Two days, that's how long I had managed to avoid both Gabriel and my brother since I learned that Gabriel was my mate, my other half. I knew that I should have faced him immediately, but I wanted time to think. But I knew that my real reason was that I was scared. I was scared that Gabriel wouldn't want me when he found out my darkest secret that kept taunting me.

My current hiding spot was the nursery. And so far, the only people that had seen me in here were the mothers that dropped their children off for the day so they could go to work. A little boy pulled on my hair, drawing my attention back to him. I couldn't help but smile down at him as he flashed me a toothless grin. As I let him play with my fingers, I felt my eyes start to burn with unshed tears. The one thing that I would never be able to give Gabriel was the one thing that I dearly wanted: children.

I tried to keep the dark memories at bay as the fought to surface. Gabriel and Dean may have rescued me from that dark cell that I have lived in most of my life, but they could do nothing about the scars that littered my body and soul. They were there to haunt me for the remainder of my life. "You're a natural with children."

The voice was soft and low, spoken thus way so the speaker wouldn't startle me or the baby. A quick glance up had my eyes landing on a smiling Judy. "I believe that you will make a wonderful mother one day, Gia." Judy spoke with serenity but I just shook my head. "That would be impossible," I whisper softly, dropping my eyes back to the baby in my arms.

"Why," she questioned, her voice revealing just how confused she felt. I sigh deeply as I struggled to find the words. "I'm not sure exactly how old I was when the master began to have me brought to his room. All I know is that on my second visit, there was a woman with him.

"All I could make out was the black cloak she wore and her silvery-white hair. He tied me to the bed while she began to unpack a small gray bag that sat on the nightstand beside me. I was forced to drink an awful mixture of something that burned my throat as I swallowed it. The woman told me that it was to make my body numb to the pain that would accompany whatever they were going to do to me.

"At first, I just thought that the master was going to beat me again or rape me. But what that woman did to me was far worse than anything he could have ever dreamed of doing. Whatever she gave me did its job. There was no pain as she began to cut into my body, but there was so much blood.

"At one point, I began to hope, pray that I was losing too much. I wanted to die because then I would be free of the life that I was living. In death, I would never have to see his face again. But then she began to stitch the cuts up.

"As the master began to untie me, I heard her tell him that what he wished was done. I would never bare any children in this life; they had taken something from me, something far more precious than anything I could have ever dreamed I had to be stolen." My voice faded as my eyes burned with tears that I refused to release. A quiet sob had my eyes snapping up to Judy.

She had tears streaming down her face as her shoulders shook hard. "They stole my future. Who would want a mate that could never give them children?" Judy opened her mouth several times to speak, but nothing came out. I watched as she turned and quickly left the nursery.

Slowly, I stood to my feet and made my way over to the cradle. Laying the sleeping baby down, I covered him with a light blanket and just watched him sleep. The little faces he made had a smile blooming on my lips as I fought harder to keep my tears at bay. I would never get to hold my own child, hear their first cry, or watch them grow.

I heard the door shut and Morna lay down quietly in the back of my mind. While she was upset at the memories that she had seen, she was at peace because of who was walking towards us. I felt a pair of strong arms slowly wrap around my waist, pulling me into a hard chest.

"I will always want you as my mate, Georgiana," Gabriel whispered softly as he hugged me tightly. "All I want is for you to be happy, sweetheart. If you're happy, then so am I." I felt the dam around my tears starting to crumble as he spoke, each word only bringing his love and honesty to my ears. "If you want a house full of children, we'll find a way."

He pressed a soft kiss against my temple as I began to cry. Quickly, he turned me around and I buried my face into his chest as I broke down. I could feel his arms tighten around me but I only felt safe and loved. For once in my life, it seemed as if everything was finally going right for me.

The door flung open, slamming into the wall hard. Waking with a start, the young baby began to cry. I quickly picked him up and began to rock him in my arms. Turning, I come face to face with Dean and my brother, both who were looking very worried about something. "Gabriel, you have to get Georgiana down to the panic room."

The order came from Dean as they began to usher us and the children from the nursery. "What's going on brother?" Gabriel asked as he picked up two little girls that were having trouble keeping up with the others. Dean glanced at me and then Toby. "We're under attack," he stated as he led us down a hidden staircase.

I had a feeling that there was something that he didn't want to say around me. Silence filled the air as we hurried down the stairs to an open door. There were many women and children in the room, all wearing a look of worry on their face. Several of the younger women took the children and gave them to their mothers.

Just as the door shut, I heard Dean's voice. "He's rounded up most of the worst rogues and he's attacking from the south. He's after her..." The door shut with a loud click and I felt my heart sink. I just had to jinx myself, didn't I?