20 Chapter 20

"What the hell!" I spoke out, trying to catch my breath.

"It's gotta be him again. The attacks are happening more frequently." I nodded in agreement with Noor.

"Okay… So, what do we do?" I voiced out with concern. We aren't safe within the walls of our own home, and we aren't safe when we leave.

"I know you're not going to like this answer, but honestly, I don't know. We have no way of locating the Puppet master, and quite frankly, even if we did, we don't know how to put a scratch on him, let alone defeat him." A surge started throughout my body.

"Whoa, love. You need to take some deep breaths and calm down." Noor spoke out, her eyes looking deep into mine. I could see the glow of my eyes reflecting in hers.

"Calm down? Noor, we are completely fucked. We have an evil villain who's untouchable and wants us dead. We don't know anything about how to defeat him, and he's attacking more. He sent my dad after me in our own bedroom, for christ's sake!" Noor put her hands on my shoulder and started taking deep breaths, and reluctantly I mimicked her.

"We are almost to the safe house," Naiomi spoke, breaking up the breathing exercises. I looked up at Noor.

"The safehouse?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah. We need to go somewhere else." I looked off, deep in thought.

"Why don't we go to my house back in the human realm?"

"I don't-" Hannah cut Noor off.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. We can head to the safe house, and I should be able to cloak us from there as we travel to the portal. So they won't be able to track us down for a while. Plus, going rogue can protect us, just in case there are rats in our inner circle." Noor nodded her head, pondering deeply. Deep down, I was really hoping she'd go for it. I want to see my family so badly.

"Fine. We'll go. I have some connections in the human realm, and they have an archive of books. Maybe we can find one to help us figure out our enemy."

With that, we made our way to the safehouse. We didn't spend too long there gathering some supplies, like money and identification. Next, Noor and I had to have Hannah cast a spell so that our eye color looks normal, and she made my hair darker again. Soon Hannah cast the cloaking spell, and we made our way to the portal. Once there, we made it with ease, landing ourselves somewhere in Texas. It looked like The outskirts of San Antonio, which, if we were, we aren't too far away from my family.

We stopped at a gas station, and Noor called some number on a payphone. About 20 minutes later, an SUV pulled up and rolled down their window. The girl had bright pink hair, gauges, and I could see a lot of tattoos.

"What's up, sis! Long time no see. Get in, losers, we're going shopping!" The girl laughed hysterically, and I laughed a bit, too, getting her reference. We all filed into the car, Noor taking the passenger seat while the rest of us took the back.

"Is she really your sister?" I whispered in her ear from behind the seat.

"No need to whisper. I can hear you. You could say that. Her parents adopted me when I was younger. My parents were killed by the same guy that's after you." I sat back in my seat, and I could feel my eyes bulging.

"Damn. I'm sorry to hear that about your parents. It seems this dick has fucked over a lot of people." She looked at me through the rearview mirror.

"I like her. I like people who cuss. They always seem to be more truthful." She looked at Noor then back to me as she said this. I smiled at that. At least I'm on her sister's good side.

"Yeah, the dude sucks for sure. He's a hella annoying individual. I've done a lot of research on him, pretty much have made it my life's mission to take him down. If anyone is an expert on him, it's me." I sat up straight, intrigued.

"Do you know how to defeat them?" She shrugged.

"I think I might be onto something. I'm glad you all came when you did. I think you all can help me crack this last bit of writing. I've been struggling to translate it." This really got my attention.

"What language is it written in?" Hannah joined the conversation. I looked over and found Naiomi holding her hand tightly. She seems stressed.

"Archaic Elven. It's been a dead language for centuries, and I mean centuries. Most of it hasn't been fully translated yet. We've barely scratched the surface of the language." I sighed at this.

"Well, I don't know how I'll be of any help. I can't speak any other language besides English and Spanish." The girl with the pink hair shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. Noor tells me you're funny. We'll need some comedic relief." I looked towards Noor. I know she could feel my gaze. I smiled at the fact that she talks about me.

"I never got your name." She looked at me through the mirror.

"Just call me Rowan." I nodded.

"Is that your first name? I like it. It's unique." She kept her eyes on the road and became a little tense.

"No, it's my last name. I don't share my first name." I was about to ask why when Noor's voice came through my head telling me to leave it alone. I clamped my mouth shut, stopping myself from asking the question that was burning its way up my throat.

"Well, I like it. It suits you and plays more into your badass vibe." I settled with saying this because, at this point, I had to say something. I saw Rowan give a small smile. I'm still curious as to what the story is behind that. I wonder if Noor will tell me. Then again, she respects other's privacy. I glanced over to Hannah and Naiomi and saw Naiomi was practically pale, gripping Hannah's hand for dear life.

"Naiomi… Are you okay?" I asked softly, my voice clearly laced with concern.

"Just stressed. I'm not a fan of the human world. Let's just leave it at that." She looked at me, and I could see that she had been through trauma here.

"If you need anything, just let me know." She nodded her head and then placed it on Hannah's shoulder. Hannah kissed Naiomi on the head, and you could see her visibly relax just a little bit.

The rest of the car ride went in silence—everyone in their own thoughts and world. I know I kept drawing up scenarios of how my family would react to seeing me again. I wonder what they think I've been doing this whole time.

"They think you've been backpacking in Europe." Noor's voice rang out in my head.

"Good. It gives a perfect excuse as to why I haven't really been in touch." I spoke back through the mind link.

"My thoughts exactly." After that, the conversation ended.

Soon we pulled up to this really tall building.

"Where are we?" I said while looking up at this massive building.

"It's one of my companies in the human realm. It's a front for supernatural intelligence. That way, we can keep an eye on the humans, any hunter or groups out to get supernaturals, and keep an eye out for the supernaturals who choose to live here." I looked at her in shock.

"You never told me!" She looked over at me, grabbed my hand, and started leading me inside the building.

"You never asked about my work. You were going to find out sooner or later because you'll be taking over duties. I was going to let you deal with human affairs since you used to be one." I smiled big.

"I'm going to be a boss! That's so cool." She looked at me, amused.

"You're a queen, my love. A lot higher than a boss." I totally forgot about that. I honestly find myself forgetting I'm a queen far too often.

Once inside, I looked around in awe. This place was immaculate. Absolutely stunning. They had a water fountain in the lobby! A water fountain! Noor walked past the front desk. It looked like the receptionist was about to reprimand us but quickly realized that would be a bad idea. She instead bowed her head. Noor gave a curt nod and continued to lead us to the elevators.

"So, is this like a hotel?" She nodded her head at me.

"Yes. I have them scattered all over the world. At least two on every continent. Well, the ones in the poles and Antarctica are more like stations than hotels." I nodded. This is cool.

Once in the elevator, she pressed a series of floor numbers, and soon the pad changed to that of a hand scanner. Noor placed her hand on the scanner, and soon the elevator went backward, then down. I had to grab onto Noor for a second because we dropped sharply.

"Alright, this is where I become the leader. Follow in a straight line now, kids. My office is just up ahead." I rolled my eyes amusingly and snorted. Rowan just chuckled at my reaction.

"Wow, this place is huge." I looked around the massive room. It was like a combination of a library and a laboratory.

"Thanks." She walked towards the part of the room that looked more like a lab in search of something. I turned my attention to scanning the room, paying more attention to all the details. There are rows of bookshelves and a whole second story. On the second story, I could see a table with books scattered on it and a lamp. Off to the side looked like a futon. Looking at the lab around me, I saw a bunch of science-type equipment. Off to the corner, I found a kitchenette. She must basically live here.

"Yeah, you're right about that. So alright, here are some gadgets for while we are all here." I looked down. Damn it.

"I spoke my thoughts out loud again, didn't I?" Rowman looked at me amused, and even Naiomi seemed amused too and a little less stressed at that moment. Noor just nodded and brought me towards her, hugging me from behind as she looked to her sister expectantly.

"Proceeding on. You each will be equipped with these diamond earrings, they have tracking devices in them, and if you press on the right one, you can communicate with each other anywhere you are. Next are cell phones and credit cards. You all already have your identification, so we don't have to worry about that. Alright, since you all are mated, each mated pair gets a car. Since Elon Musk is one of us, we support him tremendously. With that being said, who wants the black tesla, and who wants the grey one?"

"What shade of grey?" I ask. She looks at me weirdly.

"Like a charcoal gray?" I smiled devilishly.

"We'll take it," I said while snatching the key card out of her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Let's backtrack a moment. You said Elon Musk is one of us?" I voiced out loudly. "Like a supernatural being," I whispered lowly this time.

"Yes. Moving on. Lareina, once you left, we set your family up in a very nice spacious house, gated community. The community is filled with some of our top agents and knows to protect them, so rest assured they have been taken care of. You all can head there now. I know I said we were going shopping, but I'm exhausted and need to try and crack these last few pages. I'm sure Hannah can use some of her magic, or if you really want to you, you all can go shopping by yourselves." Rowan exchanged a look with Noor. I could feel that Noor was concerned.

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm exhausted. Hannah, can you please just snap us some clothing." I looked at her and could see she was exhausted too.

"Yeah, I can." She looked at Naiomi. "You may have to carry me out. I'll probably fall asleep." She chuckled a bit while I could see Naiomi tense up.

"Do you think it's a good idea for you to be doing this then?" Hannah just waved Naiomi off.

"I'll be fine, I promise." Hannah reached out and caressed Naiomi's face, then kissed her forehead. To be honest, it's still kind of weird watching them show each other affection.

Hannah looked at all of us then snapped her finger. Soon next to all of us was a duffle bag and suitcase.

"There. Clothes and toiletries." She said with a yawn. She then looked at Naiomi. "Let's get going. I think I can make it to the car before I fall asleep." Naiomi ended up picking up Hannah with one arm and grabbed the two duffle bags with her free one. Noor and I offered to take the suitcases. Hannah was out like a light as soon as she rested her head on Naiomi's shoulder.

We made it to the parking garage and navigated our way to our cars with no problem. We loaded up and headed to my family's home. I was deep in thought when we pulled up to a gate. Wow, that was fast. I must have really been out of it. Noor punched in a code, and then the gates opened. The gate closed immediately after us, so Naiomi had to punch in a code as well. The security is definitely very tight. Driving further in, there was a security booth with a couple of security guards inside. As we passed, they bowed towards our car. I could see that they were armed. Damn, this place is basically a military base.

As we made our way further into the community, I grew more and more anxious. What are they going to think? What are they going to say? Finally, Noor reached out and grabbed my hand and gave me a reassuring look as we pulled into a big driveway. I could feel my heart racing.

"Breathe, my love. It's okay." I took a deep breath with her and rolled my shoulders as if I was preparing to go into battle. I've got this.

We all got out and grabbed our stuff. Hannah was awake and seemed a lot less exhausted than before. We inched closer and closer to the door. I realized that I had found my way to the front of the pack. Noor looked at me encouragingly and nodded towards the doorbell. With one last deep breath, I pressed the button, hearing the melodic chiming follow after. With every footstep I hear approaching, I can feel my throat closing and my mouth becoming dry. Finally, I heard the door unlock, and everything in me wanted to make a run for it. I don't understand why I was this nervous. Soon the door opened, and I stood there frozen in my spot.