I will protect my people at all costs, even against my own brother, if that's what it takes. Jasper’s aimed look of rage is thrown at Carmen for a fleeting moment and then back at me, a new wave of something in the depths. A coldness envelops him that reminds me of Darrius, and I flinch.
"They deserve to die, even if the war stops. There's a debt to be repaid, and it's only in the form of Santo blood.... no matter whose that is or what it does to me in the end." He casts a look Carmen's way again, loaded with meaning, and I catch her crumbling despair, and her lip trembles as she realizes what he means.
His hatred runs deeper than love can reach, and in one sentence, he rejects the bond and makes it clear that she is no mate he will ever accept. In one second, he was her forever... in the next, he's swearing to cut down her entire pack and her too, even if it kills them both. I lose my temper and fly at him, seeing red and hating his arrogance. Smacking him in the chest with meaning and sending him reeling backward. Seemingly my gifts are still strong.
"I'm Santo... so if you want to maim and kill and rebalance the debt with Santo blood, you will have to go through me. Those are MY pack, and in the absence of MY mate... I'm their queen, and I will die to protect them. Every. Last. One. I won't cower because my brother dares to stand against them. I'm clear on where my loyalty lies, and it's not in revenge and misguided hate." My venom outshines him, my intent clear. My heart is hammering in my chest and trembling with adrenalin until my limbs feel unsteady, but I stand my ground.
He stands where he was, unmoved yet not as fierce as before. Eyes locked on mine, amber to my red, claws elongated in both of our human hands. We both pant in heavy breaths, neither willing to back down or relent. Stubborn and headstrong and matched in aggression.
Leyanne walks between the two of us rather casually, pushing him back a step with a finger jab so she can regain some space.
"You both have a common goal, and she's right... Santo is a bloodline, not a collective of guilty wolves. The ones you want are the same ones your sister has not dismissed yet. Their time will come, and you can rid the world of Juan Santo and his minions together... this is not the way. The sins of a few should not be carried by the many... Santo is not a dirty word, Jasper." Leyanne is the voice of reason, and her tone is patient, as though explaining to a child. Wisdom and maturity shine through; for a second, I forget I don't trust her and find a new appreciation for her. Jasper throws an angry stare at Carmen, unable to stop being drawn to her at every opportunity, and I see the war ravaging his heart. After a hesitant pause, he turns to me and spits his last words, ignoring Leyanne completely.
"I'll never mate with a Santo... Not even ordained by the fates. Don't stand in my way, Lorey. No matter what happens with the war, my goal has always been to return to the Santo lands and finish what was started. I've been biding my time, and if I have to take down my mate and end myself in the process of scourging the earth of their kind, so be it. I promise you; I'll die avenging our family." Jasper turns on his heel and stalks back to the car, the atmosphere thick with his words, sadness growing in Carmen's heart and choking me in proximity.
Without looking back, he storms in and slams the door, so it echoes in the air and causes instant cold silence. Within seconds both cars move off, seemingly done with this and our presence. No hesitation, no minutes to cool down and rethink this. I'm sure Darrius sees this as the best outcome, given how little he gave a shit about the imprinting.
I know it's for the best, given the change in what just went down, but part of me is incensed that he walked off and left us here like this. Ten years, a shitty ten-minute reunion, and it all goes to hell when the word Santo is brought up. After telling me how happy he was to find me alive, my brother just up and left.
Well, screw him and his damned vengeance.
Carmen crumbles behind me with his departure. The tears fall, and the floodgates open. My heart breaks instantly, pulling all attention of us three remaining women to her pitiful state as she sits abruptly on the ground. Even Meds is moved to go to her and cradle her frail figure in her arms as she weeps and buries her face in her palms.
"I should have known this was too good to be true." she blubs out, wiping her face and trying to regain the cold composure yet failing. She's too deeply broken by this, and I can sympathize. Imprinting is a whole other level of despair when your mate rejects you. I've lived it, and I hate that on top of everything this girl has gone through, she now relives some of my darkest days. Maybe she's right, and the fates are punishing her because I cannot get my head around why the hell things like this would keep being thrown her way.
"What now?" I despair at Leyanne, so overwrought and done with all this shit and waiting on the next major thing to be tossed at me. I'm sick of all the misery and chaos and need answers. I need a plan to fix some of this crap and get back on top of things. I don't even want to digest the fact my brother is alive and just made me his sworn enemy.
"We follow the plan...we have a fog to stop, and then.... we might have a different kind of battle to intervene in." She shrugs, still infuriatingly indifferent, and I wonder if this witch has a heart. She doesn't seem all too invested in anything.
"It's a long journey. I know a lot happened here, but we need to move." Meadow cuts in, bringing reality back to the mess left behind from their departure, and I glance over Carmen as she pulls herself together with speed. Swallowing her tears, sitting upright. Pasting on that face we often see. The cold attitude, the air of not caring. The mask engages, and the wall is erected faster than I could have managed. She always leaves me in awe.
"I'm fine... This is how it goes... I should have expected it. I would be a shitty mate anyway. I'm way too selfish." She bites her bottom lip to curb its tremble. Pushes Meadow's hands away, yanks herself up, and walks off to the truck, getting in and moving straight back to the rear, out of sight, and making it clear she wants to be alone. Meadow and I exchange worried glances and sigh in unison. A look of sympathy mirrored in us both, and I genuinely want to cry for her.
The girl needs some kind of a break. Having your imprinted mate reject you is the worst feeling in the world. Her pain right now has to be up there with the top ten of all awful things that's ever happened to her, even besides her mom's death.
"If these things were easy and straightforward, there would be no effort in putting things to rights." Leyanne jovially sing songs in that heavy Celtic brogue with a way too jolly smile, and I think she might be some sort of sadist who thrives on the hurt and pain of others. She certainly has no qualms about behaving rudely and giving the wrong responses to emotional moments.
"This is going to be a long drive." Meadow sighs and gestures me into the truck, where I too head to the back meekly to check on my femme. I see Carmen has curled up tight on one of the beds and is facing away from me. Her body language screams to be left alone, but I can tell by the subtle shoulder movements that she's crying silently. I feel helpless, and my heart aches for her. My instincts are to console her, but I know I can't. Her character, aura, and entire self-preservation system tell me to stay away and not disturb her. She wouldn't thank me right now for any kind of consoling.
I've been here. I know the pain of denying the bond and the agony of being parted right from the initial impact. She needs time to process, and so do I. My head's a mess, and I think I also need some quiet time to think.
In twelve hours, I discovered that I'm pregnant with twins, my brother lives, my father is freaking vampire royalty, and my entire existence was a lie. My brother is on a vendetta to take down everyone I love and thus wounding me the same way Santos did a decade ago. Somehow, during all that, I'm the key to stopping it all. All while my mate is in some enchanted state of zombie and looking to strike me down if he gets to me before I break the spell.
It's all too much. I have to get back and free my mate in the hopes he knows what to do because I sure don't anymore. Maybe Colton has a plan to deal with Jasper when he finally shows up to exact revenge on the wolves I consider my family. I only hope that all of this comes together and makes sense because the fates have to know what they're doing, or else we're all screwed.