Intertwined Bloodlines (Blood Moon Book 3)

18: The Eye of the Storm

For about a week after finding out Harrison was her father, Annika didn't go out. All day she spent it in her room on the chair she had set beside the large window, reading or playing a game on her new phone.

However, today, a week after her father's death, she was outside, standing feet away from his grave. Tears fought to rise as her mother approached his grave, halting many times. Her mother hadn't attended the funeral, convinced that her father was alive.

It seemed as if finally she was accepting the agonizing truth.

Her mother stood in front of the grave and fell to her knees, the anguish in her large hazel eyes tearing right through Annika's heart. When she began to weep, Annika moved to console her but Harrison grabbed her arm, stopping her.

Annika held a quivering hand against her aching chest. Her mother trailed her quivering fingers over the tombstone before she struggled to get back to her feet. For the longest, her mother didn't move, arms wrapped around herself as the wind blew furiously in every which way.

"Candice." At first, her mother didn't react to Harrison, but then she lifted her gaze toward them, eyes glistening with tears.

"I'm fine." Her mother attempted to walk toward them but lost her strength for a moment, almost falling to her knees again.

Annika moved toward her, but Harrison was faster. He held her arm, helping her head to the vehicle. Gabriel and Mikaela had waited for them beside it. The second their mother was feet away, they rushed to her side and embraced her.

Annika joined them, fighting back tears when her mother tried to convince them that she was alright. She wasn't. None of them were. The pain would never leave, but with the help of each other, they would be able to withstand it and not allow the grief to devour them whole.

As months passed, her mother became obsessed with finding out the identity of their enemy, but she had no success. Their enemy had gone completely silent. After her father's death, there were no attacks, no fires... nothing.

Annika began to wonder if this was the calm before the storm.

What was their enemy waiting for?

Annika lay on her bed and stared at the white ceiling until the door of her room opened. As she sat up, Scarlet entered the room, a dazzling smile on her lips.

"Come on, we're going out."

Annika grunted and laid back, her head resting on the soft pillow. "No."

"Come on," Scarlet said as she grabbed her arm and tugged her out of the bed. "You can't stay inside your house for the rest of your life."

"Watch me." Annika yanked her arm free before narrowing her eyes when Frederick also walked into the room. "Two against one? That's far from fair."

"We're going to have lots of fun tonight!" Scarlet smiled before twirling a hair in her finger. "Can't pretend you haven't been craving to see your mate—I know by now, I would be going insane." She grabbed Annika by the shoulders, grinning. "See, your eyes shine at just the mention of him, so take a shower while I find you something to wear." She pushed Annika into the bathroom before shutting the door closed.

"Fine."

About an hour later, they were entering the Night Owl Club. Annika held Scarlet's hand as they made their way through the crowd. The first time they had come here, Annika had been scared of getting caught. This time, the fear that rushed through her was far different. For the past year, two months and three days, she never left her house in fear that she would put anyone's life at risk.

In fear of her enemy finally striking.

Scarlet released her hand and rushed across the room into Leo's open arms before kissing him full on the lips.