Disguise

Succulents

Xena's POV

With shaky fingers, I dialed the number that I had memorized in the first week I got them. The line rang once, rang twice, but nobody picked up. I cut the call before the beep. At least it wasn't switched off, thank God for that.

"Come on, Xen." I whispered to myself, gathering up the fragments of my mind that lay scattered with all the new information I had received in the past three days. It had been a whirlwind. Channeling all my anxiousness, I hit redial again, hoping that this would go smoothly.

The line rang again and went unanswered again. I waited uneasily, for the beep.

At the sound of the tone, I spoke," Bro? I-I need you. Where are you? Why won't you pick up my call-" My voice broke and I took a moment to steady my breath. "Can you please just call me back? I think Flora and I are in something very deep and sinister. Please. I need your help to get out of here." I hung up after that and let out a deep breath.

"Do you think he'll go for it?" Nate asked me, and I shrugged, unsure. "I don't know. Maybe."

"He already knows that Flora was marked, I'm sure everyone will, because of the new bond that they feel with their Queen, but if he's not a werewolf, then someone must have informed him. We can only hope to spin this as a forceful marking." Nate continued, and I nodded, completely normal now. I was going to catch this son of a bitch.

"Now, can we get some rest? You've been dead on your feet all evening." Nate cooed, patting the spot on the bed besides him. I gave him a small smile, not really feeling the vibe but slid under the covers anyway. His warm body next to mine was certainly a comfortable position, and I soon found myself drowsy.

"Nate?"

"Hmm?"

"You said that they don't generally leave loose ends."

"That's right."

"Did he kill my real step-brother? The one I never met?" I had to know. I felt his arms tighten around me and feared the worst.

"No, he didn't. But your step-brother died a couple years ago, in a skiing accident. It was the perfect set-up for Jeff."

I willed myself to feel something, but my heart was numb. "And my mother?"

"He seemed to have worked for your mother for a while, which is how he knew so much about her life, but he hasn't hurt her." He told me softly, gripping my arms and then spinning me around to face him.

"Can we-can we send protection for my father?" I asked him and his eyes widened for a second before he smiled. "We already have, my love. And we are watching your mother from afar too, don't want to spook them in case they are being watched by Jeff and his men." He assured me and I nodded. I suppose it made sense. "Don't worry, being in this world, I will never let you or the people you love feel unsafe." He promised me, and then moved forward to make our lips meet. I kissed him back with the same gentleness that he had.

He was truly a sweetheart. "Thank-." I muttered between the kisses but he shushed my words with another round.

Reece's POV

This was a disaster. Why was everything spinning out of control? My Flora, the one I was sworn to protect seemed to be doing all the heavy lifting and was hurting and me? I seemed to be the one hurting her. I wish I could just transfer her cuts on myself, both inside and on the outside, but there was nothing I could do. There was honestly nothing worse than being helpless and it frustrated me to the core. I was going to kill them for suggesting this. Of course, Flora would volunteer for such a thing. Someone needed to show her what was good for her mental health. My mate, the giver.