70

"You both have a common goal and she's right... Santo is a blood line, not a collective of guilty wolves. The ones you want, are the same ones your sister has not dismissed yet. Their time will come, and you can rid the world of Juan Santo and his minions together... this is not the way. The sins of few should not be carried by the many.... Santo is not a dirty word, Jasper." Leyanne is the voice of reason and her tone is patient, as though explaining to a child. Wisdom and maturity shining through and for a second, I forget I don't trust her and find a new appreciation for her. Jasper throws an angry stare at Carmen, unable to stop himself being drawn to her at every opportunity and I see the war ravaging his heart. He turns to me after a hesitated pause, and spits his last words, ignoring Leyanne completely.

"I'll never mate with a Santo.... Not even ordained by the fates. Don't stand in my way, Lorey. No matter what happens with the war, my goal has always been to return to the Santo lands and finish what was started. I've been biding my time and if I have to take down my mate and end myself in the process of scourging the earth of their kind, so be it. I promise you; I'll die avenging our family." Jasper turns on his heel and stalks back to the car, atmosphere thick with his words, sadness growing in Carmen's heart and choking me in proximity.

Without looking back, he storms in and slams the door, so it echoes in the air and causes instant cold silence. Within seconds both cars move off, seemingly done with this and our presence. No hesitation, no minutes to cool down and rethink this. I'm sure Darrius sees this as the best outcome given how little he gave a shit about the imprinting.

I know it's for the best, given the change in what just went down but part of me is incensed that he just walked off and left us here like this. Ten years, a shitty ten-minute reunion and it all goes to hell when the word Santo is brought up. My brother just up and left, after telling me how happy he was to find me alive. Well screw him and his damned vengeance.

Carmen crumbles behind me with his departure, the tears falling and the flood gates opening. Pulling all attention of us three other remaining women to her pitiful state as she sits abruptly on the ground and my heart breaks instantly. Even Meds is moved to go to her and cradles her frail figure in her arms as she weeps and buries her face in her palms.

"I should have known this was too good to be true." she blubs out, wiping her face and trying to regain the cold composure yet failing. She's too deeply broken by this and I can sympathize. Imprinting is a whole other level of despair when your mate rejects you. I've lived it and I hate that on top of everything this girl has gone through, she now relives some of my darkest days. Maybe she's right and the fates are punishing her because I cannot get my head around why the hell things like this would keep being thrown her way.

"What now?" I blanche at Leyanne, so overwrought and done with all this shit and just waiting on the next major thing to be tossed at me. I'm sick of all the misery and chaos and I need answers. I need a plan to fix some of this crap and get back on top of things. I don't even want to digest the fact my brother is alive and just made me his sworn enemy.

"We follow the plan...we have a fog to stop and then.... we might have a different kind of battle to intervene in." She shrugs, still infuriatingly indifferent and I wonder if this witch has a heart at all. She really doesn't seem all too invested in anything.

"It's a long journey. I know a lot just happened here, but we need to move." Meadow cuts in, bringing reality back to the mess left behind from their departure and I glance over Carmen as she pulls herself together with speed. Swallowing her tears, sitting herself upright. Pasting on that face we all see often, the cold attitude, the air of not caring. The mask engages and the wall is erected faster than I could have managed it. She always leaves me in awe.

"I'm fine.... This is how it goes.... I should have expected it. I would be a shitty mate anyway, I'm way too selfish." She bites her bottom lip to curb its tremble. Pushes Meadow's hands away, yanks herself up and walks off to the truck, getting in and moving straight back to the rear out of sight and making it clear she wants to be alone. Meadow and I exchange worried glances and sigh in unison. A look of sympathy mirrored in us both and I genuinely want to cry for her.

The girl needs some kind of a break. Having your imprinted mate reject you is the worst feeling in the world. Her pain right now has to be up there with the top ten of all awful things that's ever happened to her. Even beside her mom's death.

"If these things were easy and straightforward there would be no effort in putting things to rights." Leyanne jovially sing songs in that heavy Celtic brogue with a way too jolly smile and I think she might actually be some sort of sadist who thrives on the hurt and pain of others. She certainly has no qualms about behaving rudely and giving the wrong responses to emotional moments.

"This is going to be a long drive." Meadow sighs and gestures me into the truck where I too head to the back meekly, to check on my femme. I see Carmen has curled up tight on one of the beds and is facing away from me. Her body language screaming to be left alone but I can tell by the subtle shoulder movements that she's crying silently. I feel helpless and my heart aches for her, my instincts are to console her, but I know I can't. Her character, her aura, her entire self-preservation system is telling me to stay away and not disturb her. She wouldn't thank me right now for any kind of consoling.

I've been here. I know the pain of denying the bond and the agony of being parted right from the initial impact of it. She needs time to process and so do I. My head's a mess and I think I also need some quiet time to think.

In twelve hours, I've found out that I'm pregnant with twins, my brother lives, my father is freaking vampire royalty and my entire existence was a lie. My brother is on a vendetta to take down everyone I love and thus wounding me the same way the Santos did a decade ago. Somehow, in the midst of all that, I'm the key to stop it all. All while my mate is in some enchanted state of zombie and looking to strike me down if he gets to me before I break the spell.

I have to get back and free my mate in the hopes he knows what to do, because I sure don't anymore. It's all too much. Maybe Colton has a plan to deal with Jasper, when he finally shows up to exact revenge on the wolves I consider my family now. I only hope that all of this comes together and makes some kind of sense, because the fates have to know what they're doing, or else, we're all screwed.