Storm: The Empire Chronicles (4 page)

“What is this about Levi’s mate?”

“I’ll tell you everything, but I need to start at the beginning.”

“You will tell me what I need to know about Levi.” She walked right up to him. “This instant.”

He nodded and took a step back. “He’s supposed to meet his mate today.”

What? I startled. Was that the approach he was going to take?

“Supposed to?”

“It won’t make sense because you didn’t let me start at the beginning, but I need to fix things or he might not meet her.”

“Who is she?”

“Allison Davis.”

“Why do I recognize that name?” Georgina’s eyebrows drew together. “Davis.”

“Her father just bought the hotel.”

“His daughter? Why would Levi take her as his mate? Do you know his type that well?”

“Could we sit for this?” He gestured to the chairs and couches in the center of the room.

“You are too weak to stand?” There was amusement in her voice.

“No, but you might need to sit for this.”

“I am perfectly fine standing.”

“You know a lot about witches and magic.” He made a statement instead of asking a question.

She nodded. “I know my fair share.”

“And you know my mother is a witch.”

Georgina coughed. “How did you know?”

“That’s not the important part.”

“It is important.” She sighed. “Your father never wanted you to find out.”

“But I did.”

“She is a good woman. Witch or not.”

“She’s better than my dad.”

“Your father is a valuable member of The Society elite.”

“Or so you think, but that’s not the point either.”

“Or so I think? You can’t throw out a statement like that.”

“I told you it might be best if you sit.”

“I don’t think so.” Georgina shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I’m sorry if you are upset about your mother, but I don’t see how that relates to Levi.”

“Do you know how witches time travel?”

Georgina coughed again. She walked over to a high back chair and sat down.

Jared threw me a look. I hoped he would keep his mouth shut and didn’t say, “I told you so.”

“Why would you want to know about that?”

“Because that’s what I’m doing now.”

“Is this some sort of joke?”

“I wish it were.” Jared sighed. “Trust me.”

“Can you prove it?”

“Maybe. It depends how good your memory is.”

“My memory is perfect.” She glared at him.

“About eighteen years ago, Robert went to a major summit without Helen.”

“Yes, I wasn’t happy she chose to stay home with Levi. I was perfectly capable of watching him. But you were too young to remember that.”

“This isn’t coming from memory. It’s coming from future knowledge.”

“Continue.” She gestured with her hand for him to keep going.

“Less than a year from now you are going to meet your granddaughter.”

“My granddaughter?” Her eyes widened.

“Yes. Casey. She’s Robert’s, of course, but it wasn’t his fault. He was enchanted to do it, and not by her mother.”

“What?” Georgina rested her chin in her hand. “This is crazy talk.”

“It isn’t. And you’re going to love her. Everyone does.”

“If what you are saying is true, then Levi has a half-sister…” Georgina seemed to marvel at her own words.

“He does.”

“She’s amazing.” I couldn’t stay quiet when it came to discussing my sister. I was proud of her. She was everything I wished I could be.

“And who are you?” Georgina looked at me seriously.

“Vera. Casey’s half-sister, but both my parents are bears.” If Jared was throwing out the rules, I might as well too.

“A bear?” She turned to Jared. “You are with a bear?”

“As you tell us, some old rules are meant to be broken.”

“I said that?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Yes… but let’s not worry about that now.” I didn’t feel like recounting the whole Casey-Toby story.

She smiled, almost like she was proud of herself. “I believe you, and it’s not because of anything you’ve said.”

“Then why?” I asked.

“Your eyes. Your mannerisms.” She leaned forward toward Jared. “You’re older. You’ve been through more.”

“I have. And now I don’t know what to do. I’ve screwed everything up by being back. Levi didn’t meet Allie when he was supposed to.”

“Allie? Short for Allison?”

“Yes. By the way you adore her. The two of you bond like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

“I approve of the match?” Georgina narrowed her eyes. I guess she didn’t usually approve of people. I was sure she didn’t approve of me hanging out with Jared, and Jared wasn’t her grandson.

“Completely. And she becomes good friends with Casey. It all works out.”

“Why are you back here?”

“I have no clue.”

“What happened before you ended up here? And why is Vera here? Did she come back with you?” Georgina continued to list off questions.

“I put a paste made of Origin Crystals on my face.”

“Origin Crystals?” Her eyes widened. “They no longer exist.”

“They do.” Jared leaned back. “The problem is the witches want them, and things got crazy.”

“In the midst of battling witches you woke up in your past?”

“No, it was in the backseat of a truck.” I added. “And no, not with me in that way. I came back because we were worried he was hurt, and so I kissed him.”

“Like Sleeping Beauty?”

“Kind of… it seems crazy, but it made sense at the time.”

“Jared, tell me, how long after you woke up here did she arrive?” Georgina sat up, no longer looking as skeptical. She seemed to be in action mode.

“A few hours. It was at the hotel.”

“And why didn’t Levi meet his mate?”

“I didn’t pull his attention to her in time. When it really happened I’d been checking out her friend.” He looked at me. “This time I wasn’t.”

“We can fix this.” Georgina nodded emphatically.

“We can?”

“Yes. To be safe we need to make sure Levi meets her soon in this version of time, but I think you can undue this ever happening.”

“You make that sound easy.”

“Let’s move to the library.” Georgina sprung from her chair and headed for the door.

I
hurried
over to the door and opened it for Georgina. We walked down the hall, across the entryway and into the library. Bookshelves filled with old books lined the entire room up to the incredibly high ceilings. I’d spent many afternoons sitting in this library with Levi and Owen as a kid. I never admitted it, but I loved it. I could never get tired of being surrounded by books.

Vera craned her neck to look at everything. “This is amazing.”

“I am glad you approve. I’ve been building this collection for years.” Georgina closed and locked the doors.

“Is there an answer in one of these books?” Vera walked around the room.

“Yes. Why else would we have come in?” She wrinkled her forehead.

“I don’t know… you seem to know a lot off the top of your head.” Vera shrugged.

Georgina shook her head before walking over to one of the floor to ceiling bookcases. She carefully climbed a ladder.

“Want me to do that?” I quickly offered. All I needed was to have Georgina fall and hurt herself on my watch.

“No, you won’t be able to find what I need.”

“If you say so.” I held on to the ladder. I wanted to be helpful, but I knew changing Georgina’s mind would be impossible.

Vera gave me a look that let me know she had the same concern I had about Georgina falling.

She climbed back down clutching a thick black book.

“Take a seat, both of you.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I sat down on a love seat, and Vera sat down next to me.

Georgina sat across from us on a chair. “You are not truly time traveling. At least not in the sense you’re thinking.”

I nodded. “Ok. That’s good. I think.”

“You’re veiling.”

“Veiling?” That was a term I’d never heard before.

“Think of it as riding parallel to the past. You aren’t truly in the real one, but you are in a replica right beside it.”

“But others are in it?” I tried to understand how it all worked. It felt so real, yet it was a replica?

“Yes we are, but unlike true time travel, you can easily fix any changes you make.”

“How?” Vera asked the question before I could.

“You erase it.”

“Erase it?” I asked. “That can’t be easy.”

“If you were strong enough to conjure that veil, then you are strong enough to erase what you’ve done. It’s really amazing you were capable of creating it. I thought the skill had completely disappeared.”

I considered her words. “Ok, tell me how.”

“I can’t tell you how, but we can figure it out. First, you should figure out why you conjured it in the first place. It could not have been accidental.”

“I was sleeping. It wasn’t intentional. And we still don’t know for sure that I did it. It’s possible, but it could have been someone else.”

“Let’s start with the assumption it was you. We can’t go through every single possibility right now, and it had to start with your memory since this is your past. You had something to do with it whether you had help or not.”

“Agreed.” I nodded. We needed to start somewhere.

“Our unconscious mind is often superior to our conscious one.”

“All I’ve done since getting here is screw things up, so I don’t see why I’d have wanted to come back.”

Georgina brushed off her words and continued on. “Tell me more about the witches. Why did you use the crystals?”

“The witches want to use it to wipe out the humans. One of the witches involved is doing it because she was spurred by Robert, and…”

“By my Robert?”

“Yes.” I didn’t enjoy bringing her son into the discussion, but I had no choice.

“Who?”

“She goes by Tiffany now, but she had another name. They dated right before he met Helen.”

“Oh.” Georgina paled. “I know who you mean. I never liked that girl. I warned Robert to stay away from her.”

I wondered if Georgina was a good judge of people, or if it was some sort of woman’s intuition. “Well she nearly got everyone killed, and she messed with Casey’s mind.”

“Casey’s mind?” Georgina’s brow furrowed. “But how?”

“She’s half bear…”

“And the Pteron side didn’t truly dominate?”

“I guess not… do you think my magic makes me susceptible?” I hadn’t thought about that possibility.

“Not before, but maybe now. Although warlocks and witches can generally protect their minds from other magic. But you’d probably have to learn how.” Georgina shifted in her seat. “Clearly the magic has been awakened.”

“Was it the crystals? We had a healer with us who thought the crystals may have caused the problem.” Vera crossed one leg over the other.

“Very possible.” Georgina nodded. “Those crystals are incredibly powerful. Even in small amounts.”

“Meaning a concentrated paste could have caused some serious issues?” We’d messed with something beyond our comprehension, and I was really starting to regret it.

“Yes.” Georgina nodded again. “Did it have any other effects? Any you consciously noticed?”

“I got huge.” I looked down at his arms. “My Pteron form was intense.”

“Can I see?” Georgina leaned forward slightly in her seat.

“Well was. It’s not like that here.”

“Because you are yourself at the age you were in the veil. I get it.” Georgina seemed to be talking to herself.

“So how do I fix things and go back?” That was all that mattered at the moment.

“You have to figure out why you conjured this.”

“I have no clue. In theory, maybe so I could take out Tiffany before it all starts.” The thought of getting rid of that witch got my adrenaline pumping.

Georgina shook her head. “No. There are too many repercussions possible. Even though this is a veil, you could permanently change things if you don’t erase you ever being here.”

“Then what else could I be here for?”

“Knowledge.” Vera appeared surprised she’d spoken at all. “Maybe there’s something in this time that would help us in the real world?”

Georgina nodded. “Exactly my thoughts.”

“What kind of knowledge?” I stood. I couldn’t sit any longer. “What can I find?”

“You know exactly what kind of knowledge.”

“Magic.” I started to pace. “I came back here to learn more about magic.”

“Possibly. Which begs the question of why this time in particular? Why not a few weeks before your current time? There has to be a reason you chose this day.”

“Unless I naturally went back to an important day in my life. Levi met Allie today, which changed all of our futures.” I got chills thinking about how much would change if those two didn’t meet.

Vera seemed to be thinking over my words. Her face tensed, and I knew she was thinking about Casey. She only looked that way when she was thinking about her sister.

“That’s a very valid point.” Georgina nodded. “But there were many important days in your life.”

“I’m trying to remember what else happened around this time.” Generally I had a good memory, but sometimes days blurred together.

“What were you doing while Levi seduced Allie?” Vera crossed her legs again.

“A future king does not seduce. He courts.” Georgina frowned.

“Same difference.”

“Sleeping with her best friend.” I looked away. It wasn’t something I was proud of.

“Surely that couldn’t have been all you did.”

“Oh.” I looked away again, remembering something else that had happened.

“What?” Vera didn’t let my look slide. She always seemed to know when I was hiding something.

“I bailed Hailey out of a mess.”

“Hailey Kaye?” Georgina sat forward. “She is a nice girl. What kind of trouble could she get into?”

“Plenty.” I let out a slow deep breath. Hailey was a magnet for trouble sometimes.

“What did this trouble involve?” Georgina folded her hands in her lap. She could keep cool far better than I could.

“She’s always hanging out with people she shouldn’t, or she did. All that changed when she became Allie’s advisor, but—”

Georgina raised an eyebrow. “Advisor?”

“Yes. Allie changed things as queen. She took an advisor.”

“How do I react to that?” Georgina seemed legitimately curious.

“You love Allie, so you are fine with it.”

“Ok. What happens with Hailey?” Vera asked.

“She made a mess she couldn’t easily clean up. We had to get help from a witch.”

“What witch?”

“Her name’s Nadia. She’s had a thing for me for a while, so I convinced her to help off the record.”

“Nadia? Is that Elana’s daughter?” Georgina asked.

“Elana?” The name meant nothing to me.

“Forget it, you’re useless.” Georgina huffed.

“I don’t know much about her, but she helps us with Hailey’s problem.”

“And did you thank her?” Vera’s face was expressionless.

“Why would that matter?”

“Did you or didn’t you, Jared?” Georgina leaned forward. “The answer is important.”

“You called me Jared.”

“That is your name.” Georgina sat up even straighter than she already was.

“But you never get it right.”

“What I do is always for a reason.”

“Of course I didn’t sleep with her, since that’s what you’re both implying. I only slept with humans.” That was before I met Vera and Casey.

“As I said before, you came back here for a reason. Part of it may be knowledge. Part of it might be something altogether different.”

“What does my sex life have to do with any of this?”

“I don’t know, but I do know a spurned woman will do many things… what were you just telling me about Robert?” Georgina gave me a knowing look.

“I didn’t sleep with Nadia.” I did not enjoy discussing my supposed sexual escapades with Levi’s grandmother, or Vera. “End of story.”

“Are you sure it’s the end of the story? Did you refuse her?” Vera looked at me. “And was this before or after you slept with Allie’s friend?”

“I did turn down her advances and before.”

“And did she take the refusal well?” Georgina watched me like a hawk.

“She got over it. I know I’m good, but I’m not one of a kind.”

Georgina’s face reddened. “That’s enough of that talk.”

“I apologize.” I averted my eyes.

“Save your apology. Your answer to why may lie with Nadia.” Georgina seemed to be lost in thought. Her brain always seemed to be a step ahead.

“But how do I erase the veil?” I grasped for advice. “If you’re satisfied you know the why, how do I fix this?”

“Knowing isn’t the same as seeing. Maybe she’s got more answers than you think.”

“But I don’t have time for maybes. I need answers.” I wasn’t used to feeling out of control. “I’ll go when Hailey calls, but can’t you tell me how to erase the changes now, while we wait?”

“You’re going to have to conjure it yourself, but this book should explain some of the details.” She held out the thick black book.

“Some of the details? I need all of them.” Conjuring wasn’t in my skill set.

“Oh.” Georgina froze.

“What?”

“You said your shifted form here isn’t your larger one.” Georgina clasped her hands together on her lap.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“So the changes from the crystals aren’t apparent in this veil.” She sighed.

“Right.” I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved about that or not. I liked being super strong, but I also felt more like myself this way.

“So your magic may not be awakened in this form.”

“Meaning?” A horrible reality started to dawn on me, but I needed to hear it to know for sure.

“Meaning you can’t erase this or get us out of here.” Vera’s face fell.

I shook my head. Hearing it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. “No. There has to be a way.”

“Maybe once you find out what you came to learn.” Vera shrugged. “It’s a possibility, isn’t it?”

“Technically, yes.” Georgina seemed to be deep in thought. “Anything is possible.”

“But what if it’s not? I have to fix things.”

“If it’s not possible, and you’re stuck in this veil, you won’t be able to leave until you catch up with your present time… and go through any new changes you caused.”

“But what happens in the present day? What’s happening now?” We had no time to waste with this.

“That I don’t know. What was happening when Jared first fell asleep? Do you remember, Vera?” Georgina asked.

“You were sleeping… everything else continued.”

“Which means we have no time.” I opened the book. “What part is about creating and breaking veils?”

“All of it.”

“All of it?” My eyes widened.

“Yes. It’s a complicated business.”

“But you said this book could help with the details.”

“It can. These books are usually predicated on the presumption that you have a basic knowledge of magic and how it works.”

“Fantastic.” I flipped through the densely worded pages. “This isn’t going to help.”

“You need to make sure Levi meets Allie.” Georgina stood and walked over to Jared. “If there’s any chance you can’t fix this, you must make sure he finds his mate.”

“I will. Vera already helped with a backup plan.”

“What’s that?”

“We knew Allie would be at a certain bar tonight, so I told him to meet me there.” Vera explained

“Why would he want to meet you?” Georgina pursed her lips.

“Because he wants her. This is Levi we’re talking about.”

“But he does grow out of these antics? Right?”

“Once he meets Allie.”

“Good. Make sure he does then.” Georgina walked toward the door.

“Wait.” I took a step toward the door.

She turned back.

“If we get stuck here, I’m going to have to do something about Tiffany and my dad.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Find Hailey, see Nadia, and try to get back. Also, fix things with Levi and his mate, then come back to see me.”

“Gotcha.”

“And Jared?” Georgina hesitated in the doorway.

“Yes.”

“Don’t run from yourself. It’s only going to make things worse.”

“What does that mean?”

“I am sure you can figure it out.” She left the room, tightly closing the door behind her.

Vera walked over to where I waited. “What time does Hailey call you?”