25. Zan

The shower turned on, and I hesitated for only a second before bending down and grabbing it. The paper was slightly yellow from age, and I carefully opened it after glancing at the bathroom door.

I had no doubt that she was going to be pissed about me reading whatever this was. But after she'd left a note for the Clovers to find, I wasn't taking any chances.

Backing up, I sat on the edge of the bed and started reading. It wasn't very long, but my eyes were stuck on the sentence that had my memory stirring. My heart raced, and I quickly read the rest, realizing that it was a note from her mother. My stomach knotted as I read it for a second time. And then a third time.

It meant nothing. I muttered a curse under my breath. If that was the truth, then why was this one damn sentence haunting me? My gaze went back to the familiar words, and I read it again.

…one cannot survive without the other.

Her mother didn't even sign her name on the note. I jumped back to my feet and began pacing the room as I read the words again. The last time someone said that to me was years ago. When the twins and I found that woman locked in our father's basement. Her words drifted through my head again, making the back of my neck prickle.

The balance cannot be disturbed. One cannot survive without the other.

Ramblings of a woman who knew she was going to die. At least that was what I believed. But now this? And Kali's friend Asami bringing up nature's balance. I didn't fucking like it. I didn't believe in coincidences. But I also didn't believe in things like fate.

My mind raced as I scrubbed a hand down over my jaw. How old was I when we met that woman? The night we saved her baby. I racked my brain, going over my childhood years in my head. Keeping track of dates when I was a kid wasn't exactly easy. We didn't have calendars or clocks. If our nanny didn't tell us the day, then we didn't know it.

What year did that happen? I was six, maybe? Or eight. Shit, I couldn't remember.

"Not fucking possible," I mumbled.

There was no way Kali was the baby. The word choices had to be a fucking coincidence. I moved to put the note back in the dresser drawer, but then the bathroom door swung open. I froze, wondering how I hadn't heard the water shut off. Her legs were still wet, and all she was wearing was the shirt she'd taken into the bathroom with her. But her hair was in a bun and still dry, which meant she hadn't washed it. I figured I had more time before she got out.

Her gaze dropped to my hand, and shock crossed her face before her fury quickly took over.

"That's mine," she hissed. "Going through my things?"

"It fell out when you were grabbing your clothes."

"But you still read it, didn't you?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Were you hiding it from me?"

"No," she bit out. "But it's personal. It's the only thing from my mother I have left."

My chest suddenly felt tight, and I realized I needed to fucking know. Taking a deep breath, I strode across the room and handed her the note.

"Do you have any memories of her?" I asked slowly.

She hesitated. "No. I was a newborn when I was found."

"Father?"

"Never met him either."

Her voice was clipped, her face holding no emotion as she answered. But I could hear the pain. I had a feeling she didn't talk about this often at all.

"Were you born in Project Hope?"

She shook her head. "I was taken there after I was found."

"Found where?" I forced out, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

She frowned, suspicious of my sudden interest. "A train station."

Her answer was like a punch in the gut. A train station was where we'd dropped off the baby girl. I studied her, trying to remember what the woman looked like. It was so long ago that I could barely remember the woman's features.

"What?" Kali snapped, shifting from foot to foot. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I couldn't answer her if I tried. My brain was trying to come up with every possible scenario to make this not true. I nearly jerked when there was a sharp knock on my bedroom door. I spun around, still feeling Kali's stare on me as I opened the door a crack. Pax stood there, a somber frown on his lips.

"You okay?" he asked, his gaze trailing over my face. "You look spooked."

"I'm fine," I muttered. "What is it?"

"Jasper is here. He wants a meeting."

Well, that was just fucking great. As if I needed more to worry about. Jasper was one of my father's most trusted vampires. Which meant he'd been sent here for a reason. My grip on the door tightened, and I glanced over my shoulder.

"I'll see you downstairs later," I told Kali. "Gia is waiting for you."

She nodded, still looking confused as I stepped out of my sweats and pulled on my jeans before slipping my shirt on. I headed out into the hall after Pax with my mind still stuck on the fact that there was a chance that Kali was the baby I'd rescued. Fuck. More than a chance—it was almost certain.

I thought I'd dragged Kali into the life of vampires. But what if she'd been a part of it all along?

Viggo slapped his hand on my bouncing leg while giving me an odd look. "What in the hell is wrong with you?"

We were sitting in one of the back rooms of Impulse, waiting for Jasper to join us. Pax was sitting on the couch across from me and Viggo, and he was staring at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"I found a note that Kali has," I muttered, watching Pax carefully, since he knew Kali was human from the beginning. "From her mother."

Pax's jaw ticked. "I knew about it. But I never read it."

I scoffed. "Anything else about her you haven't told me?"

"I didn't see it as important."

"If you'd read it, then you might be thinking differently."

Viggo frowned. "It's important?"

"Maybe." I blew out a breath and then recited the note from memory.

The twins both went still, and Pax's jaw dropped in surprise. At least I wasn't the only one who thought the words were familiar.

Viggo shook his head. "What? You're thinking she's somehow involved with that woman? Highly doubtful. That was years ago."

"Kali is an orphan, isn't she?" Pax asked quietly, his brows furrowed.

"Still doesn't mean anything," Viggo drawled, lighting up a cigarette. "Half the kids in this world are orphans from the war."

"I can't even remember how long ago that was," I muttered.

"You were seven." Pax's words were confident, and I didn't question him. He was always the best when it came to remembering things. "It was twenty-five years ago. Kali is the right age."

Viggo rolled his eyes. "Come on. There's no way."

"She was found at a train station."

My words had my brothers going silent. Even Viggo didn't look as sure anymore. He blew out a lungful of smoke, looking deep in thought.

"The woman…" Pax paused. "Kali does look a bit like her."

"You remember what she looked like?" I asked, my pulse thudding unevenly. I was hoping that by telling my brothers this, they would have squashed the connection. That there was no way it was possible that Kali was the baby from that night. But clearly, that wasn't the case.

"We were ten," Pax replied with a shrug. "I'm sure our memory of that night is better than yours."

Viggo chuckled. "At least you know that Kali isn't your long-lost sister. The last time Amaros mated was when he had you. That would have been awkward. You know, since you've already slept with her."

My glare cut to him. "I wasn't worried about that."

"Good." Viggo reached forward and tapped his cigarette over the ashtray on the small table. "You should be worrying about what happens if Amaros finds out. There was a reason he had that woman chained in the basement. And why he was so furious when the baby disappeared."

"He can't find out," Pax agreed. "If it's true."

"We don't tell him," I said tightly. "Or Kali. Not until we know for sure."

"You do realize that if it is true, then Kali doesn't know her real birthday," Pax murmured. "We didn't find the woman in June. It was in May."

"Paperwork wasn't on the list of priorities back then," Viggo said with a shrug. "Guessing an orphan's birthday probably didn't seem important."

"That means we have…maybe a couple weeks until her birthday, if it's true." I sighed. "Fuck. What if she's a Shadow?"

There was a knock on the door that had all three of us tensing. It opened, and Jasper walked in. Three more vampires strode in after him, and my stomach clenched. Why would Amaros send four vampires here for a meeting?

Jasper took a seat next to Pax, nodding at us with respect. His dirty blond hair was long and pulled behind his head. He pulled out his own cigarettes and asked for Viggo's lighter. Jasper looked like a kid, and it had taken years to learn to take him seriously. My father had turned him when he was just seventeen. He had the strength of an older vampire but was stuck in the body of a teen. He was lanky, his face still holding childlike characteristics. But he was ruthless and one of the vampires that Amaros trusted.

"Jasper," Viggo greeted him, forcing a grin on his face. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Amaros wants the three of you to come to the property."

Unease slid through me. "Why?"

Jasper glanced at me. "You know why. It's been more than three months. You're supposed to come every two."

I knew this. The job that Amaros wanted done fell on me, not on my brothers. Ever since Kali showed up, I'd been making up excuses not to go to the property, but it seemed that my father's patience had finally run out.

I jerked a nod. "I'll leave tomorrow."

"He wants all three of you to come." Jasper leaned back against the couch cushions. "And he wants you to bring the girl."

I went rigid, ice sliding through my veins. "What girl?"

"The one wearing your necklace." Jasper grinned. "I saw her while walking in here. Have you fed from her yet? She looks delicious. Your father was very excited to tell us about your human."

"Watch yourself," I growled, my eyes flashing with warning. "You might be under my father's protection, but she's mine. Show some fucking respect or you'll regret it."

"Sorry," he muttered, his face paling slightly. "I didn't mean any disrespect."

"We'll be at the property tomorrow night," Viggo spoke up. "Time for you to leave."

"Amaros wants us to escort you," Jasper replied nervously. "PARA has men everywhere right now, and he thinks we need to stay in groups."

This was fucking great. Kali was possibly the baby we'd taken from his property, and now we were going to take her back there. Anger and nerves swirled through me, and I got to my feet and stomped away, ripping open the door. There was no way I could keep Kali here. If I didn't bring her, then Amaros would come get her. He wanted to see her for a reason.

I strode down the hall, the loud music mixing in with the random conversations that were happening inside Impulse. Once I stepped into the main room, I scanned the area until I found Kali near the bar. She looked fucking stunning in her jeans and the tight top that Gia had given her. The lower part of her back was showing, revealing some of her tattoo. Movement beside her caught my attention, and the anger I was already feeling exploded into red-hot rage.

The blond fucking asshole who'd talked to her before was eyeing her in a way that had me clenching my fists. What was his name? Walker. I should have killed him the first time he spoke to her. I watched in silence as he inched closer. Gia was aware of him too, but once she caught sight of me, she returned to pouring drinks behind the bar.

I was already in a mood because of the conversation with Jasper, and I could feel myself losing it. Right now, I didn't give a shit. If Walker so much as accidentally bumped into her, he was fucking dead.