On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (14 page)

Huge glass sliding doors lay at the far end of the shortest hallway. “Can anyone just walk in here?” Alina asked.

“In theory, yes, but it’s not that simple. There are guards all around this place, some visible, some not. We would see anyone before they made it to that door.”

Ashina walked her over to the desk. “Hi Ana. This is Alina. Alina, this is our receptionist.”

The woman looked up and smiled. “Hi, nice to meet you. Welcome to Lash headquarters.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her pointed ear. She had big brown eyes, and Alina guessed she was a type of nymph or pixie.

“Nice to meet you too.” Alina instantly felt at ease around the woman.

“Have you seen the big group that arrived last night?” Ashina asked.

“Mm-hmm. They went to the game room.”

“Ah. That’s on the lower level. That’s why we can’t hear them. Back to the elevators!” Ashina gestured back to the way they had come.

Just how loud was her new family going to be? After another quick elevator ride, the doors opened to more marble, this hallway presenting them with the choice to go left or right. From last night, Alina recalled that the medical wing lay to their left. And from the right, the noise of cheerful voices drifted and echoed off the smooth walls.
Many
voices.

“The game room is this way.” Ashina guided her to the right.

Alina’s feet felt like weights and her heart was back in wrecking ball mode, slamming wildly against her ribs. The noise intensified as they walked, until they stopped at a set of French doors propped wide open. The room was full of Lash demons, as far as Alina could tell. Males and females, laughing and joking. Was this a party or was Watcher HQ always this festive?

Alina hesitated at the threshold, staring at the lively camaraderie within, feeling for a moment like the new girl in school. Would they like her? Would she fit in? Then again, with constant moving around, she’d lived her life being the new girl. She had that role nailed.

But this was different. This was family. And the role of sister? She didn’t even have the script.

Next to her, Ashina stood silent and patient and Alina was grateful that the woman seemed to understand her.

Inside, at least one thing was familiar. Several demons threw tiny flaming darts at a swampboard—a fixture in every bar she’d ever been in. The goal was to hit the tiny moving dots that represented jets of flammable swamp gas, or risk sinking your dart into the spongy surface where it would be extinguished.

A large screen TV displayed a combat-themed video game, accompanied by computer generated explosions and chanting spells. A few men sat on a leather couch, eyes riveted to the screen, alternately congratulating themselves or smack-talking their buddies.

In one corner, a man and woman, each with dark hair, stood wrapped in a passionate kiss. At least, until a tall female with long blond curly hair threw a hackey sack at the man’s back. “Get a room!” she yelled, but grinned and muttered something about
new mates
.

Another tall blond woman turned, giggling, toward the first one, but as she moved, her focus landed on the new arrivals. Her body froze, mouth open, eyes widening as her attention settled on Alina. Those eyes, deep and green, were a mirror of Alina’s own.

Alina couldn’t look away, her muscles locked in disbelieving paralysis. She was aware she was staring, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. This woman knew her. This woman was her blood.

My sister.

A dark-haired man got up from the leather couch, abandoning his video game controller. Huge and menacing, he came to stand behind the blond woman and placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes, a piercing Caribbean blue, zeroed in on Alina. The blond woman curled her hands over his, and it was then that Alina noticed the mate locks in their hair—hers blond with a streak of black, and his the opposite.
All your sisters are mated to Watchers
.

The woman’s eyes brimmed with a thousand emotions and she walked over to Alina. With each step, the room grew more quiet. Conversations died, games stopped, and every creature seemed to hold his breath, all eyes on them. Still, Alina couldn’t move.

Stopping right in front of her, the woman opened her mouth. “A…” She reached for Alina’s hands. “Alina?”

“Y-yes.” Alina’s voice was a cracked whisper.

”Oh my god. It’s really you. You’re here.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and she opened her arms wide.

Without hesitation, Alina melted into the embrace, her own tears flowing free. Her shoulders trembled and she didn’t know why, didn’t even know this woman’s name. Only that she knew, unequivocally, that she was her family and she mattered.

“I’m Nicole.” She sniffled into Alina’s hair. “I’m your oldest sister. I-I remember you.”

Emotion tore through Alina, ripping through the shell of her heart that hid her need for answers about her past.
No one
remembered her. She was the invisible girl. The one with no past, no biological family, and no future. “You…you do?”

Alina couldn’t think, could only react as two new sets of arms came around her right and left sides. And she knew, as a jolt wrapped her physically and emotionally, that these were her other sisters.

Sniffles and shaking breaths came from her sisters. Alina leaned back, realizing she had cried a wet circle onto Nicole’s T-shirt. A strand of Nicole’s hair stuck to Alina’s cheek and a gray-eyed brunette reached to tug it free. Alina turned to give her a watery smile, and looked up at the bright blond streak marking her dark locks. Behind her stood a tall blond demon with warm, assessing brown eyes.

“I’m honored to meet my newest sister-in-law.” He spoke softly, voice full of sincere appreciation.

“I’m Brooke,” the brunette said. “And this is my mate, Kai.”

“I’m Gin.” A voice piped up from her other side.

Alina turned to see another pair of green eyes, another brunette with another tall Lash behind her. Was this the couple that had been kissing in the corner? She looked to all three women. “I-I saw you in my scrying mirror.”

“You can scry?” Kai asked.

“Um, no.” Alina shook her head. “This was a special tool. A very powerful one.”

“We saw you too. We all had the same dream. You were looking for us, and you wanted to find us so badly.” Nicole took a tissue from her mate and wiped her eyes. “I-we could feel a sense of urgency from you.”

“I didn’t know that’s how it would work…through a dream,” Alina said. “But…” The counter spell. Faced with telling them, her knees weakened and she wished she had someone in her corner, someone to lean on.
Caine.

As if picking up her nonverbal cues, Ashina touched her elbow. “Maybe we should move somewhere more quiet. There’s a room across the hall where we can sit and talk.”

“That’s a good idea,” Nicole said. She gently grasped Alina’s hand and followed the healer out of the room and through another set of French doors directly across the hall.

This room radiated coziness. Fire bulbs along the top edge of the beige-painted walls winked on as they entered. Beautiful woven rugs in jewel tones covered the floor. And three red microfiber couches sat around a large wooden coffee table piled with books.

The sisters and Ashina settled on the couches, and the female who had thrown the hackey sack came in with a glass of water. She handed it to Alina. “Hi, I’m Ria.” All smiles and bouncy blond curls, her aura was easygoing and Alina liked her immediately. “I’m a Watcher.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alina said, taking a sip.

Ria disappeared to get drinks for the rest of the girls. They all looked at each other in a somewhat awkward silence, then Gin placed a hand over her heart and leaned forward. “I still can’t believe you’re here. How is this possible? You…died.”

“I still don’t understand it.” Alina shook her head. “My first memory is of being in a cave, way underground. Then my dad found me.”

“Dad?” A note of doubt mixed with surprise wove through Brooke’s voice and she shot glances to the other two.

“How did you even get there?” Nicole ignored her sister’s quirked eyebrow.

Alina opened her mouth, about to say, for what seemed like the millionth time, that she had no idea, but Ashina held up a hand.

“If I may make a suggestion,” she said. “Alina’s father—the man who found her and raised her—is coming here soon. Raniero left to get him. He may be able to answer some questions.”

“Some. But he doesn’t know how I ended up there either,” Alina muttered.

“I have an idea, if you’re willing,
nihja,
” the healer said. “We have a witch on staff here. She helps create amulets and helps with any spellwork we need. Her name is Whysper, and one of her skills is a type of regression spell.”

“Regression?” Alina asked, hoping and yet not fully comprehending.

“Yes. She can see, or sometimes even recreate, images of the past. But she needs a connection to the person or place. For example, she would need to be in a room to see an event that happened in that room. But she can also work with a person. Sometimes their presence is all that’s needed.”

“How does that work?” Nicole asked. “Does the witch pull the images from Alina’s mind? Does that hurt? Will Alina remember them after the process is over?”

Ashina didn’t seem fazed at all by the barrage of questions, and smiled at Nicole. “Nothing is taken. Whysper merely brings the past forward and observes. And I’ve been told it’s not painful. It’s like hypnosis.”

“So, she reports what she sees? Or do the images project somewhere for all of us to see?” Brooke asked.

Alina’s head was spinning from the thought of being put under a spell, and yet was tantalized with the thought of learning what really happened to her. And through it all, she felt growing admiration for her sisters—they seemed smart and caring. The kind of women who saw through the core of a problem and handled it.

“That depends on the situation. We can ask her.” Ashina turned to Alina. “But only if you want to.”

Alina debated for half a second. “I want to. I need to know.”

Brooke let out a breath, as if she had worried Alina would refuse the spell. “I’m so glad you said that. We’re dying to know too.”

Ria returned carrying a tray laden with glasses and pitchers of lemonade and iced tea. She took over pouring for the group, then excused herself with a smile. “Call me if you need anything,” she said, and headed back into the game room.

Alina turned to her
hota
. “I want to wait to do the spell until my dad gets here.” 

“Of course,” Gin said. “We want to meet him too. Is he a Lash demon?”

Alina swallowed. “He’s a vampire.”

Everyone froze, drinks halfway to mouths. All her sisters stared at her with brows raised.

“Look, I know it sounds weird. But I was alone. He took me in, cared for me, and fed me. He’s been a constant in my life. He’s the only father I’ve ever known.” Alina looked each one of the women in the eye. She and Sebastian may have lived an unconventional life, but she wouldn’t be here if not for him.

“Everything that has happened to you girls has been leading, building to this moment,” Ashina said. “And even before you were born. When I met Raniero…” She placed a hand over her heart. “What matters most is that we’re together. The four of you are unstoppable now.”

Alina sat frozen, her mind screaming that it was very much important, the
why
of how she survived, but it was like assembling a puzzle blindfolded. She knew each piece linked to another, and there was something critical she was missing. But as always, her mind held no answers.

“While we’re waiting for Raniero to return, why don’t you girls tell Alina about yourselves?” Ashina said.

“Okay,” Brooke said. “I wish we had our photos. We have one of you. Well, several.”

Alina’s jaw dropped. She’d never seen a picture of herself as a child. “Photos? Where are they?”

“I have a condo on Earth,” Brooke said. “In our hometown.”

Home city.
“Have you always lived in the same area?” Alina couldn’t imagine what it would be like to put down roots and simply stay. Though the idea was appealing.

“Yes.” Nicole leaned forward. “A huge city called Chicago. Maybe you can visit sometime.”

“I’d like to.” Alina took a long drink of water. “Do you use your powers there?”

Nicole and Brooke exchanged a look. “The short answer is yes,” Nicole said.

Alina nodded. “I get that.” So many things had a long or short answer. You just had to learn who to trust with the long—and probably messy—version of your life. “Did your—I mean, our—parents tell you about what you could do?”

A beat of silence filled the room. “They passed away in a car accident,” Gin said softly. “You were only a year old.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Alina said.

“I don’t remember them,” Gin said.

“I do,” Nicole said. “But a nice couple adopted all four of us. A human couple.”

Four.
“And then I…died? My heart…?”

“Your heart didn’t form properly, which I don’t understand because you’re not human. You’re a Solsti. But you were in and out of the hospital at lot. Tons of chest x-rays and echocardiograms.” Nicole let out a shaky breath. “And then…”

Next to Nicole, Brooke rubbed her back.

“…one time when you were hospitalized, you didn’t come home.” Nicole blinked rapidly.

Alina’s eyes filled with tears at the sadness on her sister’s face. She placed a hand over her heart, which beat strong and steady as it always had, but now its rhythm pulsed with mysteries she longed to unlock.

Brooke nodded. “So, then it was the three of us, always together. And when we figured out what we could do, we thought we just had these freak talents. We never thought we weren’t human.”

“Until I met Gunnar.” Nicole’s face lit up with love.

For the next hour, Alina listened to the stories of her sisters’ powers, and how they met their mates. They tried to go in chronological order, but kept interrupting each other and remembering new stories that they just had to tell her right away. Alina found herself alternately giggling at childhood pranks and then hanging on every word as they relayed tales of recent situations involving predatory demons. Through it all, the tight bond the three shared was vibrant and undeniable, and Alina let herself hope to be a part of this sisterhood, not just biologically, but emotionally too. The three talked fast, and Alina realized they were summarizing, so she stopped them periodically and asked for more details. “I want to hear everything.”