Chapter 18

Elek

Fucking Mátyás in the shower wasn't enough to take the edge off. My body's still high-strung and needs to be near our other mate. Ever since we tasted her blood last night, it's as if my body has awakened from a deep slumber, and the piece that was missing is sliding into place.

When we reach the bedroom door, Ysabel greets us. She blocks the doorway with a blank expression. Her hands are clenched at her sides, and her body is tense.

"The two of you have a good time?" Mátyás asks, but I can sense a hint of an undertone in his words.

"We did." She remains in our path. "She's a bit of a lightweight."

"Good to know." Mátyás licks his lips and bounces on his feet.

Ysabel clenches her fist and slams it against Mátyás's nose. Bone crunches as she puts the full weight of her strength behind it. If he were a human, he'd be on the ground in pain, blood gushing down his face. But he's not. He's immortal and never moves from his stance.

"Bastardo." She jabs a finger in his chest. "You used me to feed her the wine you gave me. The wine that you laced with both your blood. You used some strong magic and hid it well. It took me almost finishing the bottle with her to figure it out."

Mátyás glares at her as he cracks his nose back into place. If it were anyone else, he'd have ripped their head from their body. Ysabel has always been different. We've had a soft spot for her since he turned her, which is why we tend to let her get away with more shit than the rest and is why she's the only one with enough balls to lay a hand on us.

"Why would you stoop so low?" Her eyes narrow as her lips tighten. "You're no better than they were."

"I'll let that slide since you're angry on behalf of our mate, but do it again, and it will be the last thing you do." Mátyás steps up to her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Of all the things she could have said to him, that was the worst one.

"I expected better from you." She shakes her head at him.

"We're not them, Ysabel." I can sympathize with her and understand why she's so mad at us for his actions, but I refuse to be compared to those bastards. I may not have known his initial plan, but it doesn't matter. I will always have his back, no matter what.

"Maybe not, but they violated my body and took my choice away from me as you have done to her. And you made me your accomplice." Her lips pull back, revealing the sharp points of her fangs.

"It's because of us that you were saved." His nostrils flare as he tries his best to remain calm.

"Maybe so, but I will not betray the first decent friend I've made in centuries. She knows what you've done. Good luck." She shoves her shoulder into his chest, knocking him back a step, and disappears down the hall.

"Don't worry." I grab his shoulder and massage the tight muscles. "She'll get over it in time."

"One word." He glances at me, unconvinced. "Akos."

"So, it may take her another four hundred years to forgive you," I tease in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Let's go check on Kiara."

He nods and spares a backward glance down the hall where Ysabel disappeared. I know it stung having her upset with him, but I wasn't lying. We're a family, as dysfunctional as we might be, and at the end of the day, we can't stay mad at each other.

When we walk in, the room appears to be empty. Nothing looks out of place, but letting my guard down is my first mistake. Never underestimate a woman scorned.

I hear her scream, and glass shatters behind me. When I glance back, Mátyás grunts in pain. Glass from the wine bottle Kiara shattered over his head litters the floor, but our little hellfire isn't done.

"You son of a bitch. How dare you do that to me." She jumps on his back and locks her short legs around his midsection. Her hands start clawing at him like a feral cat. It would be a huge turn-on if her anger wasn't currently directed at one of her mates.

I stand and watch for a brief moment, letting her release some pent-up rage. It'll make it easier for her to listen to us with a clear head in the long run.

"A little help, Elek," Mátyás grunts in annoyance. He could easily toss her aside, but the last thing he wants to do is hurt her.

I walk up behind him and grab her by the curves of her waist, tucking her back into my chest. Her entire body tenses up the second I touch her, but she doesn't try to claw at me. She pants and struggles to remain upright. No doubt she exerted herself trying to take Mátyás down.

"Calm down, and let us explain, társam," I whisper against her ear.

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" Her heavy breaths fill the silence as her body tenses in my hold.

"Because everything we do or have done is to keep you alive." The strain in Mátyás's voice is evident. He's still worked up over his earlier confrontation with Ysabel. Add this into the mix, and he's a volcano of emotions ready to erupt at any moment.

"What?" Her body goes slack against me at his words. Satisfied she isn't going to go for his throat anytime soon, I release my hold on her.

"Are you ready to listen, or do you want to continue to maim us?" I ask as she spins to face me.

"Fine, but you better make it good, or I'll do much worse next time." She steps away and crosses her arms over her chest. Her face is flushed from the wine and her temper, but she's never looked more beautiful.

Mátyás runs a hand through his hair, searching for the best way to break the news to her. I'm not sure there is one. News like this is best given delicately.

"You will die if we don't complete the mating bond by midnight on All Hallow's Eve this year. It's part of our curse. We told you this on your first night here." Apparently, he went with the direct approach.

"What curse?" She tilts her head to the side, watching us for any sign of deceit. She will find none.

"There is always a price to be paid for what we are. For good and evil must always have a balance. Our parents are fallen angels who broke the sacred law when we were born. The sins of the father always fall onto his children."

"Meaning us." Understanding begins to dawn on her face.

"Yes. We are, for lack of a better word, the Holy Trinity." He nods.

"Like from the Bible?" Her body goes still at his words.

"Not exactly." I step closer to her, thankful she allows it. "We are three that become one, but not in the way humans believe."

"We are the three that can break the curse for all Nephilim. Through our bond, none of us will be forced to live in the shadows anymore. We can be free to walk in the sun. In return, the three of us will also be gifted an elemental power during the mating process, but ours must be stronger than most because we're already showing signs of having them." Mátyás clears his throat and holds her gaze.

"But it wasn't enough for Lucifer. He said it was too easy and wanted to throw in his own stipulation." His lip curls in disgust. "We have been alive since the beginning of time, forced to watch you die over and over."

"That makes no sense. You're immortal. You can't die." Her face softens as she takes in what we're telling her.

"Immortal, yes, but unkillable, no." I shake my head, hating to admit we have any weakness. "There are only two ways to kill us. Sunlight and a stake carved from a baobab tree through the heart."

"From the Tree of Life?" Her brows arch. The blood and wine seem to have calmed her enough to listen to what we're telling her. What we've been trying to tell her, but she's been too stubborn to listen until now.

"One and the same." He sighs.

"What does this have to do with me?" She rubs her forehead, trying to make sense of what we've said.

"As we told you your first night here, it's why Natália kept you hidden and protected all these years. If we don't find you before your forty-fifth birthday, which always happens to be on Halloween, you are killed in the most brutal way possible, and we are forced to wait however long it takes for you to be reborn. I'd rather not relive that part of the story and will spare you the details."

"How many…" She squeezes her eyes closed and takes a deep breath before finishing her question. "How many times have I been reborn?"

"A few hundred times, give or take." I sigh, hating to admit our failures out loud.

"A few hundred?" She drops her hands and squares her shoulders. "What happens after I die and I'm reborn?"

"You may look the same, but you have no memories of your former life. We cease to exist to you, and we're forced to start the entire process all over again." My stomach tightens at the way we lost her the last time. "The last time we found you was in sixteen ninety-four. We were so close to being a complete trinity, but we didn't account for how far Lucifer's treachery would go to ensure we failed.

"But you remember?" Her green and blue eyes narrow as her mouth twists to the side.

"Yes. Every memory we have shared throughout our lifetimes together is wiped away from you, but we're forced to walk through this world searching for you to help you remember before it's too late."

"And this time, I wasn't willing to take any chances of that happening again." Mátyás clenches his jaw, preparing for her to lash out at him again, but Kiara surprises us.

"That's why it was so important for me to wear the bloodstone. It was to protect me. Wasn't it?" She walks over to the chair at the foot of the bed and plops down, letting out a heavy sigh.

"It muted your power until the mating ritual can be completed. I think it was your aunt's way of keeping you safe and trying to hide you from the enemy, but as your birthday nears, the stone's power weakens. That's how we were able to find you." I shrug, not sure what else to say.

"And the Lycans?" she asks.

"Yes." I nod.

"Tell me, kis boszorkány, before we brought you here, were you feeling more tired than normal lately?" Mátyás asks.

"How could you possibly know that?" Her forehead wrinkles as her gaze darts between the two of us.

"It's your body's way of wearing down from us being apart and preparing in case…" I can't bring myself to finish that sentence.

"No, my doctor said it's menopause." She shakes her head in denial. It's no surprise. Humans rarely like to think of their own mortality.

"That is not something you will ever go through." Mátyás grins. "We can have children whenever we choose to. Whether it be now or in a hundred years."

She rubs her forehead, absorbing all we have said. She's taking the news better in this lifetime, which might mean she'll come around to the truth sooner rather than later.

"So, are you still mad at us?" I ask.

"No. As much as I hate to admit it, that brings some things into perspective. At least now I know why I've wanted to kill you as much as fuck you both since I arrived." She throws her head back and stares up at the ceiling but then turns her attention back to us. "But if you ever do anything like that again, I will make you both regret it. Understood?"

"Yes." I nod.

"Never again. You have my word," Mátyás agrees.

Satisfied with that, she rests her head back again.

Knowing that the worst of it is over, I sit on the bed beside her while Mátyás steps up next to the chair.

"What have we here?" Mátyás picks up the book lying open on the arm of the chair and starts reading it. His lips curl into a wide grin as he turns to face her. "Oh, kis boszorkány. We can do so much better than this. Would you like us to show you?"

She watches him for a beat before leaning forward and smiling at him. "Let's see what my mates are capable of."

Looks like things took an interesting turn.