“D-Dominic? As in…” I began but didn’t finish as I stared in shock at Nova. His hand held mine in a death grip but I held on, knowing that neither of us could hold it together if I let go.

“As in the fae prince that knocked up two women and then abandoned both children, running like a little bitch?” Nova sneered. “Yeah, that’s the bastard.”

“Son, please, just -” Dominic began with his hands raised in a peaceful gesture, but Nova cut him off with a dark laugh that sent chills down my spine.

“Son? No, you don’t get to use that word,” he snarled and took a step forward, dragging me with him. “You are nothing to me, you get that? You're nothing but a fucking coward."

Alana looked stricken as she stood silently by, her violet eyes glistening with tears as they darted between Dominic and Nova, finally stopping on me. Her beautiful face was etched with pain, regret and sadness swirling in her eyes, just as they had in my dreams. She was real and she was here, standing in front of me just within reach. I could easily reach out and hug her, embrace the woman that had given birth to me like I had fantasized about so many times in my life.

But something held me back. I knew in every fiber of my being that these two individuals were without a doubt my biological parents. I knew I should be ecstatic to finally be meeting them, but I wasn't. Instead, I wanted nothing more than to get away from them. 

"Nova, if you would just listen to me, we can talk about this," Dominic attempted to reason with Nova who was shaking with anger beside me. "I will tell both of you everything but I need you to calm down."

"You need?! I don't give a damn about what you need, Dominic." Nova spat, his words filled with disgust. "Nothing you have to say will change what you did or make it better."

My mouth still wouldn't work, my mind racing in a hundred different directions as my emotions twisted into knots, an indecipherable code. My throat was closed, aching with tears that wanted to come but I fought back, words unable to form. I felt like I was in a vortex, a whirlwind of chaos that held me trapped in place. My eyes finally met the silvery orbs I had come to know so well.

Suddenly everything else in the room became muffled and distant, Nova's angry voice distorted as if I was under water. August looked back at me, his face a mask but his eyes told me this had been his choice. The regret that filled them sliced through me like a hot dagger.

Time seemed to stand still when I realized what must have happened. Instead of coming back to me like he had promised or even talking to me about it, he had made his own decision. He went to the one thing that was holding him back from me, the person that was keeping us apart. And then he had brought him back here, knowing it would be impossible for us to be together.

"So, this was your solution." I whispered, the agony in my voice holding the power to silence the room but I ignored them all as I held his gaze. "Of everything you could have done, this was your choice. For someone so ancient, your weakness is staggering."

"Nevada, -" August began but I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"Just don't, August. Don't." My voice was like hardened steel as the words left my lips. 

I looked at Alana, my mother, torn between her abandoning me but also wanting to know her. Understanding flashed in her eyes when she looked over at August and back to me as tears flooded her cheeks triggering my own. I felt my heart breaking as I looked at each of them in turn.

Dominic was focused on Nova, anger and remorse lining his handsome features as Nova continued to throw his power around the room. It was angry and felt like needles pricking my skin but I didn't care. He and I both had a right to our pain and anger that had been thrust upon us as infants, choices made that we had been too young to have a say in had changed our lives. Who knows what could have been had Dominic chosen to stay.

"Nova, I don't want to do this right now," I told him, the fight inside me quickly dissipated leaving me empty and exhausted. 

Ever since August had left that day, I hadn't felt the same. The absence of his presence had left me feeling empty, an ache in my chest that wouldn't go away no matter what I did. I had watched for him during those days, during the night when sleep wouldn't come. It had hurt when he left, something inside of me gone with him.

"What is she talking about, August?" Dominic asked without taking his eyes from Nova.

"Nothing," I answered before August could open his mouth. "Absolutely nothing."

I turned towards the entryway and tugged on Nova's hand to get his attention. After a long moment, he finally dragged his eyes away from Dominic and looked at me. I silently plead with him to drop it for now, wanting to get away from this room full of people who had hurt me. Nova's eyes softened and I felt his power ease away, but the air in the room was still tense.

Without another word to anyone, he led me from the living room and up the stairs. Neither of us spoke as he opened my bedroom door, his hand still clasping mine almost as if he was afraid to let me go. I was surprised to see that Hatter had followed behind us, lingering in the doorway as if unsure what he should do.

"Why are you here?" Nova asked him after I had taken my hand back and sat down on my bed. His voice was quiet but I didn't miss the notes of anger when he spoke.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Hatter answered just as quiet. "Both of you."

"Like you care?" Nova scoffed and shook his head. "I'm not doing this right now. You can go, we'll be fine."

Hatter opened his mouth to argue but closed it again as if thinking better of it. With a last lingering look at Nova, he closed the door behind him and left us alone. Nova sat quietly on the edge of my bed, his gaze fixated on a spot of carpet and rolled his eyes a minute later.

"If you don't get away from the door, Hatter, I will throw you down the stairs," Nova said patiently with a hint of warning. He smirked to himself a second later before looking over at me. "What?"

"What was that?" I asked curiously, despite the turmoil raging inside of me. 

"He was standing in the hallway being all lurky," Nova answered with a shrug. He lay back on the mattress, his legs hanging off the side. "So, I told him to go away."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's Hatter." He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. "He lives to annoy me."

I studied him for a moment. "What's the deal with you two?"

"I don't know what you mean," he said with disinterest. "There is no deal."

I lay down beside him and stared up at the ceiling. Everything was such a mess and I had no idea what I was supposed to do. August had made it very clear he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Dominic to be with me. While it hurt to admit it, I understood in a way. Nova may be my half brother but he was my best friend before all of this had happened and I would never want to do something that would hurt him. 

"What are we going to do, Nova?" I asked quietly into the silence. "Why are they here?"

Nova sighed, "I have no idea on either count. There's obviously a reason but I'm not sure I want to know."

"I wish we had been warned at least. Maybe then it wouldn't have been so harsh." I wasn't sure if that was true but it didn't matter now that they were here.

"I think Hatter knew but wasn't able to say anything," he replied thoughtfully. "Vampires and their obsession with control. I would hate for someone to have that kind of power over me."

Neither of us spoke for a while, lost to our own thoughts. We would have to leave my room eventually and face the fact that my biological parents, and Nova's father, were in the same house. We didn't know how long they would be here or if they were even going to stay, we didn't know anything.

I knew we needed to handle this like adults but I really only wanted to hide out in my room. My fingers played with the necklace that had been around my neck for years, the familiar edges and warmth a comfort to my jagged emotions. A gift from my parents before August had taken me away.

"I have a bracelet like that," Nova said as he looked at the necklace. "The pendant is nearly the same."

I looked down at the crystal, "Really? How come you've never said anything?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal," he answered.

"Where did you get your bracelet?" 

"My mother gave it to me the last time I saw her," he replied, his eyes filling with pain as he looked away, "which was nearly a year ago."

My eyes widened at his admission. I had known that they hadn't had the greatest of relationships over the years, but I didn't realize it had come to that. Nova hadn't mentioned it and I hadn't been thoughtful enough to ask.

"A year?" I asked in disbelief. 

"Yeah, she gave me the bracelet and told me I should have had it with me years ago but she couldn't bring herself to part with it." He shook his head. "She told me it belonged to my father."

As I watched, Nova placed his hand inside his jeans pocket and pulled out what looked like a small bundle of black cordage. I turned on my side and he did the same, our bodies braced on our elbow as he placed the bundle on the bed between us. The cordage was thin but braided together in Celtic knots to strengthen the strands. In the center was a small crystal almost exactly like the one that hung around my neck.

I gaped at Nova and reached my fingers out to touch it. The bracelet was pulsing with energy that I could feel still inches away, the crystal warm to the touch. A twin set of crystals had been given to us and I knew the only ones that could tell us anything about them were the two people we were wanting to avoid.

"I've noticed that when I have it on me, I seem to channel more energy or like my own feels enhanced." Nova said as he toyed with the bracelet absentmindedly. "I don't want to talk to him, Nev. Hell I don't even want to look at him."

"I know, I don't either. He hurt me too," I responded, my voice cracking slightly. "They both did."

Nova met my eyes, his brilliant blue irises laced with sympathy. He tucked a lock of my blonde hair behind my ear and gave me a sad smile. 

"They missed out on seeing an awesome little girl grow up into an amazing young woman," he told me. "It's their loss. But I am proud to call you my best friend and beyond the moon that you're my baby sister even if it all happened in a fucked up way."

I gave him a water smile and laid my head on his shoulder. 

"Dominic missed out on knowing you too. I wouldn't know what to do without you." I told him honestly. "You've always been my big brother. Blood or no blood, you always will be."

"That's because I'm fabulous as fuck and everyone is lucky to even get to look at all this deliciousness."

I burst out laughing despite the tears in my eyes. Leave it to Nova to find a way to lighten the mood.

"Go ahead and laugh but you know it's true." He continued in the same serious tone but his eyes were teasing. "It's good to see you smile."

My smile faltered slightly, "It's been a rough few weeks."

"I was referring to the last few days." He corrected with a raised brow. "Are you ever going to tell me what's going on with you and August?"

I narrowed my eyes, "Are you going to talk about you and Hatter?"

"There is nothing to talk about!" Nova replied in exasperation. 

"If you say so. But there isn't anything to talk about for me either. August doesn't want anything to do with me like that," I answered as I sat up and flopped back against my pillows. "He's made that perfectly clear."

"So, there was something?"

"I thought there was," I whispered, my heart aching. "But I was wrong."

Nova was quiet for a few minutes before he finally replied, "I don't think you were wrong."

I looked up at him in surprise.

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Nevada," he continued. "Whatever is causing him to fight it, he won't win."

Hope fluttered in my chest but I was hesitant to trust it. August had fought me at every turn and allowing himself to touch me or feed from me didn't mean he wanted more like I did. I could feel myself falling for him, hard, and I didn't think I could survive if I let myself continue. 

"It doesn't matter. Dominic is here and his best friend, August won't do anything to damage that," I told Nova. "I never thought I would be that girl."

"What girl?"

"The girl that wants her dad's best friend."

Nova let out a bark of laughter and I glared at him.

"I'm sorry but the way you said that was funny," Nova said forcing himself to calm down. "You can't look at it that way unless you have a relationship with Dominic."

"Speaking of which, what are we going to do?" I asked, eager to change the subject.

"Leave?" He answered with a scowl.

"I'm serious, Nova. We need to deal with this."

"I am,too, well partially." He ran a frustrated hand over his face and laid on his back. "I don't know."

Before I could answer, a light knock sounded on the door. I froze but Nova stood from the bed and made his way to it. I inhaled sharply when he opened the door and I saw the person on the other side. 

"Nevada, I know you're hurt and you're angry. But I was hoping we could talk."

Nova looked at me as if asking what I wanted to do to which I slowly answered with a nod.

"Let me know if you need me," he whispered as he kissed my forehead before retreating from my room.

We stared at each other for a long time, neither of us speaking.

"We haven't properly met. I'm Alana but most people call me Lana." She said, her smile and voice tinged with sorrow. "And I'm your biological mother."

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A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the others but I hope you liked it just the same.

Let me know if you see any errors and also what you thought about the chapter.

Thanks for reading!❣

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~SM~