verb ~ interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern
I woke with a start.
Panting heavily, my chest heaved for breath as I shot up from the bed I lay in. Celimene growled, snarling as I came to my senses.
Wait...
My gasps turned into a cry of panic as I didn't recognise the room. I lay in. It took me a moment, a soft caress of rough fingers along my cheeks. My widened eyes met those of mate and I instantly felt my body relax into him.
"Ph-Phoenix?" I gasped.
His eyes softened, worry creasing his brows. "It's me. You're okay, you're okay."
My hands reached out to grab him, pulling his shirt closer to my chest so I can breathe his scent. It helps to calm me, Cel taking a step back in my mind when our mate took over our senses.
"How-Wh-Why are you here?"
"You fell unconscious." His worry only deepened in the crease of his forehead. "Kelsey informed me straight away when your heart rate dropped. The bond was closed off. Want to tell me what happened?"
I shook my head, a dull ache forming along my temple. "I had a vision. How long was I out?"
"Two hours." A new voice tutted.
My head spun around in alarm, watching as Dawn brought through a small folded towel and handed it to my mate. Phoenix's back straightened, taking it from her before dabbing my forehead. I frowned, not quite understanding how I was out for two hours.
"You sure?"
"Very." Dawn quipped. "Broke my blue cup when you went into the spirit world, so your hand got rather cut."
I looked down at my left palm and sure enough there was a fresh bandage on wrapped around my palm and down my wrist. I flexed my fingers, feeling the tug and burn of fresh cuts. A small oh escaped my mouth at the realisation, lost in the grooves of my hand, a reality came crashing in.
"I have never been out that long." I admitted. "It only felt like five minutes."
"The spirit world is fickle. Celimene was a master at it, but your mother struggled with the power she was gifted with." Dawn sighed as she sat in a nearby chair.
"She did?"
"Yep. Your mother had Angela create her a ring to harness her power. I see you are wearing it." She commented.
I glanced back down at my hands, nodding softly. "I found it in the house."
"The Terra house?" Dawn wondered, a strange tone in her voice.
"Yes. It was inside... a book, of all things."
"What book?" She urged.
I blinked, taken aback at her sudden interest. "I... uh... I think it was Wuthering Heights."
"And you just... found it?"
I shrugged. "It drew me to the nursery and then the bookcase. I found it odd that it was in the children's room. They sealed it closed with a spell, but once I opened it, there was the ring inside."
Her face grew white, as though a ghost had appeared beside me. I shared a confused look with Phoenix, who stood on high alert as he watched the woman delve into her own demons.
"You can read her code?"
I paused, my eyes widening as I realised the trouble I may have just dropped myself into.
Don't trust even your closest friend unless your soul allows you.
I swallowed, shaking my head. "No, no, there was just Latin. I learnt it in my old pack but the book... just... opened for me."
Please believe me, please believe me...
She studied me harder, her lips pursing as she sought my words. "I see..."
Eager to change the subject, I continued. "How did the nursery survive so well when the rest of the house..."
"It was charmed." Dawn shrugged. "Your mother was paranoid about her sight, and she worried for you dearly. If the house was to come under attack, they sealed the room off with a protection spell."
But some of it was charred, which means the magic wasn't as effective as they hoped...
Goosebumps rose on my arms, the hair on the back of my neck pricking up with sudden realisation. Was I right when I looked around the house with Pollux? Were witches involved in the downfall of my bloodline?
"Dawn..." I began, licking my lips nervously. "How would a spell like that be damaged?"
"Well, I suppose only magic can fight magic. There is dark and there is light magic. Both can counteract each other..." Frowning, her blue eyes scanned me again. "What's the matter, dear? You look awfully pale again. I will go get you a sick bowl."
I didn't have time to comprehend her sudden worry for me as she huddled from the bedroom I lie in. Phoenix's eyes stared into the side of my face, a frown on his face. Clearing his throat, I felt him prod at my mind. I turned to meet his eyes with my own, letting him in to speak to me privately.
'What have you realised?'
They burned the house to a crisp. There was nothing but debris... But from what she has said, the nursery should've remained standing. I cautioned.
'Okay, and why are you so worried?'
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. It wasn't standing. Fire had crept in, it covered things with dust, with embers, some things were charred...
'So, the fire broke the spell?' He frowned, removing the cool cloth from my forehead to run it down my cheeks. 'And it shouldn't have.'
Exactly. I nodded. Which means...
'The vampires were working with a witch.'
Celimene growled, a deep baritone that had me jerking in surprise. I let her through, so she could get a grasp on the situation with Phoenix. His eyes darkened as she fought to control her anger. I didn't blame her. After all, her original body was murdered in the scenario we are talking about.
Who would do such a thing? I worried.
His thumb brushed my lips, forcing a small smile to grace his features. 'I do not know. We will just have to be careful, do some digging. I need you safe, so don't go meddling.'
I nodded solemnly; the situation heavy on my mind. Unfortunately for Phoenix, meddling was exactly what I was going to do...
***
Safe to say, after the unconscious spell at Dawn's house, Phoenix did not let me out of his sight. It was unfortunate for me, because I wanted nothing more than to dive into my vision further. I wanted to confide in Aldren, but everywhere I went, Phoenix was behind me with two guards.
"Where are the other guards?" I wondered as we made our way down to dinner.
"With Pollux." He grunted, pushing me by the small of my back.
I quirked an eyebrow at his use of name. I found it comforting that Phoenix was slowly calling him Pollux instead of "twin."
We entered the dining room and were immediately greeted by concerns about my wellbeing. I had woken after lunch, but Phoenix didn't let me leave until I felt completely fine. I could tell Dawn wasn't a fan of the imposing Alpha in her house, if her frown was anything to go by, but she catered to me honestly. After urging me to drink some water and have some sugar, I could finally to leave.
Sitting down beside my twin and mate, I was pleased to find the meal was mostly vegetarian. I wasn't sure I could stomach meat today, my stomach churning with nerves after my realisation.
Chewing softly, I eyed the Lycans opposite me. Samson seemed agitated, shooting glances at me and Phoenix as he ate his dinner. Avani was fretting over me, making sure I had everything I needed, whilst Aldren was blissfully unaware of anything but what was before him. I suppose having such a gift would mean he could've already seen what was about to go down.
Clearing my throat, I fiddled with my fork. "I wanted to ask you something."
Samson tensed, Aldren raising his head with a lazy eyebrow quirk as Avani rushed to answer me.
"What's wrong?" She wondered.
"My grandparent's death... Did they have any... magical enemies at the time?"
Phoenix tensed beside me, sending me a warning squeeze through the bond. He wanted me to be secretive about everything, untrusting my cousin's. I think he didn't mind Aldren, but after Alessea, he was extra cautious."
"What do you mean, honey?" Avani frowned.
"Angela claims they injured her during the evening of their attack, but I wondered if there was ever anyone else present? Why did the vampires not storm the house and kill everyone?" I asked.
Avani shifted in her seat, sending a nervous look to her mate. "Well, after Angela came back, she stopped them all."
"You saw?" I cocked my head, thinking of the last figure I saw standing.
They sure looked feminine.
She shook her head. "I was in the house with your mother. Shortly after Celimene was... killed, Dion went next. I did not see any of it."
I thanked her, taking another drink of my water. "It's okay. I was just curious. The vision I had was unusual."
Aldren locked his gaze on mine, his jaw working slowly as he leaned over his plate. With his fork still in mid-air, I watched as his eyes fogged over as he studied me. I watched him patiently until a few seconds later when he blinked back into the present and sat up straighter.
"Nova, I have a place you may enjoy visiting."
"You do?" Phoenix grumbled, his hand tensing on his fork.
Aldren smiled knowingly. "Yes. Since you are to go tomorrow evening, I'd like to show you the gardens tomorrow after breakfast. Phoenix, you can come, of course. It is only the back of the house."
I pursed my lips. "Gardens? In winter?"
He chuckled. "Not just any gardens."
It intrigued me. He officially hooked me into this mysterious garden. If the smirk on his face was anything to go by, then it had to be something pretty cool.
The rest of dinner went by easily. With Phoenix's firm grip on my thigh, I kept my mouth shut. As soon as the meal was over, we retired to our room. I never made it to the first step before Phoenix was wrapping an arm around me and lifting me so our chests pressed together. I gasped, giggling as I wrapped my legs around his hips, both of his hands moving to cup my ass.
I peppered his jaw and cheeks with kisses the entire walk upstairs, only stopping when we reached our room. Someone had lit the fire in here, making the room nice and toasty, the curtains drawn shut. I sighed with content, turning back to Phoenix to claim his lips, only to be stopped with his hand.
Frowning, I pulled away. "What's wrong?"
"I need to talk to you." He smiled sadly.
I felt the gravity of his words and nodded softly. "Was it about what I said at dinner?"
He frowned. "Partially, but mostly... no."
Wow, great clarity there, Phe-Phe.
He chuckled at my expression before taking my hand. Leading me to the bed, I perched on the edge as he hovered before me. I knew it would not be anything good, going by the pure fact he had opted to stand.
"What is it?" I whispered.
He cleared his throat. "Whilst you were at Dawn's, I did a little... research myself."
I tried to keep my face blank but had a hard time hiding my confusion. "Research?"
"I spoke with Samson."
I hummed. "Is that why he kept looking at you at dinner? Did you threaten him?"
Phoenix bristled, his eyes narrowing at my assumption. "I did not threaten him."
I apologised softly, forcing myself to hold his gaze. I wanted nothing more than to drop my eyes, and was trying hard the past few months to teach myself that we were equals. It meant holding his gaze, and that was something I struggled with.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I went there to ask him a few questions about your relatives."
"You did?" I frowned.
"Yes. I wanted to get some deeper information." He nodded. "I wanted to know if anyone in your family was a threat. Like Elon."
My head cocked at the familiar yet estranged uncle. "Elon?"
"He is fine." Phoenix shook his head. "No red flags, just a male who is discovering the world. He keeps to himself, away from this family."
I rolled my eyes at his pointed look, still hell-bent on my trust in the remaining Cyrus'. "And what else?"
He turned to face me fully, scanning my face with a frown. He was calculating, deep in thought. With his bond blocked, I wasn't sure what he was feeling, and swallowed nervously at the gravity of the tension.
"What is it?"
"Not a what, but a who." He shook his head, small curls falling from his winter style.
"Who?"
"Yes, who."
Silence.
I blinked up at him expectantly. "Well?"
"Right." He nodded, clearing his throat. "Cors is not who you think he is."
My breath left me in a whoosh, my airways restricting under the weight of his name. "C-Cors?"
Phoenix was frowning, gauging my reaction. "I don't want to worry you anymore-"
Within an instant, my shock was gone, and I glared at him. "Just tell me, dammit."
Although taken aback, I saw the twitch of his lips as he fought back a smirk. "Okay, I will tell you what I found out."
"Great." I nodded, clapping my hands before glaring at him.
"Cors... he is your father's elder brother." He began, taking one of my hands in his own. "They do not speak about him so freely. In fact, as soon as I said his name, Samson wanted out."
"Why?" I wondered.
He hesitated, debating on answering me. I waited, counting to six, before he finally sighed. Just like I struggled with meeting and holding his gaze sometimes, Phoenix struggled with letting me in on things. He thought he was protecting me by keeping secrets, so it took a lot for him to allow me in, especially for safety issues or, goddess forbid, his emotions.
"Cors made a deal with the rogues and the vampires to kill your family."
This time, I was pretty sure I was hearing things. But alas, Phoenix was serious. I gulped, sweat beading along the nape of my neck.
Cors was... a bad guy?
****
To see Phoenix's interaction with Samson, the bonus chapter before this entitled "investigate" is the one you want! haha
Finally! Update is up thanks for baring with after all the glitches lol
Also! Hello! Once again I am sick. It seems I get something every dang month and never catch a break. To top it off its 40 degrees celcius here, and that is way too hot for england so we are all dying cause we have never had it so hot and humid. I legit went 'shopping' just so I could use their aircon :(
Question of the day:
What is something you like to indulge in? Something meddling, something guilty...
wc: 2451
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