Out of the Darkness
Twelve
Valerio
As I stand in the foyer waiting for Lexie and Aunt Aquila's return, I can't help but feel like Lexie doesn't want to come back. The three days between the meeting with Dr. McCoy and the President were tense between us. She had came back from Harvard telling anyone who would listen what the college campus is like.
I had encouraged her to go, hoping it would sway her in her determination to further her education; or have children. And although it did just that, it swayed her in the wrong direction. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why Aunt Aquila insisted she go with her to meet Dr. McCoy. It wasn't until I felt Lexie's excitement through our link that I realized what was going on.
Lexie had used Aunt Aquila, and by the way Lexie was raving about the campus, she got exactly what she wanted. Now I have to act as though I'm happy that she's decided to go to college. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for her, but at the same time I'm more upset with my wife than I've ever been.
To me, it's as though she's picking her own life above the one we can share together. Who knows how long Lexie will be focused on her studies, and that's when she picks what career she wants. How am I supposed to act like the path she's going down is one that I support?
And now she's taken matters into her own hands even more by telling the President to meet with me. Aunt Aquila was handling things just fine during that meeting, and then Lexie put the President on the spot. Of all the people in the world Lexie felt she had to challenge, why did it have to be the President of the United States?
Aemilia and I know there will be a meeting with the President, but in that meeting I tell him The Warlock is taken care of. How can I tell him that if I have no idea if it's actually true? My sister has still been keeping to herself, but she at least comes down for dinner now. I don't know why I'm suddenly having visions, nor do I know how to actually conjure them. And, even worse, I haven't told Lexie about them. If I knew how, I would see if Lexie and I do even have kids eventually.
There are so many secrets within this house, and that's something that hasn't happened in twenty years. Should I feel bad for not telling Lexie about having visions? Because I don't. I have never kept anything from Lexie, but I feel like things aren't the same between us anymore.
Even now, as the front door opens and Lexie walks through, I don't feel the excitement I should feel with my mate being back. I'm happy she's home safe, but the annoyance I feel towards her overshadows it. She shouldn't have forced herself into the meeting with the President the way she did, and now I have to prepare to meet him.
"Welcome home," I say to her as Aunt Aquila shuts the door. I don't know if she notices the change in my tone, but I know I do. Normally, my arms would already be around her and I would be kissing her by now.
But I can't make myself show that I'm happy she's back.
"Thanks," Lexie replies, looking me up and down.
She did that a lot before her and Aunt Aquila left for their meeting with the President, and I can't understand why she keeps looking at me that way. The only thing I can come up with to explain her behavior is that she's trying to gage my reaction to her flat out telling me she wants to go to college before having kids.
I stand tall, attempting to show no emotion. Lexie and I look at each other, but neither of us can say anything. Even as Aunt Aquila comes to stand next to her, the foyer remains silent. I look over to Aunt Aquila, who also gives me a look similar to Lexie. What did Lexie tell her on their trip to make her look at me like that too?
Clearing my throat, I tell Aunt Aquila, "You handled meeting the President gracefully."
She forces a smile at me. "Thank you, Valerio."
I look to Lexie again, and say, "You shouldn't have pressured him so hard to meet with me."
Her mouth falls open as she tries to explain. "It should be you meeting with him, Valerio. Why can't you see that?"
I try to reign in my anger towards her, but I can't. "You overstepped, Lexie!" I yell at her. "You were supposed to sit there and not say anything."
"Excuse me?" She challenges as she steps up to me. "You forget who you're talking to. I'm not someone who just sits in the corner of the room and-"
"And you forget who you're talking to!" I continue to yell, putting some of my Guild Leader powers into my words. Lexie bows to me, and for once I don't feel bad about using my status on her. "Leave us," I order Aunt Aquila, who quickly scurries from the room.
I take a deep breath, and tell Lexie, "You had no right to try and force the President into a meeting. You don't even know if a meeting between the two of us would be beneficial!" I sigh as I rub the bridge of my nose. "From now on," I order her, "you do not speak for me. You're only job is to take care of things around the house and figuring out when and where you want to attend college. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir."
The next day, I wake up alone in bed. I had thought that Lexie would be coming to bed later than me last night, and I had fallen asleep while I waited. But, by the looks of her pillow and the bedding on her side, I can tell she didn't sleep her last night at all. After I ordered her in the foyer, we had spent the day apart. I don't know where she was, and the fact that she didn't sleep in our own bed makes me not care.
The two of us are spinning so out of control that I can't seem to get a handle on what it is that's really going on. I know I'm upset with her because of her choice, and now her overstepping with the President too, but is that really it? Lexie and I have had disagreements before, but none of them have ever lead to us sleeping apart. Even though a part of me feels like I should go apologize for being so harsh with her yesterday, another part of me is telling me to stand my guard. It's as though my mind is telling me to do two different things at once and I'm getting caught in the crossfire.
I can't make sense of anything when Lexie and I are like this. I want to fix what's happening with us, but I can't make myself do it. I just want us to go back to how we were before The Warlock; to the time when I had just claimed her and married her. We had been so happy then and I want that back, but each day we drift further from who we were.
Before I'm even out of bed, I can already tell my day is going to be a shit-show. I've yet to hear anything of a meeting between the President and I actually taking place, but I know it's only a matter of time. With the humans beginning to panic even more, the President's advisors will recommend he learn as much about magic as possible.
But is that wise? With The Warlock locked in his prison, the humans have nothing to be afraid of anymore. If The Warlock was able to get out, even with the powers from the diamond, he would be by now. There's no chance in hell he would have came back and not make a spectacle about it.
So why should the humans be so close to magic? If the President knew he was going to have a meeting with a warlock, then what would happen? Would history repeat itself? Wouldn't it be better for my family for the humans to not know?
As I get ready for the day, I tell Keegan to gather everyone and have them in the living room in twenty minutes. I can't make a decision like this by myself. How this meeting with the President goes effects everyone under this roof.
Making my way into the living room, I see that Aunt Hope and Uncle Miles, along with Brianna, are already there. Aunt Hope looks like she's already been crying, and Uncle Miles and Brianna don't look much better. As I come into the room fully, I see my in laws in a corner. I nod to them, go stand in front of the wall of glass, and then wait for everyone else to show up.
To my surprise, when Lexie comes into the room she actually comes and stands next to me. She's just a little too far away for it to appear like everything is okay between us, but maybe no one will notice.
Once the family is spread out in the room, I say, "Good morning everyone. We haven't had a meeting in a few days, so I just want to check in." I look to Keegan, nod my head to him once, and ask, "What did you and Aunt Aquila see at The Warlock's compound?"
As I ask the question, Aunt Hope begins crying. She tries to hide it, but she can't hold it together.
"Zombie tried to give Braelyn the powers from the diamond," Keegan informs me, "and it completely overwhelmed her." He pauses to look at Aunt Hope, and says, "I'm really sorry again."
I take a deep breath, feeling responsible for what happened to Braelyn. No matter what anyone says to me, it is my fault. Had I not banished her, she might still be alive.
"I'm really sorry, Aunt Hope," I tell her honestly. She nods her head to me as the room falls silent for a moment. I eventually clear my throat, and ask, "Has anyone heard from Sophie or Uncle Luke?"
"Nothing yet," Lexie answer quietly beside me. "She told me a few days ago that Zombie's trail went cold in New Orleans. She's not giving up though," she adds.
"Good," I reply shortly. Ignoring Lexie's soft sigh, I inform the pack, "Lexie has offered the President a meeting with me. More than likely, her and I will be going to D.C. sometime soon. When we're gone, I want Keegan and Brianna to handle things here. But, before we go, I need to ask what it is you all want to happen." I take a deep breath, and continue, "Pretty much everyone in this room has had magic at one point or another throughout your life. And while just five of us have it now, six including Sophie, it's our entire way of life that is being exposed here. Do we want to steer the humans away from the truth, or do we want to keep them in the dark?"
"The humans are our allies," Lexie says immediately. When I look at her, she continues, "They don't know it, but we are. All of us want the same thing; to live peacefully. Being honest is the only way to achieve that."
"And what if what happened hundreds of years ago happens again?" I counter, folding my arms across my chest and turning my body towards her. "What if they're so blinded by their fear that they don't see us as allies?"
Lexie turns her body to me, and replies, "And what if it doesn't? You're holding onto the past, and there's no indication that the humans are doing the same."
"Have you seen the news lately?" I ask. "Or have you been too wrapped up in your own wants to pay attention to anyone else? The humans are scared, and we all know what happens when fear takes over."
Lexie steps closer to me, and says, "I am not focused on only myself, Valerio. Just because I want something other than what it is you want doesn't mean I'm not paying attention."
"What I want doesn't seem to matter to you anymore. You push and you push until you get what you want, and once I admired that about you. But now is not the time to just decide you know what's best for everyone."
"I'm not trying to say what's best for everyone! You asked for an opinion and I'm giving you one. Why are you acting like I'm personally attacking you all the time? It's not my fault that you and I want different things." Lexie completely steps up to me, and says brutally, "But not everything I do revolves around you."
I growl at her, and before I can stop and think about what I'm doing, I flick my fingers towards her. I send her to our bedroom, and then seal her inside. My breathing is heavy as I clinch my jaw.
"Valerio?" I hear someone say my name, and then it dawns on me that Lexie and I just had a real fight in front of the entire family.
Turning my head, I see that most of the family is staring at me with a shocked look on their face. Uncle Septimus is giving me a displeased look, which only makes me angrier.
"Everyone is dismissed," I order, no longer interested in what the family has to say.
By my account, only a total of nine people in the world have magic anymore. It's better if the President, and the humans, don't know that though. We can't go up against the entire human race; not with the weapons of mass destruction they have in the twenty-first century.
Not telling them the truth is protecting the family.
"Care to explain that to me?" Uncle Septimus asks as he comes into my office ten minutes after I dismissed the pack.
"Explain what?" I respond.
He scoffs at me as he comes into the room. "What's going on with you?" He asks as he sits down across from me.
"Nothing, I'm fine," I tell him. "I just don't like Lexie challenging me."
Uncle Septimus laughs, and then says, "Do you think your Mom and Dad never challenged each other? Because trust me, they did. But they never went toe to toe in front of the whole pack like that."
"Well Lexie doesn't know that the humans will react how she thinks. She needs to take a step back."
"She's your mate," he says bluntly, "and she has every right as Guild Leader to make decisions."
"Not this one."
Uncle Septimus is quiet for a long minute as we stare at each other. "Your Dad would be pissed if he could see you right now. He didn't raise you to treat her like she was beneath you."
"Get out of my office," I order.
Before the door is even fully closed behind him, Lexie informs me, "The President wants to set up a meeting with you."
I curl my fingers, knowing the only way she could know that is because she got an email. Bringing her laptop to myself, I read the email the President's secretary just sent. According to her, the President's first opening is in two days.
Quickly typing a reply, I confirm the appointment. Whether I'm ready or not, Lexie has backed me into a corner, and now I have to deliver.
Thanks for reading!
Have a safe 4th of July to my American readers!
~Stefanie