I close my eyes, taking a steadying breath. This conversation was inevitable, but that doesn't make it any easier. How do I explain to my brother that his big sister is some sort of chosen one tasked with saving the world from an ancient evil? That my very blood is vampire catnip?
Rhyland's arms tighten around me, his solid presence a reminder that I'm not alone in this. But even his strength can't chase away the knot of dread in my stomach.
Time to rip off the proverbial Band-Aid and dive headfirst into the shitstorm that is my life. Yay me.
Danica
18
"Ibrought both books," Seraphina's melodic voice chimes as she gracefully settles onto the couch, her golden hair catching the light like a halo. "The Norse mythology and everything we have on Zephyria." She arranges the ancient tomes on the coffee table with delicate precision, right next to our steaming mugs of coffee.
I eye the Norse book like it might bite. After finding out my Nordic Nookie is basically supernatural royalty, I'm hoping there might be some juicy additional details about his role in all this cosmic drama. Though honestly, we already know the cliff notes version courtesy of dear old Dad—you know, the same father who'll chat up my mate but can't be bothered to talk to his own daughter?
"Which would you like to start with?" Seraphina asks sweetly. "The 'your boyfriend's a demigod' primer or the 'how not to die in the air realm' guide?"
I can't help but smile at her gentle attempt at sass—my sweet guardian angel's definitely been picking up some attitude since joining our little family. The irony of the situation hits me like a cosmic joke: my father, in all his divine wisdom, kicked this literal angel out of Atheria for saving me from Lucian's memory-wiped brain. And now here we are, finding out my snarky vampire brother-in-law is technically related to the other half of their precious prophecy.
Seriously, for being the God of Light, my father really needs to work on his judgment calls. Maybe we should send him a self-help book: "Godly Parenting for Dummies: How Not to Banish Angels Who Save Your Kid."
It's been three weeks since our little dance with Lilith, and surprisingly, life's finding its own twisted version of normal. Lilith and Morgan have been suspiciously quiet, probably plotting her next psychotic fashion show of doom.
After dropping the whole "surprise, your sister's basically Angelic royalty" bomb on Damon, he took it better than expected. Sure, he laughed it off at first—probably thought I was trying to distract him from his own vampire drama—but eventually accepted that his big sister is some prophesied savior. Because why not? His life already went full Twilight. He might as well add "sister is cosmic chosen one" to the mix.
Meanwhile, Damon's making progress with the whole blood-drinking situation. Lucian's been a godsend (ironic, considering his occupation), taking point on Operation Baby Vamp Training. Makes sense—he's the youngest of my immortal trio and still remembers what it's like to fight that overwhelming hunger. Erik keeps the training structured with his military expertise, while my Thunder Buns brings the muscle when Damon's bloodlust gets a little too frisky.
Who knew vampire rehab could be a family bonding experience?
Emily and Sable still play supernatural recruiters, building their magical army one witch at a time. My colorful-haired rebel, in all her badass glory, started her own coven—and because Emily is Emily, she dubbed it the Rainbow Coven. Lucian, being the walking smartass he is, practically busts a gut every time he hears the name, turning it into his personal comedy routine.
"What's next, Skittles? Gonna make your official motto 'Taste the Magic'?"He'll quip, which usually ends with Emily threatening to hex his balls off.
I try to hide my snickers behind my hand during their verbal sparring matches, but truthfully, the name carries more weight than Lucian's tiny brain can comprehend. It's not just about Emily's technicolor hair—it represents unity, hope, and promise. My bestie and Sable are working their magical asses off to restore balance to this realm, building bridges between covens that haven't spoken in eons.
Watching my formerly nerdy biochemist friend transform into this powerful witch queen? Yeah, that's the kind of glow-up that makes a girl proud.
"Let's focus on our next magical scavenger hunt item—the Zephyrite stone," I announce, trying to inject some enthusiasm into our trinket treasure hunt. Sure, tracking down the other half of Mom's Nightmare Stone of Doom should probably be priority number one. Still, Seraphina's been pretty insistent about collecting the other stones first—something about maintaining magical balance before playing with the world's deadliest mood ring.
After hearing Rhyland's horror story about his dance with the dark side, I'm not exactly eager to take that particular plunge myself. The way he described that nightmare vision still makes my skin crawl. My man may be built like a mountain and have the attitude to match, but hearing how that stone nearly broke him? Yeah, I'll take my guardian angel's advice on this one.
However, I still can't wrap my head around how Calypso managed to rock her piece without going full Dark Side. But then again, she wasn't dealing with the complete package like Rhyland was. Add in the fact that my brooding beefcake's got his mom's power running through his veins like some twisted inheritance, and suddenly, his struggle makes a lot more sense.
"Perfect!" Seraphina's voice chimes with its usual sweetness. "Though I should mention I've already explored the Norse text. The book's details about Ásgard and other geographical locations are quite fascinating." Even discussing ancient texts, she sounds like she's describing a delightful tea party.
"Cool, we can dive into that book report after we tackle this stone situation," I reply, lifting my coffee for a much-needed caffeine boost.
Seraphina launches into her supernatural speed-reading, her delicate fingers flipping pages so fast they create their own personal breeze. I barely get the mug to my lips when Seraphina's delicate gasp catches my attention. In record time, her face has gone from 'angels singing' to 'someone kicked a puppy', and her gold eyes are wide with shock.
"What's wrong? You look like you just caught Lucian reading the Bible."
Instead of answering, my guardian angel attacks the Norse book like it personally offended her, those fingers flying through pages faster than humanly possible. The massive tome hits the table with enough force to make her coffee do a little dance.
"This is... oh my goodness... but that would mean..." She's practically vibrating with whatever bombshell she's discovered. Her cute nose is scrunched up in a way that means her brain is working overtime.
"Okay, you're starting to freak me out here," I set down my coffee before her nervous energy makes me spill it. "What's got your halo in a twist?"
Seraphina finally meets my eyes, those swirling depths of honey and amber are practically glowing. "They're the same."
"Okay, you'll have to give me more than that, Sera. What's the same?"
