Chapter 5

• “Safe from whom?” The one with the goatee asked.
• I wished I could remember which one was King Troy and which one was King Chase. I blew out a breath, not sure how to explain anything. “From my father’s people.” I decided again the truth was probably best. “My mother told me to avoid them.”
• “Who is your father?” The stoic one asked.
• I opened my mouth and closed it. “I-I don’t know. They took him before I was born.” I was getting identical looks from them.
• The serious one nodded, then looked at me. “Let’s start with your name.” He motioned to his twin. “This is Chase and I’m Troy.”
• I felt honored and bowed my head slightly again. “I’m Reagan. Well, actually my given name is Rea, but I changed it about a fifty years ago to blend in with more modern trends.”
• He glanced to Chase, then back to me, “and your last name? So we can locate any relatives if they’re still living.”
• I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut. “I don’t know. Mother and I used Hayden, but I think she made that up.”
• He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started typing something.
• A man pushed between them and came in. It was the one I’d helped. I paused for a moment to look at him, now that he wasn’t bleeding all over the place. He was just as beautiful as his kings were. His brown hair had auburn highlights in it, as it fell across his forehead. For some strange reason I wanted to go touch it. His eyes were brown with lighter flecks in them. They were very pretty eyes, although I’m sure he’d scowl at me even more than he already was if I were to voice that.
• “And this is our brother, Quinton.” The one said with a smirk.
• I rushed toward him and reached out, then saw my bare hand. Turning I grabbed my gloves and put them on quickly. “How are you doing?” I went over and pulled his shirt up. “I didn’t realize how deep it went or I would have just closed it so you didn’t bleed out…” There was no mark on his side. Had I done that? No wonder I was drained. It wasn’t the first time I’d healed with too much oomph when my adrenaline was pumping.
• He stepped back out of my reach.
• I looked up to see his dark brown eyes looking at me like I was the strangest thing he’d ever seen.
• “You did that?” Chase looked at Quinton, then back to me. “You healed him with your hands?”
• I reluctantly looked away from Quinton and nodded. “Yes.” I shrugged. “Don’t ask me to explain it, I don’t understand it.”
• “Did your mother have the ability?” Troy asked. “A skill such as that would be easy to trace back to your family”
• Family. Could it be possible I had relatives? I shook my head. “No. She said she was unlucky with no special talents.”
• “Perhaps your father did?” Chase asked.
• I shrugged. “Not that I know of. I don’t know a lot about him, just…” Surely it was safe to tell them. “My mother said if I encountered anyone like my father, with eyes as dark as coal—to get away from them and never look back.”
• They gave each other a quick look.
• “Interesting.” Troy said.
• “Why did your hair go white?” Quinton blurted out.
• I touched my hair, that was almost back to brown now. “Oh, I didn’t realize how bad your injury was and expended too much energy.”
• He studied me with a hard expression. “Don’t touch me again.” He spun on his heels and stomped out of the room.
• “Well,” Chase looked at the door, then back to me, “I apologize for my brother’s abruptness.” He smiled at me, “thank you for helping him.” He inclined his head to me.
• “Your brother,” I remembered the royal family my mother had talked about. I made an o with my lips, “you have many brothers.” I smiled.
• “Too many some days.” Troy said and rubbed the back of his neck.
• “Excuse me,” a man with black hair stepped into the room, “I have to go help Rena pack up.” He didn’t look pleased with this. “I probably won’t be back until after breakfast.” He stopped and looked at me. “Emil.” He bowed his head briefly, “thank you for assisting my brother.”
• Another brother. That explained why he was so nice to look at. “Reagan.” I took a short breath. At some point it was going to sink in that I was in Alterealm. The Alterealm. There was no guarantee my reaction would be pretty. I would probably be more like a screaming fangirl.
• He gave me an abrupt nod, then glanced to his brothers and left the room.
• “What’s with Quint? He just lit out of here like his butt was on fire.” A tiny redheaded woman came in.
• Chase grinned, “He didn’t seem receptive to the idea that Reagan healed him with just a touch.”
• “Just add that to the list of his strangeness lately.” She smiled at me. “Hi, I’m Bethany.”
• I smiled back.
• “What strangeness?” Troy asked her.
• She gave him an exaggerated look. “You haven’t noticed that we see him less and less lately? Or that we never see him unless we’re eating, fighting,” she shrugged, “or planning?”
• Troy looked over her head to Chase then back down at her. “I hadn’t noticed.”
• “Big shocker there.” A blonde woman came in. “I can’t stall Bastian much longer.” She glanced to me, gave me a quick once over then looked up at Troy.
• Troy heaved a sigh. “We’ll deal with Bastian,” he motioned to me, “Rea’s mother was one of ours.” He looked at the woman again, “we’re going to need to call a meeting to discuss her intriguing history and appease the Solrelm Prince.”
• Solrelm? Maybe it was part of Alterealm and mother had never mentioned it.
• She nodded. “At the meeting room?”
• Troy nodded. “See if you can get Autumn and Paisley to leave the cells too, Daxx, and then Michael and Arius can attend.”
• Daxx grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.”
• The kings turned and walked out of the room in unison.
• “This is Daxx. Troy’s mate.” Bethany told me.
• “Oh,” I bowed my head, “your majesty.” When I straightened, Daxx was scowling at me and Bethany was grinning.
• “That will be enough of that.” Daxx mumbled.
• “We’re very informal most of the time.” Bethany told me.
• I filed that information away. “Who is the Solrelm Prince?”
• “Bastian.” Daxx answered as she went over and picked up my surujin. She looked over her shoulder at me. “That was something, when you used this.”
• I shrugged. “Run away is my method of battle. Anything to postpone a fight.”
• She smirked. “You’re going to get along with Crissy really well then.”
• A tall blond man rushed through the door. He stopped abruptly and looked at me. “Your hair was blueish-grey.”
• I nodded slowly.
• “I’ve been seeing you for weeks.”
• I opened my mouth, then closed it and looked at Daxx, she shrugged. “Okay.”
• A woman came in. “He has visions.”
• Which explained it, but not at the same time.
• “I’m Kara,” she motioned to the man, “this is my mate, Rafael.”
• Rafael. I knew that name. I bowed at the waist quickly.
• “Uh, stop doing that.” Daxx said.
• I straightened.
• “So it’s true.” Rafael crossed his arms over his chest and grinned down at me. “You are one of ours.”
• I went over and picked up my backpack and put it on. “My mother was.”
• “Which means you are.” Kara smiled at me.
• Daxx pulled her phone out of her pocket then sighed. “We have to get to the meeting room, Bastian is getting impatient.” She handed me my surujin. “Have you ever ported before?”
• I took it and quickly dropped it into the pouch at my side. “No.”
• “It sucks.” Bethany said then vanished.
• Eyes wide I stood there looking where she had been. “Where did she go?”
• “Meeting room.” Daxx held out her hand. “Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and hang on.”