was horribly uncomfortable even with the special seat that Tore escorted her to. She was grateful for his assistance, but equally glad that she was seated and that Tore's back was turned when another contraction wracked her body with pain.

She didn't hear any of the conversation between the three siblings, she just focussed on taking sips of water and trying to hide her contractions from the others. She knew that Vincent would be furious if he had to leave his meal to attend to her birth. Not that he had been present for the other girls' births, but as they were nowhere near her normal midwife, somebody was going to have to catch the baby and that's what fathers were supposed to do. Right?

At some point, through the meal, Tore out of the blue informed Vincent that she was in labor. Alessia cringed before her husband even yelled, but yell he did.

When Tore helped her out of the chair and escorted her out of the dining hall, Alessia couldn't help but stare at him in shock. How could he be so different from his brother? Another contraction wracked her body and she nearly fell, but Tore caught her and hurried her down the hallway a little faster until they came to a room. The last thing Alessia remembered before the concussion had her slipping into unconsciousness again, was Tore settling her into the bed and Taide shooing him out of the room.

*****

The Abbey had a gateway in the kitchen garden and Rune burst through it in a headlong rush. He had heard Zhara telling Genesis what was going on, had heard the details that she'd kept from him before, and was on a warpath. That arrogant bastard was going to pay dearly for what had happened to his daughter. Nobody messed with a Delorme lord and got away with it. Messing with a Delorme lord's children... Rune wished that he had known all the details prior to leaving their home, he would have grabbed Carma's sword.

[Demeter]

At fifteen minutes to ten, Tore sat on the kitchen counter, digging a spoon into the carton of Rocky Road Ice Cream he'd hidden from his sister. What a night to be born, he thought and could only assume the drastic change in weather was due to the approach of Alessia's mother. At least, he assumed the Lady Dahl was capable of creating a raging thunderstorm when angered. She had every right be angry too. He hadn't exactly hidden the truth from her when he'd called.

Taide had popped down every once in a while to give him updates. Alessia was in and out of consciousness and things were not going well. The Midwife had summoned a healer from the neighboring village. At one point, before he'd broken into the ice cream, Taide had told him that if she ever gave serious thought to child birth to slap her silly before flouncing away.

Tore was very thankful he was a man and, as always, made mental note to send flowers to his mother.

At ten minutes to ten, the kitchen door bounced open and a figure swirled in while cursing the weather. Tore grinned as he recognized Caine's voice. "Back already?"

Caine shook out his coat before taking it off and tossing it over a chair. "Didn't want to miss the show. What's up?"

Tore beckoned Caine closer. "My sister-in-law is in labor and its not going well. My half-brother has heid himself off to the pub as he doesn't care to witness the birth of his fourth daughter, as that seems to be the only gender he's capable of breeding up. The Lord and Lady Dahl are on their way here and I do hope they kill him for me," he said while wrapping his legs around Caine's hips.

He'd been just about to kiss his lover when the door bounced open and an enraged Alati Lord stormed in. Both men blinked at him.

***

Genesis plunged into the building right after her step-son and managed to grab him by the ear. She twisted, broke though the black cloud of irrational anger and brought the grown man to his knees. "Think for a moment before you go raging about. If he's here and you wound him, mortally or not, I, as a healer, have sworn an oath to a God to do no harm and to heal all those who need it, regardless of my personal feelings. Sit down, shut up and wait to kill him until I've vacated the premises."

She had to repeat the procedure when Zhara came speeding in. Once she was sure neither parent was going to race off, Genesis turned to the two at the counter. She stumbled a bit; the one sitting on the counter could have passed as Carmine if his hair was a few shades darker. She shook the idea off as now was hardly the time to go down that road. "One of you two must know where Alessia is. Take me to her. The other one can keep these two put."

Tore slipped off the counter. "Lady Genesis, I'm Tore Vespa. If you'll come this way, I can take you to Alessia."

Once the two were gone, Caine was left with two very angry members of the Alati Nobility. "Uh, I'm, uh, Caine Ainsley. Um, don't touch the sword over on that counter. The barrier over it is very strong. Its given several people second and third degree burns."

***
At forty three minutes past midnight, Genesis slumped into a chair. It had been a close thing; Alessia's body had no reserved to withstand a Healing but both mother and child were alive. Now they just had to stay that way. "Taide," she summoned the young woman closer, "go and fetch Zhara. Not Rune; not yet at least."

[Maira]

Getting taken to the ground by Genesis was equal parts necessary and humiliating. Rune knew that what she said was true, but he was hardpressed to do as his step mother insisted. When the healer hijacked one of the men, apparently lovers if their embrace was any indication, Rune tried his hardest not to glare at the one left behind to keep him and Zhara under control. The poor man looked absolutely terrified and he couldn't help but wonder if his eyes were glowing. They rarely did so he wasn't really sure how it felt. Trying not to snarl at her through their Triad bond, Rune asked his wife about his eyes. She nodded a silent "yes" at him.

A soft frustrated growl escaped him then, and he apologized to the still gawking man, "Sorry. When people try to kill my family my eyes tend to do this. Blame it on my father, his do it too."

*****

Hours passed after their arrival before Zhara was summoned to their daughter's side. When he was left alone in the parlor, Rune just stared after Zhara. Without her to keep him grounded, Rune started pacing. He'd practically worn a trail in the rug of the cozy room when he noticed headlights shining in the front window.

Having been told by Tore that Vincent had left the Abbey to go to the local Pub, and also being told that everybody else was home for the night, Rune was able to surmise just who it was driving so recklessly up the drive. His only decision now was if he should pounce as soon as the car was parked, or wait until the abusive bastard staggered into the house.

Not sure he wanted Genesis to know what he was about to do, Rune clamped down on the bond with Zhara. If she'd been taken to see Alessia, he was certain his step mother would be present and he at least wanted to rough the bastard up a bit before she stepped in.

When the car got closer to the Abbey, Rune could see just how recklessly Vincent was driving and Rune was almost certain the younger man was drunk. When the car approached the ancient building too quickly, screeched, and slammed into the solid stone pedastal at the bottom of the front steps, Rune grinned wickedly and his wings ripped free of his body and destroyed his shirt.

As he exitted the Abbey, Zhara's storm hit him full force and nearly forced him back inside as the wind caught his wings. Quickly he tucked them about his shoulders like a cape, and he stalked into the miserable night.

*****

When he had found Vincent, the man had been unconcious and bleeding from a laceration on his head where it had connected with the steering wheel. He didn't bother to take any care with his daughter's husband as he wrenched open the ruined car's door and dragged him out of it and up the front steps.

He nearly killed him right there beside the car, but suddenly a voice was yelling at him not to be an idiot.

Carma.

While Rune had clamped down on his connection with Zhara, he hadn't bothered with the one to Carma because the other man wasn't present. *Its my right!* Rune snarled back and shut out Carma too. But the voice of reason had already wormed into his mind and awakened his conscience.

Instead of slaughtering the bastard where he lay in a heap next to the car, Rune grabbed his foot and dragged him up the stone steps and inside. He hadn't bothered to shut the door behind himself, so as he reached the top, Rune could see Tore and Taide waiting.

As he approached them, dragging their brother up stone steps by his foot and letting his head hit every single step, Rune started to come out of his fury. When he entered, he asked the twins, "Where would you like him? He crashed his car and I... uh... extracted him. I'm pretty sure he's drunk and has a concussion from the steering wheel."

About that time, Zhara and Genesis both stormed into the entryway. The look on his step-mother's face nearly sent Rune back out into his wife's storm to hide. Somehow, he managed to explain, "He's drunk, he crashed and hit his head. If he's injured, aside from a lump on the back of his head from the stairs, I didn't do it."

Genesis continued to glare at him and it took everything he had not to flinch. He wasn't exactly sure how, but somehow he managed to hold his ground. When he looked at Zhara, however, he realized that the storm outside had nothing on his wife.

[Demeter]

Tore observed his unconscious brother. As he had no warm feelings or desire to see Vincent comfortable, he really didn't care where the man was stashed. He poked his head out the door and observed the pillar Vincent had crashed his rental into. It was part of the original house. "I'd say dump him in the kennels but I wouldn't want Caine's dogs to suffer. Just...put him a little off to the side? I'd rather he not bleed or puke on the Aubusson."

Everyone looked on as Genesis gave the unconscious man a poke. "Eh, he'll live. I have no issues with leaving him in the hall nor does my deity. I shall stay until I'm sure Alessia and the child will survive without my presence. Then, and only then, will you tell Darius and Carmine the extent of what's happened. You may also kill Vincent at that point."

Genesis surveyed the people in the hall. The young man from before, Caine, stood with the Vespa twins; all three of them cooly watching Vincent while discussing the best way to deal with the wreck out front. Rune and Zhara, however, were both simmering with anger. And as angry as they were, she was thankful it was Rune who'd been brought and not Carma. The older Alati may have possessed a cooler head but that's what made him dangerous. Not to mention how he got when angered at the mistreatment of his family.

She clearly recalled what the man had done to his brother-in-law's tormenter. She didn't want to know what he'd do to the man who'd nearly killed his daughter. And, blood or not, Alessia was his.

She'd rather deal with an enraged Rune then a calmly dangerous Carmine.

Clearing her throat, Genesis asked if Tore and Taide might escort Zhara to her grandchildren while Caine dealt with the wreck out front. She'd take Rune to see Alessia.

She stopped Rune outside of the door to Alessia's room to warn him that his daughter's looks were far from what he would have remembered. "And we don't know her mental state. I'm thinking of asking Ransom to come and see if she'll speak with him. What I need you to do is remain calm and quiet and to let me do what I need to do, okay?"

Once she had Rune's promise to behave, Genesis opened the door and let Rune in.

[Maira]

The girls had been tucked safely away in the nursery all during dinner and were put to bed around the time that Tore took their mother away from their father to labor in peace. When the door to the nursery opened to admit Zhara, the maid turned nanny practically wilted with relief. "They sleep like little angels, ma'am, but I'm not at all accustomed to children. Please say you're here to watch over them the rest of the night?"

Unable to help herself, Zhara smiled at the poor woman and nodded. If there was one thing she could handle right now, it was making sure her granddaughters came to no harm. Now that Vincent was home, if he woke up she was fully prepared to do whatever it took to keep the girls safe.

Unaware that they were, practically for the first time in their short lives, in safe hands the girls continued to slumber on.

*****

The words that Genesis had spoken, had not at all prepared Rune for his oldest daughter's physical appearance. Between her extreme pallor and the lack of any significant muscle or fat, Alessia looked like little more than a breathing skeleton with hair.

He went from about ready to murder her husband to crumbling next to her bedside, hands holding one of hers, in an instant. Being forbidden to share with Carma killed him. He needed his mate's support now more than ever. Zhara had already seen their daughter. She knew. She hadn't prepared him for this. Her storm outside and in her eyes hadn't prepared him for this. Rune had so many questions for Genesis, but he did as she'd instructed and remained quiet. He placed his fingers on Alessia's pulse and focussed on her breathing, ready to shout for Genesis if anything changed.

*****

Zhara had been woken from where she dozed next to the crib the girl's shared by two distinct shouts in her mind. The first declaring that Alessia was awake, and the second demanding to know what in all the hells was going on.

Yawning, and peeking into the crib, Zhara answered Rune's shout first. *Valerie and Kaydence are still sleeping, I'm not leaving them. Tell her I love her and that her girls are safe.* To Carma she added, *Alessia is alive. Breathe. Her two older girls are fine. The new baby is in the care of Genesis, as is Alessia. All will be fine.*

*****

She woke up somewhere unfamiliar, but the faces surrounding her were family. She was safe, at least, no matter what else had happened. "My girls?" she asked, voice hoarse.

Rune barely had a chance to tell her they were all three alive before she once again succumbed to exhaustion and her frailty.

[Demeter]

Carma knew that something was up with his spouses hurrying off to Scotland. He had the vaguest idea that it had something to do with Alessia except no one was saying a god damned thing. He tried to put it aside as he had his own drama to contend with; Kayden had followed in his twin's footsteps and eloped. Except he'd gone a step farther and had a committed triad ceremony done.

Thing was, no one had any issues with his relationships with Alex and Joseph. So what was the need for haste and secrecy? He kept quiet about it, not wanting to distract Rune and Zhara from Alessia. And he thanked the Gods that Aeven had already done her growing up before he'd known about her, that Luc was as steady as a boulder, and that the younger four weren't aware that they could create this sort of trouble for their parents yet.

***

Tore had a portion of his arsenal, including the Wolf's Head Blade, spread out on the dining room table. Maintaining his arsenal was one way for Tore to keep some control and calmness in his life. His sister practiced yoga when things went haywire; he sharpened blades. And things had been very tense around the Abbey for the last few days. With Lady Genesis around, they couldn't kill Vincent. Of course, by that same logic, Vincent couldn't kill them either.

So the siblings had spent the last three days warily circling each other. Lord Rune and Lady Zhara were also prowling around, waiting for their chance at Vincent. Luckily, as rumor had it, Lady Genesis was due to leave tomorrow as she claimed both Alessia and the baby were out of immediate danger.

He'd have his chance soon and be rid of his irritating flea of a brother for eternity.

He was sitting there, polishing the blade of his grandfather's dirk, when the flea waltzed into the dining room. Tore grinned; he'd been waiting for Vincent to be in the same room as The Wolf's Head Blade and now, as expected, his younger brother pounced on the blade.

The Wolf's Head Blade was a curious thing. Obviously old and lacking in ornamentation, save for the snarling wolf's jaw and head on the top of the blade, with matching lower jaw beneath, the sword was a working tool. One that they believed to be the sword of a deity. They didn't know as the sword was silent about the matter but the barriers around the blade were powerful. They barely tolerated the holds of Caine and himself - their hands buzzed after holding the blade for too long a time. Everyone else, if they didn't let go fast enough, suffered deep burns.

Tore didn't mention this to Vincent and merely watched as his brother first snatched up the blade and then howled in pain as the sword rejected him. Apparently Vincent's natural instinct was to clamp his hand down instead of dropping the thing that hurt him. He waited until the faintest stench of cooked meat filled the air. He got up, pried the blade from his brother's hand and sighed. "Now I have to clean it again. You should know better then to touch things that aren't yours. You should have that looked at."

Tore grinned as his brother ran from the room, clutching his hand. He sat back down and starting cleaning the sword again.

Later, he carried the blade back to his rooms. A footman trotted after him, the remaining blades carried by him. Alessia may have still been using his suite of rooms but the vaults where he kept his arsenal were in his dressing room and he wasn't in the habit of leaving sharp objects about the Abbey. Under normal circumstances, there were three young children running around the place on a daily basis. He made his excuses to the ladies seated by the window, reassuring Alessia that he wasn't disrupted by her taking over his suite for the last few days.

Caine was quite pleased that he hadn't had to deal with Tore's too small bed. They may have been equal in hight but Caine was so very muscly and large. Grinning, Tore supervised as the footman placed the non-spelled weapons in their places. As he watched, Tore also listened as the ladies argued.

Alessia must be feeling better, he mused as she was arguing that she should be the one caring for her new child as that's what mothers did. Lady Genesis shot back that Alessia's body had burned through its reserves and she had nothing to give. She could do everything but nurse the child once she could manage to walk more then twenty yards without becoming exhausted. Nursing, Lady Genesis told her granddaughter, was strictly forbidden because all the nutrients Alessia took in were to be used for her own recovery.

Tore was pretty sure that the younger lady growled at her healer. He hoped that Alessia would back down otherwise he feared Lady Genesis would stick around.

He poked his head out of the dressing room when he heard Taide stomping into the suite, followed by Caine. He frowned at the toolbelt his lover wore. "What's broken now?"

"Your window is stuck, Brother, and we want fresh air."

"You could have just asked, you know, if there was a trick to the windows in here," he said while crossing to the suite's bank of windows. He'd rested the Wolf's Head Blade on the little bench in front of the bed's footboard. "Excuse me, Lady Alessia," he said while leaning over her to get at the windows. He pried out the wooden dowels he'd wedged into the old tracks. Once he had the rods pulled from all the working windows, he turned and shrugged before pushing the windows open. "The frames rattle in the wind."

***
Cursing that healer bitch, Vincent clumsily wrapped his hand in a bandage. The woman had glanced at the burn, said he'd live and tossed some ointment at him. If she wasn't the wife of DeLorme, she'd be dead. Securing the bandage with a knot, Vincent cursed healers in general. If not for them, he'd be short one wife right now.

If she'd died in childbirth, there would be far less questions.

Flexing his hand, Vincent considered his options on disposing of his wife. Riding accident, boating accident, living shield, a quick tumble down the stairs, or a hard shove from one of the towers. Except the sheild, each could be listed as an accident.

In the past, he'd considered off the brats as well but Lana, the woman who'd replace Alessia as the future Lady Crane, told him to keep them around but fob them off on au pairs. Sympathy, she said and for the ties to the Dahl and Delorme estates.

Vincent smirked as he thought of Lana. He's tried to convince her to come to the village but she was currently floating around the Mediterranean Sea with the latest rich idiot she was fleecing. Now Lana was the type of woman he could see as Lady Crane. Lushly beautiful with a bombshell body. She cared for money snd only saw children for what they could get her.

True, she'd pumped out a smattering of brats but they'd been the bastards of prominent figures. Men who'd pay through the nose to keep the knowledge of bastards quiet.

Vincent pulled out his phone and dialed her number. While he waited for her to answer, Vincent stepped outside and admired the view. He didn't see the beauty of the land but rather that the space before him would be his property.

"Hello, Darling, I have dome tragic news. It seems assured that Alessia will survive. Do you want to kill her or shall I arrange it for you?"

***

Up in Tore's room, while Taide seethed at the windows, Genesis rubbed her granddaughter's arms. Zhara paced around, working up to a nice flare of her Italian temper while muttering about summoning Carma so she could use Talos on the dickless bastard.

Alessia remained quiet, hands clenching the blanket across her lap, as they all listened to Vincent plot murder with his mistress. "You know, I think I'll leave this evening. I've been missing Darius and probably have dozens of things to do at the clinics," she said. She gave Alessia a squeeze. "You'll recover just fine if you do all I've said."

She stood and looked at the women in the room. "Kill him. Kill him before I come back and do it myself."

[Maira]

She was still rather hazy on just how long it had been since her youngest daughter had been born. All she really knew, in regards to that was that she had been ordered by her grandmother, Lady Genesis, not to nurse the babe. As she had done so with both of the other girls, Alessia couldn't help but bristle against her grandmother's orders. So what if she was a healer and knew what she was talking about? Vincent had already ruined so much of her life, that he had the power to ruin her bonding time with her newborn seemed the ultimate blow.

At least, until the sound of her husband's voice came filtering up through the old duct work into Tore's room where she and the other women in the house were at the moment. The asshole was plotting her own murder with somebody, a woman she assumed, that he called "Darling" repeatedly. If she hadn't been doing everything in her power to keep food down, in hopes of quickening her recovery, she may have actually vomitted.

Before Vincent even finished his phone conversation, Genesis was making her excuses to leave. Alessia could tell that the older woman was as upset as the other women in the room and so, when she turned at the door and told them all to kill him before she came back and did it herself, Alessia couldn't keep a feral grin from her face. After all, her grandmother the healer, who was dedicated to a Healing Deity, had just essentially ordered a man's death. Anybody who ever claimed that Genesis, or healers in general, was soft truly knew nothing.

*****

It hadn't even been six hours since Genesis had left the Abbey. Rune had come to fetch Zhara from Tore's room and taken her back to the nursery where somebody, probably the maid from the night of their arrival, had seen sure to have a bed brought in for whoever would be watching over the children at night.

Taide had stayed for a short while after her mother had left, but eventually she too made her excuses and left for the night. For the first time in days, Alessia was alone. Not even her newborn daughter was in the room with her, because she was in the nursery with her older sisters and grandparents, a wetnurse called for her feedings.

It was late. Alessia was restless. She could hear her husband talking to his "Darling" through the vents again and she wanted so badly to scream at him. She had known for quite some time that her marriage wasn't healthy, but he had also kept her too isolated to have support in leaving him. Now she had that support. And her daughters were all safely tucked away in a room with two of her three parents. The only way they could be safer were if her second father, Carma, were present as well.

With that thought, Alessia smirked. It was probably best that Carma -wasn't- here however, because one of the three of her parents likely would have used that Carma's god-given sword on her husband. And if they did it before she got the chance, she'd be furious. If he deserved to die by anybody's had it was her own.

She had mostly tuned out Vincent blathering on with his mistress, but when she heard the words, "Yes, Darling, I'll make sure she's taken care of by morning," Alessia snapped out of her own musings.

Had the asshole seriously just vocalized the timeline he was on for killing her? The more she thought about what he'd said, the more sense it made. If she were allowed to get back any amount of her strength, she would stand a good chance at defending herself. But when she was too weak to even hold her newborn daughter, let alone wield a sword or her favorite daggers, she knew that now was really his only chance to off her without a fight.

Fuming, Alessia sprung from Tore's bed (wobbling surprisingly little) and started to pace around the room. She knew that the rush of adrenaline would both give her the strength to be up for a limitted time, but then it would also drain her. If she was going to do anything to save her own life, it had to be now. Without really thinking, Alessia grabbed the sword she had seen Tore lay on the bench at the end of the bed earlier in the day while he fixed the windows in the room.

*****

Armed with nothing but a strange sword and her nightgown, Alessia slunk through the halls of the Abbey. She was nearly to the bottom of the flight of stairs leading from the main floor to the second, when she heard a door open down below. Under normal circumstances, she would have maintained her place on the stairs, giving herself the high ground in a fight. Considering the adrenaline was already starting to leave her system she knew that level ground would be safer.

Scampering down the last few steps, Alessia came around the corner of the banister, sword raised and ready to take the head from her husband. Only, it wasn't Vincent she nearly decapitated. It was Tore.

[Demeter]

With Genesis gone from the Abbey, Tore was on high alert and prowled the hallways. The healer's presence had been the only thing stopping him from slaying Vincent. And the only thing keeping himself alive as well. Now that the Lady was gone, he was as likely to die as his half-brother.

He saw the flash of the blade at the same moment he heard a voice shouting at him to duck. He did so, feeling the breeze created by the swing over his head. Once the blade was past, he surged upwards, grabbing his assailant’s wrist and body checking them back against the stairs. He heard the decidedly feminine yelp and saw the too thin face of Lady Alessia. Cursing, he kept his hold on her, twisting so that his back took the brunt of landing against the stone stairs.

He grunted and would have asked the lady what the hell she was doing wandering halls and swinging swords at people but that voice ordered him to move again. Cursing, he rolled to the far side of the staircase, bringing the lady with him, as another sword clashed against stone. Tore scrambled to his feet and grabbed the sword Alessia had swung at him. Later, he'd be proud to say that he'd only been stunned for a second or two to see the Wolf's Head Blade in his hand.

That two seconds was still enough time for his assailant to strike at him. Instinct had him bringing his sword up. It kept the other blade from striking him but he still stumbled back. With the element of surprise on his opponent's side, Tore was pressed back and stumbling up the steps. His madly grinning brother was behind the rapier's thin blade.

Tore tripped over the loose carpeting of the stairs and went down. Vincent would have struck a fatal blow then but he got his own surprise when a raven winged out of the shadows to flap about his face. Tore used the seconds to gain his feet and gather himself. When the raven flapped away, Tore attacked. Having the higher ground and the heavier blade, he pushed Vincent down the stairs. His brother had to concentrate on his footing and to keep his blade from snapping against the weight of the Wolf's Head.

Once they were on level ground, they started to battle in earnest. It was an odd fight; Vincent's rapier against his early Celtic Spatha. Vincent was quick with his blade and could get it under Tore's guard but the blade did little damage. Tore was in peak condition and his healing factor was quick to plug any holes. Vincent would need to strike him in the heart or head to earn a kill.

Tore's blade was heavier, punching holes where the rapier was better are slicing. The fact that his blade had more weight was also a disadvantage. The two blades were so different from each other in style that how they were used against each other was almost comical. Grunting, Tore tossed his sword aside and used his body as his weapon. He, unlike what he knew of his half-sibling, had trained to use anything available as a means of inflicting harm.

Tore pushed forward, grinning when Vincent’s rapier punctured through his shoulder. His brother’s blade effectively neutralized, Tore used his fists and feet. He took the seconds where Vincent was stunned by the physical contact to yank the thin blade from his shoulder and toss it somewhere. Tossing the rapier complete, he lunged for Vincent. He would beat this man to death with his hands.

The battle was far more primal now and though Tore had the formal training, Vincent had been in enough brawls to make it a challenge. As they raged around the entry hall, Tore ignored the gathering crowd.

He ignored Taide as she foamed at the mouth to join him in battle. If he fell, she’d jump in but for now she was held back by Caine. If both he and Taide were to fall, Caine would take up their purpose. And Caine, with all the subtlety of a bull, was a force to be reckoned with. Lady Alessia’s parents, attracted to the noise of battle, stood in the upper gallery with glowing eyes. None seemed to watch the nightgown clad Lady as she slowly circled towards the discarded blades.

Tore and his half-brother rumbled across the hall, up the staircase, around the upper gallery, down the staircase, back across the hall and down into the entryway. Both equally bloodied and bruises, Vincent managed to gain the upper hand as he swept Tore’s feet out from under him. Tore had the longer reach and was able to keep his siblings hands from closing around his neck. If he could just get a foot under Vincent’s belly, he’d be able to shove the man off.

That moment never happened as Vincent made a choking sound, eyes going wide before he slumped over Tore. The older man blinked, staring up at the grinning Wolf’s Head of Caine’s blade. Just inside his vision was Lady Alessia, finger’s tangled in the length of her nightgown.

“Someone get this bastard off me!”

***

In the cold light of the pre-dawn, Tore sat on the Abbey’s exterior steps, supported by Caine, as Lady Genesis treated his wounds. He’d initially refused treatment, not wanting the healer anywhere near the body of Vincent but she’d marched in, grabbed him by the ear and hauled him out to the front steps. The whole time she muttered about how the dice had already been cast in the case of Vincent and her intervention wouldn’t have made a difference.

Taide had been dispatched to fetch Ladonna and the children back from London. He’d sent an footman onto London to fetch his last stepmother. Tore looked up when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel and watched as a line of black cars inched down the drive.

He sneered at the first three; the plain town cars could only be the lawyers come to confirm Vincent’s demise. He blinked at the fourth car until he noticed the vanity plate of Hades1. Lord Darius and Lord Carma, he assumed. The fifth vehicle, a flashy McLaren with a vanity plate of Chaos, made him growl.

The head of the Valerio clan, Remington Valerio, would be in the car. No doubt with his wives Lilith and Jezebel. Remington was just a step down from a deity as he was the chosen of the Greek-Atlantean Chaos God. He and Lilith thrived on creating havoc and chaos while Jezebel did very little to contain them. So long as no one died the woman didn’t really care what the other two got up to.

He watched, snuggling firmly back into Caine’s hold to stake his claim on the man, as the cars emptied. If he didn’t behave like an over possessive caveman, his grandmothers would be all over the Scotsman. Lord Darius, well aware of Remington and his mates’ reputations, popped from his vehicle to hang all over Lady Genesis.

Lord Carma all but ordered his mates back into the Abbey. They might have protested but the order was seconded by Darius.

“What the hell are you doing here, Remington? This isn’t a matter that involves you?”

****

Remington ignored the antics of his descendants as he first helped the delicious Jezebel and then the delectable Lilith from the car. He waited as Lilith turned to extract her three month old son from the vehicle. He was 95% sure the boy wasn’t his; there was no red hair in his line and they’d all shared that tasty red-headed Irish Scholar on holiday in Rome a year ago. Still, the boy was of Lilith’s body and would be treated as a son unless he did something incredibly stupid. He’d disown his own children for doing incredibly stupid things.

Once his wives were situated on either side of him, the trio approached the stairs. “I’ve come to see what holdings you’ve brought to the family, Tore. Impressive.”

“They are not Valerio holdings.”

“They became Valerio holdings the moment your disgraced grandfather pledged allegiance to the clan in return for shelter. I imagine this pile could be quite comfortable after some renovations but you can remain here, Lord Crane. I prefer more urban locations but this wouldn’t be horrible spot to spend a weekend.”

Tore growled but was aware enough to know that attacking Remington would be pointless. Not only did his wives double as bodyguards but as the Chosen of Chaos, he could bend reality to his will. The only person that Remington would bow his head to was The Oracle and that was because she answered to more Chaos Deities then he.

Remington smirked at the young pup’s restraint. He looked past Tore to the man acting as his chair and pursed his lips. There was more to him then his physical appearance, which that alone was tempting. God-touched and Chosen but still blind, deaf, and dumb to the fact. “And you’ve brought other assets to the clan. The lovely man behind you but I suppose we have your damned brother to thank for bringing the best bit of flesh reality to us.”

Remington separated from his wives as he spoke and climbed the shallow stairs. With an outward flick of his hand, the grand doors opened. With an inward curl of his finger, following a muffled yelp, Alessia came floating out from the Abbey’s doors. Still wearing a nightgown, Alessia now had a blanket over her shoulders as she struggled against invisible bindings. A pair of annoyed parents stalked out behind her.

Jezebel gave a little finger wave at Zhara while Lilith winked at Rune. His wives were all about Carma’s mates and ruthlessly pursued them whenever possible. Focused more on Alessia, now upside down and slowly spinning, Remington took note as Carma positioned himself squarely in front of his mates.

He righted Alessia and floated her closer. He touched a finger to her chin and lifted her head up. “Yes, The Lady Alessia is a fine specimen of a female and will do nicely to finally tie the Valerio clan to the Delorme clan. After all, she’s already proven herself capable of reproducing.”

Movement happened all at once with everyone leaping at him. A twitch of his nose had the congregation on the porch frozen in place, except for the lawyers. He could feel them fighting him; Carma, Darius, and Tore were, unsurprisingly, the strongest. Alessia squirmed against the bands of power holding her. Remington looked over his shoulder. “Jezebel, Lilith? What do you think? Should we take her as another wife?”

Jezebel, the oldest of the two, came forward, draping herself over Remington. “She’s far too skinny. It would be work to fatten her up sufficiently. If she looked as she did before she started squeezing out children, she would be acceptable.”

“Easy enough to do, my dear. Would you like right before children or a little after the first?”

Jezebel kissed Remington’s check and looked back at Lilith. He could feel the thrum of their bond as the two communicated telepathically. “We vote for after the first, she was a tasty morsel then.”

Remington nodded and, with a twitch of his eyebrow, changed Alessia’s body to his wives’ specifications. He grinned as the you woman squeaked and squirmed as her body filled out to the proportions she’d boasted after the birth of her first child. “Oh, yes, that is so much better. Now, my dear, I’m offering you the chance of a lifetime. You could be a wife of Chaos. A treasured companion of ours to be kept in luxury and know no want. The world at your fingertips so long as you vowed yourself to me.”

Remington could feel Alessia’s companions fighting against his will; young Rune was all but foaming at the mouth to whisk his daughter away. He would take what he wanted and he wanted to two clans bound by something more than a fragile Triad Bond. “Come, my dears, I think it was time that we left.”

He turned, walking back towards the cat with Alessia floating behind him. He stopped short after taking in the scene before him. A pack of black she-wolves surrounded his car; there were even some standing on the hood and roof. He watched as one stalked forward. A head and a half taller then the rest, the red-eyed bitch was obviously the alpha. Remington tilted his head, considering the animal before him. “So that is her game? Very well, she may keep Alessia. After all, the woman has daughters.”

A spin of a finger dropped Alessia from the air and she landed with a thump on the ground. A flick had her frozen as she bounced up with a growl. “I’ll let you keep the body; consider it a gift. Use it to feed that daughter of yours as I’ll be seeing her.”

The McLaren was well away when everyone unfroze. The lawyers watched with impassive faces as everyone picked themselves up. “Now then, Mr. Vespa, shall we discuss your remaining siblings and the four daughters of your now late brother?”

[Maira]

The snarl that erupted from Alessia was akin to the dragons she had been raised around. The NERVE of that man! First floating her upside down in nothing but her nightgown, exposing her naked flesh for him and his wives to examine, then dropping her to the ground and insinuating that someday he'd be coming for her youngest daughter?! He would regret his actions and words!

As soon as Remington's car was out of sight when his magic wore off and she collapsed in a heap without its aid. Her body felt strong and healthy, but the fact remained that she'd just given birth and killed her daughters' father. Those things were draining even for healthy women.

Everybody else was on their feet again when the lawyers started talking to Tore. She waited where she was, on the ground, until her mother and Taide both came to help her up. She was then bustled off back to Tore's room where she was supposed to be resting in the first place. The scolding mixed with praise that she received on the way to bed made her flush with both pride and shame. Her actions could have left her daughters motherless, but at least now their heartless father was forever out of the picture.

Once she was settled back into Tore's big soft bed she drifted off to sleep quickly, only waking every two hours to feed her newborn daughter. Every time she woke, a different member of her family was there to greet her with the baby. She knew they all wanted to check on her and humored them their visits. They weren't hurting anything after all, they always left as soon as the baby finished nursing so that she could sleep again.

At one point, she wasn't sure how many feedings after killing Vincent, she woke up to find Tore quietly watching her. She smiled at him and joked, "Sorry to hog your bed."

[Demeter]

In the back of the custom built McLaren, on the rear facing seat, Remington sighed as Jezebel all but melted into him. A skilled actress; she’d had them all convinced that she was in tip top shape. Inside the car, she went grey and wobbly as whatever strength she’d stored up slipped away. “You shouldn’t have come. You should still be in Haven.”

Across from them, Lilith rummaged through the monstrous purse she hauled around.

Jezebel chuckled as she toed off her shoes, bringing her feet up to curl on the seat. “You are far more impressive with us around and they would have gutted you if they’d broken free.”

“You just had an organ removed too soon after a traumatic event,” Remington countered as he caught the bottle of pills Lilith tossed at him. Neither woman question him on his words or tactics; they knew how he felt about forcing people against their will. He’d saved them both from such a fate. They knew he wouldn’t have carried through what he threatened.

“Was it wise to antagonize them so soon?” his golden forest nymph asked. “Tore was close. Closer then any of the parents or grandparents of the woman, to breaking free.”

“That blade of Tore’s, the one with the wolf, belongs to an aspect of the Morrigan and the woman can hold it. I’m not surprised that he would have broken free first. There are rumblings here in the British Isles and the old gods are waking. Chaos can feel the ancient powers of Avalon stirring and the sooner the chosen are assembled, the better. It wasn’t wise to tease them but it was needed. Besides, the seeds have been planted and, in time, will bear fruit to the glory of our clan and to Avalon.”

***

Tore waited as long as he could before bothering the Lady in his room and he only did it because the lawyers were snapping at his heels. Ladonna and his surviving step-mother had reaffirmed that they would not seek the title for their children. Now he just needed to know if Alessia would do the same or if she’d go after the title for her children.

There were also other things to discuss. Things that, more or less, confirmed his ideas on The Wolf’s Head blade. That Alessia could hold the sword, the voice that had commanded him to duck, the raven flying out of the shadows, and the wolves surrounding Grandfather Remington’s car all pointed to a God Tool Triad being formed in the near future.

And wouldn’t that be interesting if Alessia opted to try for the title for her children.

Tore took his turn visiting Alessia, grinning when she apologized for hogging his bed. “No worries. My other bed is bigger with a warm body in it. We have things to discuss but first I believe I owe you a thank you for dispatching my brother from the mortal world. My life is yours.”

He’d barred the lawyers from the room and waited outside till Alessia was presentable before escorting her to the library. The lawyers waited there to question Alessia about her plans. As the mother of Crane children and the one who’d done the killing, she had every right to try for the title.

[Maira]

Her sleep had been restful, but at Tore's words her brain stumbled a bit. She was well familiar with adult relationships, obviously as she had multiple children, but she couldn't figure out why Tore had a second bed. Her brain continued trying to work that out and she almost missed him thanking her for killing his brother.

When those words clicked, Alessia couldn't help but snort. "I should have done it a long time ago, but I guess I kept hoping he'd go back to how he was when he was my combat instructor. No matter, now, because he's gone. As for your life being mine, you kept me and my girls safe. If there is any debt owed it is on my end."

The look Tore was giving her after that statement caused an eyebrow to raise. "Is there something you needed from me?" she asked the older man curiously, then listened as he explained about the lawyers.

She agreed to speak with them and hurried to dress when Tore stepped out. That the outfit she found sitting on a chair across the room was her old dragon-training leathers let her know that her mother was already arranging for her to return to her previous duties. Alessia would never be grounded from flying, fighting, and training again. Nobody would ever think her weak again.

When Alessia stepped from Tore's room, she couldn't help but smirk as he gawked. She knew the leather hugged her now-healthy curves and that the knives strapped to her body left no doubt that she was dangerous. As to which he was having a hard time believing, Alessia didn't care. She gestured for him to lead the way and smirked as the sound of her riding boots on the stone floor reminded her of her years at the dragon compound.I

*****

The disbelief on the lawyers faces when Tore presented her as the Lady Alessia made her laugh outright. It took some convincing, and old pictures from Carma's wallet before they would explain why she was needed.

Alessia listened quietly as the whole inheritance situation was explained to her. As Carma was already present from providing the pictures of her she looked to him before speaking. "My girls are not Crane's, as designated by the prenuptial agreement between myself and Vincent, due to the antiquated ritual of not allowing girls to inherit. Because of that, I will not pursue the Crane family title for my children born to Vincent." Carma nodded his approval at Alessia's statement as that was the proper legal decision to make.

She could tell he was suspicious of what she was going to say next though and she couldn't continue to look at him as she spoke. "As for my claim, being the one who ended Vincent's life, I will relinquish it under only one condition." Alessia heard Carma sigh behind her and she couldn't help but smirk. She was pretty sure he was regretting teaching her so much of the law and proud of her for using it all at the same time. "I will happily give up any claim to the Crane family holdings and titles if from the moment I sign away those rights, girls born of Crane blood gain the right to inherit in the same full manner as boys."

Now she looked at Tore, daring him with her eyes to object, and asked, "Do you accept my terms? Or do I need to get the rest of my weapons?"

[Demeter]

Tore smirked but it was Taide who stepped forward. “No need for such a reauest, Lady Alessia. You’ve been misinformed regarding inheritance within the Crane line. Vincent himself was either wrong, possible, but most likely his medieval misogyny reared its ugly head. Women of legitimate birth can inherit the leadership of this clan.”

Taide blinked as the members of Alessia’s family murmured among themselves. “If you study the original Letters Patent,” she waved a hand at a display case set in an alcove, “for this clan, you’d know that not only was the clan’s first leader a woman but that the line is one of the few that inherits along the idea of primogeniture regardless of gender. I could be wrong but I believe those Letters Patent may be written in a way that supersedes your pre-nuptial agreement as your daughters are legitimately Cranes by blood if not name.”

She watched as Carmine crossed to the display case. “That’s part of why the lawyers wished to question you. They will, of course, want to compare the Letters Patent with your pre-nuptial agreement. Our apologies for not informing you, Cousin, but we didn’t know until the rules regarding the process for inheritance had been explained and then we felt it prudent to keep quiet. I’m unsure how much Vincent understood. He wasn’t around for the reading of the will but I hesitate to say he didn’t know that his sisters could claim the title the same as his brothers.”

Eventually, the kerfuffle caused by Taide’s announcement of how the Crane Family inherited calmed down. Carma went off to discuss the prenuptial with the family lawyers, summoning Alessia to join him. Before she could wander that way, Tore pulled her aside. “There are other things we must discuss that have nothing to do with the title. Taide will bring you to Caine’s rooms after you finish with the lawyers,” he said in a low whisper.

***

Caine’s rooms were above the old stable-turned-garage block of the out buildings. The narrow row of rooms was far more cozy and comfortable then the abbey. Tore, now that he was closer to being confirmed Lord Crane, sat cross legged on the broken-in couch with blue prints scattered around. He had plans for the abbey. Plans that included turning it into a small destination resort. The family coffers needed replenishing and he had no issues with hospitality.

Caine was crashing around in the kitchen nook. He had his own plans about the renovation of the abbey. They both looked up when Taide ushered Alessia in. Tore asked his sister to stay for a minute and summoned Caine from the kitchen.

Caine had the sword with him and Tore took it from him. “We’re about ninety percent sure that this blade has another name but we’ve been calling it the Wolf’s Head Blade because of the decor. You used it to slay Vincent. It’s a bit of an unusual weapon. Taide,” he turned to face his sister and held out the blade to her, hilt first, “if you could Custosstrate.”

Taide eyed the blade while making a sour face. “Bastard,” she muttered while extending a hand. She knew what would happen the moment her hand closed around the handle but she did it anyways. The things she did for her brother and the fact that he’d promised her free run of the old Crane ruins on the other side of the loch.

The moment she gripped the handle, Tore let go and sighed as Taide yelped and dropped the blade. He owed his twin for all the crap she did for him. He turned, eyeing Lady Alessia. She surely knew what it most likely meant when a select few could hold a weapon. “Lady Alessia, would you pick up the Wolf’s Head and return it to Caine?”

[Maira]

The meeting with the Crane family lawyers had been informative if nothing else. But it also turned out to be potentially beneficial for her and her girls. She agreed to waive the prenuptial agreement she’d had with Vincent, as she had signed it under false pretenses. In return, she would inherit half of Vincent’s surprisingly large financial holdings. The other half she insisted would be split among all four of his daughters, her three and his oldest illegitimate daughter that she hadn’t known about until that meeting.

By the time she left the meeting, Alessia had forgotten that Tore wanted to talk to her. Taide’s presence in the hallway when she left the meeting reminded her. She may have been healthy again but she was tired. The past few days had been emotionally and physically draining. And, much to her surprise, it seemed her milk for the new baby was finally coming in. She needed to see her daughter. To Taide she simply told her, “We have one stop to make at the nursery, then we can go see what you brother needs.”

*****

After a quick stop to relieve the wetnurse for the new baby, who she still hadn’t named yet, Alessia followed Taide out to the stables. If parts of her own family weren’t so deep in the horse world, she may have been confused why anybody would choose to live above a stable. And while she connected more strongly with dragons, she couldn’t argue the peace and comfort even the meanest hellhorse could bring his bonded rider. Grandpa Darius and his terrifying mount came to mind.

Caressing a few curious muzzles, Alessia then hurried up the stairs after Taide into Caine’s apartment. Once inside, she waited and listened as Tore explained about the sword she’d killed Vincent with. As he spoke, her suspicions rose. When he handed to weapon to his twin, who yelped and dropped it, her stomach sank. Looking up at Tore, defiance burning in her eyes, she informed him, “I will do as I must for the blasted sword, but I refuse to forgo my warrior and dragon duties for anybody ever again. You kept me and my daughters safe, but I will not be some meek little housewife again.”

She knelt, grabbed the sword from where it lay at Taide’s feet, and held it to the count of ten before shoving it at Caine as she’d been instructed. He too was able to hold it with ease and she couldn’t stop the glare that she directed at the two men. She had just freed herself from one Crane man, and fate had shoved her at another. Maybe it was good she had allowed her daughters to be included in the line of inheritance after all, since clearly they were going to be connected to the family for the long haul.

A growl in her voice, Alessia demanded of Tore, “Now what?”

[Demeter]

Caine calmly sheathed the sword and leaned it against the wall. He looked up at Alissa and raised a brow. “Why would we want a docile housewife? I’m still learning about these things,” he said while waving a hand at the sword, “but docile doesn’t seem to fit the description of anyone connected to one of these. Lady Genesis might seem calm and serene on the surface but I bet she has claws.”

Tore grinned up at Caine and patted his thigh. “As for what we do now, we wait for all to be finalized. Once that’s done, Caine and I overhaul the Abby and turn it into a functioning, exclusive B&B. Taide gets the old Crane plot at the other end of the Loch where she will, no doubt, start a poison garden. What you’ll do is your choice but you might wish to speak with your Grandfather and Lord Marcus; I hear they are looking for someone to take the Dragon Grounds here in Scotland in hand.”

Tore shoved aside his plans and stood. “All we ask is that when the sword calls, you come. We still don’t know what it is called or in whose name it was forged. Make your home here or in a cave or a condo; just come when the sword calls.”

——

Sitting in Lord Marcus’ study, Darius poured over the most recent report from his source within the Scottish Dragon Guard camp. The situation was deteriorating rapidly. His source reported that there were whispers of Godless propaganda and that some of the riders were engaging in criminal acts.

Though he, Lord Marcus and Tavi had hand selected riders to become the new core Scottish Guard riders, they still hadn’t found one to lead them. And the one he had hopes for still hadn’t approached him. Despite, or perhaps because of, her recent tribulations, this particular person was suited for cleaning house at the camp and leading the new riders.

He looked up when the doors banged up and grinned at the person framed between the doors. His grin only grew when she growled out that Scotland was hers.

“Excellent. Come in, let’s talk specifics of what is going on. Io has been summoned,” he said, naming the Dragon she’d been forced to leave behind “and there is work to be done.”
——

Monroe staggered under the weight of the slop buckets. Disguised as an lanky and awkward teen boy, the illusion cemented to her body by a fragment of the Octahedron, she was able to observe the camp without interruption. And what she saw disgusted her. Even the worst of the Godless she’d observed had better manners then this lot. The camp become a village of lawless men. The lazy sods had executed their leader, turned to pillaging and plundering, and last night they’d raided the nearby Otherworld village. They’d stolen young men and women from their beds last night.

They had killed the Dragons at dawn. She’d been woken by the death screams. The eggs in the hatching cavern had been smashed. She’d reported to Lord DeLorme that there was no more time left to wait. He had to act now.

As she looked away from the stinking pile of Dragon flesh, Monroe caught sight of a woman streaking from one of the cabins. Topless, bruised of face, and split of lip, she tried making an escape only to be caught by her hair and dragged screaming back into the cabin.

The former riders now called themselves the Sons of Chaos. Monroe snorted as she hefted the buckets of refuse. This wasn’t chaos; this was depravity. No Chaos deity that she knew would approve of their name being attached to such actions.

And she knew chaos, after all she was truly a Daughter of Chaos. Her father was Remington, the champion of Bion, the great Atlantean-Greek-Roman deity of Chaos. Her mother was Lilith, the first of her father’s True Mates.

She herself was beholden to Loki and employed by Lord Darius as one if his spies. It wasn’t often that she drew the assignment of watching those who should have been her compatriots. She was also of the Alati class known as Valkyrie. Acting as the opposite side from Reapers, they escorted the departed souls of loyal, brave warriors to their resting place.

Monroe dumped the buckets, one at a time, into the pig pen. The riders had lost their resting places but the Dragons would be honored. She bent to pick up the buckets and when she rose there was a sand colored Cadranis Dragon perched on the nearest fence post. Most of the Cadri Pride that called the camp home had scattered days ago and this one far sleeker then the ones found in Scotland. This one wore a green harness, indicating that it had been trained for messages but there was no paper attached to the webbing. She stepped up, placed a hand on the small dragon and phased out.

In a beige place between worlds and below time, Monroe regarded the creature. “You have a message for me?”

In this place, the Cadranis Dragon could communicate with the Daughter of Chaos. “The Dragon Master says they’ll ride at dusk. You’re to do what you can to disable. The Reapers are coming and the false ones’ honor is forfeit.”

Monroe nodded and thanked the dragon. When she returned to reality, the little one was gone. She turned and surveyed the camp with a mad grin on her face. She dropped the illusion of the awkward teenage boy. She was going to show these men what true Chaos was.

When Darius arrived with those who would take over the Dragon Guard Camp, she’d had hours of toying with the former riders. Darius stood and observed as the others swarmed the compound. He could feel and hear the angry rumbles of the Dragons they’d rode in on as they circled the corpses of their kin.

And Monroe, in her full Valkyrie glory was at the center of it all. She tormented one rider that she’d pinned on his back, heeled boot in his chest as he screamed and writhed and tore at his skin. Monroe’s eyes pulsed red and knew this poor soul had the woman furious.

She was beyond him, Darius thought as he shouted her name. She was intent on killing this one. It wasn’t until Remmie, her superior office wrestled her back, ordering her down with the use of her true name.

“Slyvanis,” he shouted, “what are you doing?”

“He has to die,” she hissed as she pulled against Remmie’s grip. “He was there. He was one of them. He knew my father by sight, knew what he could do. He slipped out and escaped the Auction House Slaughter.”

“Then only your mother has the right to decide her fate. Darius, get that one out of here now.”

As Remmie pushed, pulled, and wrestled the valkyrie away, Darius summoned the Reaper associated with the sobbing man’s deity. He issues orders and the man was dragged away to first face his deity and then to face the wrath of a woman he’d wronged.

When the takeover was done, Darius introduced Monroe to Alessia and watched, curious, as the spy gripped Alessia in a forearm greeting and said “Welcome, Sister. She prefers warrior queens and who better then one who will be Valkyrie?”

Darius notes that the sword strapped to his granddaughter’s back glowed in purple-black pulse.

[Maira]

Getting properly reaquainted with her dragon Io was going to have to wait, but the short time between talking with her grandfather about the situation at the Scottish Dragon Guard camp and when they left to mete out justice was enough for now. It gave Alessia a little time to admire how strong and healthy her dragon had grown and for Io to fuss over her for all of the mental turmoil Alessia was obviously still in. Even not being at their peak anymore, Alessia and Io made an intimidating sight and her grandfather's other soldiers gawked a little while they waited for orders to move out.

Arrival at the camp was chaotic. The now dragonless members of the guard tried to run but were quickly apprehended. Watching the initial attack, hatred rising inside of her at the sight of the dragon carcasses, Alessia leapt from Io's back and ran into the fray. Io, like the other dragons, circled her kin and keened.

Ordered not to kill, Alessia left the wolf head blade sheathed and had fun putting her body through its paces. She could feel the muscles moving in ways they hadn't since right after her first child. Having been forbidden to fight, and eventually starved so she wasn't physically able should have dampened her abilities, but Remmington's gift of her vitality back was a true blessing. The ex-riders were quickly dispatched by soldiers like herself and then given to the Reapers to deal with. While dealing with whichever ex-rider she could get her hands on, Alessia couldn't help but gawk at one other woman. She wasn't dressed like her grandfather's soldiers, and she didn't recognize the armor that she wore except as something somewhat familiar in style but still foreign.

Only when she couldn't find anymore ex-riders did Alessia head back toward Grandpa Darius. As she crossed the compound she eyed the strange woman again, trying to place her. Only as she got closer did she recognize elements in the armor similar to those from Avalon and Camelot. Celtic decorations were common on armor in this region, but it still didn't feel quite right. It wasn't until Darius introduced her to the woman, and she mentioned Valkyries did Alessia understand. Monroe was beholden to a Norse deity and her armor belonged to the class of warriors known collectively as Valkyrie. Alessia knew that while occasionally warriors dedicated to gods of other pantheons were sometimes welcomed into the Valkyrie but it was pretty unusual. So why did Monroe say what she did? The valkyrie's words confused Alessia, but not as much as the thrill that shot up her arm when Monroe clasped it in greeting.

"I'm glad to meet you Valkyrie, and thank you for your efforts here," Alessia answered the woman. Aware that Darius and the others were watching her, Alessia knew she would have to ask Monroe her questions later, the young woman turned back to her grandfather and waited for his orders. She knew the camp was going to be hers, but until he left, the older man was in charge.